Download Concerts of Thursday, January 24 and Saturday, January 26, 2013

Concerts of Thursday, January 24 and Saturday, January 26, 2013, at 8:00p.m.
Kazushi Ono, Conductor
Vadim Gluzman, Violin
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Overture to Euryanthe, J. 291 (1823)
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Concerto No. 1 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 26 (1866)
I. Vorspiel. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio
III. Finale. Allegro energico
Vadim Gluzman, Violin
Intermission
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Opus 56, “Scottish” (1842)
I. Andante con moto; Allegro un poco agitato
II. Vivace non troppo
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro vivacissimo; Allegro maestoso assai
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer
Overture to Euryanthe, J. 291 (1823)
Carl Maria von Weber was born in Eutin, Germany, on November 18, 1786, and
died in London, England, on June 5, 1826. The first performance of Euryanthe took
place at the Kärntnertor Theatre, in Vienna, Austria, on October 25, 1823. The
Overture to Euryanthe is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two
bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings.
Approximate performance time is nine minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: November 26, 1950, Henry Sopkin,
Conductor
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: January 13, 14 and 15,
1983, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Conductor
Carl Maria von Weber’s three-act Romantic opera, Euryanthe, was a collaboration with
the German poet, Helmina von Chézy (1783-1856). Chézy based Euryanthe’s libretto
upon the medieval legend, The History of Gérard de Nevers and the Very Virtuous and
Chaste Euryanthe de Savoye.
In 1821, Weber stunned Berlin opera audiences with his opera, Der Freischütz (The
Freeshooter). It was not long before Weber’s Der Freischütz took Europe by storm,
establishing itself as an opera of seminal importance. Indeed, Der Freischütz, with its
depiction of German folk heritage and of the supernatural, couched in music remarkable
for rich orchestration and harmonic daring, was the first great German Romantic opera.
Weber’s Euryanthe premiered at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna on October 25, 1823.
The critics, anticipating a fleet, gripping drama in the style of Der Freischütz, were taken
aback by Chézy’s plodding, complex and improbable libretto. On December 20 of that
year, Chézy’s play Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus, premiered at the Vienna Theater an
der Wien. Franz Schubert provided the play’s incidental music. One Vienna critic
accused Chézy of having “in a single year been the undoing of two great composers.”
The story of Euryanthe takes place during the reign of the King Louis VI of France
(1108-1137). Count Adolar’s sister, Emma, killed herself after learning of her lover’s
death in battle. Emma committed suicide by drinking poison from a ring. Emma’s ghost
is doomed to wander until an innocent woman sheds tears on the ring. Adolar’s beloved,
Euryanthe, is accused of being unfaithful. During her suffering, Euryanthe weeps upon
the ring, thereby freeing Emma’s ghost. Euryanthe’s fidelity is reaffirmed, and all ends
happily.
Despite Euryanthe’s considerable musical strengths, performances of the complete opera
are rare (a studio EMI recording with an all-star cast, conducted by Marek Janowski, and
currently available on the Berlin Classics label, #184412, is a fine representation of the
work). The opera’s brilliant Overture has enjoyed a far better fate in the concert hall.
Musical Analysis
The Overture to Euryanthe begins with an heroic, fortissimo statement by the ensemble
(Allegro marcato, con molto fuoco). The winds introduce a sprightly theme, a quotation
of Count Adolar’s Act I proclamation, “Ich bau’ auf Gott und meine Euryanth’!” (“I trust
in God and my Euryanthe!”). The first violins sing the flowing, lyrical second principal
theme (dolce). The melody is a portion of Adolar’s Act II aria, sung as he awaits his
beloved Euryanthe, “O Seligkeit, dich faß’ ich kaum!” (“Oh happiness, whose depth I
cannot plumb!”). The development section (Largo) opens with a hushed episode, scored
for eight muted violins and violas (not muted), music that accompanies Euryanthe’s Act I
narrative of her encounter with Emma’s ghost. A minor-key treatment of music from the
Overture’s opening portion (Tempo I. assai moderato) builds to a vibrant recapitulation,
now omitting Adolar’s Act I music. The Overture to Euryanthe closes with a triumphant
statement of Adolar’s “Seligkeit” melody.
Concerto No. 1 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 26 (1866)
Max Bruch was born in Cologne, Germany, on January 6, 1838, and died in
Friedenau, near Berlin, Germany, on October 2, 1920. The first performance of the
G-minor Violin Concerto took place on April 24, 1866, at the Music Institute of
Koblenz on the Rhine, with Otto von Königslöw as soloist, and the composer
conducting the Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne. In addition to the solo violin, the
Concerto No. 1 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four
horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. Approximate performance time is
twenty-six minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: March 3, 1953, Robert Harrison,
Violin, Henry Sopkin, Conductor
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: May 15, 16 and 17, 2008,
Sarah Chang, Violin, Laura Jackson, Conductor
German composer Max Bruch’s earliest musical studies were with his mother, a noted
singer and teacher. When he was eleven, Bruch composed an orchestral overture and
some chamber music. By the age of fourteen, Bruch had written a symphony, as well as
a string quartet that earned the Frankfurt Mozart Foundation Prize. Max Bruch ultimately
established himself as a prominent composer, conductor and teacher. His compositions
are prolific in number, and span an impressive range of vocal and instrumental genres.
As a conductor, Max Bruch directed many important orchestras, including the Liverpool
Philharmonic Society and the Breslau Orchesterverein. Bruch taught at several
institutions. His most prestigious appointment occurred in 1891, when he was named
Professor of Music at the Berlin Academy. Max Bruch continued to teach at the
Academy until his retirement in 1910. During the final three years of his tenure, Bruch
also served as the Berlin Academy’s Vice-President.
Today, Bruch is chiefly remembered for a handful of works—his two Violin Concertos
(1866 and 1878), the Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra (1880), and the Kol Nidre
for Cello and Orchestra (1881). Bruch began composition of his First Violin Concerto at
the age of nineteen, finally completing the work nine years later. The first performance
took place on April 24, 1866, at a concert of the Music Institute of Koblenz on the Rhine.
Bruch, then Music Director of Koblenz, conducted the Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne.
The Orchestra’s concertmaster, Otto von Königslöw, served as soloist.
“The richest and most enchanting”
Shortly after the premiere, Bruch decided to revise the Concerto. He forwarded the score
to the eminent Austro-Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim. Due to the improvisational
spirit of the Concerto’s opening movement, Bruch had contemplated renaming the work a
“Fantasy.” Joachim disagreed, commenting: “For a fantasy, the last two movements are
too completely and symmetrically developed. The different sections are brought together
in a beautiful relationship, yet and this is the principal thing—there is sufficient contrast.”
Bruch followed Joseph Joachim’s counsel. After penning extensive revisions, the
composer dedicated the final version of his First Violin Concerto to Joachim, who gave
its premiere in Bremen in 1868, with Bruch conducting. In 1906, at his 75th birthday
party, Joachim stated: “The Germans have four violin concertos,” and named those by
Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, Bruch and Johannes Brahms. While
Joachim praised each of these magnificent works, he commented: “Max Bruch wrote the
richest and most enchanting of the four.”
Musical Analysis
I. Vorspiel. Allegro moderato—The opening movement (or “Prelude,” as Bruch calls it)
begins in dramatic fashion, with a dialogue between orchestra and soloist. Then, over a
wonderfully atmospheric combination of tremolo and pizzicato string accompaniment,
the soloist plays a fiery melody. After a brief orchestral interlude, the soloist offers a far
more lyrical, espressivo theme. An extended, dramatic episode follows, first highlighting
the soloist, and then, the orchestra. A reprise of the opening orchestra-soloist dialogue
leads to a brief passage, serving as a bridge to the slow movement, which follows without
pause.
II. Adagio—The soloist presents a sequence of two lovely melodies that return
throughout the movement—sometimes in varied fashion, as the basis of passionate
interludes. The soloist repeats the original melodies in the movement’s peaceful
conclusion.
III. Finale. Allegro energico—Over string tremolos, various instruments offer glimpses
of what emerges as the central theme, boldly proclaimed by the soloist. The orchestra
introduces a noble, subsidiary theme, immediately repeated by the soloist. The Finale, a
combination of sonata and rondo forms, presents an almost continuous series of technical
challenges for the soloist, who concludes the Concerto with a fiery, presto sequence.
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Opus 56, “Scottish” (1842)
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, on February 3, 1809, and died
in Leipzig, Germany, on November 4, 1847. The first performance of the “Scottish”
Symphony took place at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on March 3, 1842, with the
composer conducting. The “Scottish” Symphony is scored for two flutes, two oboes,
two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.
Approximate performance time is forty minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: December 16, 1950, Henry Sopkin,
Conductor
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: February 1, 2 and 3, 2007,
Nicholas McGegan, Conductor
“Where Queen Mary lived and loved”
In April of 1829, Felix Mendelssohn, then twenty years old, left his native Germany to
embark upon a series of journeys throughout Europe. These travels would provide the
inspiration for several of his finest compositions. Mendelssohn first traveled to England.
Then, in the summer of 1829, Mendelssohn went to Scotland with his friend, poet Carl
Klingemann.
On August 7, the young travelers endured a rather treacherous voyage to the island of
Staffa, and Fingal’s Cave. The magnificent structure is 227 feet long with natural pillars
made of richly colored basalt that look as if they might have been crafted by giants.
When the sea is calm, one can actually row into the mouth of the cave, where the
murmuring waters have inspired the Scots to call the sight “the cave of music.”
In a letter to his sister, Fanny, penned the day of the visit, the composer wrote: “In order
to make you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me, I am sending you
the following which came into my head there.” Mendelssohn enclosed the music of the
brooding and atmospheric opening of what took form as his “The Hebrides” Overture
(“Fingal’s Cave”), Opus 26 (1832)
Eight days earlier, Mendelssohn wrote from Edinburgh to his family about another visit
that made a profound impression:
We went, in the deep twilight, to the palace (of Holyrood) where Queen
Mary lived and loved. There is a little room to be seen there, with a
winding staircase leading up to it. That is where they went up and found
Rizzio in the little room, dragged him out, and three chambers away is a
dark corner where they killed him. The adjoining chapel is now roofless;
grass and ivy grow abundantly in it; and before the ruined altar Mary was
crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything around is broken and moldering,
and the bright sky shines in. I believe I found today the beginning of my
Scottish Symphony.
That day, Mendelssohn sketched the Symphony’s first 16 measures.
In 1830, Mendelssohn traveled to sunny Italy. In a letter of October 10, 1830,
Mendelssohn exulted: “This is Italy. What I have been looking forward to all my life as
the greatest happiness is now begun and I am basking in it.” On October 23,
Mendelssohn described Florence in the following manner: “The air is warm and the sky
cloudless; everything is lovely and glorious.” He later remarked, “The whole country
had such a festive air that I felt as if I were a young prince making his entry.”
It is not surprising that while in Italy, Mendelssohn found it difficult to recreate the
atmosphere that served as the inspiration for the opening of his “Scottish” Symphony. In
March of 1831, Mendelssohn confided to his family: “Who can wonder that I find it
impossible to return to my misty Scottish mood? I have therefore laid aside the
symphony for the present.” Instead, Mendelssohn turned his attention to another
orchestral work that more closely reflected his jovial frame of mind, the “Italian”
Symphony, Opus 90 (1833).
In fact, it was not until January 20, 1842—almost thirteen years after the visit to
Holyrood—that Mendelssohn finally completed his “Scottish” Symphony. Mendelssohn
conducted the work’s premiere at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on March 3, 1842. The
composer ultimately revised the score. He conducted the first performance in England at
the Philharmonic Society on June 13, 1843. Mendelssohn dedicated the Symphony to
Queen Victoria.
Musical Analysis
I. Andante con moto; Allegro un poco agitato—The opening movement begins with an
extended, slow introduction (Andante con moto), inspired by the mysteries of Holyrood.
After a brief pause, the strings and clarinets launch the main, fast-tempo section (Allegro
un poco agitato) with a theme derived from the introductory material. Indeed, all of the
various motifs presented in the exposition are related to the introduction. This is made all
the more evident in the succeeding development, where fragments of the thematic
material are exchanged, and even intertwined. The recapitulation is followed by a
tempestuous coda, featuring rising and falling chromatic passages.
A brief reprise of the slow introduction and two pizzicato chords lead directly to the
succeeding movement (Mendelssohn specified that “The individual movements of this
symphony must follow straight on from one another and not be separated from each other
by the usual long break”).
II. Vivace non troppo—After a brief, lively introduction, the clarinet sings the Scherzo’s
jaunty, principal theme. Mendelssohn acknowledged that this theme “derives from an old
Scottish bagpipe melody.” The melody also bears a close relationship to its predecessor
in the opening movement. The brief scherzo, with its vivacious spirit and transparent
orchestration, is in sharp contrast to the preceding movement (and for that matter, the one
that follows). Once again, pizzicato chords serve as a bridge to the Adagio.
III. Adagio—After a brief introduction, the first violins play a flowing cantabile melody,
the first of two central themes in the Adagio. The woodwinds present an ominous,
dotted-rhythm motif that soon intensifies into a massive statement by the entire orchestra.
The contrasting themes return throughout the movement. The Adagio ends peacefully,
setting the stage for the dramatic finale.
IV. Allegro vivacissimo; Allegro maestoso assai —A martial outburst by the orchestra
serves as introduction to the violins’ statement of the principal theme, both dance-like
and foreboding. The oboes and clarinets play a more lyrical second theme. But soon, the
propulsive nature of the movement returns. The development of the principal themes
combines elements of mystery and violence. After the expected recapitulation, the
clarinets and bassoons intone a pianissimo restatement of the lyrical second theme. This
passage serves as a bridge to the closing measures (Allegro maestoso assai). The
Symphony’s conclusion features a majestic variant of the final movement’s second theme
(the theme is, in turn, based upon the principal melody of the first movement, thereby
reinforcing the thematic unity of this magnificent Symphony).