CLASSICAL SERIES STRAUSS: DER ROSENKAVALIER. Friday, December 14, 2018 at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8 p.m.

Transcription

1 JEFF TYZIK Principal Pops Conductor LEONARD SLATKIN, Music Director Laureate Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation TERENCE BLANCHARD Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair CLASSICAL SERIES STRAUSS: DER ROSENKAVALIER NEEME JÄRVI Music Director Emeritus Friday, December 14, 2018 at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall NIKOLAJ SZEPS-ZNAIDER, conductor JEAN-GUIHEN QUEYRAS, cello Johann Strauss, Jr. ( ) Overture to Die Fledermaus Robert Schumann Concerto for Cello and Orchestra ( ) in A minor, Op. 129 I. Nicht zu schnell II. Langsam III. Sehr lebhaft Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello Intermission Robert Schumann Overture to Manfred, Op. 115 ( ) Richard Strauss Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 ( ) I. Attire of the Rose Cavalier and Duet II. Ochs-Walzes III. Tenor Aria IV. [Breakfast Scene] V. Terzett VI. [Closing Duet] This Classical Series performance is generously sponsored by Saturday s performance will be webcast via our exclusive Live From Orchestra Hall series, presented by Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This performance s recognition of American s Veterans and Active Military is supported by dso.org DSO PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE 21

2 Program Notes PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE Robert Schumann ( ) Johann Strauss, Jr. ( ) Richard Strauss ( ) Romantic Period Modern Period Robert Schumann was one of the great musical heroes of Romanticism, a wide-ranging artistic and cultural movement that celebrates individuality, emotion, and the sublime. Compared to the Classical music of Haydn and Mozart that preceded it, Romantic music is often more dramatic, stylized, and eccentric. Though he lived and worked in the thick of the Romantic era, Johann Strauss, Jr. is best known for his light music especially operettas, waltzes, and polkas. These popular styles gained new respect during the 19th century, as the Industrial Revolution created a bourgeois class with both money and cultural influence. Richard Strauss straddled the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the shift from the Romantic era to the Modern one in which composers embraced chromaticism and nontraditional sounds. Although Richard Wagner is noted for his use of chromaticism, scholar Alex Ross points to the premiere of Strauss s Salome in 1905 as the moment that killed the 19th century. Overture to Die Fledermaus JOHANN STRAUSS, JR. B. October 25, 1825, Vienna, Austria D. June 3, 1899, Vienna, Austria Scored for 2 flutes (1 doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion, and strings. (Approx. 9 minutes) In the second half of the 18th century, under the reform-minded rule of Emperor Joseph II, many central European composers experimented with adapting the opera form grand, complex, expensive, and exclusive to a genre more accessible to middle- and working-class audiences. The result was the Singspiel, championed by Mozart, which found a spiritual successor in the French operetta form about a century later. And when this new French style somewhat analogous to the modern stage musical became popular, it swung back to Austria and Germany, catching the attention of many composers looking to expand their repertoire. Chief among these was Johann Strauss, Jr., already famous for his waltzes, marches, and polkas. Strauss s Fledermaus, his second operetta, came in 1874, and it has stood as a classic ever since. The Overture distills some of the sharpest melodies from the operetta, which takes place during a whirlwind evening of deception, partying, and mixed identities. The decades following Strauss have been called the Silver Age of Viennese operetta. Historically, this time coincides with the final years of the Hapsburg Empire, a society on the brink of dissolution. In both plot and music, these works recycle the glories of the past but never quite reach them. 22 DSO PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE WINTER

3 The DSO most recently performed the Overture to Strauss s Die Fledermaus in March 2018 at the 40th Annual Classical Roots concerts, conducted by Joseph Young. The DSO first performed the piece in February 1922, conducted by Victor Kolar. Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 129 ROBERT SCHUMANN B. June 8, 1810, Zwickau, Germany D. July 29, 1856, Bonn, Germany Scored for solo cello, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 26 minutes) In 1850, Robert Schumann and his wife Clara moved to Düsseldorf, where Robert was offered the music directorship of the city s Music Society. They arrived to fanfare and celebratory concerts on September 2 remarkably, the same date that Schumann completed the draft of his lone cello concerto. While it was not published for several years and never performed during the composer s lifetime, the concerto is quite beloved today, and revealing of Schumann s mature style in the last creative outpouring before his death. Schumann struggled with mental health issues for most of his life and attempted suicide in 1854; however, it would be a mistake to interpret the work as a product of a tortured artist. Rather, the concerto recalls a composer at the height of his prowess and success. The concerto follows the standard three-movement form, although without pauses between movements. Instead, key and tempo changes mark the shift dso.org from one movement to the next. The first movement, Nicht zu schnell, opens with three chords (A minor, D minor, A minor). The gesture establishes a melancholy tone of the movement and provides the opening thematic material for the cello, which enters with these chords as its only introduction. The simplicity of the string accompaniment allows the soloist to shine; complex contrapuntal musical arguments are scarce, although they become more prevalent as the movement continues. Schumann instead relies on harmonic color combined with the soloist s lyricism. The opening material returns suddenly and the cello solo becomes more virtuosic, marking the climax of the movement. The second movement (Langsam) begins seamlessly, its pastoral character signaled by a striking modulation to F major, a rolling triplet accompaniment plucked by the strings, and the beautiful simplicity of the cello melody. Note especially Schumann s juxtaposition of plucked upper strings with the bowed sound of the cello section to accompany the solo. Schumann plays with the orchestral texture during this short movement to highlight the soloist s beauty of tone and phrasing. Soon the tempo picks up and the ensemble begins the finale. The winds quote melodic ideas from the first movement, while Schumann features the virtuosity of the soloist by requiring fast register changes, quick sixteenth note and triplet passages, and chromatics. The DSO most recently performed Schumann s Cello Concerto in September 2008, conducted by Arild Remmereit and featuring cellist Robert demaine. The DSO first performed the piece in February 1936, conducted by Victor Kolar and featuring cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. DSO PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE 23

4 Overture to Manfred, Op. 115 ROBERT SCHUMANN B. June 8, 1810, Zwickau, Germany D. July 29, 1856, Bonn, Germany Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings. (Approx. 12 minutes) Romanticism, the 18th and 19th century artistic movement that emphasizes emotion and individualism, captured every corner of western creativity: not just music or literature, but music and literature, plus painting, philosophy, theater, and more. Robert Schumann, a quintessential Romantic composer, was particularly plugged into the movement s literary scene, and even attempted a career as a novelist before settling on music. In 1848, Schumann was offered an opportunity to write incidental music for a stage presentation of Lord Byron s Manfred, and he involved himself passionately in the project. The resulting Manfred: Dramatic Poem with Music in Three Parts includes the present Overture and 15 additional numbers for orchestra. Byron s original Manfred is a three-act poem whose title character is a classic Romantic anti-hero: misanthropic, reclusive, and tormented by guilt; his author once described him as half dust and half deity. Schumann may have seen a bit of himself in Manfred, as both man and character were complex, hypersensitive, and beholden to extreme emotions. Much of the incidental music represents Schumann s most imaginative and deeply felt output, and the Overture stands by itself as an inspired example of creation: a tight, compact, and superbly argued symphonic drama which is not only one of the great gems of the Romantic orchestral repertoire, but in the eyes of many is Schumann s finest orchestral work. Every theme, every harmony, every gesture is in some way a reflection of Manfred s passionate and tormented character. The DSO most recently performed Schumann s Overture to Manfred in May 2016, conducted by then-music Director Leonard Slatkin (now Music Director Laureate). The DSO first performed the piece in February 1926, conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch. Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 RICHARD STRAUSS B. June 11, 1864, Munich, Germany D. September 8, 1949, Garmisch- Partenkirchen, Germany Scored for 3 flutes (1 doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes (1 doubling on English horn), 3 clarinets (1 doubling on E-flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 3 bassoons (1 doubling on contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, 2 harps, celesta, and strings. (Approx. 21 minutes) Richard Strauss was besieged with requests for concert excerpts from the opera Der Rosenkavalier almost immediately after the show s Dresden premiere on January 26, He never took up the task himself, but in 1945 he permitted others to assemble and submit suites anonymously. The suite that was selected and published that year was likely arranged by the Polish conductor Artur Rodziński, then music director of the New York Philharmonic. The suite highlights the action of the opera in six large, continuous sections, mostly set in chronological order to parallel their occurrence in the full 24 DSO PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE WINTER

5 production. It begins with the Prelude and opening love scene between the young nobleman, Octavian, and the lonely, aging Marschallin, the Princess von Werdenberg. This is followed by the glorious second-act music in which Octavian presents the silver rose to the debutante Sophie von Faninal, on behalf of her arranged marriage to the Marschallin s boorish country cousin, Baron Ochs von Lechernau. This music, replete with bittersweet harmonies for the celesta and harp, flows into the loveat-first-sight duet between Sophie and Octavian. The suite s third and fourth sections are taken from music where the opportunistic conspirators, Annina and Valzacchi, trap and publicly embarrass the trysting lovers, and Ochs sings his Profiles NIKOLAJ SZEPS-ZNAIDER Danish musician Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider performs at the highest level as both conductor and virtuoso violin soloist with the world s most distinguished orchestras. He has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Mariinsky Orchestra since 2010 and was previously Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. This season and next, Szeps-Znaider returns to the Orchestre National de Lyon, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Luxembourg dso.org SZEPS-ZNAIDER famed waltz tune, Ohne mich, jeder Tag ( Without me, every day would be long for you ). The final two sections are presented in reverse order from the stage version: the gorgeous lyrical trio and duet involving the Marschallin, Octavian, and Sophie precedes the riotous waltz humiliating the corrupt, lecherous Ochs. The suite not only encapsulates the story line of the opera, but the opulent score celebrating the sentimental post-romantic tradition in such lustrous musical style. The DSO most recently performed Strauss s Suite from Der Rosenkavalier in October 2015, conducted by then-music Director Leonard Slatkin (now Music Director Laureate). The DSO first performed the piece in January 1917, conducted by Weston Gales. Philharmonic, and debuts with the Semperoper Dresden and the Hamburg Opera. He also continues his Nielsen project with the Odense Symphony Orchestra, conducting and recording the Danish composer s complete symphonies. Szeps-Znaider s extensive discography includes the Nielsen Concerto with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic, Elgar s Concerto in B minor with the late Sir Colin Davis and the Staatskapelle Dresden, and award-winning recordings of the Brahms and Korngold concertos with Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic. Szeps-Znaider has also recorded the complete works of Brahms for violin and piano with Yefim Bronfman. Szeps-Znaider is passionate about supporting the next generation of DSO PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE 25

6 musical talent and spent ten years as Founder and Artistic Director of the annual Nordic Music Academy summer school, and is now President of the Nielsen Competition, which takes place every three years in Odense, Denmark. MOST RECENT APPEARANCE WITH THE DSO: January 2018, conducting a program with music by Mozart and Elgar. FIRST APPEARANCE WITH THE DSO: January 2016, conducting a program with music by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, and leading Mozart s Violin Concerto No. 1 from the violin. JEAN-GUIHEN QUEYRAS Jean-Guihen Queyras is a French cellist born in Montreal who enjoys a busy career as an orchestra soloist, chamber musician, QUEYRAS and solo performer. He has worked with many of the world s top orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Zürich, Philadelphia Orchestra, and others. He is a regular soloist with several early music ensembles, including Freiburg Baroque and Akadamie für Alte Musik Berlin. He also serves as a professor at the Musikhochschule Freiburg and artistic co-director of the Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence. Queyras s repertoire incorporates a number of contemporary works, and he has presented several world premieres, including Ivan Fedele s cello concerto (with the Orchestre National de France conducted by Leonard Slatkin) and Gilbert Amy s cello concerto (with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra). His focus on repertoire for solo cello led him to devise and perform several series of concerts featuring suites by Bach alongside new commissioned works by György Kurtág, Jonathan Harvey, Misato Mochizuki, Gilbert Amy, Ichiro Nodaira, and Ivan Fedele. Queyras records extensively for Harmonia Mundi. Highlights include the award-winning complete Bach solo Suites in 2008 (which earned a Diapason d Or and other prizes), an album of Debussy and Poulenc with pianist Alexandre Tharaud in that same year, and Beethoven s complete works for cello and piano with pianist Alexander Melnikov in Earlier this year, he teamed up with Tharaud again to release an album of cello sonatas and excerpts of the Hungarian Dances by Brahms for Warner Classics. Queyras has played a cello made by Gioffredo Cappa in 1696, on loan from Mécénat Musical Société Générale, since These performances mark Jean- Guihen Queyras s DSO debut. Go behind the scenes at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra! Visit dso.org/stories for articles, photos, and videos featuring DSO musicians, programs of the Wu Family Academy, and more! 26 DSO PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE WINTER