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Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Seventh Symphony Jan. 10-12, 2014 Michael Stern, music director Noah Geller, violin Corigliano Fantasia on an Ostinato (1986) Beethoven Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra, op. 61 (1806) I. Allegro ma non troppo II. Larghetto III. Rondo. Allegro Noah Geller, violin Intermission Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major, op. 92 (1812) I. Poco sostenuto—Vivace II. Allegretto III. Presto—Assai meno presto IV. Allegro con brio Notes on the program by Ken Meltzer Concert overview John Corigliano (b. 1938) Fantasia on an Ostinato (1986) 16 minutes Piccolo, 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano and strings. • American composer John Corigliano wrote his orchestral Fantasia on an Ostinato in response to a commission in celebration of the 50th anniversary of New York’s WQXR. • A “fantasia” is a piece of music in rather free form, while an “ostinato” is a constantly repeated musical pattern. • The ostinato that forms the basis for Corigliano’s colorful orchestral work is the principal theme from the second movement of the final work on this concert, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. American composer John Corigliano’s Fantasia on an Ostinato began as a work for solo piano, written in 1985 for the Seventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Later, the New York Philharmonic commissioned Corigliano to compose a work to commemorate the 50th anniversary of WQXR Radio. In response to the commission, Corigliano revised, expanded, and orchestrated the original piano score of Fantasia on an Ostinato. The orchestral version of Fantasia on an Ostinato received its premiere on Sept. 18, 1986, with Zubin Mehta conducting the New York Philharmonic. A “fantasia” is a piece of music in rather free form, while an “ostinato” is a constantly repeated musical pattern. The ostinato that serves as the basis for Corigliano’s Fantasia is the principal theme of the second movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Seventh Symphony (1812) (see below). In notes for the premiere of his Fantasia on an Ostinato, Corigliano observed: That music is unique to Beethoven's output because of an inexorable ostinato that continues, unvaried except for a long crescendo and added accompanimental voices, for over four minutes… In Fantasia on an Ostinato I have attempted to combine what I felt were the attractive aspects of minimalism with convincing architecture and emotional expression … the first part explores the rhythmic elements of the ostinato as well as the harmonic implications of its first half. The second part develops and extends the ostinato’s second half, transforming its pungent major-minor descent into a chain of harmonies over which a series of patterns grows continually more ornate. This climaxes in a return of the obsessive Beethoven rhythm and, finally, in the appearance of the Beethoven theme itself. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 61 (1806) 42 minutes Solo violin, for flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. • Beethoven’s only Concerto for solo violin and orchestra is one of the greatest of the 19th century. • The Beethoven Concerto is in three movements. The first, longer than the final two combined, features remarkable interplay between the soloist and orchestra. • The beautiful slow second movement segues without pause to the finale, one of Beethoven’s most joyful creations. Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto premiered at a Vienna concert on Dec. 23, 1806. The soloist for the premiere was among the best available. The Austrian violinist Franz Clement (1780-1842), himself a composer, was an acknowledged virtuoso and leader and director of the orchestra of the Theater an der Wien. Clement was particularly renowned for the grace and lyricism of his playing, as well as his impeccable intonation. Still, there are indications that the first performance of the Violin Concerto left much to be desired. Beethoven composed the Concerto at breakneck speed in order for the work to be presented as part of a benefit concert for Clement. Beethoven penned revisions almost to the moment of the premiere. The structure of the concert program also put such a profound and organic work as the Beethoven Violin Concerto at an extreme disadvantage. After the opening movement, Clement interrupted the performance of the Concerto to offer one of his own sonatas, played on one string with the violin held upside down! The final two movements of the Beethoven Concerto then followed. Of course, the fortunes of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto improved considerably, although not in the composer's lifetime. In fact, it appears the work did not receive its proper due until a London concert on May 27, 1844, led by Felix Mendelssohn, in which the 12year-old Joseph Joachim stunned the audience with his rendition of the Concerto’s solo part. Joachim and his successors have been paying homage to this extraordinary work ever since. The Violin Concerto opens with an expansive movement (Allegro ma non troppo), in many ways as revolutionary as the composer’s Allegro con brio in his “Eroica” Symphony (1803). The time span is as long as the entirety of many contemporary violin concertos. Also noteworthy is the extraordinary sense of interplay between the soloist and orchestra. The lyrical second movement (Larghetto) is a theme and set of variations. A brief flourish by the soloist leads without pause to the finale (Rondo. Allegro), one of Beethoven’s most joyous creations, abounding with spirit and humor. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 7 in A major, op. 92 (1812) 36 minutes 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. • When German composer Carl Maria von Weber heard the Seventh for the first time, he pronounced Beethoven “quite ripe for the madhouse!” Over time, however, the Beethoven Seventh became universally acknowledged as one of his most thrilling works. • Throughout the Seventh Symphony, Beethoven introduces and manipulates the briefest of rhythmic motifs to create music of extraordinary momentum and drama. • The Beethoven Seventh is in four movements. German composer Richard Wagner hailed the whirlwind finale as the “apotheosis of the dance.” Beethoven completed his Seventh Symphony in 1812. The work received its premiere on Dec. 8, 1813 at the grand Hall of the University of Vienna, at a concert presented for the benefit of wounded Austrian and Bavarian soldiers. Beethoven was the conductor. Because of Beethoven’s participation in the concert and its philanthropic mission, Maelzel was able to convince several of Vienna’s eminent musicians to play in the Orchestra. The concert proved to be one of the great public triumphs of the composer’s career. The audience insisted upon an encore of the Seventh Symphony’s Allegretto. By popular demand, the entire concert was repeated four days later, raising another 4,000 florins for the wounded soldiers. Still, Beethoven’s reliance upon the briefest of rhythmic motifs, often presented with relentless, even frightening energy, inspired some negative reactions. Musician Friederich Wieck, father of Clara Wieck Schumann, attended the first rehearsal of the Beethoven Seventh. Wieck recalled that the general consensus among musicians and laymen alike was that Beethoven must have composed the Symphony, particularly its outer movements, in a drunken state (“trukenen Zustande”). Carl Maria von Weber, after hearing the Symphony for the first time, reportedly stated that Beethoven was now “quite ripe for the madhouse.” On the other hand, Richard Wagner, in one of the most famous appraisals of a Beethoven Symphony, lauded the finale as the “apotheosis of the dance.” Two centuries after the premiere, Beethoven’s Seventh continues to amaze audiences with its dramatic fire. It remains one of the most powerful symphonic creations. The Symphony No. 7 is in four movements. The first movement begins with the most ambitious slow introduction in any Beethoven Symphony (Poco sostenuto). The flute launches the principal Vivace with the repeated dotted eighth/sixteenth/eighth-note motif that serves as the foundation for the entire movement. The slow movement (Allegretto) is based upon an ominous, repeated march figure, introduced by the lower strings. The vigorous third-movement scherzo (Presto—Assai meno presto) offers a stunning change of mood. The finale (Allegro con brio) is a breathless whirlwind of activity that slams to a halt in the stunning final measures.