Beethoven’s This weekend, guest conductor Gemma New leads an eclectic program of music by Russian, French, and German composers. Ballet music of Stravinsky and Ravel comprises the first half, then Anthony Marwood plays one of the greatest violin concertos in the repertoire – Beethoven’s Opus 61.

IGOR STRAVINSKY Born 17 June 1882; Lomonosov, Russia Died 6 April 1971; New York, New York

Danses concertantes for Chamber Orchestra Composed: 1941-42 First performance: 8 February 1942; Los Angeles, California Last MSO performance: MSO premiere Instrumentation: flute; oboe; clarinet; bassoon; 2 horns; trumpet; trombone; timpani; strings Approximate duration: 19 minutes

Shortly after Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939, Stravinsky embarked for the United States on his fourth, and ultimately longest, visit to North America. In December of that year, he conducted concerts in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The California climate was to his liking, so he decided to settle in Hollywood. Among Stravinsky’s wartime commissions was Danses concertantes, the first large-scale piece he penned entirely in the United States. Commissioned by Werner Janssen Orchestra of Los Angeles, the composer himself was on the podium for the premiere, two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. On his handwritten manuscript, Stravinsky subtitled it “Concerto for Small Orchestra,” but that moniker did not appear on the printed score. A danced version, choreographed by , was given by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in New York in 1944. (Balanchine had begun his collaboration with Stravinsky in Paris in the 1920s.) It is unclear whether Stravinsky intended for the work, from its incep- tion, to be danced or whether Balanchine’s participation brought this about. Danses concertantes is cast in Stravinsky’s piquant neo-classical style. The music is tonal, but added-note chords give extra spice to the harmonies and motoric, sometimes-bit- ing rhythms contribute to its brittle wit. Since Balanchine stated that the plot of his ballet choreography is the plot of the score, he is quoted in the brief descriptions below. The five movements are played without a break. The cheerful Marche – Introduction is, to state the obvious, built on a steady march rhythm. The cast of characters is presented, and there are solos throughout the orchestra. Bal- anchine choreographed the subsequent Pas d’action as a ballerina’s solo. With comically strong cadences in unexpected places, it certainly is not without humor. “You get the im- pression that you might get from reading a lyric poem whose lines are sometimes truncated in the middle of words but nevertheless flow on to a graceful conclusion.” Beethoven’s Violin Concerto PROGRAM NOTES

Composed: Suite ofFivePiecesfrom MaMère Goose] [Mother l’Oye Died 28December1937;Paris,France 7MarchBorn 1875;Ciboure, France MAURICE RAVEL rush forward andbowlowtotheaudienceascurtainfallsbehindthem.” truncated reprise oftheopeningmovement:“Themusicendssharplyandunexpectedly. All noble manner, TheMarche [toendon]anoteoftenderness.” –Conclusionisessentiallya demands atfirstbeautyinslowness,thenaquiet,pointedwitthatascendstoanelevated, dued andstately–thenrowdier. Thedancersare “almostpersonifiedinthemusic,which higher inkeythantheonethatpreceded sub- it.ThemusicofthePasdedeuxis,byturns, the themeintwoparts,firstsolowoodwindsthenstrings.Eachvariationisahalf-step The followingmovement,Thèmevarié,isathemeandfourvariations.Stravinskypresents final movement.Itsincandescentorchestration isRavelathismostinspired. a handsomeprince,though,andthisleadsintojoyous, hymn-likepaeantonatur basso-profundo growls into ofthecontrabassooncharacterizeBeast. Heistransformed debt toSatie’s Trois Gymnopedies This BeautyandherBeastare noDisneyversion: Ravelacknowledgedthismovement’s scale andbell-liketimbres todepicttheChinese setting. serenaded withmusicalwalnutshellsandalmondshells.Here, Ravelusesthepentatonic make amealofTom Thumb’s trailofbreadcrumbs. Laideronenette takesabathwhilebeing plicity isevocativeandpowerful.From there, wetraveltoaforest, where varioussongbirds music. TheopeningPavaneisonly20measures longandentirely consonant,butitssim- ception. Refined,colorful,exotic,radiant,moody, ecstaticmightalsoaccuratelytypifythis It’s notuncommontohearRavel’s musicdescribedas“exquisite,”andthissuiteisnoex- score intoaballet. Ravel transcribedthefive-movementsuitefororchestra andalsoexpandedthe instrumental Leleu (agedsix)andGenevièveDurony (ayear older)on20April1910.Thefollowingyear, Hands.” Composedbetween1908and1910,itwaspremiered bythechildpianistsJeanne Ravel’s Mother Goose Recommended recording: Recommended recording: Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: First performance: Instrumentation: Suitebeganitslifeasasetof“FiveChildren’s PiecesforPianoFour ChamberOrchestra (DeutscheGrammophon) (RCA RedSeal) Jean Martinon,ChicagoSymphonyOrchestra 16 minutes celeste; strings cymbals, glockenspiel,tamtam,triangle,xylophone);harp; timpani;percussioncontrabassoon); 2horns; (bassdrum, 2clarinets;bassoons(2nddoubling English horn); 2 flutes(2nddoublingpiccolo);oboes March 2016;JunMärkl,conductor 28 January2012,Paris,France(ballet) 20 April1910,Paris,France(pianoduet); 1908-10 (pianoduet);orchestrated in1911 (1888).FollowingtheslowwaltzthatdepictsBeauty, the  e inthe  Beethoven’s Violin Concerto PROGRAM NOTES Composed:

Concerto in D major for Violin andOrchestra,Concerto inDmajorforViolin Opus61 Died 26March Austria 1827;Vienna, Baptized 17December1770;Bonn,Germany tured finale. we havehadenoughintrospection. Thesoloistresponds, and wemoveintothegood-na- tions andsinksalmostoutofhearing.Finally, aforte striking simplicitybyclarinetsandbassoons.Nowthe violinseemslostinmusingimprovisa- the fourthofthesevariations,alyricalepisodeaffectively andaccompaniedin ornamented orchestral stringsare isminimal.Noticeespecially mutedandthemotionofharmonies The Larghetto movement,setinGmajor, isasetofvariationson chorale-liketheme.The with it. more thanacolorfulincident.Thisentire, immenselyexpansivemovementwillbesaturated offourknocks–sometimeswith, sometimes withoutaresolvingthe pattern fifthnote–is The violins’immediateimitationofthekettledrumnotes onastrangepitchcluesusinthat resonant beats,woodwindsbeginatranquilmelody, markeddolce The Allegro nontroppo openswithfivesofttimpanistrokes. Onthefifthofthosegently canon. Today, andrecorded itisoneofthemostoftenperformed ofallviolinconcertos. work. Itwasthrough hispersuasiveadvocacy thattheConcertotookitsrightfulplacein a friendofBrahmsandthededicateehisviolinconcerto,cameessentiallytoown Joachim played the piece in London, with on the podium. Joachim, later did notcatchon.Ithadtowaituntil1844comeintoitsown,whenateenagedJoseph Although there were overthenextfewdecades,Concerto occasionalperformances ment didnotprove especiallysuccessfuland israrely heard today.) later reworked thesolopartforpiano,and thiswaspublishedasOpus61a.Thisarrange- 1808 anddedicatedtothecomposer’s childhoodfriendStephanvonBreuning. (Beethoven reception.best alukewarm BeethovendidnotgiveupontheConcerto:Itwaspublishedin The 26-year-old Clementdrew ravereviews forhisplaying,butthepieceitselfreceived at new work. for certain–theseareofademanding frighteningconditionsforthefirstperformance Even ifitisaslightexaggerationtosaythatClementsight-read hispart–wedon’t know a contemporaryaccount“thatClementplayedthesolovista outtobevirtuallyaread-throughturned atsight.A.W. Thayer, inhisLife of Beethoven at aconcerton23December1806.DuetoBeethoven’s foot-dragging,theperformance violinists, hadaskedBeethoventowritetheconcertoforhim.Itwassetbeperfor andoneofEurope’sFranz Clement,artisticdirector oftheTheateranderWien outstanding written toward theyear’s end. Variations Concerto,aworkcompleted inshortorder, onanOriginalTheme.TheViolin was the “Appassionata”Sonata,FourthSymphony, theFourthPianoConcerto,and32 three StringQuartets,Opus 59(dedicatedtotheRussianambassadorCountRazumovsky), however, hehadhithisstrideagain.Amongtheworkscompleted thatyearwere the reason for the decline in his compositional output during these years. By the spring of 1806, tractions –andperhapshisslowadjustmenttothefactthathewasgoingdeafmaybe love withJosephinevonBrunsvik,ayoungwidowfoursmallchildren. Thesetwodis- Beethoven spentmuchof1804-05workingonFidelio Last MSOperformance: Approximate duration: First performance: Instrumentation: 1806 42 minutes 2 trumpets;timpani;strings flute; 2oboes;clarinets;bassoons;horns; Augustin Hadelich,violin October 2015;EdodeWaart, conductor; Austria 23 December1806;Vienna, statementbytheorchestral stringssays , hisonlyopera.Hehadalsofallenin , withoutprevious rehearsal.” (sweetly)inthescore. med , cites Beethoven’s Violin Concerto PROGRAM NOTES

vos historytellsusgreeted himthatlate-Decembereveningin1806. too, forthesoloistalone,andbrilliantcloseseemscalculatedtoear not forthesoloist–anddialoguebetweenfullorchestra. There’s room, quiet, atothertimesboisterous, themovementallowstimeforrelaxation –foruslisteners, The closingRondoisbackinthehomekeyofDmajor, setinalilting6/8meter. Attimes Recommended recording: Program notes by J. Mark Baker. by J. notes Mark Program (Deutsche Grammophon) Anne-Sophie Mutter;KurtMasur, NewYork Philharmonic  n Clementthebra-