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ORANGE COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER RENÉE AND HENRY SEGERSTROM CONCERT HALL Saturday, February 5, 2011 , at 8:00 p.m. Preview talk with Alan Chapman at 7:00 p.m. PRESENTS 2010–2011 HAL AND JEANETTE SEGERSTROM FAMILY FOUNDATION CLASSICAL SERIES BEETHOVEN ’S PIANO CONCERTOS CARL ST.C LAIR , CONDUCTOR ARNALDO COHEN , PIANO BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 (1770 –1827) Poco sostenuto — Vivace Allegretto Presto Allegro con brio —INTERMISSION— BEETHOVEN Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 73, Emperor Allegro Adagio un poco mosso Rondo: Allegro ARNALDO COHEN This performance is generously sponsored by Ellie and Mike Gordon. Pacific Symphony proudly recognizes its Official Partners: Official Airline Official Hotel Official Television Station The Saturday, February 5 performance is broadcast live on , the official classical radio station of Pacific Symphony. The simultaneous streaming of this broadcast over the internet at kusc.org is made possible by the generosity of the Musicians of Pacific Symphony. The Pacific Symphony broadcasts are made possible by a generous grant from SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS Pacific Symphony P- 7 PROGRAM NOTES BY MICHAEL CLIVE Beethoven’s Piano Concertos musical tradition and the only composer ments, the adherence to sonata form, the LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN worthy of Beethoven’s mantle, dubbed final rondo with its repeated melodic state - (1770 –1827) Beethoven’s seventh “The Apotheosis of the ments by the soloist. But its consistently Dance.” As a nickname, the phrase is awk - noble character is unique. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, ward; as an accurate characterization of a rededication of the Eroica symphony (he Op. 92 towering symphony, it could hardly be bet - ripped Napoleon’s name out of the auto - ter. We feel our inner selves irresistibly drawn graph score) shows what he thought of Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, to dance as we listen. emperors, but the Emperor Concerto seems 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings. Beethoven began writing his seventh aptly named for its elevated expression, Performance time: 36 minutes. symphony in 1811 and completed it the which never flags. following year. The huge success of the Rather than climbing to altitude, the eethoven’s nine symphonies are not just symphony’s premiere suggests that it was concerto’s opening seems already to have Ba succession of masterpieces at the cen - immediately recognized as a work of arrived at a great height, announcing itself ter of the orchestral repertoire; they are also genius. Led by his friend Ignaz Schuppanzigh with the gilded quality of a royal fanfare. constantly excerpted in settings far outside — the same virtuoso to whom he dedi - After an introduction, the splendid opening the concert hall. So they sound familiar cated his violin romances — the orchestra theme has a sense of firmness, strongly even to those of us who didn’t grow up included Johann Hummel, Giacomo rooted in the concerto’s tonic key of E flat. knowing them, and if we can’t immediately Meyerbeer, Mauro Giuliani and Antonio It is balanced by a second theme that is no identify them by number, we can make an Salieri, who were among the most prominent less noble but far softer, almost whispering educated guess. One hint from the experts: composers of the day. The clamorous its presence until the two themes reconcile. if the sound has even a hint of elegance and audience demanded and received an After this high-flying but worldly opening, classical restraint… if there is a sense of encore of the second movement, an the second-movement adagio seems to symmetry about the construction… then allegretto dominated by a gravely intense ascend still further, perhaps heavenward, it’s an even-numbered symphony. If it thun - melody of four beats per measure. In stopping time with a sweet but melancholy ders with intense dynamics, broods over response to popular demand, an addi - meditation. After the end of a series of heroic themes and sounds as if the fate of tional performance was scheduled. trills, listen for the second phrase of the the world is at stake… then it’s an odd- poetic main theme: in his book The Rest Is numbered symphony. Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major Noise , the music critic Alex Ross identifies Beethoven’s seventh is true to this pat - for Piano and Orchestra, this as a source for Leonard Bernstein’s tern, and even if you think you don’t Op. 73, Emperor song “Somewhere” from the musical West know it, you can locate it in the canon: Side Story . not the martial, politically charged Eroica Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, In the final movement, the main theme is (No. 3), or the ever-familiar fifth with fate 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings, really just an arpeggio reassembled. But with knocking at its door, or the Ode to Joy solo piano. Performance time: 38 minutes. each dazzling iteration, Beethoven disassem - (No. 9) — but definitely an odd-numbered bles it still further, requiring the listener to symphony. The opening sounds important here to begin discussing Beethoven’s take part in the performance through active and grave, and it unfolds like a series of WPiano Concerto No. 5? The popu - listening — just as variations on a theme first movements, with every bar seeming larity of this concerto with its adoring may require listeners to bushwhack their familiar and somehow emphatic. It could public is such that its number, though way back to the original theme. As in the only be No. 7. known to all, is rarely mentioned. It is sim - concerto’s opening, the main theme of the In the first movement we hear a tense ply “the Emperor Concerto,” a nickname final movement has the structure and impos - balance between the urgency of the opening supplied by Beethoven’s friend and pub - ing character of a fanfare. theme and the pastoral melody with which lisher Johann Cramer. No other piano Beethoven performed his other concer - it alternates. But this soon opens onto a live - concerto is more beloved, and none more tos publicly, but by 1811 his increasing ly vivace that begins gently and gathers powerfully combines nobility of expression deafness prevented him from doing so. The momentum until it threatens to burst with with sublime beauty. Beethoven completed premiere of the Emperor Concerto was its own exuberance. This level of almost it in 1811, around the same time as his played by pianist Friedrich Schneider in explosive energy is sustained throughout the Symphony No. 7. Leipzig. symphony, with few sustained passages of The Emperor Concerto bears the hall - slowness to offset the sense of vigor; every marks that have grown familiar through Michael Clive is a cultural reporter and movement is marked for speed. Richard the canon of Beethoven piano concertos: critic who lives in the Litchfield hills of Wagner, who saw himself as the savior of the fast-slow-fast arrangement of move - Connecticut. P- 8 Pacific Symphony ABOUT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR CARL ST.C LAIR St.Clair’s commitment to the devel - n 2010 –11, Music Director Carl St.Clair opment and performance of new works Icelebrates his 21st season with Pacific by American composers is evident in the Symphony. During his tenure, St.Clair has wealth of commissions and recordings by become widely recognized for his musi - Pacific Symphony. St.Clair has led the cally distinguished performances, his com - orchestra in numerous critically mitment to building outstanding educa - acclaimed albums including two piano tional programs and his innovative concertos of Lukas Foss on the harmonia approaches to programming. St.Clair’s mundi label. Under his guidance, the lengthy history with the Symphony solidi - orchestra has commissioned works which fies the strong relationship he has forged later became recordings, including with the musicians and the community. Richard Danielpour’s An American His continuing role also lends stability to Requiem on Reference Recordings and the organization and continuity to his Elliot Goldenthal’s Fire Water Paper: A vision for the Symphony’s future. Few Vietnam Oratorio on Sony Classical with orchestras can claim such rapid artistic cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Other composers com - development as Pacific Symphony—the missioned by St.Clair and Pacific Symphony largest orchestra formed in the United include William Bolcom, Philip Glass, States in the last 40 years—due in large Zhou Long, Tobias Picker, Frank Ticheli part to St.Clair’s leadership. and Chen Yi, Curt Cacioppo, Stephen The 2010-11 season, the “Year of the general music director and chief conduc - Scott, Jim Self (the Symphony’s principal Piano,” features numerous masterworks tor of the German National Theater and tubist), Christopher Theofandis and for keyboard performed by a slate of Staatskapelle (GNTS) in Weimar, James Newton Howard. internationally renowned artists. The sea - Germany, where he recently led Wagner’s In North America, St.Clair has led son also features three “Music Unwound” “Ring Cycle” to great critical acclaim. the Boston Symphony Orchestra, (where concerts highlighted by multimedia ele - St.Clair was the first non-European to he served as assistant conductor for sev - ments and innovative formats, two world hold his position at the GNTS; the role eral years), New York Philharmonic, premieres, and the 11th annual American also gave him the distinction of simulta - Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Composers Festival, featuring the music neously leading one of the newest Philharmonic, and the San Francisco, of Philip Glass. orchestras in America and one of the Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, In 2008-2009, St.Clair celebrated the oldest orchestras in Europe. He has also Indianapolis, Montreal, Toronto, and milestone 30th anniversary of Pacific served as the general music director of Vancouver symphonies, among many.

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