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Home , 1812 Overture, Gustavo Gimeno, Ivry Gitlis, Luigi von Kunits

Toronto Symphony Sir , Interim Artistic Director

Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 8:00pm Thursday, November 28, 2019 at 8:00pm Saturday, November 30, 2019 at 8:00pm Sunday, December 1, 2019 at 3:00pm

All Tchaikovsky

Simon Rivard, conductor Daniel Lozakovich, violin

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13 “Winter Dreams” I. Allegro tranquillo II. Adagio cantabile ma non tanto III. Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso IV. Finale: Andante lugubre – Allegro moderato – Allegro maestoso

Intermission

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in D Major, Op. 35 I. Allegro moderato II. Canzonetta: Andante III. Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1812

The November 30 performance is generously supported by the Impresarios Club, the TSO’s young- professionals donor circle.

As a courtesy to musicians, guest artists, and fellow concertgoers, please put your phone away and on silent during the performance.

NOVEMBER 27, 28, 30 & DECEMBER 1, 2019 9 ABOUT THE WORKS Youthful it might have been, but Symphony No. 1 already bears many hallmarks of the mature Tchaikovsky. It is, moreover, a work of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky some historical importance: one of the first symphonies by a Russian composer. This is Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, perhaps reflected in the programmatic titles Op. 13 “Winter Dreams” Tchaikovsky gave to the work as a whole, and to its first two movements—“Daydreams of a Born: Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia, May 7, 1840 Winter Journey” and “Land of Gloom, Land of Died: St. Petersburg, Russia, Nov 6, 1893 Mists”. In the extraordinary opening of the first Composed: 1866 43 movement, which begins with a gentle melody min (flute and ) over quiet violin tremolos, we can perhaps hear a still, frozen beauty; and the Adagio, framed by sober, hymn-like music The Symphony No. 1 cost Tchaikovsky more for strings alone, is deeply Russian in character. labour and anguish than any other work, Listen especially to the main theme, introduced according to his brother Modest. Even by an with ornate counterpoint from a before he graduated from the St. Petersburg flute. The movement is steeped in melodies, and Conservatory, in December 1865, he had been features many expressive harmonic ambiguities, invited by to join the faculty shifting often between keys and modes. of the newly formed Conservatory. He began teaching there in January 1866 For his Scherzo, Tchaikovsky borrowed almost and, that spring, began work on this first intact a movement from a piano sonata in symphony. Enmeshed in a struggle between C-sharp Minor that he had composed in 1865 the conflicting demands of his creative but never published. The trio in E-flat Major impulses, his teaching schedule, and his social that completes the movement was, however, life—to say nothing of the pressure he felt in newly composed. Elegant and lushly scored, grappling, for the first time, with a large-scale it is the first of Tchaikovsky’s great orchestral musical form—by late July, he was on the waltzes, offering a striking contrast to the verge of a nervous breakdown, and the doctor spiky, fragmented, and syncopated opening. who treated him at that time found him “one Both outer movements are ambitious—one step away from madness.” senses a young composer intent on showing Progress on the symphony was off his wares—but they reveal that Tchaikovsky understandably sluggish. He finished had already mastered Classical forms. Tightly sketching it in May, began orchestrating it organized, they offer impressive displays of in June, worked on it through the summer counterpoint. The last movement evolves even in the countryside near St. Petersburg, and more organically than the first, opening with continued to revise the score through the a slow, heavy introduction based on a Russian fall and winter. Previews of parts of the folk song, which serves as the source from which work-in-progress, conducted by Rubinstein, both main themes of the subsequent Allegro were coolly received, but the première of the are derived. The music of the movement’s complete symphony in Moscow, again under introduction, at the original slow tempo, returns Rubinstein’s baton, on February 3, 1868, was near the end, to usher in a fast coda that is, a brilliant success—his first public triumph. perhaps, overlong and overexcited, but is In 1883, in a letter to a friend, Tchaikovsky forgivable in a zealous fledgling composer— wrote of this symphony, “Despite all its a sin of sweet youth, as the composer called it. glaring deficiencies I have a soft spot for it, Program note by Kevin Bazzana for it is a sin of my sweet youth.”

10 SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The orchestra is small by late 19th-century Violin Concerto in D Major, standards—larger by only two horns than that of Mozart’s “” Symphony, composed Op. 35 exactly a century before. But Tchaikovsky uses these modest forces with great discrimination: Composed: 1878 34 min more than a third of the first movement has passed before we hear an extended statement from the full orchestra, and it doesn’t last In July 1877, Tchaikovsky, who was long; much of the movement sounds like homosexual, entered into a disastrous chamber music. heterosexual marriage, the strain of which There are two striking departures in the drove him to nervous collapse and attempted work from an otherwise quite conventional suicide. To recover, he fled to Western Europe. classical sonata form. The first is the short In the spring of 1878, he was joined at orchestral introduction, which begins with Clarens, Switzerland, by a Russian friend, the an attractive eight-bar melody, mostly in the violinist Josef Kotek. The two began playing strings, that could have served perfectly well violin repertoire together, and Tchaikovsky, as one of the main themes. But it is never stimulated in particular by their rendition of heard again—serving only to set the basically Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, was inspired to lyrical, pastoral tone of the movement, write a violin concerto. He completed it in just while dramatically delaying the entrance 11 days—the first movement “sprang suddenly of the soloist. The second departure is the into my head,” he recalled—and orchestrated placement of the solo cadenza just before, it within two weeks, including writing an rather than after, the recapitulation, where entirely new replacement for his original it serves partly as development, partly to slow movement, which became the separate intensify the return to the main key and the Méditation for violin and piano, Op. 42, No. 1. first main theme. But at the première, in , on December The lyricism of the first movement is given 4, 1881, the concerto was not well received. fuller voice in the second, the Canzonetta The conservative critic (Little Song); note the chorale-like opening wrote a damning review, dismissing it as long, theme, the sombre, folk-like main theme, tasteless, undiscriminating, pretentious, and the brief, sweet diversion in the middle. crude, brutal, coarse, and vulgar (he actually In the bustling, dazzlingly unpredictable used the word “stinky”). Tchaikovsky, deeply rondo Finale, there is a prominent lyrical hurt, could recite this review by heart for the element too, even in the soulful and brooding rest of his life. episodes. All of the melodic ideas in the Finale, It is difficult to fathom how this of all pieces as the composer acknowledged, have a strong could invite such invective, for the music is Russian flavour sometimes emphasized by inspired and polished, and its gentleness, rustic effects in the scoring—drone basses in charm, and melodic beauty are remarkable. the , for instance, and throaty melodies The virtuosity seems almost reluctant, in the solo violin part that conjure up the as in the Concerto by Mozart (a sounds of a peasant fiddle. composer Tchaikovsky revered). In the first Program note by Kevin Bazzana movement, every principal theme is of a lyrical and intimate nature; only in the process of extending and intensifying these themes does Tchaikovsky permit a more extroverted style.

NOVEMBER 27, 28, 30 & DECEMBER 1, 2019 11 ABOUT THE WORKS and four cellos. The work’s iconic main theme, based on a Russian Empire cavalry bugle call, then sounds the alarm, followed Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky by the approach of the French army, signified by (which, ironically, had by 1812 Overture then been outlawed by , but was Composed: 1880 reinstated as the French 16 in 1879—the year before the commission of min the overture). At this point, the battle lines are drawn: the Marseillaise contests with Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky’s long-time themes drawn from Russian , as friend, colleague, and mentor, suggested this the French get closer and closer to Moscow. project to Tchaikovsky in 1880, as a grand The work’s turning point comes when the first ceremonial piece: the Cathedral of Christ five of the work’s 16 shots are heard, the Saviour, commissioned in 1812 by Tsar representing the , which, Alexander I to commemorate the defence of despite a French tactical victory, proved to Russia against Napoleon’s invading Grande be pivotal. A long, descending run follows as Armée, was nearing completion in Moscow; the French army retreats from Moscow. The the 25th anniversary of the coronation of opening hymn returns, followed by the main Alexander II would be at hand in 1881; and the bugle theme again, ushering in the overture’s 1882 All-Russia Arts and Industry Exhibition climactic close, with its volleys of cannon fire, at Moscow was in the planning stage. ringing chimes, and brass fanfare. Tchaikovsky began the work on October 12, The first performance of the work by the 1880, finishing it six weeks later. fledgling Toronto Symphony Orchestra was The overture débuted in Moscow on August on March 19, 1924 at Massey Hall, conducted 20, 1882, under a tent near the still-unfinished by , less than a year after the cathedral. The première was less ambitious Orchestra was founded. Since then, it has than the original plan, which had called been performed as part of 48 different TSO for a performance in the square before the programs, 11 of them outdoors at Ontario cathedral, with a to reinforce the Place, with the Fort York cannon guard doing orchestra, with the bells of the cathedral—and the live-artillery honours on four occasions, all the others in central Moscow—chiming in and the guns of HMCS Haida weighing in once. on cue, as well as synchronized to The most recent outdoor TSO performance achieve the precision the score required. took place on June 17, 2011, in David Pecaut Square, under , with fireworks Tchaikovsky was dismissive of the work, for cannons, on the occasion of the 200th describing it in a letter to his patron Nadezhda anniversary of the War of 1812 and the von Meck as “very loud and noisy, but Orchestra’s 90th season. [without] artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love.” That being Program note by David Perlman said, he went on to conduct it himself at the dedication of in New York City in 1891; and it has become his most performed and recorded orchestral work.

The piece begins simply, and apprehensively, with an Eastern Orthodox Russian hymn, “O Lord, Save Thy People,” played by two

12 TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA THE ARTISTS

Simon Rivard conductor Simon Rivard made his TSO début in October 2018.

Simon Rivard has been serving as RBC Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra since 2018. He has recently been named a 2019/20 Equilibrium Young Artist as part of Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan’s internationally acclaimed mentorship program for early-career professional musicians.

At the TSO, he is mentored by the Interim Artistic Director, Sir Andrew Davis. In addition to leading school and family concerts as well as special events, he has been assisting world- renowned conductors such as , Donald Runnicles, Barbara Hannigan, Ludovic Morlot, John Storgårds, and Thomas Dausgaard. In 2019, he made a successful début with Symphony Nova Scotia (Halifax, ) and Finnish violinist Elina Vähälä.

In 2018, Rivard was invited to participate in the first Mentorship Program at the Verbier Festival Academy (Switzerland). In addition to being mentored by Valery Gergiev and Derrick Inouye, he acted as assistant conductor to Sir Simon Rattle, Gianandrea Noseda, Marc Minkowski, and Gábor Tákacs-Nagy. At the conclusion of the Verbier Festival, he was awarded a Special Prize, to help him pursue his mentorship with Gergiev and Noseda.

In 2017/18, Rivard served as resident conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (Ontario, Canada). Throughout that season, he was an advocate for collaboration with Indigenous artists, as well as local arts organizations. Also in 2017, he stepped in for Jean- Philippe Tremblay as music director of the Orchestre de la Francophonie, leading successful performances in Montreal, Quebec City, and Ottawa.

Social transformation through music plays a significant role in Simon Rivard’s professional life. He has been associated with the Orchestre des jeunes de l’Ontario français—an orchestra for young francophones from all over Canada—since August 2017. He has also worked at the Fondation du Dr Julien, an organization offering free music lessons to socio-economically disadvantaged children in Montreal. In 2015, he travelled to a Haitian orphanage with a team of professionals to offer three weeks of music, arts, and theatre lessons to the children.

Rivard studied violin performance with Anne Robert and orchestral conducting with Raffi Armenian at the Montreal Conservatory of Music. He completed an MMus in orchestral conducting at McGill University under Alexis Hauser and Guillaume Bourgogne.

Simon Rivard has received support from the Millennium Excellence Awards, Sibylla Hesse Foundation, Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, McAbbie Foundation, Schulich School of Music (Wayne Riddell and Gerald Wheeler prizes), and the Verbier Festival.

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NOVEMBER 27, 28, 30 & DECEMBER 1, 2019 13 THE ARTISTS

Daniel Lozakovich violin These performances mark Daniel Lozakovich’s TSO début.

Daniel Lozakovich is establishing himself as a sought-after violinist on the international stage, performing with such as the Orchestre National de , Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, National Philharmonic of Russia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, Münchner Philharmoniker, hr-Sinfonieorchester, and the Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin. Lozakovich has collaborated with conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Neeme Järvi, Klaus Mäkelä, Andris Nelsons, Vasily Petrenko, Esa- Pekka Salonen, Lahav Shani, Tugan Sokhiev, Leonard Slatkin, Vladimir Spivakov, Robin Ticciati, Krzysztof Urbanski, and Lorenzo Viotti.

The 2019/20 season sees Lozakovich return to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as making his début with the LA Philharmonic, The , Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and Gulbenkian Orchestra. He makes further début appearances at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and in recital with Sergei Babayan at the Menuhin Festival Gstaad.

A highly regarded recitalist, previous engagements include appearances at Les Grandes Voix – Les Grands Solistes, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Tonhalle Zürich, Convervatorio G. Verdi Milan, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Mariinsky Theatre. A regular at numerous international music festivals, he has appeared at the Verbier Festival, Sommets musicaux de Gstaad, Septembre Musical Montreux Festival, MPHIL 360°, Moscow Meets Friends, Gergiev Festival Rotterdam, White Nights Festival, Moscow Easter Festival, Festival de Pâques – Aix-en-Provence, Tanglewood Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, Pacific Music Festival, and Festival de Saint-Denis. Lozakovich enjoys collaborations with such artists including Ivry Gitlis, Emanuel Ax, Renaud Capuçon, Khatia Buniatishvili, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, George Li, Seong-Jin Cho, Martin Fröst, and Maxim Vengerov.

At the age of 15, Lozakovich signed an exclusive recording contract with , and in June 2018 released his début album of Bach’s two violin concerti, with the Kammerorchester des Symphonieorchesters des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the solo Partita No. 2. The album achieved outstanding success, reaching number one in the French Amazon charts and the classical album charts in Germany.

Born in 2001, Lozakovich took up the violin in 2007 and made his concerto début with the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra under Vladimir Spivakov two years later. From 2012 he has studied at the Karlsruhe University of Music with Professor Josef Rissin, and since 2015 with Eduard Wulfson in Geneva.

14 TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA