Curtis on Tour in Nantucket

Composed in 1789 as a showpiece for Mozart’s close friend and fellow Freemason, Austrian clarinet and basset horn player Anton Stadler, this remarkable clarinet quintet (often referred to as the “Stadler Quintet”) is widely regarded as one of the most iconic pieces ever written for the instrument. Prior to its completion, the composer, and his ailing wife Constanze, were experiencing one of the most trying periods of their marriage. Not only had they lost their child Anna Maria during her fifth pregnancy, but Mozart had fallen out of favor with the Viennese elite and was primarily engaged in writing arias for other composers’ operas. Yet beyond the tumultuous circumstances in which the quintet was created, “the music smiles through the tears,” as eminent musicologist H.C. Robbins Landon described the work in his 1989 book, Mozart: The Golden Years.

When it premiered on December 22, 1789, at the Tonkünstler-Societät, with Stadler as clarinetist, the four movements of the piece were presented between sections of composer Vincenzo Righini’s unrelated cantata, Il natale d’Apollo. Mozart must have felt a sense of slighted dignity at this gesture, but it lived on, unlike many of the works of his contemporaries. Stadler’s virtuosic performance went on to inspire the Kegelstatt Trio, K. 498, for clarinet, viola, and piano, and Mozart’s last major instrumental composition, the Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622. While the original manuscript for the work vanished the year he died, and there is considerable debate about the edition of this piece, the Clarinet Quintet in A major is one of the earliest and most beloved in the repertoire.

Allegro. The quintet opens in sonata form with a tranquil choral theme (one of three) from the string quartet, as it engages in a whimsical dialogue with the clarinet, ultimately adopted by the cello. The elegant second theme begins in E major with the violin line, before moving into a melancholic E minor through the clarinet. The woodwind instrument then finishes the strings’ final statement with a flourish of triplets, hinting at the opening theme.

Larghetto. The soul of the quintet is revealed in this sublime, atmospheric second movement in D major; a spacious cantilena played over muted strings. The clarinet steps to the forefront of the score, floating like a leaf over a quiet lake. The strings play a supporting role until the second violin and clarinet converse within the middle of this delicate movement.

Menuetto. The jovial third movement consists of a minuet and pair of trios, a rare occurrence in chamber music of the Classical era. The minuet opens in A major, followed by the first trio in A minor (solely performed by strings), and this lively theme features acciaccatura (a short grace note leading to the main note) throughout. The minuet reappears before the second trio, a ländler-like, stamping folk dance in triple time, which conjures up imagery of Viennese aristocrats eavesdropping on a joyous gathering of peasants. The minuet then returns once more in the conclusion.

Allegro con variazioni. The final movement consists of five variations and a coda, beginning with the initial theme which modifies the first movement’s ebullient motif. The second variation concentrates on rhythm, as the clarinet soars over the strings, while the third variation features a plaintive viola solo. Variation four propels the clarinet to the forefront of the ensemble with a blistering display of arpeggios and is followed by the fifth variation, an exquisite lyrical adagio. The allegro then returns for a spirited coda, uniting the strings and clarinet for a rousing finale.

Dedicated to and premiered by David Shifrin and the Dover Quartet in 2017, David Schiff’s creative suite of Duke Ellington-inspired works goes down smoothly like a perfectly crafted martini with a hint of boozy barroom drama lingering in the shadows. Initially composed for clarinet and piano in four movements, the first two have been excerpted here as transcriptions of well-known clarinet pieces that Ellington wrote for his bandmates, legendary jazz clarinet and tenor saxophonists Barney Bigard and Jimmy Hamilton. Presented as one-movement concertos, the first is lush and seductive, full of Bigard’s signature New Orleans flair. The second pours on the theatrics with a mood both tumultuous and discordant, as the clarinet sails over light and playful pizzicato strings.

In the summer of 1845, a year before his masterful oratorio Elijah premiered in Birmingham in front of an enraptured audience of 2,000 people, Mendelssohn composed his second string quintet in Soden while on summer holiday. Published posthumously in 1851, the final work was a disappointment to its creator. Upon completion, he purportedly remarked to his colleague, fellow composer and piano virtuoso, Isaac Ignaz Moscheles, that he was not pleased with the quintet or its finale. Mendelssohn was, however, notoriously self-critical to a fault and revised almost all his works, resulting in multiple iterations of each piece. In pursuit of excellence and concerned about his compositional legacy, the quintet might have been discarded, but its blazing brilliance is undeniable, even as it displays the signs of a composer whose contrapuntal writing was evolving into something more expressive and dramatic.

Allegro vivace. The exuberant opening of the quintet sets the mood. Mendelssohn’s fondness for the concertante style of quintet and quartet writing is on full display here. The first violin introduces the initial theme while the ensemble accompanies with sparkling chordal sixteenth notes at breakneck speed, conversely settling into a calmer descending motif, before returning with a lively rush of energy in the coda. Tremolos drive the drama, and the music is rhapsodic, bereft of repeat symbols, and entirely through-composed.

Andante scherzando. As if night has fallen, the second movement introduces a slightly darker, moderately paced theme, a mood reminiscent of the impish scherzo from his 1842 work, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Conjuring up images of courtly waltzes, nocturnal flirtation, tiptoeing pixies, and fireflies dancing about in the shadowed breeze, the light tempo gives way to a mischievous pizzicato passage in its conclusion. The movement’s final disruptive cadence arrives like fairy dust suddenly blown in your eyes.

Adagio e lento. As it oscillates between moments of chamber-style intimacy and quasi-orchestral eruptions of sound, the third, almost-Schubertian movement of the quintet features some of the composer’s most beautifully solemn and profoundly moving writing. The fervent intensity from prior movements remains, but the mood is decidedly reflective here. Chords surge over the cello line, culminating in a celestial coda that unexpectedly steps into D major, as if a beam of light had burst through dark clouds.

Allegro molto vivace. The final muscular movement revives the spirited atmosphere of the quintet’s opening, beginning in a rondo-sonata form, shifting between hearty unison passages, Bach-like fugal moments, and honeyed lyrical moments. Like an arrow hurling towards its target, the finale moves swiftly, forgoing multiple themes in a breathless race to the double bar line at the end.

Winner of both the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Avery Fisher Prize, David Shifrin is in constant demand as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber music collaborator.

Mr. Shifrin has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras and the Dallas, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit, Fort Worth, Hawaii and Phoenix symphonies, among many others in the United States; as well as with orchestras in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. He has also received critical acclaim as a recitalist, appearing at such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, and the 92nd Street Y in New York City; and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

An accomplished chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Emerson, Orion, Dover and Miró String Quartets; as well as Wynton Marsalis, André Watts, Emanuel Ax, and André Previn. An artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 1989, Mr. Shifrin served as its artistic director from 1992 to 2004. He also served as artistic director of Chamber Music Northwest from 1981 through 2020, and is currently artistic director of the Phoenix Chamber Music Festival.

Mr. Shifrin was the recipient of a Solo Recitalists’ Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the 2016 Concert Artists Guild Virtuoso Award. He was given an honorary membership by the International Clarinet Association in 2014 in recognition of lifetime achievement, and, at the outset of his career, he won the top prizes at both the Munich and the Geneva International Competitions. In recent years he received the Distinguished Alumni Awards from the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Music Academy of the West, and a Cultural Leadership Citation from Yale University. He was recognized with the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award at the 2018 Chamber Music America Conference and in 2019 was awarded the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music.

Mr. Shifrin performs on a Backun “Lumière” cocobolo wood clarinet made by Morrie Backun and Légère premium synthetic reeds. He is represented by CM Artists New York.

A violist of international reputation, Roberto Díaz is president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music, following in the footsteps of renowned soloist/directors such as Josef Hofmann, Efrem Zimbalist, and Rudolf Serkin.

As a soloist, Mr. Díaz collaborates with leading conductors of our time on stages throughout the world. He has also worked directly with important 20th- and 21st-century composers, including the late Krzysztof Penderecki—whose viola concerto he has performed numerous times with the composer on the podium and whose double concerto he premiered in the United States—as well as Edison Denisov, Jennifer Higdon, Ricardo Lorenz, and Roberto Sierra. His recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Concerto won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2018.

A frequent recitalist, Mr. Díaz enjoys collaborating with young musicians, bringing a fresh approach to the repertoire and providing invaluable opportunities to artists at the beginning of their careers. In addition to performing with major string quartets and pianists in chamber music series and festivals worldwide, he is a member of the Díaz Trio. His recordings include a Grammy-nominated disc of viola transcriptions by William Primrose for Naxos, as well as releases on the Artek, Bridge Records, Dorian, Nimbus, and New World labels.

In addition to his decade-long tenure as principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Díaz was also principal viola of the National Symphony under Mstislav Rostropovich, and was a member of the Boston Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he continues to serve on the faculty, holding the James and Betty Matarese Chair in Viola Studies and the Nina von Maltzahn President’s Chair. Mr. Díaz plays the ex-Primrose Amati viola.

Takumi Taguchi is a recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Midori, and Aaron Rosand. His prior teachers include Simon James, Hiro David, and Mihoko Hirata. In recent summers, he has attended the Heifetz Institute in Staunton, VA, and Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA.

Mr. Taguchi served as co-concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in the 2021-22 season and appeared with the Princeton Symphony and Symphony in C (NJ). He has also performed as soloist with numerous orchestras in his hometown of Seattle including the Seattle Symphony. A passionate chamber musician, he has collaborated with members of the Dover and Calidore Quartets in performance and received extensive coaching from members of the Guarneri, Vermeer, Tokyo, Takacs, Orion, and Borromeo Quartets. Mr. Taguchi will join the violin section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the 2022-23 season.

Described as “just superb” by the New York Times, violinist Eunice Kim has made solo appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Symphony, and Saint Paul Chamber, Orchestra, amongst many others on prominent stages worldwide. Ms. Kim made her solo debut at the age of seven with the Korean Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, Korea. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Kim has attended festivals such as Marlboro Music School and Ravinia’s Steans Institute as well as teaching at international festivals including Valdres Academy in Norway and Teatro del Lago in Chile, and she is currently the violinist of the Steans Piano Trio.

Ms. Kim has an ongoing performance collaboration with award-winning double bassist/composer Xavier Foley. As a duo, they’ve performed as soloists with the Stamford Symphony, Pro Musica Columbus, New West Symphony, as well as being featured at the National Gallery of Art Concert Series, Violin Channel’s Vanguard Series at Merkin Hall, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and performing across South Korea. A strong advocate for the next generation of artists, Ms. Kim has partnered with Astral Artists and Philadelphia Orchestra’s Department of Education to perform in outreach series and has served as a teaching artist for Astral’s William Penn Residency at schools in the Philadelphia area.

Ms. Kim graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she led the Curtis Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster and was awarded with the prestigious Milka Violin Artist Prize upon graduation.

Yizilin Liang, from Ningbo, China, entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020 and studies viola with Roberto Díaz and Ed Gazouleas. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and

Ms. Liang is the Bernard M. Guth Fellow.

Ms. Liang won first prize and special prize at the 2016 lnternational Viola Competition “Villa de Llanes” (Category B), subsequently performing three recitals in Spain. Other recent competition awards include the Paul Ayres prize at the 2017 Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition; honorary mention at the 2019 Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition; first prize at the 2014 Hong Kong lnternational String Competition and at Shanghai Conservatory’s 2012 “Viva La Viola” festival; and gold prize in the Guangdong Province Ma Sicong Junior Violin Competition in 2012.

Ms. Liang attended the Morningside Music Bridge from 2016 through 2019. In 2019 she appeared on National Public Radio’s From the Top. She gave a solo recital tour throughout China’s major cities in 2021.

Before coming to Curtis, Ms. Liang studied at the music middle school affiliated with Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Nian Liu and Xidi Shen. She began playing violin at age 4 and viola at age 9.

Cellist John Lee, from Seoul, Korea, graduated from Curtis in May 2022, where he studied with Gary Hoffman and Peter Wiley. Mr. Lee was the David H. Springman Memorial Fellow at Curtis.

Mr. Lee has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Paul Hall, the New World Center, and Paine Hall. He has appeared on NPR’s From the Top and at the Young Musician’s Forum in Schenectady, New York; and he was named a 2012 YoungArts Finalist and a 2018 Karl Zeise Memorial Scholarship recipient. He has participated in the Tanglewood Music Festival, Academie Internationale de Courchevel, Orford Music Festival, Great Mountains Music Festival, and the International Holland Music
Sessions, performing in master classes with Myung Wha Chung, David Geringas, Gary Hoffman, Jian Wang, and Sung Won Yang. In addition to performing, Mr. Lee enjoys transcribing music for chamber settings.

Mr. Lee began playing the cello at age eight. He earned a bachelor’s degree in the History of Science and Statistics at Harvard University and a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory, as part of the five-year dual-degree program. His other teachers have included Carter Brey, Minhye Clara Kim, Laurence Lesser, and Ella Toovy. This coming fall, he will be joining the cello section of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.