THE PHILHARMOKIC-SYMPHOIY SOCIETY 1842 OF JEW YORK 1878 CONSOLIDATED 1028 ARTUR RODZINSKI, Musical Director 1946 ONE HUNDRED FIFTH SEASON 1947 CARNEGIE HALL THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 31, 1946 at 8:45 FRIDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 1, 1946 at 2:30 4380th and 4381st Concerts Under the Direction of ARTUR RODZINSKI Assisting Artists: MAGGIE TEYTE, Soprano MARTIAL SINGHER, Baritone PROGRAM LALO Overture to the Opera, “Le Roi d’Ys” BIZET Symphony in G major I. Allegro vivo II. Adagio III. Allegro vivace; Trio IV. Allegro vivace INTERMISSION DEBUSSY Excerpts from the Opera Pélleas et Mélisande ’ ACT I. Scene 1—A Forest Scene 2—The Vaults of the Scene 2—A Room in the Castle Scene 3—A Terrace at the ACT II. Scene 1—A Well in the Entrance of the Park Vaults Scene 2—A Room in the Castle ACT IV. Scene 2—A Room in the Scene 3—Before a Grotto Castle ACT III. Scene 1—A Tower of the Scene 4—A well in the Castle Park ARTHUR JUDSON, Manager BRUNO ZIRATO, Associate Manager THE STEINWAY is the Official Piano of The Philharmonic-Symphony Society -------------------------------- COLUMBIA AND VICTOR RECORDS------------------------------------ “Buy Victory Bonds” These concerts will end on Thursday at approximately 10:45 p.m., and on Friday at approximately 4:30 p.m. ORCHESTRA PENSION FUND — It is requested that subscribers -who are unable to use their tickets kindly return them to the Philharmonic-Symphony Offices, 113 W. 57 th St., or to the Box Office, Carnegie Hall, at their choice either to be sold for the benefit of the Orchestra Pension Fund, or given to the uniformed men through the local organizations instituted for this purpose. All tickets received will be acknowledged. Holders of cards in the New York Public Library who wish to obtain scores of any of the works on this program for home study should apply at the Music Branch of the New York Public Library, '121 East 5 Sth St., which has a large collection of music available for circulation. Marion Rous will give weekly lectures in the Carnegie Hall Art Gallery on Current Phil­ harmonic-Symphony Programs during the season 1946-1947. For particulars telephone WAtkins 9-2170 or write to 5 S Charles Street, New York 14, N. Y. NOTES ON THE PROGRAM* By Robert Bagar and Louis Biancolli Overture to the opera, “Le Roi d’Ys” EDOUARD LALO (Born at Lille, France, January 17, 1823; died at Paris, April 22, 1892) From an old Breton legend of the submerged city of Ys, Edouard Blau fashioned the libretto for Lalo’s three-act opera, “Le Roi d’Ys” (“The King of Ys”). The same story inspired Debussy’s celebrated piano piece, “La Cathédrale Engloutie” (“The Engulfed Cathedral.”) Although Lalo had begun work on the best known of his three operas in 1876, it was not till 1881 that he had sketched out the whole work, and not till May 7, 1888, that it was produced by the Paris Opéra Comique. As early as 1876, however, Lalo entrusted Adolphe Théophile Manoury, one of the chief baritones of the Paris Opéra, with an aria from “Le Roi d’Ys” for a concert of the Société Nationale. And, several years before the premiere of the opera, the overture had already begun its popular career in the concert halls. Though the American premiere of “Le Roi d’Ys” occurred in New Orleans on January 23, 1890, New York waited till 1922 for a hearing. Early that year the Metropolitan Opera Company produced it with a cast headed by Frances Alda (Rozenn), Rosa Ponselle (Margared), Beniamino Gigli (Mylio), Giuseppe Danise (Karnac), and Léon Rothier (the King). In a sense, the production was a long-deferred fulfillment of a promise made by the management thirty-two years earlier. The prospectus of the German season of 1889-90 had included Lalo’s “Le Roi d’Ys” among its plans. Despite the brilliant cast, the opera *Notes on this program may not be reprinted in their entirety' without the written consent of th» Society. Excerpt# from' the notes can be quoted if due acknowledgment is given to the author# and to the Society. aroused small response. After the five performances of the 1921-22 season, “Le Roi d’Ys” returned to its slumbers. Today, the opera is remembered largely because of the overture and Mylio’s aria, Vainement, ma bien-aimee — a beautiful aubade, the melody of which Lalo borrowed from a Breton folk-song. As for Lalo himself, he is best known to concert-goers as the composer of the “Symphonie Espagnole.” Most critics would agree that his orchestral writing far excels his operatic in grasp of style and imaginative force. The story of “Le Roi d’Ys” centers in a court triangle. Margared and Rozenn, daughters of the King of Ys — or Is as it is sometimes spelled — both love the young knight Mylio. Of the two, the warrior prefers Rozenn for her gentle disposition, Margared being the domineer­ ing type. During Karnac’s absence, Margared has been promised as bride to Karnac, a neighboring prince long at war with the city of Ys. All are assured the marriage will bring hostilities to an end. Margared, however, changes her mind when Mylio returns from the wars. Thus rebuffed Prince Karnac challenges his foe to fresh battle, and Mylio accepts. In the ensuing fight, Karnac is defeated. But all is not lost, for Margared, a prey now to jealousy because of her sister’s approach­ ing marriage to Mylio, shows him how to turn the tables on his foes. All he need do is to open the floodgates, for the city is protected by a dyke. The prince eagerly accepts her plan, and soon, as Rozenn and Mylio are being wed, Margared gives a wild shoutthe sea is pouring into the doomed city! Remorseful now, she cries out that the flood will rise till it reaches its prey.” At length, as the people run for safety to the hills, Margared confesses her guilt, and climbing to the highest peak, plunges into the swirling waters. Thereupon Saint Corentin ap­ pears on the surface of the sea and the flood waters miraculously ebb away. In the overture to “Le Roi d’Ys” Lalo quite plainly sought to epito­ mize the dominant moods and action of his opera, as well as to introduce the three central characters in their most revealing moments . In the introductory section of the overture a clarinet solo presents the valiant Mylio by way of a melody borrowed from the knight’s defiant aria, Si le del est plein de flammes, (“If the sky is full of flames”), which appears in the first act. This introductory passage is divided by a flourish of trumpets from the overture proper, which begins with an Allegro in D minor, largely depicting the conflicting emotions of Mar­ gared — her love for Mylio, her hatred of the suitor forced upon her, and her jealousy of her sister Rozenn. The trumpet figure reappears in a new guise, and we presently make the acquaintance of the gentle Rozenn herself through an Andantino in B-flat major built around the girl’s tender query, En silence powquoi souffrir? (“Why do you suffer in silence ? ). Earlier material is then reviewed briefly and the overture ends brilliantly on the theme of Mylio’s forceful aria. L. B. Symphony in C major GEORGES BIZET (Born in Paris, October 25, 1838; died at Bougival, near Paris, June 3, 1875) This symphony was written in 1885, when Bizet was seventeen years of age. He tried his hand at another such work in 1860, a “fan- tasie symphonique,” which he wrote during his stay in Italy as a holder of the Prix de Rome. It was revised several times, given its first performance at a Pasdeloup Concert in Paris in 1869 and published in 1880 under the title Roma. There are two versions of the discovery of the present work. In an article in the French periodical Le Ménestrel of November 11, 1938, Paul Bertand says the C Major Symphony was “discovered some years ago by our friend Jean Chantavoine [French musicologist and for many years General Secretary of the Paris Conservatory].” However, the score which was brought out in Vienna in September, 1935, by Universal Edition offers an explanatory preface in German, French and English. The English version reads, “begun October 29, 1855 ; finished November, 1855. The symphony by Georges Bizet has, it is strange to say, fallen into oblivion. The Glasgow music writer, D. C. Parker, has called the attention of General Music Director Felix von Weingartner upon the autograph of the work, which is preserved in the library of the Paris Conservatoire, whereupon Mr. Weingartner conducted the world premiere of the work in Basel on February 26, 1935.” Weingartner later conducted the Symphony in Vienna. Paris first heard it in June, 1936, under Charles Munch. It was played there again in October, 1938, as part of the program commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Bizet’s birth. Eugène Bigot was the con­ ductor. Sir Hamilton Harty conducted its initial performance in Eng­ land at a concert of the London Symphony Orchestra. It was added to the Philharmonic-Symphony’s repertory by John Barbirolli on October 17, 1940. It has been observed that Bizet, while not showing a great deal of originality in this work, gives evidence of a remarkable instinct to follow the best models. The first movement’s two subjects, for instance, have been likened in spirit, if not more, to Beethoven and Mozart, respective­ ly, although the orchestration already foreshadows the Bizet of “Carmen,” and that, as we all know, is quite an individual job.