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Music Performed in Concert from the Chamber Music Series at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Oliver Messiaen, David Diamond, Paul Ben Haim, Jozef Koffler, Szymon Laks, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Director, Chamber Music Series
Józef Koffler was born in 1896 in Strij, Poland (now Ukraine), and educated in Vienna, where he earned a doctorate in musicology. Very active in Polish music circles, Koffler wrote newspaper music criticism, edited two music journals, served on the board of the Composers' Union, was a choral and orchestral conductor, and held a full time post as professor of theory and composition at the Lwów Conservatory. Koffler was, furthermore, a talented composer who could count among his works three symphonies, a ballet, a cantata, and numerous chamber music compositions. A disciple of Arnold Schoenberg (whom, however, he never met), Koffler holds the distinction of being the first Polish composer to write serial, or "twelve-tone," music. After German armies occupied Lwów, in June, 1941, Koffler, who was Jewish, fled to the west. His subsequent fate is not known for certain: according to some sources, his hiding place was discovered in 1943 in a south Polish village, where, together with his wife and young son, he was put to death by German soldiers. The Sonatine for piano, op. 12, completed in 1930, is a product of Koffler's artistic maturity. In three brief movements, the work gestures in the direction of Schoenberg's New Viennese School as well as toward the neoclassic approach favored by Koffler's Parisian contemporaries. These influences notwithstanding, the Sonatine remains a stylistically confident work, the creation of a composer who did not underrate his own unique talent and artistic vision.
Born and educated in Warsaw, Szymon Laks (1901-1983) trained as both composer and conductor. He moved to Paris in 1925, where he found work writing and directing music for the stage, films, and the recital hall. In 1941, after the capitulation of France, Laks was deported as a Jewish foreign national; in 1942 he arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Because of his musical training, he was recruited by the camp prisoners' orchestra, of which he eventually became director. Laks was later transferred to Sachsenhausen and finally to a sub-camp of Dachau, from which he was liberated in May, 1945. After the war, Laks returned to Paris, where in 1948 he published an insightful memoir of his Auschwitz experience, Musique d'un autre monde (English version, Music of Another World, 1989). The Passacaille for Voice and Piano (1946) was one of Laks' first postwar compositions. It is performed on this CD in a transcription for cello and piano.
David Diamond (b. 1915) first studied composition at the Eastman School of Music in his native Rochester, New York. He later took courses with Roger Sessions in New York City and, in 1936, journeyed to Paris to work with the legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. Diamond's Psalm for orchestra, written in France, helped establish his name in the United States, and, upon his return, the young composer received a number of significant grants and endowments. From 1953 through 1965, Diamond lived in Florence, Italy; since 1965, he has served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School in New York. Among his works are the Rounds for String Orchestra, the opera The Noblest Game and a cantata, A Song of Hope, to a text by Elie Wiesel. The String Quartet No. 1 dates from 1940, the year following Diamond's return from Europe, and a year that would see the continent engulfed in war. It is dedicated to the great German novelist Hermann Broch, a refugee from Hitler's Germany whom Diamond had met the previous summer at the artists' colony in Yaddo, New York. The Quartet is laid out in three continuous sections. By turns melodiously serene and harmonically spiky, always rhythmically robust, it is the work of a young composer fully secure in his mastery over the formal elements of music.
Avignon-born Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) has long been regarded as among the most original and influential of twentieth-century French composers. He began writing music at a very early age; at eleven he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he trained as an organist and composer. In 1930, he became principal organist at La Trinité in Paris, a position he held for over forty years. Messiaen's efforts to launch his composing career were cut short in 1940, when as an enlisted man in the French army he was captured by German troops. It was while imprisoned in a POW camp near Görlitz, Germany, that the devoutly Catholic Messiaen, inspired by the biblical Book of Revelation, composed the Quartet for the End of Time. Scored for the unusual combination of clarinet, piano, violin, and cello the only instruments available in the POW camp the work debuted before an audience of 5,000 prisoners on a bitterly cold January day in 1941. Each of the Quartet's eight movements bears an evocative subtitle, and each is distinguished by its own characteristic use of the ensemble. The fifth movement, Louange à l'éternité de Jesus (Praise to the Eternity of Jesus), a duo for cello and piano, is often performed in recital as an independent piece.
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) was a musical child prodigy whose composer's pen never lost its initial fluency. Born in Florence to an Italian-Jewish family, Castelnuovo-Tedesco published his first works while still in his teens; he later polished his technique at the Florence Conservatory, where he took degrees in piano and composition. Greatly in demand as a freelance performer, composer, and teacher, Castelnuovo-Tedesco may be counted among the more successful European composers of the interwar period. Escalating antisemitism among Fascists at home and the growing menace of Nazi Germany, however, compelled Castelnuovo-Tedesco to leave Italy in 1939. He settled in the United States and soon joined the émigré colony in Los Angeles, where in time he re-established his reputation as a composer and master teacher. Among his hundreds of works are ten operas, six overtures to Shakespeare plays, three violin concertos, and the scores to more than twenty films. Castelnuovo-Tedesco also left a considerable amount of chamber music, of which the Piano Trio No. 2 in G, composed in 1932, is a more than respectable example. Set in conventional three-part form, the work's emotional core unquestionably is its middle movement, a passionate romanza with five variations. Framing this central section is the sturdy opening movement (marked schietto e deciso forthright and resolute) and a rhythmically propulsive concluding Rondo.
Israeli composer Paul Ben-Haim (1897-1984) was born Paul Frankenburger in Munich, Germany, where he studied composition and conducting at the Academy of Arts. Already established as a rising conductor while still a young man, Frankenburger suddenly resigned the podium in order to devote himself fully to composition. His works were beginning to gain recognition when the onset of Nazi rule forced him out of Germany. In 1933 he arrived in Palestine, where he adopted the Hebraic surname Ben-Haim. During the years that followed, Ben-Haim forged a style which came to typify the "Israeli School" of composition, wherein traditional Western formal and harmonic practice are reconciled with the melodic and rhythmic features of eastern Mediterranean music. Ben-Haim's major works include the Symphony No. 1 (1940); the cantata Sweet Psalmist of Israel (1953); and the Violin Concerto (1962). A late composition, the Three Pieces for Cello Solo (1974) exemplifies Ben-Haim's attempt at transcultural stylistic synthesis. The work's extemporaneous, virtuosic style suggests the musical rhetoric of the Middle East. But its form, and of course the genre itself, are Western and, as with most works in the Western repertory for solo strings, one also notes perhaps inescapably the influence of J.S. Bach.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Research Institute © 1997
Cellist Steven Honigberg gave a successful New York debut recital in 1984, and has since appeared in concert to critical acclaim in major cities throughout the U.S., including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Chicago. A member of the National Symphony Orchestra, he has been featured numerous times as soloist with that ensemble, the Chicago Symphony, and other orchestras across North America. This young American cellist is much acclaimed for his explorations of important new works, such as Robert Starer's 'Song of Solitude' (1995) & David Diamond's 'Concert Piece' (1993) for solo cello, written for and premiered by Steven Honigberg. With fellow NSO cellist David Teie, he won rave reviews for the 1988 world premiere of David Ott's "Concerto for Two Cellos" with the National Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Rostropovich, with repeat performances on the NSO's 1989 & 1994 United States tours. Steven Honigberg graduated with a Master's degree from The Juilliard School of Music, where he studied with Leonard Rose and Channing Robbins. Other mentors include Pierre Fournier and Karl Fruh. In 1987 he was the only American winner in the International Cello Competition in Scheveningen, Holland. Musical America magazine honored Mr. Honigberg in 1988 as a "Young Artist to Watch." Honigberg made his recording debut with an Albany CD of 20th century American cello works, which received the highest 5 star rating from Classical Pulse magazine, with pianist Kathryn Brake. Voted 'Best New Chamber Music Series' of 1994 by the Washington Post, Steven Honigberg has been The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's chamber music
series director since its inception. The first recording of music performed on these chamber concerts at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Darkness & Light, recently nominated for a Grammy award, was released in 1995 on the Albany label. Steven Honigberg performs on the 'Stuart' Stradivarius cello made in 1732.
Pianist Joseph Holt enjoys a wide ranging career as soloist and chamber music performer. Since 1990 his appointments include pianist with the United States Army Chorus, Artist Member of the Chamber Artists of Washington, Adjunct member of the Music Faculty of The American University, Baldwin Concert Artist and pianist/associate conductor for the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Prizewinner in the Wolf Trap Brahms Competition, the Washington International Competition for Pianists, and the William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition, he was also selected to participate in the 1989 La Gesse Piano Festival held in France. His appearances in recital and with orchestras in North America, Europe, and the Middle East have elicited acclaim from audiences and critics alike. He has performed numerous concerti, including Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In the Washington area he has also performed at The National Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Organization of American States, Strathmore Hall, and the Lyceum. Dr. Holt holds a bachelor of music degree with distinction and the Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, a master of music degree from Shenandoah University, and a doctor of musical arts degree in chamber music from The Catholic University of America. His primary instructors include David Burge, Nelita True and Marilyn Neeley. CD recorded performances include music from The Holocaust Memorial Museum on Albany and Transcontinental Music Publications, and contemporary composer Garnder Read on Northeastern.
Carol Honigberg has been heard as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. She has appeared as soloist with the Dutch Radio Philharmonic, l'Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and the Belgian Radio and Television Orchestra. A recent tour with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra included performances in Prague, Warsaw, Berlin and Leipzig. She has been featured in broadcasts on Radio France Musique, La Radio Suisse-Romande, the BRT in Belgium and Radio Ireland. Her New York debut took place at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. Carol Honigberg has recorded the Samuel Barber Piano Concerto and Sonata for the Musical Heritage Society. She has also recorded a CD on the Pavane label which features works by Gershwin, Piston, Ginastera and Bruzdowicz. Her latest CD on the Albany label feature the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven with her son, Steven Honigberg. Carol Honigberg is currently on the faculty of Roosevelt University in Chicago. Her teachers included Rudolph Ganz and Marguerite Long in Paris. She received her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.
George Marsh has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra since 1979. Mr. Marsh has performed as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Virginia Chamber Orchestra, the Catholic University Orchestra, and several other orchestras in his native midwest. As a chamber musician, he is a founding member at the Chamber Artists of Washington; he has also performed with the Vaener String Trio, the New England Piano Quartet, the Washington Chamber Society, and the Alexandria Chamber Ensemble. Recital performances include concerts at the Phillips Collection, the Organization of American States, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.. Mr. Marsh has received numerous awards, including first prize in the 1985 Washington International Bach Competition. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he studied with Paul Makanowitzky. Mr. Marsh plays a 1758 J.B. Guadagnini, the "ex Joseph Silverstein."
Deanna Lee, violin, joined the National Symphony (Washington, DC) in the fall of 1992, after spending four seasons with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She made her solo concert debut at age nine with the Northwest Chamber Orchestra in her native Seattle, Washington. Since then, she has made numerous solo appearances with the Seattle Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, and ensembles in Aspen and Los Angeles. Her performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra was praised by critics for its "big, singing tone that she can take from sweet to angry and back at will." Miss Lee was a prizewinner in the 1988 Washington International Competition, where she received the Alessandro Nicoli Memorial Scholarship for study in Siena, Italy, and was a 1985 winner in the Los Angeles Young Musicians Foundation Debut Competition. Also active as a chamber musician, Miss Lee recently completed a CD recording of Randall Thompson's String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2, and appears frequently in recital with colleagues from the National Symphony. A graduate of the Juilliard School, where she was a scholarship student of Dorothy Delay, Miss Lee continued graduate work with Paul Kantor at Yale University. Her other teachers have included Ivan Galamian and Emanuel Zetlin.
Violinist Claudia Chudacoff recently moved to Washington, D.C., from Louisville, Kentucky, where she was the Assistant Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra. An active recitalist and chamber musician, she performs extensively in a wide range of venues. In addition to her position with the U.S. Marine Band's White House Chamber Orchestra, she serves as Concertmaster of the National Gallery Orchestra, and in 1994 joined the National Symphony Orchestra on their Far East tour. Ms. Chudacoff has appeared as soloist with the Toledo Symphony, the Oakway Symphony, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the Louisville Ballet, the White House Chamber Orchestra, the National Gallery Orchestra and, most recently, the Concert Artists of Baltimore. She has been a participant in the summer seasons of the Banff Centre, the Tanglewood Music Center, the Aspen Music Festival, the Spoleto Festival, the Music Academy of the West, and the Heidelberg Opera Festival.
Nancy Bittner is a 1985 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied viola with Joseph de Pasquale and chamber music with Mischa Schneider and Felix Galimir. Other teachers include Karen Tuttle, Karen Ritscher, Richard Parnas, and most recently, Richard Field. In September 1989, Nancy joined the viola section of the National Symphony Orchestra and became a member of the NSO the following year. Nancy Bittner has been a soloist with the NSO, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Bittner has performed frequently as a guest artist on many chamber music series throughout the D.C. area, including the Holocaust Memorial Museum Series and National Musical Arts Ensemble.
Other Steven Honigberg CDs on Albany Records:
Ben-Haim - Perle - Starer - Berlinski - Vainberg
"This is a compelling collection of music that deserves to be much
better known." The Washington Post, 1995
Beethoven Complete Works for Cello and Piano Vol. 1
"Thoroughly thought out, yet warm and spontaneous, the performances are among the best I have heard of this music." Strings, 1996
Foss - Diamond - Bernstein - Schuller - Barber
Highest 5 Star rating from Classical Pulse! 1994
Ben-Haim: Israeli Music Publications, 1977 · Diamond: Southern Music Publishing Co., 1964 · Koffler: Universal Edition A.G.,Wien-Leipzig, 1931 · Laks: Editions Salabert · Messiaen: Durand Edition, 1942 · Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Edizioni A. Forlivesi & C. Firenze, 1935
Engineer: Ed Kelly · Editing & Mastering: David Glasser at Airshow & Craig Lauinger (Koffler)
Cover Art: Personnage 1962 by Maryan (1927-1977); Collection: Elizabeth Frankel · Cover Design: Tessing Design Inc.
Darkness & Light, Volume 2
Music Performed in Concert from The Chamber Music Series at the Holocaust Memorial Museum
Steven Honigberg, Music Director
JÓZEF KOFFLER (1896-1943)
Sonatine for Pianoforte, Op. 12 - 1930
I. Allegro con spirito (3:00)
II. Adagio cantabile molto legato (2:09)
Passacaille for Cello & Piano (6:16) - 1946
String Quartet No. 1 - 1940
CLAUDIA CHUDACOFF, VIOLIN
OLIVIER MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Louange à l'éternité de Jésus - 1940 (6:52)
from "Quartet for the End of Time"
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Piano Trio No. 2 in G - 1932
I. Schietto e deciso (7:21)
II. Romanza con variazioni (1:18)
Variation 1 (:52) Variation 2 (:31)
Variation 3 (1:16) Variation 4 (1:33)
III. Rondo - Vivo e ben ritmato (7:03)
Paul Ben-Haim (1897-1984)
Music for Violoncello Solo - 1974
II. Rather fast, lively 2:14)
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