Ravinia 2025 Issue 2

The Heymann Quartet gave the premiere on March 5, 1904, at the Société Nationale in Paris. The Allegro moderato is a sonata form present- ing a somewhat loose progression of musical ideas. Its opening theme offers an animated ris- ing phrase, whose tension a gentle descent im- mediately releases. An expressive contrasting idea, played by the first violin and viola, rises above tremolos in the second violin and pizzica- tos in the cello. The development traverses nu- merous tonal centers. A crescendo from piano to fortississimo leads to the restatement of the opening melody, and the second theme returns with a new harmonization. The music slows and fades away at the end. The second movement opens with a refreshing scherzo-like pizzicato section—contrasting du- ple and triple groupings of beats—that evokes the sounds of Spanish music. Action slows for a more introspective, contrapuntal trio . Then, the pizzicato music returns for a vivacious con- clusion. The third movement follows no typi- cal form. Rather, a common lyrical expression unifies its numerous melodic ideas. One occa- sionally detects motives from the previous two movements. Ravel’s finale is a lively and agitated movement in 5/8 time, a metrical asymmetry reminiscent of Russian music. Its unusual flavor prompted criticism frommany French contemporaries, in- cluding the work’s dedicatee. This rhythmically irregular music provides a refrain between con- trasting sections. One final statement propels the music to a dynamic conclusion. –Program notes © 2025 Todd E. Sullivan Maurice Ravel ISIDORE STRING QUARTET Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the New York City–based Isidore String Quartet was formed in 2019 with a vision to revisit, rediscover, and reinvigorate the rep- ertory. The ensemble is heavily influenced by the Juilliard String Quartet and their ethos of “approaching the established as if it were brand- new, and the new as if it were firmly established.” The quartet began as an ensemble at The Juil- liard School, where the musicians have been coached by Joel Krosnick, Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Laurie Smukler, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, and numerous others. They are currently completing their final year as the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Res- idence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In North America, the Isidore Quartet has appeared on major series in Boston, New York, Berkeley, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Durham, Houston, Toronto, Montreal, and Washington, DC, and has also performed in collaboration with such eminent artists as vi- olinist James Ehnes and pianists Jeremy Denk, Shai Wosner, and Jon Nakamatsu. The Isidore’s 2024/25 season has included performances in Salt Lake City, Buffalo, Kansas City, Portland, Louisville, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Memphis, Vancouver, San Francisco, and many other cities across the US and Canada. Their European en- gagements have spanned Amsterdam’s Concert- gebouw and Bonn’s Beethoven Haus, as well as halls in Stuttgart, Cologne, and Dresden, among many others. Over the past several years, the quartet has developed a strong connection to the works of composer and pianist Billy Childs, whose String Quartet No. 2 ( Awakenings ) was among the vehicles of the Isidore’s Banff laurels. This season they regularly programmed Childs’s Quartet No. 3 ( Unrequited ), and during the 2025/26 season, they will premiere a new Childs quartet written expressly for the ensemble. On and off stage, the Isidore Quartet is deeply in- vested in connecting with communities who otherwise have limited access to high-quali- ty live music performance, as well as breaking down barriers to encourage collaboration and creativity. The Isidore String Quartet held a fel- lowship at Ravinia’s Steans Institute in 2022 and are making their first return to the festival. RAVINIA JAZZ MENTOR PROGRAM Founded in 1995 with the help of the late Ramsey Lewis and Penny Tyler, then the leaders of jazz programming at Ravinia, and former Chicago Public Schools music administrator William Johnson, the Jazz Mentor Program provides tal- ented high school musicians the opportunity to develop their skills, deepen their connection to music, and create pathways for continued suc- cess. The program was the very first CPS initia- tive of Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play® programs. The Jazz Mentors, a teaching and perform- ing ensemble consisting of eight of Chicago’s finest jazz musicians, give performances and master classes in Chicago Public High Schools. A co-founder of the Mentors, saxophonist Pat Mallinger has led the group since 2017, after the passing of pianist Willie Pickens, who oversaw the Mentors from the program’s inception. The Mentors also include trumpeter Pharez Whit- ted, trombonist Audrey Morrison, guitarist Bobby Broom; pianist Richard Johnson, bassist Dennis Carroll, drummer Ernie Adams, and Latin percussionist Eric Hines. The Jazz Men- tors share their enthusiasm with music students and build on concepts taught by school band di- rectors. A central component of the Jazz Mentor Program is the selection (through audition) of the Ravinia Jazz Scholars, a group of Chicago’s most talented student musicians. The Jazz Scholars receive intensive, year-round training by the Jazz Mentors, as well as schol- arships and opportunities to perform. Many Jazz Scholars alums go on to study music in college, and several have become professional musicians, including Calvin Rogers, a drummer who was sought out early in his career by Ram- sey Lewis for a recording session, and Franklin Vanderbilt, a drummer who performs with Len- ny Kravitz. Former Jazz Scholars Marquis Hill, Michael Piolet, Kyle Swan, Alexis Lombre, and Carmani Edwards have been participants in the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Jazz. In 2014, Hill won the Thelonious Monk Inter- national Jazz Trumpet Competition, the most prestigious of its kind. RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 69 JIYANGCHEN(ISIDORE);PATRICKGIPSON/RAVINIA(JAZZMENTORS)