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Concerts of Saturday, November 2, 2013, at 7:30p, and Sunday, November 3, 2013, at 2:00p. James Gaffigan, Conductor Stephen Hough, Piano Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2) (1931-33) I. ♩ =144 II. half note=circa 44 III. ♩ =144 Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat Major, S. 124 (1855) I. Allegro maestoso. Tempo giusto II. Quasi Adagio III. Allegretto vivace IV. Allegro marziale animato Stephen Hough, Piano Intermission Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Pétrouchka (1947 version) First Part: The Shrovetide Fair Second Part: Pétrouchka Third Part: The Moor Fourth Part: The Shrovetide Fair Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2) (1931-33) Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 14, 1900, and died in North Tarrytown, New York, on December 2, 1990. The first performance of the Short Symphony took place in Mexico City, Mexico, on November 23, 1934, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de México, conducted by Carlos Chávez. The Short Symphony is scored for piccolo, two flutes, alto flute, two oboes, English horn, heckelphone (optional), two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, piano and strings. Approximate performance time is sixteen minutes. These are the first ASO Classical Subscription Performances. American composer Aaron Copland wrote his Second Symphony, Short Symphony “at intervals between 1931 and 1933 in a variety of places from Morocco to Mexico.” At the time, Copland was gravitating toward a “purer, non-programmatic style, an attempt toward an economy of material and transparency of texture.” Copland observed: “If I expended a great deal of time and effort on the Short Symphony, it was because I was determined to write as perfected a piece as I possibly could.” Two great maestros, Leopold Stokowski and Serge Koussevitsky, “announced performances, but gave it up because of the rhythmic difficulties. Koussevitsky considered the piece for a year and a half. When (Copland) asked him, “Is it too difficult?” he responded, “Non, ce n’est pas trop difficile, c’est impossible!” The premiere of the Short Symphony took place in Mexico City on November 23, 1934, with composer and conductor Carlos Chávez leading the Symphony Orchestra of Mexico. Chávez informed Copland: “We had ten rehearsals…the orchestra men were at first skeptical but by the third rehearsal or so they had a real genuine and growing interest…” Chávez praised the Short Symphony’s remarkable economy and unity of musical expression: The way each and every note comes out from the other as the only natural and logical possible one, is simply unprecedented in the whole of music...There has been much talk about music in which everything is essential, nothing superfluous…The Little Symphony is the first realization I know of that, and yet, the human content, the ironic expression, is purely emotional… In 1937, Copland arranged the Short Symphony as a Sextet, for clarinet, string quartet and piano. The United States premiere of the orchestral Short Symphony took place on January 9, 1944 in an NBC Symphony radio broadcast from Studio 8-H in New York, with Stokowski conducting. Stokowski confessed: “It is still a difficult work to perform, and even more so to interpret.” Copland considered the Short Symphony “one of my ‘neglected children’ and am perhaps more fond of these works because they receive so much less attention.” During his 80th year, Copland conducted the Short Symphony at Carnegie Hall, and was delighted when a violinist approached him and said: “In my opinion, Mr. Copland you, Mr. Copland, taught American orchestras to play in 5/4!” Aaron Copland provided the following description of his Short Symphony: It is in three movements—fast, slow, fast—to played without pause. The first movement’s main impetus is rhythmic, with a scherzo-like quality. All melodic figures result form a nine-note sequence—a kind of row— from the opening two bars. The second movement, tranquil in feeling, contrast with the first movement, and with the finale, which is again rhythmically intricate, bright in color and free in form. I. ♩ =144 II. half note=circa 44 III. ♩ =144 Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, S. 124 (1855) Franz Liszt was born in Raiding, Hungary, on October 22, 1811, and died in Bayreuth, Germany, on July 31, 1886. The first performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1 took place at the hall of the palace of the Grand Duke of Weimar, Germany, on February 17, 1855, with the composer as soloist, and Hector Berlioz conducting. In addition to the solo piano, the Concerto No. 1 is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, triangle, cymbals and strings. Approximate performance time is nineteen minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: November 30, 1947, Despy Karlas, Piano, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: February 17, 18 and 19, 2011, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano, Jaap van Zweden, Conductor. “A giant” The Hungarian-born Franz Liszt was one of the greatest and most charismatic virtuosos in music history. As a child, Liszt displayed a remarkable keyboard talent that he refined under the tutelage of the eminent Austrian teacher, pianist and composer, Carl Czerny. By the age of 12, Liszt had already become an acclaimed concert pianist. There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, that Ludwig van Beethoven, who had been Czerny’s teacher, attended a Liszt recital in 1823 and after the concert, kissed the young boy on the forehead. On March 9, 1831, Liszt was present at the Paris debut of the legendary Nicolò Paganini. The young Liszt was overwhelmed by the Italian violinist’s extraordinary fusion of showmanship and technical prowess. Liszt vowed that he would replicate, and perhaps even exceed, Paganini’s charismatic hold upon an audience. The following year, Liszt heard Frédéric Chopin for the first time, and realized that poetry could move the listener with a force that rivaled the most impressive displays of virtuoso pyrotechnics. Liszt exerted an almost otherworldly control over his audiences, due in great part to his technical and interpretive mastery. It was not uncommon for members of the audience to faint during a Liszt recital. Many of those who remained conscious would rush to the stage and try to retrieve such souvenirs as Liszt’s cigar stubs, gloves and broken piano strings. These items took on an almost religious significance for his devoted followers. Franz Liszt, the legendary virtuoso pianist and showman, sometimes overshadows his considerable achievements as a composer. Liszt’s phenomenal technique and keen ear allowed him to create works that explored new vistas in keyboard sonorities. Hallé once attended a concert in which Hector Berlioz conducted the March to the Scaffold from his orchestral work, the Fantastic Symphony. Liszt then played his own transcription for solo piano of the same piece, “with an effect even surpassing that of the full orchestra, and creating an indescribable furore.” One of the great pioneers of the Romantic movement, Liszt advanced the concept of music as a form of programmatic expression and, in fact, invented the term “sinfonische Dichtung” (“symphonic poem”). He also demonstrated bold and revolutionary possibilities for traditional musical conventions and forms, as in the case of his Piano Concerto No. 1. The Piano Concerto No. 1 Liszt may have begun sketches for his First Piano Concerto in the early 1830s. He worked on both the First and Second Concertos during the years 1839-40. However, Liszt’s prolific career as a concert performer delayed completion of both works until 1849, by which time he had been appointed Kapellmeister of the Weimar Court. Liszt revised the Concertos in 1853 and orchestrated them with the aid his pupil, the composer Joachim Raff. The premiere of the First Piano Concerto took place on February 17, 1855, at the hall of the palace of the Grand Duke of Weimar, with Liszt as soloist. The conductor was French composer Hector Berlioz, whose works Liszt championed in Weimar. The score of the First Piano Concerto was published two years later. Musical Analysis Liszt’s first Piano Concerto is cast in a single continuous movement that divides into four sections, each played without pause. I. Allegro maestoso. Tempo giusto—The Concerto opens with the strings’ emphatic, fortissimo statement of a motif, to which the winds and brass respond with a short fanfare. The soloist responds with a grand cadenza. The principal motif and fanfare return throughout the opening section, featuring numerous dazzling episodes for the soloist. The opening section concludes with the pianist’s delicate, ascending flourish. II. Quasi Adagio— Muted strings introduce an ascending and descending theme soon played by the soloist. The music becomes increasingly tempestuous and then calms. The solo flute, accompanied by the soloist’s ethereal trills, introduces a serene melody that serves as a bridge to the following section. III. Allegretto vivace—The scherzo portion of the Concerto (Allegretto vivace) is a gossamer dance in ¾ time, enhanced by the triangle’s sparkling presence. The solo cadenza and ensuing Allegro animato feature a reprise of the opening section’s principal motif, as well the flute melody from the Quasi Adagio portion. IV. Allegro marziale animato—The theme that served to open the Quasi Adagio portion of the Concerto is now transformed into a sprightly march. The pianist, followed by the winds, restate the lyrical flute melody that preceded the scherzo portion of the Concerto. The music of the scherzo returns as well. The Concerto’s initial motif makes a final appearance in the brilliant closing pages. Pétrouchka (1947 version) Igor Stravinsky was born in Lomonosov, Russia, on June 17, 1882, and died in New York on April 6, 1971. The first performance of Pétrouchka took place at the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, France, on June 13, 1911, with Pierre Monteux conducting. The 1947 version of Pétrouchka is scored for piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, English horn, three clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, tambourine, snare drum, small snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, suspended cymbal, snare drum without snares, bass drum with attached cymbals, triangle, xylophone, tam-tam, piano, celeste and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-five minutes. First ASO Classical Subscription Performance (1947 version): January 31, 1955, Igor Stravinsky, Conductor. Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: March 11, 12 and 13, 2010, Vasily Sinaisky, Conductor. Igor Stravinsky's Pétrouchka was the second in the remarkable trilogy of ballets he composed for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. While completing his first Diaghilev work, The Firebird (1910), Stravinsky had a vision of a scenario that would become his infamous ballet, The Rite of Spring (1913). In his autobiography, Stravinsky recalled: I saw in imagination a solemn pagan rite: sage elders, seated in a circle, watched a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of spring. Such was the theme of the Sacre du Printemps. I must confess this vision made a deep impression on me... “A puppet, suddenly endowed with life” Stravinsky communicated that vision to Diaghilev, who was immediately “carried away by the idea.” However, Stravinsky delayed composition of The Rite of Spring, traveling with his family to Switzerland for a much-needed vacation: Before tackling the Sacre du Printemps, which would be a long and difficult task, I wanted to refresh myself by composing an orchestral piece in which the piano would play the most important part—a sort of Konzertstück. In composing the music, I had in my mind a distinct picture of a puppet, suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of the orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios. The orchestra in turn retaliates with menacing trumpet blasts. The outcome is a terrific noise which reaches its climax and ends in the sorrowful and querulous collapse of the poor puppet. Having finished this bizarre piece, I struggled for hours, while walking beside the Lake of Geneva, to find a title which would express in a word the character of my music and, consequently, the personality of this creature. One day I leapt for joy. I had indeed found my title—Pétrouchka, the immortal and unhappy hero of every fair in all the countries. Soon afterwards Diaghilev came to visit me at Clarens, where I was staying. He was astonished when, instead of sketches of the Sacre, I played him the piece I had just composed and which later became the second scene of Pétrouchka. He was so much pleased with it that he would not leave it alone and began persuading me to develop the theme of the puppet's sufferings and make it into a whole ballet. While he remained in Switzerland we worked out together the general lines of the subject and the plot in accordance with ideas which I suggested. We settled the scene of action: the fair, with its crowd, its booths, the little traditional theater, the character of the magician, with all his tricks; and the coming to life of the dolls—Pétrouchka, his rival, and the dancer—and their love tragedy, which ends with Pétrouchka’s death. Stravinsky worked on the score of Pétrouchka during the winter of 1910-11, although a severe case of nicotine poisoning caused him to suspend activities for a month. Stravinsky's health returned, and in the early spring of 1911, he traveled to Rome to complete Pétrouchka and rehearse the new work with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, then performing at the Teatro Costanzi. A remarkable team collaborated on the premiere of Stravinsky's Pétrouchka. By agreement of the composer and Diaghilev, Alexandre Benois served as stage and costume designer. The production was choreographed by Michel Fokine and conducted by the superb French maestro, Pierre Monteux, whom Stravinsky praised for achieving “a very clean and finished execution of my score.” The rehearsals were not free of difficulty. Stravinsky continued to revise his score, as the dancers struggled with both the heat of the early Roman spring and Pétrouchka’s intricate rhythms. Slowly, however, the production began to take shape, and enthusiasm for the project grew. “I have just seen the greatest actor in the world!” The soloists included Tamara Karsavina as the Ballerina, Enrico Cecchetti as the Old Wizard, Alexander Orlov as the Moor, and the incomparable Vaslav Nijinsky as Pétrouchka. Nijinsky’s portrayal of the melancholy puppet was perhaps the greatest triumph of his spectacular career. By all accounts, Nijinsky succeeded beyond even the highest expectations in conveying the pathetic humanity of the title character. After witnessing Nijinsky’s interpretation of Pétrouchka, Sarah Bernhardt exclaimed: “I am afraid, I am afraid—because I have just seen the greatest actor in the world!” The Ballets Russes’ premiere of Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka took place at the Paris Théâtre du Chatelet on June 13, 1911. While the production was generally a success, more than a few observers were taken aback by music that was brittle, caustic, and at times, even grotesque. One critic approached Diaghilev after a dress rehearsal and exclaimed: “And it was to hear this that you invited us!” “Exactly,” was Diaghilev’s reply. When Diaghilev and his company traveled to Vienna in 1913, the Vienna Philharmonic initially refused to play the score, deriding Pétrouchka as “schmutzige Musik” (“dirty music”). One wonders what (probably unprintable) invectives these musicians applied to The Rite of Spring, a score that would shock the music world in just a few months’ time. In 1947, Stravinsky penned a revised version of Pétrouchka for a reduced orchestra. The 1947 version also provides an optional fff close to the ambiguous, piano conclusion of the original. In either guise, Pétrouchka—along with its Ballets Russes siblings, The Firebird and The Rite of Spring—continue to challenge and thrill audiences with a dramatic impact that is as fresh as when the works first appeared. The Story and the Music First Part: The Shrovetide Fair—The action of Pétrouchka takes place in the 1830s in Admiralty Square, St. Petersburg, during Shrovetide rejoicing. Stravinsky’s stunning orchestration and rapidly changing rhythms brilliantly depict the hustle and bustle of the fair. An organ grinder and dancing girl entertain the crowd. Drummers announce the appearance of the Old Wizard, who charms the captivated audience. The Old Wizard uses a flute to cast a magic spell. Suddenly, the curtain rises on a tiny theater, revealing three puppets—Pétrouchka, the Ballerina and the Moor. The puppets perform a vigorous Russian dance (Danse Russe). Second Part: Pétrouchka—The scene changes to Pétrouchka's cell, whose walls are decorated with black stars, a half-moon, and a portrait of the frowning Old Wizard. Pétrouchka lands in his cell with a resounding crash. Although Pétrouchka is a puppet, he feels human emotions, including bitterness toward the Old Wizard for his imprisonment, as well as love for the beautiful Ballerina. Pétrouchka unsuccessfully tries to escape from his cell. The Ballerina enters. Pétrouchka attempts to profess his love, but the Ballerina rejects his pathetic advances. Third Part: The Moor—The scene changes to the Moor’s lavishly decorated cell. The Moor, who is magnificently dressed, lies on a low sofa, playing with a coconut. The Ballerina, who is attracted by the Moor’s handsome appearance, enters his room. The two begin their lovemaking (Valse), interrupted by the entrance of Pétrouchka. The angry Moor chases Pétrouchka away. Fourth Part: The Shrovetide Fair—The scene returns to the fairground, where a series of characters come and go (Wet-Nurses’ Dance, Peasant with Bear, Gypsies and a Rake Vendor, Dance of the Coachmen, and Masqueraders). At the height of the festivities, a cry is heard from the puppet-theater. The Moor chases Pétrouchka into the crowd and kills him with his scimitar (Death of Pétrouchka). The police question the Old Wizard, who reminds everyone that Pétrouchka is but a puppet with a wooden head, and a body filled with sawdust. Night falls and the crowd disperses. Alone, the Old Wizard is terrified to see the ghost of Pétrouchka, leering from the roof of the little theater.