McCARTER THEATRE CENTER

William W. Lockwood, Jr. Michael S. Rosenberg SPECIAL PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR

presents NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF

VOLODYMYR SIRENKO, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor

OLGA KERN, piano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21 in the Matthews Theatre

There will be a 20–minute intermission.

The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment of any kind during performances is strictly prohibited.

Made possible by funds from the McCarter’s 2019-2020 Music Series New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner sponsored by the Edward T. Cone Foundation agency of the National Endowment of the Arts THE PROGRAM NOTES ON THE PROGRAM By Aaron Grad

Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 (1879) PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Born May 7, 1840 in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Died November 6, 1893 in , Russia

Tchaikovsky began working on the op- who professed her love in a letter (just era Eugene Onegin in 1877, during the as Tchaikovsky’s bride did). The loose, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23 build-up to his disastrous marriage to episodic structure of the story allowed a former student. Struggling with his Tchaikovsky ample room to elaborate the Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – concealed homosexuality, and need- characters and dwell in festive scenes, Allegro con spirito ing the inheritance that his bride would like the ball from the third act where this Andantino semplice – Prestissimo bring into their union, Tchaikovsky went Polonaise appeared. Allegro con fuoco through with the sham wedding, but he soon made the suicidal gesture of wad- Taking its rhythmic template from a Polish Olga Kern, piano ing into the frigid River, followed folk dance, the Polonaise became one of the by a nervous breakdown and two weeks stylized dances that caught on among French spent unconscious in Saint Petersburg. and German composers in the Baroque era. –– INTERMISSION –– Within two months they agreed to a per- Its distinguishing characteristics were a manent separation. particular triplet meter and a procession- al quality, which Tchaikovsky’s example Eugene Onegin, based on Pushkin’s emphasizes by heralding its arrival with a popular novel in verse, bears an uncanny bright fanfare and continuing the brass- Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky resemblance to Tchaikovsky’s personal heavy rhythms under the galloping main (“Pathétique”) life, in which the worldly title charac- theme from the strings. ter inflicts suffering on a young woman Adagio – Allegro non troppo Allegro con grazia Allegro molto vivace Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23(1874-75) Finale: Adagio lamentoso PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY

The piano concerto that Tchaikovsky he arranged to show the score to Nikolai composed during the winter of 1874-75 Rubinstein, the leading conductor and was his first work for soloist and orchestra. pianist in Moscow and a fellow faculty He was not a virtuoso pianist himself, so member at the . Program subject to change Years later, Tchaikovsky summarized chords, but that grand gesture actually Symphony. In that interval, he wrote to special knack for dance music that served Rubinstein’s blunt feedback in a letter: turns out to be a form of accompaniment his friend and publisher Petr Jurgensen him so well in his ballets and operas. “My concerto, it turned out, was worth- to support a soaring melody from the vio- that the symphony “produced some less and unplayable.” lins. The notable (and sometimes baffling) bewilderment” among the audience, The third movement spins through a aspect of this work is that this priceless intro- and he thought it would help to add the dizzy introduction to reach a jolly march Tchaikovsky wasn’t always the most ductory material never returns. Instead, subtitle “Pathétique,” suggested by his tune that starts in the clarinets, setting self-confident composer, but this time the fast body of the movement strikes brother Modest. That French word—the a course that culminates in a bombastic he stood his ground, vowing to “publish up a melody that Tchaikovsky once heard same descriptor Beethoven applied to conclusion. Had this marked the end of the work exactly as it stands.” To secure a sung by a blind Ukrainian beggar. his Eighth Piano Sonata—suggests music the symphony, it would have put it in a first performance, Tchaikovsky went out- of deep feeling and pathos, without the class with Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Fifth, side Rubinstein’s circle and solicited the The middle movement continues the stinging connotations of the English word which both progressed from fateful minor famous German conductor and pianist charming incongruities. It begins with a “pathetic.” The second performance, keys to valedictory major keys along the Hans von Bülow, who loved the work and graceful flute solo over pizzicato accom- staged weeks later at a memorial service, lines of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. But asked for a set of parts that he could take paniment, flowing at a relaxed tempo garnered a very different response. In the the Sixth Symphony charts a very different with him on tour. Thus it came to pass marked Andantino semplice. Flecks of wake of the composer’s abrupt and mys- path, reaching its emotional crest in a slow that this landmark Russian concerto first off-key harmonies prepare the antics of terious death at the age of 53, listeners and mournful finale. The first poignant reached the public in Boston, in October the manic contrasting section, speeding by began to project onto the music a tragic chords re-establish the brooding mood of 1875. at a breakneck Prestissimo pace and quot- personal narrative rife with suicidal over- from the symphony’s initial introduction, ing a popular French song. The finale also tones, associations that linger to this day. making that link explicit by returning to a Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto begins references outside music, with the bouncy texture of bassoon and strings. The melody with an audacious introduction, heralded main theme adapted from a Ukrainian The Sixth Symphony begins ominously, attempts a long climb into a more opti- by a four-note horn theme. The piano folksong. with a slow introduction featuring bas- mistic resolution in D major, only to snap soloist enters with a majestic series of soon and low strings. Their rising and falling back into B minor, and then the low brass motive morphs into the main theme of instruments intone a mournful knell. One the fast body of the movement, and later, last gasp of the descending melody fol- with the motive’s contours flipped to fall lows, fading to a whisper from the cellos Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (“Pathétique”) (1893) first and then rise to a state of equilibrium, and basses. It’s no wonder that audiences PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY it elongates into the contrasting theme, have clung to the idea that Tchaikovsky providing an island of repose within this was foreshadowing his death with this In 1892, Tchaikovsky endeavored to write Tchaikovsky explained that “the form of unsettled movement. symphony, since he couldn’t have written a “grand symphony” and nearly completed this symphony will have much that is new, a more impactful swansong. one in the key of E-flat before scrapping and by the way, the finale will not be a The Allegro con grazia second movement it that December and redirecting some noisy allegro, but on the contrary, a long features the irregular time signature of © 2019 Aaron Grad. material to the Third Piano Concerto. drawn-out adagio.” 5/4 (five quarter-notes per measure). He then started fresh in February 1893 This “limping waltz” flows with surprising with what became the Symphony No. Tchaikovsky died just nine days after smoothness and grace considering the 6 in B Minor. Addressing his nephew, he conducted the premiere of his Sixth irregular meter, attesting to Tchaikovsky’s Direct from Kiev, Ukraine Award in 2005. The CD of Bloch and favourable light when it gave its only Sydney THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY Lees’ Concertos was nominated for concert during its Australian tour on Fri- a Grammy Award four years later. day. This is an orchestra with many vir- ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE The NSOU has performed in success- tues. Its strings can conjure up a vibrant ful concert tours throughout Australia, songfulness; the woodwinds have a fruity, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Belarus, China, penetrating ripeness; the brass could en- Artistic Director & Chief Conductor Volodymyr Sirenko, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, danger the walls of Jericho; the percussion Theodore Kuchar, Conductor Laureate Germany, England, Hong Kong, Iran, might wake the dead...” Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, the –The Sydney Morning Herald Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Formed by the Council of Ministers of Lyatoshynsky, Valentyn Silvestrov, Myroslav Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and Since April of 1999, Volodymyr Sirenko Ukraine in November of 1918, the National Skoryk, and Evgen Stankovych. the United Arab Emirates. has been the Artistic Director and Chief Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is considered Conductor of the NSOU. Since June of to be one of the finest symphony orchestras The Orchestra has gained internation- “... A program rich with energy and un- 2006, Alexander Hornostai has been its in Eastern . Its first conductor was al recognition over a remarkably short usually adventurous placed the National Managing Director and Producer. Oleksander Horilyj. Natan Rachlin was period of time. After an appearance in Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in a highly the Artistic Director of the Orchestra from Moscow, Dmitri Shostakovich comment- 1937 until 1962. Stefan Turchak, Volodymyr ed: “This orchestra has as distinguished Kozhuchar, Fedir Hlushchenko, Igor Blaz- a group of performers as one would be hkov and Theodore Kuchar consequently likely to find anywhere. The ensemble of BIOS conducted the Orchestra as its Princi- the orchestra is of the highest level. In VOLODYMYR SIRENKO made over 300 recordings that are kept pal Conductors. Other conductors who addition, the various soloists and instru- Volodymyr Sirenko was born in the Poltava in the funds of the Ukrainian Radio and worked with the NSOU include Leopold mental groups within the Orchestra play region of Ukraine. Through his conduct- include Mozart Symphonies Nos. 38 and Stokowski, Igor Markevitch, Kurt Sander- exceptionally and complement each other ing success, he has been compared by 41, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Brahms ling, Evgeny Mravinsky, Kiril Kondrashin, beautifully – as would the greatest of the the international press to other brilliant A German Requiem, Rachmaninov Bells, Evgeny Svetlanov, and Gennady Rozh- world’s symphony orchestras.” conductors. Dvořák Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9. destvensky. Soloists who performed with the NSOU include Artur Rubinstein, Yehudi Since 1993, the NSOU has released more His conducting debut took place at the Sirenko is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Symphony Or- Menuhin, Isaac Stern, , than 100 sound recordings which include Philharmonic Hall in 1983 with works by Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Boulez. chestra of Ukraine since 1999. Highlights Sviatoslav Richter, , both Ukrainian and international repertoires. In 1989 Sirenko graduated from the Kyiv among hundreds of programmes that he , Leonid Kogan, , Most of these recordings have received Conservatoire where he studied conduct- has performed with the orchestra since OlehKrysa, Monserrat Caballe, Jose Carreras, the highest international acclaim. In 1994, ing under Prof. Allin Vlasenko. In 1990, he then were cycles Com- and Juan Diego Flores. the Australian Broadcasting Company was a finalist at the International Conduct- plete Symphonies, Bach all four Passions (ABC) rated NSOU’s recording of Boris ing Competition in . A year later, and Mass in B Minor, and Lyatoshynsky The NSOU was entrusted with the premier Lyatoshynsky’s Symphonies No. 2 and he was appointed as Chief Conductor and Complete Symphonies. performances of the works of the follow- No. 3 as “The Best Recording of the Artistic Director of the Ukrainian Radio ing composers: Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Year.” The CD of Silvestrov’s “Requiem Symphony Orchestra, a position which He recorded over 50 compact discs and the Shostakovich, Aram Khatchaturian, Boris for Larissa” was nominated for a Grammy he held until 1999. During this period he CD of Silvestrov’s Requiem for Larissa was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005. OLGA KERN Sunriver, Fort Worth (Cliburn), Carmel, following piano competitions: Sydney In- He premiered many works by Ukrainian Russian-American pianist Olga Kern is San Francisco, Sicily, and Calvia. This ternational Piano Competition, Gurwitz composers including Silvestrov’s Sympho- now recognized as one of her genera- October and November, Olga Kern will International Piano Competition, Gershwin nies No. 7 and 8, Stankovych’s Symphony tion’s great pianists. She jumpstarted her be hosting her Second Olga Kern Inter- Piano Competition, Schumann Prize No. 6. U.S. career with her historic Gold Medal national Piano Competition. This season, Competition, and the Scriabin Interna- win at the Van Cliburn International Piano she will also be a part of the jury at the tional Competition. Sirenko has toured Austria, Bahrain, Bel- Competition in Fort Worth, Texas as the gium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Repub- first woman to do so in more than thirty lic, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, years. Lebanon, the Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, the Unit- First prize winner of the Rachmaninoff ed Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, International Piano Competition at sev- and the United States of America. He has enteen, Ms. Kern is a laureate of many ROSTER worked with many international orchestras international competitions. In 2016 she including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, served as Jury Chairman of both the Sev- FIRST VIOLIN VIKTORIYA GANAPOLSKA the Moscow and the St. Petersburg Philhar- enth Cliburn International Amateur Piano MAKSYM GRINCHENKO, ANDRIY MAZKO Competition and the first Olga Kern- In monic, Sinfonia Warsovia, NOSPR (Kato- Concertmaster OLEKSII SECHEN wice), the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, ternational Piano Competition, where she MARKIYAN HUDZIY, GANNA FEDCHENKO also holds the title of Artistic Director. Ms. the Bratislava Radio Symphony, the Jeru- Principal Associate Concertmaster VALENTYNA VOSKRESENSKA salem Symphony Orchestra, the National Kern frequently gives masterclasses and VITALII LIEONOV, ARSENII POLTAVETS since September 2017 has served on the Philharmonic of Russia, the Brooklyn Philhar- Associate Concertmaster GALYNA BILYCH monic. piano faculty of the prestigious Manhattan SVIATOSLAVA SEMCHUK TETIANA NIKONENKO School of Music. Additionally, Ms. Kern OLENA PUSHKARSKA NADIYA NOVIKOVA Sirenko has appeared in numerous con- has been chosen as the Virginia Arts Festival’s OLEKSANDRA VASYLIEVA TETIANA PAVLOVA cert halls around the world, including new Connie & Marc Jacobson Director of ROMAN POLTAVETS VASYL BAKALOV Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Bruckner- Chamber Music, beginning with the 2019 OKSANA KOT OLENA LITOVCHENKO haus (Linz), Barbican Hall and Cadogan season. OLENA POLTAVETS LIUDMYLA GULIEI Hall (), Theatre des Champs-Ely- VALERY KUZIK sees and Opera Comique (), Seoul For the 2019-20 season, Kern will perform EVGENIYA SIRENKO VIOLA Art Center, Palau de la Musica in Valencia with the Allentown Symphony, Grand BOGDAN KRYSA OLEKSANDR POHORYELOV, Rapids Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and Centro Manuel de Falla in Granada, OLGA MYKHAILIUK Principal Filharmonia Narodowa (Warsaw), the Great Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Tole- OLEG LYTVYNENKO GALYNA NEMECZEK Hall of Moscow Conservatory and the Great do Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico VIKTORIIA TRACH VIKTOR NAVRODSKYI Hall of St. Petersburg Philharmonia, the Roy Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony Orches- SVITLANA MARKIV OLEG TRUNOV Thomson Hall (Toronto), the Tokyo City tra, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, KATERYNA KURYSHEVA OREST KRYSA Opera and the Osaka Symphony Hall. Orquesta de Sao Paulo, and the New VOLODYMYR PONOMAROV West Symphony, as well as appearing on SECOND VIOLIN MARIIA LUKASHEVYCH Volodymyr Sirenko is a People’s Art- United States Tour with the National Sym- HALYNA HORNOSTAI VIRA AMPILOHOVA ist of Ukraine and laureate of the Taras phony Orchestra of Ukraine. She is also the Principal MAKSYM BAKEIEV Shevchenko National Prize, Ukraine’s guest soloist at the National Symphony VALENTYNA PETRYCHENKO OLHA ANDRIIENKO most prestigious award. He is Professor of Orchestra at the Kennedy Center for the opera and symphonic conducting at Leonard Slatkin’s 75th Birthday Celebra- the National Music Academy of Ukraine. tion. She will appear in recitals in Orford,

BOGDAN FESIUK HENNADII KHLOPOTOV CELLO CLARINET STANISLAV ULIANOV OLENA IKAIEVA, Principal YURII NABYTOVYCH, Principal OLEG SOKOLOV LILIIA DEMBERG PAVLO BOIKO ANDRII ALEKSANDROV VIKTOR HORNOSTAI MANAGING DIRECTOR TETIANA MIASTKOVSKA PETRO ZABOLOTNYI OLEKSANDR HORNOSTAI VIRA KORNILOVA SERHII VAKULENKO BASSOON INSPECTOR IHOR YARMUS TARAS OSADCHYI, Principal GEORGII OROBINSKYI YEVHEN SKRYPKA OLEKSIIY EMELIANOV OLENA DVORSKA IHOR NECHESNYI STAGE MANAGER NATALIIA SUBBOTINA VOLODYMYR ANTOSHYN ELMAR ORRO MARIIA MOHYLEVSKA HORN ANDRII SHKIL, Principal COLUMBIA ARTISTS MANAGEMENT LLC. DOUBLE BASS STEPAN BEBYKH Tour Direction: VOLODYMYR GRECHUKH, Principal KOSTIANTYN SOKOL OLEKSANDR NESHCHADYM Karen Kloster, VALENTYN MARUKHNO OLEKSANDRA CHAIKINA Tour Coordinator BORYS RUDNIEV TARAS BUTKO YULIIA SHEVCHENKO Emilia K. Albarano, VOLODYMYR KAVESHNIKOV Executive Assistant DMYTRO GOLOVACH TARAS PIVNIAK TRUMPET Renee O’Banks, IURII KORNILOV, Principal OLEKSANDR YUZVIAK Tour Manager MYKHAILO HOLOVIN VIKTOR DAVYDENKO James Putnam, Driver HARP DMYTRO KOVALCHUK NATALIIA IZMAILOVA, Principal OLEKSANDRT REHUBOV YAROSLAVAN EKLIAIEVA DebCo Travel Consulting, Hotels TROMBONE KEYBOARD ANDRII HOLOVKO, Principal Columbia Artists Management, LLC OLENA PROTOPOPOVA DANYLO SYDOROV R. Douglas Sheldon RENAT IMAMETDINOV 5 Columbus Circle @1790 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 www.columbia-artists.com FLUTE ANDRII ZYMENKO MYROSLAVA SIRENKO, Principal IHORY ERMAK TUBA Management for Ms. Kern: MYKOLA MYKYTEI OLEKSII LI, Principal Columbia Artists Management, LLC LARYSA PLOTNIKOVA OLEKSIY KOBZIST R. Douglas Sheldon/Stefana Atlas Olga Kern is a Steinway Artist OBOE Olga Kern records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi PERCUSSION Olga Kern’s dresses are designed by Alex Teih HENNADII KOT, Principal DMYTRO ULIANOV, Principal www.columbia-artists.com YURII LITUN DANYLO SHURYHIN VIKTOR MISHCHENKO YEVHEN ULIANOV VIKTOR MISHCHENKO 2019 2020 MUSIC Highlights THE TALLIS SCHOLARS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13 THE TALLIS SCHOLARS Peter Phillips, director Reflections: A Program for the Holiday Season Co-presented with The Princeton Singers

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 THE MIKADO THE MIKADO with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players and Orchestra

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 PRINCETON POPS: THE BIG TIME Book by Douglas Carter Beane Music and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen Brodway stars and musicians of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert reading of a new musical comedy.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12 YUJA WANG YUJA WANG, piano

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 CLAIRE CHASE, flute

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16 RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE RUSSIAN RENAISSANCE

Signatures Series sponsored by: Music Series sponsored by:

The Edward T. Cone MCCARTER.ORG Foundation