German Requiem Choosing selections from Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible, Brahms wrote his German Requiem more with an eye to consoling the living than to commemorating the dead. It stands as an iconic work of the choral/orchestral repertoire. On the first half of tonight’s concert, we’ll hear a flute concerto by Brahms’s colleague and friend, Carl Reinecke.

CARL REINECKE Born 23 June 1824; Hamburg, Germany Died 10 March 1910; Leipzig, Germany

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in D major, Opus 283 Composed: 1908 First performance: 15 March 1909; Leipzig, Germany Last MSO performance: MSO Premiere Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion (triangle), strings Approximate duration: 22 minutes

Carl Reinecke was a German composer, teacher, administrator, conductor, and keyboard virtuoso. His playing was admired by two of the greatest pianists of the 19th century, Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann. He taught at the Leipzig Conservatory — where Edvard Grieg, Arthur Sullivan, and Cosima Liszt numbered among his composition students — later be- coming its director. As conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Reinecke conduct- ed the premiere of the full seven-movement version of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem. His D major flute concerto was written 1908. By that time, his compositional style was quite outdated; it was old-fashioned and rooted in the harmonic language of Mendelssohn and Schumann, even as Debussy, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky were writing new music. Never- theless, it is a pleasing, tuneful work, relished by flutists everywhere. The concerto opens with a four-bar introduction, as the flute plays over soft woodwind chords. The principal theme is sounded by the clarinet and violas, then extended by the clarinet and violins before the soloist’s entry. The soloist expounds on the main theme with facile coloratura before passing to the eloquent second subject. The Allegro molto modera- to is set in sonata form, with skillful development of its melodies, The second movement, Lento e mesto (slow and sad), is a three-part form (A-B-A) in B minor. It commences with an ominous ostinato figure from the cellos, basses, and timpani; the soloist is instructed to play con dolore (with sorrow). The brief middle section is more tranquil and ventures into D major. Following a return to the movement’s main theme, there’s a B major coda that combines both the ominous ostinato and the pastoral section. The Finale begins in E minor as plucked strings accompany the clarinet’s theme, and by the time the soloist enters to elaborate on the same notes, we’re in the home key of D major. In what follows, there’s ample room for virtuoso display, with contrasting melodic material, continuous escalation of energy, and a “Mendelssohnian deployment of orchestral forces.” (Keith Anderson) Recommended recording: Aurèle Nicolet; Kurt Masur, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Philips)  German Requiem PROGRAM NOTES Composed:1857-68 Instrumentation: , Op. 45 [A German Requiem] Ein deutschesRequiem,Op.45[AGerman Austria 7May1833;Hamburg, Died3April1897;Vienna, Born Germany JOHANNES BRAHMS 3. Herr, lehre dochmich.“Lord, makemetoknowmineend,andthemeasure ofmy FleischesistwieGras.Themusicofthesecondmovementbeganitslife 2. Dennalles daLeidtragen.Brahmssetsasombermoodbyeliminatingtheviolins— sind,die 1. Selig tle trioofthework.”(KarlGeiringer) third andfifth.Atthecenterissublimefourthmovement,“whichis,asitwere, thegen- first andlastmovementscorrespond toeachother, asdothesecondandsixth, Brahms’s Op.45iscastinsevenmovements,whichallowsforafelicitoussymmetry:The to allwhobelieve,regardless oftheircreed. rooted Lutheranism,narrow inNorthGerman dogmaisavoided;theRequiemaddressed It’s interesting, too,thatChrist’s nameisnowhere mentioned.Thoughtheworkisfirmly andsimplyputin‘Human’...” confess thatIshouldverymuchliketoleaveoutthe‘German’ of DieBibel.Hechoseversesthatspeakhopeandcomfort:“Asregards thetext,Imust insteadtoMartinLuther’sdepictions ofjudgmentandpunishment—turning translation fact thatheeschewedthetraditionalLatintextofRomanCatholicr Four SeriousSongs,Op.121(1896).Hispersonalreligious viewpoint ismadeclearbythe 1833, theoneheusedtocompiletextsforhissacred choralworksandforthevaledictory Christian. Heread from theScriptures everyday, usingthechildren’s Biblegiventohimin the word, butinthebroad-minded sense,wewouldn’t betoofaroff themarktocallhima Brahms wouldnothaveconsidered himselfareligious manintheconventionalsense of reached theripeoldage of 35. along theway. Brahmshad Bythetimeseven-movementworkhaditsfirstperformance, occupied withitscompositionforoveradecade,andvariousmovementswere premiered is hisgreatest choralwork, andthemostextensivescore inthewholeofhisoutput.Hewas Requiem asamemorialbothtohismotherandbelovedmentor, RobertSchumann.It Years before tacklinghisFirstSymphony, JohannesBrahmscomposedEindeutsches are cantouchthem.” inthehandofGod,andnotorment an unshakablepedalDinthe lowinstrumentsandtimpani:“Thesoulsoftherighteous est, withthewords “IhopeinThee.”Thencomesatriumphantfugue, firmly rooted by soft, ambivalentchords before thechoralvoicesblossom,moving from lowesttohigh- urgent plea,“Now, Lord, howshallIfindcomfort?”Asthe paceslows,thewindsintone days,” singsthebaritonesoloist,andchorusrepeats afterhim.Later, there’s an final pagesbecometranquil,andthemovementends inaserene B-flatmajor. come toZionwithsongsandeverlastingjoyupontheir heads,”butallofasuddenthe Trumpets assistinproclaiming andhorns “The ransomedoftheLord shallreturn,and word oftheLord endures forever,” ushering inapowerfulsectionwithrenewed intensity. tive color. Nearly200measures in,Brahmsstartles uswiththefortedeclaration“But in B-flatminor. Theviolins andviolasare divided,andharptimpani lendadistinc- reads “Slow, moderate march,” themusicisin3/4—more likeaslowdanceofdeath much earlier, asatwo-pianosonataBrahmsrepurposes here. Thoughitstempohead tic climax,thenthesounddisappearslikecloudsdispersedbywind. the generallydark-huedorchestration. The musicmovestoward arestrained butcathar fortheyshallbecomforted.”Fluteandharpaddoccasionalbitsofsunlightto mourn, At thebeginning,chorusintonesanunaccompaniedphrase:“Blessedare they that a techniqueheusedintheSerenade No.2, Op.16—anddividingtheviolascellos. Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: First performance: 68 minutes timpani, 2harps,organ, strings 2trumpets,3trombones,contrabassoon, 4horns, tuba, 2 flutes,piccolo,oboes,clarinets,bassoons, October 2014;RobertSpano,conductor 18 February1869;Leipzig,Germany equiem —withits - German Requiem PROGRAM NOTES

7. Selig sind die Toten sinddie 7. Selig hischoiceoftext(“Blessedare thedead”),Brahmsclearly . With . OftheRequiem’s6. DennwirhabenhiekeinebleibendeStatt sevenmovements,the 5. IhrhabtnunTraurigkeit. Surely atributetohisbelovedmother, thefifthmovementis sinddeineWohnungen4. Wielieblich . Thegentlylyricalfourthmovement,“thefinest Recommended recording: evoke “adyingheartbeat.”(Geiringer) major and,asallvoicessettleonaunisonF, theharpcalmlystrumstripletarpeggiosthat soon wehearmusicthatechoestheverybeginningofRequiem.We’re backinF (“They rest from theirlabors”),thetenorssingthemethatbegan themovement,and es, thenslowlyenvelopedbytheentire chorus.FollowingatenderinterludeinAmajor The sopranossingasoaringmelodyinFmajorthatisimmediatelytakenupbythebass links thefinalmovementwithopening(“Blessedare theythatmourn”). worthy toreceive gloryandhonorpower.” delian strength andglory”(Geiringer)inboththechorusorchestra: “Lord, Thouart off withavictoriousnewtheme, onethatcommences“amightydoublefugueofHan- to know, “Where isthyvictory?”(“Wo, wo,woistdeinSeig?”)Thealtosthenlead urgent, thechorusrepeatedly wagsitsfingerinthefaceofGrimReaper, demanding strings, timpanirolls, andadelugeofchoralsound.Asthemusicbecomesincreasingly shall sound,andthedeadberaised,”Brahmsemploysfierybrasschor stanzas withwords from St.Paul,whichtheyrepeat inhushedtones.At“Thetrumpet sixth isthemostovertlydramatic.Thebaritonesoloistinterruptschoir’s opening from Isaiah:“Iwillcomfort youasonewhomamothercomforts.” of solacefrom thebooksofJohnandSirach,chorusrepeats asinglelineoftext 10 April1868.Itsatmosphere ishushedandsustained.Thesopranosoloistsingswords the lastoneBrahmscomposed,afterhavingconductedsixmovementsinBremen on place, OLord ofhosts!” Requiem, unfurlingasoundpicture ofrapturous beauty:“Howlovelyisthydwelling Brahms usedanorchestration thatisclearlymore restrained thanotherportionsofthe choral writingofthecentury”(R.M.Longyear),standsatcenterwork.Forit, Klemperer, Orchestra Philharmonia &Chorus(EMI) Elizabeth Schwarzkopf,DietrichFischer-Dieskau; Otto ds, surging -