Midweek Classics Program Notes: Inspirations, October 14, 2009

Inspirations
Midweek Classics
Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 7:30 pm
William Eddins, conductor & harpsichord
Lucas Waldin, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano

Inspirations
Midweek Classics
Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 7:30 pm
William Eddins, conductor & harpsichord
Lucas Waldin, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano

Program

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 (12')*
 William Eddins, harpsichord

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" (25')*

Intermission

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620: Overture (7’)*
 Lucas Waldin, conductor

Hummel: Piano Concerto No. 2 (31')*
 Stewart Goodyear, piano

*Indicates approximate performance duration

Program Notes

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048
Johann Sebastian Bach
(b. Eisenach, Saxony, 1685 / d. Leipzig, 1750)

Composed between 1717 and 1719; there is no evidence the work was ever performed in Bach’s lifetime
Last ESO performance: September 2000

In 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach moved from Weimar to Cöthen, where until 1723, he was in the employ of the court of Prince Leopold. During this time, Bach wrote a great deal of secular, instrumental music. In 1719, Bach received a commission to write music for the orchestra of Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg. It took Bach two years to fulfill the commission, and while it seems pretty clear that the Margrave was rather uninterested in the outcome of the commission (perhaps he lost interest waiting so long), posterity won in the long run, as we were given the six Brandenburg Concertos.

These six works represent the summit of the “concerto grosso” form. In this type of work, a smaller group of instruments (the “concertino”) stands out from a larger one (the “ripieno”). Each of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos features a distinct concertino unit – except for the concerto performed this evening. Bach scored the Third Brandenburg Concerto for three groups of strings (violins, violas and cellos), each divided into three groups themselves – plus harpsichord continuo. The first movement is dominated by a forward-moving, strong main theme, based on a simple three-note motif given rich development. The brief second movement is left largely blank in the score, inviting improvisation as a link to the whirling third movement. This is a gigue with a perpetual motion feel, the divided groups of instruments playing the same theme in imitation, alternating tempos with each other, as if tossing the theme back and forth with each other.


Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K.504 “Prague”
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart
(b. Salzburg, 1756 / d. Vienna, 1791)

First performance: January 19, 1787 in Prague
Last ESO performance: June 2004

“No piece has ever caused such a sensation as the Italian opera (The Marriage of Figaro), which has already been given several times here with unlimited applause.” So went an article in the Prague Oberpostamtszeitun of December 12, 1786. Mozart’s opera was the talk of the town. “Here they talk about nothing but ‘Figaro’,” Mozart wrote home happily upon his arrival in Prague. “Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but ‘Figaro.’ Certainly a great honour for me!”

He arrived in the city in January, to capitalize on the success his opera was having. It was one of the happiest moments in his professional life. He attended a performance of his opera, had a chamber music concert of his music presented on January 12, and had an academy concert at the National Theater on the 19th, at which his newest symphony, named in honour of the city which had so welcomed him, premiered.

It is clear from archival records that Mozart had already composed much of the music that would eventually become his “Prague” Symphony before arriving in the Bohemian capital. The opening movement is considered to be one of Mozart’s most supreme technical accomplishments as a composer. The powerful Adagio introduction ambiguously shifts between D Major and D minor, and the Allegro which follows is a contrapuntal tour de force, with two secondary subjects, and a development section which darkens the mood considerably, while maintaining its vibrant pace.

The slow movement is in G Major, its gentle lilt in stark contrast to the rather sombre musical material. Another unique aspect of this symphony is that it is the only one of Mozart’s late symphonies not to have a Minuet movement, but moves straight from the Andante to its final movement. A dashing Presto, this is a demanding work for the orchestra, particularly the winds. The amiable main material is interrupted by passages of surprising power and drama, though the impetus of the music is always brisk and propulsive.


Die Zauberflöte, K.620: Overture
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart
(b. Salzburg, 1756 / d. Vienna, 1791)

First performance of the opera: September 30, 1791 in Vienna
Last ESO performance of the overture: November 2006

Die Zauberflöte (“The Magic Flute”) was one of the last works Mozart finished before he died, only seven weeks shy of his 36th birthday. It is also one of his most famous works – an opera combining lofty ideals with lowbrow comedy; a plea for the brotherhood of humankind as well as a charming love story. The overture begins with imposing chords, supposedly based on the ceremonial knocks on the door of the hall of the Freemasons – an organization to which Mozart belonged, and whose ideals form part of the opera’s structure. The rest of the overture is based on a theme composed by Mozart’s friend and fellow musician, Muzio Clementi.


Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor, Op.85
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
(b. Pressburg, 1778 / d. Weimar, 1837)

Composed c. 1816, published in 1821
This is the ESO premiere of the work

Johann Nepomuk Hummel had an impeccable musical training; among his teachers were Mozart (with whom he lived for a short time in his youth), Clementi, Salieri, and even Haydn very briefly. Yet his own musical legacy is forever cast in the shadow of his close contemporary, Beethoven. Even during his lifetime, Hummel was regarded as second best, both as a pianist and composer, to his rival from Bonn. If there was an area at which he bested Beethoven, however, it was at his lucrative career as a teacher.

Hummel wrote over a dozen works for piano and orchestra, and they were very influential in their time. Chopin was inspired enough by seeing Hummel present a concerto in Warsaw to compose his own piano concertos, both of which follow Hummel’s style quite closely. Franz Liszt made his public debut at age eleven performing a Hummel concerto. The A minor Concerto has a long and substantial opening movement. The orchestral opening is reminiscent of Mozart’s minor-key first movements, and introduces two main subjects before the piano finally enters nearly four minutes in. It rhapsodizes over both of the two principal themes, and is soon the dominant force, setting the pace amid scales, trills and arpeggios. Yet beneath the veneer of pianistic glitter – which caused many to dismiss Hummel’s works as all sizzle and little steak – the pianism is formidable, and the orchestration is rich.

The slow movement begins with majestic orchestral chords, and with the piano’s entrance, we hear much of what inspired Chopin in the slow movements of both his concertos. This movement is by far the briefest of the three, with gentle pulses in the orchestra urging on the piano’s strong, emotional declarations. The third movement opens directly from the second, at first quietly, but soon with more energy, this time with the piano clearly taking the lead. This final movement is a rondo, with clever, almost Baroque-sounding touches given to the orchestra invading the cascading, brilliant piano passages. The contrast is full of charm, though the sheer bravado of the soloist’s passages is dazzling, the coda is a breathtaking whirl of virtuosity.

Program Notes © 2009 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.