the piano sparkles with bravura passages.

Brahms composed hisfirstviolin sonataduring summervacationsin 1878 

and 1879, in Portschach, Carinthia. In the opening movement {Vivace

non troppo)a three-note motivic figure is introduced by the violin. This

motive is organic to the structure of the entire sonata, as it appears in

the second and third movements. It is somewhat disguised in the third

movement, where it appears asa four-note theme. The appealing charm

of the movement is heightened by Brahms’ judicious use of one of his

most glorious cantabikmelodies. The second movement (Adagio) unfolds

in tripartite form witha marked contrast between the introspective,

visionary first part and the agitated second part.The third partsummarizes

witha return to material from the beginning of the movement, while

at the same time featuringa cameo appearance of material from the

second part. The finale (Memo molto moderato) isa rondo that borrowsa

melody from Brahms’ Regemed (Rain Song), Op. 59, No. 3, and closes the

sonata witha refined coda.

It wasa performance ofa Bach sonata by the eminent Hungarian-born

American violinist Joseph Szigeti (1892-1973) that inspired Eugene

Ysaye to write his own set of solo sonatas. His Six Sonatasfot' Solo Violin

are not widely performed or extensively recorded. They are, however, in

the words of music critic Richard Freed,“works [that] not only exploit

the resources of the violin most eloquently, but [in addition] express

the great-hearted artist’s specific admiration and affection for six of his 

distinguished younger colleagues.” The first sonata follows the pattern

of the sonata da chiesa, or church sonata, that Bach adapted for his violin 

sonatas. The pattern consists offour movements with tempos alternating

between slow and fast.

Being a professional violinist as well asa violist, Ottorino Respighi knew

well the violin’s capabilities and possibilities. His compositional mentors

were Giuseppe Martucce, Max Bmch, and Nikolas Rimsky-Korsakov.

To this list of mentors must be added Johannes Brahms, who did not

personally tutor Respighi but whose compositional influence is evident.

AsJoseph Braustein illustratesin his critique ofa performance ofthework: ‘The sonata... betrays the marked influence of Brahms by virtue of its

metrical and rhythmical irregularities: 3/4,2/4,9/8, and 7/8 meters follow 

each other measure by measure. This also occurs in the very expressive

lyrical middle movement,which is characterized by constantlyfluctuating

harmonies. The last movement is apasacaglia that was evidently inspired

by the finale ofBrahms’ Fourth Symphony.”

ProgramnotesbyElmerBooze

Forthe convenience ofconcertgoers

the Garden Cafe remains open until 6:30p.m.

The use ofcameras or recording equipment

during theperformance is not allowed.

The Fifty-eighth season of

THE WILLIAM NELSON CROMWELL and

F. LAMMOT BELIN CONCERTS

National Gallery of Art

2321th Concert

JAMES BUSWELL, violinist

MENG-GHIEH LIU, pianist

Sunday Evening, 12 December 1999

SevenO’clock

West Building, West Garden Court

Admissionfree
PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756-1791)

Allegro molto

Andante

Presto

Johannes Brahms

(1833-1897)

Sonata in A Major, K. 526

(1787)

Sonata No. 1 in G Major

Op. 78 (1878-1879)

Vivace ma non troppo

Adagio

Allegro molto moderato

INTERMISSION

Eugene Ysaye

(1858-1931)

Sonata No. 1 in G Minor for Solo Violin

Op. 27 (1924)

Grave; lento assai

Fugato: Molto moderato

Allegretto poco scherzoso; amabile

Finale con brio; allegro fermo

Ottorino Respighi

(1879-1936)

Sonata in B Minor

(1917)

Moderato

Andante espressivo

Passacaglia: Allegro moderato ma energico

As a pre-college student attheJuilliard School ofMusic,JamesBuswell

was a pupil of the renowned violinist Ivan Galamian. It was at that time

that he won first prize in the prestigious Merriwether Post Competition.

Later he received a bachelor ofarts degree from Harvard Universitywith a

major in early Renaissance painting and sculpture, while at the same time

pursuing an active concert career. Buswell has appeared with virtually

all the major orchestras in the United States and Canada, as well as with

orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America. He has collaborated with

such distinguished conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Seiji Ozawa,

Pierre Boulez, Andre Previn, Erich Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, George Szell, 

and Leonard Bernstein. In addition, Buswell has toured extensively with

such eminent colleagues as Leslie Pamas, Lee Luvisi, Yo-Yo Ma, Walter

Trampler, Stephen Isserlis, and Emanuel Ax. James Buswell teaches at

the New England Conservatory in Boston, and is artist-in-residence and

visiting professorat Harvard University andAmherstCollege, respectively.

He appears at the National Gallery by arrangement with Michal Schmidt

Artists International, Inc., ofNewYork City.

Bom in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, pianist Meng-Chieh Liu is a graduate

of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and is currently its

youngest faculty member. He studied with the late Jorge Bolet, Claude

Frank, and Eleanor Sokoloff. Liu was just entering his teens when he

came to international attention as winner of the first Asia Pacific Piano

Competition. Afterwinning first prizes in the Mieczyslaw Munz and Igor 

Stravinsky competitions, Liu undertook an extensive recital tour. His

NewYork orchestral debut took place in 1991. His careerwas interrupted

in 1993 by a rare and debilitating illness, during the course ofwhich his 

doctors prepared him for the probability that he would never play again. 

Fortunately, they were wrong, and by 1995 he was back on stage, playing

his Washington debut at the Kennedy Center. His Philadelphia recital in 

October 1998 was hailed by critics as “a glorious comeback.”

Considered a precursor ofBeethoven’s “Kreuzer”Sonata, Mozart’s Sonata

inAMajor; K526 (his penultimate violin sonata) was written while he was

also working on his opera, Don Giaoanm. The first movement ofthe sonata

{Allegro molto) is a supreme example of Mozart’s maturity as a master

of the sectional structure of the sonata-allegro form. The thematic and

rhythmic complexities ofthe three segments (exposition, development,

and recapitulation) are masterfully worked out with enchanting themes

that interweave from one section to another. The second movement

(Andante) is both rapturous and inspirational, and, in the words ofMozart

biographer Alfred Einstein, attains an “equilibrium of art and soul.” The

finale {Presto), in rondo form, spotlights both instruments. The violin 

utilizes quarter notes steeped in emotional and poetic expression, while