Concerts of Thursday, February 18, and Saturday, February 20, 2016, at 8:00p. Concerto in Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 35 (1878)

Transcription

1 Concerts of Thursday, February 18, and Saturday, February 20, 2016, at 8:00p Cristian Macelaru, Conductor Karen Gomyo, violin Igor Stravinsky ( ) Pétrouchka (1947 version) First Part: The Shrovetide Fair Second Part: Pétrouchka Third Part: The Moor Fourth Part: The Shrovetide Fair Intermission Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ) Concerto in Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 35 (1878) I. Allegro moderato II. Canzonetta. Andante III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo Karen Gomyo, violin Mily Balakirev ( ) Islamey, Oriental Fantasy (1869) (orch. Sergei Liapunov)

2 Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Pétrouchka (1947 version) Igor Stravinsky was born in Lomonosov, Russia, on June 17, 1882, and died in New York on April 6, The first performance of Pétrouchka took place at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, France, on June 13, 1911, with Pierre Monteux conducting. The 1947 version of Pétrouchka is scored for piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, English horn, three clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, tambourine, snare drum, small snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, suspended cymbal, snare drum without snares, bass drum with attached cymbals, triangle, xylophone, tam-tam, piano, celeste, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-five minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: January 31, 1955, Igor Stravinsky, Conductor. Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: November 2 and 3, 2013, James Gaffigan, Conductor. Igor Stravinsky's Pétrouchka was the second in the remarkable trilogy of ballets he composed for Sergei Diaghilev s Ballets Russes. While completing his first Diaghilev work, The Firebird (1910), Stravinsky had a vision of a scenario that would become his infamous ballet, The Rite of Spring (1913). In his autobiography, Stravinsky recalled: I saw in imagination a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watched a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of spring. Such was the theme of the Sacre du Printemps. I must confess this vision made a deep impression on me... A puppet, suddenly endowed with life Stravinsky communicated that vision to Diaghilev, who was immediately carried away by the idea. However, Stravinsky delayed composition of The Rite of Spring, traveling with his family to Switzerland for a much-needed vacation: Before tackling the Sacre du Printemps, which would be a long and difficult task, I wanted to refresh myself by composing an orchestral piece in which the piano would play the most important part a sort of Konzertstück. In composing the music, I had in my mind a distinct picture of a puppet, suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of the orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios. The orchestra in turn retaliates with menacing trumpet blasts. The outcome is a terrific noise which reaches its

3 climax and ends in the sorrowful and querulous collapse of the poor puppet. Having finished this bizarre piece, I struggled for hours, while walking beside the Lake of Geneva, to find a title which would express in a word the character of my music and, consequently, the personality of this creature. One day I leapt for joy. I had indeed found my title Pétrouchka, the immortal and unhappy hero of every fair in all the countries. Soon afterwards Diaghilev came to visit me at Clarens, where I was staying. He was astonished when, instead of sketches of the Sacre, I played him the piece I had just composed and which later became the second scene of Pétrouchka. He was so much pleased with it that he would not leave it alone and began persuading me to develop the theme of the puppet's sufferings and make it into a whole ballet. While he remained in Switzerland we worked out together the general lines of the subject and the plot in accordance with ideas which I suggested. We settled the scene of action: the fair, with its crowd, its booths, the little traditional theater, the character of the magician, with all his tricks; and the coming to life of the dolls Pétrouchka, his rival, and the dancer and their love tragedy, which ends with Pétrouchka s death. Stravinsky worked on the score of Pétrouchka during the winter of , although a severe case of nicotine poisoning caused him to suspend activities for a month. Stravinsky s health returned, and in the early spring of 1911, he traveled to Rome to complete Pétrouchka and rehearse the new work with Diaghilev s Ballets Russes, then performing at the Teatro Costanzi. A remarkable team collaborated on the premiere of Stravinsky's Pétrouchka. By agreement of the composer and Diaghilev, Alexandre Benois served as stage and costume designer. The production was choreographed by Michel Fokine and conducted by the superb French maestro, Pierre Monteux, whom Stravinsky praised for achieving a very clean and finished execution of my score. The rehearsals were not free of difficulty. Stravinsky continued to revise his score, as the dancers struggled with both the heat of the early Roman spring and Pétrouchka s intricate rhythms. Slowly, however, the production began to take shape, and enthusiasm for the project grew. I have just seen the greatest actor in the world! The soloists included Tamara Karsavina as the Ballerina, Enrico Cecchetti as the Old Wizard, Alexander Orlov as the Moor, and the incomparable Vaslav Nijinsky as Pétrouchka. Nijinsky s portrayal of the melancholy puppet was perhaps the greatest triumph of his spectacular career. By all accounts, Nijinsky succeeded beyond even the highest expectations in conveying the pathetic humanity of the title character. After witnessing Nijinsky s interpretation of Pétrouchka, Sarah

4 Bernhardt exclaimed: I am afraid, I am afraid because I have just seen the greatest actor in the world! The Ballets Russes premiere of Stravinsky s Pétrouchka took place at the Paris Théâtre du Chatelet on June 13, While the production was generally a success, more than a few observers were taken aback by music that was brittle, caustic, and at times, even grotesque. One critic approached Diaghilev after a dress rehearsal and exclaimed: And it was to hear this that you invited us! Exactly, was Diaghilev s reply. When Diaghilev and his company traveled to Vienna in 1913, the Vienna Philharmonic initially refused to play the score, deriding Pétrouchka as schmutzige Musik ( dirty music ). One wonders what (probably unprintable) invectives these musicians applied to The Rite of Spring, a score that would shock the music world in just a few months time. In 1947, Stravinsky penned a revised version of Pétrouchka for a reduced orchestra. The 1947 version also provides an optional fff close to the ambiguous, piano conclusion of the original. In either guise, Pétrouchka along with its Ballets Russes siblings, The Firebird and The Rite of Spring continue to challenge and thrill audiences with a dramatic impact that is as fresh as when the works first appeared. The Story and the Music First Part: The Shrovetide Fair The action of Pétrouchka takes place in the 1830s in Admiralty Square, St. Petersburg, during Shrovetide rejoicing. Stravinsky s stunning orchestration and rapidly changing rhythms brilliantly depict the hustle and bustle of the fair. An organ grinder and dancing girl entertain the crowd. Drummers announce the appearance of the Old Wizard, who charms the captivated audience. The Old Wizard uses a flute to cast a magic spell. Suddenly, the curtain rises on a tiny theater, revealing three puppets Pétrouchka, the Ballerina, and the Moor. The puppets perform a vigorous Russian dance (Danse Russe). Second Part: Pétrouchka The scene changes to Pétrouchka's cell, whose walls are decorated with black stars, a half-moon, and a portrait of the frowning Old Wizard. Pétrouchka lands in his cell with a resounding crash. Although Pétrouchka is a puppet, he feels human emotions, including bitterness toward the Old Wizard for his imprisonment, as well as love for the beautiful Ballerina. Pétrouchka unsuccessfully tries to escape from his cell. The Ballerina enters. Pétrouchka attempts to profess his love, but the Ballerina rejects his pathetic advances. Third Part: The Moor The scene changes to the Moor s lavishly decorated cell. The Moor, who is magnificently dressed, lies on a low sofa, playing with a coconut. The Ballerina, who is attracted by the Moor s handsome appearance, enters his room. The two begin their lovemaking (Valse), interrupted by the entrance of Pétrouchka. The angry Moor chases Pétrouchka away.

5 Fourth Part: The Shrovetide Fair The scene returns to the fairground, where a series of characters come and go (Wet-Nurses Dance, Peasant with Bear, Gypsies and a Rake Vendor, Dance of the Coachmen, and Masqueraders). At the height of the festivities, a cry is heard from the puppet-theater. The Moor chases Pétrouchka into the crowd and kills him with his scimitar (Death of Pétrouchka). The police question the Old Wizard, who reminds everyone that Pétrouchka is but a puppet with a wooden head, and a body filled with sawdust. Night falls and the crowd disperses. Alone, the Old Wizard is terrified to see the ghost of Pétrouchka, leering from the roof of the little theater. Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 35 (1878) 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 Violin Concerto took place in Vienna, Austria, on December 4, 1881, with Adolf Brodsky as soloist and Hans Richter conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. In addition to the solo violin, the D- Major Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-six minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: January 25, 1948, Robert Harrison, Violin, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: November 21 and 23, 2013, Thomas Søndergård, Conductor, Baibe Skride, Violin. Robert Shaw Performance: March 4, 1973 (Family Concert), Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Violin. Tchaikovsky composed his only Violin Concerto during the spring of As Tchaikovsky reported to his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck: From the first moment that the right frame of mind came to me it has never left me. With one s inner life in this condition composing ceases altogether to be work: it becomes unalloyed pleasure. While you are writing you do not notice how time passes and if no one came to interrupt you, you would sit there and never leave your work all day. Still, there were refinements. Tchaikovsky solicited the opinions of his friend, violinist Iosif Kotek, and the composer s brother, Modest. Both were dissatisfied with the original slow movement. Tchaikovsky replaced it with the beautiful Canzonetta that forms the central movement of the Concerto (the original slow movement ultimately became the opening Méditation of Tchaikovsky s 1878

6 Souvenir d un lieu cher, Opus 42, for violin and piano). By the middle of April, Tchaikovsky had fully orchestrated his Violin Concerto. Tchaikovsky dedicated his Concerto to Leopold Auer, the great Hungarian-born violinist, who was living and teaching in St. Petersburg. Auer, for whom Tchaikovsky also composed his Sérénade mélancolique, Opus 26 (1875), declined to play the Concerto. As Tchaikovsky recalled some years later: I do not know whether Auer was flattered by my dedication only that, despite his sincere friendship towards me, he never wanted to master the difficulties of this concerto, deemed it awkward to play and that a verdict such as this from the authoritative St. Petersburg virtuoso cast my poor child for many years into the abyss, it seemed, of eternal oblivion. It was violinist Adolf Brodsky who took up the cause for Tchaikovsky s Concerto, serving as soloist for the first performance, which took place in Vienna on December 4, Hans Richter conducted the Vienna Philharmonic. Tchaikovsky greatly appreciated the courage displayed by Brodsky in premiering the work: He has not yet fully established his position in Vienna and I know very well that it was difficult and nerve-wracking for him to appear before a Viennese audience with a concerto by an unknown composer, and a Russian one to boot. For that reason I am doubly grateful to him for the service he has rendered me. A brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian holiday The extent of Brodsky s courage becomes even clearer when the circumstances of the premiere are examined. The reaction by the audience and critics was unfavorable, to say the least. The performance inspired the prominent Viennese critic, Eduard Hanslick, to write one of the most (in)famous reviews in music history. For several months after the concert, Tchaikovsky carried with him a copy of the review and, to the end of his days, could recite verbatim Hanslick s caustic prose: The Russian composer Tchaikovsky is surely not an ordinary talent, but rather an inflated one, with a genius-like obsession without discrimination or taste. Such is also his latest, long and pretentious Violin Concerto. For a while it moves soberly, musically, and not without spirit. But soon vulgarity gains the upper hand, and asserts itself to the end of the first movement. The violin is no longer played; it is pulled, torn, drubbed. The Adagio is again on its best behavior, to pacify and win us. But it soon breaks off to make way for a finale that transfers us to a brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian holiday. We see plainly the savage vulgar faces, we hear

7 curses, we smell vodka. Friedrich Visser once observed, speaking of obscene pictures, that they stink to the eye. Tchaikovsky s Violin Concerto gives us for the first time the hideous notion that there can be music that stinks to the ear. Brodsky persevered in his advocacy of the Concerto, playing it throughout Europe. In time, the merits of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto became clear. Even Leopold Auer finally performed the work, as did such protégés as Mischa Elman and Jascha Heifetz. But it was Adolf Brodsky to whom Tchaikovsky dedicated this beloved masterpiece. Musical Analysis I. Allegro moderato The Concerto begins with an orchestral introduction, during which the violins foreshadow the movement s main theme. The soloist enters and, after a brief opening passage, presents the flowing, principal melody. There are some playful flights for the soloist, followed by the presentation of another expressive, lyrical theme. A stunningly virtuoso passage by the soloist leads to a grand orchestral proclamation of the principal melody, soon incorporated once again by the solo violin. After another orchestral statement of the theme, there is a fiery development section and a grand cadenza for the soloist. Over the soloist s trills, the flute ushers in the recapitulation of the principal themes. The stunning coda again features the soloist in breathtaking display. II. Canzonetta. Andante The brief and extraordinarily beautiful Canzonetta begins with a passage for winds. The muted solo violin soon enters with the soulful principal melody, echoed by the clarinet and flute. There is a contrasting, more wide-ranging theme for the soloist, followed by a reprise of the opening melody. A variant of the movement s introductory measures serves as a bridge to the Finale, which follows without pause. III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo A boisterous orchestral statement and brief cadenza serve as prelude to the soloist s introduction of the energetic principal theme. The soloist over emphatic accompaniment by the cellos, and bassoon counterpoint plays the rustic second theme. A lyrical interlude twice serves as contrast to the repetition of the principal melodies. The writing for the soloist throughout the Finale is brilliant, perhaps nowhere more so than in the thrilling closing pages. Islamey, Oriental Fantasy (1869) (orch. Sergei Liapunov) Mily Balakirev was born in Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia, on January 2, 1837, and died in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 29, The Lyapunov orchestration of Islamey is scored for two piccolos, two flutes, oboe, English horn, E-flat clarinet, two B-flat clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, tambourine,

8 triangle, cymbals, suspended cymbal, bass drum, two harps, and strings. Approximate performance time is nine minutes. These are the First Classical Subscription Performances. Composer Mikhail Glinka ( ) was a pioneer in creating music that expressed the unique qualities of his Russian homeland. Glinka acknowledged that attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the Italian operas of his time only served to convince me that I had followed a path foreign to my own instincts and frankly, that I could never be an Italian myself. Feelings of homesickness led me to gradually find my own Russian form of expression. In 1855 in St. Petersburg, a young Russian pianist and composer named Mily Balakirev met Glinka. And in the 1860s, it was Balakirev who led the strongest unified movement toward Russian nationalistic expression. Balakirev formed a group of composers dubbed by critic Vladimir Stasov as The Mighty Handful. Also known as The Five, the group included Balakirev, Alexander Borodin ( ), César Cui ( ), Modest Mussorgsky ( ) and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov ( ). At the time of the group s formation, all except Balakirev were musical amateurs Borodin was a chemist; Cui, an engineering officer; Mussorgsky, an officer of the Guards, and Rimsky-Korsakov, a Naval Officer. One might suppose that a lack of formal conservatory training would be an impediment to successful musical composition. Balakirev thought otherwise. He believed that the traditional theories of musical education taught at conservatories would only serve as an impediment to the creation of music that was truly Russian. Indeed, Balakirev actively discouraged all the members of his circle, particularly Rimsky-Korsakov, from seeking formal musical training. Rimsky-Korsakov, for one, came to regret that path and rebelled in later years. Mily Balakirev exerted a profound influence on Russian musical expression, both through commentary on the works of other composers, and his own compositions. Balakirev s 1869 Oriental Fantasy, Islamey, originated as a work for solo piano. Nikolai Rubinstein, to whom Balakirev dedicated the work, premiered Islamey in St. Petersburg in Later, Russian composer Sergei Liapunov created an orchestral version of Islamey. The title, Islamey is derived from a melody Balakirev heard during a journey to the Caucasus. This melody is introduced in the lively opening section (Allegro agitato). A lovely, slow-tempo lyric episode (Andantino espressivo) features a song Balakirev heard the Armenian baritone Konstantin de Lazari sing at Tchaikovsky s home. A varied reprise of the opening section (Tempo I) brings Islamey to a rousing close.