Tobias Stosiek and Nataša Veljković are distinguished musicians and educators residing in the classical music hub of Vienna, where they both teach at the University of Music and Performing Arts. Since 2015, they have shared their knowledge and experience with students at the Youngmasters International Summer School, when they first joined the teaching team. Their remarkable duo was first heard at Youngmasters in a recital in 2015, and they captivated us once again at the Youngmasters Gala concert in 2021. These award-winning classical musicians released their duo album “Cellissimo-Pianissimo” in 2017. This year, the Stosiek-Veljković duo will present a dynamic program that includes Schubert’s famous Arpeggione Sonata and Camille Saint-Saëns’ virtuosic piece “Introduction et Rondo capriccioso, op. 28.”
Their recital will be held at Galerija Prica on Wednesday, August 21, at 8:00 PM. Entry is free!
BIOGRAPHY
Nataša Veljković, a pianist with a rich international career, has been at the heart of the music world since she was four years old. After studying in Belgrade with Prof. Arbo Valdma, she was accepted into the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at the age of 14, where she graduated with the highest honors. Her talent was recognized early on, as she won her first international competitions in Italy during childhood and achieved sensational success at age 11 with her performance of Ravel’s concerto with the Zagreb Philharmonic. Her outstanding achievements have earned her numerous awards, including the prestigious “Clara Haskil” prize in Switzerland. Veljković has performed with renowned European orchestras and eminent conductors and has participated in many festivals across Europe. In addition to her concert activities, she has recorded numerous CDs, including the complete works of Dora Pejačević. She currently teaches at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and serves as a jury member at various international competitions, with Mozart’s works being central to her repertoire.
Tobias Stosiek, born in Schwerin, Germany, studied cello at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna under Prof. Tobias Kühne, attending masterclasses with prominent cellists such as David Geringas, Frans Helmerson, and Mstislav Rostropovich. He has won numerous awards at international cello competitions, including first places at the International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen, the International Cello Competition in Liezen, and the Jeunesses Musicales in Belgrade. Stosiek frequently performs at festivals and concerts across Europe, with his performances broadcasted by ORF, Sender Dresden, DeutschlandRadio Berlin, and MDR Kultur. Since 2003, he has led his class at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz and serves as a jury member at prestigious competitions. Tobias Stosiek plays on a cello made by Don Nicola Amati in Bologna in 1700.
PROGRAM
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Arpeggione-Sonata in a-minor, D. 821
–Allegro moderato
–Adagio
–Allegretto
Frédéric Chopin (1797-1828): Berceuse in D-flat Major, op. 57
Frédéric Chopin: Ballade Nr. 4 in f-minor, op. 52
Frédéric Chopin: Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat Major, op. 22
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921): Introduction et Rondo capriccioso, op. 28
On the composers and the pieces
Franz Schubert (1797–1828) was an Austrian composer, recognized as one of the most significant figures of early Romanticism in music. Born on January 31, 1797, in Vienna, he lived only 31 years but left an incredibly rich body of work, including more than 600 songs (lieder), as well as symphonies, sonatas, chamber music, and masses. Schubert’s work was often underappreciated during his lifetime, and he was financially supported by friends. Although relatively unknown outside of Vienna, Schubert was highly esteemed within a close circle of friends and musicians, who organized “Schubertiades,” evenings dedicated to his music.
Franz Schubert composed the Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821 in November 1824, shortly after returning from Zseliz, where he spent the entire summer teaching the two daughters of Count Esterházy. Although today the three-movement Arpeggione Sonata is mostly performed with the cello or viola accompanied by the piano, there are numerous transcriptions for other instruments, particularly wind instruments. The Sonata was originally intended for performance on the arpeggione, an instrument that enjoyed short-lived popularity during Schubert’s lifetime. The guitar d’amour or arpeggione was invented around 1823 or 1824 by the esteemed Viennese guitar maker Johann Georg Stauffer and resembled an enlarged guitar with six strings that could be bowed like a cello. Although the instrument initially garnered significant interest, its popularity was short-lived, and today it is best known thanks to this Schubert Sonata. Despite the instrument’s name, Schubert avoided the use of arpeggios, instead focusing on the lyricism of traditional sonatas for string instruments and piano. The first movement, Allegro, is built around a recognizable melody. The second theme continues with gentle surges of sixteenth notes, and since the arpeggione could not execute rapid notes with a broad dynamic range, all faster sections of the Sonata are marked with a dynamic of piano or pianissimo. The gentle Adagio is almost hymn-like in character, while the Allegretto leads to a brief solo improvisation transitioning into the finale of the multi-part last movement.
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) was a Polish composer and pianist, one of the most important and influential composers for the piano in the history of music. As a child, he demonstrated extraordinary talent for music, composing his first pieces at the age of just seven. His works, including mazurkas, polonaises, nocturnes, preludes, and ballades, demand exceptional skill but are simultaneously imbued with poetic beauty and deep emotional power. One of the most intriguing aspects of Chopin’s life was his long-term relationship with the French writer George Sand, whose real name was Aurore Dudevant. Their relationship, both passionate and turbulent, profoundly influenced Chopin’s music, inspiring many of his most famous works. Chopin suffered from poor health throughout his life, likely due to tuberculosis, a disease that significantly affected his work and life, ultimately leading to his death at just 39 years old.
F. Chopin: Berceuse Op. 57
Written during the summer of 1843, “Berceuse in D-flat Major, Op. 57” is one of Chopin’s most mature works. This subtle lullaby begins with the rocking of an ostinato bass, followed by a main theme whose melody resembles a Polish lullaby called “The Moon Has Risen, the Dogs Are Asleep.” The same melody, sung to him by his mother as a child, is used by Chopin in his Fantasy on Polish Airs. After a brief theme of only four measures, 16 variations elegantly and fluidly transition from one to the next. The child’s innocence of the initial melody quickly develops contrapuntally and soon blossoms into an arabesque that floats above the ever-present ostinato bass. Toward the end, the harmonic structure subtly shifts, and the melody once again lulls us to sleep and fades away.
F. Chopin: Ballade No. 4
The last of Chopin’s four ballades, this one differs the most from the previous ones. Of a narrative character and complex polyphonic structure, the fourth ballade is difficult to define formally. Unlike in the other ballades where the first theme is introduced only twice, here it appears in the form of variations. In the introduction, the listener gets the impression of entering a story that has already begun, but the plot of this tale is full of twists and pauses, unexpected climaxes, fascinating episodes, and interludes. In the coda, it reaches its climax and ends with triumphant chords, without diminishing the ecstasy. Filled with virtuosic passages and fragmentary lyrical motifs, the fourth ballade is one of the crowning achievements of Chopin’s entire piano repertoire.
F. Chopin: Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante Op. 22
Chopin added the introductory Andante spianato to the polonaise only in 1834 or 1835, which, due to its character, does not align with the polonaise, but it is precisely this contrast that connects them. The Andante spianato (which means smooth, without affectation) introduces the piece like an intimate nocturne, with a distinctly ornamented melody that develops into a meditative arabesque. A simple chorale follows, breaking the nocturnal atmosphere, simple and orderly in form, after which the ornate passages return. Near the end, we hear a sleepy chorale from afar, from which we are awakened by sudden fanfares of the rhythmic polonaise. The polonaise theme is a lively and singing melody, with a pronounced rhythmic and humorous character. The form is somewhere between a rondo with episodes and a dance with a trio, and the texture consists of numerous brilliant ornaments and virtuosic passages. After a minor key episode of an intimate character, there is a lyrical return to the first theme, which then develops into the initial liveliness. To conclude, the highly virtuosic coda, full of chromaticism, presents a technical challenge for the performer and offers the listener a final culmination of brilliance and bravura.
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) was a French composer, pianist, organist, and conductor, one of the most prominent musicians of his time. Saint-Saëns was an exceptionally prolific composer, creating in nearly all musical forms, including symphonies, concert works, operas, chamber music, and organ compositions. He was a true child prodigy. By the age of three, he could play the piano, and by five, he began composing. His first public performance at the age of ten became legendary. At that concert, Saint-Saëns offered to play any of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas chosen by the audience, demonstrating extraordinary knowledge and talent. Besides music, Saint-Saëns was a passionate traveler and explorer. He traveled around the world, visiting exotic places such as Egypt, Algeria, Spain, and Ceylon. These journeys often inspired his works, bringing him new ideas and inspirations that enriched his musical palette.
C. Saint-Saëns: Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso
This piece, written in 1863 and dedicated to the great Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate, showcases two of the composer’s virtues: in the slow Introduction, the violin sings a lovely melody whose lack of passion speaks volumes about Saint-Saëns’ elegant expressiveness. In the Rondo Capriccioso, vivacity and virtuosity are combined to great effect. In 1876, critics described the work as “a fantastic waltz in the Spanish manner,” and today it is part of the repertoire of all the world’s violinists. About his transcription for cello, cellist Tobias Stosiek says: “In this arrangement, the key remains the same as in the original, which makes it easier to perform with piano or orchestra, as the piano part or orchestral score remains unchanged. The cello plays an octave lower than the violin, achieving an optimal sound. In some places, such as in repetitions, the cello plays even two octaves lower than the original, providing richness and utilizing the full tonal range of the cello down to low C. In a few places, complex parts are slightly simplified, especially in accompanying figures. The notes of this arrangement will be published in the summer of 2024 by the Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag publishing house in Leipzig.”
Program notes: Fabijan Košćak
