-^ BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOUNDED IN I88I BY HENRY LEE HI 1955 1956 SEASON Sanders Theatre, Cambridge \^hrvard University] Boston Symphony Orchestra (Seventy-fifth Season, 1955-1956) CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director RICHARD BURGIN, Associate Conductor PERSONNEL Violins Violas Bassoons Richard Burgin Joseph de Pasquale Sherman Walt Concert-master Jean Cauhape Ernst Panenka Alfred Krips Eugen Lehner Theodore Brewster George Zazofsky Albert Bernard Contra-Bassoon Roll and Tap ley George Humphrey Richard Plaster Norbert Lauga Jerome Lipson Vladimir Resnikoff Robert Karol Horns Harry Dickson Reuben Green James Stagliano Gottfried Wilfinger Bernard Kadinoff Charles Yancich Einar Hansen Vincent Mauricci Harry Shapiro Joseph Leibovici John Fiasca Harold Meek Emil Kornsand Violoncellos Paul Keaney Roger Shermont Osbourne McConath^ Samuel Mayes Minot Beale Alfred Zighera Herman Silberman Trumpets Jacobus Langendoen Stanley Benson Roger Voisin Mischa Nieland Marcel Leo Panasevich Lafosse Karl Zeise Armando Ghitalla Sheldon Rotenberg Josef Zimbler Gerard Goguen Fredy Ostrovsky Bernard Parronchi Trombones Clarence Knudson Leon Marjollet Pierre Mayer Martin Hoherman William Gibson Manuel Zung Louis Berger William Moyer Kauko Kabila Samuel Diamond Richard Kapuscinski Josef Orosz Victor Manusevitch Robert Ripley Nagy James Flutes Tuba Melvin Bryant Doriot Anthony Dwyer K. Vinal Smith Lloyd Stonestreet James Pappoutsakis Saverio Messina Phillip Kaplan Harps William Waterhouse Bernard Zighera Piccoi,o William Marshall Olivia Luetcke Leonard Moss George Madsen Jesse Ceci Oboes Timpani Noah Bielski Ralph Gomberg Roman Szulc Alfred Schneider Jean Devergie Everett Firth Joseph Silverstein John Holmes Percussion Basses English Horn Charles Smith Georges Moleux Louis Speyer Harold Farberman Gaston Dufresne Clarinets Harolcj Thompson Ludwig Juht Gino CiofiB Piano Irving Frankel Manuel Valerio Bernard Zighera Henry Freeman Pasquale Cardillo Henry Portnoi E\) Clarinet Librarians Henri Girard Bass Clarinet Leslie Rogers John Barwicki Rosario Mazzeo Victor Alpert, Ass't Sanders Theatre, Cambridge [Harvard University] SEVENTY-FIFTH SEASON, 1955-1956 Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director Richard Burgin, Associate Conductor Concert Bulletin of the Sixth Concert TUESDAY EVENING, March 27 with historical and descriptive notes by John N. Burk The trustees of the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. Henry B. Cabot . President . Vice-President Jacob J. Kaplan Richard C. Paine . Treasurer Talcott M. Banks, Jr. C. D. Jackson John Nicholas Brown Michael T. Kelleher Theodore P. Ferris Palfrey Perkins Alvan T. Fuller Charles H. Stockton Francis W. Hatch Edward A. Taft Harold D. Hodgkinson Raymond S. Wilkins Oliver Wolcott TRUSTEES EMERITUS Philip R. Allen M. A. DeWolfe Howe N. Penrose Hallowell Lewis Perry Thomas D. Perry, Jr., Manager Assistant G. W. Rector ( J. J. Brosnahan, Assistant Treasurer N. S. Shirk \ Managers Rosario Mazzeo, Personnel Manager IM 1956-1957 Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director A Series of Six TUESDAY EVENING CONCERTS at 8:30 October 30 February 19 March 26 January 22 March 12 April 9 \y THOMAS D. PERRY, Jr., Manager SYMPHONY HALL, BOSTON, MASS. Cambridge subscribers who may be interested in the Sunday Afternoon Series or the Open Rehearsals in Boston are invited to inquire for particulars at the sub- scription office, Symphony Hall. 1*1 SEVENTY-FIFTH SEASON • NINETEEN HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE AND FIFTY-SIX Sixth Concert TUESDAY EVENING, March 27 Program Beethoven Overture to "Coriolan," Op. 62 Beethoven Symphony No. 7, in A major, Op. 92 I, Poco sostenuto; Vivace II. Allegretto III. Presto; Assai meno presto; Tempo primo IV. Allegro con brio INTERMISSION Brahms Symphony No. 4, in E minor, Op. 98 1. Allegro non troppo II. Andante moderato III. Allegro giocoso IV. Allegro energico e passionate Performances by the orchestra are broadcast each week on Monday evenings from 8:15 to 9:00 P.M. on the NBC Network (Station WBZ, Sundays from 1:05 to 1:50 P.M.) The Friday afternoon and Saturday evening concerts are broadcast direct by station WGBH-FM. BALDWIN PIANO RCA VICTOR RECORDS [3l OVERTURE TO "CORIOLAN," Op. 62 (after Collin) By LuDWiG VAN Beethoven Born at Bonn, December 16 (?) , 1770; died at Vienna, March 26, 1827 Beethoven composed his overture on the subject of "Coriolanus" in the year 1807. It was probably first performed at subscription concerts of Prince Lobkowitz in Vienna, in March, 1807. The Overture was pubhshed in 1808, with a dedication to Court Secretary Heinrich J. von Collin. The orchestration is the usual one of Beethoven's overtures: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. AFTER Fidelio, Beethoven was ambitious to try his hand at another L opera, and entertained several subjects, among them a setting o£ Shakespeare's Macbeth for which Heinrich Joseph von Colhn, a dramatist of high standing and popularity in Vienna at the time, wrote for him the first part of a libretto. Beethoven noted in his sketchbook: "Overture Macbeth falls immediately into the chorus of witches." But the libretto did not progress beyond the middle of the second act, and was abandoned, according to Collin's biographer, Laban, "because it threatened to become too gloomy." In short, no opera emerged from Beethoven in 1807. But his association with Collin resulted in an overture intended for performance with the spoken tragedy Coriolan. The play had been first performed in 1802 (then with entr'acte music arranged from Mozart's Idomeneo), and had enjoyed a considerable vogue which was largely attributable to the acting of Lange in the title part. The popularity of Coriolan had definitely dropped, however, when Beethoven wrote his overture on the subject. Thayer points out that the play was billed only once in Vienna between the years 1805 and 1809. The single performance was on April 24, 1807, and even at this performance Thayer does not believe that the Overture was played. Beethoven seems, then, to have attached himself to the subject for sheer love of it rather than by any set commission. The piece was accepted forthwith as a concert overture, and in this form became at once useful at the concerts, or "academies" as they were called, where Beethoven's music was played. There has been speculation in print as to whether Beethoven de- rived his concept of the old Roman legend from Collin or Shakespeare. The point is of little consequence for the reason that both Shakespeare and Collin based their characters directly upon the delineation pf Plutarch. Beethoven himself could well have been familiar with all three versions. His library contained a much-thumbed copy of Plu- tarch's Lives, and a set of Shakespeare in the translation of Eschenburg, with many passages underlined. The tale of Coriolanus, as related by Plutarch, is in itself exciting dramatic material (details of which have been questioned by histo- rians) . Coriolanus, according to Plutarch, was a patrician general of the [4] Romans, a warrior of the utmost bravery and recklessness who, single- handed, had led Rome to victory against the neighboring Volscians. Rome was at this time torn by bitter controversy between the patricians and the plebeians, who declared themselves starved and oppressed be- yond endurance. Coriolanus, impulsive and overbearing, had scorned and openly insulted the populace in terms which roused the general anger, and when the military hero was proposed as consul, the senate was swayed by the popular clamor, and voted his permanent exile from Rome in the year 491 b.c. Swept by feelings of bitterness and desire for revenge, he took refuge with the Volscians, the traditional enemies of the Romans, and made compact with them to lead a campaign against his own people. The fall of Rome seemed imminent, and emissaries were sent from the capital to the Volscian encampment outside the city walls. Coriolanus met every entreaty with absolute re- jection. In desperation, a delegation of women went out from the city, led by his mother and his wife. They went to his tent and beseeched him on their knees to spare his own people. The pride and determina- tion of the soldier were at last subdued by the moving words of his mother, who pictured the eternal disgrace which he would certainly inflict upon his own family. Coriolanus yielded and withdrew the forces under his command, thus bringing the anger of the Volscian PEOPLE AHEAD OF THE TIMES FLY AIR FRANCE CHARLES MUNCH. Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra ONLY 11 HOURS 5 MINUTES NON-STOP TO SUPER -*G" CONSTELLATIONS Tourist and First Class Flights every Saturday from Boston. Daily from New York SAVE ON FAMILY TRAVEL -Write for Free AIR Folder THE WORLD'SFRANCELARGEST AIRLINE SEE YOUR TRAVEL AGENT, OR AIR FRANCE. 493 BoyKfon Sf . Boston, COpley 7 S350 S.i«£uC<SJ;SMCai3ii&iiiS^^^ >^ [S] leaders upon his own head. He was slain by them, according to the version of Shakespeare; according to Collin, he was driven to suicide. The overstressing of literary concepts and allusions by the explainers of Beethoven has had abundant play in the Coriolan overture. But it would be hard to deny that the composer's imagination must have been illuminated by this heroic and kindred subject in the making of one of his noblest works. It is of course not hard to see in Coriolanus the figure of Beethoven himself. The composer must have felt strangely close to the Roman noble, infinitely daring, the arch individualist, the despiser of meanness and ignorance who, taking his own reckless course, yielding to none, at last found himself alone against the world, clad in an armor of implacability which only one power could pene- trate — the tenderness of feminine persuasion. [copyrighted] SYMPHONY NO. 7 IN A MAJOR, Op. 92 By LuDwiG VAN Beethoven Born at Bonn, December 16 (?) , 1770; died at Vienna, March 26, 1827 The Seventh Symphony, finished in the summer of 1812, was first performed on December 8, 1813, in the hall of the University of Vienna, Beethoven conducting.