BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTO and BEETHOVEN S FOURTH

Transcription

1 2015/16 Season CLASSICAL SERIES BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTO and BEETHOVEN S FOURTH Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 5-7, 2016 MICHAEL STERN, conductor VADIM GLUZMAN, violinist JOHN ADAMS The Chairman Dances Foxtrot for Orchestra BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, op. 60 I. Adagio - Allegro vivace II. Adagio III. Allegro vivace IV. Allegro ma non troppo INTERMISSION BRAHMS Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, op. 77 I. Allegro non troppo II. Adagio III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace Vadim Gluzman, violinist The 2015/16 season is generously sponsored by SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR. The Classical Series is sponsored by Friday s concert sponsored by R. LYMAN and SALLY OTT Saturday s concert sponsored by THE GERSON FAMILY FOUNDATION Additional support provided by Podcast available at kcsymphony.org KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY 41

2 PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer JOHN ADAMS (b. 1947) The Chairman Dances Foxtrot for Orchestra (1985) 12 minutes 2 piccolos, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, bell tree, claves, crotale, cymbals, glockenspiel, high hat, pedal bass drum, sandpaper blocks, sizzle cymbal, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tambourine, triangle, vibraphone, xylophone, wood block, harp, piano and strings. John Adams opera, Nixon in China, is based upon the American president s historic 1972 trip and meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong. The opera, The music accompanies Mao Zedong and Madame Mao s romantic, seductive dance. featuring a libretto by Alice Goodman, received its premiere at the Houston Grand Opera on October 22, During the composition of Nixon in China, Adams also completed a long-delayed commission for the Milwaukee Symphony. In 1985, Adams had seen a potential scenario for the third act of Nixon in China. The scenario, written by Goodman and Peter Sellars (who created the original stage production for Nixon in China), is as follows: Photo by Christine Alicino Chiang Ch ing, a.k.a. Madame Mao, has gatecrashed the Presidential Banquet. She is first seen standing where she is most in the way of the waiters. After a few minutes, she brings out a box of paper lanterns and hangs them around the hall, then strips down to a cheongsam, skintight from neck to ankle and slit up the hip. She signals the orchestra to play and begins dancing by herself. Mao is becoming excited. He /16 Season

3 steps down from his portrait on the wall, and they begin to foxtrot together. They are back in Yenan, dancing to the gramophone This scenario provided the basis for Adams The Chairman Dances Foxtrot for Orchestra. Commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the work received its premiere in Milwaukee on January 31, 1986, with Lukas Foss conducting. Adams notes that the music of The Chairman Dances takes full cognizance of [Madame Mao s] past as a movie actress. Themes, sometimes slinky and sentimental, at other times bravura and bounding, ride above in bustling fabric of energized motives. The vibrant, brilliantly scored work quickly became a concert favorite, a status it continues to enjoy more than thirty years after the premiere. Recommended Recording JOHN ADAMS: The Chairman Dances Foxtrot for Orchestra City of Birmingham Symphony / Simon Rattle, conductor Label: EMI Classics Catalog #55051 LUDWID VAN BEETHOVEN ( ) Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, op. 60 (1806) 32 minutes Flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. It was Robert Schumann who characterized Beethoven s Fourth Symphony as a slender Greek maiden between two huge Nordic giants. It is certainly true that the Fourth does not present the epic struggles of Beethoven s Eroica and Fifth symphonies. Nevertheless, there is plenty of drama in the Fourth, as well as humor. The latter is a characteristic not often associated KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY 43

4 PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer with a man who, through genius and force of will, overcame the greatest obstacles, including deafness. Still, we know from contemporary accounts that Beethoven did, indeed, possess a robust sense of humor. We should also bear in mind that in his early years, Beethoven was a student of the greatest of all symphonic humorists, Franz Joseph Haydn. In listening to the Fourth, it is appropriate to recall what Haydn wrote of his young pupil in 1793: Beethoven will in time become one of the greatest musical artists in Europe, and I shall be proud to call myself his teacher. The Symphony is in four movements. The first opens with an extended and mysterious slow-tempo introduction (Adagio). A crescendo leads to a whiplash motif in the strings, the springboard to the skipping principal motif of the Allegro vivace. The slow-tempo second movement The Fourth spotlights the composer s trademark irrepressible momentum and drama, as well as his humorous side. (Adagio) begins with a repeated figure in the second violins. This serves as the accompaniment for the lovely cantabile (i.e., in a singing style) opening theme, played by the first violins, and later repeated by the winds. In the third movement (Allegro vivace), the principal robust scherzo episode alternates with the more pastoral trio section (Un poco meno Allegro). A brief horn call precedes a concluding fortissimo chord. The finale (Allegro ma non troppo) opens with a perpetuum mobile figure in the strings, establishing the Recommended Recording BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 Bavarian Radio Orchestra / Carlos Kleiber, conductor Label: Orfeo Catalog # /16 Season

5 playful mood that predominates throughout. The coda seems to proceed toward a quiet resolution; but, suddenly, a raucous exclamation brings Symphony No. 4 to a fortissimo conclusion. JOHANNES BRAHMS ( ) Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, op. 77 (1878) 36 minutes Solo violin, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. Brahms composed his only Violin Concerto for his dear friend, the Austro-Hungarian virtuoso violinist, composer and conductor, Joseph Joachim ( ). Brahms, who frequently sought his friend s counsel and advice, forwarded the solo violin part of the Concerto s first movement to Joachim on August 22, Correspondence between the two continued throughout the year. On December 12, just a few weeks before the anticipated New Year s Day premiere, Brahms wrote to Joachim: I send you the part herewith and agree to Brahms Violin Concerto is one of the greatest and most challenging in the entire repertoire. your alterations. The orchestral parts will be ready for Jan. 1st in case you play it in Leipzig. If so, I will meet you in Berlin a few days before... Despite the minimal amount of remaining preparation time, Joachim agreed to give the premiere as scheduled. He also composed the first-movement cadenza that, to this day, remains the preferred version among soloists. The premiere of the Violin Concerto took place at the KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY 45

6 PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer Gewandhaus in Leipzig on New Year s Day Joachim, to whom Brahms dedicated the work, was the soloist. The premiere, conducted by Brahms, was far from an unqualified triumph. Perhaps the audience was confused by the unusual prominence of the orchestra, which traditionally played a decidedly subservient role in violin concertos. Brahms unconventional approach prompted Joseph Hellmesberger to dub the work a concerto not for, but against the violin. Bronisław Huberman took a somewhat different view, stating that the Brahms Concerto was for violin against orchestra and the violin wins! Brahms and Joachim continued to work on revisions to the score, finally published in October of And in time (thanks in great part to Joachim s sterling advocacy), the Brahms D Major secured its place as one of the greatest violin concertos, a veritable Mount Everest of technical and interpretive challenges. As with many of Brahms finest works, it is also a brilliant and immensely satisfying synthesis of Classical form and Romantic passion. Brahms Violin Concerto is in three movements. The first (Allegro non troppo) begins in traditional fashion, with a purely orchestral exposition of the movement s principal themes. The soloist makes a fiery, dramatic entrance. The remainder of the movement features a wide range of moods and technical hurdles for the soloist. The oboe introduces the unforgettable central melody of the Concerto s beautiful slow movement (Adagio). Many have viewed the vigorous rondo finale (Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace) as a tribute by Brahms to Joachim s Hungarian origins. Recommended Recording BRAHMS Violin Concerto Isaac Stern, violinist Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy, conductor Label: Sony Classical Essential Classics Catalog # /16 Season

7 About VADIM GLUZMAN, violinist VADIM GLUZMAN S EXTRAORDINARY ARTISTRY BRINGS BACK TO life the glorious violin traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries. His wide repertoire embraces contemporary music, and his performances are heard around the world through live broadcasts and a striking catalogue of award-winning recordings exclusively on the BIS label. The Israeli violinist has collaborated regularly with leading conductors including Neeme Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Andrew Litton, Tugan Sokhiev, Andrey Boreyko, Marek Janowski, Paavo Järvi, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Hannu Lintu and Peter Oundjian. He has performed with the Chicago, London and San Francisco symphonies, the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras, the London, Israel and Munich philharmonics, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and other major orchestras. His festival appearances include Verbier, Ravinia, Lockenhaus, Pablo Casals, Colmar, Jerusalem, and the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Illinois, which was founded by Gluzman and pianist Angela Yoffe, his wife and recital partner. Gluzman is creative partner and principal guest artist of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio, and was Artist of the Year of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Accolades for his extensive discography include the Diapason d Or of the Year, Gramophone s Editor s Choice, Classica Magazine s esteemed Choc de Classica award, and Disc of the Month by The Strad, BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM, and others. Gluzman plays the extraordinary 1690 ex-leopold Auer Stradivari, on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago. TUNE IN TO THE SYMPHONY The Kansas City Symphony features podcasts for our Classical Series concerts. Hear concert previews, composer backgrounds and much more. Tune in by visiting kcsymphony.org, listening on SoundCloud or downloading our app for tablets and smartphones.