Schumann's Cello Concerto was composed in just two weeks in October 1850. It stands out in the genre for its emphasis on lyricism over virtuosity, which may explain its initial lukewarm reception by cellists. Musicologist Joseph Kerman noted that the cello part is "driven by song" from the opening melody, progressing through various emotional stages. The second movement resembles a German art song, featuring a unique interplay between the solo cello and another solo cello in the orchestra, adding richness. Schumann aimed for a dialogue between soloist and orchestra, viewing a concerto as a "mannerly battle" between them.

To create a cohesive emotional journey, Schumann avoided some traditional concerto forms. The first movement lacks a cadenza, flowing directly into the slow second movement. The transition to the third movement involves a dramatic recitative-like passage from the cello after the second movement’s song, leading into an energetic, robust finale. This movement includes a fiery, melodramatic cadenza followed by an extraordinary passage where the orchestra gradually joins the cello, culminating in a final sprint to the end.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s String Quartet in E-flat major is a deeply personal and expressive work, written in 1834 at a time when women were discouraged from pursuing careers as composers. Though often overshadowed by her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny was a gifted musician in her own right, and this quartet is a striking example of her originality and emotional depth.

The music moves through a range of moods, from the searching and introspective opening to moments of playfulness, tenderness, and dramatic intensity. The slow movement, a lyrical Romanze, is especially poignant, evoking the feeling of an intimate conversation. The quartet’s finale bursts with energy, as if Fanny is asserting her creative voice with confidence and joy.

Though rarely performed in her lifetime, this quartet has since gained recognition as a powerful and unique contribution to the string quartet tradition. It offers a glimpse into the brilliance of a composer whose work is finally receiving the appreciation it deserves.

In 1847, during a rehearsal for a Mendelssohn family musical, Fanny Mendelssohn collapsed and died from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 41. Felix Mendelssohn, deeply devastated, suffered a health crisis of his own and was advised to recuperate in Interlaken, Switzerland. Despite his efforts to work through his grief, he remained deeply affected.

Upon returning to Leipzig and later visiting Berlin for a performance of his oratorio “Elijah,” he was shown the room where his sister had died. This renewed his grief intensely, leading him to withdraw from overseeing the performance. Felix died two months later from a stroke at the age of 38.

Felix Mendelssohn’s F minor String Quartet, published posthumously, reflects the profound anguish of its composition. The first movement shifts between anger and nostalgia, while the second is a bitter, frenetic Allegro. The third movement is introspective, and the finale returns to the despair of the opening. It's the story of a brother who deeply cared for his sister and his pain after loosing her.

Rakastava, composed by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), sets three lyrical poems from the Kanteletar, a vast collection of folk poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot between 1840-41. This compilation played a significant role in the rise of Finnish national consciousness when Finland was still a grand duchy under Russian rule. Sibelius composed Rakastava in 1893 and submitted it to a competition held by the Helsinki University Chorus, where it placed second, likely due to its modern style. The first performance, in 1894, featured an arrangement for male chorus and strings. Sibelius later arranged it for mixed chorus in 1898 and then revised it completely for strings, triangle, and timpani in 1911-12, which is the most familiar version today. Critics praised the work for its depiction of young love. The first movement has an elegiac mood and a folksong-like quality, the second movement expresses restrained yet intense joy with innovative textures, and the final movement depicts the sorrow of parting, thematically echoing the first movement. The work concludes with a coda, where the lovers are enveloped in the melancholic harmonies of a summer night.

Program:

Sibelius: Rakastava

Schumann: Cello Concerto

Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat Major

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F minor (str. orchestra)

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