P

p

• Al- • • I •

—P

P

f

f f

...... 114••••■•■•ON.

no,

Boston Symphony , Music Director

Colin Davis, Guest Conductor Joseph Silverstein, Assistant Conductor

Tuesday, March 30, 1976 at 7:30 p.m. Symphony Hall, Boston Ninety-fifth season

Baldwin Piano Deutsche Grammophon Records Philips Records Program Program Notes

Cohn Davis conducting Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Symphony No. 3 in D Schubert: Symphony No. 3 in D Adagio maestoso; allegro con brio The Symphony was written in the summer of 1815, when Allegretto the composer was eighteen years old, and calls for 2 flutes, Menuetto 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, tym- Presto: vivace pani and strings. It has been performed by the Boston Sym- phony Orchestra during the 1956-57 and 1963-64 seasons and at Tanglewood in 1964. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414 Allegro The record has it that the Third, like most of Schubert's Andante symphonies, lay quite untouched for many years. At a con- Rondo: allegro cert of "Symphonic fragments" in 1860 by the Gesellschaft Peter Frankl, piano der Musikfreunde, to which he had belonged, movements from several of his symphonies were dusted off by Johann Intermission Herbeck: the first two movements of the Fourth ("Tragic"), the scherzo of the Sixth, and the finale of the Third. Why Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor Op. 39 Herbeck chose this particular composite does not appear. The complete Symphony in D major was performed in Andante ma non troppo; allegro energico London in 1881 and the score published three years later, Andante ma non troppo lento sixty-nine years after its composition. This was the first Allegro publication of his symphonies and included the first four. Finale (quasi una fantasia): andante; allegro molto When the New York Philharmonic Symphony Society per- formed the Third under Erich Kleiber on November 6, 1930, Lawrence Gilman wrote for the Program: "We have been This program will end at approximately 9:35 p.m. unable to find any record of an American performance of this Symphony; but since the score has been available for Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra record exclusively for almost half a century, it would be rash to conclude that the Deutsche Grammophon present performance is the first in the United States, or even the first in New York." This supposition still stands Call C-O-N-C-E-R-T for up-to-date program information uncorrected. This most unpretentious of symphonies is designed for immediate pleasure. It is as transparent and unweighted with serious matters as the Rosamunde music and as much a spontaneous emanation of sociable Viennese Gemiitlichkeit as the delicate Landler which Schubert was always ready to provide when led to the piano at a "Schubertiade." The first subject of the opening movement, a rhythmic figure on the tonic chord, has been compared to the corre- sponding subject in the great C major Symphony. Unlike the themes in the last symphony, the themes in this one are not intended for and do not receive extended development. The allegretto is a romance which moves lightly and unclouded; the third movement, which according to con- vention the composer calls "Menuetto," is in effect a Schu- bertian Landler, with a trio which grows from it in much the way that one section begets another in his piano waltzes. The finale is a swift presto in a winged 6/8 beat. Alfred Ein- stein calls it "the most charming movement," with a "'buffo' flavor—an overture rather than a finale." —John N. Burk ond theme, however, is all Mozart—indeed, it is virtually (1756 - 1791) the Allegro's first subject, repunctuated. This slow move- Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K. 414 ment, in D, is in the same overall sonata form as the Allegro; The three piano concertos that Mozart wrote in the the piano leads the way into the minor for the develop- autumn of 1782 (No. 11 in F, K. 413; No. 12 in A, K. 414; ment —Girdlestone's "lands full of poetry" —before return- ing to major for a conventional recapitulation. No. 13 in C, K. 415) were the first that followed the water- shed of the previous year—his break with the Archbishop The final rondo is light, animated, and quite lacking in what we think of as Mozartian shading; it is, in short, a of Salzburg—and his subsequent move to Vienna and mar- great romp, with themes whose contrast depends on the riage to Constanze Weber. The three works seem to have head rather than the heart. Perhaps its most amusing fea- reflected an understandable desire to please his new patrons, the general public, and were nicely calculated to ture is the way that the final refrain is withheld until after the cadenza, when it is played almost entirely by the piano: bring the worthy Viennese a modicum of utility as well as pleasure: they are written so that they can be performed by the orchestra is allowed to join in only for the final six bars. string quartet as well as full orchestra. (As Einstein points The A major concerto is scored for 2 oboes, 2 horns and strings. It has received two previous performances by the out, the winds are "not essential, as they contribute noth- ing not fully expressed by the strings; their function is only Boston Symphony, the most recent at Tanglewood in 1965. to lend color or rhythmic emphasis.") The composer was frank about his intentions in a letter to his father, calling the three concertos "a happy medium between what is too easy and too difficult; they are very Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957) brilliant, pleasing to the ear, and natural, without being vapid. There are passages here and there from which con- Symphony No. 1 in E minor op. 39 noisseurs alone can derive satisfaction; but these passages It was of course to be expected that the first symphony of are written in such a way that the less learned cannot fail to a composer in Finland (however talented) should in some be pleased, though without knowing why." There is no degree reflect the constructive methods and romantic cynicism here, only the clear-eyed truth of a twenty-six- ardors then in vogue upon the continent of Europe. That year-old, consummate professional. the eloquent voice of this symphony is the distinct and Of the three concertos, the A major has generally ranked unmistakable voice of Sibelius is no less apparent because, highest in twentieth century estimation, Arthur Hutchings in a later day, he departed from it, cultivating restraint, going so far as to call it as satisfying as the later, greater half-lights, a more inward structural resource. . . . works and Girdlestone, more circumspect, speaking It has all the seeds of its composer's symphonic maturity, warmly of its "personal" qualities as he singles out the although only a modicum of a device in which he was to Andante's "lands full of poetry" half-glimpsed. It is not become a pre-eminent master—the gradual moulding of a especially original in structure, even compared to its two theme from the merest fragment. There is indeed theme fellows of 1782, and certainly not when measured against transformation in this symphony—the accumulation of sig- either the E flat concerto (K. 271) of six years earlier or the nificance in the heat of discourse—but there is the dif- works that would emerge in such miraculous number from ference that his starting points in this work were themes 1784 forward. Yet its charm and understated tenderness are full rounded, and of indelible vividness in their very first immediately accessible. statement. . . . The opening Allegro's first subject has that unique Mozar- As introduction, a clarinet sings a melody of great beauty tian sweetness that makes even the most galant work more over a soft drum roll. The body of the movement opens than a collection of conventional gestures; the second sub- with a dramatic first theme, stated by the violins and ject, a march, appears after an almost operatic tutti. When shortly followed by two "subsidiary" themes of more lyri- the piano appears, its entry is straightforward; it repeats the first subject, then derives new material from the tutti's cal character. They are not "subsidiary" at all, except in the lingo of classification, taking a predominant part in the reappearance and, modulating to E major, injects the movement. The initial theme is more largely proclaimed, march with rather more life than it has exhibited pre- viously. After the familiar tutti, the development begins and a second theme is given by the flutes in staccato thirds over strings (tremolo) and harp. Another theme (which is with a new march theme; ultimately, a series of conversa- later combined with this) is sung by the woodwinds over a tional passages between piano and orchestra grows in light accompaniment of syncopated string chords. The first excitement through rapid modulations. A tiny cadenza fall- ing three octaves bridges the end of the development and of these gathers great rhythmic impetus as it draws the the beginning of the recapitulation. whole orchestra into its staccato motion. The melody of the andante has an eerie and haunting The beginning of the Andante, called Schubert-like by quality which, once heard, lingers in the memory. It is first Einstein, was apparently in homage to Johann Christian Bach, Mozart's much-loved teacher, who had died earlier played by the muted violins and cellos with an answering in 1782; it was derived from an overture that the London cadence from the clarinets. Changing its melodic, but keep- Bach had composed nine years earlier. The less somber sec- ing its rhythmic shape, it leads, after a curious episode in counterpoint for the woodwinds, to a second theme (horn solo), new and yet reminiscent of the songful second theme of the first movement. The initial theme returns, is trans- formed and intoned mightily by the wind orchestra. The mood of peaceful elegy is finally restored and the strings give the last word, pianissimo, of the theme. The scherzo takes a lingering glance at the ways of Beeth- oven, which this composer was about to leave behind him. The theme first appears as a fragment, short and rough- shod. It is little more than a rhythmic motto, far more mal- leable than any other in the symphony. The kettledrums rap it out over a strummed accompaniment in the strings, and other instruments follow closely. A second subject (flutes) is combined with it in contrapuntal treatment and leads to a trio of more legato character, where the wind choir has the burden of discourse. The finale (quasi una fantasia) has an introduction which repeats the melody of the introduction to the first move- ment (it does not appear elsewhere in the score). The solo voice of the clarinet here becomes the rhapsodic and impas- sioned voice of the string body, with answer in the wood- winds. The main allegro molto progresses upon a theme in the clarinets and oboes which somehow develops from the introduction and in turn begets a theme in the cellos. Another theme, terse and commanding, makes its brief but impressive message in the strings. The movement, still in imperious vein and punctuated by loud chords, reaches the ultimate andante assai, where the broad cantilena, which is the last of the themes to make its appearance, is delivered by the combined violins, in the fullest vigor of the G strings. If Beethoven set a long-enduring tradition for a final apotheosis, Sibelius used it in his First (as also in his Second and Fifth symphonies) in his own way. The theme resounds triumphantly, but its A minor is not joyous. The movement is worked out with some elaboration, with a fugato upon its first themes. The cantabile theme is devel- oped to the fullest possible sonority. The climax comes, however, as the entire orchestra flings out the brief and striking "second" theme in wild exultation. The symphony ends, as did its first movement, with two dramatic plucked chords of the strings. —John N. Burk (Sibelius wrote the First Symphony in 1899, conducting the pre- miere in Helsinki the same year. It is scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, harp and strings.) Colin Davis, the Principal Guest Conductor of the Boston Symphony, is Musical Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His conducting career began in 1949; in 1957 he became assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Orchestra, and, soon after taking the place of an ailing Otto Klemperer at short notice for a concert in Festival Hall, he was appointed Musical Director of the Sadlers Wells Opera. He made his United States debut with the Minneapolis Symphony and has guest conducted the New York Philhar- monic as well as the Boston Symphony. In 1967 Colin Davis became Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony, a post which he relinquished at the end of the 1970-71 season to take up his duties at Covent Garden. His performances at Covent Garden of La Clemenza di Tito, Peter Grimes and the much discussed new production of Wagner's Ring have been highlights of his conducting career during the past year, and he has been invited to conduct both at the Paris Opera and at the Bayreuth Festival. Just before coming to Boston last fall, Mr. Davis spent a month as guest conduc- tor with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He records exclu- sively for Philips Records, and has already made the first in a series of the complete symphonies of Sibelius for that company with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Peter Frankl Peter Frankl was born in . At the age of five, he was the youngest pupil ever to be accepted at the Franz Liszt Academy, where he studied with Lajos Hernadi, Leo Weiner and Zoltan Kodaly. Later he studied in London with Ilona Kabos. From 1953 —when he was eighteen—Mr. Frankl represented in several international com- petitions and for the next five years toured Rumania, Poland, Yugoslavia, Belgium, France and Germany, per- forming with their major symphony . His rise to international fame can be attributed in great part to his many appearances in Great Britain. His debut in London in 1962 soon led to appearances not only with all of the London orchestras, but also with the other major British orchestras. In Europe, Mr. Frankl has played with the leading orchestras of Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. He has been soloist with such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Sir Georg Solti, Antal Dorati, Colin Davis, Rudolf Kempe, and . He returned to perform in his native Budapest in 1972 and 1974 and in April 1976 will again play there. Mr. Frankl's recordings include all the piano music of Debussy, the complete works for violin and piano by Mozart and Schubert with Gyorgy Pauk, as well as solo and orchestral works by Mozart, Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. He is currently recording the complete piano works of Schumann. Peter Frankl now lives in London with his wife and two children, and holds British nationality.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCH E STRA SEIJI 07 /AC A

First violins Cellos Contra bassoon Joseph Silverstein Jules Min Richard Plaster Concertmaster Philip R. Allen chair Charles Munch chair Martin Hoherman Horns Emanuel Borok Mischa Nieland Charles Kavaloski Max Hobart Jerome Patterson Helen Sagoff Slosberg chair Rolland Tapley Robert Ripley Charles Yancich Roger Shermont Luis Leguia Max Winder Carol Procter David Ohanian Harry Dickson Ronald Feldman Richard Mackey Gottfried Wilfinger Joel Moerschel Ralph Pottle Fredy Ostrovsky Jonathan Miller Leo Panasevich Martha Babcock Trumpets Sheldon Rotenberg Armando Ghitalla Alfred Schneider Basses Andre Come Stanley Benson William Rhein Rolf Smedvig Gerald Gelbloom Harold D. Hodgkinson chair Gerard Goguen Raymond Sird Joseph Hearne Ikuko Mizuno Bela Wurtzler Trombones Cecylia Arzewski Leslie Martin Ronald Barron Amnon Levy John Salkowski William Gibson John Barwicki Norman Bolter Second violins Robert Olson Gordon Hallberg Victor Yampolsky Lawrence Wolfe Personnel Managers Fahnestock chair Henry Portnoi Tuba William Moyer Marylou Speaker Chester Schmitz Harry Shapiro Michel Sasson Flutes Timpani Librarians Ronald Knudsen Doriot Anthony Dwyer Leonard Moss Everett Firth Victor Alpert Walter Piston chair Sylvia Shippen Wells chair Bo Youp Hwang James Pappoutsakis William Shisler Laszlo Nagy Paul Fried Percussion Michael Vitale Stage Manager Charles Smith Alfred Robison Darlene Gray Piccolo Arthur Press Ronald Wilkison Lois Schaefer Assistant timpanist Harvey Seigel Thomas Gauger Jerome Rosen Oboes Frank Epstein Sheila Fiekowsky Ralph Gomberg Gerald Elias Mildred B. Remis chair Harps Vyacheslav Uritsky John Holmes Bernard Zighera Wayne Rapier Ann Hobson Violas Burton Fine English Horn Charles S. Dana chair Laurence Thorstenberg Reuben Green Eugene Lehner Clarinets George Humphrey Harold Wright Ann S.M. Banks chair Jerome Lipson Pasquale Cardillo Robert Karol Peter Hadcock Bernard Kadinoff E-flat clarinet Vincent Mauricci Earl Hedberg Bass Clarinet Joseph Pietropaolo Felix Viscuglia Robert Barnes Michael Zaretsky Bassoons Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sherman Walt Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. Edward A. Taft chair (617) 266-1492. Roland Small Thomas D. Perry, Jr., Executive Director Matthew Ruggiero Who's who in investments.

Melinda Tucker, Trust Officer, New England Merchants National Bank. Investors seeking sound portfolio management appreciate the way Melinda thinks. "Understanding the market is only part of my job," says Melinda. "Understanding people is equally important." She's a good person to talk to.

Member F.D.I.C.

Through this advertisement, the above organization has become a Friend of the BSO. The Friends' support helps insure the future of the Orchestra. You can become a Friend by contributing as little as $15. Remember, your ticket to a BSO concert is for your enjoyment; your contribution is for our future.