Concerts of Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16, 2014, at 8:00p, and Saturday, May 17, 2014, at 7:30p

Transcription

1 Concerts of Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16, 2014, at 8:00p, and Saturday, May 17, 2014, at 7:30p Leonidas Kavakos, Conductor and Violin Johann Sebastian Bach ( ) Concerto No. 1 Violin and String Orchestra in A minor, BWV 1041 (ca ) I. (Without tempo marking) II. Andante III. Allegro assai Leonidas Kavakos, Violin Jean Sibelius ( ) Pelléas et Mélisande, Suite from the Incidental Music, Opus 46 (1905) I. At the castle-gate II. Mélisande IIa. At the seashore III. A spring in the park IV. The three blind sisters V. Pastorale VI. Mélisande at the spinning wheel VII. Entr acte VIII. The death of Mélisande Intermission Ludwig van Beethoven ( ) Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Opus 55 ( Eroica ) (1804) I. Allegro con brio II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai

2 III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace IV. Finale. Allegro molto

3 Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Concerto No. 1 Violin and String Orchestra in A minor, BWV 1041 (ca ) Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, and died in Leipzig, Germany, on July 28, In addition to the solo violin, the Concerto No. 1 is scored for strings and continuo. Approximate performance time is fifteen minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: November 7, 1949, Robert Harrison, Violin, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: April 30, May 2 and 3, 2009, Itzhak Perlman, Violin and Conductor. Bach in Cöthen In 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach began his seven-year tenure as Kappellmeister to Prince Leopold in the German town of Cöthen, located some sixty miles north of Weimar. Prince Leopold was a talented musician (Bach described him as a gracious prince, a lover and connoisseur of music ). The Prince hoped to duplicate in Cöthen the superb court music establishments he encountered during his studies throughout Europe. Thanks to the patronage of Prince Leopold, Bach was able to compose for several of Europe s finest instrumentalists. Prince Leopold s court was Calvinist. And so, Bach s duties did not include the composition of liturgical music. Instead, Bach s Cöthen years resulted in an extraordinary outpouring of instrumental creations. Among the solo compositions during this remarkable Cöthen period are the Orgelbüchlein, the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Two and Three-Part Inventions, and the English and French Suites for harpsichord. Bach s Cöthen instrumental works also include the Six Suites for Solo Cello and Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, both considered among the towering works for their respective instruments. During his Cöthen years, Bach composed stunning ensemble works, including his Four Orchestral Suites and the Six Brandenburg Concertos. Bach s two surviving Concertos for solo Violin and Orchestra (A minor, BWV 1041, and E Major, BWV 1042) also belong to the glorious Cöthen years. While Bach employs conventions typical of concertos of that period, the sublime eloquence of his writing, particularly for the solo instrument, has assured these works a treasured place in the repertoire. Musical Analysis I. The opening movement contains no specific tempo designation, but is clearly meant to be played briskly. The ensemble immediately presents the central ritornello a brief

4 refrain that reappears throughout the movement. The soloist is soon featured in the first of several florid episodes that contrast with the brusque nature of the ritornello. II. Andante In the central slow movement, a repeated bass figure serves as the foundation for the soloist s flowing melodic line. From his entrance to the Andante s conclusion, the soloist is predominant. III. Allegro assai The finale is a vigorous dance in triple meter. Once again, the ensemble introduces the central ritornello, which serves to contrast with the various flights of the soloist. The Allegro generates an impressive momentum that continues to the closing bars. Pelléas et Mélisande, Suite from the Incidental Music, Opus 46 (1905) Jean Sibelius was born in Tavastehus, Finland, on December 8, 1865, and died in Järvenpää, Finland, on September 20, The first performance of the Incidental Music to Pelléas et Mélisande took place in Helsinki, Finland, on March 17, The Incidental Music to Pelléas et Mélisande is scored for piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, timpani, bass drum, triangle and strings. Approximate performance time is twenty-nine minutes. These are the first ASO Classical Subscription Performances. Pelléas et Mélisande, the landmark Symbolist play by the Belgian writer, Maurice Maeterlinck ( ), received its premiere in Paris on May 17, Maeterlinck s play served as the inspiration for several musical works. Claude Debussy set Maeterlinck s text to music, and the French composer s path-breaking opera, Pelléas et Mélisande, premiered in Paris in The following year, Arnold Schoenberg completed his symphonic poem, Pelleas und Melisande. Both Gabriel Fauré (1898) and Jean Sibelius created incidental music, designed to accompany performances of Maeterlinck s play. Sibelius composed his incidental music in The premiere took place in Helsinki on March 17, 1905, as part of a performance of a Swedish-language translation by Bertel Gripenberg. Sibelius later fashioned a concert Suite from the Incidental Music. Sibelius biographer Erik Tawaststjerna observed: Where Debussy s opera with its dreamlike atmosphere makes the most of the impressionist possibilities offered by the play, and Schoenberg s tone poem can be thought of as an expressionist vision in which a Tristanesque (annotator s note: a reference to Richard Wagner s 1865 opera, Tristan und Isolde) dusk descends over Arkel s castle, Sibelius can be said to see Pelléas et Mélisande in terms of a legend played out against an art nouveau backcloth. The various numbers the seven interludes, two mélodrames and a song follow each other like a series of Flemish Goblins, in which figures, trees and castles are woven in delicately shifting grey-blue colors. The story of Pelléas et Melisande takes place in the imaginary kingdom of Allemonde. Golaud, grandson of Arkel, King of Allemonde, is wandering in the forest. There, he

5 encounters a beautiful and mysterious young woman named Mélisande. Golaud takes the trembling Mélisande with him, and the two are married. Later, Golaud returns with Mélisande to the castle of Allemonde. There, Golaud introduces Mélisande to his half-brother, Pelléas. Mélisande is immediately attracted to the handsome young man. Mélisande, accompanied by Pelléas, sits on the edge of a well. Mélisande plays with her wedding ring, tossing it in the air. Despite Pelléas s warnings, Mélisande continues her game, and loses the ring in the waters of the well. At that precise moment, Golaud, riding in the forest, is thrown from his horse. Mélisande sits by the window of her tower. Pelléas arrives and entwines himself in Mélisande s long, blonde hair. Their reverie is shattered by the entrance of Golaud, who chides Pelléas and Mélisande for their childish behavior. Before the castle, Golaud lifts his son, Yniold, onto his shoulders. Yniold looks into the window, and sees Pelléas and Mélisande, together. Pelléas and Mélisande meet at night, and confess their love for each other. Despite the approach of Golaud, the lovers embrace. Golaud kills Pelléas with his sword, and then pursues the fleeing Mélisande, wounding her. The final scene takes place in a castle bedroom. Mélisande lies on her deathbed. Golaud attempts to find out the truth of his wife s relationship with Pelléas, but it is too late. Mélisande had given birth to a baby girl. Arkel exclaims that Mélisande s baby must live, now, in her place. It s the poor little thing s turn. The remorseful Golaud is left alone. I. At the castle-gate II. Mélisande IIa. At the seashore III. A spring in the park IV. The three blind sisters V. Pastorale VI. Mélisande at the spinning wheel VII. Entr acte VIII. The death of Mélisande Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Opus 55 ( Eroica ) (1804) Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized in Bonn, Germany, on December 17, 1770, and died in Vienna, Austria, on March 26, The first public performance of the

6 Eroica Symphony took place in Vienna on April 7, 1805, at the Theater an der Wien, with the composer conducting. The Eroica Symphony is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, three horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. Approximate performance time is fifty minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: October 22, 1949, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performance: January 19, 21 and 22, 2012, Donald Runnicles, Conductor. Composed to celebrate the memory of a great man The story of Beethoven s dedication of his Third Symphony, the Eroica, is one of the most compelling in the history of concert music. In the early part of the 19 th century, many idealists, Beethoven included, viewed Napoleon Bonaparte as a staunch defender of liberty and democratic ideals. By the spring of 1804, Beethoven had completed his Third Symphony, which he entitled Bonaparte. According to Beethoven s friend, Ferdinand Ries: In this symphony Beethoven had Buonaparte in mind, but as he was when he was First Consul. Beethoven esteemed him greatly at the time and likened him to the greatest of Roman consuls. I as well as several of his more intimate friends saw a copy of the score lying upon his table with the word Buonaparte at the extreme top of the title page, and at the extreme bottom, Luigi van Beethoven, but not another word. Whether and with what the space between the two was to be filled out, I do not know. I was the first to bring to him the intelligence that Buonaparte had proclaimed himself emperor, whereupon he flew into a rage and cried out: Is he then, too, nothing more than an ordinary human being? Now he, too, will trample on all the rights of man and indulge only in his ambition. He will exalt himself above all others, become a tyrant! Beethoven went to the table, took hold of its title page by the top, tore it in two, and threw it on the floor. The first page was rewritten and only then did the symphony receive the title Sinfonica eroica. Some biographers, including Maynard Solomon (Beethoven, Schirmer Books, New York, 1977), suggest that Beethoven s actions may have also been motivated by career aspirations. During the relevant time frame, Beethoven contemplated, and ultimately rejected, the notion of relocating from Vienna to Paris. With that scenario in mind, conductor Arturo Toscanini s remarks about the Eroica s first movement offer a useful perspective: To some it is Napoleon, to some it is Alexander, to me it is Allegro con brio (i.e., the movement s tempo marking). In other words, the significance of Beethoven s Third Symphony, which the composer ultimately subtitled Sinfonica Eroica, Composed to Celebrate the Memory of a Great Man, rests not with its dedicatee, but with the revolutionary nature of the music itself.

7 Beethoven s New Road In 1802, Beethoven confided to his friend, Wenzel Krumpholz: I am not satisfied with my works up to the present time. From today I mean to take a new road. Certainly there are many aspects of the Eroica that establish a profound line of demarcation between it and the composer s first two symphonies not to mention the symphonies of Beethoven s great predecessors, Haydn and Mozart. The extraordinary length of the opening movement, achieved in great part by an unprecedented expansion of the development and coda sections (as well as the transitional material between themes), is perhaps the most obvious example. Likewise, the use of an epic funeral march is a stunning departure from the lyricism found in most slow movements of the time. But it would be incorrect to characterize the Eroica as a total rejection of the musical style of Beethoven s first two symphonies. The Symphonies in C and D already offer hints of the rhythmic drive, pungent dynamic contrast, bold harmonic strokes and ingenious motive development that characterize the Eroica. It should also be mentioned that Beethoven creates the Eroica s profoundly revolutionary atmosphere with an orchestra similar in size and instrumentation to that of a late Haydn or Mozart Symphony. Several private performances of the Eroica were offered in Vienna in the winter of The first public concert featuring the Third Symphony occurred on April 7, 1805, at the Theater an der Wien. While concertmaster Franz Clement (the man who was the soloist in the premiere of Beethoven s Violin Concerto) conducted the bulk of the program, the composer himself led the performance of the Eroica. The revolutionary character of Beethoven s Eroica Symphony inspired a sense of awe, even of disorientation, on the part of the early audiences. It s not surprising that critical reaction was divided. But while many questioned the attractiveness of the Third Symphony as a form of entertainment, few could deny its power and innovation. Indeed, symphonic music would never be the same after the Eroica. Beethoven himself recognized the importance of this work in his symphonic canon. Prior to the completion of the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven s friend, Christoph Kuffner, asked the composer which of the eight was his favorite. Ah, ha! Beethoven replied, the Eroica. Kuffner responded, I should have guessed the C-Minor (i.e., the Fifth). No, Beethoven insisted, the Eroica. Musical Analysis I. Allegro con brio Beethoven introduces his musical new road in bracing fashion with two brusque chords, out of which emerges the cellos statement of the opening theme. A simple and plaintive second theme consists of three descending notes, traded among various instruments. Finally, the woodwinds introduce a sighing motif, described by British musicologist Sir George Grove as a passage of singular beauty more harmony than melody. An extraordinarily rich and varied development of the main themes ensues. At the height of the drama, the oboes introduce a new, lyrical motif. The

8 recapitulation seems to begin when the horn, over mysterious, tremolo string accompaniment, intones the first four notes of the opening theme. However, the passage is silenced by an orchestral outburst that leads to the true recapitulation, introduced by the cellos (although the horn soon returns with its own restatement). The extended coda spotlights the opening theme, as well as a reprise of the development s oboe motif. The conclusion of this complex movement is simplicity itself, as two abrupt chords reprise the spirit of the work s opening measures. II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai When Beethoven learned of Napoleon s death in 1821, he observed, I have already composed the proper music for that catastrophe. Here, the composer was referring to the second movement of the Eroica, a grand funeral march. The violins, followed by the oboes, intone the opening, minor-key theme. The violins then offer a second theme that begins in the major key, but quickly reverts to the minor. The tragic weight of the movement is briefly dispelled by the maggiore central section, which begins with an ascending and descending oboe melody, leading to a pair of grand orchestral exclamations. Soon, pathos returns with a reprise of the opening section, as the motifs are further developed. In the poignant coda, the violins play a sotto voce statement of the opening theme that becomes increasingly fragmented before fading to silence. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace The mood of the Eroica Symphony is transformed from despair to joy with the arrival of this ebullient Scherzo. Over tripping string accompaniment, the oboes and first violins sing the playful opening theme, finally played in grand fashion by the full orchestra. The ensuing Trio, which prominently features the horns, leads to a return of the Scherzo s opening. The brief coda begins softly, but quickly builds to a fortissimo conclusion. IV. Finale. Allegro molto According to Carl Czerny, Beethoven moved audiences to tears through the sheer beauty and creativity of his keyboard improvisations. That extraordinary talent serves Beethoven well in the finale of his Eroica Symphony, a brilliant theme and variations movement. The finale begins with a grand orchestral introduction, followed by the strings pizzicato introduction of the thirteen-note principal theme. A series of remarkably diverse variations ensues, the third featuring the oboes introducing a melody that will return in different guises throughout the finale. It is a melody that was a particular favorite of Beethoven, one that makes appearances in the Contredanses, WoO 14 (1802), the Eroica Piano Variations, Opus 35 (1802), and his ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, Opus 43 (1801). The entire Finale closes in thrilling fashion, with a headlong rush into a Presto coda, featuring yet another version of the Prometheus melody.