The Stradivarius Ensemble of the Mariinsky Orchestra

Valery Gergiev: Music Director and Conductor Behzod Abduraimov: Piano

WHEN: VENUE: Sunday, Bing OCTOBER 29, 2017 COnCERT Hall 2:30 PM Program Program Notes

Edvard Grieg: From Holberg’s Time , op. 40 (1885) Edvard grieg (1843–1907) Prelude From Holberg’s Time , op. 40 (1885) Sarabande Gavotte Air For the bicentennial of Norway’s most distin - Rigaudon guished writer, Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754), composer Edvard Grieg penned two tributes: Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen (1945) a cantata for men’s voices and a piano suite titled From Holberg’s Time . The next year, Grieg —INTERMISSION— reworked his Baroque-inspired piano suite into an arrangement for . Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano No. 1 in C Minor, op. 35 (1933) Allegretto Decades before “neoclassical” music Lento Moderato became trendy, Grieg’s “Suite in the Olden Allegro con brio Style” (as he subtitled it) mined the Baroque conventions of the dance suite that had Behzod Abduraimov, Piano flourished during Holberg’s life. The Prelude Timur Martynov , Trumpet launches the suite with a galloping rhythm,

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, op. 48 (1880) establishing an exciting, propulsive mood. Pezzo in forma di Sonatina Moving into the sequence of dances, the Valse Sarabande steps patiently through the Élégie ornate, three-beat pulse of a style that Finale (Tema russo) came to Spain by way of its American colonies. The Gavotte, a muscular dance MARIINSKY FOUNDATION of America is the North American Sponsor. from France, begins with the customary VTB BANK is the Principal Partner of the Mariinsky Theatre. YOKO NAGAE CESCHINA and SBERBANK are the Principal Sponsors. lead-in of two strong beats. A contrasting ! ! section takes the form of a Musette, char - ! ! acterized by its droning accompaniment inspired by bagpipes.

Columbia Artist Management LLC The Air leaves dance forms aside for a long, Tour Direction: R. Douglas Sheldon singing melody in a melancholy minor key. 1790 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 • www.columbia-artists.com The closing Rigaudon introduces one more lively French dance style, while also delving Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra record for into the Baroque tradition of the concerto the Mariinsky Label and also appear on Universal (Decca, Philips). grosso , with soloists—here a and —

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE . Please be considerate of others and turn off all phones, pagers, and watch alarms. offsetting the texture of the full string sections. Photography and recording of any kind are not permitted. Thank you.

2 Richard Strauss (1864–1949) March from Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) Metamorphosen (1945) This music was more than an homage to Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Minor, op. 35 (1933) lost opera houses and significant cultural Richard Strauss was in the twilight of his sites; it was an elegy for the entire legacy of As of 1933, when Shostakovich composed epic career when Hitler came to power. The German cultural achievement. He finished the Piano Concerto No. 1, his recent work on Nazis held up Strauss as an Aryan ideal, and the score on April 12, around the same time theater, ballet, film and opera projects had his occasional cooperation with the Third Allied forces reached Garmisch, and just helped him crystallize his acerbic sense of Reich led to the widespread belief that weeks before the German surrender. humor, and his music still exuded a youthful Strauss was a Nazi sympathizer. In reality, sassiness—a quality he repressed in the Strauss just wanted to stay out of the fray; Strauss subtitled the work A Study for 23 Solo wake of a harrowing rebuke from Stalin. he once said, “I just sit here in Garmisch and Strings , and he wrote individual lines for Shostakovich composed the First Concerto compose, everything else is irrelevant to each of the ten , five , five to perform himself, surrounding the piano me.” Strauss retreated to Garmisch, a small and three basses. The form consists of a sin - with a lean accompaniment of strings and town nestled in the Bavarian Alps, when gle movement, with slow sections bookend - trumpet. The trumpet part is unusual in that Vienna became too dangerous. He clois - ing an agitated central episode. The it stands out from the orchestra, and yet it is tered his Jewish daughter-in-law and continuity and evolution of the musical not a full concerto partner to the piano grandsons there, managing to protect them material matches the title, which calls to soloist. Instead, the trumpet functions as a even as his efforts to save other in-laws mind the radical transformations in which wry commentator, sometimes skewing the from the concentration camps failed. caterpillars emerge as butterflies. music toward dance hall exuberance, other times imparting a militaristic discipline. Whatever ambivalence Strauss had toward Strauss’ Metamorphosen is steeped in Shostakovich gave the first performance in his country’s ruling powers, he was dismayed death—he even marked the score with the Leningrad on October 15, 1933, joined by the by the cultural destruction around him. words “In memoriam” on the last page, when trumpeter he had in mind when he wrote Allied bombs leveled the Munich Opera the basses quote Beethoven directly—and the part, Aleksandr Shmidt of the Leningrad House in 1943, the Goethe House in Frank - yet this beautiful music, composed by a Philharmonic. furt (which Strauss called “the most sacred man nearly 80 years old whose world had place on earth”) in 1944, and the opera been reshaped in unimaginable ways, is The concerto opens with a short, biting houses in Berlin and Dresden in the first vibrant and generative. It is a fitting reflec - introduction, leading directly into the first months of 1945. Strauss had by then begun tion of Goethe’s The Metamorphosis of Plants , thematic statement. The piano provides a working on a composition for strings, com - which elaborated the idea that a single leaf few measures of its own bass accompani - missioned by the Swiss conductor Paul contained all the potential from which a ment and then begins a melody fashioned Sacher for his Zurich ensemble. Strauss plant could grow, produce seeds, and begin after the start of Beethoven’s “Appassionata” started the full score on March 13, 1945, the the cycle anew. Sonata. (The telltale fragment borrowed day after the Vienna State Opera burned in from Beethoven is a descending minor triad another bombing. in a dotted rhythm—similar to the first three notes of The Star-Spangled Banner. ) A gallop - Strauss took the title for Metamorphosen ing theme in a major key serves as incon - from Goethe, and the principal melody gruous secondary material, charting an bears a strong resemblance to the Funeral uneasy intersection between the hilarious

3 and the grotesque. The mixed emotions of Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) artistic merit because I wrote it without the first movement settle on the pensive Serenade for Strings, op. 48 (1880) warmth and love.” Drawing a comparison, side, the piano joined only by long, quiet he continued, “I wrote the Serenade on tones from the trumpet. In the summer of 1880, Tchaikovsky vaca - impulse. I felt it deeply, from start to finish, tioned at his sister’s estate in Kamianka, and therefore I dare to believe it will not be The second movement is a melancholy Ukraine. In a letter to his patron and confi - without merit.” waltz, with the lyrical melody first sung by dante, Nadezdha von Meck, Tchaikovsky muted strings. In the wake of the conflicted wrote, “How fickle my plans are, whenever I The Serenade for Strings offers up its emo - opening movement, this music is entirely sin - decide to devote a long time to rest! I had tions unabashedly, with Tchaikovsky’s lush cere and introspective, marked by rumina - just begun to spend a series of entirely idle Romanticism enveloping the skeletal traces tive passages for unaccompanied piano. days, when there came over me a vague of Classical style. The grand and reverent Even the trumpet, emerging out of a hushed feeling of discomfort and real sickness; I chorale that starts and ends the first move - series of string chords, sets aside its joking could not sleep and suffered from fatigue ment defies the unassuming heading, “Piece to take a turn at the docile waltz theme. and weakness. Today I could not resist sit - in the form of a Sonatina,” while the Allegro ting down to plan my next symphony—and moderato body of the movement progresses A short Moderato movement provides a immediately I became well and calm and in spare and efficient strides. rhapsodic to the finale. The violins full of courage.” introduce the playful main theme built on Tchaikovsky was one of the all-time great repeated notes and leaps, and the music Tchaikovsky’s plan for that music wavered tunesmiths, and also a master of music for bounds through a range of moods and tem - between a symphony and a , dance; those two talents comingle in the pos. There is a bawdy, saloon-like quality to until he landed on something in between: a Serenade’s graceful and effervescent Waltz. some of the piano figures, perhaps not far serenade for string orchestra. The title and The Elegy counterbalances that dancing off from the kind of music Shostakovich form of the work paid homage to Mozart, the exuberance with a somber but no less artful played when he accompanied silent films in greatest composer of Classical serenades, statement. In the finale, the “Russian theme” his student days. The piano saves one more about whom Tchaikovsky once wrote in his promised by the subtitle is an amalgama - parody for the cadenza, a harmonically diary, “Mozart I love as a musical Christ. … It tion of folk material taken from a collection restless reimagining of Beethoven’s Rondo a is my profound conviction that Mozart is the by Tchaikovsky’s onetime champion, Mily capriccio in G Major (better known by its highest, the culminating point which beauty Balakirev. The main theme traces the same nickname, “The Rage over a Lost Penny”). has reached in the sphere of music. Nobody descending contour as the work’s initial The concerto signs off with a bright and has made me cry and thrill with joy, sensing chorale, a link that is made explicit when raucous fanfare. my proximity to something that we call the that opening ceremonial music returns, just ideal, in the way that he has.” before the related fast theme reignites for a final scamper to the finish. Tchaikovsky wrote the Serenade in little © 2017 Aaron Grad more than a month, even with some of that time devoted to a concurrent project, the 1812 Overture. Again writing to von Meck, Tchaikovsky explained, “The overture will be very showy and noisy, but it will have no

4 Artist Biographies

The Stradivarius Ensemble rare instruments made by , Stradivari, Having attained a songful and pliant sound, of the Mariinsky Orchestra , Guadagnini, and Gofriller. he made the form of the instruments more The Stradivarius Ensemble of the Mariinsky curved and devoted great attention to their Orchestra is comprised by more than two The instruments of Nicolò Amati, one of the adornment. The most magnificent works of dozen musicians of the Mariinsky Orchestra founding members of the renowned Cre - the so-called “Golden Age” (1698-1725) stand and are all great performers in their own mona school, stand apart for their tender apart for their magnificent ornamentation right. They perform on a collection of early and often songful timbre. This master crafts - and the beauty of their timbre. and unique-sounding string instruments man created the original model now known made by the greatest Italian crafstmen . The as the “Grand Amati,” which retained the The Stradivarius Ensemble’s instruments also ensemble was founded in 2009 on the ini - genius’ “trademark” sound but also took on include examples of another acclaimed tiative of Valery Gergiev, Artistic and Gen - a richer and deeper timbre. There are pupil of Amati—Giuseppe Guarneri del eral Director of the Mariinsky Theatre. extremely few instruments made by Nicolò Gesù. The sound of his instruments is Amati still in existence today and all are remarkable for its power and spirit; connois - Each instrument performed on by the musi - incredibly valuable. seurs often value his instruments even more cians of the Stradivarius Ensemble is in itself than those of Stradivari. Paganini’s favorite a masterpiece with its own history, filled with Amati’s brilliant pupil violin was made by Guarneri: this legendary legendary memories. There are extremely continued to perfect the work of his teacher. musician referred to it as a “Cannon” ( Can -

5 none ) because of its incredibly powerful sound. Guarneri’s instruments have been the instruments of choice of such musicians as Henri Vieuxtemps (his violin is currently the most valuable worth a record eighteen million dollars), Eugène Ysaÿe, and Fritz Kreisler.

The timbre of the instruments of Giovanni Battista Guadagnini—a maestro who worked at the courts of various Italian aris - tocrats—is remarkable for the exceptional noble quality of the sound. Guadagnini’s cellos are particularly valuable, the crafts - man having modelled his version of the instrument in collaboration with the brilliant cellist Carlo Ferrari, one of the greatest vir - tuosi of his day. tional festivals as the ‘Stars of the White history, and led that production in St. Nights’ festival (St. Petersburg), the ‘Moscow Petersburg, Moscow, Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Matteo Goffriller, the founder of the Vene - Easter Festival’ and the ‘Gergiev Rotterdam and London. Gergiev also champions con - tian school of string instruments, is also Philharmonic Festival,’ Mikkeli Festival, temporary Russian composers such as famous as a master -maker. Pablo and the 360 Degrees festival in Munich. Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932), Boris Tishchenko Casals performed on a Goffriller cello. (1939-2010), Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931), He has led numerous composer cycles Alexander Raskatov (b. 1953), and Pavel including (1803-1869), Smelkov. Valery Gergiev, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Henri Music Director & Conductor Dutilleux (b. 1916), Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), The Mariinsky label established in 2009 has Valery Gergiev is Artistic and General Direc - Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), Dmitri released more than thirty discs and DVDs to tor of the Mariinsky Theatre, Principal Con - Shostakovich (1906-1975), Igor Stravinsky date that have received great acclaim from ductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Principal (1882-1971), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840- the critics and the public throughout Conductor of the World Orchestra for Peace, 1893) in New York, London, Paris and other the world; recordings include symphonies Chair of the Organizational Committee of international cities and he has introduced and piano concerti by Tchaikovsky the International Tchaikovsky Competition, audiences around the world to several rarely and Shostakovich, operas by Wagner, Honorary President of the Edinburgh Inter - performed Russian operas. Massenet and Donizetti, Prokofiev’s national Festival and Dean of the Faculty of ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella and Arts at the St. Petersburg State University. Maestro Gergiev staged a production of the operas The Gambler and Semyon Kotko . Richard Wagner’s tetralogy Der Ring des Recent releases include Shchedrin’s The Left- As head of the Mariinsky Theatre, Gergiev Nibelungen in the original German lan - Hander (DVD) and Tchaikovsky’s The - has established and directs such interna - guage, the first such production in Russian cracker and Symphony No 4 .

6 Behzod Abduraimov, Piano monic, and BBC Symphony orchestras. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Behzod Abduraimov has worked with lead - Recent notable dates include NDR Elbphil - symphonique de Montreá l and Minnesota ing orchestras worldwide. These include the harmonie Orchester as part of the Elbphil - Orchestra. Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Sym - harmonie opening, and the London phony, NHK Symphony and Leipzig Symphony Orchestra. In recital he is one of An award-winning recording artist—his Gewandhaus orchestras, and prestigious the featured artists for the Junge Wilde debut recital CD won both the Choc de conductors including Valery Gergiev, series at the Konzerthaus Dortmund and will Classica and the Diapason Découverte— Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred Honeck, Vasily be presented in recital at the main halls of Behzod released his first concerto disc in Petrenko, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrůša, and the Barbican, London, and Concertgebouw, 2014 on Decca Classics which features Vladimir Jurowski. Amsterdam. Behzod will also collaborate in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 and recital with the cellist Truls Mørk, which will Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 with the Following his spectacular debut at the BBC see them on tour in Europe and the US. Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai Proms with the Münchner Philharmoniker under Juraj Valčuha. under Gergiev in July 2016, Behzod immedi - In North America Behzod appears at the ately returned in July 2017. This was followed Hollywood Bowl, Blossom and Ravinia Festi - Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990, by his debut at the Festspielhaus Baden- vals. He will make his debut with the San Behzod began to play the piano at the age Baden and Rheingau Musik Festivals. Francisco Symphony and returns to Dallas of five as a pupil of Tamara Popovich at and Atlanta Symphony orchestras. Last sea - Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent. Upcoming European highlights include the son, Behzod gave his Stern Auditorium He is an alumnus of Park University’s Inter - Lucerne Festival, Royal Concertgebouw recital following his debut success at national Center for Music where he studied Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, hr-Sin - Carnegie Hall in 2015 and has appeared in with Stanislav Ioudenitch, and now serves as fonieorchester, Philharmonia, Czech Philhar - concerts with the Houston Symphony and the ICM’s artist-in-residence.

Photo: Nissor Abdourazakov

7 The Stradivarius Ensemble of the Mariinsky Orchestra Valery Gergiev, Music Director and Conductor

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