Program Notes

JOHANN STRAUSS II

born: October 25, 1825 in Vienna, Austria
died: June 3, 1899 in Vienna, Austria

Overture to Die Fledermaus (1874)

The operetta Die Fledermaus (The Bat) is one of the most beloved works by Vienna’s “Waltz King”, Johann Strauss. The story is based on a text by the librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, who also provided the texts for Georges Bizet’s Carmen and several of the Jacques Offenbach operettas. In the Ludovic-Halévy version of the tale, called Le réveillon, the story takes place in Paris on Christmas Eve. Karl Haffner and Richard Genée fashioned a German-language version of the tale, which relocated the story to the Vienna of Strauss’s time. It was this text that Strauss set to music.

The premiere of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus took place at the Vienna Theater an der Wien on April 5, 1874. The work was not an immediate success. But soon, Die Fledermaus triumphed in Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, and, of course, Vienna. To this day, Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus is one of the few operettas to maintain a regular presence in the opera house repertoire, particularly around the New Year.

The sparkling Overture to Die Fledermaus has also enjoyed independent success in the concert hall. The Overture features several melodies from the operetta. And, of course, the waltz plays a prominent role in this delightful work.

RICHARD STRAUSS

born: June 11, 1864 in Munich, Germanya
died: September 8, 1949 in Garmisch, Germany

Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs)
(1948)

The final decade of Richard Strauss’s long and productive life was, in many ways, the most difficult. Along with the kinds of challenges often encountered in later years, Strauss witnessed the destruction of his native Germany, as World War II reached its devastating conclusion. Ultimately, Strauss and his wife, Pauline, left their home in Garmisch, seeking refuge in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Strauss’s last decade proved to be a remarkably creative period, one affectionately referred to as the composer’s “Indian Summer.” During the 1940s Strauss produced several marvelous works, including the opera Capriccio (1942), the Second Horn Concerto (1942), the Oboe Concerto (1945), and Metamorphosen (1945), subtitled “A Study for 23 Solo Strings.”

Strauss’s final composition is the work known as the Vier letze Lieder (Four Last Songs), scored for soprano solo and orchestra. In May of 1948, Strauss composed the song “Im Abendrot”, a setting of a poem by Joseph von Eichendorff. In September of that year, Strauss added three songs, based upon poetry by Hermann Hesse (“Frühling,” “September,” and “Beim Schlafengehen”). The premiere of the Four Last Songs took place after Strauss’s death. Two legendary artists, soprano Kirsten Flagstad and conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, joined the Philharmonia Orchestra in a May 22, 1950 concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Throughout his career, Richard Strauss proved himself a master of vocal writing (both in song and opera), and in the magical deployment of the orchestra to musical and dramatic effect. All of those gifts are evident in Strauss’s valedictory work, one that with the utmost beauty and eloquence depicts the composer’s embrace of the culmination of a rich and well-lived time on earth.

GIUSEPPE VERDI

born: October 10, 1813 in Le Roncole, Italy
died: January 27, 1901 in Milan, Italy

Overture to La forza del destino (1862)

Verdi’s grand opera, La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny), is based upon a sprawling 1830s Spanish play, Don Alvaro, or The Force of Destiny, by Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas. To this day, some find Forza’s epic length (expanded by several crowd scenes) somewhat problematic. However, the central plot is relatively straightforward. The story takes place in Spain and Italy, toward the middle of the 18th century. Don Alvaro accidentally kills the Marquis of Calatrava — the father of the woman he loves, Leonora di Vargas. Don Carlo, the Marquis’s son, searches for Don Alvaro and Leonora in order to avenge his father’s death. Don Carlo finally confronts Don Alvaro (now a priest), and challenges him to a duel. Don Alvaro mortally wounds Don Carlo, who in turn fatally stabs Leonora when she tries to comfort her brother. Don Alvaro curses the fates, but when he finally prays for forgiveness, Leonora dies in peace.

Verdi created the famous Overture to La forza del destino for the 1869 premiere of the opera’s revised version. The Overture begins with the repeated ominous brass chords that serve to open Act II (Allegro). The strings play the relentless, churning destiny motif that pursues Leonora di Vargas throughout the opera. Several further melodies from the opera — often accompanied by the destiny motif — are introduced with the unerring contrast and inexorable forward motion that are hallmarks of one of the lyric theater’s greatest dramatists. A rousing coda brings The Force of Destiny Overture to a stunning conclusion.

RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO

born: March 8, 1857 in Naples, Italy
died: August 9, 1919 in Montecatini, Italy

“Musette svaria sulla bocca viva” from La bohème (1897)

In March, 1893 in Milan, Ruggero Leoncavallo had a chance encounter with his friend and fellow opera composer, Giacomo Puccini. During that meeting, Puccini revealed to Leoncavallo that he was working on an operatic adaptation of Henri Murger’s 1848 novel, Scenes de la vie de Bohème. Leoncavallo was surprised, to say the least, because at the time, he was working on precisely the same project. From this point, it became a race to the opera house, with Puccini the victor. Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 1, 1896, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Leoncavallo’s La bohème, with a libretto by the composer, had its first performance at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice on May 6, 1897. While Leoncavallo’s La bohème was a success at its premiere, Puccini’s version quickly emerged as the favorite. Leoncavallo was convinced that Puccini stole his idea. Hard feelings between the two composers remained until Leoncavallo’s death in 1919.

Puccini’s La bohème remains one of the most beloved operas. But Leoncavallo’s La bohème is a fine work in its own right. This concert features Mimì’s brief aria, “Musette svaria sulla bocca viva”. Act I takes place on Christmas Eve, 1837, at the Paris Café Momus. Mimì, lover of the poet Rodolfo, introduces her friend, Musette, to the Bohemians. Mimì describes Musette’s carefree nature, and her eternal pursuit of love. The painter Marcello is immediately entranced with Musette.

FRANCESO CILEA

“Io son l’umile ancella” from Adriana Lecouvreur (1902)

Adriana Lecouvreur, Francesco Cilea’s most famous opera, is a setting of a libretto by Arturo Colautti, in turn based upon an 1849 play by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé. Adrienne Lecouvreur (1692-1730) was an historical figure, a celebrated actress of the Paris Comédie-Française. Both the Scribe/Legouvé play and Cilea’s opera embrace the rumor that Lecouvreur’s death was the result of poisoning, revenge by the Duchess of Bouillon for the actress’s love affair with Maurice de Saxe. The premiere of Adriana Lecouvreur took place at Milan’s Teatro Lirico on November 26, 1902. The cast included soprano Angelica Pandolfini as Adriana, tenor Enrico Caruso as her lover Maurizio, and baritone Giuseppe de Luca as the stage manager Michonnet. Since its premiere, sopranos have embraced the considerable musical and dramatic opportunities offered by the title role.

Act I takes place backstage at the Opéra-Comique. Preparations are underway for a performance of the play Bajazet. Adriana enters, rehearsing her lines. When admirers lavish effusive praise, Adriana responds that she is but the humble servant of creative genius (“Io son l’umile ancella”).

RICHARD RODGERS

born: June 28, 1902 in New York City
died: December 30, 1979 in New York City

“The Carousel Waltz” from Carousel (1945)

Carousel, the second collaboration by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), followed their tremendous success with the musical Oklahoma! (1943). Carousel is a musical adaptation of the 1909 Hungarian play Liliom, by Ferenc Molnár. Rodgers and Hammerstein shifted the location from Molnár’s Budapest to the coast of Maine. Carousel is the story of the tragic marriage of Billy Bigelow, a carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a millworker.

When Julie becomes pregnant, Billy joins a robbery to raise money for his family. The scheme fails, and Billy commits suicide. Consigned to purgatory, Billy is given one last opportunity to redeem himself, which he does by coming to the aid of his daughter. John Raitt and Jan Clayton created the roles of Billy and Julie in the 1945 Broadway premiere.

The Broadway musicals of the era traditionally began with an orchestral overture, a collection of melodies from the show. Rodgers dispenses with this convention, and opens Carousel with an orchestral piece that serves to accompany a pantomime on stage. During “The Carousel Waltz”, the audience is introduced to the show’s setting, the principal characters, and the budding romance between Billy and Julie.

“Climb Every Mountain" from The Sound of Music (1959)

The Sound of Music, the last of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, is based upon the true story of the Trapp Family Singers. Mary Martin starred as Maria, Theodor Bikel was Captain von Trapp, and Patricia Neway was the Mother Abbess in the 1959 Broadway premiere. Maria, who has fallen in love with von Trapp, tells the Mother Abbess she is ready to take her monastic vows. The Mother Abbess instead encourages Maria to confront her emotions, and to realize her dreams.

ANDREW LIPPA

born: December 22, 1964 in Leeds, United Kingdom

The Diva (2020)

“The Diva” is a song by American composer Andrew Lippa, whose works include the Broadway and Off-Broadway shows Big Fish, The Addams Family, and The Wild Party. Lippa composed “The Diva” for a 2020 concert by Renée Fleming and Venessa Williams at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “The Diva” is a humorous, upbeat, rock-infused number that argues famous operatic sopranos are (almost) just like the rest of us.