Michael Tilson Thomas Conductor Jeremy Denk Piano Mahler Blumine Performed to Commemorate the Centenary of Mahler’S Death in 1911 Beethoven Piano Concerto No
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Program ONe HuNDReD TweNTy-FIRST SeASON Chicago symphony orchestra riccardo muti Music Director Pierre Boulez Helen Regenstein Conductor emeritus Yo-Yo ma Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Global Sponsor of the CSO Thursday, December 8, 2011, at 8:00 Friday, December 9, 2011, at 1:30 Saturday, December 10, 2011, at 8:00 michael Tilson Thomas conductor Jeremy Denk piano mahler Blumine Performed to commemorate the centenary of Mahler’s death in 1911 Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 Allegro con brio Largo Rondo: Allegro JeReMy DeNk InTermIssIon Brahms, orch. schoenberg Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25 Allegro Intermezzo: Allegro, ma non troppo Andante con moto Rondo alla zingarese: Presto This program is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts. CommenTs by PHILLIP HuSCHeR gustav mahler Born July 7, 1860, Kalischt, Bohemia. Died May 18, 1911, Vienna, Austria. Blumine his music was lost for more Werner, the trumpeter, serenades Tthan seventy years. Mahler his beloved on the opposite side conducted it for the last time in of the Rhine. It was composed in June 1894 in Weimar. At that time, 1884, when Mahler was work- this small-scaled andante, titled ing on the Songs of a Wayfarer and Blumine, was the second movement only just beginning to think about of his First Symphony, a power- tackling a big symphonic poem, the house work in five movements. But, composition that would eventu- after the Weimar performance— ally become his Symphony no. 1. the third ever given of the new Although Blumine eventually found symphony—the composer decided its way into the symphony, it was to drop it from the score. When the never intended for that piece and symphony was published in 1889, it never quite fit in. It took Mahler there were just four movements, just three performances—the and Blumine was gone for good. premiere in Budapest in 1889, a Blumine had, in fact, been written second performance in Hamburg earlier, as part of Mahler’s inciden- in 1893, and the Weimar concert tal music for a staging of Scheffel’s of 1894—before he was convinced poem Der Trompeter von Säkkingen; that it felt like an insertion, even it accompanied the scene where an interruption, in the narrative ComPoseD mosT reCenT InsTrumenTaTIon 1884 Cso PerFormanCe two flutes, two oboes, two August 9, 2002, Ravinia clarinets, two bassoons, four FIrsT PerFormanCe Festival. Christoph horns, trumpet, timpani, November 20, 1889, eschenbach conduct- harp, strings budapest, as second move- ing. Performed as the ment of Symphony no. 1. The second movement of aPProxImaTe composer conducting Symphony no. 1 PerFormanCe TIme 10 minutes FIrsT Cso PerFormanCe April 17, 1969, Orchestra Hall. eugene Ormandy conducting. Performed as the second movement of Symphony no. 1 2 flow of the symphony. Scored for ered movement on June 18, 1967, a smaller orchestra than the rest at the Aldeburgh Festival. “It was of the symphony, and of slight a strange and touching experience, dimensions and delicate colors, it like a vivid dream in which one seemed “insufficiently symphonic,” meets a long-dead friend,” William Mahler later told the conductor Mann wrote in the Times. The fol- Bruno Walter, one of the earliest lowing year, a performance given in champions of his music. And with New Haven reinserted Blumine into that, Blumine disappeared. the First Symphony, an attempt at In December 1959, Mrs. James reconstructing Mahler’s original M. Osborn of New Haven, symphonic plan (even though it Connecticut, bought a manuscript inconsistently mixed the 1893 of Mahler’s First Symphony at a Blumine with the 1906 revision of Sotheby’s auction and subsequently the rest of the symphony). But since placed it in the Osborn Collection then, few conductors have chosen of the Yale University Library. This, to ignore Mahler’s own wishes, and it later turned out, was the ver- Blumine remains a historical curios- sion of the symphony Mahler had ity that stands alone. (Oddly, the conducted in Hamburg in 1893, only previous Chicago Symphony before he decided to cut Blumine performances of Blumine both from the score; the composer had treated it not as a separate piece, given the manuscript to Jenny Feld, but inserted it into the symphony.) a woman he tutored at the Vienna The music itself, with its quietly Conservatory. She, in turn, passed haunting trumpet solo, is pure it on to her son, who eventually “innocent, uncomplicated lyricism,” contacted Sotheby’s. The score sat in the words of Donald Mitchell. in the Yale collection, evidently The name Mahler gave it, Blumine, unexamined, until 1966, when is a tribute to Jean Paul, one of Mahler scholar Donald Mitchell Mahler’s favorite writers, who had saw it and realized that Blumine titled a collection of his articles had been found at last. Herbst-Blumine, apparently invent- Benjamin Britten conducted the ing the word Blumine at the time, first performance of the rediscov- as a variant of Blume, or flower. 3 Ludwig van Beethoven Born December 16, 1770, Bonn, Germany. Died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria. Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, op. 37 e’re not certain that Beethoven would make his reputation as a Wand Mozart ever met. Their virtuoso performer, not as a com- names were mentioned in the poser. Neefe didn’t live long enough same breath as early as 1783, when to understand how limited his view Beethoven’s first composition was, but he did see his prize student teacher, Christian Gottlob Neefe, take the first steps to becoming not wrote these words in the first public a second Mozart, but more impor- notice of his promising pupil: “This tantly, the mature Beethoven. youthful genius is deserving of help It’s likely that these two great to enable him to travel. He would composers did meet early in surely become a second Wolfgang 1787, when the sixteen-year-old Amadeus Mozart were he to Beethoven made his first trip from continue as he has begun.” his native Bonn to Vienna, to Neefe was suggesting that, with breathe the air of a sophisticated proper sponsorship, his young pupil musical city. Beethoven stayed no could tour the music capitals and more than two weeks, and he may entertain kings with his dazzling even have taken a few lessons from keyboard talent—like most musi- Mozart before his teacher was sud- cians, Neefe assumed that Mozart denly called home by the news of ComPoseD mosT reCenT aPProxImaTe 1800 Cso PerFormanCes PerFormanCe TIme March 2, 2010, Orchestra 34 minutes FIrsT PerFormanCe Hall. Radu Lupu, April 5, 1803, Vienna. The piano; Gianandrea Cso reCorDIngs composer as soloist Noseda conducting 1959. Gary Graffman, piano; walter Hendl July 15, 2010, Ravinia FIrsT Cso conducting. RCA PerFormanCe Festival. Jorge Federico 1971. Vladimir Ashkenazy, December 16, 1910, Osorio, piano; James piano; Georg Solti Orchestra Hall. ernest Conlon conducting conducting. London Hutcheson, piano; Frederick InsTrumenTaTIon Stock conducting 1983. Alfred brendel, solo piano, two flutes, two piano; James Levine oboes, two clarinets, two conducting. Philips bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings CaDenza TbD 4 his mother’s failing health. There is, by Mozart he so honored.) And on however, no mention of Mozart in a April 2, 1800, at his historic first letter Beethoven wrote at the time. public concert, Beethoven included When late in 1792, Beethoven a symphony by Mozart on the returned to Vienna, where he would program, which also was sup- stay for the rest of his life, it was posed to have introduced his brand to study with Haydn, for Mozart new piano concerto (his third) in lay in an unmarked grave. We can C minor. For reasons that we will sense disappointment in the famous never know, however, Beethoven words Count Waldstein inscribed played one of his earlier concer- in the album that served as a fare- tos instead. well gift from Beethoven’s friends: This C minor piano concerto is one of a handful of works in which You are going to Vienna in the spirits of Mozart and Beethoven fulfillment of your long- convene. To suggest, as some writ- frustrated wishes. The Genius ers do, that Beethoven modeled of Mozart is still mourning his concerto after Mozart’s own and weeping over the death of C minor piano concerto (K. 491) her pupil. She found a refuge is to confuse the deepest kind of but no occupation with the artistic inheritance with plagiarism. inexhaustible Haydn; through The choice of key certainly can’t him she wishes once more to be taken as a homage to Mozart, form a union with another. for Beethoven seemed unable to With the help of assiduous get C minor out of his system at labor you shall receive Mozart’s the time. (Think of the Pathétique spirit from Haydn’s hands. Sonata, or, a bit later, the funeral march from the Eroica Symphony, Beethoven arrived in Vienna the Coriolan Overture, and, of in the second week of November course, the Fifth Symphony.) 1792. He quickly realized that Obviously, Beethoven remem- Haydn had little to teach him and bered Mozart’s C minor concerto took comfort in the fact that he was when he was writing his own—they welcome in the same homes where share too many musical details for Mozart was once popular. sheer coincidence. According to a To Beethoven, Vienna was popular anecdote, Beethoven and Mozart’s city. The first music the pianist Johann Cramer were he published there was a set of walking together when they heard variations for violin and piano on the finale of the Mozart concerto “Se vuol ballare” from Mozart’s coming from a nearby house; The Marriage of Figaro.