The Detroit Medical Orchestra
The Detroit Medical Orchestra
About
The Annual
CHAMBER COLLAGE CONCERT
Saturday, April 5th at 7 PM
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul
4800 Woodward Ave Detroit, MI 48201
Each year, the Detroit Medical Orchestra showcases individual talent by allowing DMO musicians to form their own groups and prepare their own pieces. This year, works by Brahms, Rimsky-Korsakov, and others, are some of what will be featured. Scroll below to learn about each piece.
Trio Sonata in C Minor from Music Offering, BWV 1079
I. Largo
Performed by:
Syd LaDuke (flute), Jeff Klein (violin) (not pictured), Christine Searle (cello),
Ted Lasker (harpsichord)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Unlike most monarchs of his time, Frederick the Great of Prussia was not only a patron of the arts but also anaccomplished musician and composer. He played the flute, studied under renowned court musicians such as JohannJoachim Quantz, and surrounded himself with composers who embraced the new galant style — favoring elegance andclarity over the dense counterpoint of the Baroque. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) visited Frederick’s court in May1747, where the king presented him with a complex, chromatic theme and challenged him to improvise a fugue on thespot. Bach obliged, astonishing the court, and later expanded on the theme, composing a collection of canons, fugues,and a four-movement trio sonata. He published this work later that year as Musical Offering (Das Musikalische Opfer,BWV 1079)—the only sonata he ever wrote for flute, violin, and continuo.The Largo movement opens this trio sonata with an atmosphere of profound lyricism and introspection. In contrast tothe mathematical precision of the surrounding contrapuntal works in Musical Offering, this movement unfolds withgraceful, vocal-like phrasing. The flute and violin trade expressive lines, supported by a warm continuo in the cello andharpsichord.This performance is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Ed Malinowski, a longtime violinist with the Detroit MedicalOrchestra. Ed had a deep love for Bach’s music, particularly the slow movements. Before rehearsals, he and I wouldoften sit together and practice this very piece—drawn to its depth, elegance, and quiet beauty.
Brahms, Dvorak, and Humfeld
Performed by:
Greta Mulbauer (piano), Ted Lasker (piano)
Hungarian Dances No. 2, and 5
Perhaps one of his most well-recognized works, Brahms’ Hungarian Dances is a set of 21 dances inspired by Hungarian folk music. Inspired by a chance meeting with Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi, a then 20-year-oldBrahms became his accompanying pianist, joining Reményi on tour all the while learning about his native musical heritage. Within his Hungarian Dances, Brahms captured the lilting and jubilant energy of the csárdás, traditional Hungarian folk dances characterized by dramatically varying tempos, lively rhythms, and whirling virtuosic passages. Nearly 150 years later, Brahms’ music is still just as vibrant as the days of its first performances in taverns and salons across Europe.
Brahms
Antonin Dvorak
Slavonic Dance No. 2
Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms’ own Hungarian Dances. In fact, it was Brahms who had referred Dvořák tohis own publisher, after Dvořák had won the Austrian State Prize fellowship three times in four years to fund his composing work. Dvořák used Brahms’ Hungarian Dances as a model, where Brahms made us of actual Hungarian folk melodies, Dvořák only made use of the characteristic rhythms of Slavic folk music. Contrary to what the title might suggest, the dances are not so much inspired by Slavic folk music generally, but specifically by styles and forms from Bohemia.
Charles Humfeld
Who let the Cows Out (A Bully Rag)
Born in the same general vicinity as Scott Joplin, in Texarkana, Texas, Humfeld was just17-years-old when he ventured into the music business. Who Let the Cows Out becamea moderately successful hit for Humfeld in a time where many of the early ragtimemusicians had left the city for Chicago or New York. While Humfeld’s contributions toragtime were more likely centered in Saint Louis as a performer, his few lasting works inprint are still part of bovine providence, and udderly memorable.
Trio, Op. 87
II. Adagio Cantabile
IV. Finale - Presto
Performed by (not pictured):
Malik Wali (Flute), Kim Pollack (oboe), and Nick Boyd (clarinet)
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Written by Beethoven
Arr. Gustav Langenus
Trio Op. 87 was originally written in C Major for two Oboes and English Horn by Ludwig VanBeethoven in 1794 soon after he arrived in Vienna, Austria. This is one of many chamber musicpieces he wrote in his twenties while he developed his craft of writing for winds in preparationfor his symphonies. However, it is believed that this piece was written for the growing amateur musician community in Vienna. This popular trio was quickly arranged for many combinations of three instruments including Violin, Viola, Bassoon and Piano. Beethoven approved an arrangement for two Violins and Viola and assigned it Op. 87 which would place it near his seventh symphony. However, this piece was actually written before his Op. 1. The present arrangement for Flute, Clarinet, and Oboe was written by the Belgian Gustave Langenus and published in 1938. Langenus was the principal clarinetist of the New York Symphony and is well known for his 1913 Boehm system Clarinet method book and mouthpiece design. This trio is full of melodic and pleasing phrases characteristic of the serenades prevalent in Vienna towards the end of the 18th century. While the music is approachable by amateur musicians, it requires a good sense of ensemble from all members of the trio. The Adagio is lyrical and full of dynamic swells while the weaving melody is traded from player to player. The Finale, that begins quietly at first, is highly energetic and quickly transitions to a flurry of triplets. The movement is broken up by a lyrical section in the same quick tempo leading to a repeat of the main theme and a dramatic close.
Six Duets for Flute and Violin, Op. 2, Duet III in D Major
I. Allegro
II. Siciliana
III. Polonoise
Bartolomeo Campagnoli was a violinist and composer born in 1751, during the transitional period between Baroque and Classical styles of music. The changing nature of the age is reflected in his music, which shuns the ornamentation of the Baroque and embraces the "simple" clarity that would eventually come to define the Classical period. He composed six duos for flute and violin, each embracing that clarity of sound and role, with the flute maintaining the melodic line, and the violin fulfilling a more harmonic role. His third duet is no exception; a playful piece throughout, with lots of back and forth between the two instruments. The opening Allegro is energetic and rhythmic, followed by an almost melancholic Siciliana, and wrapped up with the dancing conversation of the Polonoise.
Bartolomeo Campagnoli
Performed by:
Malik Wali (flute), Jacob Alexander (violin)
Performed by:
Ellen Kim (cello), Brian Kim (cello)
Reinhold Glière (1875–1956) was a Russian composer known for his rich, Romantic style and connection to Russian folk music. Born in Kyiv, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory and later became a respected teacher. His music is lyrical and expressive, influenced by composers like Tchaikovsky. Though often remembered for his large-scale works and ballets, he also composed numerous chamber pieces that reveal his gift for melody and instrumental color.
Reinhold Glière
Ten Duets for 2 Cellos, Op. 53
No. 3 Con Moto
Written in 1909, the 10 Duos for 2 Cellos, Op. 53 offer a delightful glimpse into Glière’s lyrical style and his sensitivity to the cello’s expressive potential. The piece is a lively and energetic duet that highlights the natural singing quality of the cello. The two parts interact closely, creating a playful and engaging musical conversation. The third duo, marked Con moto ("with motion"), is lively and driving, full of rhythmic interplay and warm harmonic dialogue. It showcases the cello’s dual identity—singing and soulful, yet agile and articulate. While originally intended for students, this piece holds expressive depth and charm that speak well beyond the practice room, making it both technically engaging and exciting to play.
Trio for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano, Op. 274
I. Allegro
Carl Reineke
Carl Reinecke (born June 23, 1824, Altona, near Hamburg [Germany]—died March 10,1910, Leipzig) was a German pianist, composer, conductor, and teacher who sought, in his works and teaching, to preserve the Classical tradition in the late 19th century.After study with his father, Reinecke made several concert tours. He taught counterpoint and piano at the Cologne Conservatory (1851–54) and was music director first atBarmen (1854–59), then at Breslau University (1859–60). He held the important postsof conductor of Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra (1860–95) and teacher of pianoand composition at the Leipzig Conservatory from 1860, while he continued to makeannual concert tours. He became the Conservatory’s director in 1897. He was one ofthe most influential musicians of his time, counting among his students EdvardGrieg, Hugo Riemann, Arthur Sullivan, and Felix Weingartner. He wrote worksfor orchestra (symphonies, overtures, concertos), piano, and voice, as well as chambermusic and works for the stage (from Encyclopaedia Britannica).
This trio was one of three, composed in his mature years, for unusual combinations ofinstruments – Op. 188 for oboe, horn and piano; Op. 264 for viola, clarinet and piano,and Op. 274 for clarinet, horn and piano. He produced them to perform with Leipzigfriends who played instruments then with limited roles in the chamber-music repertory.The Op. 274 trio, which we hear tonight, was composed in 1905, five years beforeReinecke’s death, and is the work of a superior craftsman writing in the harmoniclanguage and spirit of the late Romantic period just coming to an end.Indeed, the first movement, allegro, is in conventional sonata form and could well havebeen written by Brahms. It begins with a six-measure horn call repeated by the clarinet.The call then is expanded into the flowing first theme. A second, more lyrical theme, ispresented as a duet by the two wind instruments. In the development, these elementsare blended with a third theme led by the piano and culminating in a long crescendo to aclimax (from Willard J. Hertz).
Performed by:
Michael Cher (clarinet), Megan Barrus (horn) (not pictured), Ted Lasker (piano)
Celebrated for his symphonic works like Scheherazade and Capriccio Espagnole and his many operas, all with dazzling orchestrations, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) did try his hand at chamber music during a period of his life when he was attempting to balance his career as a Russian Naval Officer with a professorship at the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
His String Sextet (1876; duration 32 minutes) is a product of these years. Shelved by the composer after entering it in a competition, it wasn’t published until 1912. Yet despite its history of neglect—and despite its not having the nationalistic flavors of both the youthful and the mature Rimsky-Korsakov’s works—it is a delightful work, full of charm and ingenuity.In this performance, our sextet group will present the first movement of this piece. A tempo of Allegro vivace, in ¾ time, the piece begins with a graceful waltz-like melody played by cello, then violin, then pizzicato by first cello and second violin in unison. Other themes are introduced, including one by the first viola. In the coda the pace accelerates to an exciting close.
