BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOUNDED IN I88I BY HENRY LEE HI S E V E N TY- F 1 RS T SEASON 1951-1952 Constitution Hall, Washington Boston Symphony Orchestra (Seventy-first Season, 1951-1952) CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director RICHARD BURGTN, Associate Conductor PERSONNEL \'^IOLINS Violas Bassoons Richard Burgin, Joseph de Pasquale Raymond A Hard Concert-master Jean Cauhape Ernst Panenka Alfred Krips Georges Foui el Theodore Brewster Gaston Elcus Eugen Lehner Rolland Tapley Albert Bernard Contra-Bassoon Norbert Lauga George Humphrey Boaz Piller George Zazofsky Jerome Lipson Louis Artieres Paul Cherkassky Horns Harry Dubbs Robert Karol Reuben Green James Stagliano Vladimir Resnikoff Harry Shapiro Joseph Leibovici Bernard Kadinoff Harold Meek Vincent Mauricci Einar Hansen I'aul Keaney Harry Dickson ^Valter Macdonald Violoncellos Emil Kornsand Osbourne McConathy Samuel Mayes Carlos Pinfield Alfred Zighera Paul Fedormsky Trumpets Minot Beale Jacobus Langendoen Mischa Nieland Roger Voisin Silberman Herman Marcel I^ifosse Hippolyte Droeghmans Roger Schermanski Armando Ghitalla Karl Zeise Stanley Benson Gottfried Wilfinger Josef Zimbler Bernard Parronchi Trombones Enrico Fabrizio Jacob Raichman Clarence Knudson Leon Marjollet Lucien Hansotte Pierre Mayer John Cofley Manuel Zung Flutes Josef Orosz Samuel Diamond Georges Laurent Victor Manusevitch James Pappoutsakis Tuba James Nagy Phillip Kaplan Leon Gorodetzky Vinal Smith Raphael Del Sordo Piccolo Melvin Bryant George Madsen Harps Lloyd Stonestreet Bernard Zighera Saverio Messina Oboes Olivia Luetcke Sheldon Rotenberg Ralph Gomberg Devergie Leo PanasevicU Jean Timpani William Waterhouse John Holmes Roman Szulc English Horn Charles Smith Basses Louis Speyer Georges Moleux Percussion Willis Page Clarinets Max Polster Ludwig Juht Gino Cioffi Simon Sternburg Irving Frankel Manuel Valeric Harold Farberman Henry Greenberg Pasquale Cardillo Henry Portnoi E\) Clarinet Henry Freeman Librarians Henri Girard Bass Clarinet Leslie Rogers John Barwicki Rosario Mazzeo Leonard Burkat Constitution Hall, Washington SEVENTY-FIRST SEASON, 1951-1952 Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director Richard Burgin, Associate Conductor Concert Bulletin of the Third Concert THURSDAY EVENING, February 14 with historical and descriptive notes by John N. Burk The TRUSTEES of the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. Henry B. Cabot . President Jacob J. Kaplan . Vice-President Richard C. Paine . Treasurer Philip R. Allen M. A. De Wolfe Howe John Nicholas Brown Charles D. Jackson Theodore P. Ferris Lewis Perry Alvan T. Fuller Edward A. Taft N. Penrose Hallowell Raymond S. Wilkins Francis W. Hatch Oliver Wolcott George E. Judd, Manager T. D. Perry, Jr. N. S. Shirk, Assistant Managers fil BOX HOLDERS 1951-1952 The President and Mrs. Harry S. Truman Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Adams Mrs. Margaretta Stroup Austin Mrs. Robert Low Bacon Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss The Ambassador of France and Madame Bonnet Mr. A. Marvin Braverman Mr. and Mrs. Earl Campbell Mr. and Mrs. William R. Castle Mr. and Mrs. Henry P. Caulfield Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Chaite Mrs. William Crozier The Ambassador of the Philippines, Mr. Joaquin M. Elizalde Mr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Grew Mr. and Mrs. Albert H. Hamilton Mr. George Judd Mrs. Florence A. Keep Colonel Angel G. de Mendoza Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Meyer Mr. and Mrs. Howard Mitchell Mr. and Mrs. Charles Munch Mrs. George Hewitt Myers Judge and Mrs. George Neilson Mrs. James Patton I Mr. and Mrs. Pierre- Paul Schweitzer Mr. and Mrs. Jouett Shouse Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Snow Mrs. Eliot Wadsworth Mrs. Edwin M. Watson [«] Constitution Hall, Washington Boston Symphony Orchestra SEVENTY-FIRST SEASON, 1951-1952 CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director THIRD CONCERT THURSDAY EVENING, February 14, at 8:30 o'clock Program ERNEST ANSERMET Conducting Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56A Mendelssohn Symphony in A major. No. 4, "Italian," Op. 90 I. Allegro vivace II. Andante con moto III. Con moto moderato IV. Saltarello: Presto INTERMISSION Stravinsky Divertimento, "Le Baiser de la Fee," Allegorical Ballet I. Sinfonia II. Danses Suisses III. Scherzo IV. Pas de deux Adagio — Variation — Coda Debussy "La Mer," Three Orchestral Sketches I. De I'aube a midi sur la mer II. Jeux de vagues III. Dialogue du vent et de la mer BALDWIN PIANO RCA VICTOR RECORDS [3] ERNEST ANSERMET ERNEST Ansermet, bom in Vevey, Switzerland, November ii, 1883, began his career as a professor of mathematics at the University of Lausanne, and at the Sorbonne, but studied music with Den^r^az in Lausanne, Gedalge in Paris, and Otto Barblan and Ernest Bloch in Geneva, He became conductor of the Kursaal concerts in Montreux in 1912, and succeeded Stavenhagen as director of the Geneva Sub- scription Concerts in 1914. In 1915 he toured Europe and both Americas as conductor of Diaghileff's Ballet Russe. In 1918 he founded the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He conducted the symphony orchestra at Buenos Aires in the seasons 1924-27, and in 1936-37 re- turned to conduct in South America and several cities of the United States. Having conducted concerts over Radio Suisse during the war, he resumed his activities as guest conductor in Europe in 1946, and returned to this country in the season 1947-1948 for guest appearances. On January 25, 28-29, 1949, he appeared as guest conductor of this Orchestra, and has visited this country each season since then. VARIATIONS ON A THEME BY HAYDN, Op. 56a By Johannes Brahms Born at Hamburg on May 7, 1833; died at Vienna on April 3, 1897 These variations, composed in the year 1873. were first performed at a concert of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Vienna, Felix Dessoff conducting, November 2, 1873. The first performance in Boston is on record as having been given by Theo- dore Thomas' orchestra, January 31, 1874. The first performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra took place December 5, 1884. The orchestration includes two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons and double-bassoon, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, triangle and strings. IN the year 1870, K. F. Pohl showed Brahms a Feldpartita in B-flat, published as Haydn's, one of six written for the military band of Prince Esterhazy, and scored for two oboes, two horns, three bassoons, and the now obsolete band instrument, the serpent. Brahms was much taken with the 'theme of the second movement, marked "Chorale St. Antonii," an old Austrian pilgrim's song. He copied it in his notebook and three years later made it familiar to the world at large in his set of variations.* * The theme was more notable than Haydn's treatment of it, if the divertimento was actu- ally Haydn's. H. C. Robbins Landon claims that it was not in his article "The True and False Haydn" in the Saturday Review of Literature ( August 25, 1951). The six "Littauer Divertimenti" are in the Gymnasialbibliothek in the Saxon town of Littau. They come under suspicion because the collection of manuscripts contains some copies not so indicated. "It has now been established," writes Mr. Landon, "that the whole series is spurious and that not one note was by Haydn. One of his students, perhaps Pleyel, was probably the real author." This would challenge Brahms' title but not, of course, his choice of a good traditional tune. [4] Tanglewood, 1952 THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director THE BERKSHIRE FESTIVAL Fifteenth Season JULY 5— AUGUST 10 Tenth Anniversafy Season THE BERKSHIRE MUSIC CENTER Charles Munch, Director JUNE 30 — AUGUST 10 To receive later announcements, address subscription office, Symphony Hall, Boston, Mass. [5] From the time that Schumann proclaimed Johannes Brahms in his twenties as a new force in music, a torch-bearer of the symphonic tradition, friends and foes waited to see what sort of symphony this "musical Messiah" would dare to submit as a successor to Beethoven's mighty Ninth. The "Hamburg John the Baptist" realized what was ex- pected of him, and after his early piano concerto, which no audience accepted, and his two unassuming serenades, he coolly took his time and let his forces gather and mature for some twenty years before yield- ing to the supreme test by submitting his First Symphony. This hap- pened in 1877. Three years earlier, he tried out his powers of orchestra- tion on a form less formidable and exacting than the symphony — a form which he had finely mastered in his extreme youth as composer for the piano — the theme with variations. In this, the first purely orchestral attempt of his maturity, Brahms, as usual when put on his mettle, took great pains perfectly to realize his aim. His abilities as orchestral colorist, so finely differentiated in each of the successive Variations on a Theme by Haydn, could not but be apparent even to its first audiences. At the first performance in Vienna, in November, 1873, the recep- tion was enthusiastic, and the critics only expressed their impatience that a symphony was not yet forthcoming from the vaunted **Bee- thovener.'* The variations were again played on December 10 in Munich, under Hermann Levi. They became inevitably useful in Brahms* round of concerts, and added appreciably to the reputation of the still hesitant symphonist. [copyrighted] Boston University College of Music All Branches of Music and Music Education Courses leadinsr to the degrees A.A. in Mus. ; B.Mus. ; M.M.; M.M.Ed. In conjunction with the Graduate School — M.A. ; Ph.D. In conjunction with the School of Education — M.Ed. ; Ed.D. Tear-round Projects and Workshops include — Master Classes under — Workshop in Music Education Arthur Fiedler Opera Workshop Roland Hayes Pianists Workshop Albert Spaldinsr Eminent Faculty of Artists, Composers, Scholars and Educators Full information on request Dean Warren S. Freeman Boston University College of Music 25 BLAGDEN STREET, BOSTON 16 CO 6-6230 [6] THE FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR BY THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Charles Munch, will make its European debut at the Paris Opera House on May 6.