CONCERTS

77TH SEASON OF

national gallery of art | april 14, 2019
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PROGRAM

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East Coast Chamber Orchestra 

An Ancient Walkabout

April 14, 2019 | 3:30

West Building, West Garden Court

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)

Arr. Michi Wiancko

Chaconne from Partita no. 2 in D Minor (1717)

Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972)

Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001)

From Spain and France to Peru: A Renaissance Suite 

Arr. Maureen Nelson

“Di, Perra Mora,” Pedro Guerrero (b. 1520, Spain)

“Mille Regretz,” attr. Josquin des Prez (1450 – 1521, France)

“Follia: A Chacua,” Anonymous (Peru)

Intermission

Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695)

Arr. Benjamin Britten

Chacony for Strings in G Minor (1680)

Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1975)

Chacony from String Quartet no. 2 (1945)

Photo by Steve Langdon
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PROGRAM NOTES

An Ancient Walkabout takes the listener on an exploration of the depth and virtuosity 

of early music, while simultaneously drawing harmonious connections between the 

Western classical music tradition and music inspired by Peru. The pieces on this program 

have in common a certain brand of emotional expression — a celebration of the richness 

of humanity that is at once exuberant and sacrosanct.

Today’s program highlights the chaconne, a musical form which originated in Latin 

America in the late sixteenth century and has inspired composers ever since. Starting 

off the program is likely the most well-known chaconne in classical music, the last 

movement from the Second Violin Partita by Johann Sebastian Bach, composed in 

1717 for solo violin. Bach’s Chaconne is one of his most demanding works for any 

instrument and encompasses a broad emotional and expressive landscape. It is the 

longest single movement of any of Bach’s solo violin works and is the only movement 

that is frequently broken off from the larger suites and played as a stand-alone work.

Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for string quartet draws 

inspiration from the idea of mestizaje, as envisioned by the Peruvian writer José 

María Arguedas, where cultures can coexist without one being subjugated by another. 

As such, this piece mixes elements from the Western classical and Andean folk music 

traditions. According to Frank:

The piece has five movements. The first, “Toyos,” depicts one of the most 

recognizable instruments of the Andes, the panpipe. One of the largest kinds 

is the breathy toyo, which requires great stamina and lung power to play, and 

is often played in parallel fourths or fifths. “Tarqueada” is a forceful and fast 

number featuring the tarka, a heavy wooden duct flute that is blown harshly 

in order to split the tone. Tarka ensembles typically also play in fourths and 

fifths. “Himno de Zampoñas” features a particular type of panpipe ensemble 

that divides up melodies through a technique known as hocketing. The 

characteristic sound of the zampoña panpipe is that of a fundamental tone 

blown flatly so that overtones ring out on top, hence the unusual scoring of 

double stops in this movement. “Chasqui” depicts a legendary figure from 

the Inca period, the chasqui runner, who sprinted great distances to deliver 

messages between towns separated from one another by the Andean peaks. 

The chasqui needed to travel light. Hence, I take artistic license to imagine 

his choice of instruments to be the charango, a high-pitched cousin of the 

guitar, and the lightweight bamboo quena flute, both of which are featured 

in this movement. “Canto de Velorio” portrays another well-known Andean 

personality, a professional crying woman known as the llorona. Hired to 

“These youthful players are helping form classical music’s future. Long may they 

ECCO.” — The Washington Post

Some of the most enjoyable and revelatory musical experiences happen when musicians get together for fun rather than work. That’s exactly what you can expect at 

every concert by the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) — music played with total 

involvement and passion from musicians who thrive on the pure joy and camaraderie 

of classical music-making. The members of this democratically run, self-conducted 

chamber orchestra are colleagues and friends from leading conservatories and music 

festivals across the country. They are soloists, chamber musicians, principals of major 

American orchestras, and Grammy Award winners who play with the symphony 

orchestras of Philadelphia, Minnesota, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, and 

Boston, among others. The members also play with the Enso, Jasper, Jupiter, and 

Parker Quartets, as well as the Horszowski Trio, Trio Cavatina, Sejong Soloists, Time 

for Three, and Chamber Music Society II.

This dynamic collective of some of today’s most vibrant and gifted young string 

players combines the strength and power of a great orchestral ensemble with the 

personal involvement and sensitivity of superb chamber music. For a few concentrated 

periods of time each year, the members of ECCO meet for rehearsal and musical 

exploration. Cooking, eating, enjoying close friendships, and more recently sharing tips 

for raising the next generation of ECCO are important aspects of the ensemble’s 

gatherings. Along with musical exploration, there is always an intense discussion to be 

had about the joys and challenges of maintaining a truly communal, creative organization.

THE ENSEMBLE

Violin

Rebecca Fischer

J Freivogel

Karen Kim

Salley Koo

Li-Mei Liang

Kobi Malkin

Susie Park

Karla Donehew Perez

Viola

Christine Grossman

Wenhong Luo

Melissa Reardon

Jonathan Vinocour

Cello

Efe Baltacigil

Michael Katz

Ken Olsen

Alice Yoo

Bass

Thomas Van Dyck
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render funeral rituals even sadder, the llorona is accompanied here by 

a second llorona and an additional chorus of mourning women (coro 

de mujeres). The chant “Dies Irae” is quoted as a reflection of the comfortable mix of Quechua Indian religious rites with those from Catholicism. 

“Coqueteos” is a flirtatious love song sung by gallant men known as romanceros. As such, it is direct in its harmonic expression, bold, and festive. The 

romanceros sing in harmony with one another against a backdrop of guitars, 

which I think of as a vendaval de guitarras (storm of guitars). 

Henry Purcell’s Chacony in G Minor, composed in approximately 1680, was 

originally scored for strings in four parts. Benjamin Britten arranged Purcell’s 

work in 1948, creating a version for string quartet and string orchestra. A short 

and straightforward piece, it is the sixth of a set of ten sonatas by Purcell. The 

grounded bass provides the foundation for the collection of variations that appear 

in the higher strings.

In the program’s concluding chaconne, we present the final movement of Benjamin 

Britten’s String Quartet no. 2, composed in 1945. Britten presents the last movement 

in the same idiosyncratic manner as Purcell, and creates a final movement like Bach’s, 

thus we have come almost full circle. The piece follows the form of the chaconne 

in strict manner, delivering us the grounded theme with three sets of six variations 

following. Each variation explores a different element in music, first harmonically, 

second rhythmically, the third with melody. At the end of each variation, we are 

treated to cadenzas — first featuring the cello, then viola, then violin — before the 

piece reaches a climatic close, affirming the home key of C major.

Upcoming Events of the SeventySeventh Season of The William Nelson 

Cromwell and F. Lammot Belin Concerts

Unless otherwise noted, concerts 

are held in the West Building, West 

Garden Court.

Living Art Collective Ensemble (LACE)

Elisa Monte Dance

DJ Twelve45

The Lunar Effect

Celebrating By the Light of the Silvery 

Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs 

from the 1850s to Apollo 11

Music by Elfrida Andrée, Maurice 

Ravel, Arnold Schoenberg, Aaron 

Copland, and Jennifer Higdon

April 21, 3:30

Duo Sonidos

Sound Sketches

West Building Lecture Hall

April 26, 12:10

The Brandee Younger Trio

Harpist Brandee Younger performs in 

the avant-garde tradition of her forebears, 

Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane.

April 28, 3:30

Poulenc Trio

From Nature, Truth: Whitman, Ruskin, 

and the American Pre-Raphaelites

Celebrating The American Pre-Raphaelites: 

Radical Realists

May 5, 3:30

General Information

Admission to the National Gallery of Art 

and all of its programs is free of charge, 

except as noted.

The use of cameras or recording 

equipment during the performance 

is not allowed.

Please be sure that all portable electronic 

devices are turned off.

—

Concerts are made possible in part 

through the generosity of donors to the 

National Gallery of Art through The Circle. 

Reserved seating is available in recognition 

of their support. Please contact the 

development office at (202) 842-6450 or 

circle@nga.gov for more information.

—

The department of music produced 

these program notes. Copyright © 2019 

Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, 

Washington

Cover Jan Steen, The Dancing Couple

(detail), 1663, National Gallery of Art, 

Washington, Widener Collection
NGA.GOV/MUSIC