SiBRASS 2020 CONCERT CYCLE

Concert 4

Brass Quintet

Sunday, 20 December 2020, at 11.00 a.m.

Slovenian Philharmonic, Marjan Kozina Hall

Performing:

 Schaka Brass Quintet

Matej Kravcar, trumpet

Dominik Rus, trumpet

Blaž Ogrič, French horn

Tine Plahutnik, trombone

Rok Grubelnik, tuba

Programme:

 Victor Ewald

BRASS QUINTET NO. 1 in B Minor, Op. 5

Moderato

Adagio – Allegro vivace – Adagio

Allegro moderato

Andrej Misson

MEDITACIJA NA GALLUSOV ECCE QUOMODO MORITUR IUSTUS

(Eng. “Meditation on Gallus’s Ecce quomodo moritur iustus”)

Jani Golob

BRASSY

Intro

Balade

Grotesque

Final

Michael Kamen

QUINTET

Joseph Horovitz

MUSIC HALL SUITE

Soubrette Song

Trick Cyclists

Adagio Team

Soft Shoe Shuffle

‘Les Girls’

The concluding concert of the SiBRASS 2020 Cycle will feature music written for the oldest type of brass ensemble – brass quintet. The Schaka Brass Quintet will be performing: Matej Kravcar and Dominik Rus (trumpets), Blaž Ogrič (French horn), Tine Plahutnik (trombone), and Rok Grubelnik (tuba). The programme includes five compositions, two of which are deemed to be in the canonic repertoire of such ensembles, i.e. Brass Quintet No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 5, by Victor Ewald, and the closing Music Hall Suite by Joseph Horovitz.

For a number of years, the Russian composer Victor Ewald was deemed the father of the contemporary brass quintet genre. Although it has recently been discovered by musicologists that compositions for ensembles comprising five brass instruments of different register were already being created some sixty years earlier by the somewhat less known French composer and musician Jean-Francois Bellon, such does not diminish the importance of Ewald’s contribution to the repertoire for brass quintet. He composed four quintets, which attempt to spotlight the virtuosity of the individual brass instruments as well as the acoustic possibilities that such an ensemble consisting of different brass instruments presents. In the period when they were being created – at the turn of the 20th century – Europe saw various brass quintet compositions: two trumpets, cornets, or flugelhorns plus one French or alto horn, plus two low brass instruments – at first the latter were typically represented by the tenor horn, also called the tenor, and the tuba; subsequently, however, the tenor was replaced by the trombone. In mid 19th century, the composition of the brass quintet became standardised and today comprises two trumpets, a French horn, a trombone, and a tuba. Brass Quintet No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 5, which is imbued with romantic expression, was composed in 1890. It was moulded on classical principles, with three movements following one another in the order fast-slow-fast. For a long time, Quintet was thought to be Ewald’s sole work of this type as it was the only one published during the composer’s lifetime. Today it is labelled No. 1 even though two years prior to it Ewald composed his actual first work for such ensemble (the composition now labelled No. 4), which, however, was then deemed impossible to perform and Ewald had to transform it into a string quartet, which was published as Op. 1.

The diverse opus of Andrej Misson, composer, professor at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana, conductor, and organ player, who is celebrating his 60th birthday this year, comprises mainly vocal and chamber music, while spiritual music also figures prominently. His leading principle in composing is “write little and with deliberation and be loyal to your own sound,” yet he also draws inspiration from metaphysics and the transcendence of the spiritual world. Therefore, it is not surprising that he finds inspiration in the music of Jacobus Handl Gallus, of whom he wrote the following: “Gallus was an exceptional composer from Carinthia. Numerous contemporary composers, myself included, can find inspiration in him, which I have many times. Above all, I feel that his music should be performed by musical instruments (ricercar), ensembles, and orchestras.” The core of Misson’s Meditation on Gallus’s Ecce quomodo moritur iustus features the famous Lenten motet Ecce quomodo moritur iustus (Eng.: See how the just dies), which seems to have been written (also) intentionally for brass ensemble. Misson extended the original four-part harmony into a five-part harmony movement, somewhat enriched the harmony, and gave the motet representing the core an introduction and coda.  

The melodically inspired composition entitled Brassy, by Jani Golob, favours melodic and relatable musical ideas over contemporary acoustics. It premiered on 16 March 2015 when the SiBRASS Quintet performed it on Radio Slovenia’s Studio 14. The composition was created for the occasion of the 30th Slovene Music Days; at which the composer stated the following: “This is a cyclical four-movement composition created upon the initiative of principal trumpet Franc Kosem. As indicated by its title, it is supposed to be kind to its performers, allowing it to be played in a relaxed manner.” Its four movements, differing in character, are entitled: Intro, Balade, Grotesque, and Final.  

The American conductor, arranger, and composer Michael Kamen was primarily a very multifaceted personality in the world of music whose opus mainly comprises arrangements of popular and film music. He created only a few compositions that could be categorised among artistic and serious classical music. However, one such work is his Quintet, which was composed for the renowned Canadian Brass ensemble. This short and emotional composition, embued with the warmth of his film music, features rich melodic inventiveness, thus offering musicians a plethora of performance possibilities. Its musical flow spreads and grows from the introductory pastoral motif of the French horn, which in the course of the composition is echoed also by other instruments, whose sounds almost coalesce into one another.

The final composition of the 2020 cycle is Music Hall Suite by Joseph Horovitz. This work was composed in 1964 upon being commissioned by the well-known American tuba player Roger Bobo. Soon after, it became a regular work in the repertoire of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, the leading brass quintet of that period. Suite consists of five short movements, all illustrating various aspects of the burlesque theatre, music halls, circus, and cabaret entertainment so popular at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th. The movements are entitled: Soubrette Song, Trick Cyclists, Adagio Team, Soft Shoe Shuffle, and Les Girls.

The Schaka Brass Quintet

The Schaka Brass Quintet is an ensemble comprising five young musicians from different parts of Slovenia, all graduates of the Ljubljana Academy of Music, true friends who have been brought together by their love for making music. Matej Kravcar and Dominik Rus (trumpets), Blaž Ogrič (French horn), Tine Plahutnik (trombone), and Rok Grubelnik (tuba) became established as a brass quintet in the academic year 2017/2018 under the mentorship of docent Franc Kosem; however, they have obtained further knowledge and training with other renowned brass masters such as Leonhard Paul (Mnozil Brass), Chris Coletti (Canadian Brass), and Marco Pierobon (Gomalan Brass). At the 2019 Competition of Young Slovene Musicians (TEMSIG) they received a gold plaque. All five musicians excel as to their professional attitude, reliability, and flexibility; they always strive to present a programme that will be of interest to the broadest circle of the public and their positive energy always creates a good atmosphere for listeners.