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Acclaimed American cellist Julie Albers makes her ESO debut in the fiery Second Cello Concerto by Dmitri Kabalevsky. Johannes Brahms wrote his Second Symphony in the summer of 1877 during a visit to the Austrian Alps, and it is one of his sunniest scores. Malcolm Forsyth's exciting overture expressed the composer's vision of joyous reconciliation in South Africa.

Learn more about the performance at Symphony Prelude: 7:15 pm in the Upper Circle (Third Level) Lobby with D.T. Baker and Malcolm Forsyth.

Brahms: Symphony No. 2
Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto No. 2
Forsyth: ukuZalwa (Rebirth)

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$59 Terrace (B)
$51 Orchestra (C)
$38 Upper Circle (D)
$28 Gallery (E)
$20 Orchestra Front (F)
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The next Classic Landmarks Masters performance is November 14, 2009.

Program Information

Program

Forsyth: ukuZalwa (Rebirth) (12')*

Kabalevsky: Cello Concerto No. 2 (30')*
 Julie Albers, cello

Intermission

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 (40')*

*Indicates approximate performance duration

Program Notes

ukuZalwa
Malcolm Forsyth
(b. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, 1936)

First performance: October 22, 1983 in Pietermaritzburg
This is the ESO premiere of the piece

Program note by the composer
This piece is in the style of a concert overture: bright, brilliant, and tuneful. It was written as the inaugural work for the newly-established Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1983. The title is a Zulu word meaning "Rebirth."

Several features have dictated its form. First, there is the element of bringing together the European style with the African, as a statement of the composer's hope for the future of his native land at at a time of tribulation, so that we hear an A-section in the typical melodic-harmonic manner of Europe contrasted with the beat of Zulu drums and the cross-rhythmic ostinati typical of Africa in the B-theme. These are first introduced by a fanfare which reappears twice later.

The two main elements are then projected into a series of variations in which each section of the orchestra is given its own feature solo passage, some based on the European, some on the African theme. This was the composer's way of introducing the new orchestra to its audience at the inaugural concert in the city of his birth, Pietermaritzburg.

First in the set of variations are the trombones and tuba in a boisterous romp, followed by the upper strings, then lyrical bassoons. Horns follow with a wonderful mixing of the two cultures: a new theme in the style of a Protestant hymn, but pentatonic, and with the driving cross-rhythms of the drums in the background. Then comes a flute and piccolo variation on the A-theme, followed by the cellos and basses in a romantic interlude. Oboes have an ethereal moment and then the two trumpets appear in a rapid and rhythmic passage. An incisive solo for the harp leads us to the clarinets, the last soloists, in a looping and flexible pattern, after which the return of the A-theme and a brilliant burst of drums signal the conclusion, an optimistic prediction of a fine future for both the new orchestra and the whole country.


Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op.77
Dmitri Kabalevsky
(b. St. Petersburg, 1904 / d. Moscow, 1987)

First performance: January 15, 1965 in Leningrad
This is the ESO premiere of the piece

“As it is, I think it is the best of his works so far made available in the West though I realise that this may be interpreted as a pretty backhanded compliment.”
Robert Layton, Gramophone magazine, December 1969

During the Cold War, and indeed even in the first few decades following, composers who found themselves more or less at peace with the Soviet regime were regarded by the west as somehow less deserving of serious attention. Those who fell out of favour, who were charged with the serious offense of writing music which fell under the accusation of “formalism,” were seen as rebels against the Soviet authorities, and therefore as more “heroic.” But perhaps time and understanding have helped the reputations of composers such as Dmitri Kabalevsky, who seemed to prosper under the Soviet regime. His music had a natural bent toward 19th century idioms and harmonies; that, coupled with his talents for music education made his natural compositional voice one that avoided the strictures directed at many of his contemporaries, such as Shostakovich.

Kabalevsky’s First Cello Concerto (which Yo-Yo Ma performed at an ESO Gala performance in 2007) was intended as a student work – though not one necessarily easy for any performer. The Second Cello Concerto had a much more “adult” genesis. Having worked on the orchestration of Prokofiev’s Concertino, Kabalevsky was inspired to turn to the cello concerto form once more, writing this work in 1964 for cellist Daniel (also spelled Daniil) Shafran, who premiered it in 1967.

Dedicated to Shafran, the concerto is in three movements, linked by cadenzas. It opens ominously: a few plucked notes over haunting low strings. The music opens out from this, with lyricism in both cello and orchestra, though the molto sostenuto atmosphere is maintained. The second mood of the movement, Allegro molto e energico, bursts out from the cello about halfway through. The long, highly detailed cello passages test the mettle of the performer, while the mood of restless, nervous energy is a strong contrast to the preceding one of sadness. There are some wonderful instrumental flourishes here as well, particularly for the woodwinds. The opening mood is restored as the movement ends, yielding to the first cadenza, a brooding affair featuring pizzicato, bent notes, and double stops.

The second movement opens with a jaunty solo for alto saxophone, flashy and completely unexpected. The cello responds, and the pace is bracing, the orchestral colours rich. There are quiet moments, particularly when the cello is given some taxing music to play, but the energy never flags, until a sudden halt ushers in the second cadenza, which restores a mood of haunting stillness, amid emotional bursts. This cadenza is shorter, and the third movement begins with - sadness again - but also great beauty. Slowly, the cello raises the temperature, leading to a brief fanfare in the horns, then ebbs back into the beautiful, lyrical opening (with a lovely oboe solo). Again, the cello picks up the pace, this time for good. The cello plays a searing ostinato as the orchestra grows in strength, leading to another passage of more animated lyricism. As the movement ends, the quiet returns, and the concerto ebbs away, in a mist of mystery and muted colours.


Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.73
Johannes Brahms
(b. Hamburg, 1833 / d. Vienna, 1897)

First performance: December 30, 1877 in Vienna
Last ESO performance: January 2001

“…an unqualified success…with nothing of the contemporary tendency to emphasize novelty. This time Brahms has managed to suppress his imposing, but dangerous, art of hiding his ideas in a polyphonic web or exposing them to contrapuntal frustration.”
from Eduard Hanslick’s review of the premiere of Brahms’ Second Symphony

At last! It had taken Johannes Brahms the better part of two decades to finally bring a symphony before the public. Faced with the extraordinary pressure of producing a symphony worthy of the musical successor to Beethoven – as the music world had regarded him - Brahms had laboured and second-guessed the long, tortuous road that had finally yielded his First Symphony in 1876. But with that finally behind him, Brahms wrote a second symphony with surprising ease, and in only months, not years.

Composed during an idyllic summer in 1877 spent at the village of Pörtschach, near Lake Worth in the Austrian Alps, the Second Symphony is widely considered Brahms’ most serene, his most contented. But there is a grey undercurrent amid the serenity, one borne of a mature and seasoned composer who, that same summer, had written a motet titled, “Wherefore is the light given to them that toil?”.

All four movements of the D Major Symphony are in major keys, yet as often as not, tonality is suggested more than dwelled upon. There is much harmonic and rhythmic interplay and subtlety at work throughout the symphony, which begins with an almost hymn-like theme in the trombones before the mood turns more rich and romantic. A theme which comes to dominate the movement first occurs about two and a half minutes in – listen for what almost sounds like the opening of Brahms’ famous Lullaby. Moods contrast greatly throughout this movement, often by using fragments of the two main themes subjected to cross rhythms and unsettled harmonies. There are some moments of intense passion, but the movement itself ends almost playfully, with pizzicato (plucked) strings leading to a demure ending.

The second movement is the longest slow movement in any Brahms symphony, and opens with much the same mood as the first does. The development section offers a strong contrast in both mood and tempo, and moves through many keys. An emotional climax ebbs away as quickly as it arrives, ending the movement on a hush. The third movement’s main song is a tripping Ländler (the rustic precursor to the Viennese waltz), contrasted with a skittish, scurrying theme in 2/4 – the string writing has the feel of Mendelssohn’s gossamer string sound. These two main subjects alternate, or are combined in ingenious ways by Brahms in this good-naturedly off-kilter movement.

With the opening measures of the finale, we know momentous things are imminent. But at first, the buoyant outbursts from the orchestra sound almost as if the happiness is contrived. A clarinet begins a new song, which is followed in the strings by one reminiscent of the third movement’s Ländler. Fragments of these melodies come and go, but there is a forward momentum to the music; the brass dominates the proceedings as the coda begins, and at last, the joy is as irrepressible as it is unbounded, leading to one of the most ebullient endings of any Brahms work.

Program Notes © 2008 D.T. Baker

Program notes © 2009 by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and its respective annotators. All Rights Reserved. Program notes may not be printed in their entirety without the written consent of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra; excerpts may be quoted if due acknowledgment is given to the author and to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. For reprint permission, contact D.T. Baker, Music Resource, by email, dave.baker@winspearcentre.com.
 
These notes appear in galley files prepared for Signature magazine, official publication of the ESO, and may contain typographical or other errors, or may differ from the final print version. Programs and artists subject to change without notice.

Artist Information

William Eddins, conductor

 

William Eddins is in his fifth season as Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. A native of Buffalo, New York, he currently resides in Minneapolis with his lovely wife Jen, a clarinetist, and their two boys Raef (AKA Raefster; Munchers) and Riley (AKA Squeaky; The Imp; Dr. No).

 

Bill has been playing piano since he was five when his parents bought a Wurlitzer Grand piano at a garage sale. He started conducting during his sophomore year at the Eastman School of Music, and most of the '80s were spent trying to decide whether to pursue a career in conducting or piano. The quandary was answered for him when he realized that the life of a poor, starving pianist was for the birds. In 1989 Bill decided to study conducting with Dan Lewis at the University of Southern California, from whence he managed to land assistant conductor posts with the Chicago Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra in 1992. 

Bill has many non-musical hobbies including: cooking, eating, discussing food, and planning dinner parties.  He is also quite fond of biking, tennis, reading, and pinball. Unfortunately, due to pianistic paranoia his days in the martial arts are long over.

Bill is committed to bringing classical music to the greater public. He has started a podcast – Classical Connections – which is dedicated to exploring the history of classical music and highlights live chamber music performances in which Bill has taken part (check it out for yourself at Bill Eddins' website). He has also produced a solo piano CD – Bad Boys, Volume I – which features Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata and Albright's Nightmare Fantasy Rag. His latest recording, on the Naxos label, features American music for cello and orchestra.

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Julie Albers, cello

 

American cellist Julie Albers was born in 1980 to a musical family in Longmont, Colorado. She began violin studies at the age of two with her mother, switching to cello at four. She moved to Cleveland during her junior year of high school to pursue studies through the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Aaron. Ms. Albers was awarded the Grand Prize at the XIII International Competition for Young Musicians in Douai, France, and as a result toured France as soloist with Orchestre symphonique de Douai.

Julie Albers made her major orchestral debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1998, and has since performed in recital and with orchestras in the U.S., Europe, Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand. In 2001 she won Second Prize in Munich’s Internationalen Musikwettbewerbes der ARD, at which time she was also awarded the Wilhelm-Weichsler-Musikpreis der Stadt Osnabruch 2001. In November, 2003, Ms. Albers was named the first Gold Medal Laureate of South Korea’s Gyeongnam International Music Competition.

In North America, Ms. Albers has performed with many important orchestras and ensembles. Her 2009-2010 engagements include performances with the Florida Orchestra, and the Utah, Vancouver, San Diego, Memphis, Syracuse, West Virginia, Santa Rosa, Brevard, and Fairfax Symphony Orchestras. She is currently active with the Albers String Trio and the cello quartet, CELLO. Julie Albers is also on the faculty of Kean University as a member of the Concert Artist program. October, 2005 marked the release of Ms. Albers’ debut album on the Artek label. Julie Albers performs on a N.F. Vuillaume cello made in 1872 and makes her home in New York City.

This is Ms. Albers’ debut with the ESO.

 

Media

Karajan conducts Brahms Symphony 2 (1973):

Cellist Julie Albers performs with her quartet, CELLO:

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