program Robert Spano, Music Director Donald Runnicles, Principal Guest Conductor Delta Classical Series Concerts Thursday and Saturday, November 4 and 6, 2010, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 7, 2010, at 3 p.m. Itzhak Perlman, Conductor and Violin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Adagio in E Major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 261 (1776) Rondo in C Major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 373 (1781) Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (1773) I. Allegro con brio II. Andante III. Menuetto IV. Allegro INTERMISSION Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95 ( From the New World ) (1893) I. Adagio; Allegro molto II. Largo III. Scherzo: Molto vivace IV. Allegro con fuoco Inside the Music preview of the concert, Thursday at 7 p.m., presented by Ken Meltzer, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Insider and Program Annotator. The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Atlanta s Performing Arts Publication 23
sponsors is proud to sponsor the Delta Classical Series of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Delta s commitment to the communities we serve began the day our first flight took off. For more than 80 years, Delta s community spirit worldwide continues to be a cornerstone of our organization. As a force for global good, our mission is to continuously create value through an inclusive culture by leveraging partnerships and serving communities where we live and work. It includes not only valuing individual differences of race, religion, gender, nationality and lifestyle, but also managing and valuing the diversity of work teams, intracompany teams and business partnerships. Delta is an active, giving corporate citizen in the communities it serves. Delta s community engagement efforts are driven by our desire to build long-term partnerships in a way that enables nonprofits to utilize many aspects of Delta s currency our employees time and talent, our free and discounted air travel, as well as our surplus donations. Together, we believe we can take our worldwide communities to new heights! Major funding for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Solo pianos used by the ASO are gifts of the Atlanta Steinway Society and in memory of David Goldwasser. The Hamburg Steinway piano is a gift received by the ASO in honor of Rosi Fiedotin. The Yamaha custom six-quarter tuba is a gift received by the ASO in honor of Principal Tuba player Michael Moore from The Antinori Foundation. This performance is being recorded for broadcast at a later time. ASO concert broadcasts are heard each week on Atlanta s WABE FM-90.1 and Georgia Public Broadcasting s statewide network. The ASO records for Telarc. Other ASO recordings are available on the Argo, Deutsche Grammophon, New World, Nonesuch, Philips and Sony Classical labels. Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta is the preferred hotel of the ASO. Trucks provided by Ryder Truck Rental Inc. Media sponsors: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB 750 AM. 24 EncoreAtlanta.com
program Notes on the Program By Ken Meltzer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756, and died in Vienna, Austria, on December 5, 1791. Adagio in E Major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 261 (1776) In addition to the solo violin, the Adagio in E Major is scored for two flutes, two horns and strings. Approximate performance time is eight minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: October 3, 4 and 5, 1997, Pinchas Zukerman, Violin and Conductor. While Mozart, the instrumentalist, is best known as a virtuoso keyboard artist, he was also a highly accomplished violinist. In 1772, Hieronymus Colloredo, the Archbishop of Salzburg, appointed the 16-year-old Mozart as concertmaster of the court orchestra. Three years later, Mozart composed his Five Violin Concertos. It is not entirely certain whether Mozart originally created these works for his own use, or for Italian violinist, Antonio Brunetti also a leader of the Salzburg court orchestra, beginning in 1777. Mozart did, of course, perform his Violin Concertos at public concerts. No doubt, Mozart intended these works to display the technical fluency and pure singing tone that were hallmarks of his playing. However, it is certain that Mozart composed the E-Major Adagio for Violin and Orchestra at Brunetti s request. Mozart intended this Adagio to serve as an alternative second movement for his Violin Concerto No. 5, K. 219. According to Mozart s father, Leopold, Brunetti considered the original Adagio too studied. It is difficult to fathom what deficiencies Brunetti found in that sublime piece of music. Still, Brunetti s curious taste resulted in another enchanting Mozart composition for violin and orchestra. Adagio A brief orchestral prelude by the ensemble introduces the opening portion of the flowing principal theme, soon played in complete form by the soloist. After a minor-key episode, the soloist and orchestra reprise the principal melody. A solo cadenza and brief orchestral postlude conclude the E-Major Adagio. Rondo in C Major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 373 (1781) The first performance of the Rondo in C Major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 373, took place in Vienna on April 8, 1781, with Antonio Brunetti as soloist. In addition to the solo violin, the Rondo in C Major is scored for two oboes, two horns and strings. Approximate performance time is six minutes. Atlanta s Performing Arts Publication 25
First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: October 3, 4 and 5, 1997, Pinchas Zukerman, Violin and Conductor. In March of 1781, Mozart, summoned by the Archbishop of Salzburg, arrived in Vienna. The Salzburg court was then in residence for the accession of Austrian Emperor Joseph II. On April 8, Mozart performed in a concert held at the residence of the Archbishop s father, Prince Rudolf Joseph Colloredo. For the concert, Mozart composed his Rondo in C, K. 373, played on that occasion by Antonio Brunetti. For years, Mozart had chafed under what he viewed as an unappreciative (even dictatorial) attitude on the part of the Archbishop. In fact, in a letter to Leopold, written the night of the concert, Mozart confessed: Dearest Father: I am very fond of you, as you may see from this, that for your sake I deny all my own wishes and desires but for you, I swear to you on my honour that I should not lose a moment before resigning my post giving a big concert, taking four pupils, and certainly prospering so well here in Vienna that within twelve months I should be earning at least a thousand thalers a year Matters came to a head the following month at a concert held in the residence of Prince Dmitri Galitzin, the Russian ambassador. There, Mozart ignored the command of the Archbishop s valet to await a formal introduction, and immediately began speaking with the Ambassador. The Archbishop, affronted by Mozart s lack of obedience, called the young composer a rascal and a dissolute fellow. This proved to be all the excuse Mozart needed. He tendered his resignation from the Salzburg court and began a new career in Vienna as a free-lance artist. The above narrative is not offered to suggest that the C-Major Rondo was, in any fashion, a musical expression of Mozart s increasing frustrations. Quite the contrary, the Rondo is a graceful and charming work that must have pleased the Archbishop, unaware that he would soon lose the services of its talented creator. Allegretto grazioso The soloist presents the enchanting principal melody, immediately repeated by the orchestra. The melody alternates with several episodes, perhaps the most striking of which is a minor-key section, in which pizzicato violins accompany the soloist. After a final statement of the principal theme, the Rondo concludes in delicate fashion, capped by the soloist s hushed, stratospheric ascent. Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (1773) The Symphony No. 25 is scored for two oboes, two bassoons, four horns and strings. Approximate performance time is twenty minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: January 5 and 6, 1972, Julius Rudel, Conductor. 26 EncoreAtlanta.com
program Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: November 29 and 30, and December 1, 2001, Donald Runnicles, Conductor. Mozart was only seventeen, when, on October 5, 1773, he completed his Symphony No. 25. The work is known as the Little G-minor Symphony, to distinguish it from Mozart s 1788 Symphony in the same key No. 40, K. 550, sometimes referred to as the Great. Mozart frequently turned to the key of G minor as a favored mode of tragic expression. In addition to the two Symphonies already mentioned, other prominent G-minor works include the Piano Quartet, K. 478 (1785), the String Quintet, K. 516 (1787), and Pamina s despairing aria, Ach, ich fühl s, from the opera The Magic Flute, K. 620 (1791). The Little G-minor is the earliest of the Mozart Symphonies to maintain a notable presence in the concert repertoire. In truth, there is nothing little about the Symphony in terms of its length (a performance with all repeats lasts about twenty-five minutes), instrumentation (four horns instead of the usual two), or emotional depth. This tempestuous work marks a stunning departure from Mozart s prior symphonies. As a result, many scholars have attempted (unsuccessfully) to pinpoint some tragic incident in the young composer s life that might have served as inspiration. But then again, one would be hard pressed to explain why Mozart composed his stormy D-minor Piano Concerto (1785) during one of the most successful and happy periods of his life, or, for that matter, the triumphant Jupiter Symphony (1788) during one of the most desperate. Perhaps the inspiration was of a strictly musical nature. When Mozart completed his Symphony No. 25, he and his father had just returned from a two and one-half month stay in Vienna. While there, Mozart may have had the opportunity to hear works by such composers as Gluck, Haydn and Johann Vanhal that were representative of the popular Sturm und Drang ( Storm and Stress ) artistic movement. Perhaps the Symphony No. 25 was the young Mozart s response to the impassioned minor-key works of his elders. Whatever the impetus for the Little G-minor Symphony, one can only marvel that a work of such technical mastery and emotional resonance is the product of a 17-year-old composer, even one by the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Musical Analysis I. Allegro con brio The violins immediately present the agitated principal theme, consisting of a syncopated figure, followed by an ascending and descending passage. A more restrained episode based upon the opening theme and featuring the solo oboe is followed by a forceful major-key outburst. The first violins introduce the graceful majorkey subsidiary theme. Again, the oboe is prominent during the brief development section. A two-measure crescendo leads to the recapitulation of the principal themes, the second of which is now also in the minor key. The movement concludes with a stormy coda, based upon the principal theme. Atlanta s Performing Arts Publication 27
II. Andante The E-flat Major Andante features muted violins throughout. They introduce the sighing, descending first principal theme, punctuated by a response from the bassoons. The first violins, to undulating accompaniment by the second violins, offer the staccato second theme. There is a brief development of the first principal theme, followed by a varied recapitulation of the opening section. III. Menuetto Mozart returns to the key of G minor for the concluding movements. The orchestra proclaims a tutti statement of the Minuet s stark, principal theme. The strings are silent during the intervening G-Major Trio. A reprise of the Minuet rounds out the third movement. IV. Allegro The concluding Allegro is dominated by the opening theme. Related to its counterpart in the Minuet, the theme is first played quietly by the strings, followed by a forte repetition in the winds and lower strings. The exposition also features two graceful major-key themes. Following the restless development section, a recapitulation ensues in which all of the themes are presented in the minor. A terse coda brings the G-minor Symphony to its turbulent conclusion. Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95 ( From the New World ) (1893) Antonín Dvořák was born in Mühlhausen, Bohemia (now Nelahozeves, the Czech Republic), on September 8, 1841, and died in Prague on May 1, 1904. The first performance of the New World Symphony took place at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 16, 1893, with Anton Seidl conducting the New York Philharmonic. The Symphony No. 9 is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals and strings. Approximate performance time is forty-one minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: March 16, 1947, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances, November 13, 14 and 16, 2008, Donald Runnicles, Conductor. Dvořák in New York On September 21, 1885, Jeannette Meyer Thurber founded the National Conservatory of Music of America. Mrs. Thurber hoped that the Conservatory, located in New York City, would foster the development of important American concert music. Jeannette Thurber realized that in order for the National Conservatory to thrive as a major institution, it would require a musician of international renown for its Director. Mrs. Thurber considered two composers for the position Jean Sibelius and Antonín Dvořák. Mrs. Thurber was not inclined to make the long journey to Sibelius s homeland of Finland. 28 EncoreAtlanta.com
program Because her family lived in Vienna, Mrs. Thurber decided that it would be far easier to contact Dvořák either in the Austrian city, or the composer s home in Prague. In June of 1891, Mrs. Thurber offered Antonín Dvořák the position of Director of the National Conservatory. Dvořák, who was then a Professor of Composition at the Prague Conservatory, politely declined. However, Jeannette Thurber was not to be denied. After several cables to the Czech composer, Mrs. Thurber sent Dvořák a contract setting forth the generous terms of his employment with the National Conservatory. Only Dvořák s signature was required. In December of 1891, Dvořák accepted Mrs. Thurber s proposal. Dvořák s duties as Director of the National Conservatory commenced in the fall of 1892. On September 26 of that year, Dvořák, his wife, and two of his six children arrived from Europe at the port in Hoboken, New Jersey. While on board, Dvořák enjoyed his first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Awed by the magnificent sight, he exclaimed, In the head alone there is enough room for sixty persons! Dvořák and his family took up residence near the Conservatory, which was located at E. 17 th Street and Irving Place. Dvořák s contract with the National Conservatory dictated that he would teach three composition classes and conduct semiweekly orchestral rehearsals. In his spare time, Dvořák preferred to avoid social functions. Instead, he paid frequent visits to the docks, the railway station and Central Park the latter providing Dvořák with a reminder of the countryside he so enjoyed in his native land. Dvořák s homesickness was somewhat alleviated when, in the summer of 1893, he and his family vacationed in Spillville, a northeast Iowa town populated by Czech immigrants. Dvořák had always taken a keen interest in the folk music of his native Bohemia, and indeed, acknowledged: I myself have gone to the simple, half forgotten tunes of Bohemian peasants for hints in my most serious works. Only in this way can a musician express the true sentiment of his people. He gets into touch with the common humanity of his country. It s not surprising that when Dvořák arrived in America, he began to study the music of the New World. Dvořák concluded that America s great folk tradition was rooted in the music of African-Americans (it should be noted that in May of 1893, the National Conservatory opened its doors to African-American students). Dvořák also acknowledged the importance of the folk music of Native Americans, which, the Czech composer felt, was virtually identical to Negro melodies. The New World Symphony On May 24, 1893, Dvořák completed his Symphony in E minor, begun the previous December. The work received its premiere at New York s Carnegie Hall on December 16, 1893, with Anton Seidl conducting the New York Philharmonic. A month earlier, Dvořák gave the E-minor Symphony its famous nickname, From the New World. In an article published in the New York Herald the day before the premiere, Dvořák offered this analysis of his New World Symphony: Atlanta s Performing Arts Publication 29
Since I have been in this country I have been deeply interested in the national music of the Negroes and the Indians. The character, the very nature of a race is contained in its national music. For that reason my attention was at once turned in the direction of these native melodies... It is this spirit which I have tried to reproduce in my new Symphony ( The New World ). I have not actually used any of the melodies. I have simply written original themes embodying the peculiarities of the...music and, using these themes as subjects, have developed them with all the resources of modern rhythms, harmony, counterpoint and orchestral color. The premiere of the New World Symphony was an unqualified success. Dvořák proudly informed his publisher, Simrock: The papers say that no composer ever celebrated such a triumph. Carnegie Hall was crowded with the best people of New York, and the audience applauded so that, like visiting royalty, I had to take my bows repeatedly from the box in which I sat. Musical Analysis I. Adagio; Allegro molto The New World Symphony begins with a slow introduction (Adagio). The rather pastoral mood of the opening measures is shattered by a thunderous orchestral outburst. Then, almost as if rising out of the mists, hints of the Allegro s opening theme appear in the horns, violas and cellos. A final crescendo, a massive timpani explosion, and a tremolo passage for violins serve as a bridge to the Allegro molto s dramatic opening theme, first played by the horns. The playful second theme (with hints of Turkey in the Straw ) features the flutes and oboes. A solo flute sings a lovely theme with, as many commentators have noted, a kinship to a spiritual Dvořák loved Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The brief development features a stirring juxtaposition of the first and third themes. A varied recapitulation of the principal themes and a stormy coda round out the opening movement. II. Largo Dvořák envisioned the second movement of his New World Symphony as a study or sketch for an opera or cantata based upon Henry Wadsworth Longfellow s Hiawatha a project that never came to fruition. After a brief, somber introduction, the solo English horn, over muted strings, sings the unforgettable principal melody (Dvořák s pupil, William Arms Fisher, later adapted this haunting melody for the song, Goin Home ). The flutes and oboes inaugurate the melancholy central section (Un poco più mosso). Suddenly, a jaunty woodwind interlude leads to a grand proclamation of the first movement s principal theme. The English horn returns for a reprise of the opening melody. A restatement of the Largo s introduction, an ascending string passage, and solemn bass chords bring the Largo to a poignant close. III. Scherzo: Molto vivace The composer noted that the third movement was suggested by a scene at the feast in Hiawatha where the Indians dance, and is also an essay which I made in the direction of imparting the local color of Indian character to music. 30 EncoreAtlanta.com
program After a brief introduction, the flutes and oboes, with counterpoint by the clarinets, present the animated principal theme, soon thundered by the entire orchestra. The first Trio section (Poco sostenuto), highlighting the winds, has a far more relaxed quality. A reprise of the Scherzo follows, the conclusion offering hints of the opening movement s principal theme. The second Trio section emerges as a bright ray of sunshine. A repeat of the Scherzo and initial Trio leads to the Coda, again presenting echoes of the Symphony s opening movement, before resolving to a fortissimo conclusion. IV. Allegro con fuoco The strings launch a vigorous introduction to the announcement by the horns and trumpets of the forceful, principal theme. A solo clarinet offers a plaintive, contrasting melody. Dvořák reprises principal themes from the first three movements, treating the material, according to his description, in a variety of ways. The magnificent coda features a synthesis of the principal themes of the outer movements. The closing orchestral fanfare is capped by an extended diminuendo, leading to a ppp close. Atlanta s Performing Arts Publication 31
itzhak perlman, Conductor and Violin Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. In January 2009, Mr. Perlman was honored to take part in the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by John Williams and performing with clarinetist Anthony McGill, pianist Gabriela Montero and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. President Reagan granted him a Medal of Liberty in 1986, Itzhak Perlman and President Clinton awarded him the National Medal of Arts in December 2000. In December 2003, he was a Kennedy Center Honoree. In May 2007, he performed at the State Dinner for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, hosted by President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Mr. Perlman s 2010-11 season takes his performances as soloist to both new and familiar major centers throughout the world. In the fall of 2010, he travels to Chile and Brazil, with orchestral performances in Santiago and recitals in Rio de Janeiro, Paulinia and Sao Paulo. In October 2010, he once again thrilled audiences in Japan with seven recitals in Tokyo, Osaka, Matsumoto, Nagoya and Yokohama with pianist and frequent collaborator, Rohan De Silva. He joins the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall for their opening subscription week under Music Director Alan Gilbert. Other highlights include a special performance with the Chicago Symphony to benefit the Rotary Foundation s campaign to End Polio Now; a performance with the Toronto Symphony at Carnegie Hall; and recitals across the U.S., including San Francisco, Los Angeles, West Palm Beach and San Antonio. Mr. Perlman also appears with students and alumni from the Perlman Music Program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, N.J. In addition to his many orchestral and recital appearances throughout the world, Mr. Perlman performs as conductor with leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic. This season marks his third as artistic director of the Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra. He was music advisor of the St. Louis Symphony from 2002 to 2004, where he made regular conducting appearances, and he was principal guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony from 2001 to 2005. He proudly possesses four Emmy Awards and 15 Grammy awards. He performed at the 2006 Academy Awards and at the Juilliard School Centennial Gala, broadcast nationally on Live from Lincoln Center. He collaborated with composer John Williams in Steven Spielberg s Academy Award-winning film Schindler s List, in which he performed the violin solos. Mr. Perlman devotes considerable time to education, both in his participation each summer in the Perlman Music Program and his teaching at the Juilliard School, where he holds the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Chair. He was awarded an honorary doctorate and a centennial medal on the occasion of Juilliard s 100th commencement ceremony in May 2005. 32 EncoreAtlanta.com