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BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA January 24, 8:15 p.m. THE CONDUCTOR Jean Martinon became the Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the autumn of 1963. First studying music in his native Ly6ns, where the violin was the instrument of his choice, he soon made composition his prin- cipal pursuit. At the Conservatoire in Paris, Albert Roussel was his principal "maitre." He also studied conducting with Roger Desormiere and Charles Munch. He was prominent as a conductor in Paris before the outbreak of the war. He was in the French army; taken prisoner in 1940, and spent two years in a German concentration camp. After his release in 1942 he resumed his career and conducted in various parts of Europe, becoming Associate Conductor of the London Philhar- monic, Conductor of the Lamoureux Orchestra in Paris, and Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic. His debut in the United States was with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on March 29, 1957. Symphony in A major, No. 4 ("Italian"), Op. 90 By Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Born in Hamburg, February 3, 1809; died in Leipzig, November 4, 1847 Completed in 1833, Mendelssohn's Fourth Symphony was first performed by the Phil- harmonic Society in London on May 13, 1833. The composer made a revision which was completed in 1837, but not performed on the European Continent until two years after his death — November 1, 1849 — when Julius Rietz conducted it at the Gewandhaus concerts in Leipzig. The orchestration calls for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. Mendelssohn visited Italy in 1831 (where, incidentally, he met Berlioz) and filled his letters to his family with delighted descriptions of the countryside and particularly the an- cient city of Rome. It would be hard to come across the opinion that the "Italian" Symphony is in any way a national document, or a piece of descriptive music. There are those who have, discerned Naples in the slow movement, and others who, not unreasonably, have looked in vain to justify such a reading. Those who are bound to find a true reflection of Italy in the Sym- phony can at least point to the Saltarello finale. If a saltarello rhythm can make an Italian symphony, they are right. It is true that this rhythm impressed itself on Mendelssohn at glamorous moments. On a certain occasion in the midst of his winter in Rome (1830-1831), Louisa Vernet, daughter of his host, Horace Vernet, delighted him by doing the saltarello steps with her father, and by acquitting herself more than creditably upon the tambourine. At Amalfi, when the nights had grown warm and the moon intoxicating, there was general dancing before the inn at Santa Lucia, in which the young Mendelssohn and his bosom friend of the moment, Theodor Hildebrandt, took part. The "Italian" Symphony was far from finished during Mendelssohn's Italian winter (1831). And to his sister's inquiry about the progress of the work, he wrote from Paris in January, 1832, that it was awaiting the completion of the "Walpurgisnacht" music, which then took a prolonged share of his time and pains. The score of the Symphony was com- pleted in Berlin, March, 1833, and brought out in London in the following May. But Mendelssohn, always the rigorous self-critic, felt the need for recasting this sym- phony, even as he ceaselessly looked for points of improvement in the two oratorios, or the "Walpurgisnacht." It was probably the Finale, with which Mendelssohn was never quite satisfied, which delayed the publication of the score (1851) until after the composer's death. Tovey has examined with renewed care this Finale, with all its delicate workmanship and neat realization, and has admitted his entire inability to perceive where it could be im- proved. "But the work may be perfect, though Mendelssohn was disappointed in it; and an instinct deeper than his conscious self-criticism may have prevented him from altering it." This writer finds his way out of the enigma of Mendelssohn's discontent by deciding that the mature man could not wholly concur with the product of his own more youthful point of view. It is "rather an objection to the laws of human growth than the recognition of defects that self-criticism and revision can remedy. Certainly, in the first three move- ments every bar and every note is in the right place, except for one tiny oversight in the slow movement which only a mistaken piety would leave uncorrected. As to the Finale, no defect is discoverable; but we can imagine that Mendelssohn could have wished to broadea its design toward the end. On the other hand, it is possible that the revising of it would have proved to be an arbitrary and endless business, leaving the movement neither better nor worse than before." From notes by JOHN N. BURK : Sun-Treader Boston Symphony Orchestra By Carl Ruggles ERICH LEINSDORF, M usic Director Born in Marion, Massachusetts, March 11, 1876 RICHARD BURGIN, Associate Conductor Sun-Treader, light and life be thine forever. — Robert Browning First Violins Cellos Bassoons Joseph Silverstein Jules Fskin Sherman Walt In a letter to Henry Cowell in 1927, Carl Ruggles said that he was making "Sun-Treader" Concertmaster Martin Hohcrman Ernst Panenka large orchestra, and a year later stated with greatest enthusiasm his interest in the work. for Alfred (trips Mischa Nieland Matthew Ruggiero The score calls for the following orchestration: 5 flutes (two interchanged with piccolo), 3 George Zazofsky Karl Zeise contra-bassoon, oboes and 2 English horns, 5 clarinets, 3 bassoons and 6 horns, 5 trumpets, Rolland Tapley Richard Kapuscinski Contra Bassoon tuba, bass tuba, 2 harps, timpani, cymbals and strings. Robert Ripley trombones, tenor Roger Shermont Richard Plaster His work on "Sun-Treader" coincides with the beginning of his tremendous creative ac- Max Winder John Sant Ambrogio Luis Leguia vity in painting, which with his musical output has much in common — spatial balance and Harry Dickson Horns Btcisive stroke, soaring line, bold color and texture, but above all, a great sense of communica- Gottfried Wilfinger |ascha Silberstein James Slagliano Fredy Ostrovsky Stephen Geber on. The techniques Ruggles uses in "Sun-Treader" are a development of all his earlier Charles Vancich Leo Carol Procter device. There is consistency of melodic variation, Panasevich Beas, matured beyond mere variety of in- Harry Shapiro in dissonant counterpoint, free rhythm and varying durations, long melodic Noah Bielski rval perspec- I nomas Newell Herman Silberman ve and vast pitch range. The form is a gargantuan traditional sonata form symphony of Basses Paul Keaney Stanley Benson ne movement with contrasting first and second themes. The first theme, containing rich Georges Moleux Osbourne McConathy Sheldon Rotenberg Hree part texture (outer voices widely separated, and middle voices compact with unified Henry Freeman Alfred Schneider ^fconances and rhythms differing from the outer voices), starts with a timpani introduction Irving Frankel Trumpets Julius Schulman Henry Portnoi ^telerating as it announces new material, and ends with a coda of dominant harps, giving Armando Ghitalla Gerald Gelbloom Henri Girard ft) overall effect of rhythmic freedom and incandescence. The second theme, being a varia- Roger Voisin Raymond Sird John Barwicki Bn of the first, is characterized by more compact intervals, delicate echoes and melodic flow. Andre Come Violins Leslie Martin canon in the development section, later retrograded and then Second Gerard Goguen whe moved forward to glorious Bela Wurtzler Clarence recapitulation, prepares the way for imitation in the coda, which widens like concentric circles Knudson William Marshall Joseph Hearne the conclusion. Trombones h Michel Sasson The work was first played in Paris on February 25, 1932, followed by performances in Samuel Diamond William Gibson Flui es Hrlin the same year and Barcelona in 1936. It is interesting to note its appearance tonight Leonard Moss William Moyer Doriot Anthony Dwyer Kabila H the same program with "Ein Heldenleben," since Carl Ruggles reviewed the first American William Waterhouse Kauko James Pappouthakis Josef Orosz performance of "Ein Heldenleben" by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 6, 1901. Giora Bernstein Phillip Kaplan Ayrton Pinto Ruth Ring Harvie Tuba Amnon Levy K. Vinal Smith Laszlo Nagy Piccolo Michael Vitale Lois Schaefer Victor Manusevitch Timpani Kin Heldenleben" ("A Hero's Life") Everett Firth Tone Poem, Minot Beale Ohoes Ronald Knudsen Ralph Gomberg Op. 40 Max Hobart Percussion John Holmes Korman Chai les Smith John Hugh Matheny By Richard Strauss Harold Thompson Violas Arthur Press, Ass't Timpanist Fine I In. mas Ganger Born in Munich, June 11, 1864; died in Garmisch, September 8, 1949 Burton English Horsj Reuben Green Laurence Thorstenberg Harps I From the beginning of August until the end of December, 1898, in Charlottenburg, Eugen Lehner tauss began and completed this Tone Poem. The dedication Albeit Bernard Bernard Zighera was to "Willem Mengelberg Claris i is George Humphrey Olivia Luetcke d the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam." The first performance was at Frankfort- Gino Cioffi Jerome Lipson on-the-Main, March 3, 1899, when Strauss conducted from the manuscript. The music was Pasquale Cardillo Librarians published in the same month. Robert Karol Jean Cauhap£ Peter Hadcock Victor Alperl I The instrumentation is lavish: 3 flutes and piccolo, 3 or 4 oboes and English horn, E[, Clarinet Vincent Mauricci William Shisler fcrinet in E-flat, 2 clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons and double-bassoon, 8 horns, Earl Hedberg ^trumpets, 3 trombones, tenor tuba, bass tuba, i kettledrums, bass drum, snare drum, side Bernard Kadinoff Bass ClaRINI Si age Manager urn, cymbals, harps, 2 and strings (much divided). Joseph Pietropaolo Rosario Mazzep Alfred Robison The score divides into six parts Rosario Mazzeo, Personnel Manager the Hero — The Hero's Adversaries — The Hero's Helpmate — The Hero's Battlefield — Ve Hero's Works of Peace — The Hero's Release from the World, and the Fulfillment of his Life.

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