Elegíaco

Composers contemporary with Bedřich Smetana, thought his agreement with the progressive ideas of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner were against the development of a nationalist Czech style. This opposition undoubtedly influenced his creative work and how his compositions were received. However, beyond these artistic and cultural disagreements, his Trio in G minor, op. 15 is a clear example of the influence his personal experiences had on his work, although he does not give up his own stylistic evolution. Being totally shattered after his daughter’s death, Smetana devoted himself to the composition of this piece and even though the critics at the time were rather negative, it is currently considered to be one of his greatest chamber music achievements. On the other hand, Leoš Janácek started to write his only old-age violin sonata in 1914. It is a short piece in his typical late period, based on brief motifs, quick pace changes and great emotional intensity. Recently, Israeli clarinet player Shirley Brill completed a brilliant arrangement for clarinet and piano of this sonata, which is the version Quantum Ensemble are playing on this occasion. It allows us, on the one hand, to appreciate a valuable musical piece and, on the other hand, to reflect how the change of instrument (from violin to clarinet) influences our perception of Janácek’s typical features, his emotional urgency, his austere and sharp motifs, and his capacity to surprise us with the depth of his creative ideas, with no superficial musical mannerisms.