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Home , Peter Donohoe (pianist), Richard Harwood

DISC THREE: Concerto 5 & BEETHOVEN 250th ANNIVERSARY Triple Concerto SERIES BEETHOVEN NCE O

ELIZABETHROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOMBARTORCHESTRA PIERRE VALLET CONDUCTOR (1770–1827) PIANO CONCERTOS No. 5 & TRIPLE CONCERTO LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) No. 5 in E flat the problem and finally allow the 1812 premiere Op. 73 ‘Emperor’ (1809) to go ahead with Carl Czerny as soloist.

I. Allegro In the event this was probably just as well, II. Adagio un poco mosso if composer Louis Spohr’s recollections of Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 ‘Emperor’ III. Rondo: Allegro watching the great man in rehearsal the 1 previous year are anything to go by: ‘It was I. Allegro [22.49] Beethoven finished work on this last and most not a treat, for in the first place the piano was 2 II. Adagio un poco mosso [08.30] imperiously all-embracing of his concertos in badly out of tune, which Beethoven minded 1809, just as the walls of Vienna were collapsing little since he could not hear it; and secondly, 3 III. Rondo: Allegro [11.01] under the inexorable might of Napoleon’s on account of his deafness, there was scarcely invading armies. Beethoven was incensed, anything left of the virtuosity of the artist which berating one officer rather uncharitably: ‘If I, as had formerly been so greatly admired. In forte Concerto for Piano, Violin and in C, Op. 56 ‘Triple’ a general, knew as much about strategy as I the passages the poor deaf man pounded on the composer know about counterpoint, I’d give you keys till the strings jangled, and in the piano 4 I. Allegro [17.45] something to do!’ Meanwhile, Joseph Haydn, moments, he played so softly that whole groups 5 Beethoven’s one-time tutor, had passed away of notes were omitted, so that the music was II. Largo [04.22] peacefully only a few streets away on May 31. unintelligible unless one could look at the 6 III. Rondo alla polacca [13.08] score. I was deeply saddened at so hard a The old regime was literally disintegrating fate. If it is a great misfortune for anyone to be around him, and Beethoven’s hearing was now deaf, how shall a musician endure it without Total timings: [77.50] deteriorating so rapidly that he was forced to giving way to despair? Beethoven’s continual face the prospect of never performing again in melancholy was no longer a riddle to me.’ public. He was reported to be tying pillows to his head in his cellar against the noise of the It would also seem that Beethoven’s personal battles outside, in order to protect what was circumstances (not to mention levels of hygiene) ELIZABETH SOMBART Piano left of his aural senses. Here he was with the had gone to the board. Just as he was putting DUNCAN RIDDELL Violin | RICHARD HARWOOD Cello concerto that represented the perfect vehicle the finishing touches to the concerto, the Baron ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA for his unique performing style, and he was de Tremont paid the composer a visit in the PIERRE VALLET Conductor simply no longer up to the job. It took Beethoven summer of 1809. His diary entry paints a rather www.signumrecords.com three years to come to terms with the scale of sad picture of the great man: ‘His lodging, I 3 believe, consisted of only two rooms, the first vacillating between its initial presentation Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello some mysterious composer who had written one having an alcove containing the bed, but in the minor mode in detached strings (the in C Op. 56 ‘Triple’ (1804) nothing else and had the romantic good fortune small and dark, for which reason he made his piano plays it in the recapitulation), and the to die before it came into performance, the very toilet in the second room, or salon. Picture legato warmth of the horns in the major. I. Allegro people who most blame Beethoven for writing to yourself the dirtiest, most disorderly place Having already surprised us with those mini- II. Largo below his full powers would be the first to claim imaginable – blotches of moisture covered cadenzas at the start, Beethoven reduces the III. Rondo alla polacca it as the work of a still greater composer.’ the ceiling; an oldish grand piano, on which traditional cadenza to the briefest of reflections the dust disputed the place with various before leading to a massive final coda, one Composed between 1803 and 1804, the The Triple Concerto was one of the first works pieces of engraved and manuscript music; of the longest in the concerto repertoire. ‘Triple’ Concerto develops upon the essentially to be written for Beethoven’s distinguished under the piano (and I do not exaggerate) good-humoured nature of the first two piano piano pupil, Archduke Rudolph (one of the an unemptied pot de nuit...The chairs, mostly For the slow movement, Beethoven pulls in concertos, as though the angst-ridden Third Emperor’s sons). Rudolph was no mean cane-seated, were covered with plates the musical reins to create a magical oasis of had never been composed. Yet it is no less pianist himself, as is shown by the fact that bearing the remains of last night’s supper.’ peace and tranquillity, introduced by muted radical in its departure from Classical norms, he not only received the dedication of the orchestral strings. There follow two main if less dramatically signalled. By subjecting ‘Emperor’ Concerto – he could also play it. For The concerto’s nickname ‘Emperor’ is current variations on this opening theme, the second his materials to various forms of temporal reasons that have never been satisfactorily only in English-speaking countries and seems an enchanting version for woodwind with piano expansionism, Beethoven was moving towards explained, the dedication of the Triple Concerto to derive from a remark made by the British accompaniment. Beethoven leads us directly a new period of macrocosmic expression, went to another supportive member of the piano maker J. B. Cramer, in which he described into the finale with a halting version from the as is borne out by the first two ‘Razumovsky’ aristocracy, Prince Joseph Lobkowitz. this blazing masterpiece as the ‘emperor soloist of the main rondo theme to come, before String Quartets and the ‘Archduke’ Piano Trio. among concertos’. Ironically, it is the work’s all- it charges away in all-conquering mood. Fascinatingly, he chose not to expand his The exact date of the first performance, conquering spirit and unquenchable reserves of thematic material, but rather pass his ideas presumably given by the Archduke’s private spiritual as well as physical energy that led the Right to the end Beethoven remains around in a dazzling array of different musical orchestra (for whom the work was originally notoriously conservative Viennese audiences of unconventional. There is no traditional cadenza, contexts and keys, thereby creating a template intended) has gone unrecorded. Playing the time to complain that Beethoven had ‘aimed and then the orchestra falls gradually silent for the Romantic generation that followed. alongside Rudolph on this occasion was violinist beyond the comprehension of the common save for the timpani gently murmuring the Anton Seidler and acclaimed cellist Anton Kraft, man’. However, it is now generally recognised as rhythm of the main theme. Quite out of the Yet despite its interest for Beethoven scholars who had led the in Haydn’s orchestra one of his seminal masterpieces in any genre. blue, the piano suddenly re-emerges with a and its vital impact on the music of the next at Esterházy. It would seem that Beethoven stream of blistering octave unisons up and hundred years or so, the Triple’s Concerto’s admired Kraft’s playing a great deal as he Whereas the Fourth Concerto opens with the down the length of the piano, leading to a lack of obvious dramatic muscle from this most gave him the lion’s share of the spotlight, most piano gently announcing the main material, final brief orchestral flourish. With nearly 20 expressively fervent of composers has led notably in the slow movement. The cello is the the ‘Emperor’ announces itself with an years of life remaining to him, but with his to its comparative neglect. The great English first soloist to enter in all three movements imposing series of virtuoso flourishes, before concertising days at an end, Beethoven’s musicologist Donald Francis Tovey typically and also plays the little unaccompanied the concerto proper has even got underway. love-affair with the concerto was over. had his finger on the pulse when he suggested bridge passage that leads into the finale. The second subject is strangely unsettling, that if the work ‘were not by Beethoven, but by

4 5 The opening Allegro begins quietly in the ELIZABETH SOMBART cellos and basses, in complete opposition to the customary call-to-arms – interestingly, of Born in Strasbourg, music recitals, she has Beethoven’s seven mature concertos, only the Elizabeth Sombart performed concertos Second and Fifth for piano open imposingly. started studying the with L’Orchestre National This builds into a gradual crescendo based on piano at the age of de Lille and the Royal a sequentially repeated idea characterised by a seven. She entered Philharmonic Orchestra. dotted rhythm. This is then subtly transformed the conservatoire of to become the second subject, announced her home town and From a young age, initially by the orchestral violins. It would have gave her first public Elizabeth has sought to challenged even a composer of Beethoven’s performance at eleven. share classical music creative genius to write a cadenza for all three After receiving the with the most diverse soloists and integrate it symphonically into National Piano and audiences possible, the overall structure, so Beethoven simply Chamber Music First and with people side-stepped the issue by doing without one. Prize, she left France to from disadvantaged study in Buenos Aires backgrounds. In 1988, The brief, elegiac slow movement – a series of with Bruno-Leonardo she created Fondation sublime meditations on a melody announced Gelber. Her training Résonnance, which is by the solo cello – appears to suspend time was completed with active today in seven itself with its long-breathed phrases and great masters such as countries. One of the sense of profound stillness. This only serves Peter Feuchtwanger foundation’s key goals is to heighten the sense of expectation for the in London, Hilde to bring classical music

Polonaise finale into which the cello leads us Langer-Rühl in © Sheila McKinnon into the community, to directly. This joyously expansive treatment of the Vienna, and finally institutions where it is triple-time Polish national dance is structured Sergiù Celibidache most needed: hospitals, as a rondo, the returning polonaise section at the University orphanages and prisons. being contrasted and complemented by some of Mayence, with whom she studied More than five hundred concerts are planned in of Beethoven’s most rumbustious invention. musical phenomenology for ten years. these venues every year. Fondation Résonnance also aims to create piano schools with the Notes by Julian Haylock Elizabeth has performed in the world’s most founding principles of free teaching, no exams, prestigious concert venues: Carnegie Hall, no competitions, no age restrictions, and using BIOGRAPHIES , Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the teachings of the Résonnance Pedagogy – Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Théâtre des Champs- the phenomenology of sound and gesture. Elysées (Paris). In addition to solo and chamber

6 7 Elizabeth has recorded an extensive ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA discography, published several books, and featured in a number of documentaries. For more than seven decades the Royal As a result of her expertise in musical Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has been at the phenomenology, she has a particular passion forefront of music-making in the UK. Its home and reputation for interpreting the musical base since 2004 at London’s Cadogan Hall language of Chopin and she has recorded all serves as a springboard for seven principal Chopin’s nocturnes. She has made well-received residencies as well as more than forty-five recordings of Chopin’s two piano concertos concerts per year in long-term partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well venues across the country, often in areas as Favourite Adagios, a double CD of adagio where access to live orchestral music is movements from the great piano concertos, also very limited. With a wider reach than any with the RPO. Elizabeth has recently appeared other UK large ensemble, the RPO has truly with tenor Andrea Bocelli by invitation in special become Britain’s national orchestra. gala concerts in Bucharest and Fatima. Throughout the regional programme, plus Elizabeth Sombart has been honoured regular performances at Cadogan Hall, in France with the ranks of Chevalier de Southbank Centre’s and l’Ordre National du Mérite and Chevalier de a hugely popular series at the Royal Albert l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for lifetime Hall, and international touring engagements, achievements and services to music. the RPO remains committed to working with © Chris Christodoulou the finest conductors. In July 2018, the RPO announced Vasily Petrenko as the Orchestra’s new Music Director, assuming the title of In 2018, RPO Resound, the Although the RPO embraces twenty-first-century Music Director Designate in August 2020 Orchestra’s community and education opportunities, including appearances with pop stars and prior to commencing the full role in August programme, celebrated its twenty- on video game, film and television soundtracks, its artistic 2021. He joins the RPO’s roster of titled fifth anniversary. Throughout its priority remains paramount: the making of great music conductors, which includes Pinchas Zukerman history it has thrived on taking at the highest level for the widest possible audience. (Principal Guest Conductor), Alexander Shelley music into the heart of the regions As the RPO proudly looks to its future, its versatility (Principal Associate Conductor) and Grzegorz that the Orchestra serves, working and high standards mark it out as one of today’s most Nowak (Permanent Associate Conductor). with a variety of participants in a open-minded, forward-thinking symphony orchestras. range of settings including working For more information, please visit: www.rpo.co.uk with young people, the homeless and recovering stroke patients.

8 9 DUNCAN RIDDELL LEADER OF THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA RICHARD HARWOOD

Orchestra and International Festival Youth National Symphony, RTÉ Concert, Auckland Orchestra. He received college prizes and Philharmonia and the Ural Philharmonic. the Silver Medal at the first Shell LSO Music Scholarship for string players in 1978. On As chamber musician, he has collaborated leaving music college, he founded the Roth with the Jerusalem and Endellion Quartets, String Quartet, which won international prizes , , Olivier Charlier, and performed extensively. In 1989, the Quartet Benjamin Schmid, Alena Baeva, Ilya Gringolts, disbanded and Duncan accepted a principal Pekka Kuusisto, , Chen Halevi, position in the North German Radio Philharmonic , , Peter Donohoe, Orchestra in Hannover. At the beginning of Finghin Collins, Gottlieb Wallisch and Julius 1994, he was appointed Co-Leader of the Drake, among others. Richard was cellist London Philharmonic Orchestra and from 2001 of the Sitkovetsky Trio from 2014-2016. to 2010 he was Leader of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, during which time he Contemporary music is important to Richard. appeared many times as a soloist and director, Since his critically acclaimed concerto debut This started in 2002 when he took part in the including a live BBC Radio 3 broadcast of at the age of ten, the award-winning English Park Lane Group Young Artists’ Series on the Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Andrew Litton. cellist Richard Harwood has performed concerti South Bank and premiered solo works written and chamber music in major venues including for him by Dominic Muldowney and Martin In 2008, Duncan made his North American London’s , all of the South Bank Butler. He has also given the European premiere debut directing the Vancouver Symphony Centre venues, Wigmore Hall, Musikverein of David Horne’s Zip with the composer at the Orchestra in several concerts featuring (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Alte piano. For his solo album Composing Without Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Since taking up Oper (Frankfurt), Thomaskirche (), the Picture, Richard premiered works written the post of Leader of the Royal Philharmonic Auditorium du Louvre (Paris) and Alice for him by Christopher Gunning, Alex Heffes, Orchestra in 2010, he has continued his solo Tully Hall / Lincoln Center (New York). Fernando Velázquez and . © Fraser Portraits and directing work with the Orchestra. He is in demand as a guest leader with many of As concerto soloist, Richard has collaborated Richard began his studies with Joan Dickson, the major orchestras in the UK and Europe, with conductors such as Case Scaglione, before continuing with other eminent Duncan Riddell studied violin at Trinity College and as far afield as North America and Japan, John Wilson, Okko Kamu, Marko Letonja, teachers such as Steven Doane, David of Music, London, during which he became where he regularly appears as a guest leader Douglas Bostock, En Shao, Shuntaro Sato Waterman, Heinrich Schiff (University of Leader of both the European Community Youth with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. and , and with numerous Music and Dramatic Art, Vienna) and Ralph orchestras including The Philharmonia, Royal Kirshbaum (Royal Northern College of Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, RTÉ Music, ). He complimented his

10 11 studies by taking master classes and lessons with , Janos Starker, , Boris Pergamenschikow, Miklós Perényi, Bernard Greenhouse, Valentin Erben ( Quartet), , Zara Nelsova and Ferenc Rados.

Richard has won many awards beginning in 1992 when he became the youngest ever winner of the Audi Junior Musician Award. The recipient of many awards from the MBF, Hattori Foundation and KPMG / Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, Richard continued this success by winning the 2004 Pierre Fournier Award. He was also the first British ‘cellist ever to be awarded the title “Bachpreisträger” at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, Leipzig 2004. Among many other accolades, he received the special “mention” prize from the jury at the Rostropovich Competition, Paris in 2005.

Richard enjoys teaching and has given masterclasses at the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (Cardiff), Conservatoire, Royal Irish Academy of Music (Dublin) and the Bruckner University (Linz), in addition to other teaching and summer course coaching.

Richard plays a cello by Francesco Rugeri, dated 1692.

12 13 PIERRE VALLET

French conductor Pierre He has enjoyed a long- Roberto Alagna (at the Generously supported by SE Madame France Majoie Le Lous, Vallet studied conducting term musical partnership Vienna State Opera), Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino. and the theory of with Seiji Ozawa, with Nancy Herrera (at the phenomenology in music whom he has worked Teatro Solis in Montevideo) Recorded in Cadogan Hall, London on 22nd & 23rd July 2019 with Sergiù Celibidache, closely on some forty and Joyce di Donato. (Concerto No. 5) and 5th & 6th January 2020 (Triple Concerto). piano with Louis Hiltbrand operatic productions in Geneva and Peter throughout Japan, the A committed educator, Producer and Editor: Simon Kiln Feuchtwanger in London. US and Europe. For the Pierre Vallet is a sought-after Recording Engineer: Arne Akselberg He is a graduate of past 21 years, he has lecturer and guest teacher at Executive Producer: Christopher Wasserman L’Ecole Normale de been associated with the the world’s premier training Cover Image: © Kestrel Music Musique de Paris and Metropolitan Opera. institutions. In addition to his the Conservatoire work with the Lindemann ℗ 2020 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by Signum Records. National Supérieur de Maestro Vallet’s Young Artist Development © 2020 The copyright in this CD booklet, notes and design is owned by Musique de Paris. symphonic work Program at the Met, he Signum Records. includes appearances has been a regular visitor Praised for the elegance at the RPO in London; to the Washington Young Any unauthorised broadcasting, public performance, copying or and intensity of his the Camerata Royal in Artist program, the Steans re-recording of Signum Compact Discs constitutes an infringement interpretations, Vallet is Bucharest; the Filarmonica Music Institute in Chicago, of copyright and will render the infringer liable to an action by law. a frequent guest conductor with the world’s Brasov; the National Philharmonic of Chisinau, the Tanglewood Music Licences for public performances or broadcasting may be obtained from great opera companies. Performance highlights Moldova; the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Center, the Wolf Trap Opera Phonographic Performance Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this booklet include Madama Butterfly and Faust at the Orchestra; and the Spoleto Festival USA. Company, the Houston may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any Metropolitan Opera; Tannhäuser and Carmen His discography includes two recordings Grand Opera Studio. form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording at L’Opéra National de Paris; Samson et Dalila with the RPO and Elizabeth Sombart of the or otherwise, without prior permission from Signum Records Ltd. and Carmen at The Dallas Opera; Orfeo at Chopin piano concertos and a collection Opera Theater Saint Louis; Don Carlo at the of Favorite Adagios of piano concertos, as Signum Records, Suite 14, 21 Wadsworth Road, Lithuanian National Opera Theater; La Juive well as Cendrillon by Nicola Isouard. Perivale, Middlesex UB6 7LQ, UK. at the Göteborg Opera, Sweden; Faust at the Gran Teatro del Liceu, Barcelona. His As a pianist, he has performed in duo recitals Tel: +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 North American premiere performance of in both the US and Europe with some of the E-mail: [email protected] Persée et Andromède by Ibert was selected world’s most renowned singers, including signumrecords.com by the New York Times as one of the top ten Natalie Dessay, Maria Guleghina, Denyce Graves classical performances in New York in 2016. (at the White House), Dmitri Hvorostovsky,

14 15 ALSO AVAILABLE

BEETHOVEN 250th ANNIVERSARY SERIES ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA ELIZABETH SOMBART Piano | PIERRE VALLET Conductor

DISC ONE: DISC TWO: Concertos Concertos 1&2 BEETHOVEN 250th ANNIVERSARY 3&4 SERIES BEETHOVEN NCE O PIANO PI AN ELIZABETHROYAL

O PHILHARMONIC SOMBARTORCHESTRA PIERRE VALLET CONDUCTOR CONDUCTOR

SIGCD620 Beethoven Vol 2 JC booklet.indd 1 13/05/2020 09:39 Beethoven Piano Concertos Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Nos. 3 & 4

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