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Home , American Rhapsody, Ferde Grofe, Marin Alsop, Philippe Entremont, Rhapsody in Blue

27 Season 2015-2016

Thursday, October 29, at 8:00 The Philadelphia Friday, October 30, at 2:00 Saturday, October 31, at 8:00 Conductor Jon Kimura Parker

Debussy/orch. Sachs Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (orchestrated for the Society for Private Musical Performances in Vienna under the auspices of Arnold Schoenberg)

Gershwin/orch. Grofé (original band version)

Intermission

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 I. Moderato— II. Allegretto III. Largo IV. Allegro non troppo

This program runs approximately 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM. Visit wrti.org to listen live or for more details. 228 Story Title The Jessica Griffin

The Philadelphia Orchestra Orchestra also reaches and the is one of the preeminent thousands of listeners on the Kennedy Center while also in the world, radio with weekly Sunday enjoying summer residencies renowned for its distinctive afternoon broadcasts on in Saratoga Springs, New sound, desired for its WRTI-FM. York, and Vail, Colorado. keen ability to capture the Philadelphia is home and The Philadelphia Orchestra hearts and imaginations the Orchestra nurtures an of audiences, and admired serves as a catalyst for important relationship with for a legacy of imagination cultural activity across patrons who support the and innovation on and off Philadelphia’s many main season at the Kimmel the concert stage. The communities, as it builds an Orchestra is transforming its Center, and also with those offstage presence as strong rich tradition of achievement, who enjoy the Orchestra’s as its onstage one. The sustaining the highest area performances at the Orchestra’s award-winning level of artistic quality, but Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, Collaborative Learning also challenging—and and other cultural, civic, initiatives engage over exceeding—that level by and learning venues. The 50,000 students, families, creating powerful musical Orchestra maintains a strong and community members experiences for audiences at commitment to collaborations through programs such as home and around the world. with cultural and community PlayINs, side-by-sides, PopUp organizations on a regional concerts, free Neighborhood Director Yannick and national level. Concerts, School Concerts, Nézet-Séguin’s highly collaborative style, deeply- Through concerts, tours, and residency work in rooted musical curiosity, residencies, presentations, Philadelphia and abroad. and boundless enthusiasm, and recordings, the Orchestra The Orchestra’s musicians, paired with a fresh approach is a global ambassador for in their own dedicated to orchestral programming, Philadelphia and for the roles as teachers, coaches, have been heralded by . Having been and mentors, serve a key critics and audiences alike the first American orchestra role in growing young since his inaugural season in to perform in China, in 1973 musician talent and a love 2012. Under his leadership at the request of President of , nurturing the Orchestra returned to Nixon, The Philadelphia and celebrating the wealth recording, with two celebrated Orchestra today boasts a new of musicianship in the CDs on the prestigious partnership with the National Philadelphia region. For Deutsche Grammophon Centre for the Performing more information on The label, continuing its history Arts in Beijing. The ensemble Philadelphia Orchestra, of recording success. The annually performs at please visit www.philorch.org. 6 Music Director

Chris Lee Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is an inspired leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and he has renewed his commitment to the ensemble through the 2021-22 season. His highly collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The Times has called him “phenomenal,” adding that under his baton, “the ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has never sounded better.” Highlights of his fourth season include a year-long exploration of works that exemplify the famous Philadelphia Sound, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and other pieces premiered by the Orchestra; a Music of Vienna Festival; and the continuation of a commissioning project for principal players.

Yannick has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most thrilling talents of his generation. He has been music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic since 2008 and artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000. He also continues to enjoy a close relationship with the Philharmonic, of which he was principal guest conductor. He has made wildly successful appearances with the world’s most revered ensembles, and he has conducted critically acclaimed performances at many of the leading houses.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Deutsche Grammophon (DG) enjoy a long-term collaboration. Under his leadership The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to recording with two CDs on that label; the second, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist Daniil Trifonov, was released in August 2015. He continues fruitful recording relationships with the Rotterdam Philharmonic on DG, EMI Classics, and BIS Records; the London Philharmonic and Choir for the LPO label; and the Orchestre Métropolitain for ATMA Classique.

A native of Montreal, Yannick studied at that city’s Conservatory of Music and continued lessons with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini and with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Among Yannick’s honors are appointments as Companion of the Order of Canada and Officer of the National Order of Quebec, a Royal Philharmonic Society Award, Canada’s National Arts Centre Award, the Prix Denise-Pelletier, and honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Westminster Choir College.

To read Yannick’s full bio, please visit www.philorch.org/conductor. 29 Conductor Adriane White Conductor Marin Alsop is recognized for her innovative approach to programming and for her deep commitment to education and audience development. Her outstanding success as music director of the Symphony since 2007 has resulted in two extensions of her tenure, now confirmed until 2021. As part of her artistic leadership in Baltimore she has created bold initiatives such as “OrchKids,” which provides music education, instruments, meals, and mentorship to the city’s neediest young people. Ms. Alsop is also music director of the Symphony and ’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music; conductor emeritus of the Bournemouth Symphony; music director laureate of the Colorado Symphony; and artist-in-residence at the Southbank Centre in London. She guest conducts the great orchestras of the world and made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 1990 at the Academy of Music. In addition to these current performances, highlights of Ms. Alsop’s 2015-16 season include her subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony and a return to the Eugene Symphony for its 50th anniversary season. In March 2016 she celebrates Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary Bernstein’s West Side Story at the Knockdown Center, a restored factory in Queens, New York. She also begins her position as director of the Graduate Conducting Program at the Johns Hopkins . Ms. Alsop is the recipient of numerous awards and is the only conductor to receive the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. Her extensive discography on Naxos includes a notable set of Brahms symphonies with the London Philharmonic, Brahms’s A German Requiem with the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir and Symphony, and a highly praised Dvořák series with the Baltimore Symphony. Born in , Ms. Alsop attended and received her master’s degree from the . Her conducting career launched in 1989 when she was a prize-winner at the International Conducting Competition. In the same year she also became the first woman to be awarded the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize from the Tanglewood Music Center, where she was a pupil of . 30 Soloist

Tara McMullen Pianist Jon Kimura Parker made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 1997 at the Academy of Music and most recently performed with the ensemble in 2008 at the Mann Center. He has appeared as guest soloist with the Philadelphians and Wolfgang Sawallisch at Carnegie Hall, toured Europe with the Royal Philharmonic and André Previn, and shared the stage with Jessye Norman at Berlin’s Philharmonie. Conductors he has recently worked with include Teddy Abrams, Pablo Heras-Casado, Claus Peter Flor, Hans Graf, Matthew Halls, , Peter Oundjian, Larry Rachleff, Bramwell Tovey, Xu Zhong, and Pinchas Zukerman. A true Canadian ambassador of music, Mr. Parker has given command performances for Queen Elizabeth II, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the prime ministers of Canada and Japan. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian honor. Mr. Parker performs regularly with the Miró Quartet and is a founding member of the Montrose Trio, with violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith. He also recently debuted—in a quintet with legendary Police drummer Stewart Copeland—his new project, Off the Score, featuring both original compositions and fresh takes on the music of Ravel, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky. In addition to these current performances, highlights of his 2015-16 season include a tour of Off the Score and 20 concerts with the Montrose Trio as well as appearances with the , the Chicago Symphony, and the Minnesota Orchestra. An unusually versatile artist, Mr. Parker has jammed with Audra McDonald, Bobby McFerrin, and Doc Severinsen, and also performed tangos on two with Pablo Ziegler. As a member of the outreach project Piano Plus, he has toured remote areas including the Canadian Arctic, performing classical music and rock-and-roll on everything from upright pianos to electronic keyboards. In commemoration of his special performances in war-torn Sarajevo in 1995, he was a featured speaker alongside humanitarians Elie Wiesel and Paul Rusesabagina at the 50th anniversary of the relief organization AmeriCares. His new CD, Fantasy, features fantasies of Schubert and Schumann, as well as the Wizard of Oz Fantasy arranged by William Hirtz. 31 Framing the Program

In the first half of the program today two familiar pieces Parallel Events are presented in unfamiliar ways. We hear Claude 1894 Music Debussy’s revolutionary Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun Debussy Dvořák in an intimate chamber for 11 instruments Prelude to the that was made in the early for Arnold Schoenberg’s Afternoon of a Literature Society for Private Musical Performances. This innovative Faun Kipling concert series in Vienna offered meticulously rehearsed The Jungle Book performances of “all modern music—from that of Mahler Art and Strauss to the newest.” The imaginative reduction Munch reveals new sides of the work, as if seeing an X-ray of the Vampire History original masterpiece. Bureau of ’s Rhapsody in Blue caused a sensation Immigration at its 1924 premiere in New York’s Aeolian Hall at a created concert presented by the legendary bandleader . On that occasion Gershwin was the piano 1924 Music soloist and Whiteman conducted a jazz ensemble of some Gershwin Berg Rhapsody in Chamber two dozen musicians. The instrumentation was created Blue Concerto by , Whiteman’s favorite arranger, based on Literature suggestions from Gershwin. Since then the Rhapsody in Forster Blue is most often performed in a version for full symphony A Passage to orchestra, also by Grofé. The performance today provides India a rare opportunity to hear the original instrumentation and Art to discover, as with the Debussy impressionistic Prelude, Braque details that often pass by unnoticed. Sugar Bowl History Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was a key work in the Lenin dies ’s career. During his 20s Shostakovich had rapidly emerged as the great genius of Soviet music, but 1937 Music in 1936 he was brutally attacked in the official Communist Shostakovich Orff press. Both his professional and private life were in peril. Symphony Carmina burana He withheld the premiere of his Fourth Symphony for more No. 5 Literature than a quarter century and then wrote the magnificent Steinbeck Fifth Symphony, which helped restore his reputation at Of Mice and home while also achieving classic status internationally. Men Art Picasso Guernica History Japan invades China 32 The Music Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (orchestrated by Benno Sachs)

Claude Debussy composed his revolutionary Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun between 1892 and 1894, basing it on an important Symbolist poem by Stéphane Mallarmé. “The music of this prelude,” Debussy wrote, “is a very free illustration of Mallarmé’s beautiful poem. By no means does it claim to be a synthesis of it. Rather there is a succession of scenes through which pass the desires and dreams of the faun in the heat of the afternoon. Then, tired of pursuing the timorous flight of nymphs and naiads, he succumbs to intoxicating sleep, in which he can finally Claude Debussy realize his dreams of possession in universal Nature.” Born in St. Germain-en- Laye, August 22, 1862 A New Musical Style The Symbolists were artists Died in Paris, March 25, and poets of the late 19th century who tried to convey 1918 meanings through suggestion—symbols, fragments, evocations—rather than specific narrative expression. These concerns proved ideal for the musical style that Debussy was developing at the time. When he composed Faun he had just broken out of the narrow confines of the Paris Conservatory and a compulsory stay in Italy at the Villa Medici after winning the Prix de Rome. He had been overwhelmed by his exposure to Wagner’s and yearned for a way to respond to the challenge of Tristan and Isolde and Parsifal. The Prelude was conceived as the initial part of a larger work on Mallarmé’s poem (Prelude, Interludes, and Final Summary), but he realized upon completing it that the piece had to stand alone, a self-contained miniature masterpiece. In a single stroke the composer set the scene for all manner of 20th- century musical exploration. The celebrated conductor and composer Pierre Boulez has declared that “Modern music was awakened by The Afternoon of a Faun.” At the work’s first performance in Paris in December 1894 even the press, which had not always been sympathetic to the composer’s early works, realized that something startlingly new had come to pass. Mallarmé, who was present, was delighted with Debussy’s gloss on his poem. “I was not expecting anything like this!” he said. “The music creates no dissonance with my text, except that it even extends the emotion of the poem, exploring more deeply 33

The Prelude to the Afternoon the nostalgia and the atmosphere of light and color.” of a Faun was composed from Faun was choreographed in 1912 for Sergei Diaghilev’s 1892 to 1894. Benno Sachs Ballets Russes, with Vaslav Nijinsky as the oversexed faun orchestrated the piece in 1920 frolicking among the nymphs, and it has remained a favorite or 1921 for the Society for of dancers and choreographers ever since. Private Musical Performances in Vienna under the auspices of A Closer Look was deeply influenced Arnold Schoenberg. by the piece as was another modernist titan, Arnold Fritz Scheel conducted the Schoenberg, which led to the unusual instrumental version first Philadelphia Orchestra we hear on this concert. In late 1918, Schoenberg founded performances of the Prelude, the Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen (Society in January 1907. Most recently for Private Musical Performances), an innovative concert on subscription concerts, it series that presented meticulously rehearsed performances appeared in March 2011, of “all modern music—from that of Mahler and Strauss to with Stéphane Denève. the newest,” as its charter stated. There were various rules: These are the first Orchestra members only (no critics were allowed), the programs performances of the Sachs were not announced in advance, pieces were often orchestration. repeated (sometimes on the same concert), applause and The Orchestra has recorded booing were prohibited, and so forth. Schoenberg was the piece six times: in 1924, the president, but most of the organization fell to former 1927, and 1940 with Leopold students Alban Berg and Anton Webern, working alongside Stokowski for RCA; in 1947 others. The repertory the Society presented was remarkably and 1959 with Eugene international. Debussy, who had recently died, was the Ormandy for CBS; and in second most performed composer in the 117 concerts of 1971 with Ormandy for RCA. the group’s three-year existence. The work can also be found in The Philadelphia Orchestra: Although most of the pieces performed at the Society The Centennial Collection were keyboard, chamber, or vocal works, on occasion (Historic Broadcasts and orchestral compositions were arranged for drastically Recordings from 1917-1998), reduced ensembles or for piano. These were in a performance led by Bruno made at Schoenberg’s suggestion, but he rarely did the Walter from March 1947. reductions himself. The circumstances surrounding the The scoring for this orchestration of Debussy’s Prelude are not entirely clear, orchestration calls for flute, but the parts were readied by late 1921, just before the , , harmonium, Society was disbanded, and the work was never performed. piano, percussion (antique The effective and faithful reduction was apparently the ), and string quintet. work of Benno Sachs, a doctor, who cast the piece for 11 The Prelude runs approximately instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, harmonium (an organ-like 10 minutes in performance. instrument that fills in much of the harmony), piano, antique cymbals, and string quintet. As in Debussy’s original, the piece begins with an extraordinary flute solo that evokes the faun’s pipes and that occurs nine times, including at the end along with antique cymbals. —Paul J. Horsley/ Christopher H. Gibbs 34 The Music Rhapsody in Blue (original orchestration by Ferde Grofé)

George Gershwin’s career is a great American success story, tempered (as with Mozart and Schubert) by early death in his 30s that cut it short. Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, he grew up in a poor household. As , his slightly younger Brooklyn contemporary, also discovered, music offered opportunities. But while Copland went to study abroad as , Gershwin dropped out of school and started working his way up as a “song-plugger,” playing songs for perspective customers at a music store. Soon he was George Gershwin writing his own songs (his first big hit was “Swanee” in Born in Brooklyn, 1919) and enjoying success on . September 26, 1898 Died in Hollywood, An Experiment in Modern Music The signal event of July 11, 1937 his early career came at age 25, on Tuesday afternoon, February 12, 1924, at a concert in New York’s Aeolian Hall given by Paul Whiteman and his Palais Royal Orchestra. Billed as “An Experiment in Modern Music,” it featured a variety of familiar pieces, including popular fare and comedy, as well as works by Edward MacDowell, , and concluding with one of ’s Pomp and Circumstance marches. It was not so much that the music was unusual but rather the idea of presenting performances by a jazz band in a concert hall. On the program today we have the rare opportunity to hear the original instrumentation of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with which Whiteman’s group accompanied the composer at the piano. Gershwin had written the piece in the space of just a few weeks in a two-piano version that was quickly orchestrated by Whiteman’s favored arranger, Ferde Grofé (1892-1972), best remembered today for his own composition The . Grofé was intimately familiar with the marvelous instrumental colors Whiteman’s band could produce; he followed suggestions outlined in Gershwin’s piano score, which were supplemented by almost daily meetings with the composer. The famous opening clarinet was contributed by Ross Gorman, who asked permission to change a written-out scale to something more enticing. 35

Rhapsody in Blue was The Rhapsody proved to be the highlight of the concert, composed in 1924. an enormous success before a capacity audience Roy Bargy was the soloist in (including , Leopold Stokowski, the first Philadelphia Orchestra Jascha Heifetz, and ), as well as with most performances of the Rhapsody, of the critics. said the piece “hinted at in November 1936; Paul something new, something that had not hitherto been said Whiteman conducted. The in music.” Gershwin, he believed, provided “a link between last time the piece appeared the jazz camp and the intellectuals.” Even a grumpy voice on subscription was in March from Theatre Magazine acknowledged that the wildly 2012, with pianist Stewart popular concert “was often vulgar, but it was never dull.” Goodyear and James Gaffigan Whiteman repeated the program a month later and then conducting. The only previous again at Carnegie Hall in April, as well as in Philadelphia Orchestra performances and . In June he and Gershwin made their first of the original jazz band recording of the Rhapsody, which sold over a million instrumentation were in July 1984 at the Mann Center, copies. Over roughly the next decade performances, with recordings, and sheet music earned the composer some conducting from the keyboard, $250,000, an almost unimaginable sum at the time. and in April 2002 on an Access A Closer Look Gershwin entitled the work Concert, with William Eddins , perhaps to capitalize on the popularity conducting from the keyboard. of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, but his brother Ira The Orchestra has recorded suggested using something inspired by paintings of James the Rhapsody twice, both for McNeill Whistler, such as Nocturne in Blue and Silver. CBS and both with : in 1945 with Oscar The Rhapsody basically unfolds as a sequence of Levant and in 1967 with five Tin Pan Alley-like songs with virtuoso connecting . passagework. The piece has been criticized by some as a loose patchwork of relatively interchangeable parts Grofé’s original instrumentation (Gershwin’s own early recordings made cuts so as to fit on calls for three woodwind players doubling on a total of 17 one 78 disc), but Howard Pollack has observed that the different instruments work might be viewed as a “compressed four-movement (Reed 1: B-flat clarinet, E-flat symphony or sonata,” along the lines of Schubert’s clarinet, , oboe; “Wanderer” Fantasy. For his part, Gershwin said that he Reed 2; alto , “wanted to show that jazz is an idiom not to be limited to soprano saxophone, a mere song and chorus that consumed three minutes in ; Reed 3: presentation,” which meant putting the “in a larger , soprano and more serious form.” Twelve years after its successful saxophone), two horns, two premiere he commented that the piece was “still very , two , one much alive,” while if he had “taken the same themes and (doubling string bass), put them in songs they would have been gone years ago.” , percussion (drum set, , , triangle), —Christopher H. Gibbs , , piano (in addition to the soloist), and eight . Rhapsody in Blue runs approximately 16 minutes in performance. 36 The Music Symphony No. 5

The life and career of Dmitri Shostakovich were in a perilous state when he began writing his Fifth Symphony in April 1937. The 30-year-old composer had recently experienced a precipitous fall from the acclaim he had enjoyed throughout his 20s, ever since he burst on the musical scene at age 19 with his brash and brilliant First Symphony. That work won him overnight fame and extended his renown far beyond the Soviet Union. Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler, , and other leading conductors championed the Symphony and Dmitri Shostakovich Leopold Stokowski gave its American premiere with The Born in St. Petersburg, Philadelphia Orchestra in 1928. Shostakovich’s Second September 25, 1906 Symphony followed the next year and was entitled “To Died in Moscow, August 9, October—A Symphonic Dedication.” It included a chorus 1975 praising Lenin and the Revolution, and the Third Symphony, entitled “The First of May,” also employed a chorus to make a political statement. Despite their ideological baggage, his musical innovations continued, especially the opening of the Second Symphony. A Fall from Grace Shostakovich had also received considerable attention for his contributions to the screen and stage, including film scores, ballets, incidental music, and two full-scale operas: The Nose and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The latter enjoyed particular popular and critical success in the Soviet Union and abroad after its premiere in January 1934, so much so that a new production was presented at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow two years later. And that is when the serious troubles began that changed the course of Shostakovich’s life. Stalin attended Lady Macbeth on January 26, 1936, and left before the end of the performance. A few days later an article entitled “Muddle Instead of Music” appeared in Pravda, the official newspaper of the Communist Party. The anonymous critic wrote that the opera “is a leftist bedlam instead of human music. The inspiring quality of good music is sacrificed in favor of petty-bourgeois formalist celebration, with pretense at originality by cheap clowning. This game may end badly.” Those terrifying final words were life-threatening; this was not just a bad review that could hamper a thriving career. The article was soon followed by another in Pravda attacking 37

Shostakovich’s ballet The Limpid Stream, and then by yet another. The musical establishment, with a few brave exceptions, lined up in opposition to the composer, who was working at the time on a massive Fourth Symphony, which went into rehearsals in December 1936. At the last moment, just before the premiere, the work was withdrawn, most likely at the insistence of the authorities. The impressive Symphony would have to wait 25 years for unveiling in 1961. (The Philadelphians gave the American premiere in 1963.) Shostakovich’s Return Shostakovich, whose first child had just been born, was well aware of the show trials and mounting purges, as friends, family, and colleagues disappeared or were killed. He faced terrifying challenges in how to proceed after the sustained attacks on his music. He composed the first three movements of the Fifth Symphony with incredible speed—he later recounted that he wrote the Largo in just three days—although the finale slowed him down. The completion of his new symphony is usually dated July 29, 1937, but the most recent investigation for a new critical edition indicates that composition continued well into the fall. The notable premiere took place on November 21 with the Leningrad Philharmonic under Evgeny Mravinsky, at that time a relatively unknown young conductor. In the words of Shostakovich biographer Laurel Fay: “The significance of the occasion was apparent to everyone. Shostakovich’s fate was at stake. The Fifth Symphony, a non-programmatic, four-movement work in a traditional, accessible symphonic style, its essence extrapolated in the brief program note as ‘a lengthy spiritual battle, crowned by victory,’ scored an absolute, unforgettable triumph with the listeners.” The funereal third movement, the Largo, moved many listeners to tears. According to one account, members of the audience, one by one, began to stand during the extravagant finale. Composer Maximilian Steinberg, a former teacher of Shostakovich, wrote in his diary: “The ovation was stupendous, I don’t remember anything like it in about the last 10 years.” Yet the enormous enthusiasm from musicians and non-musicians alike—the ovations reportedly lasted nearly a half hour—could well have been viewed as a statement against the Soviet authorities’ rebukes of the composer—artistic triumphs could spell political doom. Two officials were sent to monitor subsequent performances and concluded that the audience had been selected to support the composer—a false charge made even less tenable by the fact that every performance elicited tremendous ovations. 38

The Importance of Art It may be difficult for contemporary American audiences to appreciate how seriously art was taken in the Soviet Union. The attention and passions, the criticism and debates it evoked—dozens of articles, hours of official panels at congresses, and abundant commentary—raised the stakes for art and for artists. For his part Shostakovich remained silent at the time about the Fifth Symphony. He eventually stated that the quasi-autobiographical work was about the “suffering of man, and all-conquering optimism. I wanted to convey in the Symphony how, through a series of tragic conflicts of great inner spiritual turmoil, optimism asserts itself as a world view.” The best-known remark about the work is often misunderstood. In connection with the Moscow premiere of the Symphony, Shostakovich noted that among all the attention it had received, one interpretation gave him “special pleasure, where it was said that the Fifth Symphony is the practical creative response of a Soviet artist to just criticism.” This last phrase was subsequently attributed to the composer as a general subtitle for the Symphony. Yet as Fay has observed, Shostakovich never agreed with what he considered the unjust criticism of his earlier work, nor did he write the Fifth along the lines he had been told to do. Most importantly, he gave no program or title to it at any time. The work, which reportedly was one the composer thought particularly highly of in later years, went on to be one of his most popular and successful compositions and a staple of the symphonic repertory. A Closer Look The first movement (Moderato) opens with the lower strings intoning a striking, jagged theme, somewhat reminiscent of the one Beethoven used in his “Great Fugue,” Op. 133. It is immediately imitated by the violins and gradually winds down to become an to an eerie theme that floats high above in the upper reaches of the violins. The tempo eventually speeds up (Allegro non troppo), presenting a theme that will appear in different guises elsewhere in the Symphony, most notably transformed in the triumphant conclusion. The brief scherzo-like Allegretto shows Shostakovich’s increasing interest at the time in the music of Mahler, in this case the Fourth Symphony, which also includes a grotesque solo. The Largo, the movement that so moved audiences at the first performances, projects a tragic mood of enormous intensity. The brass instruments do not play at all in the movement, but return in full force to dominate the finale (Allegro non troppo). The “over the top” 39

Shostakovich composed his exuberance of this last movement has long been debated, Symphony No. 5 in 1937. beginning just after the first performances. Especially Leopold Stokowski led the first following the effect of the preceding lament, some have Philadelphia performances found the optimistic triumphalism of the ending forced and of the Fifth Symphony, in ultimately false. Perhaps it is the ambiguity still surrounding March 1939. Since then the the work that partly accounts for its continued appeal and Orchestra has performed the prominence. work many times at home, as well as on domestic and —Christopher H. Gibbs international tours, including performances in Russia under Eugene Ormandy in 1958. Among the other conductors to lead the piece here are István Kertész, André Previn, Riccardo Muti, , Maxim Shostakovich, Leonard Slatkin, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit. The most recent subscription performances were in January 2013, with Yannick Nézet- Séguin. The Philadelphians have recorded the Symphony five times: in 1939 for RCA with Stokowski; in 1965 for CBS with Ormandy; in 1975 for RCA with Ormandy; in 1992 for EMI with Muti; and in 2006 with Eschenbach for Ondine. Shostakovich scored the work for piccolo, two flutes, two , two , E-flat clarinet, two , contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (, cymbals, orchestra bells, , tam-tam, triangle, xylophone), harp, piano (doubling celesta), and strings. The Symphony runs approximately 45 minutes in performance. Program notes © 2015. All rights reserved. Program notes may not be reprinted without written permission from The Philadelphia Orchestra Association. 40 Musical Terms

GENERAL TERMS Nocturne: A piece of contrasted in theme, Cadence: The conclusion a dreamily romantic or tempo, and mood, usually to a phrase, movement, sentimental character, for a solo instrument or piece based on a without fixed form Sonata form: The form in recognizable melodic Op.: Abbreviation for opus, which the first movements formula, harmonic a term used to indicate (and sometimes others) progression, or dissonance the chronological position of symphonies are usually resolution of a composition within a cast. The sections are Chord: The simultaneous composer’s output. Opus exposition, development, sounding of three or more numbers are not always and recapitulation, the tones reliable because they are last sometimes followed Chromatic: Relating to often applied in the order by a coda. The exposition tones foreign to a given of publication rather than is the introduction of key (scale) or chord composition. the musical ideas, which Dissonance: A Rhapsody: Generally are then “developed.” In combination of two or more an instrumental the recapitulation, the tones requiring resolution on folksongs or on motifs exposition is repeated with Fantasia: A composition taken from primitive modifications. free in form and more or national music Timbre: Tone color or tone less fantastic in character Scale: The series of quality Fugue: A piece of music tones which form (a) any Tonality: The orientation in which a short melody major or minor key or (b) of melodies and harmonies is stated by one voice the chromatic scale of towards a specific pitch or and then imitated by the successive semi-tonic pitches other voices in succession, steps Tonic: The keynote of a reappearing throughout Scherzo: Literally “a scale the entire piece in all the joke.” Usually the third voices at different places movement of symphonies THE SPEED OF MUSIC Glissando: A glide from and quartets that was (Tempo) one note to the next introduced by Beethoven Allegretto: A tempo Harmonic: Pertaining to to replace the minuet. The between walking speed chords and to the theory scherzo is followed by a and fast and practice of harmony gentler section called a trio, Allegro: Bright, fast Harmony: The combination after which the scherzo is Largo: Broad of simultaneously repeated. Its characteristics Moderato: A moderate sounded musical notes to are a rapid tempo in triple tempo, neither fast nor produce chords and chord time, vigorous rhythm, and slow progressions humorous contrasts. Also Legato: Smooth, even, an instrumental piece of TEMPO MODIFIERS without any break between a light, piquant, humorous Non troppo: Not too notes character. much Meter: The symmetrical Sonata: An instrumental grouping of in three or rhythms four extended movements 41 November The Philadelphia Orchestra

Enjoy the ultimate in flexibility with a Create-Your-Own 4-Concert Series today! Choose 4 or more concerts that fit your schedule and your tastes and receive exclusive subscriber benefits. Choose from over 80 performances including: Curtis Grad Plays Mozart November 5 & 7 8 PM November 6 2 PM Robin Ticciati Conductor Jonathan Biss Piano Schumann Overture to Manfred Mozart No. 27, K. 595 Schumann Symphony No. 4 Copland’s Appalachian Spring November 13 & 14 8 PM November 15 2 PM Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Laquita Mitchell Soprano Rodrick Dixon Tenor Combined Choirs including Delaware State University Choir Lincoln University Choir Morgan State University Choir Donald Dumpson Choral Director Sibelius Finlandia Copland Appalachian Spring Hannibal One Land, One River, One People (world premiere) These performances are made possible in part by the generous support of the Presser Foundation.

Hurry, before tickets disappear for this exciting season. Call 215.893.1999 or log on to www.philorch.org PreConcert Conversations are held prior to every Philadelphia Orchestra subscription concert, beginning 1 hour before curtain. Photo: Jessica Griffin 1642 Story Title Tickets & Patron Services

We want you to enjoy each and free to ticket-holders, feature Phones and Paging Devices: every concert experience you discussions of the season’s All electronic devices—including share with us. We would love music and music-makers, cellular telephones, pagers, and to hear about your experience and are supported in part by wristwatch alarms—should be at the Orchestra and are happy the Hirschberg-Goodfriend turned off while in the concert to answer any questions you Fund established by Juliet J. hall. may have. Goodfriend Ticket Philadelphia Staff Please don’t hesitate to contact Lost and Found: Please call Linda Forlini, Vice President us via phone at 215.893.1999, 215.670.2321. Carrie Farina, Director, Patron in person in the lobby, or at Late Seating: Late seating Services [email protected]. breaks usually occur after the Michelle Harris, Director, Client Subscriber Services: first piece on the program Relations 215.893.1955 or at intermission in order to Dan Ahearn, Jr., Box Office Patron Services: minimize disturbances to other Manager 215.893.1999 audience members who have Gregory McCormick, Training already begun listening to the Manager Web Site: For information music. If you arrive after the Catherine Pappas, Project about The Philadelphia concert begins, you will be Manager Orchestra and its upcoming seated as quickly as possible Jayson Bucy, Patron Services concerts or events, please visit by the usher staff. Manager www.philorch.org. Accessible Seating: Elysse Madonna, Program and Individual Tickets: Don’t Accessible seating is available Web Coordinator assume that your favorite for every performance. Michelle Messa, Assistant Box concert is sold out. Subscriber Please call Patron Services at Office Manager turn-ins and other special 215.893.1999 or visit www. Tad Dynakowski, Assistant promotions can make last- philorch.org for more information. Treasurer, Box Office minute tickets available. Call us Patricia O’Connor, Assistant at 215.893.1999 and ask for Assistive Listening: With Treasurer, Box Office assistance. the deposit of a current ID, Thomas Sharkey, Assistant hearing enhancement devices Subscriptions: The Treasurer, Box Office are available at no cost from James Shelley, Assistant Philadelphia Orchestra offers a the House Management Office. variety of subscription options Treasurer, Box Office Headsets are available on a Mike Walsh, Assistant each season. These multi- first-come, first-served basis. concert packages feature the Treasurer, Box Office best available seats, ticket Large-Print Programs: Elizabeth Jackson- exchange privileges, discounts Large-print programs for Murray, Priority Services on individual tickets, and many every subscription concert Representative other benefits. Learn more at are available in the House Stacey Ferraro, Lead Patron www.philorch.org. Management Office in Services Representative Commonwealth Plaza. Please Meaghan Gonser, Lead Patron Ticket Turn-In: Subscribers ask an usher for assistance. Services Representative who cannot use their tickets Meg Hackney, Lead Patron are invited to donate them Fire Notice: The exit indicated by a red light nearest your seat Services Representative and receive a tax-deductible Megan Chialastri, Patron credit by calling 215.893.1999. is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or Services Representative Twenty-four-hour notice is Jared Gumbs, Patron Services appreciated, allowing other other emergency, please do not run. Walk to that exit. Representative patrons the opportunity to Kristina Lang, Patron Services purchase these tickets and No Smoking: All public space Representative guarantee tax-deductible credit. in the Kimmel Center is smoke- Brand-I Curtis McCloud, Patron PreConcert Conversations: free. Services Representative PreConcert Conversations are Cameras and Recorders: Steven Wallace, Quality held prior to every Philadelphia The taking of photographs or Assurance Analyst Orchestra subscription concert, the recording of Philadelphia beginning one hour before the Orchestra concerts is strictly performance. Conversations are prohibited.