UBC Chamber Strings performed a number of beautiful pieces for String Fest. I went the first day and was in attendance for Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No.3 “Razumovsky”. The ensemble which consisted of two violins, a viola and cello played the menuetto grazioso and the allegro molto.
The first movement, which is the third movement of the actual piece, is a slow minuet. At first I had trouble counting the meter as it was substantially slower compared to some of the pieces we have listened to in class. It began with a beautiful first theme played by the violins. The major theme was played repetitively, ornamenting itself every time it was played. The development of the movement had noticeable breaks that confused me. The modulation that happened throughout the first theme was subtle. So subtle that it was hard to tell which mode it was in. Most of the theme used harmony and polyphony to make a clear representation of the main theme. The first theme was played without too much modulation until the half way point. In general the first theme did not have any competition. It gradually grew from the introduction by adding fast runs within the major scale. While all is good, modulation did start to noticeably increase. After being play a few times it was then modulated fully into a minor theme which gradually transitions into the second theme. The transitional part of the movement used a lot more staccato compared to the first. The dark point of this movement was not subtle at all. Previously in the piece, breaks were often used to restart the theme. That technique was also used here. However, these breaks weren’t followed by the violins gliding into their notes like before. The breaks were followed by heavy jabs that were more passionate. The notes are more like dots than continuous arcs and valleys.
The concluding movement, allegro molto, is very interesting and reminds me of Beethoven’s Sonata in A Major No. 2 written for piano and violin. Particularly the first movement allegro vivace. Very fast paced and abrupt. The difference between the works is the level of dynamic change. The major mode is played at a much softer volume and with more fluidity. When the volume and aggression increases, that usually signals a modal change.
The ensemble also performed Serenade for Strings, Op.48, TH. 48 by Tchaikovsky. Talk about dynamics! The first movement made good use of homophony as the introduction began by ascending and descending throughout the C major scale. The accompaniment was the more interesting part of the piece. The melody was simple in structure. But the layers of accompaniment made it interesting. Throughout the piece homophony is primarily used to create emotion. Often switching in-between homophony and monophony to provide more variety.
Walzer, the second movement was a waltz and used a substantial amount of polyphony. There seemed to noticeably be two different melodies competing for attention. Also accompanied with a bunch of chords in the background. The rather happy major themed theme created a feeling of dancing in a ballroom with the spotlight on you and your better half. Very open and well rounded section.
The third movement, Elegie, was very dramatic and was at a very slow pace. Often with any rhythm structure. More polyphony is used throughout the piece. It was more intricate in comparison to the previous movement. Similar to the openness of the second movement and the dynamic changes in the first. It made good use of volume changes and scale meandering. It really feels like a waltz. Just with more drama.
When the Finale first started, I thought they were tuning up. It had the same melodramatic feel. Then, as the theme developed it introduced some string plucking to accompany the melody. Polyphonic textures were presented with breaks of monophony. Often the strings will be moving away from each other in relation to the major scale. It did sound like there were some chromatic runs thrown in they as well. There were definitely more modal changes throughout this movement in comparison to the others. The final part of the Finale also returned to the first theme of the first movement. Changing it a little by adding a relative minor note when resolving to the tonic.