Olga Kern Plays Rachmaninoff | Program Notes

MASTERWORKS • 2014/15 OLGA KERN PLAYS RACHMANINOFF COLORADO SYMPHONY JAMES JUDD, conductor OLGA KERN, piano

This weekend’s concerts are gratefully dedicated to Colorado Symphony Foundation Friday’s concert is gratefully dedicated to Colonel Philip Beaver and Mrs. Kim Beaver Saturday’s concert is gratefully dedicated to Dr. H. Michael Hayes Sunday’s concert is gratefully dedicated to Robert S. Graham

Friday, October 10, 2014 at 7:30 pm Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 7:30 pm Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 1:00 pm Boettcher Concert Hall MAHLER

“Blumine” movement from Symphony No. 1 in D major

HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major, “Drumroll”

Adagio – Allegro con spirito

Andante più tosto allegretto Menuet

Allegro con spirito —INTERMISSION — RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Allegro ma non tanto Intermezzo Finale

SOUNDINGS 2014/15 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 1

MASTERWORKS BIOGRAPHIES JAMES JUDD, conductor British conductor James Judd’s music directorships have included Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre National de Lille in France and a groundbreaking 14 years as Music Director of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. During his eight years as Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony, Judd garnered acclaim for his recordings with the orchestra, including works by Copland, Bernstein, Vaughan Williams, Gershwin and many others. He brought the orchestra to international renown through appearances at many festivals, and led the orchestra on its first tour of the major concert halls of Europe, culminating with the BBC Proms and the Concertgebouw. James Judd has led the Berlin Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic, conducted in the great halls of Europe including the Salzburg Mozarteum and Vienna’s Musikverein, and made guest appearances with such prestigious ensembles as the Vienna Symphony, Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, Prague Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Monte Carlo Symphony Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Flemish Radio Orchestra, and the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg. In the Far East he works regularly with Tokyo’s NHK Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic. Dedicated to the development of young musicians, James Judd has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra since 2007. He founded the highly successful Miami Music Project in 2008, and in 2015, he becomes music director of the Australian Youth Orchestra Camp, which attracts young musicians from the entire Australian continent. James Judd recently became Music Director of New York’s Little Orchestra Society and the Israel Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he is co-founder of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Artist in Residence at the Florida International University.

OLGA KERN, piano

CHRISS LEE

With vivid stage presence, passionately confident musicianship and extraordinary technique, Olga Kern continues to captivate fans and critics alike. The striking Russian pianist jumpstarted her U.S. career as the first woman in over 30 years to receive the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. First prize winner of the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition at the age of seventeen, Kern is a laureate of many international competitions and is also a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Division of the Arts. In the 2014-15 season, Olga performs with the NHK Symphony, Orchestre National De Lyon, New Mexico Philharmonic, the symphonies of Detroit, Nashville, Madison, Austin, Mobile, and Santa Rosa, and will give recitals alongside star American soprano Renée Fleming in Boston and Washington, DC. Last season, Olga performed with the Detroit and Cincinnati symphonies, New Mexico Philharmonic and Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo and gave surrounding recitals across North America. Kern has performed in such famed concert halls as Carnegie Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Symphony Hall in Osaka, Salzburger Festspielhaus, La Scala in Milan, Tonhalle in Zurich, and the Chatelet in Paris. Kern’s discography with Harmonia Mundi includes her Grammy® Nominated recording of Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations and other transcriptions (2004), Brahms Variations (2007) and Chopin Piano Sonatas No. 2 and 3 (2010). She was also featured in the award-winning documentary about the 2001 Cliburn Competition, Playing on the Edge.

PROGRAM 2 SOUNDINGS 2014/15 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG

30TH ANNIVERSARY CHORUS GALA OCT 18 SAT 7:30 ■

Duain Wolfe, conductor/ director Colorado Symphony Chorus Juliet Petrus, soprano Nathan Berg, baritone Colorado Children’s Chorale, Debbie DeSantis, director Mary Louise Burke, host

The Colorado Symphony Chorus celebrates thirty years of singing the great masters with the Colorado Symphony at a grand celebration concert October 18, conducted by Duain Wolfe. The glorious music of Vaughan Williams, Mendelssohn, Moussorgsky, and Mozart is complemented by excerpts from the Chorus’s signature pieces, Verdi’s monumental Requiem, and Orff’s dynamic Carmina Burana.

MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES Gustav Mahler: “Blumine” from Symphony No. 1 in D major The piece is scored for woodwinds in pairs, four horns, trumpet, timpani, harp, and strings. The duration is approximately eight minutes. This is the first performance by the Colorado Symphony.

Mahler nominally completed his first symphony in 1888. It was a composition in which he clearly was working through to a realization of his personal vision of what a symphony should be. For all its secure position as a central work in the orchestral repertoire, his first symphony led a checkered early life. Mahler, feeling his way, first deemed it a “symphonic poem” or “tone poem.”

Then, perhaps to distance himself from the models of Liszt, soon dropped that rather inappropriate description. A devotée of the works of the Romantic novelist, Jean Paul (by then somewhat out of fashion), he entitled the symphony “Titan” after one of the author’s chief works—but only for two performances. For the second performance in Hamburg in 1893 he even provided literary characterizations for the various movements, again derived from Jean Paul, and yet again, they, too, were soon dropped. “Blumine” (roughly, “of flowers”) was one of these titles. Mahler continued to make musical revisions from the second performance right up to the work’s eventually publication in 1898. Perhaps the most celebrated—and certainly controversial—alteration was his firm decision to eliminate permanently the original second movement (“Blumine”), leaving intact the conventional four movements that constitute the final iteration that is performed most often, today.

His reason for doing so is not clear, and there is considerable debate, based upon several plausible motivations, but they need not detain us, here. This charming, lyrical composition is based upon part of his earliest publically performed work, incidental music for seven “living tableaus” composed when he was employed at the opera house in Kassel in 1884. The tableaus illustrated various highlights of a then-popular poem, The Trumpeter of Säckingen, and the first tableau, depicting a serenade on the Rhine River, is the basis of “Blumine.” At the time of the early incarnation of the excised second movement as incidental music, Mahler was engaged in probably the first of his serial infatuations—with a comely young singer, Johanna Richter.

Mahler’s doomed and painful ardor has been suggested as informing the lyrical, wistfulness of “Blumine” in somewhat the same fashion as his Adagietto of the Fifth Symphony is considered a declaration of love for his wife, Alma. That is pure speculation, of course, but plausible.

This movement is modest in length, infused with Mahler’s beloved lyricism, and features the solo trumpet playing the simple, direct tune. After the initial trumpet solo, there follows some variants of the melody, featuring the woodwinds, and in a more introspective mood. The trumpet returns and rounds it all off with a return of its winsome solo. Whether this lovely and modest orphan of a movement is heard as a simple trumpet “serenade on the Rhine,” or as an expression of Mahler’s unrequited love matters not—it is the quintessential Mahler of future riches.

o PROGRAM 4 SOUNDINGS 2014/15 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG

MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major, “Drumroll” The symphony is scored for woodwinds, horns, and trumpets in pairs, plus timpani and strings.

Duration is 29 minutes. The most recent performance by the orchestra was on March 28-30, 2003, with Alisdair Neale on the podium.

Haydn, while not quite the “father” of the symphony, made the signal contributions in its development. He had the good fortune as a young man to secure an appointment to the court of the wealthy Esterházy family, not far from Vienna, out on the Hungarian plains. There, he was charged with oversight of a daunting variety of musical activities at the extensive estate of a succession of music-loving princes. In the midst of a vigorous artistic environment at Esterháza, with a full schedule of sacred, theatre, chamber music, ballet, and large ensemble performances weekly, Haydn was charged with composing the music for much of the festivities. Taking advantage of his relative isolation, he had decades of opportunities to develop his style and grow his musical reputation from total obscurity to worldwide fame as Europe’s greatest and most respected composer. One of the happy results was the creation of over 100 symphonies that collectively illustrate the evolution of the genre. From the very early ones, to the last great “London” symphonies, Haydn’s symphonies have remained central to the orchestra’s repertoire, even as they grew in sophistication and style.

The culmination of this remarkable achievement, of course, are the twelve so-called London symphonies that were the result of commissions that grew out of two visits to the city in 1791-92 and 1794-95. The set is sometimes called the “Solomon” symphonies, as well, owing to the impresario who made the acclaimed visits possible. No. 103 is from the second group of six, and was composed in London during the winter of 1794-95. The première took place in March of 1795 at the King’s Theatre and received critical acclaim in the press. He was the darling of English audiences and was enjoying the peak of his professional success.

Cast in the usual four movements, it owes its nickname to the timpani roll that opens Haydn’s characteristic slow introduction. Soft, unison bass instruments follow with an ominous solo theme—analysts rarely fail to point out that the first four notes are those of the “Dies Iræ,” from the Latin mass for the dead—it may not have significance, but surely Haydn was aware.

The rest of the orchestra stealthily joins, as the somber, mysterious prelude soon ends—still in the minor mode. But it’s all typical of the mature Haydn, as a cheerful, skipping main theme in the major takes off. The jaunty middle section, which begins with a faster version of the dark bass line from the very beginning, is enriched by syncopated accents and diversions into the minor mode. In a typically imaginative and unusual stroke, Haydn wraps up the end of the movement with an abbreviated return to the slow introduction; a vivacious coda based on the main, dancing theme takes us quickly home.

One of Haydn’s favorite forms is to take two separate themes, played one after the other, and follow them with successive variations on each one. And the second movement does exactly this, supposedly using two Croatian folk songs that apparently were heard around Esterháza. Typically, Haydn chose two themes that were similar, with one in the minor mode, and the other in the major. And so, here we hear one after the other: the minor theme, then the major theme, and then a pair of variations on each. The first variation features the woodwinds, and the second a solo violin. The full orchestra carries the second pair of variations, with a rather long coda noteworthy for its clever dynamics, harmonic, and dramatic pauses.

In his maturity Haydn was the master of creative unpredictability, with a wry sense of SOUNDINGS 2014/15 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 5

MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES humor, and the minuet and trio of the third movement are perfect examples. The usual forthright theme of the minuet is punctuated with a measure of solo horns, followed by a chirping response from the woodwinds. Nothing stays the same for long, so brief excursions to the minor mode shade the overall happy mood. The strong dance rhythms of the minuet yield to a smooth contrast in the trio, featuring lyrical arabesques in the clarinets, before returning to the rhythmic opening minuet.

The last movement starts with a little hunting horn figure, after a dramatic pause answered immediately by the scampering main theme of this careening rondo. The fingerprints of Haydn the accomplished master are everywhere: more dramatic pauses; totally integrated counterpoint balancing the simpler textures; interesting harmonic diversions; and bustling simple motives that propel us along. Imaginative contrasting sections and the reassuring returns of the main theme that are the essence of a rondo sail inevitably right into each other as we drive along to the end. This late work of Mozart’s great contemporary completely belies his wrongheaded “Papa Haydn” image, and is eloquent testimony to his innate vivacity and genius.

o Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 The concerto is scored for solo piano, woodwinds in pairs, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, and strings. Duration is 43 minutes. Last performance by the orchestra was on March 21 and 22, 2008, with Gabriela Montero as the piano soloist and Marin Alsop conducting.

Like J. S. Bach, who upon his death was looked upon as a more or less old fuddy-duddy, Rachmaninoff, too, has borne his share of criticism for having composed in a hopelessly oldfashioned style, long after its relevance. His compositions are the last major representatives of a vivid Russian Romanticism—long after that style was presumed dead and buried. Yet, like Bach, his musical genius, his talent, and his strong belief in the validity of his art led him to create a legacy that took “old-fashioned-style” to a natural and valid high point of achievement. While a child of the nineteenth century, he died almost at the midpoint of the twentieth, secure in his success, and secure in the world’s enduring appreciation of his “dated” style.

Rachmaninoff wrote four piano concertos, the first was a student composition (later revised) from 1896, and the last was composed in 1926 (revised in 1941). The third concerto was completed in the fall of 1909, the composer having written it in the peace and quiet of his wife’s country estate in Russia. By that time, Rachmaninoff was an international celebrity, with an impressive list of significant and popular compositions under his belt. As one of the world’s recognized virtuosos of the piano, he wrote his piano concertos primarily for himself, and envisioned the third as a centerpiece of his upcoming first American tour. Accordingly, the première took place in New York City in November of 1909; a second performance followed a couple of months later, with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Gustav Mahler.

The work has always been considered a difficult one, but so are all of his concertos. What is of interest is that, for all the power, grandeur, and virtuosity required in the concerto, it starts almost contemplatively, with a simple, but unmistakably melancholic, theme. To open a big Russian concerto in such a modest, and unassuming fashion was a shrewd move on the composer’s part; it’s an imaginative way to toy with the audience and allow for ample expansion PROGRAM 6 SOUNDINGS 2014/15 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG

MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES of the idea as the movement progresses. The piano gives up the theme to the orchestra and goes on to a veritable cascade of rapid figurations. Soon, a lush modulation leads to a happier key, introduced by a brief little march-like figure, and the second theme elegantly glides in. The development starts almost literally like the beginning, and Rachmaninoff works his way through the material as only he can do. Virtuoso writing for the soloist takes us through one big climax after another, literally rocking the piano with technical demands. Finally, an impressive cadenza tops out the storm, and raises the ante even further. The cadenza’s import more or less takes the place of an extended recapitulation. You do hear the opening material one more time, almost as an allusion to a recap, but it’s brief, and before you know it, the movement ends quietly with a soft scamper, so typical of the composer.

The second movement begins with a substantial introduction for the orchestra, alternatively featuring purely string sound and rich wind choir scoring. Eventually, the piano enters with a flourish, and then settles down for the luxurious Rachmaninoff melody. But, in true fashion, the composer cannot restrain himself, and impassioned figurations and climaxes sound as if we’re in one of the bookend fast movements—another typical Rachmaninoff ploy.

It’s as if there’s a scherzo in the middle, but it’s a creative touch, and brings some useful contrast to an intense slow movement. Eventually things settle down again, and we hear familiar pensive textures and melodic ideas from the opening. And then, without warning, some demonstrative drum-like figures in the piano lead right into the brisk last movement.

It’s a sparkling affair, and the beginning is redolent of the inimitable heritage of Rachmaninoff’s Russian predecessor, Rimsky-Korsakov. Variation follows variation in this exploration of a seemingly infinite display of almost every kind of virtuoso figuration a pianist can dash off. Here, as in so much of this concerto, one can from time to time also sense the shadow of another great predecessor--the incomparable Franz Liszt. In this movement as well, we experience the familiar—and necessary, too—quiet moments of respite from the relentless energy of the drive forward. Ever the craftsman, Rachmaninoff makes use of material from earlier movements—sometimes almost hidden, sometimes more evident. And, as is almost always the case with our composer, the driving web of figurations finally flows into the moment that everyone is waiting for: the soaring reappearance of the “big Rachmaninoff tune.” It’s a perfect cap for a beloved work couched in rich, lush textures, and of almost unparalleled melodic sweep, the lyricism of which seems to unfold in growing cascades of sound.

—-Wm. E. Runyan

SOUNDINGS 2014/15 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 7

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