sign in sign up
<<
Home , Andrew Davis (conductor), E minor, John Barbirolli

Program

ONe HuNdRed TweNTieTH SeASON Chicago Symphony orchestra Music director Helen Regenstein Conductor emeritus Yo-Yo ma Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Global Sponsor of the CSO

Thursday, November 18, 2010, at 8:00 Saturday, November 20, 2010, at 8:00 Sunday, November 21, 2010, at 3:00 Tuesday, November 23, 2010, at 7:30 Sir andrew Davis Conductor Vladimir Feltsman Piano Turnage Texan Tenebrae Commissioned by the Canary Islands Music Festival for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra United States premiere Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in Major, Op. 58 Allegro moderato Andante con moto— Rondo: Vivace VlAdiMiR FelTSMAN

InTermISSIon Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 9 in Minor Moderato maestoso Andante sostenuto Scherzo: Allegro pesante Andante tranquillo First Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances

CSO Tuesday series concerts are sponsored by United Airlines.

Steinway is the official piano of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

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

mark-anthony Turnage Born June 10, 1960, Grays, Essex, England.

Texan Tenebrae

ark-Anthony Turnage, who death of Anna Nicole Smith a good Mis no stranger to controversy, subject for an opera?” 78.2 percent surprised even some of the people of the respondents said yes. who know his music best when he It was Turnage’s first opera, announced that he was writing an Greek, completed in 1988, that opera about Anna Nicole Smith, began to attract international the American model and celebrity attention for the composer, and who died in 2007 of an appar- it also made headlines because of ent drug overdose, following the the violence of its theme (an urban death of her twenty-year-old son, a updating of the Oedipus myth, lengthy lawsuit over her husband’s with “Eddy” fighting the sphinx of estate, and a dispute over the Margaret Thatcher’s conservatism); paternity of her newborn daughter. the occasional obscenity of its hard- Complicated and lurid stories have hitting libretto; and its eclectic long been the mainstay of opera, musical style, with touches of jazz, and, in recent years, more and more soul, and football songs. Turnage’s contemporary subjects, sometimes roots in popular music are also practically lifted from the pages of particularly strong in the Miles the tabloids, have made their way Davis–influenced Some Days, the to the opera house. When London’s first piece of his that the Chicago The Guardian conducted a poll last Symphony played, under Bernard February, asking “Is the life and Haitink’s baton, in 1997. (Miles

ComPoSeD FIrST PerFormanCe three trumpets, two 2009 January 21, 2010, Santa Cruz trombones, two soprano de Tenerife, by the lPO saxophones, tubular bells, Commissioned by the vibraphone, triangle, güiro, Canary islands Music These are the first CSO bass drum, tenor drum, Festival for the london performances, u.S. premiere suspended cymbal, tam-tam, Philharmonic Orchestra, harp, celesta, piano, strings the Royal Concertgebouw InSTrumenTaTIon Orchestra, and the Chicago three flutes, three oboes, aPProxImaTe Symphony Orchestra two clarinets and bass PerFormanCe TIme clarinet, two bassoons and 9 minutes contrabassoon, four horns,

2 and Stravinsky were Turnage’s two performed here by the Orchestra biggest obsessions when he was under Haitink in 2007. in his teens, and each helped to Texan Tenebrae is an orchestral shape his own emerging voice as a fantasy on material from Turnage’s composer.) Jazz and classical music new opera Anna Nicole, which cohabitate in many of Turnage’s will be given its premiere by the major works, particularly pieces at Covent such as Scorched, a work for jazz trio Garden in February, conducted and orchestra that the CSO played by , with Eva- in May 2009. Maria Westbroek in the title role. Trained at the Royal College of (Turnage’s librettist is Richard Music and a student, in the broad- Thomas, who was one of the est sense of the word, of Oliver creators of Jerry Springer: The Knussen, John Lambert, Gunther Opera.) Texan Tenebrae unfolds in Schuller, and Hans Werner Henze, a single span of slow music, dark Turnage became the Chicago and tragic in tone. The Texan of the Symphony’s Mead Composer-in- title is Anna Nicole, who was born Residence in 2006. During his Vickie Lynn Hogan in the small four seasons with the Orchestra, town of Mexia (the town motto is Chicagoans heard several major “a great place, no matter how you new works by Turnage, includ- pronounce it”) near Houston, in ing No Let Up, commissioned 1967. Tenebrae, the Latin word for by the MusicNOW series; From darkness or shadows, refers to the All Sides, Turnage’s first work for Holy Week services of penitence dance, premiered by the CSO and and lamentation. After the tolling Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, bells that open the piece, Turnage with choreography by Jorma Elo; introduces his main theme—music and Chicago Remains, a tribute to that is associated with Anna our city’s powers of reinvention Nicole in the opera—which is and our architectural modern- based on a melody from Mahler’s ism—it was inspired by a Chicago —songs on the River boat cruise—that was first death of children.

3 Born December 16, 1770, Bonn, Germany. Died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria.

Piano Concerto no. 4 in , op. 58

n December 17, 1808, a substantial program—long even OViennese paper announced a by the generous standards of the concert to be given by Ludwig van nineteenth century—were three Beethoven at the Theater an der movements from the Mass in , Wien five days later: “All the pieces the concert aria Ah! perfido, and are of his own composition, entirely improvisations at the keyboard by new, and not yet heard in public.” the composer. Although Beethoven’s publicist “There we sat from 6:30 till fudged that last detail ever so 10:30,” the composer J.F. Reichardt slightly, the list of world premieres later recalled, “in the most bitter lined up for one evening is aston- cold, and found by experience that ishing: both the Fifth and Sixth one might have too much even symphonies; the Choral Fantasy; of a good thing.” What should and this work, Beethoven’s fourth have been the greatest night of piano concerto. (Those who didn’t Beethoven’s career was ruined by like too much new and unfamiliar too much music and too little heat. music at one sitting surely stayed The performances were no doubt home that night.) To round out this wretched, for rehearsals had gone

ComPoSeD moST reCenT aPProxImaTe 1805–early 1806 CSo PerFormanCeS PerFormanCe TIme November 30, 2008; 34 minutes FIrST PerFormanCeS Orchestra Hall; Murray private: March 1807, Vienna, Perahia, pianist; bernard CSo reCorDIngS the composer as soloist Haitink 1942 with , pianist, and Frederick Stock public premiere: July 16, 2010; Ravinia conducting, RCA december 22, 1808, Vienna, Festival; Jorge Federico the composer as soloist Osorio, pianist; James 1963 with Van Cliburn, Conlon conducting pianist, and FIrST CSo conducting, RCA PerFormanCe InSTrumenTaTIon 1972 with Vladimir November 4, 1892; solo piano, one flute, two Ashkenazy, pianist, and Auditorium Theatre; Ferrucio oboes, two clarinets, two Sir conducting, busoni, pianist; Theodore bassoons, two horns, two london Thomas conducting trumpets, timpani, strings 1983 with , CaDenzaS pianist, and by beethoven conducting, Philips

4 badly. For one thing, Beethoven this concerto in G major, and surely had so annoyed the members of most members of the audience were the Theater an der Wien orchestra surprised that he went straight to the previous month that they now the keyboard and started to play. insisted that he sit in the anteroom Anyone who troubled to buy a whenever he wasn’t needed at the ticket to this concert would have keyboard and wait for the concert- known that a concerto begins with master to check with him between a long orchestral exposition that movements. Beethoven was so gives you all the tunes before the desperate to see this concert take soloist begins. But Beethoven had place that he agreed. (It promised begun to examine every conven- him both wide exposure and a tion he inherited, to rethink every nice profit.) choice a composer could make. Not surprisingly, there wasn’t He realized that the only way enough time for the orchestra to to call greater attention to the learn so much challenging new soloist’s first line was to do some- music. Reichardt remembered that thing unexpected. In his Violin “it had been found impossible to Concerto, first performed several get a single full rehearsal for all the months before, he had made the pieces to be performed, every one of wait almost interminable and then them filled with the greatest diffi- sneaked the violinist in, so that if culties.” The Choral Fantasy, which you weren’t paying attention you Beethoven composed at the very missed it altogether. And here, he last moment (inexplicably thinking caught his audience completely the concert lacked a blockbuster off guard again by starting with finish), was scarcely rehearsed at the piano. It’s a brilliant trick—so all. When it broke down completely perfectly handled that it has hardly during the performance, Beethoven ever been imitated—and Beethoven started it over again from the quickly follows one masterstroke beginning, making a very long with another—the orchestra enters evening even longer. six bars later in the unexpected key By all reports, Beethoven was of major. a terrifically exciting pianist. He The most remarkable thing about played with spectacular technical this bold and original opening facility and tremendous emotional is the sustained quiet dynamics expression. According to his stu- (beginning piano and then falling dent Ferdinand Ries, he cared less off to pianissimo), as if Beethoven about missed notes than character were sharing confidences. A tone and expression: “Mistakes of the of moderation and nobility per- other kind, he said, were due to sists throughout the first move- chance, but these last resulted from ment, even in the most vigorous want of knowledge, feeling, or and brilliant passages; this, too, attention.” When Beethoven first was unexpected. The movement stepped out on stage the night of is dominated throughout by a December 22, 1808, it was to play gentle version of the same four-note

5 rhythm with which Fate aggres- a brand new question, to which sively knocks on the door of the Beethoven responds by launching Fifth Symphony. (The German into the finale without a pause. Our theorist Heinrich Schenker, who sense of boundaries is vague: in ret- always doubted that Beethoven had rospect, the entire slow movement that image in mind when he wrote sounds like a long introduction to the symphony, wanted to know the finale. (That’s exactly the case in if the concerto depicted “another the Waldstein Sonata, written two years before.) The finale itself doesn’t behave like one at first: it’s the only one in all of Beethoven’s concertos that doesn’t begin with the soloist stat- ing the main theme, followed by vigorous confirmation from the full orchestra. Here Beethoven opens softly with the strings, in the wrong key. The piano takes the situation in hand with a brilliant, virtuosic Theater an der Wien; engraving after J. Alt, new theme, and the rest of the ca. 1815 movement is swift and thrilling. The orchestral sound is enriched by door on which Fate knocked or the introduction of trumpets and was someone else knocking at the drums, and the solo part effectively same door?”) combines lyricism with bravura and The slow movement has inspired elegance with wit. many interpretations (Orpheus After the concert, Beethoven taming the Furies is the most boasted that “in spite of the fact familiar one), although Beethoven that various mistakes were made, evidently was thinking of nothing which I could not prevent, the more dramatic than the music itself public nevertheless applauded the when he wrote it. This is a con- whole performance with enthu- versation between the strings and siasm.” Reichardt particularly the piano. The strings, playing in remembered the “new pianoforte staccato octaves, begin assertively. concerto of immense difficulty, The piano responds with rich, quiet which Beethoven executed aston- chords—an answer that raises ques- ishingly well in the most rapid tions of its own. On it goes, back tempos.” There’s no record of how and forth—the piano steadfast, much money Beethoven made the strings gradually weakening. that night. His days as a celebrity Sensing victory, the piano unleashes performer, however, were over. His a brief, rhapsodic cadenza. Finally hearing had recently gotten much everyone plays together, sharing the worse, and it turned out that this same chords and the same rhythm. was the last time he would appear Over the last chord, the piano poses in public as a soloist.

6 Born October 12, 1872, Gloucestershire, England. Died August 26, 1958, London, England.

Symphony no. 9 in e minor

n the morning that he died, Boult’s speech on a recent reissue of ORalph Vaughan Williams had the recording.) planned to attend a recording The eighty-five-year-old com- session for his Ninth Symphony, poser’s Ninth Symphony had been his last major work. “A friend of premiered four months earlier at the family said the composer had . “The whole worked as usual yesterday,” The New of musical London, as well as York Times reported in its obituary many distinguished visitors from on August 27, 1958, “and that he elsewhere” showed up to hear seemed absolutely normal, but a the new work by England’s most little tired.” Early on the twenty- famous living composer, according eighth, he and his wife Ursula to The Musical Times. The audience were to have gone to a studio to sit cheered at the end of the perfor- in on the first recording sessions mance, but the press reception was of the symphony with Sir Adrian cool and noncommittal. Although Boult conducting the London the critic for The Daily Mail said Philharmonic Orchestra. Although that the symphony “shows a spirit Boult had run through the work still keen, fresh and adventurous, privately with the composer, he was an imagination deft and abun- eager to have Vaughan Williams dant,” others chose to write about in the studio to supervise. The Vaughan Williams’s novel use of session went on as planned. When the flügelhorn in the slow move- Boult told the orchestra members ment rather than assess the work of the composer’s death, they stood as a whole, or its place in one of in silent tribute. (You can hear the most significant symphonic

ComPoSeD InSTrumenTaTIon timpani, glockenspiel, 1956–57, revised in 1958 three flutes and piccolo, two xylophone, side drum, oboes and english horn, tenor drum, bass drum, FIrST PerFormanCe two clarinets and bass cymbals, triangle, gong, April 2, 1958, london clarinet, two bassoons and tam-tam, bells, celesta, These are the first CSO contrabassoon, four horns, two harps, strings performances two trumpets and flügel- horn, two alto saxophones aPProxImaTe and one tenor saxophone, PerFormanCe TIme three trombones and tuba, 33 minutes

7 outpourings of the twentieth earliest pioneering works and century. Even Boult said he felt the Karlheinz Stockhausen’s daring Ninth represented a “falling off” experimentations. At the very for the great composer. Vaughan end of his long career, Vaughan Williams died the month before Williams continued to accept the the symphony was performed in persistent criticism that he was the United States, so it was inevi- old-fashioned—a charge first lev- tably received here as a valedictory eled at him nearly half a century work—“A mellow glow suffuses earlier, when he declared himself the work, as it does the work of a symphonist in the age of , many veteran composers who seem Pierrot lunaire, and The Rite of to gaze retrospectively over their Spring. His first significant large- careers,” Harold C. Schonberg scale work, the Fantasia on a Theme wrote in The New York Times, men- of Thomas Tallis, composed in tioning Brahms, Richard Strauss, 1910, is indebted to the music of his and Bartók, whose music “became sixteenth-century predecessor and calm and resigned toward the end.” to the great English tradition. His Although Vaughan Williams’s entire upbringing was steeped in tradition—he was related to both the pottery Wedgwoods and Charles Darwin. (“The Bible says that God made the world in six days,” his mother told him. “Great Uncle Charles thinks it took longer: but we need not worry about it, for it is equally wonderful either way.”) He became a seri- ous student of English folk song and edited The English Hymnal, vol. 2. Vaughan Williams (left) coaches the flügelhorn player Even when, at the age during the rehearsal for the world premiere of his Ninth Symphony in St. Pancras Town Hall, 1958 of thirty-five, Vaughan Williams took some time off from composing to symphony was later hailed as a study with Ravel, he learned greatly major score and a masterpiece, the about color and sonority but still very idea of composing a four- maintained and even sharpened movement symphony in the 1950s his own personal style. Years later, was seen as an anachronism by a Ravel would call him “the only one new generation of composers intent of my pupils who does not write my on breaking with the past—this music.” In fact, Vaughan Williams was the time of Pierre Boulez’s was one of the first composers in

8 the twentieth century who man- was soon followed by two more: A aged to forge a strong personal style London Symphony, his first purely almost exclusively from the materi- orchestral symphony, and the als of the past. “My advice to young Pastoral Symphony, started during composers,” he wrote, “is learn your own language first, find out your own traditions, discover what you want to do.” By 1934, following the deaths of Elgar, Holst, and Delius—all within a few months of each other—Vaughan Williams came to represent the end of the line, at least for English music. For another two decades, he continued to compose in his signature style, with Vaughan Williams (right) with John Barbirolli and Ursula at the , Manchester its firm reliance on tonality and its fondness for conventional forms. In a career that lasted more than World War I and completed only in fifty years, from the Tallis Fantasy 1921. It was a full decade before he to the Ninth Symphony, Vaughan began a new symphony. But then, Williams’s language remained beginning in the early 1930s, he remarkably stable, impervious to returned to the form he loved and the continual winds of revolution. wrote six more. Despite his conviction that “the composer must not shut himself up aughan Williams originally and think about art; he must live Vintended his Ninth Symphony with his fellows and make his art to be programmatic. Notations an expression of the whole life of on the pages of sketches include the community,” Vaughan Williams “Wessex Prelude” and “Salisbury.” eventually became something of The entire second movement a lone figure in modern music—a was meant to evoke the arrest preserver of tradition who managed of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the to brilliantly transcend the limited d’Urbervilles at Stonehenge. But, as genre of the staunch conservative. Vaughan Williams admitted before Vaughan Williams’s nine the first performance, the program symphonies, which span nearly “got lost on the journey,” and the fifty years of his career, form an work was premiered and published unusual and distinctive expansion simply as no. 9. of the great nineteenth-century The big-boned and powerful tradition. The first, , first movement opens with a theme premiered in 1910—just five weeks inspired by the organ part at the after the Tallis Fantasy—sets beginning of Bach’s Saint Matthew words by Walt Whitman and is Passion—an “old-fashioned” kind of more cantata than symphony. It music grounded in tradition. This

9 is the kind of confident, complex, drummer of Salisbury Plain.” carefully argued, sweepingly paced A tender central section, scored music that few composers were still for strings, is identified as “Tess” writing in the 1950s, and it reminds in the manuscript. Eventually, the us how much Vaughan Williams Stonehenge and Tess themes are admired Sibelius and his insistence combined. Near the end of the that the symphony was the single movement, bells toll—seven times, form in which one could best signifying the arrival of the police, express the deepest of feelings and who surround Stonehenge at dawn the most complicated ideas. and arrest Tess; and then, after the The second movement, despite return of the ghostly drummer, an the composer’s eventual dismissal of eighth time, signaling Tess’s hang- the program, was written to evoke ing at 8 a.m. the scene in Hardy’s novel where The main theme of the quirky, Tess, after murdering her lover, imaginatively scored scherzo is escapes with her husband across played by saxophones, echoed by Salisbury Plain toward Stonehenge, the xylophone. The central section where they rest for the night. The is a chorale for saxophone trio. opening theme, scored for solo The movement ends with the quiet flügelhorn, was borrowed from The tapping of the side drum. The finale Solent, an unpublished tone poem is in two sections, the first launched Vaughan Williams composed in by a broad violin melody, the 1903. (It is labeled “Stonehenge” second with a lyrical theme in the in the composer’s sketches for the violas. Great chords sweep- symphony.) “This beautiful and ing through the orchestra bring to a neglected instrument,” Vaughan close not only Vaughan Williams’s Williams wrote of the flügelhorn final symphony, but also to one in a short note for the premiere, “is of the most important symphonic not usually allowed in the select cycles of the twentieth century. circles of the orchestra and has been banished to the brass band, where it is allowed to indulge in the bad habit of vibrato to its heart’s content. While in the orchestra it will be obliged to sit up and play straight.” Vaughan Williams himself referred to the marching music that interrupts the opening Phillip Huscher is the program annota- of this movement as “the ghostly tor for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. © 2010 Chicago Symphony Orchestra © 2010 Chicago

10