Roma: Piano Quintet
Commenetary
First Movement
Bars 1 – 6 This represents the Bells of St. Peter’s Basilica. My apartment was ten minutes walk so I heard the bells every evening. So loud and resonant, with attacca. It is not easy for strings to evoke bells, but a strong ffmf dynamic is what I am looking for here.
Bars 7 ff Theses are the bells from a nearby Russian Orthodox Church. Less grand than St. Peter’s, but rather strident. The left hand in the piano and the viola/cello continue the bells of St. Peter’s, always seeming out of sync with each other.
Bar 8 The viola brings in another bell, rather distant, again seeming out of sync. Violin one and two play a melody which is to be the basis of the principle theme. Again, there is a stridency here.
Bar 15 Musicians switch parts: piano takes on the melody. Violins 1 & 2 the Russian Orthodox bells. Cello is St. Peter’s. Viola other distant church bells.
Bar 22 V 1 & 2 take off in a fantasy. Viola and Cello are Russian Church; piano takes the theme of the distant church, although this time not so distant…. a good forte here.
Bar 30 A sudden transition, the clamour suddenly stops, although the deep primeval resonance of the bells lingers. Just two bells remain, slightly out of sync.
Bar 32 Clanging blles
Bar 33 The melody derived from the Russian Orthodox Church bell theme. But again, never in sync. Grand and still somewhat strident, not subtle. sempre f
Bar 53 as the melody descends, it begins to soften a little
Bar 54 other bells, on their own rythmns in the three upper strings, which is continued by violin 1.
Bar 59 A different quality, almost dancelike in the three upper strings, while the piano continues the bells, and the cello is another church chiming from a distant.
Bar 62 a wind down… viola picks up the cello’s line
Bar 66 arriving to a stillness at 67
Bar 69ff the stillness that bells can evoke at dusk, for example, a lulling disynchronicity, all very p
Bar 76 all becomes aligned
Bar 79 Viola introsuces Alla Renello, a Roman folk song, gently sung in the evening, different from the previous strident clamour.
Bar 97 Piano takes up this second theme, in contrapuntal form
Bar 114 Strings do the same
Bar 132 Thrumming anticipates
Bar 135 a furioso section
Bar 145 strings are legato to the piano’s staccato rhythms
Bar 155 without changing dynamics, the texture suddenly lightens for one bar only…
Bar 176 Bells again, suddenly stark in their simplicity
Bar 181 Viola takes up the theme, piano conterpunches, also running chromatic lines weaving in and through
Bar 207 Both themes together
Bar 223 bells come to rest briefly
Bar 226 Grand Choral
Bar 245 another brief interlude
Bar 247 Guignol Dance
Bar 270 Bells again that fade into the night.
Second Movement: Ballade
A ballade sung by the cello with a barcarolle-like piano accompaniment
cello molto espressivo; this is actually a setting of a love poem, drige like in its confessional quality
Bars 45-53 has a dance-like feel to It, freeing from some of the solemnity
Bar 57 solo
