Download Concerts of Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27

Concerts of Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27, 2013, at 8:00p, and
Saturday, September 28, 2013, at 7:30p.
Robert Spano, Conductor
André Watts, Piano
John Stafford Smith (1750-1836) (arr. Walter Damrosch)
The Star-Spangled Banner
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Orchestral Suite (Overture) No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 (ca. 1717-1723)
I. Ouverture
II. Air
III. Gavotte I et II
IV. Bourrée
V. Gigue
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Opus 90 (1883)
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante
III. Poco Allegretto
IV. Allegro
Intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Concerto No. 3 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 37 (1803)
I. Allegro con brio
II. Largo
III. Rondo. Allegro
André Watts, Piano
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer
Orchestral Suite (Overture) No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068 (ca. 1717-1723)
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, and
died in Leipzig, Germany, on July 28, 1750. The Third Orchestral Suite is scored
for two oboes, three trumpets, timpani, continuo and strings. Approximate
performance time is twenty minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performances: December 22, 1948, Henry Sopkin,
Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: January 8, 9 and 10, 2004,
Robert Spano, Conductor.
In 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach began his seven-year tenure as Kappellmeister to Prince
Leopold in the German town of Cöthen, located some sixty miles north of Weimar.
Prince Leopold was a talented musician (Bach described him as “a gracious prince, a
lover and connoisseur of music”). The Prince hoped to duplicate in Cöthen the superb
court music establishments he encountered during his studies throughout Europe. Thanks
to the patronage of Prince Leopold, Bach was able to compose for several of Europe’s
finest instrumentalists.
As Prince Leopold’s court was Calvinist, Bach’s duties did not include the composition
of liturgical music. Instead, Bach’s Cöthen years resulted in an extraordinary outpouring
of instrumental works. Solo compositions during this remarkable Cöthen period include
the Orgelbüchlein, the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Two and Three-Part
Inventions, the English and French Suites for harpsichord, the Sonatas and Partitas for
Solo Violin, and the Suites for Solo Cello. During his Cöthen tenure, Bach also
composed stunning ensemble works, including his Four Orchestral Suites and the Six
Brandenburg Concertos.
The orchestral suite, an extremely popular form of instrumental ensemble music in the
17th and 18th centuries, comprises an overture and several dance movements. Because of
the preeminence of the introductory movement, the entire works were known as overtures
(French: ouverture). 19th-century scholars later applied the term Suite to the multimovement overture.
Overtures showcased the talents of the instrumentalists, and Bach certainly allows for
moments of thrilling display. The Third Orchestral Suite prominently features oboes,
trumpets and timpani in the generally festive piece. However, as with virtually of all of
Bach’s works, the Third Suite also contains moments of unrivaled poignancy and
eloquence, notably in the second movement Air.
Musical Analysis
I. Ouverture—The Ouverture begins with a stately introduction featuring characteristic
dotted rhythms and prominent trumpets and timpani. The violins and oboes initiate a
lively fugue. The grand introduction returns to conclude the Ouverture.
II. Air—The second movement is scored for strings and continuo. The Air consists of
two sections, each repeated. The first violins, over counterpoint by the second violins
and violas, sing the hauntingly beautiful central melody. The cellos, basses and keyboard
provide continuo accompaniment throughout.
III. Gavotte I et II—The full ensemble returns for the final three movements. The
Gavotte is a dance popular during the late 16th to 18th centuries, set in duple meter and
moderate tempo. This movement features two separate dances, with a repetition of the
first serving to close the movement.
III. Bourrée—The Bourrée is a sprightly duple meter dance.
IV. Gigue—The Gigue (“Jig”), is a triple-meter Baroque dance of moderate to quick
tempo. The Gigue that concludes Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite consists of two repeated
sections, cast in a genial 6/8 meter.
Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Opus 90 (1883)
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 Third Symphony
took place in Vienna on December 2, 1883, with Hans Richter conducting the
Vienna Philharmonic. The Symphony No. 3 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two
clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones,
timpani and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-three minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: March 31, 1951, Henry Sopkin,
Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: May 8 and 9, 2008, Donald
Runnicles, Conductor.
“I shall never write a symphony.”
Brahms composed his Four Symphonies during two relatively concentrated periods in his
life. The First Symphony was anxiously awaited and long in arriving. Despite early
encouragement from the likes of mentor Robert Schumann, the young Brahms was
fearful of embarking upon a course that would prompt inevitable comparisons to Ludwig
van Beethoven and his magnificent Nine Symphonies. Brahms was already in his thirtyseventh year when he professed to conductor Hermann Levi: “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.”
Brahms finally summoned his courage and, at the age of forty-three, completed his First
Symphony (1876). With that ordeal behind him, Brahms composed his Symphony No. 2
the following year.
Six more years elapsed before Brahms returned to symphonic composition. Brahms
completed his Third Symphony in the summer of 1883, while residing in the spa village
of Wiesbaden. The Fourth and final Symphony came two years later. Hans Richter and
the Vienna Philharmonic presented the world premiere of the Brahms Third at a
December 2, 1883 Vienna concert.
“What a mind, and what a soul”
Brahms was 50, and at the height of his powers, when he completed his Third Symphony.
This magnificent work betrays no vestiges of the composer’s earlier struggles with the
specter of Beethoven. In the Third Symphony, Brahms is very much his own man—a
confident, assured master, creating music of extraordinary unity, concentration and
beauty.
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák was immediately entranced when Brahms played the
Symphony for him just a few months before premiere. As Dvořák reported to his
publisher Simrock:
What a mind, and what a soul the man has!...I can say without
exaggeration that this work excels his first two Symphonies, perhaps not
in the greatness and the power of its conception (Annotator’s note: the
Third is the briefest of the Brahms Symphonies), but certainly in its
beauty! It has an atmosphere not often found in Brahms. And such
magnificent melodies! It is sheer love, and makes the heart leap to hear
it...
Musical Analysis
I. Allegro con brio—The winds and brass boldly proclaim a three-note motif, based upon
the pitches F-Ab-F, a musical representation of the composer’s motto, “Frei aber froh”
(“Free but happy”). This motto is a response to the F-A-E “Frei aber einsam” (“Free but
alone”) motif of Brahms’s friend, the Austro-Hungarian violinist, composer and
conductor, Joseph Joachim. This F-Ab-F motif returns as a unifying force throughout the
Brahms Third Symphony.
Immediately after the F-Ab-F motif, the strings play the opening movement’s passionato,
descending principal theme. The mood calms, and a clarinet introduces the lyrical,
grazioso second theme. In the ensuing development section, however, this theme takes
on a decidedly menacing character. Hints of the principal theme lead to a full-blown
recapitulation, inaugurated by the F-Ab-F motif. A stormy coda finally resolves into a
peaceful transformation of both the three-note motif and principal theme.
II. Andante—Like the opening movement, the Andante is in sonata form. The clarinets
and bassoons sing the lovely opening melody. The clarinet and bassoon present a more
somber theme that will return in the Symphony’s finale. After a passionate development,
the winds and brass, over undulating string accompaniment, commence the varied
recapitulation. The movement ends with a brief, serene coda.
III. Poco Allegretto—The third movement opens with the cellos’ presentation of the
hauntingly beautiful principal melody. The woodwinds initiate the pastoral central
section. The opening section returns with a solo horn restatement of the principal
melody. The final pages move to a brief forte climax, before fading to a subdued
conclusion.
IV. Allegro—The finale opens with a sotto voce presentation of the serpentine principal
theme by the bassoons and strings. There is a brief pianissimo reprise of the Andante’s
second theme. A crescendo leads to a violent restatement of the principal melody. The
cellos and horns proclaim the vaulting C-Major second theme. The development begins
mysteriously, but develops tremendous power, leading to a forceful recapitulation. The
tempest continues, until muted violas offer a more subdued version of the principal
theme. The extended coda—featuring a magical reprise of the “Frei aber froh” motif and
the opening movement’s principal theme—brings the Brahms Third Symphony to its
blissful resolution.
Concerto No. 3 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 37 (1803)
Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized in Bonn, Germany, on December 17, 1770, and
died in Vienna, Austria, on March 26, 1827. The first performance of the C-minor
Piano Concerto took place in Vienna on April 5, 1803, at the Theater-an-der-Wien,
with the composer as soloist. In addition to the solo piano, the C-minor Concerto is
scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two
trumpets, timpani and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-four
minutes.
First ASO Classical Subscription Performance: January 18, 1951, Hugh Hodgson,
Piano, Henry Sopkin, Conductor.
Most Recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: February 2, 3 and 4, 2012,
Gabriela Montero, Piano, Thomas Wilkins, Conductor.
“A terrible rehearsal”
The premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto was part of an April 5,
1803 concert at the Vienna Theater-an-der-Wien. Also on the program were the
premieres of Beethoven’s oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives and Second Symphony,
as well as a repeat performance of the composer’s First Symphony. All told, the concert
featured 2 ½ hours of music.
It’s not surprising that the energies and patience of the musicians were strained to their
limits. Ferdinand Ries described the final rehearsal, which began at 8:00a on the day of
the concert:
It was a terrible rehearsal, and at half past two everybody was exhausted
and more or less dissatisfied. Prince Karl Lichnowsky, who had attended
the rehearsal from the beginning, sent out for large baskets of buttered
bread, cold meat and wine. He warmly invited everyone to help himself,
which was done with both hands, with the result that the warm atmosphere
was restored.
After tempers calmed, Lichnowsky convinced the musicians to continue with a rehearsal
that lasted almost to the beginning of the concert itself.
Beethoven served as conductor for the entire program. He was also the piano soloist in
his Third Piano Concerto. A reviewer in the Zeitung für die Elegante Welt wrote that
Beethoven “did not perform (the Concerto) to the complete satisfaction of the public.”
If the critic’s view was accurate, the explanation may well be found in this account of the
performance by Beethoven’s pupil Ignaz von Seyfried:
In the playing of the concerto movements he asked me to turn the pages
for him; but—heaven help me!—that was easier said then done. I saw
almost nothing but empty leaves; at the most on one page or the other a
few Egyptian hieroglyphs wholly unintelligible to me scribbled down to
serve as clues for him; for he played nearly all the solo part from memory,
since, as was so often the case, he had not had time to put it all down on
paper. He gave me a secret glance whenever he was at the end of one of
the invisible pages and my scarcely concealable anxiety not to miss the
decisive moment amused him greatly and he laughed heartily at the jovial
supper that we ate afterwards.
Sketches for the C-minor Concerto indicate that Beethoven may have begun the
composition as early as 1797. The manuscript bears the following notation: “Concerto
1800 da L. v. Beethoven.” Nevertheless, as previously noted, the solo part was not fully
transcribed even by the time of the 1803 premiere.
The C-minor Concerto is a work that reflects the transition from the Haydn and Mozartinfluenced works of Beethoven’s early period to the more heroic output of the middle
portion of his career. The stormy opening movement looks forward to another work in
the key of C minor, the immortal Fifth Symphony (1808). The Largo recalls
contemporary accounts of Beethoven’s ability to move audiences to tears through the
sheer beauty of his playing. The finale, on the other hand, reveals a humorous side of the
composer that is too often forgotten.
Musical Analysis
I. Allegro con brio—The strings, answered by the winds, softly introduce the ascending
and descending opening theme. Soon the orchestra presents a vigorous statement of the
theme (this is one of several times in the opening movement that Beethoven employs
sharply contrasting dynamics to great effect). The strings present a more genial second
theme. Echoes of the opening theme return to conclude the orchestral exposition. The
soloist’s entrance begins with a series of ascending flourishes and a bold statement of the
opening theme, again quickly juxtaposed with softer dynamics. While the soloist is
clearly the focus of the proceedings, the orchestra hardly serves as mere accompanist,
frequently engaging in lively exchanges with the pianist. The mysterious development
section—sotto voce for the most part—is based upon the opening theme. A vigorous
cascade of notes by the soloist introduces a varied recapitulation of the principal themes.
The soloist’s cadenza is followed by a brief but highly dramatic coda.
II. Largo—The opening of the stunningly beautiful Largo—indeed virtually the entire
movement—is a tender dialogue for piano and orchestra. The soloist enters with a
hushed and expansive statement, to which the orchestra, featuring muted strings,
responds. The central section presents the soloist’s flowing arpeggios as counterpoint to
statements by the woodwinds. A descending passage by the pianist leads to a reprise of
the opening section. The soloist is prominent in the Largo’s closing pages, offering a
series of scales and a brief cadenza. The concluding fortissimo chord disturbs the reverie,
setting the stage for the high spirits of the ensuing Rondo.
III. Rondo. Allegro—The finale, a delightful combination of rondo and sonata forms,
opens with the soloist’s introduction of the angular principal theme. A series of
orchestral fanfares, in tandem with ascending flourishes by the pianist, seems to portend a
grand, dramatic passage. What follows instead is the playful, descending, subsidiary
theme. This is just one of many surprises in a remarkably inventive movement—another
is the sudden appearance of a rather pastoral interlude. A fugato section leads to a brief
passage for the soloist, and finally, a reprise of the principal and subsidiary themes.
Beethoven saves his most delicious surprise for the conclusion. A grand orchestral
statement and cadenza by the soloist are followed by a skipping 6/8/ Presto
transformation of the principal theme, and the joyful sprint to the finish.