Concerts of Thursday, September 20, and Saturday, September 22, at 8:00p, and Sunday September 23, 2018, at 3:00p

Transcription

1 Concerts of Thursday, September 20, and Saturday, September 22, at 8:00p, and Sunday September 23, 2018, at 3:00p Robert Spano, Conductor Kirill Gerstein, piano John Stafford Smith ( ) (arr. Walter Damrosch) The Star-Spangled Banner Sergei Rachmaninov ( ) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18 (1901) I. Moderato II. Adagio sostenuto III. Allegro scherzando Kirill Gerstein, piano Intermission Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ) Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Opus 64 (1888) I. Andante; Allegro con anima II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza III. Valse. Allegro moderato IV. Finale. Andante maestoso; Allegro vivace

2 Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18 (1901) Sergei Rachmaninov was born in Semyonovo, Russia, on April 1, 1873, and died in Beverly Hills, California, on March 28, The first performance of the Second Piano Concerto took place in Moscow, Russia, on November 9, 1901, with the composer as soloist, and Alexander Siloti conducting the Moscow Philharmonic Society. In addition to the solo piano, the Concerto No. 2 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-four minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: December 17, 1949, Jacques Abram, Piano, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: January 14 and 16, 2016, Simon Trpčeski, Piano, Robert Spano, Conductor. A conservatory in Hell When Sergei Rachmaninov completed his First Symphony in August of 1895, he was 22, and brimming with the confidence of youth. I imagined that there was nothing I could not do and had great hopes for the future, he later recalled. Rachmaninov s First Symphony received its premiere in St. Petersburg on March 27, 1897, with composer Alexander Glazunov conducting. But what should have been one of the great triumphs of the young Rachmaninov s life almost permanently ended his career as a composer. Rachmaninov began to lose faith in his First Symphony during the initial rehearsal. The composer s doubts were hardly allayed by Nicolai Rimsky- Korsakov, who remarked: Forgive me, but I do not find this music at all agreeable. Any possibilities of success for the Symphony were foiled by a performance Rachmaninov described as beneath contempt. Immediately after the final chords, Rachmaninov fled, horrified, into the street. While Rachmaninov was able to escape the confines of the theater, he still had to face the wrath of the critics. Russian composer César Cui wrote in the St. Petersburg News: If there were a conservatory in Hell, if one of its many talented students were instructed to write a programme symphony on the Seven Plagues of Egypt, and if he were to compose a symphony like Mr. Rachmaninov s, then he would have fulfilled his task brilliantly and would delight the inhabitants of Hell. Rachmaninov lapsed into a profound depression, and vowed to give up composing. He recalled: This condition, which was as tiresome for myself as for

3 those about me, lasted more than a year. I did not live; I vegetated, idle and hopeless. Rachmaninov s friends were alarmed by his condition, and tried all forms of cures. Princess Alexandra Lieven arranged for Rachmaninov to visit his idol, the author Tolstoy. But when the terrified Rachmaninov was finally able to summon the courage to play one of his piano compositions, Tolstoy inquired: Tell me, does anybody need music like this? You will begin to write your Concerto Finally, the Satin family convinced Rachmaninov that he should consult Dr. Nikolai Dahl, a doctor who had gained some prominence for his employment of hypnosis. Between January and April of 1900, Rachmaninov visited Dr. Dahl on a daily basis. Rachmaninov had tried, unsuccessfully, to compose a piano concerto he promised for London. The composer recalled: I heard the same hypnotic formula repeated day after day while I lay half asleep in the armchair in Dr. Dahl s study. You will begin to write your Concerto...You will work with great facility...the Concerto will be of an excellent quality... It was always the same, without interruption. Although it may sound incredible, this cure really helped me. Already at the beginning of the summer I began again to compose. The material grew in bulk, and new musical ideas began to stir within me far more than I needed for my Concerto. Rachmaninov completed the final two movements of his Second Piano Concerto in the autumn of 1900, and performed them at a Moscow charity concert in October. Rachmaninov added the opening movement in the spring of the following year, and appeared as soloist in the November 9, 1901 premiere of the entire Second Concerto. In gratitude, Rachmaninov dedicated the Concerto to Dr. Dahl. Musical Analysis I. Moderato The soloist intones a series of tolling chords that build to the orchestra s presentation of the surging opening melody, marked con passione. After a brief, capricious flight by the soloist and a forceful orchestral statement, the pianist introduces the second theme, one of the haunting, expansive melodies that are a hallmark of Rachmaninov s art. The development, prominently featuring the soloist, builds to a climax. This leads to a recapitulation in which the orchestra s repetition of the first theme is juxtaposed with a martial proclamation by the soloist. The horn reprises the lovely second theme. The movement concludes with a terse, powerful coda. II. Adagio sostenuto The Concerto s slow-tempo movement opens with muted

4 strings. The pianist accompanies the solo flute and clarinet as they softly introduce the movement s principal melody, closely related to the opening Moderato s second theme. The Adagio proceeds as a haunting fantasia on the melody. Toward the latter part of the movement, there is an agitated episode for the soloist. Soon, however, the atmosphere of the opening returns, and the soloist brings the Adagio to a serene conclusion. III. Allegro scherzando The orchestra presents a march-like figure. After a brief solo passage, the pianist introduces the finale s descending principal theme. The violas and solo oboe introduce the beautiful second theme, one of Rachmaninov s most famous melodies (and the basis for a 1940s popular song, Full Moon and Empty Arms ). The soloist then offers his own ardent version of the melody. The opening theme returns, presented in varied and thrilling fashion. A brief interlude by the soloist precedes the flutes and violins reprise of the second theme. After a reflective passage for soloist and orchestra, fragments of the opening theme return, leading to the opulent closing measures. A lush presentation of the second theme and headlong dash to the finish bring the Concerto to a thrilling close. Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Opus 64 (1888) Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia, on May 7, 1840, and died in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 6, The first performance of the Symphony No. 5 took place in St. Petersburg on November 17, 1888, the composer conducting. The Symphony No. 5 is scored for piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is forty-seven minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: December 7, 1949, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: September 24 and 26, 2015, Robert Spano, Conductor. I shall without fail compose a symphony In the spring of 1888, after a highly successful three-month conducting tour of Western Europe, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky returned to Russia. Tchaikovsky was determined to focus his attentions on composing. As he wrote to his brother, Modest: first this summer I shall without fail compose a symphony. A decade had elapsed since the completion of Tchaikovsky s last numbered Symphony, the Fourth (In 1885, he composed a programmatic Symphony, based on Lord Byron s Manfred). Tchaikovsky reviewed the Symphony No. 4 and, pleased with that work, embarked upon the creation of his Fifth.

5 Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 5 during the summer of In June, he wrote to his benefactress, Nadezhda von Meck: Now I shall work my hardest. I am exceedingly anxious to prove to myself, as to others, that I am not played out as a composer Have I told you that I intend to write a symphony? The beginning was difficult; but now inspiration seems to have come. However, we shall see. During this period, Tchaikovsky also worked on a Fantasy-Overture, based upon William Shakespeare s Hamlet. Tchaikovsky completed his Fifth Symphony on August 26. He put the finishing touches on the Hamlet Fantasy- Overture on October 19. I like it far better now Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of his Symphony No. 5 in St. Petersburg on November 17, In many ways, it was a grand triumph for the composer. At the concert, the orchestra saluted Tchaikovsky with a triple fanfare. He also received an honorary membership in the St. Petersburg Society. The audience greeted the new work with a rousing ovation. However, the critics were far less enthusiastic about the Fifth Symphony. Tchaikovsky, who frequently battled the demons of self-doubt, soon wrote to von Meck: Having played my Symphony twice in Petersburg and once in Prague, I have come to the conclusion that it is a failure. There is something repellent in it, some over-exaggerated color, some insincerity of fabrication which the public instinctively recognizes. It was clear to me that the applause and ovations referred not to this but to other works of mine, and that the Symphony itself will never please the public. All this causes deep dissatisfaction with myself Yesterday evening I looked through the Fourth Symphony How much better and superior it is! However, in the early part of 1889, Tchaikovsky conducted the Fifth Symphony in Hamburg, Germany. The work earned the praises of the orchestra musicians, as well as the great German composer, Johannes Brahms. This reception seemed to buoy Tchaikovsky s spirits. He wrote to his nephew, Vladimir Davïdov: The Fifth Symphony was magnificently played and I like it far better now, after having held a bad opinion of it for some time. The Tchaikovsky Fifth: A Fate Symphony? By Tchaikovsky s own admission, both the Fourth and his final Symphony, the Sixth, feature programmatic elements. Tchaikovsky completed his Fourth Symphony in the wake of his brief and disastrous marriage to Antonina

6 Milyukova. As Tchaikovsky confessed to Nadezhda von Meck, the Fourth Symphony portrays the confrontation with: Fate, that inexorable force that prevents our aspirations to happiness from reaching their goal, that jealously ensures our wellbeing and peace are not unclouded, that hangs over our heads like the sword of Damocles, that with steadfast persistence poisons our souls. It is invincible, you will never master it. One can only resign oneself to fruitless sorrow. Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 6 ( Pathétique ) in As he confided to Davïdov: Whilst I was on my travels I had an idea for another symphony, a programme symphony this time; but the programme will be left as an enigma let people guess it for themselves. This programme is so intensely personal that as I was mentally composing it on my travels I frequently wept copiously. Tchaikovsky s Pathétique Symphony concludes in heartbreaking fashion with a slow-tempo finale that, after a bitter struggle, resolves to silence. Tchaikovsky conducted the world premiere of his Pathétique Symphony on October 28, Nine days later, the composer was dead at the age of 53. Tchaikovsky insisted that his Fifth Symphony did not contain a program. However, the progression of the Symphony No. 5 with its presentation, frequent reappearance, and dramatic metamorphosis of a central leitmotif certainly seems to hint at some extra-musical significance. That notion is supported by the following, located among Tchaikovsky s sketches for the Fifth Symphony: Intr(oduction). Total submission before Fate or, what is the same thing, the inscrutable design of Providence. Allegro. I. Murmurs, doubts, laments, reproaches against XXX. 2. Shall I cast myself into the embrace of faith? A wonderful programme, if only it can be fulfilled. If it is true that Tchaikovsky s Symphony No. 5 portrays a struggle with Fate, the outcome seems far more positive than that depicted in the Fourth. But such considerations are secondary to the glorious music of this gripping and unforgettable symphonic journey. Musical Analysis I. Andante; Allegro con anima The Symphony No. 5 opens with a slow-tempo introduction (Andante). The clarinets present an ominous theme. This theme

7 appears as the central leitmotif in each of the Symphony s four movements. The theme soon becomes the basis for the opening melody (played by a solo clarinet and bassoon) of the ensuing Allegro con anima. The melody builds in intensity, until it receives a fff proclamation by the orchestra. The strings introduce a more reflective theme, played molto espressivo. A cheerful dialogue between strings and chirping winds (Un pochettino più anima) leads to a yearning melody (Molto più tranquillo), played by the violins. This melody and the preceding theme build to a climax, as the exposition reaches its dynamic conclusion. After a tempestuous development of the central themes, a solo bassoon inaugurates the recapitulation. The first theme of the Allegro dominates a fiery coda that finally resolves to a ppp close. II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza After a hushed introduction by the strings, the solo horn plays the radiant principal melody (dolce con molto espressivo), to which a clarinet soon provides obbligato accompaniment. A solo oboe then introduces the lovely second theme (dolce espressivo) of this slowtempo movement. The strings repeat the two themes in sequence, as the mood becomes ever more passionate. A solo clarinet launches a central episode that proceeds inexorably to a powerful reappearance of the Symphony s leitmotif. This leads to a varied restatement of the Andante s two principal melodies, interrupted again by the leitmotif, now in an even more savage guise. Calm is restored in the final measures with the strings reprise of the second melody. III. Valse. Allegro moderato The third-movement Waltz is in A B A form. The first violins introduce the lilting, principal melody (dolce con grazia). A sprightly central section features spiccato strings and puckish winds. A reprise of the opening section ensues, followed by a coda in which the clarinets and bassoons utter a rather subversive version of the central leitmotif. Six fortissimo chords bring the Waltz to an ebullient close. IV. Finale. Andante maestoso; Allegro vivace The Finale opens with a slowtempo introduction (Andante maestoso). For the first time in the Symphony, the central leitmotif is transformed to the major key. A timpani crescendo heralds an agitated section (Allegro vivace) where the leitmotif again assumes a notable presence. After a dramatic pause, the leitmotif returns for the last time now cast as a triumphal march (Moderato assai e molto maestoso). The Symphony concludes with a Presto coda, featuring the brass s heroic version of the opening movement s initial Allegro theme.

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