Sept. 16, 2015
Mikhail Glinka Russian composer born: June 1, 1804, Novospasskoye; died: February 15, 1857, Berlin
Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla
First Classics performance: January 21, 1947, conducted by Igor Stravinsky; most recent performance: November 16, 1985, conducted by Semyon Bychkov; duration 5 minutes
Mikhail Glinka is often praised as the father of the Romantic school in Russian music. We are a bit surprised to learn that the composer’s childhood included very little exposure to music. The only instruction he received amounted to a few piano lessons from his German governess. But there were other clues to young Mikhail’s latent gifts, such as his acute sensitivity to the sounds around him - church bells, folk songs, a village band, etc. In his memoirs Glinka recalls: “At a wind band concert, some of the pieces made an indescribable impression on me, so that for days afterward I was in a kind of hectic state, possessed by a delicious languor. Once in school my teacher reproved me because my thoughts were entirely filled with music. I replied: “What am I to do? Music is my very soul.” Perhaps these songs which I heard in my childhood first suggested the idea of using our national music as a basis for composition.” At age 13 Glinka was sent to an aristocratic private school in St. Petersburg where he managed to take lessons on both the piano and violin. It seems that was enough to allow his instinct to take over. He found a way to meet some very important musicians, like the Irish composer and pianist John Field, and later Hummel, Mendelssohm, Berlioz, Bellini and Donizetti. In turn he developed a deep fascination for the harmonies of Chopin and the bravura of Liszt. Yet in his own distinctive style, Glinka became the lead bird upon the ravaging Russian winds - the very same creative storms which soon welcomed Tchaikovsky and Rimsky- Korsakoff to the scene. And Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev were soon to arrive. All were indebted to Glinka, whose exuberant tunes and passionate harmonies pointed the way to a truly Russian nationalist school. Composed between 1837 and 1842, Glinka’s opera Russlan and Ludmilla is based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin. The great poet had agreed to write the libretto for the opera but lost his life in a duel with his brother-in-law. The issue was the alleged infidelity of Pushkin’s wife, Natalya, a famous beauty who had many admirers, including the Tsar himself. Glinka had to accept assistance from several librettists in order to get the story ready for prime time. Like so many operatic storylines of the era, the five-act libretto is based on mythology, with fairies and magic spells, convoluted with conflict, color and even a little comedy. In sum: The Prince of Kiev has a daughter, Ludmilla, who is betrothed to Russlan, an intrepid warrior. In the manner of grand opera and fantastic Russian theater, things get very dicey and complicated, with lots of side-bar action from a wealth of characters, including a ballet scene. In the end Russlan and Ludmilla are united happily ever after, but first she disappears under a magic spell of darkness, abducted by an evil dwarf with a long beard which holds the secret to his powers. Along the way are a giant talking head, an enchantress to lure Russlan from his quest to rescue Ludmilla, a magic sword, lover’s intrigues and even a duel, for bizarre irony. To set the spirit and tone of the opera Glinka scored his now immensely popular Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla. Charged with flamboyant energy, the music hints at a few of the brightest moments from the drama. It features the tune from Russlan’s love aria for Ludmilla, played with gusto by the mid and lower strings, as well as fragments from the wedding scene in Act V, heralded by the orchestra at large, with strings and woodwinds on the fly. Brilliant..! ------
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Russian composer born: April 25, 1840, Votkinsk; died: October 25, 1893, St. Petersburg
Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a Scene 1, Moderato Scene 4, Andante Neapolitan Dance, Allegro moderato Spanish Dance, Allegro non troppo Waltz, Tempo di valse
First Classics performance: October 29, 1954, conducted by Joseph Levine; most recent performance: December 5, 1992, conducted by Maximiano Valdes; duration 19 minutes
As many feel that Mozart always composed with his heart in opera, the music of Tchaikovsky seems eternally linked to ballet theater. For example, the Russian master scored seven symphonies (including Manfred) of which Nos. 4, 5 and 6 are by far the most performed. We note that Symphony No. 4 was composed almost simultaneously with the ballet Swan Lake (1876); Symphony No. 5 was completed in the very same year as Sleeping Beauty (1888); and, Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) was finished just months after the magnificent Nutcracker (1892). Moreover, in addition to his penchant for story ballet, Tchaikovsky also acknowledged that a ‘program’ of some kind always guided his pen. He once noted that he composed “...as a lyric poet expresses himself in verses.” It was therefore natural that Tchaikovsky would have a special fondness for the musical portrayals required by ballet theater. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has long been a mainstay of both ballet and concert audiences. In four acts, the storyline is a classic: A beautiful maiden, Odette, has been placed under a spell by a sorcerer. She appears as a maiden only from midnight until dawn, but must exist every day as a swan on a lake in the Black Forest. To break the spell, Prince Siegfried pledges his eternal love, but is tricked by an evil sorcerer, Rothbart. Unwittingly, Siegfried offers his heart to Odile, the sorcerer’s daughter, who appears exactly like Odette, dressed in satin black. When the ruse is revealed, the heartbroken Odette sacrifices herself to a storm on the lake, followed by Siegfried in despair. United at last, their spirits are escorted by soaring swans into the great beyond. With regard to the music of Swan Lake, there are several unexpected details about the score overall. The tender main theme heard at the curtain is a paraphrase from Wagner’s opera Lohengrin. The lyrical tune is borrowed from Lohengrin’s defining aria Nie solst du mich befragen (Never ask my identity). Moreover, exactly as in Lohengrin, the principal setting is at the shoreline of a great lake with swans. (Tchaikovsky had seen the opera in Moscow about two years earlier). The ballet is replete with alluring waltzes, breathless folk dances, virtuoso dance solos and the famous pas de deux (see below). We should also note that Tchaikovsky borrowed the name ‘Siegfried’ from the intrepid hero in Wagner’s Ring. Quite a tribute. The excerpts offered here are derived from the full ballet score. The first scene conveys Siegfried’s ambivalence about coming of age and choosing a bride (he has not yet found Odette). Scene 4 features the pas de deux for Odette and Siegfried as they exchange vows - one of the most revered scenes in all of ballet. After a florid harp cadenza, Odette is represented by a solo violin, Siegfried by the cello. An international ball is featured in Act III, with various countries represented by traditional dances. A charming Neapolitan Dance features a bright Italian tune in the solo trumpet. In turn, the Spanish Dance spins with accents and castanets for flamenco caballeros and their swirling senoritas. To round out the suite, among the many great waltzes from the world of ballet, none is more enticing than the waltz scene from Act I, when Siegfried is entertained by the townsfolk as he comes of age. ------
Sergey Rachmaninoff Russian composer, pianist born: April 1, 1873, Oneg; died: March 28, 1943, Beverly Hills, CA
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 Moderato; Allegro Adagio sostenuto Allegro scherzando
First performed on the Classics series on November 18, 1935, with pianist C. Gordon Watkins, conducted by Lajos Shuk; most recently performed on January 29, 2011, with soloist Joyce Yang, conducted by JoAnn Falletta; duration 34 minutes
As a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Sergey Rachmaninoff became moody and detached. At one point he even failed all of his classes. Alarmed and concerned, the composer’s family transferred him to the Moscow Conservatory where a regimen of strict discipline managed to pique his intellect and rekindle his interest in music. Nevertheless, Sergey’s early twenties were troubled by depression. The most serious episode began at the disastrous premiere of his first symphony, after which the Russian composer César Cui wrote a malintended review: “If there were a conservatory in Hell and one of its students were to compose a symphony like this, the Devil would be delighted...it is like the Seven Plagues of Egypt.” With psychiatric help it took the composer almost three years to recover his confidence after which time he began work on Piano Concerto No. 2. Completed in 1900, Rachmaninoff dedicated the piece to his benevolent counselor, Dr. Nikolay Dahl. With the successful premiere of his new concerto, Rachmaninoff was suddenly launched into the turbulent currents of serious music. At the same time he pursued a career as a concertizing pianist, and even today many piano buffs believe that Rachmaninoff was among the greatest pianists in history. (All of his recordings are now available on CDs - astonishing..!) Piano Concerto No. 2 begins with a somber but brief recitation from the soloist. The mood is at once deeply personal and inscrutable, as low strings chant the first poetic phrases of the movement, supported by urgent filigree from the keyboard. In a few moments the solo line presents a second melody worthy of Apollo - a tune which later appears as a sublime descant in the solo horn. The movement is so rich with lyricism and virtuosity that one is unaware of its overall sonata-allegro form. But that was just a prelude, as Rachmaninoff again reaches to the poetic realms with the exquisite melody of the second movement. Marked Adagio sostenuto (slowly sustained), a long clarinet solo paints a misty interlude in a tender scene where time seems suspended. Lyrical and deeply personal, one can almost sense the composer’s hard-won awareness of the random caprice of life, its sorrows and joys.
And he sat him down in a lonely place, And chanted a melody full and sweet, That made the wild-swan pause in her cloud, And the lark swoop down at his feet. Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Poet’s Song
Scherzando is the style cue for the third movement, beginning with accented strings and brass as a prelude to dazzling virtuosity from the soloist. In a few brief moments the energy transposes into one of the most quoted classical melodies of all time - chanted first in the middle strings and echoed from the keyboard. An intrigue of virtuosity follows as the soloist and orchestra banter in playful repartee. In like manner the dialogue alternates from keyboard pyrotechnics to enchanted souvenirs as the tour draws to the close in punctuated C major. ------program notes by Edward Yadzinski ------