Program Notes:

Back Partita in A minor for Flute:

This Suite (or Partita as it is now called) consists of four stylized dances. The Allemande is directly reminiscent of the cello suites and violin partitas, so this piece probably originated in the same period, namely Bach’s years at the court in Köthen. Previously, while working in Weimar, he had met the French flutist Pierre Gabriel Buffardin. Buffardin’s playing undoubtedly inspired Bach, who probably wrote this suite with him in mind.

The manuscript was discovered in 1917 by the German musician Karl Straube (1873 - 1950). The following excerpt is from page 96 of Richard D. P. Jones' book The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach, Volume II: 1717-1750 (2013). "The Solo in A minor for unaccompanied flute, BWV 1013, often called 'Partita', though without authority, is the sole evidence that Bach attempted for the transverse flute something similar to what he had achieved in the Violin Solos and Cello Suites. The only surviving source, entitled 'Solo pour la Flute traversiere par J. S. Bach' and partly in the hand of Bach's pupil B. C. Kayser. dates from 1725 -- considerably later than the likely date of the string solos."

At this time, the flute was still very much under development. Flutes could consist of three or four different parts and sometimes had extra extensions, which were interchangeable connecting pieces that varied in length, called corps de rechange. A flute was therefore not just one instrument, but actually a kit of several pieces that made up a variety of lengths, allowing the flutist to play in different keys. The Partita lets  flutists show off all their techniques: rapid fingering changes, big leaps, often with little time to catch a breath. The piece ranges from the lowest possible note to the glorious high A at the end of the Allemande.

Mozart Flute Quartet in D major, K.285:

Mozart was ambivalent about the flute. He wrote marvelous parts for the instrument in his symphonies, concertos, and operas, but said negative things about it as a solo instrument. Much of this – and much of the music – stems from his encounter with the wealthy amateur Dutch flutist Ferdinand De Jean (1737-1797) while in Mannheim in late 1777. De Jean, who was a surgeon with the Dutch East India Company, commissioned a set of concertos and quartets featuring his instrument. For various reasons, Mozart only completed part of the commission (even if one counts simply transcribing his Oboe Concerto as one of the works), received only partial payment, and had some rather cranky things to say about the experience.

The Flute Quartet in D, K. 285, is one of the De Jean commissions. There is certainly no sign of struggle or distaste for the assignment in the finished product, which Mozart completed on Christmas Day, 1777. Brimming with lovely tunes, it is in three movements: a brilliant, sunny Allegro, a sublimely melancholic Adagio in B minor with pizzicato accompaniment, and a merry rondo finale.

Tomasi Trio à cordes (1938):

The most prestigious creators, musicians, critics and famous names in 20th century culture all confirm the magnitude of Henri Tomasi’s work. Henri Tomasi was first and foremost a native of the Mediterranean; born in Provence of Corsican roots.

Tomasi–a pantheist, mystic, visionary on occasion, whose centenary was celebrated in 2001–was also a man of his era, a rebel, and a tormented soul. Tomasi the composer grasped every style imaginable, from Gregorian to jazz, from Oriental recitative to twelve-tone, while always remaining profoundly personal. A “protean musician” according to Emile Vuillermoz, Henri Tomasi developed a language inseparable from Mediterranean civilization: sensual, multi-colored, a fabric of light and shade, vibrant with melodic warmth, extolling in turn the flesh and the spirit. 

Tomasi's philosophy as a composer can be gleaned from the following quotes: “Although I haven’t shied away from using the most modern forms of expression, I’ve always been a melodist at heart.” “I can’t stand systems and sectarianism.” “I write for the public at large.” And finally: “Music that doesn’t come from the heart isn’t music!”
—Gabriel Vialle

The Black Oak Ensemble's world premiere recording of the Trio will be released on Cedille Records.

Villa-Lobos Assobio a Jato (Jet Whistle) for flute and cello:

Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was part of a generation of Latin-American composers who delved deeply into their country’s histories and folklores to find a specifically national musical voice. As a child, Villa-Lobos learned to play the cello and clarinet from his father, an amateur musician who died when Heitor was eleven. Uninterested in pursuing a formal musical education, Villa-Lobos instead taught himself guitar and started playing in a street band in Rio de Janeiro. At sixteen, he joined a theater orchestra as a cellist and also played in a cinema orchestra, immersing himself in popular music and music theater for two years.

At eighteen, Villa-Lobos set out for Brazil’s interior. He spent the next decade traveling extensively exploring the Amazon and encountering the rich folk music traditions of his country. The five years that followed were a period of intense creativity and also witnessed the affirmation of Villa-Lobos’ reputation as Brazilian classical music’s leading new voice. Concerts of his music were met with scathing reviews from reactionary, old-guard critics, which only increased interest in his music. In 1923, Villa-Lobos went to Paris with the help of several influential friends and a government stipend. There, he met Stravinsky, Ravel, Prokofiev, and Varèse and achieved a level of acclaim won by no other Latin-American composer in Europe before or since. When he returned for good to Brazil in 1930, he was Brazilian music’s leading figure and a celebrity in international music circles.

Villa-Lobos never forgot his “musical education” – the Rio street bands, the trips to the Amazon, and the music of the movie halls and theaters of his teen-age years. He fused these diverse influences into a powerfully nationalist musical voice.

Villa-Lobos composed Assobio a Jato (The Jet Whistle) in New York in 1950. The composer named his work to describe the technique he calls on the flutist to use during its last movement. To produce the effect, the player blows directly and forcefully into the flute with his or her mouth almost covering the mouthpiece. Combined with a glissando, the resulting whistle sounds like a jet taking off.

This finale is preceded by an opening Allegro non troppo, where the cellist and flutist alternate between one playing a folk-like melody while the other accompanies insistently, and a lyrical Adagio slow movement.
—John Mangum

Piazzola La Calle 92, Libertango:

Astor Piazzolla was without question Argentina's greatest cultural export, both as a composer and as an unprecedented virtuoso on his chosen instrument, the bandoneon—a large button accordion that is a common folk instrument in Latin American countries. Most notably, he single-handedly took the tango, an earthy, sensual, often disreputable folk music that he enjoyed as a child, and elevated it into a sophisticated form of high art. 

The story of Piazzola’s transformation into a classical composer of tangos is remarkable. In 1941 pianist Arthur Rubinstein (then living in Buenos Aires) had advised the 20-year old Piazzola to study with the Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera. This resulted in him composing a large number of works for orchestra, piano, and chamber ensembles. At Ginastera's urging, in 1953 Piazzolla entered his Buenos Aires Symphony in a composition contest, and won a grant from the French government to study in Paris with the legendary French composition pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. The insightful Boulanger turned his life around in a day, as Piazzolla has related in his own words:

When I met her, I showed her my kilos of symphonies and sonatas. She started to read them and suddenly came out with a horrible sentence: “It's very well written.” And stopped, with a big period, round like a soccer ball. After a long while, she said: “Here you are like Stravinsky, like Bartók, like Ravel, but you know what happens? I can't find Piazzolla in this.” And she began to investigate my private life: what I did, what I did and did not play, if I was single, married, or living with someone; she was like an FBI agent! And I was very ashamed to tell her that I was a tango musician. Finally I said, “I play in a night club.” I didn't want to say cabaret. And she answered, “Night club, mais oui, but that is a cabaret, isn't it?” “Yes,” I answered, and thought, “I'll hit this woman in the head with a radio....” It wasn't easy to lie to her. She kept asking: “You say that you are not a pianist. What instrument do you play, then?” And I didn't want to tell her that I was a bandoneon player, because I thought, “Then she will throw me from the fourth floor.” Finally, I confessed and she asked me to play some bars of a tango of my own. She suddenly opened her eyes, took my hand and told me: “You idiot, that's Piazzolla!” And I took all the music I composed, ten years of my life, and sent it to hell in two seconds.

La Calle 92, performed here by violin and cello, is a rarely heard one of Piazzola’s compositions. The title refers to 92nd Street, where Piazzola lived in New York City.

Libertango, composed in 1974, is one of Piazzolla's greatest hits. The previous year, Piazzolla had moved to Italy, and his European agent pressured him to compose “airplay-friendly” pieces. The title is a combination of the words “libertad” (Spanish for liberty) and “tango,” and represents his break from classical tango. Some HCS members may recall that last season it was performed in the online concert by Spanish Brass. With strings and flute it is decidedly more sensual.

Biographical Notes:

Flutist Eugenia Moliner, a native of Spain, has been acclaimed as “brilliant” by the British Flute Society magazine. She has performed with principal musicians from the Chicago Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony orchestras and appeared with many renowned ensembles including the Chicago Chamber Musicians. Eugenia has been featured on radio and television programs in Europe, Asia and the USA. Her discography includes seven CDs. 

Eugenia and her husband, guitarist Denis Azabagic, are renowned worldwide as the Cavatina Duo. They have captivated audiences with electrifying performances at the Ravinia (Chicago), Da Camera Society (Los Angeles), Aix-en-Provence Summer Festival (France), National Concert Hall of Taipei (Taiwan), National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing (China), National Flute Convention Gala Concert (USA), Kolkata International Guitar Festival (India), Palau de la Musica (Spain), among many others (including Hilo). "If there is a finer flute and guitar duo in the world than Cavatina Duo, I have not heard them," raved Soundboard Magazine.

The Black Oak Ensemble is one of the most innovative and exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage. They perform regularly in venues and festivals throughout the world, including Paris, Prague, Amsterdam, Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon, Athens and Corsica; many of these performances were for standing-room-only audiences. Other appearances include the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Cultural Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Latino Music Festival, the Jewish Film  Festival of Paris, and the Festival of Everlasting Hope in Theresienstadt.