This week on “Music from Marlboro,” two Central European composers look back to the 18th century – in a sense. We’ll hear a serenade by Czech master Antonin Dvořák, and then a divertmento by Hungarian master Béla Bartók.
I say in a sense, because both designations, “serenade” and “divertimento,” have their roots in the 18th century as entertainment music. The classical prototypes, as they were originally intended, avoided weighty arguments, profound introspection, and showy virtuosity of the type one might expect of more substantial forms, like the symphony, the concerto, or the string quartet.
Dvořák’s unpretentious “Serenade for Winds” was given its first performance in 1878, when the composer was 37 years-old. The serenade is written in the tried-and-true “Slavonic style” that established Dvořák’s fame. Its instrumentation and emphasis on melody recall occasional and ceremonial serenades of the 18th century.
We’ll hear a recording made in 1957, by Marlboro wind players directed by Marcel Moyse. Moyse co-founded the Marlboro Music Festival in 1951.
In addition to being one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Bartók was a pioneering ethnomusicologist, who did much to expand and deepen our musical understanding, through his documentary journeys and insights into the cultures of Eastern Europe and North Africa.
He also happened to be one of the most innovative of musical thinkers, beating an alternative route to modernism through the assimilation of folk music and forging a highly personal idiom that owes little to either Stravinsky or Schoenberg.
Bartók’s “Divertimento for String Orchestra,” from 1939, is a fascinating chimera. It takes its name from an 18th century form (appropriate for its neo-classical ambitions), shares qualities with the Baroque concerto grosso (with its small group of soloists at times contrasting with the greater body of strings), and yet remains distinctly of its time. Even here, the composer’s love of folk music is evident.
The “Divertimento” was Bartók’s final composition before fleeing Nazi Europe for the United States. He was 58 years-old. He completed the piece in only fifteen days, while a guest at the Swiss chalet of conductor Paul Sacher, who had commissioned the work. Though it was composed very quickly, as befits a divertimento, Bartók left meticulous instructions for its performance.
We’ll hear it played at Marlboro in 1974, by a string orchestra conducted by Sándor Végh. Végh actually knew Bartók. He participated in the first Hungarian performance of the composer’s String Quartet No. 5.
I hope you’ll join me for a diverting hour, on the next “Music from Marlboro.” If you’re Hungary for worthwhile music, Czech it out, this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page
PHOTOS: Dvořák and Bartók go al fresco
