Program OnE HundREd TwEn TIETH SEASOn Chicago Symphony orchestra riccardo muti Music director Pierre Boulez Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Yo-Yo ma Judson and Joyce green Creative Consultant Global Sponsor of the CSO Thursday, March 24, 2011, at 8:00 Friday, March 25, 2011, at 1:30 Saturday, March 26, 2011, at 8:00 Charles Dutoit Conductor Evgeny Kissin Piano Sibelius Suite from Karelia, Op. 11 Intermezzo Ballade Alla marcia First Chicago Symphony Orchestra subscription concert performances grieg Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 Allegro molto moderato Adagio Allegro moderato molto e marcato EvgEny KISSIn IntErmISSIon Stravinsky Petrushka The Shrovetide Fair In Petrushka’s Room The Moor’s Room The grand Carnival The appearance of Evgeny Kissin is generously sponsored by the JS Charitable Trust. Steinway is the official piano of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This program is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts. CommEntS By PHIllIP HuSCHER Jean Sibelius Born December 8, 1865, Tavastehus, Finland. Died September 20, 1957, Järvenpää, Finland. Suite from Karelia, op. 11 hen Sibelius was just seven ongoing project of reading and Wyears old, his family made the re-reading these poetry collec- forward-looking decision to trans- tions that had been compiled by fer him from a popular Swedish Elias Lönnrott in the first half of language preparatory school to the nineteenth century. By 1891, the brand-new, first-ever Finnish Sibelius’s interest was so consum- language grammar school. (Until ing that he made a special trip to it was founded, Swedish and Latin hear Larin Paraske, a well-known were the standard languages of runic singer, perform episodes from the Finnish school system.) There, the Kalevala, carefully observing he came in contact for the first the inflections of her singing in time with the Finnish folk poetry ways that would influence his own collections—the Kalevala and the musical style. Kanteletar—finding the source Sibelius’s first major composi- for much of the music that would tion was the expansive Kullervo one day make him famous—and symphony that was based on the label him, somewhat unfairly, as a Kalevala, and it was such a suc- nationalistic composer. cess in 1892 that, from that point Although Sibelius didn’t truly on, Finland looked no farther master Finnish till he was in for its greatest composer. With his twenties, this exposure to Sibelius suddenly acclaimed for the sounds and rhythms of the the distinctly “Finnish” cast of his language fired his imagination music, it was inevitable that he at an early age and sparked his would be commissioned to write ComPoSED moSt rECEnt InStrumEntatIon 1893 CSo PErFormanCE two flutes and piccolo, two January 30, 1959 (Alla oboes and english horn, two FIrSt PErFormanCE marcia only), Orchestra clarinets, two bassoons, november 13, 1893, Helsinki. Hall. Sir Thomas four horns, three trumpets, Sibelius conducting Beecham conducting three trombones and tuba, These are the first CSO timpani, tambourine, bass FIrSt CSo subscription concert drum, cymbals, strings PErFormanCE performances of the Suite August 8, 1937 (Alla marcia from Karelia aPProxImatE only), Ravinia Festival. Fritz PErFormanCE tImE Reiner conducting 14 minutes 2 political and patriotic music. In concert suite. 1893, Sibelius was contacted by the The opening Intermezzo, which Viipuri Student Corporation of the originally depicted a procession University of Helsinki for a series of of Karelians paying honor to a tableaux on the history of Karelia, Lithuanian prince, is a wonderfully the wooded land directly east of atmospheric march, emerging from Finland, stretching from the White out of the distance, coming closer, Sea at its northeast corner to the and then receding again. (The Gulf of Finland on the southwest. mysterious opening, with horn calls An independent state until the sev- over quiet string tremolos, is almost enteenth century, Karelia was first Brucknerian in its effect.) The annexed by Sweden, then taken Ballade was written to represent the over by Russia in 1721. (Finland deposed Karl Knutsson, a fifteenth- itself was ceded to Russia in 1809.) century king, as he listens to a For the pageant, Sibelius wrote minstrel at Viipuri castle. The final eight musical numbers depicting number, originally titled “March various incidents in the Karelian on an Old Motif,” is a stirring call saga; he later picked three to form a to battle. Edvard grieg Born June 15, 1843, Bergen, Norway. Died September 4, 1907, Bergen, Norway. Piano Concerto in a minor, op. 16 rieg was an accomplished favor. In 1858, the celebrated violin Gpianist. He took his first piano virtuoso Ole Bull—a sort of Norse lessons, at the age of six, from his Paganini who charmed everyone mother, a gifted amateur, and music from Mark Twain to George was a constant companion in his Sand—heard the fifteen-year-old childhood home, where Mozart, play and immediately persuaded Weber, and Chopin were always in his parents to send him to the ComPoSED moSt rECEnt InStrumEntatIon 1868, frequently revised CSo PErFormanCES solo piano, two flutes and through 1906 november 12, 2005, piccolo, two oboes, two Orchestra Hall. lars clarinets, two bassoons, two FIrSt PErFormanCE vogt, piano, daniel horns, two trumpets, three April 3, 1869, Copenhagen Harding conducting trombones, timpani, strings August 6, 2008, Ravinia FIrSt CSo Festival. Orion weiss, piano, aPProxImatE PErFormanCE James Conlon conducting PErFormanCE tImE April 16, 1897, Auditorium 30 minutes Theatre. Teresa Carreño, piano, Theodore Thomas conducting 3 Leipzig Conservatory. For a young Neupert in Copenhagen, Grieg boy from the provinces, Leipzig accepted an invitation from Franz was an eye-opening cosmopolitan Liszt and (thanks to a government music center. One of his classmates grant) went to visit him in Rome. was Arthur Sullivan, who would Liszt played straight through later temporarily rival Grieg’s own Grieg’s concerto, reading from the popularity as a composer, and his composer’s manuscript and manag- teacher, E. F. Wenzel, had been a ing both the solo and orchestral good friend of Robert Schumann. parts with astonishing ease (“I’m an Although Grieg later complained experienced old musician and ought about the strict Germanic training to be able to play at sight,” he told during his five years at the conser- Grieg). At the very end, when one vatory, the experience broadened G-sharp in the big melody unex- his musical outlook considerably. pectedly switches to G-natural, It was also there, under Wenzel’s to great effect, Liszt jumped up, influence, that he developed his singing the transformed tune and lifelong devotion to Schumann’s shouting, “Splendid! That’s the music. One of the highlights of his real thing!” Grieg was ecstatic. But Leipzig years was hearing Clara Liszt also suggested that the second Schumann join the Gewandhaus theme of the opening movement Orchestra in a performance of her be reassigned to a solo trumpet, late husband’s piano concerto. unfortunate advice that Grieg took The single concerto that Grieg to heart, giving it back to the cello wrote shortly afterwards, at the age only in his final revision of 1906. of twenty-five, is a public declara- (Grieg was never fully satisfied tion of his affection for Schumann’s with the concerto, and for every score. Grieg not only picks the composer like Liszt or Tchaikovsky, same key (A minor), but begins who acclaimed it with lavish praise, with a similar burst of cascad- there were others, such as Debussy, ing piano chords—a generous, if whose criticism provoked him to obvious, tip of the hat. But Grieg’s keep rewriting.) style was already very much his “Keep on, I tell you,” Liszt said, own, and the melodic freshness after playing the whole piece. “You and harmonic originality of his have what is needed, and don’t let concerto owe as much to the folk anything frighten you.” But, as it music of Norway as to any German turned out, Grieg’s true talent was master. The opening piano flour- with musical miniatures—he wrote ish, for example, walking unevenly some 140 songs and many sets of down the steps of the A minor scale piano pieces—and, aside from a (descending a minor second and few works of chamber music, this then a major third), is characteristic concerto was his last work in the of Norwegian folk song and recurs large-scale classical forms. As with often, not only in the concerto, but Schumann, Grieg’s piano concerto throughout Grieg’s music. proved to be a singular treasure—a The year after the premiere, beloved and much-played work given by Grieg’s colleague Edmund without a sequel. 4 Igor Stravinsky Born June 17, 1882, Oranienbaum, Russia. Died April 6, 1971, New York City. Petrushka (1911 version) he Firebird was Stravinsky’s for the Russian Ballet’s 1910 Tfirst big hit, and it made him season. Naturally, both men wanted famous, almost literally over- another sensation for the next year. night, at the age of twenty-eight. Stravinsky already had an idea. Petrushka is that most difficult of While he was finishing the orches- artistic creations—the follow-up. tration of The Firebird, he had The Firebird had not only made dreamed about “a solemn pagan Stravinsky the talk of Paris, then rite: wise elders, seated in a circle, the capital of the international art watching a young girl dance herself world—capturing the attention of to death. They were sacrificing her the city’s biggest names, includ- to propitiate the god of spring.” ing Debussy and Proust—but These powerful images suggested it had scored a huge success for music to Stravinsky, and he began Sergei Diaghilev, who had taken to sketch almost at once.