PROGRAM NOTES Ludwig Van Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

PROGRAM NOTES Ludwig Van Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3 PROGRAM NOTES by Phillip Huscher Ludwig van Beethoven Born December 16, 1770, Bonn, Germany. Died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria. Leonore Overture No. 3 Beethoven began to compose Fidelio in 1804 and completed the score the following year. The first performance was given on November 20, 1805, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. When Beethoven revised the score in preparation for a revival that opened there on March 29, 1806, he reworked the overture as Leonore Overture no. 3. The overture calls for an orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings, and an offstage trumpet. Performance time is approximately thirteen minutes. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first subscription concert performances of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture no. 3 were given at the Auditorium Theatre on January 29 and 30, 1892, with Theodore Thomas conducting. Our most recent subscription concert performances were given at Orchestra Hall on October 29, 30, 31, and November 1, 1997, with Michael Gielen conducting. The Orchestra first performed this overture at the Ravinia Festival on July 23, 1936, with Isaac Van Grove conducting, and most recently on August 5, 2007, with James Conlon conducting. Of the four overtures Beethoven wrote for his opera Leonore—later renamed Fidelio—only the one called Leonore no. 3 has gained favor both in the concert hall, where it is much loved, and in the opera house, where it is often played, inappropriately, just before the finale. That it is an intruder in the opera house, where it can too easily overshadow all but the greatest performances of Fidelio, is something Beethoven himself could easily have told us. The Leonore Overture no. 3 is as dramatic as any music Beethoven wrote, and that is part of the problem. Placed before the curtain rises, it overshadows much of what follows. Playing it just before the final scene—a convention never sanctioned by Beethoven, but one loved by many conductors, including Mahler and Toscanini—is problematic because it first delays and then gives away the ending. Despite its number, Leonore no. 3 is Beethoven’s second version of the overture. Although it is more concise and less symphonic than his first effort (the work we call Leonore no. 2), it does not avoid the dilemma of telling us everything about the opera, in music of unforgettable substance and power, before the curtain goes up. Beethoven ultimately understood the situation well and wrote his fourth and final overture to Fidelio—less powerful music, but better stagecraft. (Leonore no. 1 was written for a production in Prague that never took place; the score was discovered after Beethoven's death, mistaken for his earliest effort, and assigned no. 1.) In the concert hall, where it has ultimately retired, the Leonore Overture no. 3 is a miracle of dramatic music, as compelling as any symphonic poem in the literature. The overture tells, or at least distills, the essence of the story. Beethoven begins in the darkness of the prison cell where Florestan has been sent, unjustly. Florestan remembers brighter days, and the music, ignited by his hope, is filled with fire and action. The distant trumpet call of the tower guard, announcing Florestan's reprieve, brings silence and then guarded optimism, but the trumpet sounds again, and freedom seems certain. At the news, the flute cannot contain its rapture. Beethoven then treats us to a full-scale, symphonic, utterly heroic recapitulation. Phillip Huscher is the program annotator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. For the Record The Chicago Symphony Orchestra recorded Beethoven’s Leonore Overture no. 3 in 1972 and 1988 with Sir Georg Solti conducting for London. A 1961 performance (for television) conducted by George Szell was released by VAI. © Chicago Symphony Orchestra. All rights reserved. Program notes may be reproduced only in their entirety and with express written permission from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. These notes appear in galley files and may contain typographical or other errors. Programs subject to change without notice. .
Recommended publications
  • Ctspubs Brochure Nov 2005
    THE MUSIC OF CLAUDE T. SMITH CONCERT BAND WORKS ENJOY A CD RECORDING CTS = Claude T. Smith Publications WJ = Wingert-Jones HL = Hal Leonard TITLE GRADE PUBLISHER TITLE GRADE PUBLISHER $1 OF THE MUSIC OF 7.95 each Acclamation..............................................................5 ..............Kalmus Intrada: Adoration and Praise ..................................4 ................CTS All 6 for Across the Wide Missouri (Concert Band) ................3..................WJ Introduction and Caccia............................................3 ................CTS $60 Affirmation and Credo ..............................................4 ................CTS Introduction and Fugato............................................3 ................CTS Claude T. Smith Allegheny Portrait ....................................................4 ................CTS Invocation and Jubiloso ............................................2 ..................HL Allegro and Intermezzo Overture ..............................3 ................CTS Island Fiesta ............................................................3 ................CTS America the Beautiful ..............................................2 ................CTS Joyance....................................................................5..................WJ CLAUDE T. SMITH: CLAUDE T. SMITH: American Folk Trilogy ..............................................3 ................CTS Jubilant Prelude ......................................................4 ..................HL A SYMPHONIC PORTRAIT
    [Show full text]
  • Classics 3: Program Notes Overture to Candide Leonard Bernstein Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, August 25, 1918
    Classics 3: Program Notes Overture to Candide Leonard Bernstein Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, August 25, 1918; died in New York, October 14, 1990 After collaborating on The Lark, a play with incidental music about Joan of Arc, Leonard Bernstein and Lillian Hellman turned their attention in 1954 to Voltaire’s novella Candide. They thought it the perfect vehicle to make an artistic statement against political intolerance in American society, just as Voltaire had done in eighteenth-century France. After bringing in poet Richard Wilbur to write the lyrics, they worked intermittently on Candide for two years. Enormous amounts of money were spent on the production, which opened in Boston on October 29, 1956. Though many critics called it brilliant, the production failed financially; after moving to New York in December, it was shut down after just seventy-three performances. Everyone had someone to blame, but many thought it failed because of audience confusion about its hybrid nature—was it an opera, operetta, or a musical? Leonard Bernstein: celebrating his The story revolves around the illegitimate Candide, who centennial loves and is loved in return by Cunegonde, daughter of nobility. They are plagued by myriad disasters, which lead them from Westphalia to Lisbon, Paris, Cadiz, Buenos Aires, Eldorado, Surinam, and finally Venice, where they are united at last. Bernstein’s often witty, sometimes tender music has been considered the work’s greatest asset, both in the initial failed production and in later successful versions. The Overture, possibly Bernstein’s most frequently performed piece, perfectly captures the mockery and satire as well as the occasional introspective moment of Voltaire’s masterful creation.
    [Show full text]
  • Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series
    Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series Frank Morelli, Bassoon Behind every Juilliard artist is all of Juilliard —including you. With hundreds of dance, drama, and music performances, Juilliard is a wonderful place. When you join one of our membership programs, you become a part of this singular and celebrated community. by Claudio Papapietro Photo of cellist Khari Joyner Photo by Claudio Papapietro Become a member for as little as $250 Join with a gift starting at $1,250 and and receive exclusive benefits, including enjoy VIP privileges, including • Advance access to tickets through • All Association benefits Member Presales • Concierge ticket service by telephone • 50% discount on ticket purchases and email • Invitations to special • Invitations to behind-the-scenes events members-only gatherings • Access to master classes, performance previews, and rehearsal observations (212) 799-5000, ext. 303 [email protected] juilliard.edu The Juilliard School presents Faculty Recital: Frank Morelli, Bassoon Jesse Brault, Conductor Jonathan Feldman, Piano Jacob Wellman, Bassoon Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 7:30pm Paul Hall Part of the Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series GIOACHINO From The Barber of Seville (1816) ROSSINI (arr. François-René Gebauer/Frank Morelli) (1792–1868) All’idea di quell metallo Numero quindici a mano manca Largo al factotum Frank Morelli and Jacob Wellman, Bassoons JOHANNES Sonata for Cello, No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38 (1862–65) BRAHMS Allegro non troppo (1833–97) Allegro quasi menuetto-Trio Allegro Frank Morelli, Bassoon Jonathan Feldman, Piano Intermission Program continues Major funding for establishing Paul Recital Hall and for continuing access to its series of public programs has been granted by The Bay Foundation and the Josephine Bay Paul and C.
    [Show full text]
  • PROGRAM NOTES Ludwig Van Beethoven Overture to Fidelio
    PROGRAM NOTES by Phillip Huscher Ludwig van Beethoven Born December 16, 1770, Bonn, Germany. Died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria. Overture to Fidelio Beethoven began to compose Fidelio in 1804, and he completed the score the following year. The first performance was given on November 20, 1805, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Beethoven revised the score in preparation for a revival that opened there on March 29, 1806. For a new production in 1814, he made substantial revisions and wrote the overture performed at these concerts. The overture wasn’t ready in time for the premiere on May 23, 1814, in Vienna’s Kärntnertor Theater, but it was played at the second performance. The overture calls for an orchestra consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, timpani, and strings. Performance time is approximately six minutes. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first subscription concert performances of Beethoven’s Overture to Fidelio were given at the Auditorium Theatre on December 14 and 15, 1894, with Theodore Thomas conducting. Our most recent subscription concert performances of the overture (and the complete opera) were given at Orchestra Hall on May 26, 28, and 31, 1998, with Daniel Barenboim conducting. The Orchestra first performed this overture at the Ravinia Festival on July 16, 1938, with Willem van Hoogstraten conducting, and most recently on July 30, 2008, with Sir Andrew Davis conducting. Nothing else in Beethoven’s career caused as much effort and heartbreak as the composition of his only opera, which took ten years, inspired four different overtures, and underwent two major revisions and a name change before convincing Beethoven that he was not a man of the theater.
    [Show full text]
  • Beethoven's Creative Process of Composition
    Click here for Full Issue of Fidelio Volume 7, Number 3, Fall 1998 Beethoven’s Creative Process of Composition Reflections on Leonore (1806) And Fidelio (1814) by Anno Hellenbroich In the springtime of my life Fortune fled from me! I dared to boldly tell the truth, And chains are my reward. Florestan’s Aria, Fidelio, Act II Come, Hope! Let not the last star Of the weary be dimmed! Light my goal, be it ever so far, Love will attain it. I follow my inner impulse; I waver not; The duty of true married love Strengthens me! Leonore’s Aria, Fidelio, Act I t least three completely different productions of Beethoven’s Great Opera Fidelio (1814) were pre- Asented on German stages in 1997 alone. Can it be, that Beethoven’s musical personification of a great figure as wife, Leonore—who, in her singing celebrates Y not only “true married love,” but, by risking her life, N , n o i achieves the rescue of Florestan in the dramatic develop- t c e l l o ment of the “Great Opera”—might have a completely C r e unheard-of effect at the present historical turning point? g n a r G For sure, it is certain that the number of Fidelio perfor- e h T mances demonstrates, that, completely contrary to the Florestan is saved from Pizarro by Leonore. spirit of the times, people today are more than ever seek- ing the impact of Beethovenesque “Great Opera.” The musical changes from Leonore to If one examines the performances in detail, it is com- Fidelio—the dimly conscious metaphor pletely apparent from them, that there are still directors living in the old era of ’68-generation “director’s theater” of ‘liberation of creative power through (Regietheater).* According to one review, one of the freedom’—can be recognized as the __________ ‘loose cords’ through which the work of * A recent decades’ fad, according to which theatrical “freedom” is art is tightened and shaped.
    [Show full text]
  • Program Notes
    Program Notes Program Notes by April L. Racana Wed. October 19 The 105th Tokyo Opera City Subscription Concert 10 19 Macbeth was Verdi’s tenth opera, years in developing Italian opera. The Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) composed originally in 1847, and revised effectiveness of these sonorities to Opera“Luisa Miller” Overture (Ca. 6min) significantly in 1865. Based on the convey the heights and depths of each Shakespeare play, the composer worked of the character’s emotions as well as Ballet Music from Opera“Macbeth” (ca. 12 min) closely with Francesco Maria Piave (and set the stage for his operas and draw the later Andrea Maffei) to create the libretto. audience into each scene is a testament Verdi has been quoted as saying that the to the talents of Verdi’s writing. In Giuseppe Verdi is known as one of becomes a victim of her male love- bard was “one of my very special poets, addition, they have withstood the test of the primary figures contributing to the interest, who she knows as Carlo, but and I have had him in my hands from time with audiences, even though the development of Italian opera during the who is really Rodolfo, the son of a local earliest youth, and I read and re-read him operas themselves have, at times, had time when Italian nationalism was on the count. Rodolfo, in turn loves her, but continually.” So much so that he would limited performances. rise. By the time La Traviata was staged is tricked into poisoning both her and go on to compose two more operas based in 1853, Verdi had already composed himself.
    [Show full text]
  • September 2016
    Program Notes for kids Opening Night with Jon Kimura Parker Saturday, September 10, 2016 8:00 p.m. Hill Auditorium Shostakovich Festive Overture Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite Intermission Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich About the Music What kind of piece is this? Listen for... This piece is a concert overture: a short and lively intro- Look for the crash cymbals. They mark duction to an instrumental concert. An overture signals exciting and important parts of the to the audience that the performance is beginning. piece at the beginning and the end. When was it written? The woodwinds play very fast passages that are passed around to different parts Festive Overture was first performed in 1954 in Moscow. of the orchestra. What does the music Shostakovich composed it in record time, finishing it in sound like to you? Does it sound like a just three days. celebration? What is it about? Shostakovich wrote Festive Overture for a government event to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution of 1917, when the Soviets took control of Russia. The government wanted peo- ple to think that the Revolution was a good thing for Russia, so they asked Shostakovich to compose a lively, happy, and exciting piece. After its premiere it gained widespread popularity and became a piece all orchestras play, which Shostakovich found funny given the time it took him to compose it. About the Composer Dmitri Shostakovich | Born 1906 in St. Petersburg, Russia | Died August 9, 1975 in Moscow, Russia Family & Career Dmitri Shostakovich was a child prodigy pianist and composer.
    [Show full text]
  • Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21
    Any time Joshua Bell makes an appearance, it’s guaranteed to be impressive! I can’t wait to hear him perform the monumental Brahms Violin Concerto alongside some fireworks for the orchestra. It’s a don’t-miss evening! EMILY GLOVER, NCS VIOLIN Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21 HECTOR BERLIOZ BORN December 11, 1803, in Côte-Saint-André, France; died March 8, 1869, in Paris PREMIERE Composed 1844, revised before 1852; first performance January 19, 1845, in Paris, conducted by the composer OVERVIEW The Random House Dictionary defines “corsair” both as “a pirate” and as “a ship used for piracy.” Berlioz encountered one of the former on a wild, stormy sea voyage in 1831 from Marseilles to Livorno, on his way to install himself in Rome as winner of the Prix de Rome. The grizzled old buccaneer claimed to be a Venetian seaman who had piloted the ship of Lord Byron during the poet’s adventures in the Adriatic and the Greek archipelago, and his fantastic tales helped the young composer keep his mind off the danger aboard the tossing vessel. They landed safely, but the experience of that storm and the image of Lord Byron painted by the corsair stayed with him. When Berlioz arrived in Rome, he immersed himself in Byron’s poem The Corsair, reading much of it in, of all places, St. Peter’s Basilica. “During the fierce summer heat I spent whole days there ... drinking in that burning poetry,” he wrote in his Memoirs. It was also at that time that word reached him that his fiancée in Paris, Camile Moke, had thrown him over in favor of another suitor.
    [Show full text]
  • Overture to the Marriage of Figaro
    Integrated subject areas: Music English Language Arts Overture to The Marriage Social Emotional Learning of Figaro: Compare and Grade(s): 4-6 Lesson length: 40 minutes Contrast Instructional objectives: Students will: Learn about Mozart’s life DESCRIPTION Identify basic musical elements: tempo, dynamics, instrumentation and melody Compare and contrast two different musical styles using Students will listen to two pieces of music with similar melodies, but in the same basic melody completely different styles. One piece is the overture to The Marriage of Compose a review as a music Figaro, an opera in four acts written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786. critic The other is a modern interpretation of the same piece of music by the East Village Opera Company. Materials: Musical recordings of the Students will explore instrumentation, tempo, dynamics, and style used featured repertoire listed within these two pieces. above Sound system for musical Assessment Strategies excerpts of concert repertoire (e.g. laptop and speakers, In this lesson, students should be able to successfully do the following: iPhone® dock, Spotify®, etc) discuss basic musical elements such as tempo, dynamics, instrumentation Paper and writing utensil and melody; differentiate between two musical works with the same melody but very different styles, through class discussion and a writing Featured Repertoire*: assignment. Learn more about assessment strategies on page 5. Mozart – Overture to The Marriage of Figaro Learning Standards East Village Opera Company – Overture Redux (Le Nozze Di This lesson uses Common Core and National Core Arts Anchor Figaro) Standards. You can find more information about the standards featured in this lesson on page 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Overture Opera Guides
    overture opera guides in association with We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Overture Publishing on this series of opera guides and to build on the work English National Opera did over twenty years ago on the Calder Opera Guide Series. As well as reworking and updating existing titles, Overture and ENO have commissioned new titles for the series and all of the guides will be published to coincide with repertoire being staged by the company at the London Coliseum. We hope that these guides will prove an invaluable resource now and for years to come, and that by delving deeper into the history of an opera, the poetry of the libretto and the nuances of the score, read- ers’ understanding and appreciation of the opera and the art form in general will be enhanced. John Berry Artistic Director, ENO The publisher John Calder began the Opera Guides series under the editorship of the late Nicholas John in association with English National Opera in 1980. It ran until 1994 and eventu- ally included forty-eight titles, covering fifty-eight operas. The books in the series were intended to be companions to the works that make up the core of the operatic repertory. They contained articles, illustrations, musical examples and a complete libretto and singing translation of each opera in the series, as well as bibliographies and discographies. The aim of the present relaunched series is to make available again the guides already published in a redesigned format with new illustrations, some newly commissioned articles, updated reference sections and a literal translation of the libretto that will enable the reader to get closer to the intentions and meaning of the original.
    [Show full text]
  • Overture to Fidelio, Op. 72C
    Listen for the piccolo toward the end of the last movement of Beethoven’s Fifth. It’s an iconic little bling from an instrument that had never been used in a symphony before — a wickedly fast, articulated scale that has to cut through the entire orchestra. ANNE WHALEY LANEY, NCS PRINCIPAL FLUTE In Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the trombones do not play until the triumphant C- major chords, which herald the beginning of the fourth movement. It’s a glorious moment that never grows old to play or to listen to. JOHN ILIKA, NCS PRINCIPAL TROMBONE Overture to Fidelio, Op. 72c LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN BORN December 16, 1770, in Bonn, Germany; died March 26, 1827, in Vienna PREMIERE Composed 1814; first performance May 26, 1814, in Vienna, conducted by the composer OVERVIEW Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, underwent numerous major revisions before the composer arrived at the final version. The overture to the opera underwent even greater transformations. We have today four different overtures, all of them popular in the concert hall. The first three are called Leonore (Nos.1, 2, and 3), after the heroine’s name and original title of the opera; the fourth is known as Fidelio, Leonora’s pseudonym and Beethoven’s final title of the opera. The complex plot is a paean to marital fidelity and political justice. Leonore disguises herself as a young man (Fidelio) to free her husband, Florestan, who has been incarcerated unjustly as a political prisoner. Beethoven’s difficulties with the earlier versions of the overture (the three entitled Leonore) stemmed from the fact that they were too dramatic and explicit, following the trajectory of the plot by including themes from the opera, thereby giving away the most dramatic and exciting moments.
    [Show full text]
  • Houston Grand Opera Orchestra & Houston Ballet Orchestra
    Houston Grand Opera Orchestra & Houston Ballet Orchestra 2019 Substitute and Extra Musicians Audition Material March 4th, 2019: Oboe & Bassoon March 6th, 2019: Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Tuba, & Percussion March 7th, 2019: Violin, Viola, Cello, & Bass March 4th, 2019: Oboe & Bassoon Section Oboe Solo Repertoire Mozart, W. A. Oboe Concerto, Mvt. I, exposition Excerpts Brahms, J. Violin Concerto, Mvt. II, mm. 3–32 (Oboe 1) Strauss, R. Don Juan, beginning to four before B (Oboe 1) Strauss, R. Don Juan, four after L to seventeen after M (Oboe 1) Tchaikovsky, P. Casse-Noisette, Act I, No. 1, E to one before F (Oboe 2) Section Bassoon (optional Contrabassoon) Solo Repertoire Mozart, W. A. Bassoon Concerto, Mvt. I, exposition Excerpts Mozart, W. A. Le nozze di Figaro, Overture, mm. 1–58 Mozart, W. A. Le nozze di Figaro, Overture, mm. 139–171 Tchaikovsky, P. Casse-Noisette, Act I, No. 1, mm. 84–117 (Bassoon 1) Tchaikovsky, P. Casse-Noisette, Act II, No. 12b, mm. 33–End [skip long rests] (Bassoon 1) Wagner, R. Tannhäuser (Paris version), Overture, mm. 1–37 (Bassoon 2) Optional Contrabassoon Excerpt Strauss, R. Salome (full orchestration), six after 151 to four after 154 March 6th, 2019: Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Tuba, & Percussion Section Horn Solo Repertoire Mozart, W. A. Concerto No. 2, Mvt. I, exposition or Mozart, W. A. Concerto No. 4, Mvt. I, exposition Excerpts Beethoven, L. Fidelio, Overture, mm. 5–16 (Horn 2 in E) Beethoven, L. Fidelio, Overture, mm. 45–55 (Horn 2 in E) Beethoven, L. Piano Concerto No. 5, mm. 14–107 (Horn 2 in E♭) Tchaikovsky, P.
    [Show full text]