Saturday, June 29 – 7:30 pm – “Musical Saga”

Let music take you in your own musical saga by exploring two musical masterpieces

Johannes Brahms: Horn Trio

            Igor Khukhua – Violin, Katharine Caliendo – Horn, Evangeliya Delizonas-Khukhua – Piano

Jean Sibelius: “En Saga” Original Septet reconstruction for

Flute and Clarinet and strings.

Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
Horn Trio in Eb major, Op.40 (1865)

I. Andante
II. Scherzo (Allegro)
III. Adagio mesto
IV. Allegro con brio

    Violin – Igor Khukhua   Horn – Katharine Caliendo   Piano – Evangeliya Delizonas-Khukhua

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist who was one of the leading figures of the Romantic era. Brahms’ compositions encompassed a wide range of musical genres and styles, including symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and solo piano works. He was known for his meticulous craftsmanship, complex harmonic language, and emotional depth, creating works of great beauty and power. 

Brahms wrote his horn trio in 1865 to commemorate the loss of his mother, because of this the piece looks back in time through a nostalgic lens. A musical theme that Brahms first penned 12 years prior forms the basis of much of the music, and he chooses to compose for the older style natural horn (which he learnt himself as a child), rather than the contemporary valved horn that was available to him. The natural horn lends the piece a darker, more melancholic atmosphere – at the time, the sound of the natural horn was also associated with nature in particular forests. The music unfolds over four meticulously crafted movements, and comprises some of Brahms most personally expressive music.

Janne Sibelius (arr. Gregory Barrett) (1865-1957)
En Saga (arranged for septet), Op.9 (1902)

    Flute – Les Roettges   Clarinet – Patrick Graham   Violin I – Ingang Han   Violin II – Igor Khukhua 

    Viola – Jorge Pena   Cello – Brian Magnus   Bass – Paul Strasshofer

Janne Sibelius is considered today to be the most prominent composer Finland has ever produced and one of the country’s greatest cultural exports. During his lifetime he achieved huge success in his native country and globally, most notably through his seven symphonies which progressively mark the transition from the late romantic era to the early 20th century. 

En Saga likely started life in 1891 as an octet for winds and strings before being expanded in various permutations over a decade to the final orchestral version we know today. Sibelius’ works often found inspiration in Finnish folk culture, in particular the Kalevala – a 19th century collection of epic poems that describes the creation of the earth and the stories and myths of the Finnish people. Although En Saga was written without a clear programmatic link to these stories, its influence is clearly present throughout the music. The music unfolds in a narrative style creating a frozen fantasy landscape that the listener is transported through.