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Concerts of Thursday, February 21, Friday, February 22, and Saturday, February 23, 2013, at 8:00p Robert Spano, Conductor Olli Mustonen, Conductor Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Overture to La forza del destino (1862) Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) Concerto in modo misolidio (1925) I. Moderato II. Lendto III. Passacaglia. Allegro energico Olli Mustonen, Piano Intermission Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Opus 73 (1877) I. Allegro non troppo II. Adagio non troppo III. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andantino) IV. Allegro con spirito Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Overture to La forza del destino (1862) Giuseppe Verdi was born in Roncole, Italy, on October 9 or 10, 1813, and died in Milan, Italy, on January 27, 1901. The first performance of La forza del destino took place at the Bolshoi Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 10, 1862. The Overture to La forza del destino is scored for piccolo, flute, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum and strings. Approximate performance time is eight minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: April 26, 27 and 28, 1979, Robert Shaw, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: April 14, 15 and 16, 2011, Arild Remmereit, Conductor. In 1861, the famous tenor Enrico Tamberlik proposed that Giuseppe Verdi compose an opera—based upon a story of the Italian composer’s choosing—for the Imperial Theater of St. Petersburg, Russia. Verdi finally decided upon a sprawling 1830s Spanish play, Don Alvaro, or The Force of Destiny, by Angel Pérez de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas. Francesco Maria Piave, Verdi’s librettist for several works, including Macbeth, Rigoletto, and La traviata, adapted the work for the operatic stage. The premiere took place in St. Petersburg on November 10, 1862. Although Forza was a success with the public, Verdi felt the score was not sufficiently concise. Verdi finally revised the opera for an 1869 carnival season production at the La Scala Opera House in Milan. By that time, Piave had suffered a debilitating stroke. Verdi called upon the services of Antonio Ghislanzoni to assist him in reworking the libretto. The revised La forza del destino, which premiered at La Scala on February 27, 1869, was a resounding triumph and continues to be the version performed in opera houses around the world. To this day, some find Forza’s epic length (expanded by several crowd scenes) somewhat problematic. However, the basic tale is relatively straightforward. The story takes place in Spain and Italy, toward the middle of the 18th century. Don Alvaro accidentally kills the Marquis of Calatrava—the father of the woman he loves, Leonora di Vargas. Don Carlo, the Marquis’s son, searches for Don Alvaro and Leonora in order to avenge his father’s death. Don Carlo finally confronts Don Alvaro (now a priest), and challenges him to a duel. Don Alvaro mortally wounds Don Carlo, who in turn fatally stabs Leonora when she tries to comfort her brother. Don Alvaro curses the fates, but when he finally prays for forgiveness, Leonora dies in peace. Verdi composed a Prelude for the original, 1862 version of La forza del destino that he revised into the famous Overture for the 1869 La Scala production. It is a magnificent orchestral showpiece that remains Verdi’s most popular overture in the concert hall. Typical of overtures of the time, it incorporates various melodies from the opera. The Overture begins with the repeated ominous brass chords that serve to open Act II (Allegro). The strings play the relentless, churning destiny motif that pursues Leonora di Vargas throughout the opera. Several further melodies from the opera—often accompanied by the destiny motif—are introduced with the unerring contrast and inexorable forward motion that are hallmarks of one of the lyric theater’s greatest dramatists. A rousing coda brings The Force of Density Overture to a stunning conclusion. Concerto in modo misolidio for Piano and Orchestra (1925) Ottorino Respighi was born in Bologna, Italy, on July 9, 1879, and died in Rome, Italy, on April 18, 1936. The first performance of the Concerto in modo misolidio took place at Carnegie Hall in New York on December 31, 1925, with the composer as soloist, and Willem Mengelberg conducting the New York Philharmonic. In addition to the solo piano, the Concerto in modo misolidio is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, tam-tam and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-eight minutes. These are the first ASO Classical Subscription Performances. In the final two decades of his life, Italian composer Ottorino Respighi turned to music of the distant past as the basis for his own compositions. Such works as the three Sets of Ancient Airs and Dances (1917, 1923, 1931), the Concerto gregoriano for Violin and Orchestra (1921), the Quartetto dorico (1924) and Metamorphosen modi XII, Theme and Variations for Orchestra (1929-30) are fine examples of Respighi’s use of older (and even ancient) music to create new, contemporary-sounding works. In the Concerto in modo misolidio, Respighi used the Mixolydian mode as the basis for a work for solo piano and orchestra. The Mixolydian is the seventh of the eight church modes, the basis for Gregorian chant (the Mixolydian mode encompasses the octave from G to G, with the F-sharp of the G-Major diatonic scale replaced by an F natural). In particular, Respighi incorporated the plainchant Viri Galilaei, the Introit for the Mass of Ascension Day. A translation of the chant reads: “Men of Galilee, why are you gazing in astonishment at the sky? alleluia; just as you have seen Him ascend into Heaven, so in like manner, shall He return, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. All nations, clap your hands; shout unto God with a voice of joy.” Respighi’s score of the Concerto in modo misolidio includes the phrase “Omnes gentes plaudite manibus,” a quote from the Viri Galilaei chant (“All nations, clap your hands”). Respighi was the soloist in the world premiere of his Concerto in modo misolidio, which took place at New York’s Carnegie Hall on December 31, 1925. Willem Mengelberg, longtime Music Director of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, led the New York Philharmonic. Over the next few years, Respighi’s Concerto in the Mixolydian Mode received performances throughout Europe. The work seemed to fare better with audiences than with critics. Over time, the Concerto in modo misolidio disappeared from the concert stage. It has only been in recent years that this fascinating, beautiful work has enjoyed a well-deserved renaissance. Musical Analysis I. Moderato—A fortissimo proclamation by the orchestra is prelude to the entrance of the soloist (A fantasia), who boldly proclaims the Viri Galilaei chant. During the course of this extended solo episode, the pianist introduces another theme, a hushed, flowing melody. Soon, the orchestra begins to make its reappearance, as the music builds to a fortissimo climax, based upon the chant. A diminuendo resolves to a tender exchange between the piano and solo cello. A dramatic fantasia on the themes reaches its fortissimo conclusion, setting the stage for the soloist’s extended, brilliant cadenza, based upon the central themes. The music finally subsides to a whisper. In the arresting final pages (Mistico), the clarinets and bassoons softly chant the Viri Galilaei, over muted strings and the piano’s delicate chords. II. Lento—The cellos, with commentary by the soloist, sing the Lento’s espressivo principal melody, soon incorporated by the violins. The remainder of the Largo features varied presentations of the cello melody. An extended cadenza for the soloist leads, without pause, to the finale. III. Passacaglia. Allegro energico—The finale is in the form of a Passacaglia, a Baroque musical structure featuring variations over a repeated bass theme. The pianist launches the finale with a fortissimo statement of the Passacaglia theme. The ensuing variations often feature the soloist in playful dialogue with members of the orchestra. The piano and full complement of the orchestra join forces for the grand closing measures. Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Opus 73 (1877) Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany, on May 7, 1833, and died in Vienna, Austria, on April 3, 1897. The first performance of the Symphony No. 2 took place in the concert hall of the Musikverein in Vienna on December 30, 1877, with Hans Richter conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. The Symphony No. 2 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani and strings. Approximate performance time is forty minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: April 6, 1950, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: October 14, 15 and 16, 2010, Donald Runnicles, Conductor. “The tramp of a giant” “I shall never write a symphony. You have no idea how the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him beside us.” So Johannes Brahms wrote in 1870 to conductor Hermann Levi. The “giant” Brahms feared was Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose Nine Symphonies form the cornerstone of the orchestral repertoire. Although he attempted the composition of a symphony as early as 1854, it wasn’t until 1876 that the 43-year-old Brahms gathered the courage to complete his First (in C minor, Opus 68). The First Symphony received its premiere on November 4, 1876. Although the premiere and initial subsequent performances were far from unqualified triumphs, Brahms had finally cast aside his trepidation about composing in a genre that invited comparisons to Beethoven. Brahms spent the following summer in Pörtschach, a tiny Austrian village on Lake Wörth. It was there, between the months of June and September 1877, that Brahms composed his Second Symphony. The composer informed his friend, the Viennese music critic, Eduard Hanslick: I am deeply grateful to you, and by way of thanks, this winter I will have a symphony played to you that sounds so cheerful and sweet that you will think I have written it especially for you, or even your young wife! There’s nothing clever about it, you will say; Brahms is a sly one! The Wörthersee is untrodden ground, with melodies flying so fast that you need to watch that you don’t step on any of them. Brahms found Pörtschach a congenial place for musical inspiration. In addition to the Second Symphony, Brahms composed his Violin Concerto (1878), the G-Major Violin Sonata (1878-9), and Two Piano Rhapsodies (1879) while vacationing at the peaceful lakeside village. Brahms’s “Pastoral” Symphony The premiere of the Brahms Second Symphony took place on December 30, 1877, at the concert hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. The eminent conductor, Hans Richter, led the Vienna Philharmonic. Music historian Carl Ferdinand Pohl attended the first performance, and reported to the publisher, Simrock: “It’s done! An exemplary performance, the warmest possible reception, the third movement (allegretto) played again da capo, repeated curtain calls...” Brahms himself conducted the next performance of the D-Major Symphony on January 10, 1878, at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, as well as in February concerts in Holland. The D-Major Symphony seems to reflect the composer’s relaxed state of mind during the happy summer of 1877. The lyrical character of the work—sometimes referred to as Brahms’s “Pörtschach” or “Pastoral” Symphony—certainly is in marked contrast to the storm and stress that pervades the C-minor First (although to be sure, the Second Symphony has its moments of conflict as well, particularly in the first two movements). Brahms referred to his Second Symphony as a “charming new monster” and, in typically self-deprecating fashion, told his friend, Elisabeth von Herzogenberg, that it was merely a little Sinfonia. That of course, is hardly the case, and in spite of Brahms’s protestations to Hanslick that “there is nothing clever about it,” the Second Symphony is a remarkably intricate and unified composition. In its own genial fashion, the D-Major Symphony is as dramatically rewarding as its heroic predecessor. Musical Analysis I. Allegro non troppo—The first movement opens with the cellos and basses intoning a three-note motif that will return in various guises throughout the Symphony. Immediately after this statement of the motif, the winds present the initial theme. After a brief outburst, the mood calms and the violas and cellos sing the waltz-like second theme, recalling the composer’s famous “Lullaby,” Opus 49, Nr. 4 (1868). After another expansive tutti section (spotlighting the three-note motif), the exposition concludes with a reprise of the “Lullaby” melody. The development begins peacefully with the solo horn’s restatement of the initial theme, but soon generates considerable tension. The oboes inaugurate the recapitulation with a piano statement of the initial theme, to which the violins provide a flowing response. The magical closing pages feature a haunting passage for solo horn. II. Adagio non troppo—The cellos play an espressivo statement of the expansive principal theme. The horn (soon joined by the bassoon) introduces a flowing melody, immediately echoed by the oboes, flutes and lower strings. A syncopated theme, cast in 12/8 time and marked dolce (L’istesso tempo, ma grazioso) is first played by the flutes and oboes, and later in soaring fashion by the strings. The repose of the opening section is disturbed by agitated transformations of the various themes. Only in the final measures is calm fully restored. III. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi Andantino)—The third movement begins with the oboe’s presentation of the sprightly principal melody. The melody returns twice more (Tempo primo), alternating with fleet interludes (Presto ma non assai), thematically related to the opening section. The movement concludes with a final statement of the principal melody. IV. Allegro con spirito—The most cheerful finale among Brahms’s Four Symphonies opens with the strings’ sotto voce presentation of the main theme. After the briefest of pauses, the entire orchestra explodes with a joyous forte restatement of the theme. Violins and violas introduce a noble melody that Brahms directs be played largamente (“broadly”). The development section of this sonata-form movement imparts an air of mystery. Soon, the strings quietly reprise the opening theme, and when yet another tutti outburst follows, the festive mood returns. The recapitulation is followed by a coda of extraordinary momentum, power and brilliance.