Download asoprogram - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

ASOprogram
Notes on the Program
By Ken Meltzer
Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah” (1942)
leonard bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on August 25,
1918, and died in New York on October 14, 1990. The first performance of the “Jeremiah”
Symphony took place at Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 28, 1944,
with Jennie Tourel as mezzo-soprano soloist, and the composer conducting the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra. The “Jeremiah” Symphony is scored for mezzo-soprano solo, piccolo,
three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, two
bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani,
snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, wood block, piano and strings. Approximate
performance time is twenty-five minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: January 25, 1964,
Beverly Wolff, Mezzo-Soprano, Robert Mann, Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: May 12, 13 and 14,
2005, Nancy Maultsby, Mezzo-Soprano, Robert Spano, Conductor.
ASO Recording: “Lamentation”—Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano,
Robert Spano, Conductor (Telarc CD-80638)
“Like a shoestring catch in center field”
E
arly in the morning of November 14, 1943, Leonard Bernstein, then a 25-yearold Assistant Conductor with the New York Philharmonic, received a call from
Bruno Zirato, the Orchestra’s Manager. Zirato informed Bernstein that Bruno Walter,
the conductor scheduled to lead that afternoon’s New York Philharmonic program at
Carnegie Hall, was ill. Bernstein would substitute for Walter and conduct the nationally
broadcast concert. The young conductor was about to lead the first complete concert
program of his conducting career, and without benefit of a rehearsal!
Despite all the challenges presented by these extraordinary events, the concert was a triumph
for Bernstein. The next day, the New York Times featured the story on its front page. The Daily
News reported that Bernstein’s debut was “one of those opportunities like a shoestring catch
in center field. Make it, and you’re a hero. Muff it and you’re a dope…He made it.”
American audiences, who had long believed that Europe was the sole birthplace for great conductors, embraced the handsome, dynamic and charismatic Bernstein. He was soon in great
demand to conduct the New York Philharmonic, as well as other major orchestras throughout
the United States.
Bernstein’s conducting teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia was Fritz Reiner,
then Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. At Reiner’s invitation, Bernstein
Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 29
made his conducting debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony on January 28, 1944. Bernstein
led the Pittsburgh Symphony in Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, as well as the world premiere
of a work the young composer/conductor completed in 1942, his Symphony No. 1, subtitled
“Jeremiah.” Bernstein dedicated the “Jeremiah” Symphony to his father, Samuel Bernstein.
Bernstein on his “Jeremiah” Symphony
Bernstein provided the following commentary for the January 28, 1944 premiere:
In the summer of 1939 I made a sketch for a “Lamentation” for soprano and
orchestra. This sketch lay forgotten for two years, until in the spring of 1942 I
began a first movement of a symphony. I then realized that this new movement,
and the scherzo that I planned to follow it, made logical concomitants with the
“Lamentation.” Thus the symphony came into being, with the “Lamentation”
greatly changed, and the soprano supplanted by a mezzo-soprano. The work
was finished on 31 December 1942 and is dedicated to my father.
The symphony does not make use to any great extent of actual Hebrew thematic
material. The first theme of the scherzo is paraphrased from a traditional Hebrew
chant, and the opening phrase of the vocal part in the “Lamentation” is based
upon a liturgical cadence still sung today in commemoration of the destruction of
the Jerusalem by Babylon. Other remembrances of Hebrew liturgical music are a
matter of emotional quality, rather than of the notes themselves.
As for the programmatic meanings, the intention is not one of literalness, but of emotional quality. Thus the first movement (“Prophecy”) aims only to parallel in feeling
the intensity of the prophet’s pleas with the people; and the scherzo (“Profanation”)
to give a general sense of the destruction and chaos brought on by the pagan corruption within the priesthood and the people. The third movement (“Lamentation”),
being a setting of poetic text, is naturally a more literary conception. It is the cry of
Jeremiah, as he mourns his beloved Jerusalem, ruined, pillaged, and dishonored
after his desperate attempts to save it. The text is from the book of Lamentations.
—Leonard Bernstein
In a 1992 commentary included in the score of the “Jeremiah” Symphony, Jack Gottlieb contends:
Actually, the composer was not aware that there was more influence of liturgical
motives upon the music than he consciously knew. This is certainly a testament
to his upbringing as a Jew both in the synagogue and at home, particularly
through the example of his scholarly and God-loving father, Samuel J. Bernstein
(to whom the Symphony is dedicated).
I. Prophecy; Largamente
II. Profanation; Vivace con brio
III. Lamentation; Lento (mezzo-soprano solo and orchestra)
30 Encore Atlanta
ASOprogram
Hebrew Transliteration and English Translation
Eicha
PEREQ 1.1-3
From “The Lamentations of Jeremiah”
CHAPTER 1.1-3
Eicha yashva vadad ha-ir
Rabati am
Hay’ta k’almana:
Rabati vagoyim
Sarati bam’dinot
Hay’ta lamas.
How doth the city sit solitary,
That was full of people!
How is she become as a widow?
She that was great among the nations.
And princess among the provinces.
How is she become tributary!
Bacho tivkeh balaila,
V’dim’ata al lecheya;
En la m’nachem
Mikol ohaveha;
Kol re’eha bag’du va,
Hayu la l’oy’vim.
She weepeth sore in the night,
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She hath none to comfort her
Among all her lovers;
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
They are become her enemies.
Galta Y’huda meoni,
Umerov avoda:
Hi yashva vogoyim
Lo matsa mano-ach;
Kol rod’feha hisiguha
Ben hamitsarim.
Judah is gone into exile because of affliction.
And because of great servitude;
She dwelleth among the nations,
She findeth no rest.
All her pursuers overtook her
Within the narrow passes.
PEREQ 1.8
CHAPTER 1.8
Chet chata Y’rushalayim
(Eicha yashva vadad ha-ir
…k’almana.)
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned…
How doth the city sit solitary
…a widow.
PEREQ 4.14-15
CHAPTER 4.14-15
Na-u ivrim bachutsot
N’go-alu badam,
B’lo yuchlu
Yig’u bilvushehem.
They wander as blind men in the streets,
They are polluted with blood,
So that men cannot
Touch their garments.
Suru tame kar’u lamo,
Suru, suru al tiga-u…
Depart, ye unclean! they cried unto them,
Depart, depart! Touch us not…
PEREQ 5.20-21
CHAPTER 5.20-21
Lama lanetsach tishkachenu…
Lanetsach taazvenu…
Wherefore dost Thou forget us forever,
And forsake us so long time?...
Hashivenu Adonai elecha…
Turn Thou us unto Thee, O Lord…
Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 31
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 38 (1962)
samuel barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 1910, and
died in New York on January 23, 1981. The first performance of the Piano Concerto took
place at Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, on
September 24, 1962, with John Browning as piano soloist and Erich Leinsdorf conducting
the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the solo piano, the Concerto is scored for
piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons,
four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals,
suspended cymbal, antique cymbals, tam-tam, tom-tom (low), triangle, xylophone, whip,
harp and strings. Approximate performance time is twenty-six minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: March 5, 1964,
John Browning, Piano, Henry Sopkin, Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: April 18, 19
and 20, 1985, John Browning, Piano, Louis Lane, Conductor.
ASO Recording: Jon Kimura Parker, Piano, Yoel Levi, Conductor
(Telarc CD-80441)
S
amuel Barber composed his Piano Concerto in response to a 1959 commission by
G. Schirmer, Inc. The music publishing firm commissioned the work in celebration
of its centenary. The premiere of the Concerto was scheduled to coincide with the 1962
opening of Philharmonic Hall at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
In 1956, Barber attended New York Philharmonic rehearsals in preparation for a concert featuring the premiere of his orchestral piece, Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, Opus
29A. Also on the program was Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov’s virtuoso work for solo
piano and orchestra, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43 (1934). The soloist in the
Rachmaninov was the brilliant young American pianist, John Browning (1933-2003). Barber
was immediately impressed with Browning’s impressive technical and interpretive powers.
From the time Barber received the commission for his Piano Concerto, he envisioned the work
with Browning’s talents in mind.
The composition of the Piano Concerto spanned a period of three years, from the time of
its commission almost to the moment of the 1962 world premiere. The slow second movement originated in 1959 as an Elegy for Flute and Piano. Barber wrote the Elegy for the
young German art student and amateur flutist, Manfred Ibel, to whom he also dedicated the
Concerto. Barber later expanded and orchestrated the Elegy into the Piano Concerto’s secondmovement Canzone. By 1960, Barber also completed the Concerto’s opening movement.
Events delayed the composition of the Concerto’s third (and final) movement. Barber’s sister,
Sara, died on July 3, 1961, plunging the composer into a profound depression that limited his
ability to compose. The following March, Barber accepted an invitation to become the first
American composer to travel to Russia to attend the biennial Congress of Soviet Composers.
32 Encore Atlanta
ASOprogram
During the creation of the Piano Concerto, Barber received and incorporated the advice of
some prominent musicians. Erich Leinsdorf, who led the Concerto’s world premiere, suggested
that Barber change the original, pianissimo ending of the first movement to provide a starker
contrast with the reflective Canzone that immediately follows. In short order, Barber revised
the opening movement to close with a fortissimo outburst. The legendary Russian-born
pianist, Vladimir Horowitz (1904-1989), who performed the world premiere of Barber’s Piano
Sonata, Opus 26 (1949), also offered some counsel on the solo piano writing.
Barber finally completed the Piano Concerto on September 9, 1962, just two weeks before the
scheduled world premiere. The brief remaining time, coupled with the Concerto’s extraordinary demands upon the soloist, placed intense pressure on John Browning. Nevertheless, the
premiere, which took place at Philharmonic Hall on September 24, 1962, with Browning and
the Boston Symphony conducted by Leinsdorf, was a triumph for all concerned. The audience
stood and cheered a work immediately hailed as one of the most important American concert
works of recent memory. Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto won both the Pulitzer Prize (1963)
and Music Critics’ Circle Award (1964).
Musical Analysis
I. Allegro appassionato—In program notes for the world premiere of his Piano Concerto,
Samuel Barber provided the following description of the opening movement:
The Concerto opens with a solo for piano in recitative style in which three themes
or figures are announced, the first declamatory, the second and third rhythmic. The
orchestra interrupts, più mosso, to sing an impassioned main theme, not before
stated. All this material is embroidered more quietly and occasionally whimsically
by piano and orchestra until the tempo slackens (doppio meno mosso) and the
oboe introduces a second lyric section. A development along symphonic lines
leads to a cadenza for the soloist, and a recapitulation with fortissimo ending.
II. Canzone: Moderato—The Concerto’s slow movement opens with a brief, shimmering introduction by the harp and muted violins. A solo flute introduces the lovely, espressivo melody,
the centerpiece of this haunting Canzone (the Italian word for “song”). A dialogue between the
solo flute and oboe precedes the entrance of the soloist, and his version the central melody. A
short, mysterious interlude featuring the strings leads to the return of the soloist and further
elaborations on the principal melody. The Canzone finally resolves to a pianissimo whisper.
III. Allegro molto—The finale opens with a violent, fortissimo introduction by the entire orchestra. The soloist then enters with an ostinato bass figure. Its recurrence throughout the movement, coupled with the finale’s constant 5/8 meter, creates tremendous energy and momentum.
The ostinato alternates with two major contrasting episodes, the first (Meno mosso) introduced
by a macabre dialogue between the solo clarinet and xylophone. The second (Meno mosso) is
a scherzo-like interlude that opens with an elegant figure for the flutes, bass clarinet, muted
trombones and harp that the composer directs be played “gracefully” (con grazia). The ostinato
figure returns, and the soloist leads the ensemble to the Concerto’s thundering conclusion.
Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 33
Symphonic Dances, Opus 45 (1940)
sergei rachmaninov was born in Semyonovo, Russia, on April 1, 1873,
and died in Beverly Hills, California, on March 28, 1943. The first performance of the
Symphonic Dances took place at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
on January 3, 1941, with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. The
Symphonic Dances are scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two
clarinets, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three
trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, piano, bass drum, chimes, cymbals,
drum, orchestra bells, tam-tam, tambourine, triangle, xylophone and strings. Approximate
performance time is thirty-five minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: December 14, 1964, Robert
Mann, Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances:
February 22, 23 and 24, 2007, Robert Spano, Conductor.
O
n June 30, 1938, Russian choreographer Michel Fokine presented
the world premiere of Paganini, his ballet adaptation of Sergei
Rachmaninov’s work for solo piano and orchestra, Rhapsody on a Theme
of Paganini, Opus 43 (1934). Rachmaninov hoped to attend the London performance,
but an injury sustained after a fall in his Swiss villa made that impossible.
Rachmaninov soon regained his health, and the great composer/pianist resumed a demanding
European and American concert tour. Finally, in the spring of 1940, Rachmaninov was able to
enjoy a period of rest. He traveled to Orchard Point, an estate near Huntington, Long Island.
There, Rachmaninov composed his final work, the Symphonic Dances.
“My last spark”
It appears that Rachmaninov first conceived the Symphonic Dances as another potential ballet subject for Fokine. Rachmaninov originally entitled the work “Fantastic Dances,” with the
three movements representing “Midday,” “Twilight,” and “Midnight.” (Rachmaninov later discarded these titles and designated the various movements simply by their tempo markings.)
Prior to orchestrating the work, Rachmaninov played excerpts of the Dances on the piano for
Fokine. However, the choreographer’s death in 1942 prevented any contemplated ballet from
becoming a reality.
Rachmaninov initially scored his Symphonic Dances for two pianos, before completing the
orchestration in the autumn of 1940. He dedicated the work to conductor Eugene Ormandy
and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who gave the premiere of the Symphonic Dances on January
3, 1941. The initial critical reception was not enthusiastic. However, in time, Rachmaninov’s
Symphonic Dances have become widely admired as the composer’s finest orchestral work.
Rachmaninov himself was rather surprised by his accomplishment, observing: “I don’t know
how it happened, it must have been my last spark.”
34 Encore Atlanta
ASOprogram
Rachmaninov, who died two years after the premiere of his Symphonic Dances, never composed another work. While it is not clear that Rachmaninov intended the Symphonic Dances to
be his final composition, the piece does have a decidedly valedictory character. The Symphonic
Dances feature quotations of earlier Rachmaninov works, as well as the Dies Irae (“Day of
Wrath”) chant—a recurring leitmotif in the Russian pianist/composer’s music. Further, the
masterful orchestration, captivating melodies and brilliant juxtaposition of dramatic and lyric
elements reflect a lifetime of devotion to music by one of its towering artists.
Musical Analysis
I. Non allegro—Over furtive string accompaniment, various winds quietly introduce the
opening movement’s principal motif, based upon a “short—short—long” rhythmic figure.
Soon, the motif is presented in a far more aggressive fashion. An expansive, lyrical interlude
(Lento) features a solo alto saxophone, the only time that Rachmaninov included this instrument in his music (In this regard, the composer sought the advice of his friend, Broadway
orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett). The beautiful saxophone melody is soon repeated by
the strings. A mysterious transitional passage leads to a reprise of the movement’s opening
section. The coda features hints of the “short—short—long” motif. There is also a quotation, by the strings, of Rachmaninov’s First Symphony, a work that received a disastrous
premiere in 1897. The First Symphony was neither published, nor again performed during
the composer’s lifetime.
II. Andante con moto (Tempo di valse)—Ominous brass fanfares and swirling wind figures
serve as a preamble to an extended, melancholy (and brilliantly scored) waltz. An agitated
coda serves to conclude this central movement.
III. Lento assai: Allegro vivace—The finale opens with a brief, slow introduction (Lento assai),
featuring a sforzando chord, followed by a string fanfare and a descending woodwind passage.
The orchestra launches into the finale’s principal Allegro vivace section, a fantasia on the Dies
Irae, in which the foreboding plainchant is presented in various instrumental and rhythmic
guises. As in the opening movement, the finale offers a lengthy contrasting central episode in
slow tempo (Lento assai). Fanfares by the winds and strings herald the return of the Allegro
vivace. Soon, however, the Dies Irae is confronted by another melody. It is an orchestral setting of a portion of the chorus “Blessed Art Thou, O Lord” from Rachmaninov’s Vespers, Opus
37 (1915). After the Vespers quotation, the Symphonic Dances conclude in resolute fashion,
with five emphatic sforzando-forte chords.
Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 35