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From Suite No. 4 in G major, Mozartiana, Op. 61 Fourth Movement: Theme and Variations In the summer of 1887, during a pleasant stay in the Caucasus, Tchaikovsky sat down to compose a tribute to Mozart, his favorite composer. He made a symphonic transcription of four Mozart pieces, with only minor changes in their melodic line. As the composer put it, they are “antique art in modern shape.” The first and second movements are based on a gigue and minuet from Mozart’s keyboard dances. The third is based on a vocal work, Ave verum corpus, K. 618 for voices, strings and organ, although Tchaikovsky worked from Franz Liszt’s piano transcription. The fourth movement, by far the longest, is a showpiece for solo strings and woodwind players. This theme and variations is a transcription of Mozart’s Ten Variations K. 455 on a theme from Christoph Willibald von Gluck’s comic opera The Pilgrims of Mecca. Although many musical tributes to past composers attempt to “update” the style of the period in which they lived, Tchaikovsky’s approach is more eclectic.By retaining the essence of Mozart’s original variations in the fourth movement, the rich orchestration becomes the focus of the movement. Each variation features a different combination of instruments and solos abound, especially one for the violin that lasts as long as some concerto movements.  Tchaikovsky apparently couldn't resist inserting the more modern romantic sonoriies of his own time, giving a couple of the variations his inimitable fingerprint, such as this lead-in to a flashy clarinet cadenza. | ||||||||||
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Bassoon Concerto in B-flat major, K. 191 In the eighteenth century, the bassoon graduated from its role as part of the basso continuo accompaniment in trio sonatas and concertos for other wind instruments to a featured soloist. Georg Philip Telemann, J.S. Bach and his sons used it prominently in their music, but it was Antonio Vivaldi, whose 39 bassoon concertos thrust the instrument into the limelight. The baroque bassoon had a narrower bore and fewer keys than its modern descendent, and its tone was described paradoxically as “delicate, melancholy or religious,” and as “comic or humorous.” The 18-year-old Mozart composed his only authenticated Bassoon Concerto in June 1774 for an unknown Salzburg virtuoso and not, as was once thought, for the amateur bassoonist Baron Thaddäus von Dürnitz. The work is cast in the graceful but emotionally detached galant style, popular in mid-century. It emphasizes the instrument’s upper and middle register, usually avoiding the lower register with its grotesque connotations and wobbly pitch. The Concerto has no surprises in form or harmony and, if anything, it catered to the obviously talented musician in its rapid staccato passages in the first movement, the lyricism of the andante second movement and the two extended cadenzas in movements 1 and 2. It is emblematic of the work of the young Mozart, on the one hand confident of the compositional techniques of his period, but still lacking his own individual voice. It is remarkable particularly in how it reflects the composer’s understanding of the potential of the instrument. The Concerto is a model of double exposition sonata form used for the standard Classical concerto, but Mozart does not provide a true second theme, letting the soloist launch into virtuosic display instead. The Andante second movement explores the lyric capacity of the instrument after another introductory exposition by the orchestra. In the middle section of the movement, Mozart pairs the bassoon in a lovely duet with its double reed soprano cousins the oboes. In the third movement, a straight forward rondo plays double duty as a minuet. While the orchestra plays the rondo, the bassoon is featured in the episodes, first embellishing the rondo theme, then in a more expressive display, and finally in a finely woven elaboration of the theme with the orchestra. Mozart composed the Bassoon Concerto during his first year as “composer-in-residence” in his native Salzburg where he was receiving a small annual salary as court musician. The previous year he had returned from an extended tour of Italy, where he performed, composed and soaked up the conventions of the Italian opera seria. He spent the next seven and half years in Salzburg, the latter part squirming under the rigid strictures of Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo, from whom he finally escaped to Vienna. Mozart’s biographer, Maynard Solomon, however, points out that the Salzburgers felt considerable pride in their native son, providing him with opportunities to perform, private commissions and over two years’ worth of leave time to make his reputation and fortune throughout Europe. But as Mozart found his mature voice, the Salzburg years became a period in which he increasingly perceived his abilities as being stifled by the conservative atmosphere, as he churned out church music for the archbishop, divertimenti for the court and chamber pieces – including three quartets for his hated flute – for private commissions. | ||||||||||
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Voices from the Gallery Libretto by Joan Vail Thorne Have you ever felt that a painting “speaks” to you? Well, if not, now’s your chance to hear from eleven of Western art’s well known masterpieces. This multimedia production shows, tells and plays unique takes on each image from the point of view of its subjects, either in self-contemplation of the finished product, or as a stream-of-consciousness monologue as they sit for the artist. It should be pointed out that Voices from the Gallery is quite a different animal from Pictures at an Exhibition. While Musorgsky painted the images in music from the viewer’s vantage, Stephen Paulus and Joan Vail Thorne convey what the subject might have been thinking – or “saying” to the viewer. Always witty – although not always funny – the subjects reveal through their comments what the artists may have wished to project – or not. Paulus coordinates each narrative vignette with appropriately atmospheric music, permitting the audience to “see with the ear’s eye.” By projecting the images during the narration and music, audience members may, of course, establish their own personal dialogues directly with the work of art. A prolific composer of over 350 works, Stephen Paulus is fluent in all musical media, including orchestra, opera, chorus, chamber ensemble, solo voice, concert band, piano and organ. He has composed ten operas, his best known, The Postman Always Rings Twice, based on James Cain’s thriller. Born in Summit, New Jersey, he has lived most of his life in Minnesota. He co-founded the American Composers Forum in 1973 and continues to work on behalf of his colleagues as the Symphony and Concert representative on the ASCAP Board of Directors. His music has been commissioned, recorded and performed by a wide range of orchestras and music organizations. He has served as composer-in-residence for the Minnesota Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony. Joan Vail Thorne is a playwright, director, filmmaker and teacher. Among her stage plays are High Cockalorum, Immodest Acts and The Exact Center of the Universe. She wrote and directed the films Last Rites and Secrets. The works of art are: 1. Greek Sculpture – Winged Victory of Samothrace | ||||||||||
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Symphony No. 104 in D major, “London” The long life of Franz Joseph Haydn spanned one of the great upheavals in the economics of the musical profession. It marked the demise of the aristocratic “ownership” of music and musicians and the rise of the middle class as patron, supporter and chief consumer of the arts. No one bridged this transition better than Haydn, who went from being the darling of the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy to that of London's merchants without offending either. In 1791, Haydn made the first of two extended trips to London at the invitation of the impresario Johann Peter Salomon, actually considering settling there for good. He composed numerous works for performance in Salomon’s concerts, primarily his last twelve symphonies (known today as the “London: or “Salomon” symphonies). These concerts – like most performances of the time – went on for hours and were a mixed bag, including vocal, chamber and orchestral pieces. For the decade of the 1790s, their major drawing power lay in Haydn’s music. Haydn was not only a hit with London’s middle class but also with royalty and the high nobility. Although they seem to have been a bit late in getting around to inviting the composer for a formal presentation before their majesties King George III and Queen Charlotte, he so captivated Their Majesties that they had him back for return performances and conversation throughout the month of February of 1794. The Queen actually attempted to lure Haydn to take up permanent residence in London, but he declined on the grounds of loyalty to his patrons, the Esterházy family. It is sometimes difficult from the vantage point of the twenty-first century to realize how innovative a composer Haydn was. While retaining the harmonic palette of high classicism, he added new ideas, on both a large and small scale, to make his works always sound fresh and exciting to his audiences. The Symphony No.104 was Haydn’s last. It was probably premiered in London in May 1795 at an all-Haydn concert, the proceeds of which, in the English tradition of such “benefit” performances, went to the composer. Haydn himself remarked on the concert’s huge success, both artistically and financially. Symphony 104 is notable for its persistently lively character. The somber introduction with its timpani and sighing violin motive belies the overall mood of the piece, but then, Haydn was ever a proponent of the unexpected touch. The second movement falls into the standard ABA pattern. A gentle theme in the A section undergoes the same contrast of moods as the Introduction and Allegro. The repeat of the A section includes variation-like embellishments of the main theme. Haydn's minuet movements were always less courtly and elegant than Mozarts. Here, however, the irregular phrasing and sudden pauses in the minuet which, in addition to its boisterous character, distances it, more than usual for Haydn, from its courtly dance origins. As if to emphasize the symphony’s “grass roots,” Haydn accompanies the main theme of the final movement with a drone, imitating the rural bagpipes of Croatian shepherds. Beethoven used the same effect in his "Pastoral" Symphony. | ||||||||||
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| Copyright © Elizabeth and Joseph Kahn 2014 | ||||||||||
