Peter Boyer American composer born: 1970, Providence,

New Beginnings

These are the first performances of this work on the Classics series; duration 12 minutes

Peter Boyer began composing at the age of 15. His first major composition was a large-scale Requiem Mass in memory of his grandmother, composed while only a teenager. He was named to the first All-USA College Academic Team, comprised of ‘the 20 best and brightest college students in the nation,’ by USA TODAY in 1990. Boyer received his Bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College, which awarded him an honorary Doctor of Music degree in 2004. He received Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Hartt School of the , which named him its 2002 Alumnus of the Year. There, his teachers included Larry Alan Smith and . Following his doctoral work, Boyer studied privately with in New York, then moved to to study film and TV scoring at the USC Thornton School of Music, where his teachers included the late . In 1996, Boyer was appointed to the faculty at Claremont Graduate University, where he holds the Helen M. Smith Chair in Music. Boyer’s diverse scores have received performances by 125 orchestras. He has conducted recordings of his music with the London Symphony Orchestra, the , and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His music has been featured at , the Hollywood Bowl, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Tanglewood Music Festival and at Cincinnati’s Music Hall, among many others. New Beginnings was commissioned by Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to celebrate the opening of The New Bronson, its wonderful, nearly-$200-million facility. It was premiered by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Raymond Harvey, on September 22, 2000. About the music, the composer writes: “New Beginnings is in one movement, which falls into four clearly delineated sections. The first section, in a fast tempo, is dominated by a fanfare which begins immediately in the trumpets and horns. This fanfare leads to a percussion flourish, and a swell of sound in which the entire orchestra gradually enters. A relentlessly repeated rhythmic figure begins in the strings (here divided into twelve parts instead of the customary five), and continues for some time, while the brass punch out figures derived from the fanfare, and the flutes and clarinets add a busy filigree. ‘Pyramids’ of sound, built from bottom to top, appear in the brass, and the energy of the first section begins to subside, ushering in the second section. This is in a slow tempo (exactly half that of the first), and is dominated by a melody which is first played by a solo oboe. This simple, ‘folk-like’ tune is the most important melody in the work. After the oboe, it is played by a solo trumpet, followed by the strings and horns in canon, while the fanfare motive is tossed around above it by the piccolos. A short duet for English horn and flute follows. The flute plays the beginning of the melody, then introduces a rhythmic idea which accelerates into the third section, which is in a moderate tempo. The horns introduce a new melody here, while the rest of the orchestra provides a busy accompaniment. The energy of this third section gradually dissipates, until all that remains is the flute and a few violins. This leads to the fourth and largest section of the piece, which is characterized by mixed meters. Two prominent mixed meters used here are 7/8 (always 3+2+2), introduced by shaker, triangle and congas; and later, 10/8 (always 3+3+2+2), introduced by flutes. In this section, both the opening fanfare motive and the previous horn melody recur, in new rhythmic guises. Percussion features prominently in this section. There is a gradual buildup of energy, which leads to a return of the formerly ‘folk-like’ tune, now played in grand fashion by the trumpets and strings, with a number of busy accompanying figures in the rest of the orchestra. This leads to the return of the complete opening fanfare, now in a new, brighter key, following which the percussion punctuates the orchestra’s final flourish.” ------

Serge Prokofiev Russian composer born: April 23, 1891, Sontsovka, Ukraine; died: March 5, 1953, Moscow

Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor, Opus 16 Andantino Scherzo: vivace Intermezzo: Allegro moderato Allegro tempestoso

First Classics performance: February 14, 1960, conducted by Josef Krips, with pianist Malcom Frager; most recent performance: November 3, 2013, conducted by Arild Remmereit, with pianist Yakov Kasman; duration 33 minutes

Practicality has a lot to do with the history of music. For example: when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began his precocious career as a harpsichordist, the first thing the child prodigy had to do was compose and perform concerto show-pieces for his adoring public (for both the piano and violin!). Likewise, when Beethoven arrived on the scene he provided a corpus of piano concerti to fill the bill. Mendelssohn, Chopin and Schumann were also among the genii who followed suit. With a few detours, the tradition extended well into the 20th century via Rachmaninoff, Bartók and Prokofiev. In all, Prokofiev scored five concertos for his instrument, and the quintuplets have met with ready acceptance in the concert hall. He was the featured virtuoso at the premieres of all but his Concerto No.4, scored for orchestra and the left hand (dedicated to Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right hand in World War I). Composed in 1913, Opus 16 is a departure from the norm in that we have a four-movement scheme instead of the usual three (Brahms did the same in his own Concerto No.2). The concerto sets out peacefully, with low pizzicato strings as escort to the early entrance of the piano which offers a dreamy theme with lush, modern harmonies. Placid and probing, the Andantino pace gradually evolves into a harmonic wonderland, with ironic turns of phrase from the soloist. True to his signature style, Prokofiev offers several tonal surprises, from slightly bluesy to brightly brash, highlighted by a spectacular cadenza. A flash of lightning begins the brief Scherzo. Time to ‘fasten-seat-belts’ for the wild pyrotechnics from the soloist. Sensational. The following Intermezzo bears a macabre demeanor, beginning with snarling brass and strutting rhythms, like a grotesque ballet scene at Bolshoi. In a picaresque mode, the soloist takes us on a guided tour of all the ominous nooks and crannies offered by the orchestral episodes along the way. Note the double entendre as the music yin-yangs from sinister to jocular and back again. After flaring accents from the percussion, the soloist brings the diablerie to a close with a few impromptu chords. For the Finale, Allegro tempestoso puts the pedal to the floor, with accents darting helter- skelter from the soloist on the fly. But after the opening flourish, the mode changes abruptly, featuring a tune that seems borrowed from Russian folk-lore. A series of rhapsodic variations offers a gallery of quaint vignettes, which blend into another big-screen cadenza. In turn the orchestra enters to escort the solo line through many swings in mood and energy, clear to the brief coda and punchy final bar. ------

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Russian composer born: April 25, 1840, Votkinsk; died: October 25, 1893, St. Petersburg

Symphony No.1 in G minor, Op.13 “Winter Dreams” Allegro - Dreams on a wintry road Adagio cantabile ma non tanto - Land of desolation, land of mists Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso Finale: Andante lugubre; Allegro maestoso

First Classics performance: April 9, 1972, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, most recent performance: September 17, 1995, conducted by Maximiano Valdes; duration 39 minutes

Instrumental pieces which represent images or stories are most often classified as ‘program music.’ And within that broad definition is a diverse world of application. Sometimes, the connection is oblique or ‘unrevealed’ as, for example, in the symphonies of Johannes Brahms; on the flip side, the identity can be overt and direct, as in Hector Berlioz’ Fantastic Symphony or Ludwig van Beethoven’s Pastorale. Included among the latter is Tchaikovsky’s cinematic Symphony No.1, also known as Winter Dreams. From the composer’s correspondence we have a clue/cue to his overall intent: “The symphony is the most lyrical of all musical forms. Should it not express all that for which there are no words but which appeals from the soul and demands to be expressed? How can one convey these indefinable sensations that you feel when you write an instrumental composition without a definite subject? It is a purely lyrical process. It is the musical confession of an overburdened soul which according to its essential nature pours itself out by means of sounds, as a lyric poet expresses himself in verses.”

While Tchaikovsky took care to specify titles for Opus 13 and its first two movements, he apparently felt the style cues for the third and fourth movements were a sufficient guide to the spirit of the music (Scherzando giocoso, playfully joking; Lugubre-maestoso, from bleak to grandiose). About “Winter Dreams” in particular, the composer noted “The Russian winter landscape has for me a charm not comparable with anything else.” Another historic reference is worthy here: while Tchaikovsky’s music enjoys immense popularity around the globe, his first three symphonies remained dormant until Igor Stravinsky began to conduct them during the 1930’s. Today’s age of recorded music ensures permanent accessibility to these works, although they remain relatively rare on symphonic programs. Tchaikovsky returned to his first symphony in 1874 to make a few minor revisions to the original from 1866. The update of Opus 13 places it in direct chronological company with the ballet Swan Lake and his great Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor. To be sure, “Winter Dreams” bears Tchaikovsky’s indelible touch: direct clarity of melodic lines, tangible harmonies, and a splendid airiness to the scoring for woodwinds and brass over voluptuous strings. In fact, Symphony No.1 is an early example of the composer’s tonal-poetic, orchestral style. As for the narrative image of the work overall, the music breathes with the excitement of a brilliant, crystal-cold winter’s day in Mother Russia. In sum, the journey begins in G minor, changes hue to E-flat major in the second movement, and to C minor in the third. The finale begins with a G minor chant in a Gregorian mode, leading to a glorious ‘Mother Russia’ melody in the exquisite strings. Stand by as the sky is about to shred with brazen brass in the lead. Splendid counterpoint in the strings leads to the joyful tour of tunes, timbres and tempos, as the thundering final measures draw near in big-screen G major. ------program notes by Edward Yadzinski ------