Happy birthday, Mitsuko Uchida!

In addition to being one the world’s most celebrated pianists, Uchida has served as artistic director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival since 2013. We’ll honor her on this week’s broadcast of “Music from Marlboro” with two of her performances, documented in live recordings from the festival she manages.

The highlight of the hour will be Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97, popularly known as the “Archduke.” Nicknamed for Beethoven’s patron and pupil, Archduke Rudolph of Austria, the trio is one of fourteen works Beethoven dedicated to Rudolph, who was the youngest child of Emperor Leopold II of Austria. We’ll hear a 2006 performance. Uchida will be joined by Soovin Kim, violin, and the venerable David Soyer, cello.

The hour will begin with music by Johannes Brahms. We’ll hear his “Zwei Gesänge” (Two Songs) for voice, viola and piano, Op. 91. The text of the first, “Gestillte Sehnsucht” (Longing at Rest), composed in 1884, is by Friedrich Rückert. That of the second, “Geistliches Wiegenlied” (Sacred Lullaby), composed in 1863, is by Emanuel Geibel, who in turn was inspired by Lope de Vega. The songs were published as a set in 1884.

The first, touched by nature and yearning, begins “Immersed in golden evening glow, how solemnly the woods stand!” Imagery of wind and birds whispering the world to slumber gradually metamorphose into a desire for wishes and longing to be hushed to slumber, as well. The song ends there, though in the original Rückert continues his poem for another stanza, acknowledging that these desires will only be silenced by death. So German…

The second song (written first) was composed for Brahms’ friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, and Joachim’s wife, Amalie. It was intended as a wedding present, but resubmitted a year later on the baptism of the couple’s son (named after Johannes). Joseph also played the viola, and Amalie was a contralto. The work is a cradle song sung by Mary, mother of Jesus, who addresses the holy angels, requesting that they silence the rustling palms because her Child is sleeping. The viola quotes the Christmas melody “Joseph, lieber Joseph mein,” a sly reference on the part of Brahms, who incorporates the carol’s text, in order to include Joachim’s given name.

The performance, from 2011, again features Mitsuko Uchida at the keyboard, with mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and violist Hélène Clément.

That’s a cradle song for Baby Jesus by Johannes Brahms and music composed for Rudolph by Beethoven, on this week’s “Music from Marlboro,” this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page

PHOTO: Hélène Clément, Mitsuko Uchida, and Jennifer Johnson Cano