Haydn’s Surprise Symphony

November 24, 2010, 7:30 pm

Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre

Haydn’s Surprise Symphony

2010-11 Midweek Classics

  • Lucas Waldin, conductor
    Sergei Babayan, piano
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Details

Russian-born Sergei Babayan is featured in a stormy Bach keyboard concerto. Lucas Waldin conducts contrasting masterpieces by Elgar and Vaughan Williams, as well as a Haydn symphony complete with a famous practical joke!

J.S. Bach: Piano Concerto in D minor
Haydn: Symphony No. 94 “Surprise”
Elgar: Three Characteristic Pieces
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

click for detailed seating mapTicket Information

$65 Dress Circle (A)
$53 Terrace (B)
$39 Orchestra (C)
$25 Upper Circle (D)
$20 Orchestra Front (F)
Tickets subject to applicable service charges.

The next Midweek Classics performance is Violin & Viola on January 26, 2011.

Thank you to our media sponsor: espace musique

enbridgeOur Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin appears in part thanks to the support of Enbridge.
 

Program Info

ELGAR
Three Characteristic Pieces, Opus 10 (12’)*
 
JS BACH
Piano Concerto in D minor, BWV1052 (22’)*
 
INTERMISSION
 
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (15’)*
 
HAYDN
Symphony No. 94 in G major, Hob I/94 “Surprise” (25’)*

*Indicates approximate performance duration


Program Notes

Three Characteristic Pieces, Op.10
Edward Elgar (b. Broadheath, Worcestershire, 1857 / d. Worcester, 1934)
 
Viewed from a distance, the Three Characteristic Pieces of Edward Elgar seem an amusing trifle. But as the construction of this suite of three disparate pieces took place over an exaggerated period of time, when taken together they showcase how a talented young composer became a master of his craft.
 
The first two of the Three Characteristic Pieces date from 1882, when the 25-year-old Elgar was still based in Worcester. The first is a mazurka, a dance with Polish origins and a triple metre, with a tendency to accent the weak beats. Elgar could not help but infuse his Polish dance with a bit of bucolic English countryside, however. The second piece is called Sérénade mauresque (“Moorish Serenade”), its main theme a lightly Spanish-via-the-Moors confection with warm woodwind colours throughout.
 
In 1899, Elgar revised his 1882 Suite, and it was released by his publisher Novello as Three Characteristic Pieces. To the first two of the set, the now 42-year-old composer added another movement which has the full title of Contrasts: The Gavotte A.D. 1700 and 1900. It was inspired by a performance Elgar saw in which a pair of dancers wore masks which, depending on the angle from which one saw them, looked to be either modern or Rococo. So Elgar’s gavotte (a dance from the Breton region of France which was popular in the Baroque) begins very much in Baroque style, but is brought up to date in the second half of the movement.
 
 
Keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052
Johann Sebastian Bach (b. Eisenach, 1685 / d. Leipzig, 1750)
 
The keyboard for which Bach wrote his keyboard concertos was the harpsichord. Prior to his taking it on as a concertante instrument, the harpsichord was not thought of in that regard. So Bach’s first attempts at concertos for keyboard were arrangements of violin concertos, many of them by Vivaldi, whom Bach admired. But when he took over the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig beginning in 1729, the society’s weekly concerts gave Bach the chance to flex his creative muscles, and compose his own keyboard concertos.
 
Eventually, he would write seven concertos for solo harpsichord, three for two harpsichords, two for three harpsichords, one for four harpsichords, and the “Italian” Concerto for harpsichord solo without orchestra. The D minor Concerto is perhaps the best-known of the solo harpsichord concertos. Its first two movements were arrangements of music Bach had written earlier for cantatas. Tonight’s keyboard instrument for the concerto will be the piano.
 
The concerto opens dramatically, and a little darkly, in the strings. The solo instrument, once it enters, either exchanges thematic material with the orchestra, or joins in the orchestral texture. When given a chance to be highlighted, the keyboard part is quite challenging, complete with a brief cadenza near the movement’s end. The slow movement, unsually for Bach, is also in a minor key (G minor). Like the opening movement, there is a dark drama here, the strings intoning a measured song, answered with a lovely plaint in the solo instrument. As the movement progresses, there is ever greater embellishment to the soloist’s melodic line. The final movement is in an energetic 3/4 time, again with the piano woven into the orchestral line, but also given many moments to stand out from the ensemble, with passages almost toccata-like in their presentation.
 
 
Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Ralph Vaughan Williams (b. Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, 1872 / d. London, 1958)
 
Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585) was an important English Renaissance composer. Ralph Vaughan Williams was avidly interested in the music of Britain’s past. He dedicated much of his time to rediscovering and archiving traditional music of his native land, preserving it for posterity. But he also genuinely enjoyed ancient music, and its influence colours more than a few of his pieces.
 
In 1910, he received a commission from The Three Choirs Festival for a work to be performed in Gloucester Cathedral. The open, vaulted space, and Tallis’ vast amount of sacred works, inspired him to compose a work for antiphonal strings, based on a hymn from a 1567 psalter by Tallis. It was acclaimed from its first performance, and is still regarded as one of Vaughan Williams’ finest pieces. Tallis, a master of counterpoint, would have admired the structure of the latter composer’s treatment, in which the strings’ counterpoint weaves textures ranging from sturdy to gossamer, in a work that continuously unfolds in lush, warm textures and an ethereal sense of the work’s sacred roots.
 
 
Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Hob.1: 94 “Surprise”
Franz Josef Haydn (b. Rohrau, Lower Austria, 1732 / d. Vienna, 1809)
 
Franz Josef Haydn is regarded as the “Father of the Symphony,” having brought the work from its obscure infancy to establishing it as the supreme example of long-form orchestral music of his time. He wrote 104 of them, and his mastery of the form allowed him all manner of experimentation and innovation within the strict guidelines of sonata-allegro form. In other words, he was good enough – and successful enough – to have fun when he wanted to. Haydn was ever a man with a strong sense of humour, and he couldn’t resist a bit of mischief with his 94th Symphony.
 
These notes will not give away the “surprise” of this symphony, though it may well be known to many, as this cheerful work is one of Haydn’s best known. It won its place from its triumphant premiere in 1792, and not solely on the basis of the unexpected moment. “Remarkably simple, but extended to vast complication,” went one contemporary review, “exquisitely modulated, and striking in effect. Critical applause was fervid and abundant.”
 
The slow introduction’s gravitas is a brief contrast the ebullience of the brisk 6/8 gallop of the Vivace assai. That sense of the outdoors, the country, is a strong one throughout the symphony – G Major was considered a key associated with the pastoral in Haydn’s day. Right before the recapitulation, the tone darkens somewhat, as Haydn plays with the ambiguity between G Major and A minor. But the merry ride through the country re-establishes itself for the final minutes of the first movement.
 
The slow movement is a direct, simple – almost naïve – nursery song, put through a series of variations, some of ingenious construction. There is a dark-hued minor-key version, a playful twittering one for the oboe, a grandly overstated one with brass accents, and a finale that starts out rumbling darkly, ending with a quiet smile. The Menuet of the third movement has a rough and ready folk-dance lilt – again, that bucolic nature showing through. It is contrasted with a Trio of gently eddying strings. The final movement is one of Haydn’s most famous tunes – a merry high-stepping tune that takes several unexpected turns, including veering far off the home key at the coda, with the timpani pounding aggressively underneath.
 
Program Notes © 2010 by D.T. Baker

Artist Info

Lucas Waldin, conductor

Lucas Waldin

The 2010/11 season marks the second for Lucas Waldin as Resident Conductor for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This mentorship position is made possible through the Canada Council for the Arts and Enbridge. Mr. Waldin graduated in 2006 from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a Masters in Conducting. He has performed with L'Orchestre du Festival Beaulieu-Sur-Mer (Monaco), Staatstheater Cottbus (Brandenburg), and Bachakademie Stuttgart. Lucas was assistant conductor of the contemporary orchestra RED (Cleveland), director of the Cleveland Bach Consort, and a Discovery Series Conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival. In 2007, he was invited to conduct the Miami-based New World Symphony Orchestra in masterclasses given by Michael Tilson Thomas. In Lucerne in 2009, he also participated in a masterclass led by Bernard Haitink, with the Lucerne Festival Strings.

A native of Toronto, Lucas Waldin has spent summers studying in Europe, including studies at the International Music Academy in Leipzig, the Bayreuth Youth Orchestra, and the Acanthes New Music Festival in France. On this continent, he has studied under the renowned Bach conductor Helmut Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival, and has attended conducting masterclasses with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Toronto. Mr. Waldin received a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from the Cleveland Institute, studying with Joshua Smith.

The ESO would like to thank Enbridge Pipelines for their commitment to the arts and this program by matching the funding provided by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Sergei Babayan, piano

sergei babayan pianoAcclaimed for the immediacy, sensitivity and depth of his interpretations, Sergei Babayan's performances reveal an emotional intensity and bold energy, equipping him to explore stylistically diverse repertoire. He is known for his innovative programming, often including modern works by composers such as Lutoslawsky, Ligeti and Arvo Part, and extending the boundaries of mainstream repertoire for which he continues to be acclaimed, excelling in Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann as much as the Russian heritage of Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Prokofiev. His philosophy that a recital should reveal a spiritual dimension, results in playing which sustains an intensity which never fails to captivate. His performances of J S Bach, have always gained him both public and critical acclaim, and he firmly believes that the natural evolution of the keyboard instrument has led to today's modern piano which allows the music to be fully expressed in this modern incarnation. 
 
A student of such legendary teachers and musicians as Gornostayeva, Naumov, Pletnev and Vlasenko in the Moscow Conservatory, he was, however, not permitted to leave the country and be free to compete and study in the West. He was the first pianist from the former USSR who was able to compete without government sponsorship after the collapse of the system. 
 
Immediately after his first trip outside of the USSR, he won consecutive first prizes in several major international competitions including the -Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition (formerly the Cleveland International Piano Competition) (1990) -The Palm Beach International Piano Competition (1990), -The Hamamatsu Piano Competition (1991) -The Scottish International Piano Competition (1992 ). He is also a Laureate of the Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition, the Busoni International Piano Competition, and the Esther Honens International Competition in Calgary. Since that time he has had major engagements and concert tours throughout Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, South America and the USA. 
 
His New York recitals at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, and Detroit Symphony met with huge critical acclaim, as have his many subsequent recital and concerto performances throughout all the major cities in the US. His concert schedule has included performances and broadcasts throughout major European cities and extensive tours of Japan. He appeared with recitals in such important venues as Salle Gaveau in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Warsaw Philharmonic, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Bolshoy Zal of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and countless others. 
 
In recent seasons he performed recitals in New York City, London, Hannover, Manchester, Bruxelles, Glasgow, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, Grenoble, Tours, Warsaw, Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, and New Orleans.
 
Sergei Babayan appeared in numerous major music festivals in France, Germany, UK, Poland, Spain, and the US. His concerts have been broadcast by WQXR, WCLV, Radio France, Polish Radio and Television, BBC-TV and NHK Satellite Television. He has made several highly praised recordings for EMC, Connoisseur Society and Pro Piano labels. His recordings of Scarlatti, Ligeti, Messiaen, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Schubert, Liszt, Vine, Respighi and Prokofiev garnered high acclaims including a “critic's choice” in the New York Times praising Babayan’s “extraordinary technique and ability to play densely harmonized works with illuminating transparency and a daunting measure of control”. American Record Guide joins in these accolades praising his “phenomenal level of color and imagination”. About the recording of Scarlatti Sonatas American Guide says: “It can stand proudly besides that of Horowitz...” 
 
Mr. Babayan has appeared with many major orchestras throughout the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Nationale de Lille, and New World Symphony. His performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra were received with great enthusiasm by audiences and critics alike. He has collaborated with such conductors as Yuri Temirkanov, Neeme Jarvi, Hans Graf, David Robertson, Kazimierz Kord and Michael Christi, and his concerto repertoire is constantly growing - at this point he has 51 concertos which have been performed. 
 
His unusual and imaginative recital programming has always elicited interest and praise. Mr. Babayan is an enthusiastic advocate of new music and has an immense repertoire. 
 
Sergei Babayan’s deep interest and love for the music of Bach has led him to study more recently with Helmuth Rilling. Always in search of the new, Sergei Babayan studied conducting in order to deepen his understanding of the orchestra, to be able to study and perform some of the music of the 20th century which is particularly interesting for him, as well as to conduct piano and orchestra repertoire from the keyboard. In this role, he already has performed music of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schnittke, Part, Vasks, Schedrin, and Prokofiev. 
 
In May of 2006 Sergei Babayan was invited by Valery Gergiev to perform Lutoslawsky piano concerto in the XIV International Festival “Stars of the White Nights” in St. Petersburg with the orchestra of Mariinsky Theatre. Performance was highly praised in major Russian publications and met with great enthusiasm by the audience. He has recently invited by Gergiev to perform Prokofiev ‘s 3rd piano concerto in his Easter Festival, and will return to London in 2010 to perform at the Barbican with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gergiev. Other recent highlights include the Prague Spring Festival with the Janacek Chember Orchestra and an acclaimed recital at the 92nd Y in New York. 
 
“Mr. Babayan belongs to an elite breed of new pianists. This is elegant playing, intelligent yet colorful, rational yet never wanting for passion and tenderness, irreproachable on every level.” 
~ American Record Guide 
 
“One would be hard put to name a Bach interpreter of his standing today. The only comparison that springs to mind is the famous recording of Dinu Lipatti… His performance has tonal spectrum many orchestras would envy. Babayan is no mere pianist. He is a master-musician for whom the piano is his voice, his orchestra.” 
~ The Scotsman

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