Göteborgs Konserthus Hits from Two Centuries

KRZYSTOF PENDERECKI (1933-2020) Clarinet Quartet Tonight's work by Krzystof Penderecki sounds little like the music that even the classically unfamiliar associate with this representative of the so-called "Polish school". The microtonal clusters, terrifying glissandos and heavenly glittering flageolets that the cinemagoer heard in films such as The Exorcist, The Shining or in the third season of Twin Peaks are in the clarinet quartet in the distance. Instead, we hear here perhaps rather an echo of a conversation with Shostakovich. Expressly, the piece was written - according to Penderecki - as a response to Schubert's C major quintet, but in fact it is rather 20th century music that shines through. Shostakovich's first cello concerto, piano trio, eighth string quartet, but also Berg and Schönberg, who in their late romantic form are present like ghosts. As a curiosity, it can be mentioned that the piece written in 1993 bears a dedication to the former permanent secretary of the Swedish Musical Academy, Åke Holmquist. ESAIAS JÄRNEGARD

CARL NIELSEN (1865-1931) Wind Quintet Allegro ben moderato Menuett Preludium. Adagio. Tema con variazioni. Andantino The wind quintet Carl Nielsen, dated April 1922, has undoubtedly become the Nordic region's foremost contribution to this genre. The background is a phone call to the pianist Christian Christiansen, with whom the members of the Copenhagen wind quintet happened to be rehearsing Mozart's Sinfonia concertante. Nielsen heard the music over the phone, got excited and immediately went to them. He listened and asked the musicians about the possibilities of the instruments - and so he began to compose. The fact that Mozart was Nielsen's musical household god certainly contributed to the enthusiasm. By this time, Nielsen had already composed his groundbreaking Fifth Symphony and suffered a severe heart attack in the process. But even this could not prevent him from composing the quintet in his free time - that is, at night - during a three-month guest performance as a conductor in Gothenburg. It was also in Gothenburg that the quintet played for the first time during a private concert at the Mannheimer family on Götabergsgatan. The public premiere, on the other hand, was in Copenhagen on October 9, 1922. With this piece, Nielsen breathed new life into a genre that had not been popular at all since the classics wrote wind quintets. The Romantics were completely uninterested in this form of music. The first movement is laid out like a classical sonata movement in clean lines and the minuet is full of charm - it could fit into a baroque suite. The final movement is the highlight of the quintet. A prelude begins and is followed by eleven variations on the hymn Jesu let my heart receive, composed by Nielsen himself. Here the personalities of the musicians can blossom. Stig Jacobsson

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) Nonet Adagio – Allegro Andante con moto Scherzo, Vivace Adagio – Allegro Although French composer Louise Farrenc's place in music history was long overshadowed by her male colleagues, she was a towering musical figure of her time. She composed three symphonies, twice won the prestigious Prix Chartier and, in addition to being a celebrated composer, was known as one of Europe's best piano teachers. She was also the only woman during the entire 19th century to receive a position as professor of piano at the Conservatory of Music in Paris. Nonett Op 38 was the only piece of chamber music Louise Farrenc composed that does not contain a piano. The piece premiered at a private salon in 1849, before meeting a large audience the following year at a public concert at the Salle Érard in Paris. There the nonet was a success, and the violin part was played by the later world-famous violinist Joseph Joachim, who was 19 at the time. In her music, Farrenc combines the various instruments in unexpected ways with a rich tonal language that testifies to her musical independence and strong integrity. Hedvig Ljungar