Strauss & Dvořák Tonight’s concert includes early works by Strauss and Bartók — written in their mid-20s. Ravel’s exotic Tzigane and Dvořák’s pastoral Symphony No. 6 round out the program.

RICHARD STRAUSS Born 11 June 1864; Munich, Germany Died 8 September 1949; Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Don Juan, Opus 20 Composed: 1888 First performance: 11 November 1889; Weimar, Germany Last MSO performance: September 2005; Andreas Delfs, conductor Instrumentation: 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (cymbals, glockenspiel, suspended cymbals, triangle), harp, strings Approximate duration: 17 minutes

Richard Strauss was only 24-years-old when he composed the tone poem Don Juan, his first important work. He cited Nikalaus Lenau’s (1802-1850) German verse play as his source of inspiration, but we should also duly note that Strauss had conducted Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Munich not long before he set to work on Don Juan. Strauss prefaced the published score with excerpts from Lenau’s poem; they include such intriguing lines as “The charmed circle of many kinds of beautiful, stimulating femininity... I should like to traverse them in a storm of pleasure, and die of a kiss upon the lips of the last woman.” Lenau’s verses are more like reflections on amorous pursuits than lists of the titular character’s wom- anizing conquests. The swirling, energetic opening theme is meant to portray Don Juan himself. This motif soon yields to a romantic melody, first introduced by a solo violin. A gentle oboe suggests a nighttime assignation. Insistent horns then break the mood as they intone a bold, self-as- sured theme. Melodies are restated and mingled together, always borne along by the composer’s matchless orchestration. In Lenau’s poem, Don Juan, tired of chasing women, allows himself to be defeated in a duel. Strauss’s tone poem depicts this with a piercing stab from the trumpets. He drops, trembling, to the ground. The mood becomes quiet and forlorn, signifying the protagonist’s imminent demise; it’s a disconsolate ending rather than a fortissimo finale. The music’s final phrases grow ever softer, concluding with what sounds like the last breaths of a dying man. Don Juan’s life was over, but Strauss’s magnificent career had just begun. Recommended recording: Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (RCA Red Seal)  Strauss & Dvořák PROGRAM NOTES Composed: Instrumentation: Deux Portraits,Opus5[Two Portraits] Died 26September1945,NewYork, NewYork 25MarchBorn 1881;Nagyszentmiklós,Hungary(nowSînnicolauMare, Romania) BÉLA BARTÓK and alltooraw. Perhapstheemotionsthey evokedwerewas hesitanttohavethemperformed. toodirect the completionofhisTwo Portraits Geyer asimaginedbythecomposer“intwodifferent statesofmind.”Formanyyearsafter traits suggeststheymightdepicttwosidesofStefi’s personality, or—justasprobably — Bartok scholarMalcolmGilleshasopinedthatthemarked differentiation betweenthePor Stefi’s motifispresent, butis recast asadancetune. the Bagatelle,ittooisessentiallysamepiece,differing littlefrom itsoriginalsource. is anacerbicwaltz.Thoughsomeofthepianisticeffects are necessarilylostinorchestrating The secondPortrait,“Unegrotesque,” offers astarkcontrasttothefirst.Asnotedearlier, it “idealized StefiGeyer, celestialandinward.” direct music”hehadyetcomposed,“writtenexclusivelyfrom theheart.”Itis,hesaid, some commentatorstolikenthesoundthatofswellingwaves.Bartokcalledit“themost piece movesforward, otherinstrumentsjoin inonebyone;thischaracteristichasprompted a supple,delicatepicture ofStefithatopens withasolostatementofherleitmotif.Asthe “Une ideale,”istheopeningmovementofabortedConcerto,virtuallyunchanged.It From thesetwoGeyer-inspired works,BartokfashionedtheTwo Portraits dead). The14thbagatelle,writtenthefollowingmonth,isaneerie,impassionedwaltz. funèbre piano bagatelles.HecalleditLento The samedayhereceived Stefi’s heartbreaking letter, Bartokbeganthe13thinanewset of miere, anditwasnotpublisheduntil1959.) written, andStefineverplayed“her”concerto.(Bartokwithdrew theworkbefore itspre- received amissivefrom Geyerbreaking off therelationship. Nothird movementwasever he wasworkingon,aswellhisplannedFinale.Fast-forward to14February 1908. Bartok chain ofthirds thatopenstheconcerto(D-F#-A-C#). Healsodetailedthetwomovements “This isyourleitmotif,”Bartokwrote toStefiinmid-September1907,notating therising with herasitsintendedsoloist. the prospect ontheviolinconcerto, ofalifetogetherwithStefi.Hesettoworkearnestly summer, theyoungcomposerwasflushwithdiscoveryofanewworldmusicand his firstviolinconcerto.Whiletravelingthrough Transylvania collectingfolksongslaterthat with theGeyerfamily, Bartokjotteddownthefirstelevenmeasures ofwhatheintendedas friends, andsoonfellinlove.On1July1907,spendingtimetheHungariancountryside ally giftedviolinist.Bartókwas26andapromising composer. Theyimmediatelybecame Béla BartókmetStefiGeyerinthespringof1907.Shewas19,beautiful,andanexception- Recommended recording: Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: First performance: 1907-1911 Orchestra (DeutscheGrammophon) Shlomo Mintz;ClaudioAbbado, LondonSymphony 12 minutes snare drum,triangle,tam tam),2harps,strings 2 trombones, tuba,timpani, percussion (bassdrum,cymbals, 2trumpets, clarinet andbassclarinet),2bassoons,4horns, 2 clarinets(1stdoublingEflatclarinet,2nd 2 flutes(1stdoublingpiccolo),oboes,Englishhorn, violin September 1985:LukasFoss,conductor;ShlomoMintz, 20 April1916;Budapest(both) 12 February1911;Budapest,Hungary(No.1) , Bartokwasnoteagertotalkabouttheirinspiration, and andgaveitthesubtitle“Elleestmorte”(Sheis  , Op.5.Thefirst, - Strauss & Dvořák PROGRAM NOTES Composed: Instrumentation: Composed:1880 Instrumentation: for Violin andOrchestraTzigane forViolin Died 28December1937;Paris,France 7MarchBorn 1875;Ciboure, France MAURICE RAVEL (formerly calledSymphonyNo.1,Op.58) (formerly Symphony No.6inDMajor, Op.60 Bohemia Died1May1904;Prague 8September1841;Nelahozeves, Born ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK handed RichterhisDmajor symphony. he’d askedthecomposerto writeasymphonyforthesameensemble.Ayearlater inDvořák’sPhilharmonic No. 3inNovember1879.The following day, Rhapsody Slavonic (andatthefirstBayreuthVienna Philharmonic Festival in1876)—hadledthe the Vienna Court Orchestra(1843-1916). Richter—who wastheprincipalconductorofVienna and Dvořák pennedhisSymphonyNo.6atthebehestof thegreat conductorHansRichter version wasfirstplayedbySamuelDushkinandessayedd’Aránysixweekslater wise dedicatedtoher, asisVaughan Williams’s Academico Concerto d’Arány (1893-1966),whogaveitsLondonpremiere. (Bartók’s twoviolinsonatasare like- Tzigane wascommissionedby—anddedicatedtotheBudapest-bor whirlwind finale. followed byafrenzied ofaloosesetvariations,andcappedwith dance,intheform violinist asitcaptures thespiritofgypsyimprovisation. Anextendedrhapsodicsolois A showpieceoftheviolinrepertoire, Tzigane popularity ledhimtoorchestrate italmostimmediately. balon-like qualitythatproduced the“gypsy”timbre Ravelwantedtoevoke.)Thework’s which couldbeengagedbypullingstopsabovethekeyboard. Oneofthesehadacim- luthéal was,inRavel’s day, arelatively newpianoattachmentthathadseveralregistrations Set inonemovement,Raveloriginallyscored theworkforviolinandpiano/luthéal.(The gracioso” or, say, Mozart’s Turkish from exoticisminThe the Abduction Seraglio a sortofmusicalexoticism,muchlikethecomposer’s Spanishexoticismin“Alboradadel in anydirect sense,nordoes itcontainanyauthentic“gypsy”melodies.Rather, itimplies Tzigane Recommended recording: Last MSOperformance: Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: Approximate duration: takesitsnamefrom theFrench forgypsy. term Itdoesnotrefer totheRomapeople First performance: First performance: 1924 41 minutes timpani, strings 2trumpets,3trombones,2 bassoons,4horns, tuba, 2 flutes(2nddoublingpiccolo),oboes,clarinets, April 2012;JamesGaffigan,conductor 25 March 1881;Prague (Deutsche Grammophon) Itzhak Perlman;ZubinMehta,NewYork Philharmonic 10 minutes suspended cymbals,triangle),harp,celeste,strings trumpet,percussion2 bassoons,horns, (glockenspiel, 2 flutes(2nddoublingpiccolo),oboes,clarinets, Frank Almond,violin June 2002;Andreas Delfs, conductor; 19 October1924;Amsterdam, Netherlands(violin/orchestra) 26 April1924;London,England(violin/luthéal), teststhemusicalandtechnicalmettleofany  .) Theviolin/orchestra n violinistJelly . . , Dvořák Strauss & Dvořák PROGRAM NOTES

The DminorScherzoisafuriant phony No.9. and conclusionseemtopaybriefhomagethesublimeAdagiofr that ofalooserondo enclosingvariationswithinthesections.Listen:Bothitsintroduction andofanardently (DvořákscholarOtakarŠourek). is turne passionateintermezzo” Itsform noc- andlush,possessing“thequalityofasoftlyyearning The B-flatmajorAdagioiswarm joyous spontaneity. orchestra inexuberantcounterpoint. Theentire movementischeerfulanddauntless,fullof transition tothesecondsubject,ajauntyoboemelodythat,likefirst,istakenupby melody thatreaches itsclimaxastheviolinsare answered bythefullbrass.Flutesbegin The sunnyAllegro nontantoissetin3/4meter. Itsopeningthemeisaquestion-and-answer friend, andardent advocate—ispalpable. tions. TheinfluenceofBeethoven,Schubert,andespeciallyBrahms—Dvořák’ The composerhaddeliberatelystriventowriteapiecethatrelated totheirmusicaltradi- It’s ironic musiciansobjectedtoDvořák’s thattheViennese symphony basedonitsethnicity. work’s dedicatee,dideventuallyconductitinLondon1882. Orchestra withtheCzechPhilharmonic inPrague.Richter,performance whoremained the the orchestra’s tohisfriendAdolfČech,whoconductedthefirst ranks,soDvořákturned citing familyillnessandoverworkedplayers.Intruth,there were anti-Czechsentimentsin The premiere wassetforDecember1880,butRichterkeptpostponingtheperformance, In itbreathes thesweetfragranceandunspoiledbeautyofCzechwoodsmeadows.” Šourek, “thehumorandpride,theoptimismpassionofCzechpeoplecometolife. Austro- role Germanic modelswithhisown idealizationofCzechfolkmusic.We hear, writes and joyful,here —asthroughout hisSymphonyNo.6—Dvořákcombines elementsofhis opening movement,theFinaleisasonata-allegro setinDmajor. form Equalpartsheroic between thewoodwindsandstrings,withquietbirdcalls from thesolopiccolo.Like to mindthecomposer’s Dances famousSlavonic Recommended recording: Program notes by J. Mark Baker. by J. notes Mark Program Jiří Bělohlávek, Czech Philharmonic OrchestraJiří Bělohlávek,CzechPhilharmonic (Decca) —aswirlingBohemianfolkdancein3/4timethatcalls . Thetriosectionfeatures agentledialogue om Beethoven’s Sym- s mentor, 