TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO LALO SYMPHONIE ESPAGNOLE AUGUSTIN HADELICH violin VASILY PETRENKO conductor OMER MEIR WELLBER conductor LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN coNCErto IN D major If there is a sense of awakening at the start Of the pieces Tchaikovsky and Kotek played of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, it is only through, one that particularly impressed the appropriate. Days before he started composing composer with its ‘freshness’ and ‘musical it in March 1878 he had been picking at a new beauty’ was Édouard Lalo’s new Symphonie piano sonata, with scant success: ‘Am I played espagnole for violin and orchestra. The out?’, he wrote in a letter. ‘I have to squeeze unassuming formal simplicity of Lalo’s out of myself weak and worthless ideas and approach also found its way into Tchaikovsky’s ponder every bar.’ He was writing from the Concerto, though this is not to say that it is house at Clarens near Lake Geneva, where he without craft. The first movement is a sonata was staying as part of his six-month escape form with an elegant introduction and two from Russia following the personal disaster clearly discernible big melodies amid some and mental breakdown provoked by his ill- more fleeting themes, all bound together by considered marriage the previous year. In that subtly glinting thematic connections. ‘Musical period of wandering he had completed both beauty’ is also present; like Mendelssohn in the Fourth Symphony and the opera Eugene his Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky manages Onegin, but begun very little that was new in effortlessly to make natural partners of lyrical itself. grace and virtuoso brilliance. The arrival of Josef Kotek, a violinist and former Tchaikovsky’s designation of the G minor slow pupil from the Moscow Conservatory, brought movement as a Canzonetta acknowledges its a recovery in the composer’s spirits. The two essentially song-like nature, but does little spent much time playing chamber music, and to hint at its Slavic melancholy. That Russian soon Tchaikovsky was enthusiastically at work flavour is then raised to a newly boisterous on the Violin Concerto. The sketches were level in a Finale that sports two dance-like completed eleven days later and the scoring a themes, the first excitably athletic, the second fortnight after that. The work got a lukewarm a more lyrical one whose innate soulfulness reception at its first performance in Vienna, quickly overcomes the rustic drones with but the Russian premiere in Moscow nine which it first appears. months later set it firmly on the route to the popularity it enjoys today. Programme note © Lindsay Kemp LALO SYMPHONIE ESPAGNOLE Orientalism was big business during the 19th as Berlioz and the prominent Orientalist century. With world fairs, grand exhibitions painter Eugène Delacroix. But it was not until and more open trade routes, Western the 1870s and the premiere of the Symphonie Europeans had ready access to the East. espagnole that Lalo’s reputation was secured. Yet the French did not have to look too far beyond their own borders for a dose of ‘the The work unfolds over five interlinked Other’. Spain, with its colourful Moorish past movements. The opening Allegro, in and gypsy encampments, to say nothing of D minor, has passionate resolve, giving way seducers such as Don Juan, offered a ready to a sultrier second subject. The movement’s source of exoticism. And so ensued numerous abrupt dynamic contrasts continue in the compositions invoking the Phrygian modes scurrying textures of the seguidilla-inspired of flamenco, as well as the clack and ting of Scherzando. Beginning with gruff orchestral castanet and tambourine. Bizet’s Carmen stamps, the ensuing Intermezzo gradually might be considered the beginnings of reveals a seductive habañera. The brass at the ‘Iberomania’, though Édouard Lalo’s start of the D minor Andante, on the other Symphonie espagnole had its much more hand, sound a more Teutonic note, looking successful premiere in Paris in February 1875, ahead to Lalo’s Wagnerian opera Le Roi d’Ys. a month before that of the famous opera. The soloist enters with a dolorous theme here, which blooms into something sweetly Lalo’s sinfonia concertante, mixing elements nostalgic. This is all shrugged off by the fiesta- of symphony and concerto (albeit leaning like finale, featuring a leaping alta danza. on the latter), was written for the Spanish Various spirited episodes follow and there is violinist Pablo de Sarasate, who guaranteed a brief reappearance of the theme from the his fame with his 1882 Fantaisie du concert first movement (now cast in D major), before based on themes from Carmen. Like Sarasate, soloist and orchestra join together for a final Lalo’s ancestors came from Spain, though they dash of brilliance. had resided in Northern France and Flanders for a few centuries by the time he was born. Programme note © Gavin Plumley Having trained at the Lille Conservatoire, he continued his studies in Paris, where he began to establish his career, helped by friends such AUGUSTIN HADELICH violin Grammy Award-winner recordings on the AVIE label, including a Augustin Hadelich pairing of Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and has established Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the himself as one of Norwegian Radio Orchestra under Miguel the great violinists Harth-Bedoya, and the Gramophone Award- of his generation. nominated pairing of the violin concertos Consistently cited of Sibelius and Adès (Concentric Paths) with for his phenomenal Hannu Lintu conducting the Royal Liverpool technique, poetic Philharmonic Orchestra. © Rosalie O’Connor © Rosalie sensitivity and gorgeous tone, he has performed with every Gold Medalist at the 2006 International major orchestra in the United States, many Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Augustin on numerous occasions, as well as an ever- Hadelich is also the recipient of the inaugural growing number of major orchestras in the Warner Music Prize (2015), Lincoln Center’s UK, Europe and the Far East, such as the BBC Martin E. Segal Award (2012), a Borletti- Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Danish National Buitoni Trust Fellowship (2011) and an Avery Symphony, Finnish Radio Orchestra, Hamburg Fisher Career Grant (2009). Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra Born in Italy, the son of German parents, Salzburg, Munich Philharmonic, Netherlands Hadelich holds an Artist Diploma from The Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Tokyo, Juilliard School, and is now an American Rotterdam Philharmonic and Royal Scottish citizen. He plays on the 1723 ‘Ex -Kiesewetter’ National Orchestra, as well as the radio Stradivari violin, on loan from Clement and orchestras of Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society among others. of Chicago. Hadelich’s previous recordings include The Borletti-Buitoni Trust helps Dutilleux’s Violin Concerto L’arbre des songes outstanding young musicians to develop and sustain international with the Seattle Symphony and Ludovic Morlot careers with awards that fund tailor-made projects. As well as (winner of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best financial assistance the Trust provides invaluable support and Classical Instrumental Solo); and numerous encouragement to an ever-growing family of young musicians. VASILY PETRENKO conductor Vasily Petrenko was Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Chicago appointed Principal Symphony, Philadelphia, Czech Philharmonic, Conductor of the Royal Vienna Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Los Liverpool Philharmonic Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Orchestra in 2006 and Symphony orchestras, the Orchestre de la in 2009 became Chief Suisse Romande, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Conductor. He is also Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, and the Chief Conductor of Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin. the Oslo Philharmonic © Mark McNulty Orchestra, Chief His wide operatic repertoire includes Macbeth Conductor of the European Union Youth (Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Parsifal and Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor Tosca (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic), Le Villi, of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra I due Foscari and Boris Godunov (Netherlands (Evgeny Svetlanov) in Moscow. Reisopera), Der fliegende Holländer, La bohème and Carmen (Mikhailovsky Theatre), Pique Petrenko was the Classical BRIT Awards Male Dame (Hamburg State Opera) and Eugene Artist of the Year 2010 and 2012, and the Onegin (Opéra de Paris, Bastille). Classic FM/Gramophone Young Artist of the Year 2007. He is only the second person to Recordings with the Royal Liverpool have been awarded Honorary Doctorates by Philharmonic Orchestra include Tchaikovsky’s both the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Manfred Symphony (2009 Classic FM/ Hope University (in 2009), and an Honorary Gramophone Orchestral Recording of the Fellowship of the Liverpool John Moores Year) and Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies 1, 2 University (in 2012). These awards recognise and 5, a complete Shostakovich cycle, and the immense impact he has had on the Royal Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, complete Liverpool Philharmonic and the city’s cultural symphonies and complete piano concertos. scene. With the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, he has recorded Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Vasily Petrenko works regularly with many Shostakovich’s cello concertos and an ongoing of the world’s finest orchestras, including Scriabin symphony cycle. the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, OMER MEIR WELLBER conductor Omer Meir Wellber was Since 2005 Wellber has regularly appeared born in Be’er Sheva, at the