Eliot Porter
Double Bass, Electric Bass, Period Bass
Lessons, Masterclasses. Clinics
(401) 935-8934
eliot.porter@gmail.com
Double Bass, Electric Bass, Period Bass
Lessons, Masterclasses. Clinics
(401) 935-8934
eliot.porter@gmail.com
newport music festival review:
The Vaughan Williams Piano Quintet in C Minor (1903) provided the big finish. After its 1905 premiere both the composer and later his widow suppressed its performance, until it was finally allowed out of its dungeon in 1999. It was the last-composed of several early RVW works (the designation “early” is misleading, in that it’s not at all juvenilia) he chose not to publish or circulate after he settled on his mature style. In that respect it occupies a position rather like the wonderful piano quintet of Bartók and the early chamber music of Richard Strauss—perfectly worthy, all.The RVW quintet is unusual in several ways: first, it’s a reversion to the Schubert Trout Quintet scoring of piano, string trio and contrabass—which was pretty much how all piano quintets were done before Schumann—and second, it’s a transitional work that shows strong indications of the direction in which RVW’s music was heading, unlike the much more Brahmsian 1898 quintet for clarinet, horn and piano trio. For RVW, however, the piece seems quite usual. it’s a lovely work, with strongly modal melody and, notably, an approach to scoring the bass that, unlike pre-Schumann quintets with bass, doesn’t just double the cello but creates a fully independent part. It’s been recorded both live and on CD, and you can hear it on the usual streaming sources. In his onstage introduction, Fleming flatly declared that there were hymn tunes used in this piece, though nothing else we’ve read about it says so. We’ll take his word for it—the theme of the finale at least is seemingly folk or hymn inspired, if not an actual quote.
The first movement‘s strong Romantic opening included an elegant piano part richly put forward by Daniel del Pino (the rest of the ensemble consisted of Huang, Fleming, Choi and bassist Eliot Porter). One notable passage for the strings in parallel thirds, sixths, etc. sounds about as RVW as it gets, with the bass contributing an organ-like sonority that both rattles and soothes. The slow movement has a definite hymnic mood set by the piano, with the strings picking up the atmosphere with classic RVW pastoralism. The finale, a set of a rich and pleasing variations (RVW called it Fantasia, quasi variazione), could be a warm-up for the finale of the Fifth Symphony. The faultless performance made a fine case for this neglected chamber bijou from someone who didn’t write much in the genre.
Vance R. Koven studied music at Queens College and New England Conservatory, and law at Harvard. A composer and practicing attorney, he was for many years the chairman of Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble.
The Vaughan Williams Piano Quintet in C Minor (1903) provided the big finish. After its 1905 premiere both the composer and later his widow suppressed its performance, until it was finally allowed out of its dungeon in 1999. It was the last-composed of several early RVW works (the designation “early” is misleading, in that it’s not at all juvenilia) he chose not to publish or circulate after he settled on his mature style. In that respect it occupies a position rather like the wonderful piano quintet of Bartók and the early chamber music of Richard Strauss—perfectly worthy, all.The RVW quintet is unusual in several ways: first, it’s a reversion to the Schubert Trout Quintet scoring of piano, string trio and contrabass—which was pretty much how all piano quintets were done before Schumann—and second, it’s a transitional work that shows strong indications of the direction in which RVW’s music was heading, unlike the much more Brahmsian 1898 quintet for clarinet, horn and piano trio. For RVW, however, the piece seems quite usual. it’s a lovely work, with strongly modal melody and, notably, an approach to scoring the bass that, unlike pre-Schumann quintets with bass, doesn’t just double the cello but creates a fully independent part. It’s been recorded both live and on CD, and you can hear it on the usual streaming sources. In his onstage introduction, Fleming flatly declared that there were hymn tunes used in this piece, though nothing else we’ve read about it says so. We’ll take his word for it—the theme of the finale at least is seemingly folk or hymn inspired, if not an actual quote.
The first movement‘s strong Romantic opening included an elegant piano part richly put forward by Daniel del Pino (the rest of the ensemble consisted of Huang, Fleming, Choi and bassist Eliot Porter). One notable passage for the strings in parallel thirds, sixths, etc. sounds about as RVW as it gets, with the bass contributing an organ-like sonority that both rattles and soothes. The slow movement has a definite hymnic mood set by the piano, with the strings picking up the atmosphere with classic RVW pastoralism. The finale, a set of a rich and pleasing variations (RVW called it Fantasia, quasi variazione), could be a warm-up for the finale of the Fifth Symphony. The faultless performance made a fine case for this neglected chamber bijou from someone who didn’t write much in the genre.
Vance R. Koven studied music at Queens College and New England Conservatory, and law at Harvard. A composer and practicing attorney, he was for many years the chairman of Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble.