Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 21,1901
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INFANTRY HALL, PROVIDENCE. Boston Symphony Orchestra, Mr. WILHELM GERICKE, Conductor. Twentieth Season in Providence. PROGRAMME OF THE FIRST CONCERT Wednesday Evening, November J 3, At 7*45 sharp. With Historical and Descriptive Notes by Philip Hale. PUBLISHED BY C. A. ELLIS, MANAGER. (1) 'Established Established 1823 1823 PIANOFORTE MAKERS RECIPIENTS OF One Hundred and Twenty-Nine FIRST MEDALS AND AWARDS These Celebrated Instruments are To-day better than ever REPRESENTED BY GOFF AND DARLING 276 Westminster Street • Providence, R. I (2) : DOStOn INFANTRY HALL, Symphony f providence. A Twenty-first_Season, 1901-1902. Orchestra Twentieth Season in Providence. Mr. WILHELM GERICKE, Conductor. First Concert Wednesday Evening, November \ 3 At 7.45 sharp PROGRAMME. " Robert Volkmann . Overture, Richard III.," Op* 6S Edouard Lalo Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra Prelude. Allegro maestoso. * Intermezzo. Introduction. Rondo. " tt Franz Liszt . Symphonic Poem, No. 7, Festklaengfe Hermann Gbtz Symphony in F major, Op* 9 I. Allegro moderato (F major) II. Intermezzo : Allegretto (C major) III. Adagio, ma non troppo lento (F minor IV. Finale : Allegro con fuoco (F major) SOLOIST Mr. JEAN GERARDY. (3) Co. Gabrilowitsch to the Everett Piano EVERETT PIANO CO., NEW YORK. I take the first oppor- just reached St. Petersburg, Gentlemen,Cextlemen- Havingnavi g j roncemine the pianos you furnished for my to express to a tunity £^ !^ ££££££ heartiest "hanks for the same. Am belongs to the superior oof tl "enormous share which TamI am ouTtequite conscifconscious pleasure ot me much qualities of your piano for tiie success y , ^ There js ^ess ty J ^ to say so openly ^^^ ^ra«^, and its of the ^ attainments Ew*'"*^ enthusiastic friends among aZ number o£ future ,s eno s I S g this short time. Any one who ;,7" general^e ran. Thast made in musicians and the nubpublic^ ^ of beauty and nobility has heard it cannot fail to/^"^ Solute perfection of mechanism and action power and tone, in bnJ»«^»^«l-*t^P^ wonderfully sympathetic cannot be s it musical feelings most satisfactorily, enabled mme^"ssto express m^ s singing tone «^f y the concert grands, Yourbabygrandsandupnghts are to me aspPer£ect as and admire them . he mo e 1 go PP^ and *e.more have playedJem ^ ^ ^ ^ t^dThaving produced such a beautiful work of art. ^™?t ell Believe me, gentlemen, Very sincerely yours, GABRILOWITSCH. 1901 OSSIP St. Petersburg, May 27, EVERETT PIANO CO. - - BOSTON AVENUE. NEW YORK WAREROOMS: 141-143 FIFTH CINCINNATI. CHICAGO. (4) Overture to Shakespeare's " Richard III.," in F-sharp minor, Opus 68 Robert Volkmann. (Born at Lommatzsch (Saxony), April 6, 1815; died at Budapest, Oct. 30, 1883.) The unfortunate and unhappy Volkmann wrote an overture and inci- dental music for performances of Shakespeare's tragedy, " Richard III." The score and the parts of the overture were published in 187 1. The rest of the music — entr'actes and incidental — appeared with a connecting text for performance in concert in 1882. Is there any record of a full per- formance of the music as an accompaniment to the drama ? Volkmann himself tells us that, as a. composer, he thought in this instance of a scenic arrangement that differs often from the order of scenes in the original drama. The overture was first played in Boston under Mr. Gericke, March 14, 1885. Volkmann took for his hero the traditional Richard,— the scowling, mis- shaped, melodramatic, bloody Richard, dear to Shakespeare and robust play-actors. The Rev. Nathaniel Wanley thus described him in "The " " Wonders of the Little World (Book I., chapter xiii. : Of the Signal De- formity, and very Mean Appearance, of Some Great Persons, and Others ") : " There was never a greater uniformity of body and mind than our own King Richard the Third, for in both he was equally deformed. He was low of stature, crook-backed, hook-shouldered, splay-footed, goggle-eyed, his face small and round, his complexion swarthy, and his left arm withered from his birth. Born, says Truffel, a monster in nature, with all his teeth, hair on his head, and nails on his fingers and toes. Those vices which in other men are passions in him were habits. His cruelty was not casual, but natural ; and the truth of his mind was only lying and falsehood." The latest English historians laugh at this bogy of tradition ; but their genteel, straight-backed, and beneficent ruler, with his hair pleasingly combed, would never have inspired tragedy, symphonic poem, overture. NOTICE to patrons of the SYMPHONY CONCERTS. The complete Orchestral Score of the Standard Symphonies, Overtures, and Concertos, as played at these Concerts, published in miniature form, can be purchased at the. box office* Full list with prices on application at the box office, or Boosey & Company, 9 East 17th St., /NEW YORK. (5) Volkmann gave no program to his overture. Here he differed from Smetana, who admitted, yes, boasted that he could not compose music without a program, and wrote as follows to his friend Srb concerning his symphonic poem "Richard III." (Gothenburg, 1858): "You ask for an explanation ? Whoever knows Shakespeare's ' Richard III.' can picture to himself the whole tragedy as he pleases while he listens to this music. I can say only this,— that in the very first measure I have embodied in music the character of Richard. The chief theme in all of its varied forms dominates the whole composition. I have attempted shortly before the finale to picture in musical colors the frightful dream of the monarch before the battle, — the dream in which all of the persons murdered by him come as ghosts at night, and tell of his approaching downfall. The end is the death of Richard. In the middle of the work his victory as ruler is portrayed, and then there is the story of his fall, even till the very end." It was the catastrophe of the tragedy that moved Volkmann, and the overture may be said to be inspired by scenes iii. and iv. of Act V. I do not know whether Friedrich Brandes speaks with authority or fantastically ; his explanation of the overture is as follows : The restless and perturbed Richard tosses and writhes in his tent on Bosworth Field. A theme goes crawling through the string quartet. The first ghost appears to fearful and mysterious music (clarinets, bassoons, trombones, gong), and Richard leaps wildly from his couch. An oboe wails. " Give me another horse ! bind up my wounds ! Have mercy, Jesu ! Soft ! I did but dream." But the ghosts smile ori Richmond. " The sweetest sleep and fairest-boding dreams That ever enter'd in a drowsy head Have I since your departure had, my lords." THE BERKELEY HOTEL NEAR BACK BAY STATIONS European and American Plans A MODERN HOTEL, particularly adapted to transient guests. Easy of access to all parts of the city and suburbs. Electric cars, pass the door. Cuisine unexcelled. Peculiarly attractive to ladies travelling alone BOSTON BERKELEY AND BOYLSTON STREETS JOHN A. SHERLOCK (6) And the wailing theme now appears, soft and consoling, in the major. The development (Allegro), announced by a new theme introduced by the violoncellos and imitated by violas and violins, is representative of the soliloquy of Richard : — " Oh, no : alas 1 I rather hate myself For hateful deeds committed by myself." The wailing motive, broadened and enlarged, is prominent in the devel- opment. The morning breaks; and now is blown thrice, but in dull, pale tones, the ghost theme. The flute takes up the wailing heard before from oboe and clarinet. As from afar is heard a lively tune, " an old English war song," " The Campbells are comin'," from flute, piccolo, clarinets, bas- soons, drum, and triangle. The fight begins with leaps of the double- basses. There are trumpet signals. The battle theme joins the themes of apparition, wailing, and "The Campbells." And at last is heard with terrible effect from trumpets and trombones the ghost theme, which closes with whir of drums and stroke of gong. Richard is dead. Trumpets an- nounce the approach of Richmond, the Conqueror. The prayer of the new king, a modification of the wailing theme, brings peace, and forget- fulness of the bloody days. Thus in effect does Mr. Brandeis of Dresden explain this overture. It is doubtful whether Volkmann ever imagined such a specific program. It is hardly necessary to point out the fact that " The Campbells are comin' " was no more heard on Bosworth Field than " The Marseillaise " at Cannae or at Fontenoy. But what English tune might have been heard in 1485 for the benefit of future composers? Music to " Richard III." was written by G. A. Schneider (Berlin, 1828), overture, entr'actes, and incidental; Louis Schlosser (Darmstadt, 1835), overture, entr'actes, and incidental; Gieseker (composed in 1876, Wiirz- " Goethe and Schiller." If you are a book lover and fond of fine editions and perfect illustrations, an application to us will enable you to procure a sample page and illustra- tion of what will be the finest edition of " Goethe and Schiller" ever issued. This publication has been in process of manufacture for a long period, and the first volumes are about to be issued. Every print will be a proof on Japan paper, and the edition will be strictly limited. No other edition ever issued in the United States will be as complete as the present one. Should you desire a sample plate, please forward postal card to FRAN- CIS A. NICCOLLS & CO., Publishers, 212 Summer Street, Boston, Mass. (7) — burg) ; Edward German for Mr. Richard Mansfield's revival (London, 1889). German's overture was played at the Crystal Palace, Feb. 22, 1890. Overture, " Richard III.," by Isidor Rosenfeld (composed in i860) ; overture by Anton Emil Titl (composed about 1870 at Vienna).