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Home , Adrianne Pieczonka, Egmont (Beethoven), Kent Nagano, Marco Polo (opera), Mari Kodama, Paul Griffiths (writer)

BEETHOVEN Ideals of the French Revolution

ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL

CD1

The General, for orchestra with soprano, choir and narrator by Ludwig van Text by © Maximilian Schell, narration , soprano OSM Chorus Marika Kuzma, Chorus Director 1. Overture 8:29 [: Ouverture] 2. No.1 Song: A drum in the distance 3:55 [Egmont: No.1, Song: Die Trommel gerühret] 3. No.2 Melodrama: One thing I learned 2:03 [König Stephan: No.7, Melodrama] 4. No.3 Melodrama: Informants, spies 0:49 [König Stephan: No.5, Melodrama] 5. No.4 Interlude 1 3:34 [Egmont: No.6, Entr’acte 4] 6. No.5 Interlude 2 5:08 [Leonore Prohaska: Funeral March] 7. No.6 Interlude 3 / Melodrama: I could do something 3:18 [Egmont: No.2, Entr’acte 1] 8. No.7 Interlude 4 5:31 [Egmont: No.3, Entr’acte 2] 9. No.8 Interlude 5 2:14 [Egmont: No.7, Clara’s Death]

1 10. No.9 Melodrama: I was one human being 3:11 [Egmont: No.8, Melodrama] 11. No.10 Song: Lost and despairing 1:23 [Egmont: No.4, Song: Freudvoll und leidvoll] 12. No.11 Interlude 6 4:04 [Egmont: No.5, Entr’acte 3] 13. No.12 Interlude 7 1:40 [König Stephan: No.8, Solemn March] 14. No.13 Melodrama: I had nothing to say to these people 3:30 [König Stephan: No.8, Melodrama from Grave risoluto e ben marcato] 15. No.14 ‘Victory Symphony’ 0:28 [Egmont: No.9] 16. No.15 Finale 5:30 [Opferlied, Op.121b]

CD2

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op. 67 1. Allegro con brio 6:56 2. Andante con moto 8:49 3. Allegro 7:56 4. Allegro 10:30 Egmont, Op. 85 (excerpts) 5. Overture 8:29 6. Lied Die Trommel gerühret, No.1 3:55 7. Lied Freudvoll und leidvoll, No.4 1:23 8. Opferlied (“Die Flamme lodert”), Op. 121b 5:30

2 Or c h e s t r e s y m p h o n i q u e d e Mo n t r é a l

Founded in 1934 by a group of devoted The Orchestra has toured in Asia nine music lovers, with the backing of the Québec times, visiting on six of those, and has Government, the Orchestre symphonique de toured on nine occasions and South Montréal is one of the major cultural organ- America twice. The OSM has also performed izations of the city whose name it bears with at the Hollywood Bowl, as well as the Ravinia pride. and Tanglewood festivals. Moreover, since The music directors who have contributed to 1982 the Orchestra has been an almost its growth and success are , annual visitor to Carnegie Hall, where it plays a Montrealer by birth and conductor at the to packed houses. Metropolitan in New York who be- In 2006 the OSM offered a concert at the came the first Artistic Director of the OSM; Théâtre du Châtelet, its first international Désiré Defauw; ; Zubin Me- concert with Kent Nagano. In April 2007 the hta, who guided the OSM from 1961 to Orchestra completed its first coast-to-coast 1967, bringing increased prestige to the Canadian tour, placed under the direction of Orchestra since under his direction the OSM Kent Nagano. They made their Carnegie Hall began its touring career in Europe; Franz-Paul debut in March of 2008, and will embark on Decker; Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos; Charles a multi-city tour of Japan and South Korea Dutoit, from 1977 to 2002, with whom the this coming April. OSM assumed an important place on the The OSM has produced 95 recordings, earn- international stage; and, since September ing 47 national and international awards, in- 2006, Kent Nagano. cluding two Grammys.

3 Ke n t Na g a n o Music Director and Conductor

led to European appointments: Music Director of the Opéra National de (1988-1998), Music Director of the Manchester Hallé Or- chestra (1991-2000) and Associate Principal Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, Kent Nagano became the first Music Director of Opera after having already held the position of Principal Conductor for two years. A very im- portant period in his career was his time as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin from 2000-2006 after which he was then given the title Honorary Conductor. As a much sought-after guest conductor he has worked with most of the world’s finest orchestras. World premieres from the past Kent Nagano has established a reputation as seasons include Bernstein’s A “White House a gifted interpreter of both the operatic and Cantata” and by Peter Eötvös (Three symphonic repertoire. In September 2006, Sisters), (“The Death of Klinghof- Nagano became Music Director of the Or- fer” and “El Niño”), ’s “L’amour chestre symphonique de Montréal and also de loin” at the Festival and Unsuk began his tenure as General Music Director of Chin’s “Alice in Wonderland” at the the in Munich. Opera Festival. His early professional years were spent in Boston, working in the opera house and as assistant conductor to at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He played a key role in the world premiere of Messiaen’s opera “Saint François d’Assise” at the request of the . Nagano’s success in America

4 Pa u l Gr i f f i t h s Author, critic, librettist and musicologist

(1982-92) and The New Yorker (1992-96), and wrote regularly for (1996-2003). His first book, A Concise His- tory of Modern Music, came out in 1978, and has been translated into several languages. He has published studies of Boulez, Cage, Messiaen, Ligeti, Davies, Bartók, Stravinsky, Barraqué, and the string quartet, as well as the Penguin Companion to (2004). He is also a novelist—Myself and won the 1989 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize—and a librettist: among other works are texts to music by Mozart (, 1991), (Marco Polo,1996) and (What Next?, 1999). He has given lectures and courses on various musical topics and on libretto writing, invited by insti- tutions ranging from the Munich Biennale to aul Griffiths worked for thirty years asa P Harvard University. music critic in London and New York. In 2002 he was made a Chevalier in the Ordre A selection of his reviews and essays was pub- des Arts et des Lettres. lished in 2005 as The Substance of Things Heard. Other recent publications include He lives in Manorbier, Wales, and New York. The New Penguin Dictionary of Music and A Concise History of Western Music. Paul Griffiths was born in Bridgend, Wales, in 1947. He studied biochemistry at Oxford, and joined the editorial team of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians in 1973. Around the same time he began writing on music for various London papers; he was chief critic of The Times of London

5 Ma x i m i l i a n Sc h e l l Actor

In addition to his international film career he has been active as a director, writer and ac- tor in European theatre, and he has also kept busy directing opera on both sides of the Atlantic.

Maximilian Schell is highly acclaimed around the world as a star of film, theatre and tele- vision. Twice nominated for an Academy Award, for Julia and Judgment at Nuremberg, he won the coveted Oscar as Best Actor in the latter. He made his Hollywood debut in 1958 in The Young Lions, which also starred Marlon Brando. In 1974 he wrote, poroduced, directed and starred in The Pedestrian, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

6 Ad r i a n n e Pi e c z o n k a Soprano

Garden, Los Angeles, and La Scala, Adrianne has performed at some of Europe’s finest summer festivals including Salzburg, Bay- reuth, Glyndebourne and Lucerne. Her reper- toire of over 30 roles embraces the music of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Janacek, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and . Particularly renowned for her interpretation of Verdi, Strauss and Wagner roles, Adrianne was called the “Sieglinde of our time” by Die Zeit at her debut in 2006. Her impressive discography features operatic and symphonic works and her solo album of Wag- ner and Strauss arias () was nominated in 2007 for a Juno Award. Adrianne is an Officer of the Order of Can- ada and, in 2007, was named a Kammer­ Dramatic and stunning, Canadian soprano sängerin by the Austrian government. Origin- Adrianne Pieczonka is hailed for her “lushly ally bestowed by the royal courts, the title beautiful sound and poignant vulnerability.” “Kammersänger(in)”, or chamber singer, is (New York Times) She performs on leading awarded to distinguished singers who have opera and concert stages throughout Europe, made a significant career in Austria. North America and Asia under the direction She makes her home in Toronto, Canada. of such conductors as the late Sir , Sir , , , , Valery Giergiev, Kent Nagano, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Loren Maazel, the late Richard Bradshaw, and many others. In addition to appearances at the in New York, the Vien- na Staatsoper, the Royal Opera House Covent

7 Lu d w i g v a n Be e t h o v e n (1770-1827)

Beethoven was eighteen years old when end of this movement’s lengthy coda, which the Bastille fell—of an age to be excited maintains the minor key. The slow move- by the promise that now all human be- ment, in A flat, is relaxed only in speed. By ings could live as free equals. The career of other means—its firm pulse (which might Napoleon, from 1795 onwards, indicated suggest a slow march), its dynamic out- the Revolution would need to be sup- bursts, and its reminiscences of the first ported by force; Beethoven would have movement’s motif—it continues the work’s found that same message in contemporary determination. The scherzo restores both the French music, which used the march and key and, more directly, the motif of the open- other military motifs in a spirit of combat ing movement. There is a break for a trio sec- and optimism. He duly placed the name tion in the major, but, second time round, “Buonaparte” on the title page of his “Eroica” the scherzo—and with it the whole work— Symphony in 1803—but scratched it out the finds its resolution in the C major march of next year, when Napoleon, previously act- communal triumph that is the finale. ing as first consul of the people, declared By now, the wars in Europe were being fought himself emperor—and brought his opera by rival empires, Austria and her allies being Fidelio (1804-5) to its close with a big choral defeated by Napoleon at Austerlitz (1805) finale in C major and march time, a finale as they would be again at Wagram (1809), that vastly exceeds the needs of the drama the ideals of Revolution forgotten. But not by on stage to extend out into the audience as Beethoven. In Goethe’s Egmont, completed a paean to Revolutionary hope. the year before the fall of the Bastille, he That is the destination, too, of the symphony found a drama matching the aspirations that Beethoven began at the same time as the had helped form his music—aspirations that opera but did not complete until 1807-8: power must serve progress, that oppression his Fifth, in C minor. The work’s first move- must be overcome, that the future must be ment—impelled by its insistent four-note one of equality in peace and joy. The play is pattern, with only a short, wafting phrase as a tragedy; Egmont’s mistress Klärchen kills subsidiary material—seems to be asserting herself, and Egmont himself is condemned a demand that remains unmet even by the to death. But the audience is left with the

8 rousing words of the hero’s final speech: sweep of history to which Beethoven was “Forward, brave people! The goddess of lib- responding. erty leads you on!” Hence The General, an attempt to create Beethoven readily accepted, in the immedi- a new drama between actor and orchestra, ate aftermath of Wagram, an invitation to a drama that will carry, for modern audi- write incidental music for a production of ences, the weight of recent events, and that Egmont in Vienna, and produced his strong- resituates Beethoven’s music—Beethoven’s est work for the theatre after Fidelio: a power- hope—in the world of the present, even at a ful overture, four symphonic movements as moment of extreme inhumanity. The protag- interludes, two songs and a threnody for onist is not a remote figure but a man of our Klärchen, and a melodrama (music to en- own times: Roméo Dallaire, head of the U.N. gage with the speaking voice) for Egmont. peacekeeping mission in Rwanda in 1993-4, The incidental scores Beethoven wrote later who could see catastrophe approaching, tried are much less significant, though he did pro- to prevent it, and was refused the means. He vide exceptional melodramas (among other is the general. But his struggles—to support pieces) for August von Kotzebue’s König the endangered, to enlist the powers of the Stephan in 1811, and four years later or- rich and privileged to protect the poor, not chestrated the slow movement of his A flat to ignore, by no means to ignore—are not sonata, Op. 26, for Johann Friedrich his alone. These are our responsibilities, ours Duncker’s Leonore Prohaska, which, like in general. Egmont, concerns a war of liberation. The original idea, which came from Kent Goethe’s Egmont is rarely presented now, Nagano, seemed too enormous a challenge. these other plays probably never. Beethoven’s Beethoven’s music is powerful, progressive Egmont music is sometimes given in concert and massively optimistic. Right will prevail. with an actor as Egmont, but that solution is Liberty, though opposed and necessitating not ideal, for several reasons. Egmont, only sacrifices, will triumph. The Rwanda story, on speaking, and Klärchen, only singing, exist on the other hand, was one of brutality and in different planes. The five-act drama is hard to difference. How could these two be brought conflate. And any conflation will lose the epic together? I arrived at some guiding principles.

9 After studying Dallaire’s memoir and other In writing new words for the Opferlied, and testimony, I decided the story would have to in writing those for the actor, I was guided by be told without specifying names or places. I the music. For example, the Andante maes- also felt that words and music would have to toso in No.2 is a gradual clarification, which be in dialogue, which would mean involving the General then identifies as having taken the actor closely with the orchestra as much place in his mind. And there are many pas- as possible. And I took confidence from the sages where the words were written so that belief that hope, which is almost the sub- the following musical phrase would seem stance of Beethoven’s music, must go on, to illustrate them. That had to be so, espe- even when we are contemplating the very cially, in the two big melodramas: No.9 (from worst we can do. Indeed, then most of all. Egmont) and No.13 (from König Stephan). Practicalities. The need for more dialogue led In both the music is strongly dramatic; in me to König Stephan; there also had to be both, too, the music goes through several more slow, elegiac music, which came from changes of mood. All this had to be justified there and from Leonore Prohaska. Much by the new text. I deliberately placed these more difficult was the question of how to movements relatively late (the first a little end. Beethoven closed Egmont with a Victory after the halfway point, the second precipi- Symphony, which repeats the last, affirma- tating the end) and made them sequences tive minute or so of the overture. Our con- of self examination, which would allow shifts clusion would have to be different. I wanted of view and moments of decision. In No.9 a choral hymn, and found exactly what was the General arrives at a recognition of his needed in the Opferlied, a rarely performed true position and loses hope. In No.13 he late Beethoven piece for soprano, chorus recovers hope through anger. The situations and orchestra—in the music, that is, not the are, of course, very different from those for words. which the music was written. The trajector- ies, though, are parallel.

10 The text for The General is dedicated to Kent Nagano and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, who commissioned it for perform- ances given in Montréal on 16-17 January, 2007. Those performances proved, and now this recording does so again, how forcefully Beethoven can speak to us—we who live, as he did, in a time of vast political disappoint- ment, rapid technological advance, and in- cessant war. © Paul Griffiths Narration and song lyrics available on www.analekta.com

11 Or c h e s t r e s y m p h o n i q u e d e Mo n t r é a l

First violins Katherine Palyga Richard Roberts, principal concertmaster Sara Pistolesi Gregory Ahss, guest concertmaster Monique Poitras (The General) Gratiel Robitaille Arkady Gutnikov, guest concertmaster Daniel Yakymyshyn (Symphony No.5) Violas Luis Grinhauz, assistant concertmaster Neal Gripp, principal nd Ramsey Husser, 2 assistant Jean Fortin, 1st assistant Marc Béliveau Charles Meinen, 2nd assistant Marie Doré Chantale Boivin Marianne Dugal Wilma Hos Sophie Dugas Anna-Belle Marcotte Xiao-Hong Fu Rémi Nakauchi Pelletier Marie Lacasse Véronique Potvin Jean-Marc Leblanc David Quinn Ingrid Matthiessen Natalie Racine Myriam Pellerin Bertrand Robin Susan Pulliam Rosemary Shaw Claire Segal Cellos Eva Svensson Brian Manker, principal Second violins Pierre Djokic, acting associate Rénald L’Archevêque, principal Gary Russell, acting 1st assistant Marie-André Chevrette, associate Karen Baskin st Brigitte Rolland, 1 assistant Li-Ke Chang Ann Chow Sylvie Lambert Victor Eichenwald Gerald Morin Mary Ann Fujino Sylvain Murray Johannes Jansonius Michael Nicolas Renaud Lapierre Peter Parthun Jean-Marc Leclerc Isabelle Lessard Alison Mah-Poy 12 Basses Horns Brian Robinson, acting solo John Zirbel, principal Eric Chappell, acting associate Denys Derome, associate Jacques Beaudoin John Milner, 3rd Scott Feltham Jean Gaudreault, 4nd Andrew Horton Nadia Côté Lindsey Meagher Trumpets Peter Rosenfeld Paul Merkelo, principal Edouard Wingell Russell Devuyst, associate Flutes Jean-Luc Gagnon, 2nd Timothy Hutchins, principal Trombones Denis Bluteau, associate James Box, principal nd Carolyn Christie, 2 Vivian Lee, 2nd Virginia Spicer, piccolo Pierre Beaudry, trombone principal Oboes Tuba Theodore Baskin, principal Dennis Miller, principal Margaret Morse, associate Timpani Alexa Zirbel, 2nd Andrei Malashenko, principal Pierre-Vincent Plante, English horn Jacques Lavallée, assistant Clarinets Percussion Robert Crowley, principal Serge Desgagnés, principal Alain Desgagné, associate Michael Dumouchel, Harp 2nd and E flat clarinet Jennifer Swartz, principal André Moisan, bass clarinet Music Library and saxophone Michel Léonard Bassoons Stéphane Lévesque, principal Mathieu Harel, associate Martin Mangrum, 2nd Mark Romatz, contrabassoon

13 OSM Chorus Marika Kuzma, Chorus Director Sopranos Marie-Noël Daigneault Marnie Reckenberg Marie Magistry Stéphanie Pothier Altos Catharine Murray Josée Lalonde Gilda Salomone Marie-Annick Béliveau Marie-Josée Goyette Tenors David Benson Bernard Cayouette Jean-Guy Comeau Michel Léonard Basses Geoffroy Salvas Normand Richard Alain Duguay Alfred Lagrenade

14 The General Recorded in September 2007, January and February 2008 Studio MMR, McGill University (Montréal). Symphony No.5 Recorded in February 2008 Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (, Montréal). Producer: Wilhelm Hellweg Producer, Sound Engineer, mix and mastering: Carl Talbot Conductor in residence and artistic director’s assistant (OSM): Jean-François Rivest Sound Engineer: Martin Léveillée Assistant Engineers : Jeremy Tusz, François Goupil, Pascal Shefteshy Editor: Jeremy Tusz Acknowledgements: Narration Recorded in March 2008, at Studio Audio Z Sound Engineers: Alexandre Wang-Legentil, Martin Rouillard

15 Executive Producer, Artistic Director: Mario Labbé Assistant Executive Producer: Julie Fournier Photo Kent Nagano (cover): © Jean-François Gratton Photo Adrianne Pieczonka: © Johannes Ifkovits Photo OSM: © Nicolas Ruel Proofreading: Rédaction Lyre, Jacques-André Houle Design and graphic production: Concept IS

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund).

Groupe Analekta Inc. recognizes the financial assistance of the Government of Quebec through the SODEC’s Programme d’aide aux entreprises du disque et du spectacle de variétés and also profits from the Refundable Tax Credit for Quebec sound recordings.

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