PROGRAM NOTES © MARIA-EDUARDA MENDES MARTINS, DON ANDERSON (2020), JUN-LONG LEE (2025)
PHOTOS © OLAF HEINE
The couple lived together for several weeks before Tchaikovsky fled abroad, leaving the marriage unconsummated and undissolved — he would remain separated but still legally married to Miliukova until the day of his death. If his flight from his sham marriage signaled a renewal of energies that allowed Tchaikovsky to finish the Symphony No. 4 (and a number of other key works like the opera Eugene Onegin), his encounter with another woman might have been its initial spark. Shortly before he began its composition, he had struck up a correspondence with Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck that would span 14 years, though the two never met in person. This newfound patroness — von Meck was a wealthy widow and was passionately obsessed with his music — not only sent him 500 rubles each month but offered Tchaikovsky friendship and much-needed acceptance. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 is dedicated to his patroness; the composer viewed her as an equal partner in its fate, referring to the work as "our symphony" or "your symphony" in his progress reports. And 'Fate' would remain a nickname for the symphony in certain circles, inspired no doubt by the program guide that Tchaikovsky wrote at her behest, where he described the opening fanfare as "Fate, the decisive force which prevents our hopes of happiness from being realized..." Like Bartók, Tchaikovsky adored traditional folk music. He incorporates the folk song In the Field There Stands a Birch Tree into the fourth movement, plaiting it into the lively textures and the returning 'fate' motif that carries the symphony to its close in a stunning clash of cymbals.
RAMÓN TEBAR CONDUCTOR
LANG LANG PIANO
Spanish conductor Ramón Tebar is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Opera Naples and Artistic Director of Spain's Arantzazu Festival. He was previously Music Director of the Orquesta de Valencia, Artistic Director of the Florida Grand Opera, and Principal Guest Conductor of Valencia's Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia. In recent seasons, Ramón has conducted concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony, Norrlandsoperans Syfoniorkester, Würth Philharmoniker, Szczecin Philharmonic, and Basque National Orchestra, among others. Some of Ramón's previous guest appearances in the opera pit include engagements at the Vienna State Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Hamburg State Opera, the Cincinnati Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Gothenburg Opera, among many others. He has conducted the Spanish National Orchestra several times and further guested with many of Spain's other orchestras including the Barcelona Symphony, Madrid's RTVE Orchestra, and Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana to name just a few. Beyond Spain, Ramón has guest conducted such orchestras as the Philharmonia in London, Prague Philharmonia, Malaysian Philharmonic, Armenian Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Symphony, and San Antonio Symphony, among many others. Ramón's work can also be heard on recordings with Joseph Calleja and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana on the DECCA label, and with Gregory Kunde and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Navarra on Universal.
Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today — as a pianist, educator, and philanthropist, he has become one of the world's most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Heralded by the New York Times as "the hottest artist on the classical music planet", Lang Lang plays sold-out concerts all over the world. He has formed ongoing collaborations with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim, and Christoph Eschenbach and performs with all the world's top orchestras. Lang Lang is known for thinking outside the box and frequently steps into different musical worlds. His performances at the Grammy Awards with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and jazz legend Herbie Hancock were watched by millions of viewers. Lang Lang's boundless drive to attract new audiences to classical music has brought him tremendous recognition: he was presented with the 2010 Crystal Award in Davos and was picked as one of the 250 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. He is also the recipient of honourary doctorates from the Royal College of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and New York University. In December 2011, he was honoured with the highest prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and received the highest civilian honours in Germany (Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) and France (Medal of the Order of Arts and Letters).
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