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Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
A founding member of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center
Robert Spano, Music Director
Donald Runnicles, Principal Guest Conductor
Delta classical Series Concerts
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, January 21, 22 and 23, 2010, at 8 p.m.
robert spano, Conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Finlandia, Opus 26, No. 7 (1899)
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
Piano Concerto (1936)
I. Allegro maestoso
II. Andante con anima
III. Allegro brillante
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
INTERMISSION
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Opus 39 (1899)
I. Andante, ma non troppo; Allegro energico
II. Andante (ma non troppo lento)
III. Scherzo; Allegro
IV. Finale (Quasi una Fantasia); Andante; Allegro molto
“Inside the Music” preview of the concert, Thursday at 7 p.m.,
presented by Ken Meltzer, ASO Insider and Program Annotator.
The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited.
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Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
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.
After almost 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,
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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.
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Notes on the Program
By Ken Meltzer
Finlandia, Opus 26, No. 7 (1899)
Jean Sibelius was born in Tavastehus, Finland, on December 8, 1865, and died in
Järvenpää, Finland, on September 20, 1957. The first performance of Finlandia took place
in Helsinki, Finland, on November 4, 1899, with Robert Kajanus conducting. Finlandia is
scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets,
three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle and strings. Approximate
performance time is nine minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: February 4, 1945, Henry Sopkin, Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: May 14, 15 and 16, 1992,
Yoel Levi, Conductor.
ASO Recording: Yoel Levi, Conductor (Telarc CD-80320)
F
inland enjoyed relative autonomy for the greater part of the 19th century, despite
its acquisition by Russia in 1809. In that year, Finland became a Grand Duchy
under the Russian Czar. Nevertheless, Finland maintained its own government, army,
currency and postal service. Finnish and Swedish served as official languages, and the
Lutheran religion was maintained.
The situation deteriorated toward the end of the 19th century with the growth of Russian
nationalism. In February of 1899, a Russian imperial decree ordered that the Russian State
Council would be responsible for all laws affecting Finland. Russia incorporated the formerly
autonomous Finnish postal system. The Finnish army was disbanded and citizens became
liable for conscription into the Russian military.
The threat of Russian censorship of the Finnish press inspired the “Press Pension Fund
Pageant” in November of 1899. As part of the pageant, Kaarlo Bergbom, director of the Helsinki
Finnish Theater, arranged a series of six tableaux depicting landmark events in Finnish history.
Texts by Eino Leino and Jalmari Finne accompanied the presentation of each of the tableaux.
Jean Sibelius composed “subdued (musical) accompaniment” to the texts, as well as overtures
for the presentation of the tableaux. Sibelius composed his tone poem, Finlandia, for the final
tableau, entitled “Finland Awakes.”
In describing the composition of Finlandia, Sibelius noted in his diaries, “(t)he themes on which
it is built came to me directly. Pure inspiration.” Sibelius dismissed Finlandia as a “relatively
insignificant piece.” and attributed the work’s broad appeal to “its plein air style.” Musicians
and audiences have disagreed with Sibelius’s characterization of Finlandia, a blazing patriotic
work that continues to move and thrill listeners, regardless of nationality.
The accompanying text for the tableau that inspired Sibelius’s Finlandia begins: “The powers
of darkness menacing Finland have not succeeded in their terrible threats. Finland awakes!”
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Finlandia opens in somber fashion (Andante sostenuto) with an ominous brass chorale that
contrasts with a plaintive statement by the woodwinds and strings. Suddenly, the mood
changes as brass fanfares introduce the heroic principal Allegro theme. The woodwinds
intone a beautiful, espressivo hymn that is soon played by the strings. Brass fanfares
herald the return of the heroic theme, which joins the hymn for the triumphant conclusion
of Finlandia.
Piano Concerto (1936)
Aram Khachaturian was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, on June 6, 1903, and died
in Moscow, Russia, on May 1, 1978. In addition to the solo piano, the Concerto is scored
for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns,
two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, flexatone, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals,
suspended cymbal and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-six minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: November 7 and 8, 1957,
Leonard Pennario, Piano, Henry Sopkin, Conductor.
A
rmenian composer Aram Khachaturian began his musical career at a relatively
advanced age. Khachaturian, the son of a poor bookbinder, played some
instruments as a child. However, serious musical pursuits did not begin until the age of
19, when Khachaturian enrolled in the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow. From 19291934, Khachaturian studied cello and composition at the Moscow Conservatory, where
his teachers included Nicolai Myaskovsky. During that time, Khachaturian produced his
first mature works — the Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (1932) and First Symphony
(1934). The latter piece served as the composition that earned Khachaturian a diploma
with honors at the Moscow Conservatory.
During the late 1930s and 40s, Khachaturian gained national and international attention with
such works as his Piano Concerto (1936), Violin Concerto (1940), the Second Symphony (1943)
and the ballet, Gayane (1942). Khachaturian’s melodic gifts and engaging use of folk material
— all couched in a relatively conservative tonal idiom and colorful orchestral palette — gained
the widespread approval of international audiences.
Khachaturian’s works also earned the praises of a Soviet regime that proclaimed music should
be “the People’s in its form and socialist in its content.” Khachaturian, who vowed, “I must
emphatically uphold the great principals of Socialist Art,” was active in the Union of Soviet
Composers from 1937. Nevertheless, even Khachaturian did not escape government criticism.
In 1948, he and other prominent composers, including Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev,
and Myaskovsky, were censured for excessive “formalism.”
Khachaturian publicly apologized, but later stated that, “problems of composition cannot be
solved by official bureaucratic methods.” For the most part, however, Khachaturian was one
of the few composers able to function — and even prosper — under the artistically stifling
Soviet regime.
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Aram Khachaturian completed his Piano Concerto in 1936. During the creation of the work,
Khachaturian was the beneficiary of much helpful advice from Prokofiev. After its Moscow
premiere, the Concerto received numerous performances throughout Russia. The American
premiere took place on March 14, 1942, at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, with Maro
Ajemian as soloist. The brilliant, virtuoso piece quickly became a concert favorite throughout
the world.
Musical Analysis
I. Allegro maestoso — The Concerto opens with a swaggering orchestral introduction, based
upon the movement’s principal theme. The soloist enters with a full statement of this bold
theme, which the composer directs be played in pesante (“weighty”) fashion. A cascade of
notes by the soloist leads to the orchestra’s restatement of the theme. After another virtuoso
passage for the soloist, the mood calms, as a solo oboe introduces the lyrical second theme.
The soloist repeats the melody in an extended, introspective cadenza. The opening theme
forms the basis for the frenetic development section (Allegro). The soloist leads the ensemble
in the grand recapitulation of the opening theme (Tempo I). A solo clarinet restates the second
theme, now given a varied and more extended treatment. The bass clarinet introduces another
lengthy cadenza for the soloist. This cadenza finally resolves to the forceful closing bars, again
based upon the opening theme.
II. Andante con anima — The hushed, opening measures feature muted strings accompanying
the solo bass clarinet. The pianist introduces the flowing, principal theme, based upon a folk
song popular in the composer’s native city of Tbilisi. The subsequent use of the flexatone
adds a shimmering, exotic quality to the orchestral palette. The music becomes ever more
passionate, leading to the hushed closing measures, where the pianist’s arabesques yield to
the bass clarinet. The Andante closes with a brief statement by the soloist and two pizzicato
string chords.
III. Allegro brillante — The finale, as the tempo marking suggests, is a sparkling tour-de-force.
The soloist and orchestra plunge into a whirlwind, moto perpetuo sequence that maintains
an extraordinary level of energy virtually throughout. An extended, solo cadenza provides a
contrasting interlude. The opening sequence returns, finally overtaken by a grand reprise of
the principal melody from the first movement (Maestoso), as the Khachaturian Piano Concerto
proceeds to its stirring conclusion.
Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Opus 39 (1899)
Jean Sibelius was born in Tavastehus, Finland, on December 8, 1865, and died
in Järvenpää, Finland, on September 20, 1957. The first performance of the Symphony No. 1
took place in Helsinki, Finland, on April 26, 1899, with the composer conducting the Helsinki
Philharmonic. The Symphony No. 1 is scored for two piccolos, two flutes, two oboes, two
clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, bass
drum, cymbals, triangle and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-nine minutes.
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First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: December 15, 1953, Henry Sopkin, Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: November 30, December 1 and 2, 1989,
Yoel Levi, Conductor.
ASO Recording: Yoel Levi, Conductor (Telarc CD-80246)
“Disappear into the crowd”
I
n February 1898, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and his wife, Aino, journeyed
to Berlin. As Sibelius later commented:
I wished to hear what new things were being performed out there in the
wider world, and in any case I had a lot of plans that I wanted to think
about in peace and quiet. My previous trips abroad had taught me that
spending time in large cities did wonders for my creative powers. Living
in a great metropolis has always meant the same to me as living in the
middle of the Sahara. Disappear into the crowd and you can concentrate
entirely on yourself.
Perhaps one of the “plans” Sibelius had in mind for that Berlin visit was the composition of
his First Symphony. Shortly prior to his departure from Helsinki for Berlin, Sibelius sketched
this description of a programmatic symphony: “Musical Dialogue: (I) The wind blows cold, cold
weather from the lake, motto for the first movement of the symphony. (II) Heine. (The north’s
fir dreams of the southern palm). (III) A Winter’s Tale. (IV) Jorma’s Heaven.” Further inspiration
for a symphonic composition occurred when, in March, Sibelius heard a Berlin performance of
the pathbreaking Symphonie fantastique (1830), by French composer Hector Berlioz. After the
concert, Sibelius made the following entry in his notebook: “Heard the Symphonie Fantastique.
O Santa inspirazione! O Santa dea!”
Toward the end of April, Sibelius began composition of his First Symphony. On April 27, Sibelius
wrote to his wife (who had since returned to Finland), “I have now worked for three days. It
has been wonderful. I’m working on the new thing, alla sinfonia.” It’s interesting to note that
Sibelius wrote the following single-word query above one of the early sketches of themes for
the Symphony No. 1: “Berlioz?”
“Another manner of thought, another way of living”
In June of 1898, Sibelius returned to Finland. There, he continued work on his First Symphony,
completing it in early 1899. The premiere of the Symphony No. 1 took place in Helsinki on
April 26, 1899, with Sibelius leading the Helsinki Philharmonic. This premiere came shortly
after the momentous imperial decree of 1899, imposing Russia’s stronghold over Finland (see,
Finlandia, above).
Unlike Sibelius’s tone poem, Finlandia, the First Symphony is not overtly programmatic. Still,
the work did serve Finland’s patriotic cause. In 1900, Finnish conductor Robert Kajanus and
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the Helsinki Philharmonic began their first European tour. It encompassed several major
cities, including Paris, where the World Exhibition was in progress. The artists hoped that by
showcasing Finland’s rich artistic heritage, they would rally support for their political cause.
The Helsinki Philharmonic concerts featured several works by Sibelius, including Finlandia
(called “La Patrie,” in order to avoid the wrath of Russian censorship), and the Symphony
No. 1. Sibelius accompanied the performers on the tour and even, on occasion, conducted
the orchestra.
Besides Hector Berlioz, other symphonic composers Sibelius greatly admired included
Alexander Borodin and Anton Bruckner. Speaking of the latter in 1891, Sibelius commented,
“In my opinion he is the greatest living composer.” Sibelius had also been greatly moved by
Helsinki performances of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s valedictory “Pathétique” Symphony (1893).
The year after the premiere of his First Symphony, Sibelius acknowledged, “I do know that
there is much in (Tchaikovsky) that I also have.” Later however, Sibelius argued, “I cannot
understand why my symphonies are so often compared with Tchaikovsky’s. His symphonies
are very human, but they represent the soft part of human nature. Mine are the hard ones.”
And in the final analysis, despite whatever musical influences Sibelius may have considered
in the composition of his First Symphony, it is a work very much his own. The Symphony’s
brooding melancholy, explosive drama and stark orchestration already reflect the Finnish
master’s unique voice. Six years after the Symphony’s premiere, the eminent British music
critic Ernest Newman was moved to comment: “I have never listened to any music that took
me away so completely from our usual Western life, and transported me into a quite new
civilization. Every page of (the First Symphony) breathes another manner of thought, another
way of living, even another landscape and seascape than ours.”
Musical Analysis
I. Andante, ma non troppo; Allegro energico — Over the hushed, ominous roll of the timpani,
a solo clarinet plays a haunting, espressivo, melody (Andante, ma non troppo). Finally, the
timpani is silent, and the clarinet becomes a solitary voice. Suddenly, over a repeated string
figure, the first violins, playing in octaves, introduce the vibrant principal theme (Allegro
energico), soon played in heroic fashion by the orchestra. The strings and harp accompany
the flutes as they introduce a more playful motif. The woodwinds echo a third, tranquillo
theme. After a vibrant development, the orchestra launches the recapitulation with a glorious
fortissimo statement of the principal Allegro theme. Imposing brass fanfares and two pizzicato
chords cap the energetic coda.
II. Andante (ma non troppo lento) — Muted first violins and cellos, accompanied by the harp,
French horns and double basses, introduce the flowing principal melody. This melody develops
with increasing passion, but a repetition by the solo cello returns to the subdued mood of the
opening. A central, pastoral episode opens with a passage for horns, undulating strings, and
harp. Suddenly, the opening theme returns, now in a more ominous guise. A forceful, scherzolike episode leads to a final reprise of the opening melody.
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III. Scherzo; Allegro — The Scherzo opens with a repeated pizzicato figure in the violas and
cellos. This accompanies the Scherzo’s principal motif, an insistent, seven-note figure, first
played by the timpani. The figure journeys throughout the orchestra, as the Scherzo generates
impressive momentum. A Lento interlude provides brief repose, but a descending figure
heralds the vigorous reprise of the Scherzo and the movement’s abrupt conclusion.
IV. Finale (Quasi una Fantasia); Andante; Allegro molto — The strings (save the doublebasses), reinforced by the horns and trombones, offer a broad, passionate restatement of the
clarinet solo that launched the Symphony. The echo of this melody by the winds leads to
the introduction of the agitated Allegro molto episode. The Finale’s second major episode is a
gorgeous violin melody, paced at a slower Andante assai, and marked cantabile ed espressivo.
A varied reprise of the two central episodes builds to resplendent statement of the cantabile ed
espressivo melody. The Symphony concludes with a stirring coda and (as in the first movement)
two pizzicato chords.
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Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
P
ianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet continues to enthrall
audiences worldwide with his profound and poetic
artistry, enlightened interpretations and thrilling performances.
Hailed as “one of the best pianists in the world,” Thibaudet
is sought-after by today’s foremost orchestras, festivals,
conductors and collaborative musicians for his virtuosity
and charisma.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Following summer 2009, which included performances at
major U.S. and European festivals with orchestras such as
Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles and Cleveland, as well as the Simón Bolívar Youth
Orchestra, Mr. Thibaudet’s 2009-10 season is highlighted by an Australian tour with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra (October 2009), as well as European and North American tours with
the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (November 2009), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
(February 2010, with a performance at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall on February 17), Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic (March 2010) and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg (April
2010). Additional appearances abroad this season are with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Berner
Symphonie-Orchester, Museumorchester Frankfurt, Danish National Symphony Orchestra,
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Norddeutscher Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Castilla y Leon
Symphony Orchestra, Gelders Orchestra and Sinfonieorchester des Westdeutschen Rundfunks.
Mr. Thibaudet’s performances in the U.S. include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National
Symphony Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Dallas, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore,
Atlanta, Cincinnati and Nashville. A vivid recitalist, Mr. Thibaudet performs at Carnegie Hall, as
well as in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Seattle, Wash. In May 2010, Mr. Thibaudet embarks on a U.S.
tour with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and new Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, bringing
Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety to San Francisco, Nashville, Washington, New York and Newark (NJ).
Jean-Yves Thibaudet is an exclusive recording artist for Decca, which has released over 40 of his
albums, earning the Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d’Or, Choc de la Musique, a Gramophone
Award, two Echo awards and the Edison Prize. On his Grammy-nominated recording, SaintSaëns, Piano Concerti Nos. 2&5, released in fall 2007, Mr. Thibaudet is joined by long-standing
collaborator, conductor Charles Dutoit, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Also released
in 2007, Thibaudet’s album Aria — Opera Without Words features transcriptions of opera arias
by Saint-Saëns, R. Strauss, Gluck, Korngold, Bellini, J. Strauss II, P. Grainger and Puccini;
some of the transcriptions are by Mikhashoff, Sgambati and Brassin, others — Thibaudet’s
own. Thibaudet was the soloist on the Oscar and Golden Globe-award winning soundtrack of
Universal Pictures’ Atonement and the Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice. In 2005, Decca
released his recording of Strauss’s Burleske with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Among
other recordings are Satie: The Complete Solo Piano Music and the jazz albums Reflections
on Duke: Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays the music of Duke Ellington and Conversations with Bill
Evans, his tribute to two of jazz history’s greats.
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Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies at age five and
made his first public appearance at age seven. At 12, he entered the Paris Conservatory to study
with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At age 15, he won
the Premier Prix du Conservatoire and three years later, won the Young Concert Artists Auditions
in New York City. In 2001, the Republic of France awarded Thibaudet the prestigious Chevalier
de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and in 2002, he was awarded the Premio Pegasus from the
Spoleto Festival in Italy for his artistic achievements and his long-standing involvement with the
festival. In 2007, he was awarded the Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award
and the highest honor given by France’s Victoires de la Musique.
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