French Masters “Music,” wrote Debussy, “must be as boundless as the wind, the sky, the sea.” With music drawn from three centuries, this weekend’s program explores just that sort of eclecticism. From Saint-Saëns to Debussy to Scriabin to Pintscher, there’s something here for everyone.

MATTHIAS PINTSCHER Born 29 January 1971; Marl, Germany

towards Osiris Composed: 2005 First performance: 16 March 2006; Berlin, Germany Last MSO performance: MSO premiere Instrumentation: 3 (2nd and 3rd doubling piccolo), 2 , English horn, 2 , Bass (doubling contrabass clarinet), 2 , , 4 horns, 3 , 3 , , , percussion (bongo drums, temple blocks, suspended cymbals, tam tam, xylophone, crotale, tom tom, wood block, claves, guiro, wind chimes, maracas, flexatone, , Thai , triangle, sandpaper blocks, marimba, chimes, plate, snare drum, ), 2 harps, celeste, piano, strings Approximate duration: 8 minutes

towards Osiris was premiered by the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. The composer has provided the following program notes: During the initial stages of conceiving an orchestral work which would eventually bear the title towards Osiris, I came across a work of Joseph Beuys from the 1970s that shows individual objects (sewing patterns on cardboard, originally created for his work Felt Suit) that were distributed in a free rhythmic sequence and mounted on a blank canvas on which nothing had been painted. This work, which made such an impression, was called by Beuys Osiris, and it inspired me to delve into the Osiris myth and its meaning through the centuries. Osiris, the God of Fertility, was the son of Nut (the Goddess of the Sky) and Geb (the God ofthe Earth); the destiny that led to his death stood at the center of my investigations. After being murdered by his brother, Osiris remained in the Realm of the Dead, where he served as a judge in the afterlife. In Egyptian mythology, every person’s death is closely bound up with the destiny of Osiris. I was especially touched by the figure of Isis, Osiris’ loving sister and spouse, who, after her hus- band was dismembered by his raging brother (Set, the God of Combat), was able to reassemble him through the power of her love, and prevented further decay of his reconstructed body, resuscitating him with her wings. Prior to that, she had searched desperately and ceaselessly along the banks of the Nile for the remains French Masters PROGRAM NOTES Instrumentation: Composed:1903-05 Died 25March 1918;Paris, France France 22August1862;Sainte-Germain-en-Laye, Born CLAUDE DEBUSSY La Mer through theclouds.Calmisrestored. swells ingreat washesofsoundasairandwatercollide.Ultimately, though,thesunbreaks andtheSea,”there’sthe current. In“DialogoftheWind a-coming.Theorchestra astorm shimmering surfaceofthewater, feelthe rocking ofthewavesand unexpectedshiftsof sometimes subtle,changesinlightingandatmosphere. In“PlayoftheWaves,” noticethe progresses,In theopeningsegment,asmorning listenforthesometimesobvious, In thiswork,“thestory”isallaboutcolor, texture, andnuance. in “From DawntoNoonontheSea,”he“particularlylikedbitataquartereleven.” timeline—thoughDebussy’sry thatfollowsanormal friendEricSatiewrylyquipped that, cycle.) Thesepiecesare notprogrammatic inatraditionalsense.That is,theydon’t tellsto- it oneofhistopthree favorites,alongwith Bach’s PassionandWagner’s St.Matthew Ring is abrilliantopusintheorchestral repertoire. (TheRussianpianistSviatoslavRichternamed itnevertheless symphonynoracompletedisavowaloftheform, La mer.Neithera“normal” quent travelstoItaly. Itservedastheinspirationforhissetofthree “symphonicsketches,” The MediterraneanwastheseaDebussyrecalled from tripstoCannesasachildandsubse- often deadensthought.” of memories[ofthesea],andtomymind,theyare worthmore thanreality, whosebeauty was onlyquitebychancethatfateledmeinanotherdirection... ButIhavean endless store Messager (1853-1929),hewrote, “You maynotknowthatIwasdestinedforasailor’s life.It Claude Debussywascaptivatedbythesea.Ina1903lettertofellowcomposerAndré Recommended recording: Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: allows ustograspinmusicalform. context, whichOsiris,asoneofthemostcomplexfigures inEgyptianmythology, played here therefore standsasapiece“ontheway”—toward astageofbroader the ChicagoSymphonyOrchestra) underthedirection ofPierre Boulez.Thework chestral work(titledOsiris),whichwouldbepremiered in2008Chicago(with the firstmaterialcomposedofwhatwouldlaterbedevelopedintoalarger or towards Osirisistobeunderstoodasaself-standingorchestral study;itrepresents musical process. sition intoseparatepieces,andtheirreassembly andmetamorphosis—agenuine of fragmentationandreanimation: theinitialstateofcompleteness,decompo- structureof herbeloved.Thissuggestedtomeaformal baseduponvariousstages First performance: Bernard Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra (Philips) 23 minutes glockenspiel, tamtam,triangle),2harps,strings 3 trombones, tuba,timpani,percussion (bassdrum,cymbals, 3trumpets,2cornets, 3 bassoons,contrabassoon,4horns, 3clarinets, 2 flutes,piccolo,oboes,Englishhorn, March 2016;JunMärkl,conductor 15 October1905 턐 - French Masters PROGRAM NOTES

2 2 flutes,piccolo,2oboes,clarinets,bassoons,4horns, Instrumentation: Op. 103“Egyptian” Concerto No.5inFmajorforPianoandOrchestra, Died 16December1921;Algiers,Algeria 9October1835;Paris,France Born CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS — and continuestodosoeventoday.and criticsatitsfirstperformance is amotoperpetuosotourdeforce forthesoloist,onethatdelightedbothaudience long before we’re skitteringoverthewaveswithwindinourhair. Theentire movement pani andlowbasschords inthepiano—wehearvessel’s propellers startingup.Itisn’t represent aseavoyageand,indeed,initsrumblingopeningmeasures —courtesy oftim- right handdoublesitpianissimoatwelfthandaneighteenth above.TheFinaleissaidto tain passagesare voiced:thepianistplaysamelodymezzoforteinlefthandwhile going downstream inadahabieh.”Anotherstrikingtouchisthemannerwhichvoices cer the violins—is“aNubianlovesongIheard sungbytheboatmenonNilewhenIwas plained thatoneofitsthemes—firstsoundedbyin the pianist’s lefthand,thenplayedby ments. Here, Saint-Saënsemployednon-traditionalscalesandmodalinflections andex- heard inFmajor. soundingofthethree TheAndanteisbyfarthemost“Eastern” move- makes ampleuseoftheopeningthemeand,inrecapitulation, theDminorthemeis lades. ThemeltinglybeautifulsecondthemeiscastinDminor. Thedevelopmentsection thenintroduce andhorns apulsingchordal motifasthepianistplayscolorfulrouWinds - the pianistsoonplaysagentlyliltingthemethatistakenupbywoodwindsandviolins. Sustained woodwindchords andpluckedstringsopenthe3/4-timeAllegro animato,and scores. Itissetinthetraditionalthree movements,fast-slow-fast. music—makingitoneofhismostexotic ence ofJavanese,Spanish,andMiddle-Eastern while inLuxor, toEgypt.Secondly, ononeofhishabitualwintersojourns itshowstheinflu- appellation “Egyptian”foracoupleofreasons. First,thecomposercompleted hisOp.103 Pleyel thatcelebratedhisdebutthere 50yearsprior—theonedetailedabove.Itbears onaconcertatSalle Saint-Saëns composedhisfinalpianoconcertoin1896,toperform , chambermusic,,andconcertos. most accomplishedworksare thosethatadhere composers: tothemodelsofViennese his senseofcolor. Andthoughhecontributedtoeverygenre ofhisday, includingopera,his orchestrator, herelied meansratherthanpurely onharmonic instrumentaleffects toattain many divergences uponthemusic.Asan andvariationsbestowing statelinessandcharm languageissimpleanddirect,sion, andelegantmelodies.Hisdistinctiveharmonic butwith embodied certaintraditionalFrench characteristics:neatproportions, clarity, refined expres- From our21st-centuryperspective,weseeSaint-SaënsasaRomanticneo-Classicistwho Russia, theCanaryIslands,andAmerica. locales asEgypt,Algeria,Spain,Portugal,Italy, Greece, Uruguay, Scandinavia,England, hisentireand informed life.Aninveteratetraveler, tookhimtosuchdiverse hisjourneys Wedded tothisremarkable precocity wasaninsatiableintellectualcuriositythatshaped As anencore, heoffered toplayanyoneofBeethoven’s 32pianosonatas—from memory. he madehisdebutinaconcertthatincludedpianoconcertosbyMozartandBeethoven. Like MozartandMendelssohn,CamilleSaint-Saënswasachildprodigy. In1846,atageten, Jean-Yves Thibaudet;CharlesDutoit,L’Orchestre dela Recommended recording: Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: First performance: Composed: 1896 Suisse Romande(Decca) 29 minutes strings trumpets, 3trombones, timpani,percussion (tamtam),harp, Jean-Yves Thibaudet,piano May 2009;PietariInkinan,conductor; 6 May1896;Paris,France 턐 - French Masters PROGRAM NOTES Composed:1905-08 Instrumentation: The PoemofEcstasy,Op.54[SymphonyNo.4] Russia Died27April1915;Moscow, Russia 6January1872;Moscow,Born book: in1909,thecomposer approvedRussian performance, thefollowingnoteforprogram (Two yearsearlier, Scriabinhadappeared there inaseriesofpianorecitals.) Forthefirst lush, complexharmony.” ThePoemofEcstasyhad its premiere inNewYork Cityin1908. volatile figures hispianotextures, thatpermeate aswellcatchingthesensuous flavorof orchestrator. Init,writesmusicologistHughMacDonald,“hebrought tolife thefluttering, structure. Itcallsforahugeorchestra anddisplayshisgreat skill,oftenoverlooked,asan andonitsdenseorchestralinfluenced harmonies textures thanonatraditional thematic butneverthelessreliesthe influenceofsonataform, more onitshighlychromatic, Wagner- like thelastsixpianosonatas—wasconceivedasasinglemovement.Thepieceshows Though Scriabinsometimesreferred toThePoemofEcstasyashisfourthsymphony, it— later workseschewedkeysignatures altogether, employingaccidentalsthroughout. modulations toremote keys,andexcursions intomodalityorextreme chromaticism. His into new, unexplored realms —through melodicclashes,unresolved added-tonechords, abin’s languagewasinnovative, extending theboundariesofdissonanceandkey harmonic sonatas, thelastsixofwhichare model,Scri- setinasinglemovement.LikehisPolish-born of aminiaturist,favoringChopin-likepreludes andmazurkas,buthealsocomposed ten Of Scriabin’s 74publishedworks,allbutsevenare forsolopiano.Hewasalwayssomething 5 (1907)andfortheworkontoday’s program. lengthy poemcalledPoemaextaza,whichprovided theinspirationforhisPianoSonataNo. Blavatsky’s theosophy. Hefillednotebookswithramblingphilosophicalmusingsanda philosophy,plex. HedabbledinNietzscheansuperman butlaterrenounced itforMadame nerisms. Byallreports, hewasconceited,egomaniacal,andpossessedaMessiahcom- great aunt—allofwhom waitedonhimhandandfoot—Scriabinwaseffete inhisman- His wasaninteresting personality. Havingbeenraisedbyhisaunt,grandmother, andhis could barely stretch anoctaveonthekeyboard. cert pianist.UnlikeRachmaninoff, however, hewasdiminutiveinstature: hissmallishhands Sergei Rachmaninoff wasafellowclassmate.Likehisbetter-known colleague,hewasacon- The RussiancomposerAlexanderScriabinstudiedattheMoscowConservatory, where Recommended recording: Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: of Ecstasyshallarrive. it hasexhaustedcompletelyitssubstanceandliberated activeenergy, theTime awayfromactivity andhasbeentorn theembracesofteleologyandrelativity, when with creativity itself.WhentheSpirithasattainedsupreme culminationofits rhythms, themore clearlytheawareness comestotheSpiritthatitisconsubstantial an end.Thestronger thepulsebeatoflifeandmore rapidtheprecipitation of ness, havingsubordinated itselftoaFinalityandmadecreativity ameanstoward Spirit, i.e.,theUniverseatPlay, isnotconscious oftheAbsolutenessitscreative- Creation Motivation,aDivinePlayofWorlds.Eternal withoutExternal TheCreative The PoemofEcstasyistheJoyLiberatedAction. Cosmos,i.e.,Spirit,is First performance: Neeme Järvi,ChicagoSymphony Orchestra (Chandos) 22 minutes 2 harps,celeste,organ, strings cymbal, bassdrum,tamtam,glockenspiel,chimeinC), trumpets, 3trombones, tuba,timpani,percussion (triangle, 5 ,3bassoons,contrabassoon,8horns, 3clarinets, 3 flutes,piccolo,oboes,Englishhorn, January 1987;ZdenekMacal,conductor 10 December1908;NewYork, NewYork 턐