19 DECEMBER WEDNESDAY SERIES 6 Music Centre at 7 pm

BARTÓK FESTIVAL ANDRÁS SCHIFF

Sakari Oramo, conductor András Schiff, piano

Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Major Sz. 83 23 min

I Allegro moderato – Allegro – Allegro moderato II Andante – Allegro III Allegro molto

INTERVAL 20 min

Béla Bartók: Dance Suite Sz. 77 17 min

I Moderato II Allegro molto III Allegro vivace IV Molto tranquillo V Comodo VI Finale (Allegro)

Béla Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E Major Sz. 119 23 min

I Allegretto II Adagio religioso – Poco più mosso – Tempo 1 III Allegro vivace

Interval at about 7.35 pm. The concert ends at about 8.50 pm. Broadcast live on Yle Radio 1 and the Internet at yle.fi/rso.

1 BÉLA BARTÓK ly black-and-white; the Baroque-like rhythmic motor is driven along by den- (1881–1945): PIANO se polyphony in both the piano and the CONCERTO NO. 1 orchestra. The first movement nevert- heless observes the formal construc- For Bartók, then in his forties, the de- tion of a classical sonata Allegro and, cade that followed the end of the First despite all the chromatics, clearly gravi- World War afforded the prospect of an tates towards E minor as its tonal cent- international career, not only as a com- re. poser but almost even more as a con- The Andante is, in typical Bartók cert pianist. It also meant a burning manner, symmetrical in form. The ou- need for him to update his repertoi- ter sections with their hint of some re. The only work he had so far written oriental ritual are devoted exclusive- for piano and orchestra was the early ly to the piano and percussion; the- Rhapsody, and even that was a transc- se are joined in the middle section, a ription of a work originally scored for ghostly Ländler, by woodwinds. Robust solo piano. Nor had he composed anyt- trombone glissandos lead the Andante hing for piano only for six years. But straight into the finale (Allegro molto), the year 1926 heralded the birth of a the motifs of which are related to tho- whole family of works for the piano: se in the first movement, though not to a Sonata, the suites Out of Doors and such an extent as in the second Piano 9 Little Pieces for Piano, and the first Concerto. A hint of buffa may perhaps Mikrokosmos pieces. And at last, bet- be detected in the wind statements of ween August and November 1926, the the finale, and the work ends – surpri- first Piano Concerto, for his own spe- singly, admittedly, and with little fuss – cific use. Bartók was the soloist in the on an E major chord. premiere in Frankfurt on 1 July 1927 with Wilhelm Furtwangler Lotta Emanuelsson (abridged) and he soon gave several more perfor- mances in a few European capitals and during his first US tour. At least Bartók cannot be accused of BÉLA BARTÓK: trying to woo his audience. The world DANCE SUITE of the first Piano Concerto is almost frighteningly harsh, with its hacking In some of his works, it is impossible to rhythms and brutal dissonances. Not a draw a line between Bartók the compo- suggestion is there of the broad melo- ser and Bartók the folk music collector dies so loved by piano concerto compo- and researcher. In his Dance Suite Sz. 77 sers of the Romantic era; all in all the the folk elements merge with his per- melodic element is reduced to simple sonal idiom. Folk music was, for Bartók, but heftily harmonised diatonic frag- fundamentally a form of antinationa- ments. The colour scale is deliberate- list culture, and embedded in his Dance

2 Suite are some Arabic, Romanian, BÉLA BARTÓK: PIANO Hungarian and Wallachian melodies. In Western Europe it cemented his re- CONCERTO NO. 3 putation as one of the most promising names on the contemporary music On 21 September 1945, Bartók wrote scene. the Hungarian word vége, meaning end The first dance (Moderato) has a mo- under the last bar line of his third Piano dernist air to it in the bassoons, desc- Concerto. The work was not, however, ribed by Bartók as quite “Arabic”. The quite finished: the last 17 bars, which leisurely, clopping rhythms and grotes- his son Péter had already marked out que undercurrent banish all thoughts for him, still waited to be filled. Bartók of pretty folk tunes. At the end, the no longer had the strength to fill them mood becomes delicately idyllic. and was taken to hospital the following The second dance (Allegro molto) is, day. And there he died of leukaemia on with its irregular rhythms, faster and 26 September, at the age of 64. The more flamboyant in its trombone glis- last 17 bars were orchestrated by a pu- sandos and minor trumpet thirds. After pil of his, Tibor Serly, according to his a blustering opening section reminis- sketches. cent of the chase in The Miraculous The third Piano Concerto occupied Mandarin the piece blossoms out again a very special place in Bartók’s out- in a melodic bridge passage. put. It was intended as a birthday pre- The third dance (Allegro vivace) with sent – and legacy – for his wife Ditta its Romanian and Hungarian bagpipe Pásztory-Bartók. She would be 42 on rhythms comes bustling along in the the last day of October – five weeks woodwinds and then in a full, orchest- too late for her husband. rated version. The fourth dance (Molto The slow movement of the Concerto tranquillo) is a characteristic Bartók bears the tempo marking Adagio reli- Nocturne: a peaceful but mysterious- gioso; this was the only time in his life ly sighing landscape entered by wood- that Bartók, who made no secret of winds flitting by, one by one, before his atheistic convictions, ever used it existing in the reverse order. (though Serly did borrow it as the tem- The last two pieces are closely con- po marking for the middle movement nected. They gather strength in an of the Viola Concerto he was comple- ominous throb from which the finale ting on Bartók’s behalf). The marking Allegro shoots off at full speed. Motifs probably alluded more to the chorale- from the earlier quick movements dash like character of the movement than pass in a wild cavalcade that catches its to any religious thoughts. The expres- breath for only a moment before the sive monologue in the middle section final sprint. of the Adagio suddenly gives way to a nocturnal scene with birds singing and Antti Häyrynen (abridged) insects buzzing – Bartók here took his leave of the Nocturne-type of compo-

3 sition he had adopted a couple of de- year term as Music Director of the City cades earlier with the Out of Doors sui- of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. te. The Allegro vivace finale in 3/8 time Mr Oramo has conducted many of follows the Adagio without a break. The the world’s leading orchestras, such swinging, folk song-like main theme as the Berlin, Vienna and New York comes round and round like a Rondo, Philharmonics, the Boston, Chicago interspersed with cleverly-crafted and San Francisco Symphonies, the counterpoint. At no point in the spi- Concertgebouw Orchestra and the rited finale would one ever guess that Staatskapelle Dresden. His enga- the composer was virtually drained of gements in the 2012/13 season in- his physical and mental resources. clude appearances with the Vienna The third Piano Concerto was pre- Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony miered in Philadelphia with Eugene and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Ormandy conducting on 8 February Orchestra. He will also tour to the 1946. The soloist was not, however, United States with the Stockholm Ditta Pásztory but Bartók’s friend and Philharmonic. pupil György Sándor – one of the very During Mr Oramo’s term as its few mourners to attend his funeral. Chief Conductor, the Finnish Radio Ditta Pásztory returned to Budapest Symphony Orchestra released discs that year and remained there until her of works by Bartók, Hakola, Saariaho, death in 1982. Kaipainen, Kokkonen and others, and the premier recording of Launis’s ope- Lotta Emanuelsson (abridged) ra Aslak Hetta. Their CD of Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto won a BBC Music Magazine Award in SAKARI ORAMO 2006, and that of the Lindberg and Sibelius Violin Concertos with Lisa Batiashvili as the soloist (Sony BMG) Sakari Oramo is Chief Conductor of a MIDEM Classical Award in 2008. Mr the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Oramo has also recorded the opera Orchestra and Chief Conductor Döbeln by Sebastian Fagerlund with Designate of the BBC Symphony West Coast Kokkola Opera and re- Orchestra – a post he will take up in leased many discs with the City of autumn 2013. He is also conductor of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and West Coast Kokkola Opera in Finland the Stockholm Philharmonic. and Artistic Director Designate of the Sakari Oramo received an Honorary Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. He Doctorate in 2004 from the University was Chief Conductor of the Finnish of Central England in Birmingham. In Radio Symphony Orchestra 2003– 2008 he was awarded the prestigious 2012, and since then has been the Elgar Medal in recognition of his work orchestra’s Honorary Conductor. In to further the reputation of Elgar and spring 2008 he resigned from his 10- his music, and in 2009 he was honou-

4 red with a British OBE for his services Concerts in Switzerland. In 1998 he to British music. In December 2010 launched a similar series at the Teatro the Finnish President awarded him the Olimpico in Vicenza. prestigious Pro medal. András Schiff has been awarded numerous international prizes, the most recent being the Golden Mozart ANDRÁS SCHIFF Medal by the International Stiftung Mozarteum. This year he was also made a Member of Honour of the Vienna András Schiff was born in Budapest, Konzerthaus. He has been made an Hungary, in 1953 and started piano les- Honorary Member of the Beethoven sons at the age of five with Elisabeth House in Bonn in recognition of his in- Vadász. Subsequently he continued terpretations of Beethoven’s works, and his musical studies at the Ferenc Liszt in 2008 he was awarded the Wigmore Academy with Professor Pál Kadosa, Hall Medal in appreciation of 30 years György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados, and of music-making there. For his recor- in London with George Malcolm. ding Geistervariationen with works by Recitals and special cycles, i.e. the Robert Schumann he this year received major keyboard works of J.S. Bach, an International Classical Music Award. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, In early 2012 Mr Schiff publically op- Chopin, Schumann and Bartók are an posed the ongoing political trends in important item in his concert schedu- Hungary and announced he would not le. Since 2004 he has performed comp- perform again in his native country. lete cycles of the 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas in 20 cities. Mr Schiff has worked with major in- ternational orchestras and conduc- tors the world over, nowadays often as a conductor. In 1999 he created his own chamber orchestra, the Cappella Andrea Barca, which consists of inter- national soloists, chamber musicians and friends. He regularly collaborates with the London Philharmonia and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Since childhood, Mr Schiff has enjo- yed playing chamber music and from 1989 until 1998 was Artistic Director of the internationally-acclaimed Mondsee chamber music festival near Salzburg. In 1995, together with Heinz Holliger, he founded the Ittingen Whitsun

5 THE FINNISH RADIO Lindberg Violin Concertos (Sony BMG) with Lisa Batiashvili as the soloist re- SYMPHONY ceived the MIDEM Classical Award ORCHESTRA in 2008, in which year the New York Times chose the other Lindberg disc as The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra its Record of the Year. (FRSO) is the orchestra of the Finnish The FRSO regularly tours to all parts Broadcasting Company (yle). Its missi- of the world. During the 2012/2013 on is to produce and promote Finnish season it will be heading for Eastern musical culture. Its Chief Conductor as Finland and Southern Europe. of autumn 2013 will be Hannu Lintu, All the FRSO concerts both in Finland following a season (2012/2013) as the and abroad are broadcast, usually live, orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor. on yle Radio 1. They can also be heard The FRSO has two Honorary and watched with excellent live stream Conductors: Jukka-Pekka Saraste and quality on the FRSO website (yle.fi/rso). Sakari Oramo. The Radio Orchestra of ten players founded in 1927 grew to symphony or- chestra strength in the 1960s. Its pre- vious Chief Conductors have been Toivo Haapanen, Nils-Eric Fougstedt, Paavo Berglund, , Leif Segerstam, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Sakari Oramo. The latest contemporary music is a major item in the repertoire of the FRSO, which each year premieres a number of yle commissions. Another of the orchestra’s tasks is to record all Finnish orchestral music for the yle ar- chive. During the 2012/2013 season it will premiere six works commissioned by yle. The FRSO has recorded works by Eötvös, Nielsen, Hakola, Lindberg, Saariaho, Sallinen, Kaipainen, Kokkonen and others, and the debut disc of the opera Aslak Hetta by Armas Launis. Its discs have reaped some major distinc- tions, such as the BBC Music Magazine Award and the Académie Charles Cros Award. The disc of the Sibelius and

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