Trio Barclay: Schubert and Chang
Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 5pm
Performance Sponsor
Robert E. Romney
Eugene and Carol Choi
This performance will include a 15-minute intermission.
Dennis Kim: violin
Jonah Kim: cello
Sean Kennard: piano
PROGRAM
Piano Trio No. 2 "Beyond Silence" (World Premier)
by Sebastian Chang
I. Dusk
II. Saudade
III. The Razor's Edge
-Intermission-
Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 100, D.929
by Franz Schubert
I. Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. Allegro moderato
IV. Allegro moderato
By Sebastian Chang
I wrote the Piano Trio in two months within the spring of 2022. The title is in reference to a quote from Robert Adams, an American Advaita teacher. His quote that I drew my title from is: “You can never find out for yourself by reading, or by meditating, or by discussing scripture, or by trying to prove a point, or by thinking you’ve got it. It is only when the noise in your head stops, only when the chattering stops and you go beyond silence.”
“Saudade,” the name of the 2nd movement, is a Portuguese word that means “memory of something with a desire for it.” It’s a deep emotional stage of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for something or someone that one cares for or loves. It also carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never be had again. This expression of happiness and sadness is exemplified by, for example, the contrast between the piano solo and accompanying string statement at the beginning and end of the movement, and the middle section fugue.
The 3rd movement “The Razor’s Edge” is in reference to Somerset Maugham’s novel of the same title. The book tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American fighter pilot who is traumatized by the sudden death of his best friend and squadron-mate following a sortie in World War I. This experience leads him to question the core values of his life, leading him to reject a conventional lifestyle and wander in search of a deeper meaning. He ends up in India and meets Sri Ganesha, based on Ramana Maharshi. Larry Darrell is a fictitious name for someone that Maugham claims that he met and knew personally.
The epigram of the novel comes from the Katha-Upanishad: “The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.”
This last movement features a double-fugue whose two expositions and developments are separated by an occurrence of the main theme. Both subjects run simultaneously following the conclusion of the development of the second fugue.
If moments in a day could be associated with various movements of the composition, “Beyond Silence” could be said to begin from Dusk and end at the break of Dawn, with the middle movement encompassing Night.
This piece is dedicated to the Barclay Trio, who perform its world premiere today. Words cannot encompass my gratitude to these outstanding musicians, to whom this piano trio is dedicated.
by Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
I. Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. Allegro moderato
IV. Allegro moderato
Schubert spent the majority of his brief but prodigious life writing and performing music within the intimate and convivial company of family and friends. Almost entirely without patrons, commissions nor aristocratic associations, he flourished within a small, cultured middle-class Viennese community where the majority of his music would remain, unknown to the larger world until after his death. Schubert wrote reams of music ideal for the setting: over six-hundred songs, numerous piano works for two and four hands, and a sizable canon of chamber music. In his final decade, Schubert produced a mature series of highly original chamber music that ranks among the greatest ever created, including the "Trout Quintet," the last four String Quartets, two Piano Trios and a breathtaking final work, the String Quintet in C major. Despite his rapidly declining health, his final year yielded the Piano Trios, the Quintet, three Piano Sonatas and a towering Symphony in C major. It would seem that Schubert's music just got better and better right until the end. Dying at the age of only 31, Schubert may have departed with still "fairer hopes," but the music he left behind could easily occupy a much longer life in the service of appreciating it all.
The last Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 100, D.929, is a gigantic masterpiece that, with Beethoven's "Archduke," could be considered among the few greatest piano trios in the traditional repertory. It is gigantic in length and breadth, wealthy in thematic ideas, constant transformations and ingenious details of construction. A typical performance runs to nearly forty-five minutes and this without taking the repeat in the first movement, and, after Schubert's edits in the finale, removing its repeat as well as some one hundred additional measures. "Heavenly lengths," as Schumann would write. Like much of Schubert's "late" music, it is grand and profound in a way that goes well beyond the relatively modest context in which he wrote. It was among the few pieces performed in the only public concert featuring Schubert's music held during his lifetime, the only work published outside Austria before his death. Schumann wrote, "a Trio by Schubert passed across the musical world like some angry comet in the sky." More intense than its worthy companion, the Piano Trio in B-flat major written around the same time, it flairs with passion, pathos, perhaps even anger, but it is equally saturated with joy, grace, and triumphant beauty.
The first movement sonata in moderate tempo is full of Schubertian lyricism and energy, with as many as six separate thematic ideas in the exposition alone. Careful inspection reveals that they are related. Swept along within Schubert's typical flow of songlike themes, it is easy to overlook the ways in which he equally excels with a set of key motives that interrelate and recur throughout the trio in a wonderful organic unity. While vast, the trio is also highly integrated. The development is concerned chiefly with the last theme working this generous sonata into surprising dramatic heights.
The slow movement begins with a somber, poised march with a singing cello lament in a minor key. A second theme melts the chill into a tender, bright warmth of smooth motion, a contrast that generates another unexpected epic, the most memorable movement of the trio. Twice, it swells into a blinding heat of monumental passion before cooling again into the restrained, unforgiving march. The Scherzo delights with sparkling play and clever invention: it is a canon throughout with piano and strings imitating each other in a variety of shifting combinations interlacing two and three-part textures in a genial dance like so many Schubert wrote for his Viennese friends. The trio section is more rustic and bold with heavy accents and a recall of one of the troubled, rhythmic themes from the first movement charmed into dance through a loving contrapuntal embrace.
The finale is combination of rondo and sonata forms with no less than three additional melodies, as though Schubert had an inexhaustible font of new music pouring out of his racing, mortal imagination. Midway through, Schubert reintroduces the march theme from the second movement, reminding us of something important we may have forgotten. Now, at least four distinct themes weave in an out of a tapestry of dazzling color and virtuosity with music that perhaps exceeds even Mozart with its lyrical bounty. For a final transformation of tremendous effect and compelling unity, Schubert returns to the march theme yet again, this time reborn in a final triumphant major key.
A casual listen to Schubert sometimes provokes the reaction that he is a bit long-winded, maybe even a bit repetitive. A more attentive listening reveals that Schubert never says the same thing twice. With his masterful handling of an ever-changing texture, his uncanny use of color within a chamber ensemble, his expert rhythmic sense and his exotic, emotionally keen harmonic modulations, Schubert always invests his recurring thematic material with new meaning, ultimately building a large-scale narrative where nothing is redundant and everything necessary. His music demands from the listener only an equivalently generous presence of heart and mind.
© Kai Christiansen and Music at Kohl Mansion. All rights reserved.
Season Sponsor
Venue Sponsor
Corporate Sponsors
Public Partners
City of Irvine and UC Irvine
Official Health Care Partner
UCI Health
Corporate Sponsor
Haskell & White LLP
$100,000+
Paul and Bonnie Lubock
$50, 000+
Tom and Mayumi Adams
Thomas Rogers and Sally Anderson
Worah Family Foundation
$25, 000-$49, 999
Clifford and Jennifer Cheng
Gerrit and Amy Cole Foundation
The Hiland Foundation
Bill and Carolyn Klein
The Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund
Judy and Wes Whitmore
$10, 000 -$24,999
Gregory Bates and Joann Leatherby
Eugene and Carol Choi
Paul and Anne Devore
Farhang Foundation
David and Trudi Gartley
Mike Gordon
Haskell & White LLP
Harason Horowitz
Mark Chapin Johnson Foundation
Terry and Judy Jones
Mike Kerr and Jenny Backhaus
Jerry and Whitney Mandel
Goran Matijasevic
William and Janice Parker Family Fund
William and Pat Podlich
Robert E. Romney
Richard and Cheryll Ruszat – Montessori Schools of Irvine
Mary Watson-Bruce
Greg Zaret
$5, 000 - $9, 999
Stephen and Mary Auerbach
Robert and Lillyan Cendejas
Rohit Deshpande and Anita Watumull
Gary Fabian and Deb Solon
Chuck and Janet Henze
Jack and Joy Kayajanian
Robert Kazer and Jill Richter
Ken and Chantelle Labowe - Labowe Family Foundation
Josh Martin, Emerald Real Estate Partners, and Tom Politowski
Natalie Miles
Tom Newmeyer
Andrei Olenicoff Memorial Foundation
James and Lynn Payne
Jill M. Prentice
Christopher and Lynne Ramsey
Salwa Rizkalla
Adreana Souleles
Craig and Kirsten Springer
Alexander and Sachiyo Stimpson
Andrew Vollero
Ms. Renee Walter
Brian and Beth West
$2,500 - $4, 999
Terri Beber and Terry McDonald
Ellen Breitman and Brien Amspoker
Terry Causey
Alice and Dennis Creighton
Albert and Anne Encinias
Arlene and Steven Fienberg
Douglas and Kathleen Forde
Greg and Sumie Haase
Michael and Charisse Lyseight
Patricia M. McIntyre Foundation Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation
Mark J. Nielsen
Marcia Novegrod
Arthur Ong and Ginger Sun
Bill and Joyce Perrone
Ron and Jan Redmond
Bob and Jo Anne Simon
Eric and Donna Stovner
Robert Zasa and Judy Amiano
$1,000 -$2,499
Beth and Michael Adler
Charlotte W. and Richard D. Alexander Charitable Foundation
Scott and Katherine Arbuckle
Diane and Dennis Baker
Brad Crosley
Gail Doe
Jeanne Egasse and Boyd Philpot
Francis and Ruby Foo
David and Judy Fukuda
Stanford Gertler
Gary Good and Jackie Charnley
Roger and Patt Grable
Mary Graham
Geeta and Sanjiv Grover
Loren Hansen and Lorraine Caukin
Karen Kewell Jacoby
Dr. Elliott Kornhauser and Mr. Joe Baker
Rachel Levin
Lutz Moeckel
Janis and Dave Murray
James Pick and Rosalyn Laudati
Diana Putz
Josh and Carolyn Roberts
Phil and Joy Ruggiero
Arkady and Ella Serebryannik
Sally Anne and Don Sheridan
Walter and Masami Stahr
Robert and Veronica Start
CarolAnn Tassios
Michele and Irwin Walot
Kurt and Ellen Youngs
$500 -$999
Mark Achong
Dana and Angelika Aswad
John W. Ballantyne
Michelle Bentcliff and Ann Litke
Peter and Kari Bretschger
Wayne and Nancy Broadhag
Robert Cassidy
Esther Cervantes and Steve Rivero
Denise B. Chilcote
Michael and Melanie Cooper
Han Dinh and Martin Le
Joan Donahue
Ann Donat
Nancy Eisenberg
Christine Fluor and Walter Scacchi
Ian and Kari Gibson
S. Glass Family
Gleicher / Chen Family Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Ben Goelman
The Gromfin Family
Marcus Hickerson
Kathleen Koch
John LaRue
John Long and Tamara Taylor
Patti Martinez
Mrs. Karen Martinez
Susan M. Mason
Duane and Kathleen Mauzey
Dr. & Mrs. John Middlebrooks
Philip and Pamela Milner
Kenneth Niedziela
Rey O'Day
Mike Peak
Bebe and Otto Reyer
Karen Rook
Jeff and Linda Schulein
Kent and Saudia Sentinella
Joe Simrell
Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Sutton
Dr. Anthony Vasek
Fred and Patricia Viele
Emily Crean Vogler
Gary and Cathy Wyatt
$250 - $499
The Aber Group Inc
Fredric and Lisa Albert
Mike Baginski and Kim Ling
Mrs. Kaui Balderston
George and Linda Bauer
Bruce Beckman
Pat Berry
William and Annette Blaney
Judy Bloomingdale
Ms. Nancy Braden
Scott Brinkerhoff
Mr. Jelle Brons
Sylvia Burnett
David and Lisa Butler
Luisa Cano
Robert and Valerie Carter
Michael Casey
Eileen and Henry Cohen
Anahid Crecelius
Mike Davis
Charles Davison
Myrtle Deakins
Mary Susan Denley
Mr. David Dijkstra
Don and Debra Drysdale
Kent and Irene Dunlap
Doug Elliott
Kelly YuehChun Feng
Joanne Fernbach
Kevin and Candice Gomez
Dan and Nicole Honigman
Harason Horowitz and Mark Chapin Johnson
Melvin and Hazel Hoshiko
Korey Jorgensen
Jessica Kaltman
Arlene Kato and Mike Kurihara
Judy Kaufman
Kerry Krisher
Bruce Larson
Michael Lawler
Vicki and Richard Lee
Robert and Kathy Lopez
Edward Luedke
Capt. Kevin M. Mac Donnell
Dr. Frank and Mrs. Linda Meyskens
William D. Miller and Florence E. Miller
Daniel Morrison
Ms. Maryellen Musgrave
Susan O'Brien
Cyrus Parker-Jeannette
Jorge Perez Valdes
Brad Rawlins
Kenneth Reinhard and Julia Reinhard Lupton
Mr. and Mrs. Rivadeneyra
Dr. Stephen Rochford
Paul Schmidhauser and Cindy Hughes
Kris and Geraldine Shah
Richard and Ann Sim
Gary and Melanie Singer Charitable Fund
Dorothy J. Solinger
Tina Sommers-Bernhardt
Daniel and Jeanne Stokols
Sullivan Family
Kim Tang
Cindy Tyan
Alvin Umeda
Jeanne Villacorte
Beth Waterman
Carl and Deborah Weinert
Mark and Lou-Ann Weltman
Hemantha and Sophie Wickramasinghe
Jim and Sandra Williams
Dexter and Gisele Winzey
Kelley Yasbek
Andy and Wendy Yurcho
$100-$249
Brian and Gloria Abrams
Susan Adleman
Hoku and Kalani Aichele
Lillian Aranda
Theresa Battel
Rosanne and William Beam
Melissa Beck and Daniel Pugh
Sally Bender
Stephen and Susan Billard
Chris Blank and Josie Badeaux
Mr. Paul Blank
Carol Boot-Storie
Kerry and Paul Boulian
Mr. and Mrs. J. Boyer
William and Lindsay Brennan
Mr. Steven Brenneis
Dawn Burdick
Mr. & Mr. Christopher Cabrera
Peggy Campbell
Dr. Michael Cater, MD
Ms. Sarah Chamberlain
Patrick J. Chambers
Grace Chen
Jeff Corp
David Coscia and Mark Armstrong
Vivian Daniel
RJ, Rita, and Timmy De Rama
In Memory of Irene DeNoia
Ernest Duarte
Ron and May Duff
Peggie Fariss
Mr. Kevin Finley
Aviva and Fred Forster
Ms. Ellen Fujikawa
Eileen Garbutt
Charles Gates
Mr. John Gibbs
Manuel Godoy
Michael and Kristina Golden
Anna Gonosova
Ms. Judith Guffey
Patricia Hansen
Gayle and Phil Harp
Sheila and Hal Harrison
Jennifer Hart
Fred and Cheryl Heinecke
Edwin Henderson
Julie Hill
Ms. Jan Hirsch
Peter Holden and Angela Howley-Holden
Holmes Family
Rita B Hopper
Dr. Dena Hulbert
Mr. Simon Huttegger
W. Itoga & Sons
Gary Jackson and Linda Globerman Jackson
Laurie Jacobs
Jasbir Nami Kaur
Kyle and Cherrill Kawakami
John Keating
Mrs. Patricia Keenan
Kenneth Keller
Audrey Kapelinski
Lynne Koffler
Colin and Joan Koransky
Karen Kotake
Angela Kraus
Mr. Richard Krey
Jennifer and Robert Langer
Robert and Karen Lechich
Cheryl and James Lewis
Amy Li
Dave and Jennifer Link
Anne Llewellyn
Willard and Bettina Loomis
Ramon Lugo
Ms. Helene Luley
Lorena Mague
Dr. Sari Mahon
Ms. Amira Mansour
Milena Marsico
Christine A. Marx
Thomas and Glynett Mcteer
Erica Morikawa
Elaine and Cameron Mummery
Mr. Ramon Munoz
Ms. Barbara Musil
Ms. Elizabeth Olson
Virginia Olson
Tilden and Lisa Osako
Judy Oswald
Lauren and Richard Packard
Tom and Diane Pardue
Gerald Parham
Thomas and Davida Parham
Karin S. Paul
Ms. Julie Patterson
Dr. Dolly Platt
Paul Ramey
Elaine Ramsay
Anita and Bruce Reisman
Dennis and Marie Richman
Paul and Kristen Schmidt
Jack and Katharine Schoellerman
Jill Sekiguchi, DDS
George Sidorakis
Tom Slickelman
John L. Smith and Mary Anne Anthony-Smith
Jack and Molly Spiegel
Michael and Marilyn Staffieri
Ingrid Strayer
D. Stroebel
John and Margaret Sun
James and Nadine Turner
Margaret Vaneck
Joanne Vargas
Linda Venezia
Kathy Vickers
Elliot Vogelfanger
David and Renee Warren
Philip and Judith Westin
Bruce and Susie White
Steven and Elizabeth White
Henry and Yen Yang Wu
Susan Yee
Hoku and Mark Aichele
Kaui Balderston
Gregory Bates and Joann
Leatherby
Melissa Beck and Daniel Pugh
Rachel Berman and David Finch
Paul Blank
Mr. and Mrs. J. Boyer
Nancy and Wayne Broadhag
David Coscia and Mark
Armstrong
Vivian Daniel
Charles and Maureen Davison
RJ, Rita, and Timmy De Rama
Eduardo and Elsie Espinosa
Judith Guffey
Roger and Patt Grable
Kevin and Candice Gomez
Paul and Marilynn Gushard
Patricia Hansen
Gayle and Phil Harp
Lisa Hudson
Kyle and Cherrill Kawakami
Karen Kotake
Lorena Mague
Janis and Dave Murray
Hon. Julie A. C. Owen
Julie Patterson
Christopher and Lynne Ramsey
Brad and Susie Rawlins
Jill Sekiguchi
Traci Shirachi and Cory Chhiap
Michael and Marilyn Staffieri
Tom Slickelman
Fred and Patricia Viele
David and Renee Warren
Bruce and Susie White
Roxanne Wong
Andrew and Wendy Yurcho