Download Concerts of May 19 and 21, 2016, at 8:00p. Joseph Young

Concerts of May 19 and 21, 2016, at 8:00p.
Joseph Young, Conductor
Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianos
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1791)
Symphony No. 46 in B Major, Hob.I:46 (1772)
I. Vivace
II. Poco adagio
III. Menuet. Allegretto
IV. Finale. Presto e scherzando
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E-flat Major, K. 365
(1779)
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Rondeau. Allegro
Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianos
Intermission
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet, Suites 1 and 2, Opus No. 64bis/64ter
(1935-6)
I. Montagues and Capulets (Suite 2, No.1)
II. The Young Girl Juliet (Suite 2, No. 2)
III. Minuet (Suite 1, No. 4)
IV. Masks (Suite 1, No. 5)
V. Romeo and Juliet (Balcony Scene) (Suite 1, No. 6)
VI. Death of Tybalt (Suite 1, No. 7)
VII. Dance of the Maids from the Antilles (Suite 2, No. 6)
VIII. Romeo at the Tomb of Juliet (Suite 2, No. 7)
IX. Juliet’s Death (Ballet score)
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer
Symphony No. 46 in B Major, Hob.I:46 (1772)
Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria, on March 31, 1732 and
died in Vienna, Austria, on May 31, 1809. The Symphony No. 46 is scored
for two oboes, bassoon, two horns, and strings. Approximate performance
time is nineteen minutes.
These are the first Classical Subscription Performances.
In 1761, Franz Joseph Haydn began his years of service to the court of the
Hungarian Esterházy family. At the time, the Kappellmeister of the Esterházy
court was the Austrian composer, Gregor Joseph Werner. Haydn was ViceKappellmeister of the Esterházy court until Werner’s death in 1766. From then
until 1790, Haydn served as Kappellmeister to the ruling Prince Nikolaus
Esterházy.
Haydn’s contemporary biographer, G. A. Griesinger, described Prince Nikolaus
as:
an educated connoisseur and a passionate lover of music,
and also a good violin player. He had his own opera,
spoken theatre, marionette theatre, church music, and
chamber music. Haydn had his hands full: he composed, he
had to conduct all the music, help with the rehearsals, give
lessons and even tune his own keyboard instrument in the
orchestra. He often wondered how it had been possible for
him to compose as much music as he did when he was
forced to lose so many hours in purely mechanical tasks.
The years 1766-73 were among the most prolific and creative of Haydn’s
Esterházy tenure. These years are often characterized to as Haydn’s Sturm und
Drang (Storm and Stress) period—a reference to the relatively contemporaneous
German literary movement. During those Sturm und Drang years, Haydn
composed several symphonies that feature minor keys, pervasive, restless
energy, stunning dynamic contrasts, and frequent, dramatic pauses. All of these
elements serve to create an atmosphere of super-charged drama. No doubt,
Haydn’s revolutionary Sturm und Drang symphonies surprised, and at times,
even shocked contemporary audiences.
It’s not surprising for an artist of Haydn’s artistic range and creativity that many
compositions from this period do not fit completely within the Sturm und Drang
model. One such piece is the Symphony No. 46. It is a work teeming with
energy and beauty, and one that features the delightful surprises that make
Haydn’s works unique and endlessly fascinating.
Musical Analysis
I. Vivace—The Symphony opens with forceful presentation of a wide-ranging
four-note motif that will play a central role throughout the work. Also
characteristic is the striking juxtaposition of forte and piano dynamics. A variant
of the four-note motif also heralds the playful second principal theme. A brief
development resolves to the forte start of a varied recapitulation of the principal
themes, and the movement’s emphatic conclusion.
II. Poco adagio—The slow-tempo second movement is cast in 6/8 time, and in
the parallel key of B minor. The violins are muted throughout. The first violins
sing the principal melody, capped by a staccato sixteenth-note figure that is a
constant and perhaps unsettling presence throughout. The movement proceeds
to a hushed resolution.
III. Menuet. Allegretto—The key returns to B Major for the third-movement
Minuet, an elegant court dance in ¾ time. The central Trio section, in B minor, is
based upon a variant of the opening movement’s four-note motif. The movement
concludes with a reprise of the Minuet.
IV. Finale. Presto e scherzando—Haydn directs that the Finale be played at a
rapid tempo and in a humorous (scherzando) fashion. The Finale is a nonstop
tour-de-force of unexpected twists and turns, including a sudden reappearance of
the third-movement Minuet. Even the concluding statement of the Finale’s
principal music leaves us guessing right to the final bar.
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E-flat Major, K. 365
(1779)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, on
January 27, 1756, and died in Vienna, Austria, on December 5, 1791.
In addition to the two solo pianos, the Concerto No. 10 is scored for
two oboes, two clarinets (optional), two bassoons, two horns, two
trumpets (optional), timpani (optional), and strings. Approximate
performance time is twenty-five minutes.
First Classical Subscription Performance: March 16, 1950, William
Johnson, Michael McDowell, Pianos, Henry Sopkin, Conductor.
Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: December 4, 5, and 6,
1986, Cipa Dichter, Misha Dichter, Pianos, William Fred Scott, Conductor.
Robert Shaw Performances: February 22, 1968, Robert Fizdale, Arthur
Gold, Pianos; February 25, 1972 (Tour, Florence, SC), Thelma Sasser,
William Sasser, Pianos.
From September of 1777 to January of 1779, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
toured throughout Europe. Mozart hoped the tour would allow him to
secure a new position that would allow him to leave Salzburg. For some
time, Mozart had viewed his native city as an insufficient venue for his
talents. Mozart’s efforts to find employment outside of Salzburg proved
unsuccessful. During this trip, however, Mozart suffered a far more
devastating blow.
The composer’s mother, Anna Maria, accompanied Mozart on the tour.
On July 3, 1778, while in Paris, Anna Maria Mozart died, at the age of 57.
In a letter to his friend, Abbé Bullinger, Mozart revealed:
Her life flickered out like a candle. Three days before her
death she made her confession, partook of the Sacrament
and received Extreme Unction. During the last three days,
however, she was constantly delirious, and today at twentyone minutes past five o’clock the death agony began and
she lost all sensation and consciousness. I pressed her
hand and spoke to her—but she did not see me, she did not
hear me, and all feeling was gone. She lay thus until she
expired five hours later at twenty-one minutes past ten.
Mozart returned to Salzburg in 1779. That year, he composed a pair of
superb works, both in the key of E-flat, and scored for two soloists and
orchestra—the Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364, and the
Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365. Some commentators have suggested
that the Andante of the Sinfonia concertante—one of Mozart’s most
beautiful and tragic slow movements—is a musical expression of the
composer’s grief over his mother’s death.
No such pathos may be found in the buoyant and optimistic Piano
Concerto, K. 365. It is quite possible Mozart wrote this Concerto for
performance by him and his sister, Nannerl, also a fine pianist. Mozart
finally left Salzburg in the spring of 1781 to stake his independence in
Vienna. There, he performed the Concerto on at least a few occasions
with one of his pupils, Josepha Barbara Auernhammer.
Musical Analysis
I. Allegro—The Concerto opens with the traditional orchestral presentation
of the Allegro’s central themes. Typical of Mozart, he introduces an
abundance of captivating melodies. The soloists provide their own take
on the material, often presented as rapid-fire dialogue between the two.
The development section features some dramatic journeys into the minor
key. The soloists’ cascade of notes resolves to a recapitulation that,
departing from convention, couches the first theme in the minor. High
spirits soon return, and a cadenza for the two soloists leads to the
ebullient final bars.
II. Andante—The Concerto’s slow movement is in A—B—A form. After a
brief orchestral introduction, the soloists enter. Mozart’s tender, lyrical
writing for the soloists foreshadows some of his most captivating operatic
duets. The soloists’ final exchange is capped by the orchestra’s
pianissimo response.
III. Rondeau. Allegro—The first violins lead the introduction of the Rondo’s
central, recurring theme. It alternates with various episodes, many
incorporating the theme. Throughout the writing for the soloists is spirited
and virtuosic. A cadenza for the soloists leads to a final statement of the
Rondo theme, capped by an orchestral fanfare.
Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet, Suites 1 and 2, Opus No. 64bis/64ter
(1935-6)
Sergei Prokofiev was born in Sontsovka, Russia, on April 23, 1891, and
died in Moscow, Russia, on March 5, 1953. The first performance of the
ballet, Romeo and Juliet, took place at the Brno Opera House in
Czechoslovakia, on December 30, 1938. The Suites are scored for piccolo,
two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, tenor
saxophone, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets,
cornet, three trombones, tuba, timpani, xylophone, triangle, military drum,
suspended cymbal, cymbals a2, suspended cymbals, triangle, bass drum,
tambourine, orchestra bells, maracas, triangle harp, piano/celeste, and
strings. Approximate performance time is forty-two minutes.
First Classical Subscription Performances: April 10, 11 and 12, 1980, Louis
Lane, Conductor.
Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: May 13, 14, 15, and 16,
2010, Ludovic Morlot, Conductor.
The Leningrad premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet, Romeo and Juliet, took
place on July 11, 1940, more than four and one-half years after the Russian
composer completed his magnificent score. At a reception following the
performance, the great ballerina, Galina Ulanova—who danced the part of Juliet,
and was to become indelibly associated with the role—offered the following toast,
a play on the concluding lines of the Shakespeare original:
Never was a story of more woe
Than this of Prokofiev’s music for Romeo.
According to Ulanova, Prokofiev enjoyed this little joke as much as anyone.
Certainly, the composer had to feel relieved at the triumphant conclusion of an
odyssey wracked with trials and frustrations at every turn.
In the latter part of 1934, the Kirov Theater approached Prokofiev, with the
proposal to stage a new ballet. Prokofiev decided upon an adaptation of
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The Kirov later negated the contract.
Prokofiev then reached an agreement with the Moscow Bolshoi Theater to
produce the new work. A premiere was scheduled for the end of 1935.
Prokofiev worked at a feverish pace, completing his Romeo and Juliet score in
less than five months’ time. However, as Prokofiev related in his autobiography:
“the Bolshoi Theater declared (the ballet) impossible to dance to and the contract
was broken.”
Romeo and Juliet did not receive its first Russian performance until 1940 (the
actual premiere took place on December 30, 1938, at the Brno Opera in
Czechoslovakia). Prokofiev adapted music from his Romeo and Juliet ballet for
two Orchestral Suites (premiered, respectively, in Moscow, in 1936, and
Leningrad, in 1937) as well as a collection of Ten Pieces for Solo Piano, Opus 75
(1937). Prokofiev completed a third Orchestral Suite in 1946. Prior to the 1938
Brno premiere, yet another contract to produce Prokofiev’s Romeo was broken,
this time by the Leningrad Ballet School.
Finally, the Kirov Theater agreed to stage the Russian premiere. Despite the
success of the January 1940 opening, it too was preceded by a period of storm
and strife worthy of the Montagues and Capulets. Prokofiev’s score so
intimidated the performers that they threatened a boycott, just a few weeks
before the scheduled premiere. Finally, however, the genius of Prokofiev’s
masterpiece gained the troupe's confidence. Ulanova recalled:
The more we listened to it, the more we worked, experimented and
searched, the more clearly emerged the images that the music
created. And gradually as we came to understand the music, we
no longer found it difficult to dance to; it became clear both
choreographically and psychologically. And now if I were to be
asked what the music of Romeo and Juliet should be like, I would
say without hesitation: like Prokofiev's, for I cannot now conceive of
any other music.
Musical Analysis
I. Montagues and Capulets (Suite 2, No.1)—The brief and fierce introduction is
derived from an Interlude that follows the Prince of Verona’s warning to the
battling Montague and Capulet families. After the introduction, the Dance of the
Knights begins. Over a forceful, repeated accompaniment by the lower strings
and brass, the violins play an angular, almost sardonic theme. Following a lyrical
interlude, the saxophone inaugurates a varied reprise of the Dance of the
Knights.
II. The Young Girl Juliet (Suite 2, No. 2)—The playful nature of the thirteen-yearold Juliet is marvelously depicted by the spiccato violin figures, but there is also
more reflective music that suggests the blossoming young woman.
III. Minuet (Suite 1, No. 4)—The Minuet accompanies the arrival of the guests to
a ball at the Capulet home. The stately, principal dance alternates with
contrasting episodes.
IV. Masks (Suite 1, No. 5)—Romeo, Montague’s son, and his friend, Mercutio,
arrive at the ball, wearing disguises. Capulet and his wife enter with their
daughter Juliet. They bid the musicians to play, and the guests to dance. At the
sight of Juliet, Romeo immediately falls in love with the beautiful young woman.
The lighthearted Masks is notable for its use of percussion, solo brass, and
woodwinds.
V. Romeo and Juliet (Balcony Scene) (Suite 1, No. 6)—At night, Romeo stands
beneath Juliet’s balcony and prays for her to appear. Juliet comes to the
balcony, and the two declare their eternal love. The opening of this excerpt,
featuring flutes, clarinets, harp, and muted, divided strings, is a magical
evocation of night. The music soon reflects the lovers’ growing ardor. Finally,
the nocturnal mood of the opening returns, as the lovers bid farewell.
VI. Death of Tybalt (Suite 1, No. 7)—Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo
is now married to Juliet, and therefore, Tybalt’s cousin. Romeo therefore refuses
to fight. Mercutio intercedes and is mortally wounded by Tybalt. When Romeo
learns that his friend has died, he is overcome with anger, and kills Tybalt.
Prokofiev depicts Tybalt’s death with fifteen successive, violent orchestral
chords. A searing funeral procession follows, concluding with a chilling, tutti
outburst.
VII. Dance of the Maids from the Antilles (Suite 2, No. 6)—Juliet is forced by her
parents to marry Count Paris. On the day of Juliet’s wedding, handmaidens
surround her, bearing lilies. The music, featuring solo winds and muted violin, is
of the utmost delicacy.
VIII. Romeo at the Tomb of Juliet (Suite 2, No. 7)—Juliet, hoping to escape with
Romeo, drinks a potion that places her in a deep sleep, simulating the
appearance of death. The Capulet family carries Juliet’s lifeless body to the
family tomb. Romeo has learned of Juliet's supposed death and has rushed to
the Capulet tomb. The music depicting the funeral procession—and Romeo's
despair—develops a shattering momentum and intensity. After the climax, the
music subsides to a pianissimo whisper.
IX. Juliet’s Death (Ballet score)—Romeo drinks poison and dies. Juliet awakens
and sees her dead husband. She takes Romeo’s knife and kills herself.