Concerts of March 6-8, 2015 Michael Stern, Music Director Anthony McGill, clarinet Beethoven Leonore Overture No. III, op. 72b (1806) Danielpour From the Mountaintop for Clarinet and Orchestra (2013) Co-commission by the Kansas City Symphony Anthony McGill, clarinet Intermission Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, op. 97 ( Rhenish ) (1850) I. Lebhaft II. Scherzo. Sehr mässig III. Nicht schnell IV. Feirlich V. Lebhaft
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Concert Overview Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Leonore Overture No. III, op. 72b (1806) 14 minutes Beethoven s only opera, Fidelio (called Leonore by the composer) tells the story of a political prisoner s heroic rescue by his wife. The thrilling Overture foreshadows the tale of Florestan s imprisonment, and ultimate freedom at the hands of his wife, Leonore. Richard Danielpour (b. 1956) From the Mountaintop for Clarinet and Orchestra (2013) 22 minutes Richard Danielpour s many conversations with Rev. Andrew Young about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. s life and his final year inspired From the Mountaintop. In From the Mountaintop, the solo clarinet assumes the role of a pastor, narrating to the congregation (the orchestra) the story of Dr. King s final year. Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, op. 97 ( Rhenish ) (1850) 32 minutes Robert Schumann composed his Rhenish Symphony following his appointment as Music Director in Düsseldorf. The Rhenish Symphony is a musical reflection of Schumann s experiences in the Rhineland. The Symphony, in five movements, is a romantic work of abundant energy, beauty, and melodic inspiration. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Leonore Overture No. III, op. 72b (1806) 14 minutes 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings. Beethoven s only opera, Fidelio, occupied a special place in the composer s heart. In his Will, Beethoven said of his beloved work: before all others I hold it worthy of being possessed and used for the science of art. Fidelio is based upon a work created during the French Revolution by lawyer and writer Jean Nicolas Bouilly. It was a story that greatly appealed to Beethoven, a staunch advocate of democracy and freedom.
The creation of Fidelio (called Leonore by the composer) was hardly an easy process. Beethoven composed at least three versions of the opera. The Leonore Overture No. III premiered as part of a revised version of the opera, first performed on March 29, 1806. Fidelio takes place in 18 th -century Spain. The evil governor Don Pizarro has imprisoned the nobleman Don Florestan for daring to speak out against his corrupt regime. In an attempt to rescue her husband, Florestan s wife, Leonore, disguises herself as the young man, Fidelio. This allows Leonore to gain employment at the jail where her husband is imprisoned. When Pizarro learns that the benevolent minister, Don Fernando, is coming to inspect the prison, he vows to kill Florestan, thereby concealing evidence of his wrongdoing. Leonore discovers her husband in a dungeon. She places herself in front of Florestan, and holds Pizarro at bay with her pistol. The sound of trumpets heralds Don Fernando's arrival. Fernando soon learns of Pizarro s misdeeds and orders him imprisoned. Florestan and all the political prisoners are freed, and Leonore is hailed as their savior. The thrilling Leonore Overture No. III tracks the story of the opera, from Florestan s imprisonment, to Leonore s rescue of her husband and the liberation of the political prisoners. Richard Danielpour (b. 1956) From the Mountaintop for Clarinet and Orchestra (2013) 22 minutes Solo clarinet, piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, percussion, piano, celeste, harp, and strings. In May 2007, while preparing for a premiere with the Atlanta Symphony, I was fortunate to meet with the Reverend Andrew Young for several days while in Atlanta. I was considering composing a large dramatic work that would be about the last year of Reverend Martin Luther King s life. For several reasons, that work never came about, but in the years that followed, I began to think of an idea, of a Clarinet Concerto in which the clarinetist is a pastor and the orchestra is his congregation. I imagined it to be a telling of the story of that last year of Dr. King s life. The information and recollections that Andrew Young shared with me in 2007 remained in my memory in those intervening years. I would not have been able to write this work without the time that he gave so generously to me in sharing the story of his dearest friend. From the Mountaintop is dedicated to Reverend Young. Richard Danielpour
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, op. 97 ( Rhenish ) (1850) 32 minutes 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and strings. On September 2, 1850, Robert Schumann, and his wife, pianist and composer Clara Schumann, traveled with their children to the city of Düsseldorf, where the composer assumed the post of Music Director. Later that month, Robert and Clara enjoyed a scenic boat trip down the great Rhine River. The couple visited the massive Cologne Cathedral, where they witnessed Archbishop von Geissel s installation as Cardinal. These incidents, as well as earlier visits by Schumann to the Rhineland, provided the inspiration for his Rhenish Symphony. The Rhenish Symphony was written in the midst of one of Schumann s legendary periods of intense creativity. Between the remarkably brief span of October 10 and 24, 1850, Schumann composed his beautiful Cello Concerto. The Rhenish (listed as the Third Symphony, but actually the last of the Four in order of composition) occupied Schumann between November 2 and December 9 of the same year. Schumann conducted the highly successful premiere, which took place in Düsseldorf s Geisler Hall on February 6, 1851. Schumann had offered previous musical tributes to his beloved Rhineland and the Cologne Cathedral perhaps most notably in his adaptation of Heinrich Heine s brief poem, Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome, part of the composer s 1840 song-cycle Dichterliebe (Poet s Love). Schumann s majestic setting of the opening lines foreshadows the grandeur of the Rhenish Symphony, particularly the work s fourth movement: In the Rhine, in the sacred river, the waves reflect the great Cathedral of the great, sacred Cologne. Schumann wrote to his publisher, Simrock, that the Rhenish Symphony perhaps mirrors here and there something of Rhenish life. However, Schumann ultimately chose to delete any specific Rhenish allusions in the score, such as the composer s original Morning on the Rhine title for the second movement. Schumann explained: One should not show his heart to the people, for the general impression of a work of art is more effective. Then the listener will at least not set up any absurd connections in his mind. Of course, our knowledge of the history of this great symphony does afford us a glance into the composer s heart. But that insight in no way detracts from the splendor of the Rhenish, perhaps Schumann s finest Symphony. It is a work of abundant energy, beauty, and melodic inspiration. As with any extraordinary composition that contains programmatic elements, the Rhenish Symphony remains a staple of the repertoire not
as a result of any extra-musical considerations, but because of its musical worth. The Rhenish Symphony is also a work that exerted a profound influence upon a number of composers, including Schumann s admirer and protégé, Johannes Brahms. The Rhenish Symphony is in five movements, rather than the traditional four. The first (Lebhaft) begins in the grandest manner, with the full orchestra announcing the exuberant principal subject, bearing more than a passing resemblance to the opening of Brahms 1883 Third Symphony. The second movement (Scherzo. Sehr mässig), originally titled Morning on the Rhine, is based upon the ländler, a rustic dance in 3/4 meter. The subdued and elegant slow movement (Nicht schnell) features two themes. The first is played by the clarinets and bassoons, the second by the violas and bassoons. Schumann s original subtitle for the fourth movement (Feierlich) was in the style of an accompaniment to a solemn ceremony. While that description was later deleted, it seems clear the music was inspired by the great Cathedral of Cologne and Archbishop von Geissel s investiture there as Cardinal. The finale (Lebhaft) returns to the joyous mood of the Symphony s opening movement. A triumphant restatement of music from the fourth movement leads to the Rhenish Symphony s thrilling final bars.