DSO 2015-16 Performance Magazine - Winter Festival

Volume XXIV Winter Festival 2015-16 Season

PERFORMANCE THE MAGAZINE OF THE DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

I N S I D E BRAHMS ON DISPLAY | A Note from Leonard Slatkin | Program Notes

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P E R F O R M A N C E D E T R O I T

S Y M P H O N Y

M A G A Z I N E O R C H E S T R A

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a leader in the world of classical music, embraces and inspires individuals, families and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.

CONTENTS oneDSO

FEATURES

4

A Note from Leonard

Slatkin

12

Brahms on Display

PROGRAMS Concerts, artist biographies and program notes begin on page 18.

18

Read program notes anytime in Performance magazine online at dso.org/performance

Orchestra Roster

7

Board Leadership

8

Governing Members

9

Volunteer Council

11

Maximize Your Experience

14

DSO Administrative Staff

44

Brahms Festival Events

45

Donor Roster

46

Volunteer Ushers

47

Gabrilowitsch Society

48

s at u r day, m a r c h 5 , 2 0 1 6 MAX M. & MARJORIE S. FISHER MUSIC CENTER • DETROIT P R ES E N T E D BY

For more information, call 313.576.5400 or visit www.dso.org/classicalroots

welcome

A Note

from

LEONARD SLATKIN THE THIRD B Complete cycles of symphonies and concerti by one composer are not uncommon. However, playing all the works that they wrote for orchestra very rarely occurs. Logic dictates that the sheer number of pieces make that impossible over a short span of time. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schubert and others clearly wrote more than one can take in over a short festival period.

Such is not the case for Johannes Brahms. During these three weeks, we will play virtually every work he wrote for orchestra, excluding the ones with voices. What makes this last statement remarkable is that most of us believe that he actually wrote more. But there are only four symphonies, four concerti, two serenades, two overtures, the Haydn variations and three orchestrated Hungarian Dances. Just thirteen original works!

For someone who is ubiquitous in the concert hall, that seems odd. And how many listeners have actually heard a live performance of either serenade? In fact, the length of all the works put together still did not provide us with enough material to fill up the six programs that take place. Our solution is to perform two substantial pieces by Brahms to make up for the lost time: Schoenberg’s transcription of the G minor Piano Quartet, and Luciano Berio’s orchestration of one of the clarinet sonatas.

The works left to us by the German master are made more remarkable when played over a compact period. We are reminded that each is a masterwork, filled with individuality and variety. Unlike with Beethoven, there are almost no traces of what music had come before. Each symphony and concerto is totally unique, inhabiting worlds that simply did not exist until Brahms invented them. And the less familiar music also contains some of the most moving and beautiful sounds ever created.

With amazing soloists, the DSO and the sound of Orchestra Hall, one can truly say that this festival will be something to be cherished.

LEONARD SLATKIN,

Music Director

ADDITIONAL BRAHMS FESTIVAL EVENTS LIEBESLIEDER WALTZES

Sunday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.

Kresge Court, Detroit Institute of Arts Just in time for Valentine’s Day, vocalists of the Michigan Opera Theatre will perform Brahms’ romantic Liebeslieder Waltzes, a collection of love songs thought to be inspired by the composer’s unrequited love for pianist Clara Schumann, wife of fellow composer Robert Schumann.

This event is free and open to the public.

LECTURE: BRAHMS AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES

Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m.

Allesee Gallery of Culture Detroit Historical Museum 5401 Woodward Ave. Official Brahms Festival Scholar Jan Swafford will give a lecture on Brahms and those friends on whom he lent great influence and vice versa, including Georg Henschel, who was a friend and protégé and the first conductor of the Boston Symphony. A rarely discussed topic, Henschel consulted with Brahms a good deal when he took the job in Boston.

Guests may browse the museum collection following the talk.

This event is free and open to the public.

MIX @ THE MAX: BRAHMS, BEARDS & BURLESQUE

Thurs., Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in The Music Box Mix @ The Max pays homage to Brahms’ humble beginnings as a bordello pianist with an evening featuring artists from the Michigan Burlesque Festival, old-timey jazz stylings by the Detroit Pleasure Society pianist Jarrod Champion, and a beard contest inspired by Johannes Brahms’ righteous whiskers.

OM @ THE MAX

Sun., Feb. 21 at 11 a.m.

The Music Box Certified yoga instructor and DSO Librarian Ethan Allen leads a group yoga session open to all skill levels while accompanied

by Brahms’ chamber music (including his famous lullaby) performed live by members of the DSO.

CHAMBER RECITAL @ STEINWAY GALLERY

Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.

Steinway Gallery, 2700 E West Maple Rd, Commerce Charter Township, 48390 Rachel Klaus, violin Una O’Riordan, cello Rebecca Mayer, piano Johanna Yarbrough, horn Adrienne Ronmark, violin Pauline Martin, piano

DSO horn player Johanna Yarbrough and First Violinist Adrienne Rönmark will perform Brahms’ majestic Horn trio in E-Flat major, which he composed in 1865 in memory of his mother who died shortly before.

CHAMBER RECITAL @ FIRST CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH

Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

First Christian Reformed Church, 1444 Maryland St, Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230 Adrienne Ronmark, violin Rachel Klaus, violin Hang Su, viola Peter McCaffrey, cello Jing Zhang, violin Sheryl Hwangbo, violin James Van Valkenburg, viola Caroline Coade, viola David LeDoux, cello

Nine DSO string players come together to perform Brahms’ String Quartet No. 1 and String Quintet No. 2. Many of these players will also perform at the Om @ The Max.

WHY THE RED HEDGEHOG? Zum Rote Igel, The Red Hedgehog, was Brahms’ favorite pub and eatery in Vienna. He was seen there daily, and once puckishly described himself and his pub as “the two prickles.” His devotion is captured in a silhouette of the time showing Brahms ambling along, cigar in mouth, with a little red hedgehog following behind. Look for the red hedgehog throughout the magazine for a Brahms Festival quiz! Look on page 34 for answers.

FREE FESTIVAL PATRONCARD! Pick up your FREE Festival PatronCard at the Member Center or Box Office. At each event, stop by the Member Center to get your card punched and get rewarded for being part of the Festival!

LATE NIGHT LIEDER

Sat., Feb. 27 at 10 p.m.

The Music Box Following the festival’s final evening concert, student vocalists and instrumentalists from Michigan State University, Oakland University, Wayne State University and Bowling Green State University will gather to perform selections from Brahms’ lieder or songs.

*For tickets, visit dso.org/brahmsfest or call 313.576.5111

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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behind the baton LEONARD SLATKIN Music Director Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL). He also maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting and is active as a composer, author and educator.

Highlights of the 2015-16 season include a three-week Brahms festival with the DSO in February; engagements with the St. Louis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and NHK Symphony in Tokyo; debuts with Beijing’s China Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; and a summer tour of Japan with the ONL. Slatkin’s more than 100 recordings have garnered seven Grammy awards and 64 nominations.

His recent Naxos recordings include works by SaintSaëns, Ravel and Berlioz (with the ONL) and music

by Copland, Rachmaninoff, Borzova, McTee and John Williams (with the DSO). In addition, he has recorded the complete Beethoven and Tchaikovsky symphonies with the DSO (available online as digital downloads at dso.org/recordings).

A recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, Slatkin also holds the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. He has received Austria’s Declaration of Honor in Silver, the American Symphony Orchestra League’s Gold Baton Award and the 2013 ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award for his book, Conducting Business.

Slatkin has conducted virtually all of the leading orchestras in the world. As Music Director, he has held posts with the New Orleans, St. Louis, and National symphony orchestras, and he was Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

He has served as Principal Guest Conductor of London’s Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and the Minnesota Orchestra.

JEFF TYZIK Principal Pops Conductor

Grammy Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America’s most sought-after pops conductors. Alongside his role as the DSO’s Principal Pops Conductor, Tyzik holds The Dot and Paul Mason Principal Pops Conductor’s Podium at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and also serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, The Florida Orchestra and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Highly sought after as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Toronto Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In May 2007, the Harmonia Mundi label released his recording of works by Gershwin with

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

pianist Jon Nakamatsu and the RPO, which stayed in the Top 10 on the Billboard classical chart for over 3 months.

As an accomplished composer and arranger, Tyzik has had his compositions recorded by major orchestras. He has also produced and composed theme music for many of the major TV networks and released six of his own albums.

LEONARD SLATKIN, Music Director

Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation

JEFF TYZIK, Principal Pops Conductor TERENCE BLANCHARD

NEEME JÄRVI

MICHELLE MERRILL

GABRIELA LENA FRANK

FIRST VIOLIN Yoonshin Song

CELLO Wei Yu

ENGLISH HORN Monica Fosnaugh

TROMBONE Kenneth Thompkins

CLARINET Ralph Skiano

David Binder Randall Hawes

Marci Gurnow†

BASS TROMBONE Randall Hawes

Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair

CONCERTMASTER Katherine Tuck Chair

Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER Alan and Marianne Schwartz and Jean Shapero (Shapero Foundation) Chair

Hai-Xin Wu

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER Walker L. Cisler/Detroit Edison Foundation Chair

Jennifer Wey

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Marguerite Deslippe* Laurie Landers Goldman* Rachel Harding Klaus* Eun Park Lee* Adrienne Rönmark* Laura Soto* Greg Staples* Jiamin Wang* Mingzhao Zhou* SECOND VIOLIN Adam Stepniewski

ACTING PRINCIPAL The Devereaux Family Chair

Ron Fischer* Will Haapaniemi* Hae Jeong Heidi Han* Sheryl Hwangbo* Hong-Yi Mo* Alexandros Sakarellos* Joseph Striplin* Marian Tanau* Jing Zhang*

Music Director Emeritus

PRINCIPAL James C. Gordon Chair

Robert Bergman* David LeDoux* Peter McCaffrey* Haden McKay* Úna O’Riordan* Paul Wingert*

Victor and Gale Girolami Chair

Dahae Kim~

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Dorothy and Herbert Graebner Chair

BASS Kevin Brown

PRINCIPAL Van Dusen Family Chair

Stephen Molina

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Linton Bodwin Stephen Edwards Isaac Trapkus Larry Hutchinson HARP Patricia Masri-Fletcher PRINCIPAL Winifred E. Polk Chair

FLUTE David Buck

PRINCIPAL Women’s Association for the DSO Chair

Sharon Sparrow

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Bernard and Eleanor Robertson Chair

VIOLA James VanValkenburg

Jeffery Zook

Caroline Coade

PICCOLO Jeffery Zook

ACTING PRINCIPAL Julie and Ed Levy, Jr. Chair ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Hang Su Glenn Mellow Shanda Lowery-Sachs ~ Hart Hollman Han Zheng Alexander Mishnaevski PRINCIPAL EMERITUS

OBOE Alexander Kinmonth PRINCIPAL Jack A. and Aviva Robinson Chair

Geoffrey Johnson†

Maggie Miller Chair

Brian Ventura

Assistant Conductor, Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador

PRINCIPAL Robert B. Semple Chair PVS Chemicals Inc./Jim and Ann Nicholson Chair

Laurence Liberson

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Shannon Orme E-FLAT CLARINET Laurence Liberson BASS CLARINET Shannon Orme

Barbara Frankel and Ronald Michalak Chair

BASSOON Robert Williams ^ PRINCIPAL

Victoria King Michael Ke Ma

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Marcus Schoon CONTRABASSOON Marcus Schoon HORN Karl Pituch PRINCIPAL

Bryan Kennedy Scott Strong Johanna Yarbrough David Everson

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Mark Abbott TRUMPET Hunter Eberly

PRINCIPAL Lee and Floy Barthel Chair (Meet the Musician on page 15!)

Kevin Good Stephen Anderson

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

William Lucas

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Monica Fosnaugh

Music Alive Composer-in-Residence

PRINCIPAL

TUBA Dennis Nulty PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION Joseph Becker

PRINCIPAL Ruth Roby and Alfred R. Glancy III Chair

Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL William Cody Knicely Chair

Joshua Jones

African-American Orchestra Fellow

TIMPANI Jeremy Epp

PRINCIPAL Richard and Mona Alonzo Chair

LIBRARIANS Robert Stiles PRINCIPAL

Ethan Allen PERSONNEL MANAGERS Heather Hart Rochon ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Patrick Peterson

ASSISTANT ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

STAGE PERSONNEL Dennis Rottell STAGE MANAGER

Steven Kemp

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Matthew Pons

DEPARTMENT HEAD

Michael Sarkissian DEPARTMENT HEAD

Ryan DiMarco

DEPARTMENT HEAD

William Richards

DEPARTMENT HEAD

LEGEND * These members may voluntarily revolve seating within the section on a regular basis † substitute musician ^ on sabbatical ~ extended leave

For photos and full bios of DSO musicians, go to dso.org/orchestra

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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detroit symphony orchestra, inc.

Current as of January 2016 with updates available online at dso.org.

LIFETIME MEMBERS

Samuel Frankel† David Handleman, Sr.†

Dr. Arthur L. Johnson† Clyde Wu, M.D.†

CHAIRMEN EMERITI

Peter D. Cummings Phillip Wm. Fisher Stanley Frankel

Alfred R. Glancy III Steve Miller James B. Nicholson

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Robert A. Allesee Floy Barthel Mrs. Mandell L. Berman John A. Boll, Sr. Richard A. Brodie Lois and Avern Cohn Marianne Endicott Sidney Forbes Mrs. Harold Frank Barbara Frankel

OFFICERS Mark A. Davidoff Chairman

Herman Frankel Paul Ganson Mort and Brigitte Harris Gloria Heppner, Ph.D. Hon. Damon J. Keith Richard P. Kughn Harold Kulish Dr. Melvin A. Lester David R. Nelson Robert E.L. Perkins, DDS

Marilyn Pincus Lloyd E. Reuss Jack A. Robinson † Marjorie S. Saulson Alan E. Schwartz Jean Shapero Jane Sherman David Usher Barbara Van Dusen Arthur A. Weiss, Esq.

Glenda D. Price, Ph.D.

Ralph J. Gerson

Anne Parsons

Janice Uhlig

Laura Marcero

James G. Vella

Vice Chair

President and CEO

Treasurer

Officer-at-Large

Officer-at-Large

Officer-at-Large

Arthur T. O’Reilly Secretary

BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board of Directors is responsible for maintaining a culture of high engagement, accountability and strategic thinking. As fiduciaries, Directors oversee all DSO financial activities and assure that resources are aligned with the DSO mission.

Robert H. Bluestein Richard L. DeVore Jeremy Epp* Orchestra Representative

James Farber

Chairman, Governing Members

Samuel Fogleman Monica Fosnaugh*

Orchestra Representative

Nicholas Hood, III

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Ronald M. Horwitz Chacona W. Johnson Michael J. Keegan William P. Kingsley Bonnie Larson Matthew B. Lester Arthur C. Liebler Ginny Lundquist

Volunteer Council President

Xavier Mosquet Faye Alexander Nelson Stephen Polk Bernard I. Robertson Hon. Gerald E. Rosen Arn Tellem Hon. Kurtis T. Wilder M. Roy Wilson

† Deceased

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Richard Huttenlocher Chairperson

The Board of Trustees is tasked with shepherding the long-term strategy of the DSO to fully implement the organization’s entrepreneurial capabilities while developing and presenting new strategies and objectives.

Ismael Ahmed Rosette Ajluni Devon Akmon Dan Angelucci Janet M. Ankers Suzanne Bluestein Penny B. Blumenstein Liz Boone Gwen Bowlby Joanne Danto Stephen D’Arcy Maureen T. D’Avanzo Karen Davidson Linda Dresner Afa S. Dworkin J. Mikel Ellcessor Jeremy Epp*

Orchestra Representative

Annmarie Erickson Jennifer Fischer Aaron Frankel Robert Gillette Allan D. Gilmour Malik Goodwin

GOVERNING MEMBERS James C. Farber Chairperson

Governing Members is a philanthropic leadership group designed to provide unique, substantive, hands-on opportunities for leadership and access to a diverse group of valued stakeholders. Governing Members are ambassadors for the DSO and advocates for arts and culture in Detroit and throughout Southeast Michigan. This list reflects gifts received from September 1, 2014 through November 24, 2015. For more information about the Governing Members program, please call Dan Coleman at 313.576.5451

Carol Goss Antoinette G. Green Leslie Green Deirdre Greene Groves Laura Hernandez-Romine Michele Hodges Ric Huttenlocher Sharad P. Jain Renee Janovsky Joey Jonna David Karp Joel D. Kellman James Lentini Jack Liang Josh Linkner Florine Mark Tonya Matthews David McCammon Lois A. Miller Daniel Millward James C. Mitchell, Jr. Scott Monty Joseph Mullany

Sean M. Neall Tom O’Brien Maury Okun Úna O’Riordan*

Arthur T. O’Reilly

Bonnie Larson

Janet and Norm Ankers

Frederick J. Morsches

Chairman Emeritus

Co-Vice Chairs, Gabrilowitsch Society

Jiehan Alonzo Vice Chair, Signature Events

Maureen D’Avanzo Vice Chair, Nominating

Jan Bernick Vice Chair, Annual Giving

Orchestra Representative

William F. Pickard Fair Radom Gerrit Reepmeyer Rick Robinson Jody Glancy Scott Lois L. Shaevsky Tom Shafer Margo Shulman Cathryn Skedel Stephen Strome Mark Tapper Ray Telang Michael R. Tyson Gwen Weiner Jennifer Whitteaker R. Jamison Williams Margaret Winters Ellen Hill Zeringue

Member-at-Large

Member-at-Large

David Everson* Musician Liaison

Johanna Yarbrough* Musician Liaison

David Karp

Vice Chair, Communications

David Assemany Vice Chair, Programs

GOVERNING MEMBERS Howard Abrams & Nina Dodge Abrams Mrs. Denise Abrash Dr. Roger & Mrs. Rosette Ajluni Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Allesee Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Alonzo Richard & Jiehan Alonzo Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya Daniel & Rose Angelucci Mr. & Mrs. Norman Ankers Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Anthony Drs. Kwabena & Jacqueline Appiah Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Applebaum Dr. & Mrs. Ali-Reza R. Armin

* Denotes DSO musician

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Armstrong Mr. David Assemany & Mr. Jeffery Zook* Mr. Joseph Aviv & Mrs. Linda Wasserman Aviv Mr. & Mrs. John Axe Mrs. Jean Azar Ms. Ruth Baidas Nora Lee & Guy Barron Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barthel Mr. Mark Bartnik & Ms. Sandra J. Collins David & Kay Basler Mr. & Mrs. Martin S. Baum

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Beaubien Dr. & Mrs. Brian Beck Ms. Margaret Beck Mr. Chuck Becker Mrs. Cecilia Benner Mrs. Harriett Berg Mandell & Madeleine Berman Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Berner Drs. John & Janice Bernick Mr. and Mrs. Michael Biber Dr. George & Joyce Blum Penny & Harold Blumenstein Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Bluth

Mr. & Mrs. John A. Boll, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Jim Bonahoom Rud & Mary Ellen Boucher Don & Marilyn Bowerman Gwen & Richard Bowlby Mr. Anthony F. Brinkman Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Brodie Mr. Scott Brooks Robert N. & Claire P. Brown Bowden & Elaine Brown Mr. & Mrs. Mark R. Buchanan Michael & Geraldine Buckles Dr. Carol S. Chadwick & Mr. H. Taylor Burleson

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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GOVERNING MEMBERS Ms. Evelyn Burton Julie Byczynski* & Angus Gray Philip & Carol Campbell Dr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Carson Mr. & Mrs. François Castaing Ronald & Lynda Charfoos Mr. Daniel Clancy Gloria & Fred Clark Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Clark Dr. Thomas Clark & Annette Clark Nina & Richard Cohan Lois & Avern Cohn Jack, Evelyn & Richard Cole Family Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Charles G. Colombo Mrs. RoseAnn Comstock Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Cook Dr. & Mrs. Ivan Louis Cotman Mr. & Mrs. Gary L. Cowger Mr. Gary Cone & Ms. Aimée Cowher Mr. & Mrs. Raymond M. Cracchiolo Dorothy M. Craig Julie & Peter Cummings Mrs. Barbara Cunningham Suzanne Dalton & Clyde Foles Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden Deborah & Stephen D’Arcy Fund Jerry P. & Maureen T. D’Avanzo Barbara A. David Margie Dunn & Mark Davidoff Lillian & Walter Dean Beck Demery Mr. Kevin S. Dennis & Mr. Jeremy J. Zeltzer Mr. Giuseppe Derdelakos Ms. Leslie Devereaux Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. DeVore Adel & Walter Dissett Mr. & Mrs. Mark Domin Donato Enterprises Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr. Peggy Dufault Mr. Michael J. Dul Mr. & Mrs. Robert Dunn Mr. Roger Dye & Ms. Jeanne A. Bakale Edwin & Rosemarie Dyer Dr. Leo & Mrs. Mira Eisenberg Dr. & Mrs. A. Bradley Eisenbrey Marianne Endicott Donald & Marjory Epstein Mr. & Mrs. John M. Erb Mr. Sanford Hansell & Dr. Raina Ernstoff Mary Sue & Paul Ewing Jim & Margo Farber Mr. & Mrs. Oscar Feldman Mr. & Mrs. Anthony C. Fielek Mrs. Kathryn L. Fife Ms. Sharon Finch Mr. & Mrs. David Fischer Mrs. Marjorie S. Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Wm. Fisher Dr. Marjorie M. Fisher Ms. Mary D. Fisher Mr. Michael J. Fisher Mr. Jay Fishman Mr. David Fleitz

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Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Fogleman Sidney & Madeline Forbes Mr. & Mrs. Edsel B. Ford II Dr. Saul & Mrs. Helen Forman Mr. & Mrs. Mark Frank Mr. Samuel Frank Barbara Frankel & Ronald Michalak Dale & Bruce Frankel Herman & Sharon Frankel Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Frankel Ms. Carol A. Friend & Mr. Mark T. Kilbourn Mr. & Mrs. Daniel E. Frohardt-Lane Sharyn & Alan Gallatin Lynn & Bharat Gandhi Mr. & Mrs. Eugene A. Gargaro, Jr. Mr. George Georges Mrs. Byron Gerson Mr. & Mrs. Ralph J. Gerson Drs. Lynda & Conrad Giles Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Gillette Allan D. Gilmour & Eric C. Jirgens Mrs. Gale Girolami Dr. Kenneth & Roslyne Gitlin Ruth & Al Glancy Dr. & Mrs. Theodore Golden Dr. Robert T. Goldman Mr. Nathaniel Good Goodman Family Charitable Trust Dr. Allen Goodman & Dr. Janet Hankin Dr. & Mrs. Paul Goodman Mary Ann & Robert Gorlin Mr. Jason Gourley & Mrs. Rebekah Page-Gourley Ms. Jacqueline Graham Mr. Luke Ponder & Dr. Darla Granger Dr. Herman & Mrs. Shirley Gray Mrs. Jere Green Ms. Leslie Green Dr. & Mrs. Joe L. Greene Dr. & Mrs. Steven Grekin Mr. Jeffrey Groehn Ms. Janet Groening-Marsh Mr. & Mrs. James Grosfeld Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hage Alice Berberian Haidostian Judy & Kenneth Hale Robert & Elizabeth Hamel Randall L. & Nancy Caine Harbour Ms. Albertine Harmon Mrs. Betty J. Harrell Mr. & Mrs. Morton E. Harris Scott Harrison & Angela Detlor Mr. Lee V. Hart & Mr. Charles L. Dunlap Cheryl A. Harvey Gerhardt A. Hein & Rebecca P. Hein Ms. Nancy Henk Dr. Gloria Heppner Ms. Doreen Hermelin Mr. & Mrs. Ross Herron Mr. Eric J. Hespenheide & Ms. Judith V. Hicks Jeremiah* & Brooke Hess Michael E. Hinsky & Tyrus N. Curtis Mr. & Mrs. Norman H. Hofley

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Lauri & Paul* Hogle Dr. Deanna & Mr. David B. Holtzman Jack & Anne Hommes Ms. Barbara Honner The Honorable Denise Page Hood & Reverend Nicholas Hood III Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Horwitz Mr. Matthew Howell & Mrs. Julie Wagner Mr. F. Robert Hozian Mr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. Richard H. & Carola Huttenlocher Mr. & Mrs. A. E. Igleheart Nicki* & Brian Inman Steven & Sarah Jackson Mr. James A. Jacob Ira & Brenda Jaffe Mr. Sharad P. Jain Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Jessup William & Story John Mr. John S. Johns Chacona W. Johnson Mr. George Johnson Lenard & Connie Johnston Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Jonna Mrs. Ellen D. Kahn Faye & Austin Kanter Ms. Cathleen Kapatos Danialle & Peter Karmanos, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. David Karp Mr. & Mrs. Norman D. Katz Dr. Laura Katz & Dr. Jonathan Pasko Mike & Katy Keegan Betsy & Joel Kellman Martin & Cis Maisel Kellman Michael E. Smerza & Nancy Keppelman Patrick J. Kerzic & Stephanie Germack Kerzic Dr. David & Mrs. Elizabeth Kessel The Stephanie & Frederic Keywell Family Fund Mrs. Frances King Mr. & Mrs. William P. Kingsley Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Kleiman Thomas & Linda Klein Mr. & Mrs. Ludvik F. Koci Ms. Margot Kohler Mr. David Kolodziej Dr. Harry & Mrs. Katherine Kotsis Robert C. & Margaret A. Kotz Barbara & Michael Kratchman Richard & Sally Krugel Mr. & Mrs. Harold Kulish Dr. Arnold Kummerow Mr. John Kunz Dr. & Mrs. Myron LaBan Mr. & Mrs. Robert LaBelle Dr. Raymond Landes & Dr. Melissa McBrien-Landes Drs. Lisa & Scott Langenburg Ms. Sandra Lapadot Ms. Anne T. Larin Mrs. Bonnie Larson Dolores & Paul Lavins Mr. Henry P. Lee Marguerite & David Lentz Allan S. Leonard Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson

Mr. & Mrs. Ralph LeRoy, Jr. Dr. Melvin A. Lester Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Lester Mr. Daniel Lewis Mr. & Mrs. John D. Lewis Bud & Nancy Liebler Mr. Joseph Lile Mr. Gregory Liposky The Locniskar Group Mr. & Mrs. Eric C. Lundquist Daniel & Linda* Lutz Mr. Robert A. Lutz Mrs. Sandra MacLeod Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Manke, Jr. Mervyn & Elaine Manning Mr. & Mrs. David S. Maquera, Esq. Michael & Laura Marcero Ms. Florine Mark Maureen & Mauri Marshall David & Valerie McCammon Dr. & Mrs. Peter M. McCann, M.D. Mr. & Mrs. Doug McClure Mr. & Mrs. Alonzo McDonald Alexander & Evelyn McKeen Patricia A. & Patrick G. McKeever Dr. & Mrs. Donald A. Meier Dr. & Mrs. David Mendelson Mrs. Thomas Meyer Thomas & Judith Mich Ms. Deborah Miesel Mr. & Mrs. Eugene A. Miller Mr. & Mrs. Leonard G. Miller Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Miller Dr. Robert & Dr. Mary Mobley J.J. & Liz Modell Dr. Susan & Mr. Stephen* Molina Eugene & Sheila Mondry Foundation Mr. Lane J. Moore Mr. & Mrs. Craig R. Morgan Ms. A. Anne Moroun Ms. Florence Morris Mr. Frederick Morsches & Mr. Kareem George Cyril Moscow Xavier & Maeva Mosquet Mr. Joseph Mullany Drs. Barbara & Stephen Munk Joy & Allan Nachman Edward & Judith Narens Geoffrey S. Nathan & Margaret E. Winters David Robert & Sylvia Jean Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Albert T. Nelson, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. James B. Nicholson Jim & Mary Beth Nicholson Patricia & Henry Nickol Mr. & Mrs. David E. Nims Mariam C. Noland & James A. Kelly Katherine & Bruce Nyberg Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Nycek Mrs. Jo Elyn Nyman Mr. John J. O’Brien Dr. & Mrs. Dongwhan Oh Mr. & Mrs. Pat Olney Dr. William Oppat Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Opperer Mr & Mrs. Arthur T. O’Reilly Andrea Page Mr. Randall Pappal

Mrs. Margot Parker Anne Parsons* & Donald Dietz Mr. & Mrs. Richard G. Partrich Mrs. Sophie Pearlstein Mr. & Mrs. Roger S. Penske Mr. Charles Peters Mr. & Mrs. Bruce D. Peterson Mr. & Mrs. Kris Pfaehler Dr. William F. Pickard Mrs. Helen F. Pippin Dr. Klaudia Plawny-Lebenbom The Polk Family Mr. & Mrs. William Powers Dr. Glenda D. Price Reimer Priester Mr. & Mrs. David Provost Charlene & Michael Prysak Mr. Ronald Puchalski Fair Radom Mr. & Mrs. Richard Rappleye Mr. Richard Rapson Drs. Stuart & Hilary Ratner Ms. Ruth Rattner Drs. Yaddanapudi Ravindranath & Kanta Bhambhani Carol & Foster Redding Mr. & Mrs. Dave Redfield Mr. & Mrs. Gerrit Reepmeyer Dr. Claude & Mrs. Sandra Reitelman Denise Reske Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd E. Reuss Barbara Gage Rex Dr. & Mrs. John Roberts Bernard & Eleanor Robertson Aviva Robinson Mrs. Ann C. Rohr Seth & Laura Romine Dr. Erik Rรถnmark* & Mrs. Adrienne Rรถnmark* Dulcie Rosenfeld

Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Rosowski Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Ross Jane & Curt Russell Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Ruthven Mrs. Lois J. Ryan Martie & Bob Sachs Dr. Mark & Peggy Saffer Mr. David Salisbury & Mrs. Terese Ireland Salisbury Hershel & Dorothy Sandberg Marjorie & Saul Saulson Mr. Robert Schaerer Ms. Martha A. Scharchburg & Mr. Bruce Beyer Dr. Sandy Koltonow & Dr. Mary Schlaff David & Carol Schoch Mr. & Mrs. Alan E. Schwartz Mr. & Mrs. Alan S. Schwartz Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley G. Sears Mr. Ken Seawell Mr. & Mrs. Fred Secrest Mr. Merton J. & Mrs. Beverly Segal Elaine & Michael Serling Mark & Lois Shaevsky Mr. Igal Shaham & Ms. Linda Zlotoff Mrs. Jean Shapero Mrs. Patricia Finnegan Sharf Ms. Cynthia Shaw Mr. & Mrs. Larry Sherman Mr. & Mrs. James H. Sherman Ms. Margaret Shulman Dr. Les & Mrs. Ellen Siegel Coco & Robert Siewert Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Simon William & Cherie Sirois Dr. Cathryn Skedel & Mr. Daniel Skedel Cindy & Leonard Slatkin William H. Smith

VOLUNTEER COUNCIL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Ginny Lundquist President

The Volunteer Council strives to fulfill its mission as an active partner of the DSO in fundraising, as well as audience/membership expansion, youth music education and volunteer service. Because of the repeated financial success of its events, such as the Nutcracker Luncheon & Boutique and Musical Feasts, the Volunteer Council is proudly able to make significant donations to the DSO each year.

VOLUNTEER COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jill Jordan

Chief Financial Officer

Diane Ekizian

Recording Secretary

Esther Lyons

Mr. & Mrs. Leonard W. Smith John J. Solecki Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes Renate & Richard Soulen Dr. Gregory Stephens Mr. & Mrs. Cinton F. Stimpson III Dr. Mack Stirling Dr. & Mrs. Charles D. Stocking Mrs. Kathleen Straus & Mr. Walter Shapero Mrs. E. Ray Stricker Mr. & Mrs. John Stroh III Stephen & Phyllis Strome Mrs. Susan Svoboda & Mr. Bill Kishler Dorothy I. Tarpinian Shelley & Joel Tauber Dr. & Mrs. Howard Terebelo Mr. & Mrs. James W. Throop Carol & Larry Tibbitts Mr. & Mrs. John P. Tierney Alice & Paul Tomboulian Dr. Doris Tong & Dr. Teck M. Soo Mr. & Mrs. Michael Torakis Mr. Gary Torgow Barbara & Stuart Trager Mark & Janice Uhlig David Usher Dr. Vainutis Vaitkevicius Amanda Van Dusen & Curtis Blessing Mrs. Richard C. Van Dusen Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Van Dusen Mr. James G. Vella Mrs. Inge Vincent Mr. Bill Vlasic Mrs. Eva Von Voss Mr. William Waak Dr. & Mrs. Ronald W. Wadle

Ellie Tholen

V. P. for Communications/ Public Relations

Beverly Williams V. P. for Membership

V.P. for Administrative/ Office Services

E. Jane Talia

Mary Beattie Gwen Bowlby Drew Esslinger Sandie Knollenberg Magda Moss

Dolores Reese Ann Marie Rowley Charlotte Worthen Eleanor (Coco) Siewert

Mr. Michael A. Walch & Ms. Joyce Keller Captain Joseph F. Walsh, USN (Ret.) Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan T. Walton Mr. Gary L. Wasserman & Mr. Charlie Kashner Mr. Todd Watson Mr. Patrick Webster S. Evan & Gwen Weiner Mr. Herman W. Weinreich Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Weisberg Ambassador & Mrs. Ronald N. Weiser Arthur & Trudy Weiss Mr. Brian Wenzel Janis & William Wetsman/ The Wetsman Foundation Ms. Sharon Backstrom Mr. & Mrs. R. Jamison Williams Beverly & Barry Williams Dr. M. Roy & Mrs. Jacqueline Wilson Rissa & Sheldon Winkelman Dr. & Mrs. Ned Winkelman Mr. John Wolak Mr. Jonathan Wolman & Mrs. Deborah Lamm Mrs. Cathy Cromer Wood David & Bernadine Wu Ms. Andrea L. Wulf Mrs. Judith G. Yaker Mr. Michael Yessian Margaret S. York The Yousif Family Mr. & Mrs. Alan Zekelman Erwin & Isabelle Ziegelman Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Zlotoff Milton & Lois Zussman

Carol Marti

V. P. for Special Events

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V. P. for Youth Music Education

V. P. for Neighborhood/ Residency Ambassador

ORCHESTRA REPRESENTATIVES

Mark Abbott Dave Everson

Parliamentarian

Learn more about the Volunteer Council and their contributions to the DSO at dso.org/volunteercouncil PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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feature story

Brahms On Display

By Jan Swafford Official Scholar of the Brahms Festival

LATE IN LIFE JOHANNES BRAHMS VISITED A NEW CONCERT HALL IN ZÜRICH. Looking up to the ceiling, he saw portraits of immortals of music: Bach, Beethoven, and himself. Given his stated belief that compared to those giants he was little more than an insect, Brahms must have groaned or chuckled at the sight. He was convinced that his reputation would soon wither after he died. Yet there was the picture on the ceiling in Zürich; he had already been joined to the giants as one of the “three great B’s of music.” Clara Schumann, the love of his life, wrote in her journal, “Brahms is enjoying these days the kind of success a composer rarely finds in his lifetime.”

All this is to say that Brahms had an inescapable sense of awe before the giants of the past, and never lost a sense of his own inadequacy. At the same time, he knew quite well how good he was and wielded his powers with great assurance.

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As for fame, by the end of his life he had seen more than enough of it. Fame had come to him early and scarcely earned, and from the beginning it had given him more trouble than pleasure.

The origin of that fame had transpired over the course of an hour or so in 1853. An unknown twenty-year-old music student, Brahms knocked on the door of Robert and Clara Schumann in Düsseldorf. His new friend, the celebrated violinist Josef Joachim, had insisted that Johannes must visit the Schumanns. They Josef Joachim

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

feature story welcomed him cordially and invited him to five years of struggle to finish. It approached the play some of his work on piano. After he had scope and ambition of Beethoven’s Ninth, which gone through a few pieces, Schumann patted was unprecedented for a concerto. After he soloed him on the shoulder and said, “We understand in its second performance in Leipzig, Brahms each other.” That night Schumann wrote in his was hissed off the stage. He wrote a jaunty letter journal, “Visit from Brahms (a genius).” Shortly about it to Joachim: “My concerto has experienced after, in an article for a leading music journal here a brilliant and decisive—failure…I believe Schumann wrote that this young Herr Brahms this is the best thing that could happen to one… was, in effect, the coming savior of German After all, I’m only experimenting and feeling my music. Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt and their way as yet. But the hissing was too much of a followers, whom Schumann considered betrayers good thing, wasn’t it?” In fact he was devastated. of the old forms and the old masters, understood He never started an instrumental work of that amthat what Brahms was supposed to save music bition again until he fully knew what he was doing, from was them. and that took nearly twenty years.

So at twenty Brahms found himself instantWhen Robert Schumann finally died in the ly famous and already well asylum, Brahms fled Clara supplied with enemies. His when everybody, including life in the next years was “[Brahms] felt he could not Clara, had expected them in some respects exalted, to marry. After the fiasco support a wife and family, with the First Concerto, he in other respects a woeful mess. Weeks after the artioff an engagement was doomed to a vagabond broke cle came out, a maddened with a young singer. He felt Robert Schumann jumped he could not support a wife life for who knew how in the Rhine in an attempt and family, was doomed long—and he was right at suicide. Fished out, at his to a vagabond life for who own request he was placed knew how long—and he about that.” in an asylum, from which was right about that. (In he never emerged. Brahms later years he had the satrushed to Düsseldorf to isfaction of hearing the concomfort Clara and help with the household of certo applauded everywhere he went.) seven children—and she was pregnant with anHere arises another element of Brahms’s other. Before long, Brahms, fourteen years young- personality: beyond his common sense, he was er than Clara, had fallen helplessly in love with tough as nails. He had to be, to preserve himself her. Meanwhile, by then with a portfolio of work and grow after what he experienced in the first ranging from promising to brilliant, but not all years of his fame. Before that, as a slight and that much of it, Brahms was utterly thrown off his beautiful young teen he had suffered abuse in stride by what had been prophesied for him. He brothels, where his father had sent him to earn was supposed to be the new Beethoven, to save money playing piano for dancing. He recalled German music. Brahms had plenty of ego, but he those times with anguish for the rest of his life, also had plenty of common sense. He was over- said they wrecked his relations with women. What whelmed. In a way, he never got over it. But with he became after leaving Clara (though they were immense courage he shouldered the burden that close for the rest of their lives) was a man who had been laid on him. gave little, hid nearly everything. Clara said at In practice, he did not regain his stride for one point, “I’ve known Johannes for twenty years years, though he did complete some pieces. One and I don’t know him any better now than the day continue reading on page 16 of them, the First Piano Concerto, cost him nearly I met him.”

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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maximize your experience OFFERINGS Volume XXIV Winter Festival 2016 • 2015-16 Season EDITOR

Gabrielle Poshadlo gposhadlo@dso.org 313.576.5196 P R O G R A M N O T E S A N N O T AT O R

Charles Greenwell C O V E R I L L U S T R AT I O N

Skidmore Studio This cover shows one of Brahms’ rituals in life: his daily walk to the Red Hedgehog. We brought some delight into the image by having actual red hedgehogs following Brahms on the way to his favorite tavern. Stylistically, we tried to portray a method and look that would have been seen from the printing methods of that time period.

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PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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feature story After years of creative searching and strug- expense. He loved beer, children, practical jokes, gle following his discovery, Brahms got back on and gypsy bands that played in Vienna cafés. His his feet. It happened first with chamber music chronic melancholy he kept under wraps, except and the German Requiem, the latter written in in his music and the occasional outburst in his his mid-30s, which found quick acclaim. If by cups. Speaking about his own work he was usuthat point Brahms maintained a veneer of a ally ironic or dismissive. When a friend asked him gruff and relentlessly private bachelor, he still about the summer’s production, he said airily, could be gregarious and funny—usually funny “Oh, once again I’ve just thrown together a bunch at somebody’s expense, though often at his own of polkas and waltzes.” He was talking about the darkly tragic Fourth Symphony.

But Brahms’s jokes usually had something serious behind them. The Fourth is in fact a series of dances, three of them shadowed to somber, with a sort of a polka for scherzo. One of his more inspired cracks covertly reveals his insecurity: at a dinner his host played up to him by flourishing a bottle and declaring, “I call this the Brahms of my wines!” “Let’s have a bottle of Bach, then,” Brahms said.

In his career he took up one traditional medium and genre after another and mastered it. He stayed true to the Classical spirit and forms of Beethoven and Mozart, but wielded them with enormous freedom and imagination, and with a passionately Romantic voice. By his lights he intended to release nothing but masterpieces, plus popular pieces like the Hungarian Dances that flew off the shelves. Beyond those, he wrote stacks of pieces Johannes Brahms for more or less amateur music-making. His lighter music actually established his fame when many still found his ambitious works tough going.

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

feature story Any work that didn’t measure up to his unfor- strumental voice was as distinctive as every other giving standards Brahms put in the parlor stove, aspect of his language. He was a thoroughgoing or tore it up and threw it in the nearest river. He eclectic, his music rising from sources as recent said that he wrote twenty string quartets before as Beethoven and Schubert and other influenche released his first. Apparently another violin es going through Bach and Handel back to the concerto and another double concerto were con- Renaissance. Yet no composer ever had a more signed to oblivion. A keen student of Beethoven’s audible stylistic signature than Brahms. biography and his sketches, he destroyed most of The First Symphony found a guarded but his own sketches and kept a tight rein on what of respectful reception at its 1876 premiere. For his life was going to be available to biographers. Brahms it broke the curse: the next fourteen Near the end he demanded his letters back from years saw a row of symphonies and concertos at his friends and consigned them to the stove— the highest level of craft and inspiration. You’ll though many survive, along with copies of others. be hearing them all in these concerts, plus some Brahms was a splendid Hungarian Dances and the earcraftsman and had ly and delightful Serenades. no weak suits. But his By his last years Brahms’s relatively weakest, his place in the history of his art, biggest uncertainty, despite his own conviction to was with the orchesthe contrary, was secure. All tra. His early orchestral the same, at that point he was music was competent most admired for his chamber but had little individumusic, the Requiem, and the ality in its sound. Added light pieces including the to that was his dread of Hungarian Dances. Many felt going up against Beehis symphonies were too inthoven. “I’ll never write tellectual, lacked the popular Clara Schumann a symphony!” he cried touch. When the new Bosto Clara in a letter. “You ton Symphony Hall opened have no idea how the in 1900, a local critic said likes of me feels with the tramp of a giant like the egresses should be marked “Exit In Case of him behind you!” Of course, “him” was Beetho- Brahms.” Even the exquisite Violin Concerto had ven. Yet Brahms’s ambition and his courage were never found much popularity in his life. But withstronger than his self-doubt: when he wrote that in a dozen or so years after he died in 1897, his letter, he was about a year from finishing the First works, including the symphonies and concertos, Symphony, which by then he had been working on were as universally beloved as they have been intermittently for some fifteen years. ever since. With audiences today as it was with The splendid fruits of these labors, struggles, his first admirers, Brahms’s music has a singular anxieties, tragedies, and triumphs will be on dis- gift for seizing you in a moment, and for a lifetime. play in the Detroit Symphony Brahms Festival. In terms of his own ascent as a composer for orchestra, a key work is one of the slighter ones in the Festival: Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn.

Here, after many years of searching and consultations with other composers and conductors, Brahms found his own voice with the orchestra.

Perhaps for him that was the last hurdle—he Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz was not going to issue a symphony until its inWho was Johannes Kreisler 1

and what was his relation to Brahms?

profile Leonard Slatkin’s bio appears on page 6.

BAIBA SKRIDE Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor Neeme Järvi, Music Director Emeritus

CLASSICAL SERIES

Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, February 12, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. in Orchestra Hall LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor BAIBA SKRIDE, violin Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 3, and 10

(1833-1897) No. 1 in G minor: Allegro molto No. 3 in F major: Allegretto No. 10 in F major: Presto Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Op. 77 Allegro non troppo Adagio Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace Baiba Skride, violin —INTERMISSION—

Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 Allegro non troppo Andante moderato Allegro giocoso Allegro energico e passionato

This Classical series performance is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals This performance will be webcast at dso.org/live Experience the concert again at dso.org/replay Live from Orchestra Hall is presented by and made possible by

.

Baiba Skride’s natural approach to her music-making has endeared her to some of today’s most important conductors and orchestras worldwide.

She is consistently invited for her refreshing interpretations, her sensitivity and delight in the music. The list of prestigious orchestras with whom she has worked include the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and NHK Symphony.

Notable conductors she collaborates with include Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo and Neeme Järvi, Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, Vasily Petrenko, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jukka Pekka Saraste and John Storgårds.

In August 2015 Skride released her fifth disc for Orfeo, featuring the Nielsen and Sibelius concertos and 2 Serenades with Tampere Philharmonic/Santtu-Matias Rouvali. The preceding CD containing the Szymanowski concertos with Oslo Philharmonic/Petrenko and Mythes with Lauma Skride received the Award of the German Record Critics and was nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Award. Earlier recordings include a Schumann CD with Danish National Symphony/Storgårds, a Stravinsky and Martin concerto CD with BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Fischer, a Brahms box with Stockholm Philharmonic/Oramo, and a Tchaikovsky CD with CBSO/Nelsons.

Skride was born into a musical Latvian family in Riga where she began her studies, then transferring in 1995 to the Conservatory of Music and Theatre in Rostock. In 2001 she won the 1st Prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Since November 2010 Skride has played the Stradivarius “Ex Baron Feilitzsch” violin (1734), which is generously on loan to her from Gidon Kremer.

program notes Three Hungarian Dances

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, TIMPANI, PERCUSSION AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 7 MINUTES) Brahms is often looked on as one of the last pillars of the Romantic Era, but he was not a mainstream Romantic: rather, his music features a Classical sense of form and logic in great contrast to many of his contemporaries who were exploring new directions formally and coloristically in the realm of program music. Along with Bruckner, Brahms was probably the major exponent of the symphony in the latter half of the 19th century, and in doing so revived a genre which was out of fashion and paved the way for other composers such as Mahler and Sibelius. He looked both backward to the Baroque and Classical masters, and forward; his works were often very bold in harmony, rhythm and expression, and 20th century scholars have acknowledged not only the man’s remarkably original and supple control of rhythm and movement, but also a harmonic language which had advanced far beyond Beethoven, and which gave him a much greater ability to express himself. In fact, no composer after Beethoven was able to surpass his subtle command of tonality, harmony and rhythm. Moreover, his larger works demonstrate an ever-increasing sense of economy and concentration. While almost all other composers were writing songs and short piano pieces, Brahms—who also composed such works—wrote a lot of chamber music as well as symphonies, and seemed to have a greater kinship with Beethoven and Schubert than with his own time.

Drawing on older models, he revitalized 19th-century rhythmic language and texture, both of which had been in danger of stagnation.

It was as accompanist to the Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi on a three-month tour in 1853 that Brahms first went beyond his native Hamburg. It was on this tour that Brahms met the celebrated Hungarian violinist, composer and

conductor Joseph Joachim, a meeting which would bear fruit later on in the form of the great D Major Violin Concerto, and later still would produce the Double Concerto for Violin and Cello. The tour also gave Brahms the opportunity of hearing Hungarian folk tunes and gypsy music, and this would also be of great influence in later years. By the time the present Hungarian Dances were published in 1869, the use of popular “Hungarian” tunes and styles was already a time-honored coloring, having been used by many composers, famous and otherwise, among them Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, and most notably, Franz Liszt in his famous Hungarian Rhapsodies.

It was not until the 20th century that eminent composer-scholars such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály showed conclusively that what these masters thought were examples of indigenous Hungarian musical culture had little to do with Hungarian peasantry, but were mostly urban, meticulously notated and very commercial music of the Hungarian gypsies. Whatever the case, more than any of his other compositions, these energetic and passionate Dances helped to establish Brahms’ fame throughout the world, and were looked on as worthy successors to the Liszt rhapsodies. They in fact brought Brahms almost overnight to the attention of a wide public who rarely displayed a similar fondness for his other, more serious works, and around the turn of the 20th century they became phenomenally popular, played in almost every middle-class family. Although in their original version for piano duet they were designed initially for domestic use of mainly amateur pianists—some of whose capabilities were not quite up to the considerable technical demands of the works—their greatest popularity came later in the orchestral versions for the concert hall. For the record, when the Dances were first published, Brahms did not claim that they were original melodies, but called them “arrangements” for piano duet. Indeed, most of the themes of the 21 Dances were taken from works by well-known Hungarian composers of songs and czardas music, but some of them are real folk songs, and three of them—Nos. 11, 14 and 16—have been shown by modern scholarship to actually be original Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz Brahms pieces. The 2 Did Brahms ever get married?

program notes first collection of the Dances was published in 1869, just a year after the beautiful German Requiem had laid the cornerstone to his reputation, and from this point on, Brahms’ fame grew quickly and steadily.

The Dances were an instant success, and along with the lovely Liebeslieder Waltzes, published in the same year, assured the 36-year-old composer of a popularity which continued unabated to the end of his life.

The DSO last performed Hungarian Dances 1, 3 and 10 at Concert of Colors in July 2010 with Tito Muñoz conducting.

The DSO first performed this combination during Ford Sunday Evening Hour in March 1935 with Victor Kolar conducting.

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Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 (1878)

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833, Hamburg D. April 3, 1897, Vienna Joseph Joachim first performed the concerto at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on New Year’s Day 1879, with the composer conducting.

SCORED FOR SOLO VIOLIN, PAIRS OF FLUTES, OBOES, CLARINETS, AND BASSOONS, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, TIMPANI, AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 36 MINUTES) By the time Brahms began composing his Violin Concerto, he had known Joseph Joachim, one of the greatest violinists of his time, for more than 20 years. The musicians had met in their early twenties when Joachim already had been a virtuoso for 10 years and Brahms was still an unknown pianist accompanying a now-unknown violinist, Eduard Reményi. Joachim was impressed immediately with Brahms’s compositions, remembering even 50 years later —“Never in the course of my artist’s life have I been more completely overwhelmed.” Joachim recognized a musical kindred spirit in Brahms and did whatever he could to promote the composer, arranging a private meeting with his employer, George V, King of Hanover, and recommending him to

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

his former mentor, Franz Liszt. When Brahms sought suggestions from Joachim about writing for the violin, it was not only out of professional respect, but also deep friendship.

In August 1878, Brahms wrote to Joachim that he would be receiving “a few violin passages,” and asked the virtuoso to make suggestions regarding their playability on the instrument. The “few passages” turned out to be a solo part of a huge first movement for a violin concerto. Joachim, ecstatic about his friend’s new project, promptly replied, “Most of it is manageable, some of it even very original, violinistically.” Because Brahms was primarily a pianist, he was grateful that Joachim was willing to provide his own substantial cadenza, which has become standard for the concerto.

The first movement opens with the dramatic full orchestral tutti, generating excitement by contrasting lyricism with rhythmic displacements, an approach all but characteristic of Brahms. The violin enters some 90 measures later in the tone of D, playing a variant of the main theme, but unexpectedly in the minor mode.

The second movement was a last minute insertion. Brahms originally conceived of the concerto as a four-movement work. However, he decided to nix the middle pair only two months before the premiere, writing to Joachim that “naturally they were the best!” The composer replaced them with a “poor adagio.” This “poor adagio” in song form (ABA) begins with a lovely theme played by the oboe accompanied by winds. The violin enters to take up the theme, but ornaments it, continually adding decorative notes and extensions. After the central episode (in F-sharp minor), the first section returns with the oboe solo, this time accompanied by violin.

The movement closes softly as the violin holds a high F over the orchestra.

The rondo of the last movement starts with the violin brilliantly stating the recurring main theme in thirds. Brahms shows that the violin, by using double-stops, or the playing of two strings simultaneously, can also be a harmony instrument, performing its own accompaniment. He was inspired to use this technique in part by his knowledge of Bach’s violin works.

program notes Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany d. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria Premiered in Meiningen on October 25, 1885 with the composer conducting.

SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES WITH ONE DOUBLING ON PICCOLO, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, CONTRABASSOON, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, TIMPANI, TRIANGLE AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 40 MINUTES) Brahms’ Fourth Symphony is considered by many to be his masterpiece in the genre because it offers the ideal balance between form and expression.

Here, structural play amplifies the emotional impact of his themes. Proclaimed by Robert Schumann to be “destined to give ideal expression to the times,” Brahms came of age during the hyper romanticism of Wagner and delayed his own entry into symphonic composition until the premiere of his first symphony in 1876, when he was 43 years old. His symphonies were immediately beloved, but heard as conservative and classical—their deep inventiveness being appreciated only later. Brahms’ fourth and final symphony appeared just nine years after his first, and while Brahms began parts of a fifth, he destroyed his sketches, making the fourth his ultimate symphonic statement. The symphony opens almost in midthought, with the violins sliding out of nowhere and the woodwinds responding in reflection to create the first theme. There is no introduction. Brahms clearly enjoyed the movement’s disorienting beginning, as two bars of wind chords that originally began the work were cut from the first draft. The theme is central to the movement, and guides the listener’s journey through Brahms’ clever treatment of sonata form: what appears to be its first repeat quickly veers into new territory (known as the development) and a quiet pianissimo masks its return (known as the recapitulation) when the winds suggest the theme and the violins only gradually catch on. The horn call that opens the second movement provides the musical material for the whole: a repeating note plus a lilting snap that moves up, then down, and repeats. That such a delicate and beautiful slow movement could be

made of such repetitive and seemingly pedestrian material is a wonder. The idea moves throughout the orchestra, subtly shifting in color and rhythm. A lyrical theme in the cello briefly intervenes, but soon shifts back to the opening motif, which sounds as if caught in an orchestral fugue by Bach. The luscious return of the lyrical theme introduces yet a new idea that leads back to a final triumphant statement of the horn fanfare. The Scherzo that follows is a rollicking, energetic and somewhat comic dance, featuring the percussionists in athletic timpani and shimmering triangle playing. Making their first appearance, the trombones mark the severe scope of the finale, sounding an eight-note theme based loosely on Johann Sebastian Bach’s early cantata “Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich” [For Thee, O Lord, I long]— BWV 150. Brahms presents 32 variations over this bass line, making up a rare example of a symphonic chaconne. The tale is often told of how the influence of Beethoven and his symphonies overshadowed Brahms’ work in the genre. This Fourth Symphony, however, suggests that while Brahms may have followed Beethoven’s sonic footsteps to Vienna and into the realm of the symphony, he erected his own signature monuments, honoring the tradition built by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann, while realizing his own orchestral voice.

The DSO last performed the Brahms Violin Concerto in March 2014 at Artis-Naples in Naples, Fla. with Leonard Slatkin conducting and Hilary Hahn as soloist.

It received its DSO debut in November 1921 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting and Ilya Schkolnik as soloist.

Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz

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What did Brahms say when someone pointed out the similarity between the theme of the finale in the last movement of the 1st Symphony and the “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven?

profile

Leonard Slatkin’s bio appears on page 6.

Baiba Skride’s bio appears on page 18.

DANJULO ISHIZAKA Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor Neeme Järvi, Music Director Emeritus

CLASSICAL SERIES

Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in Orchestra Hall LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor BAIBA SKRIDE, violin DANJULO ISHIZAKA, cello Johannes Brahms Tragic Overture in D minor, Op. 81 (1833-1897) Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102, “Double Concerto” Allegro Andante Vivace non troppo

Baiba Skride, violin Danjulo Ishizaka, cello —INTERMISSION—

Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 Allegro con brio Andante Poco allegretto Allegro

This Classical series performance is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals This performance will be webcast at dso.org/live Experience the concert again at dso.org/replay Live from Orchestra Hall is presented by and made possible by

.

After receiving first prize in both the ARD Competition and Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, Danjulo Ishizaka is today ranked among the most outstanding cellists of his generation internationally. His exceptional timbre and straightforward musical tone testify to a high degree of maturity and high recognition value.

Danjulo, born into a German-Japanese family in Bonn, received his first cello lessons at the age of four. Boris Pergamenschikov, with whom he studied at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin from 1998 until 2004, has been a fundamental influence on him, both artistically and personally. From 2004 to 2006, he studied at the Academy with Tabea Zimmermann. In addition, he has been strongly influenced

by Bernhard Greenhouse, Michael Denhoff, György Kurtág, Menahem Pressler and the Amadeus-Quartet.

His first concerts brought the cellist to the Berlin Philharmonic Hall at the young age of 17. Finally, in 2003 he debuted at the Musikverein in Vienna, in 2004 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, in 2006 at Carnegie Hall in New York, in 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall in London and in 2010 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Danjulo was chosen to participate in BBC Radio 3’s renowned “New Generation Artists Scheme,” offering him the opportunity to produce numerous studio recordings in 2007 and 2008, as well as holding debut recitals at Wigmore Hall London.

Danjulo performs on the Wolfgang Schnabl cello, formerly played by Boris Pergamenschikow and provided by the Kronberg Academy, as well as the Stradivarius cello ‘Feuermann’ (1730) on loan to him from the Nippon Music Foundation, previously played by the legendary cellist Emanuel Feuermann.

These are his debut performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

program notes Tragic Overture, Op. 81

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, PICCOLO, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, 3 TROMBONES, TUBA, TIMPANI AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 12 MINUTES) Brahms is often looked on as one of the last pillars of the Romantic Era, but he was not a mainstream Romantic: rather, his music features a Classical sense of form and logic in great contrast to many of his contemporaries who were exploring new directions formally and coloristically in the realm of program music. Along with Bruckner, Brahms was probably the major exponent of the symphony in the latter half of the 19th century, and in doing so revived a genre which was out of fashion and paved the way for other composers such as Mahler and Sibelius. He looked both backward and forward, his works were often very bold in harmony, rhythm and expression, and 20th century scholars have acknowledged not only the man’s remarkably original rhythmic sense, but also a harmonic language which had advanced far beyond Beethoven, and which gave him a much greater ability to express himself. Many of Brahms’ works were composed in pairs: witness the Piano Sonatas Opp. 1 & 2; the Piano Quartets Opp. 25 & 26; the String Quartets Op. 51; the Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120; the two sets of Leibeslieder Waltzes; and the two Serenades.

This was no doubt due to the man’s extraordinarily fertile mind which often produced more ideas than could be fit into a single composition. Remember also that Brahms’ first biographer claims the master told him that he had destroyed (in this case, literally destroyed) approximately 80% of everything he had ever written! While the two concert overtures produced in 1880 were indeed written in tandem, here there is no real sense of musical continuity but rather one of complementary balance.

With regard to mood, the two overtures are about as far apart as one could imagine: the Academic Festival is lighthearted and ebullient, whereas the

present work is very dark and heroic.

Like many composers, Mahler among them, Brahms found that he could compose best away from the pressures of the regular seasons, and much of his best work was done on vacation while away from Vienna. In the summer of 1880 he went to the resort of Bad Ischl, which he dearly loved, and even though the weather that summer was unusually rainy and dreary and prevented him from going on his usual long walks, he nevertheless found the inspiration to compose these wonderful concert overtures which, along with the Haydn Variations, are his only orchestral works not cast in the form of a symphony, concerto or serenade.

Despite the name, the Tragic Overture does not allude to any specific dramatic program. Typically non-committal about the work, he told one of his close friends that he wrote it simply to satisfy the melancholy side of his nature, and when asked about the two overtures together he famously replied, “one laughs while the other cries.” In spite of this, he had agreed earlier on to write incidental music to a complete production slated for the early 1880s of Goethe’s Faust. This project fell through, although some of his sketches for the music appear in the Third Symphony. Moreover, the second set of themes in the Overture is based on sketches from the late 1860s which were written down on the back of sketches for his sublime Alto Rhapsody, also inspired by Goethe. The highly dramatic nature of this work was such a change from the basically optimistic and upbeat character of Brahms’ recent compositions that it met with a very cool reception at its premiere in Vienna in December of 1880. It has now become part of the standard orchestral repertoire, although it still is not performed as frequently as the Academic Festival or the symphonies. This is a shame, for in it Brahms created what biographer Jan Swafford termed “…a compelling image of defiance against dark destiny,” and which is arguably his most concise and intensely dramatic work.

The DSO last performed this piece in December 2014 with Neeme Järvi conducting. It received its DSO debut in November 1923 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting.

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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program notes Concerto in A minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 102

the premieres of many of his chamber music pieces.

Then, in 1883, some 30 years after this extraordinary friendship began, it ruptured decisively. Among JOHANNES BRAHMS many fine traits, Joachim was also an inordinately B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany jealous person, and in that year he somehow beD. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria came convinced that his wife, Amalie, was having an affair with Brahms’ publisher, which was not true.

SCORED FOR SOLO VIOLIN, SOLO CELLO, 2 FLUTES, Brahms wrote a very sympathetic letter to the wife, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, 4 HORNS, 2 dismissing his old friend’s suspicions as quite unTRUMPETS, TIMPANI AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 32 founded, and when Joachim filed for divorce, Brahms MINUTES) even wrote him a letter in which he said, “In the sad affair of your wife, I could never be on your side, and Brahms and the Hungarian violinist/composer I always had to deplore the way you proceeded in the Joseph Joachim had been the closest of friends since matter.” At the trial, Brahms’ letter to Amalie was their first meeting in Hanover in 1853. At that time, offered as a character reference and helped the court Brahms was just starting his decide in her favor. Joachim career, while Joachim, only two was devastated, as until then “In subsequent years, years his senior, was already a he had no knowledge of the seasoned and respected artist Brahms would go from letter, and immediately sevwho, among other accomplishered his ties with Brahms, but being an unknown—but did continue to play his music, ments, had been responsible for establishing the Beethoven while steadfastly rejecting prodigiously gifted— Violin Concerto in the repertoBrahms’ attempts to heal the ry, having first performed the provincial pianist to one of breach. Ultimately, Joachim work at the age of twelve in and his wife separated, even a concert which Mendelssohn Europe’s foremost composers, after the divorce was denied. conducted. In subsequent Four years passed during years, Brahms would go from a position he would hold for which the two men had no conbeing an unknown—but protact with one another, and by the rest of his life.” digiously gifted—provincial that time Brahms realized he pianist to one of Europe’s forehad to do something to make most composers, a position he would hold for the rest peace with Joachim, whom he still loved dearly. So of his life. His career had been started by a formi- it was that in 1887, Brahms reached out to Joachim dable letter of introduction which Joachim wrote to with a new concerto—but not for violin alone. He Robert Schumann, who in turn used his prestige not had recently written a sonata for Robert Hausmann, just as an artist but as the editor of Europe’s most the cellist who played in Joachim’s quartet, and so, widely-read music journal to herald that the young in an attempt to reconcile with his old friend and in Brahms was someone whose work would one day the process make a gesture to a new friend, Brahms change the musical world. Through the years the undertook, in his words, “the folly of writing a double bond between Joachim and Brahms grew stronger concerto.” and more complex: Brahms sought Joachim’s advice There ensued a spate of correspondence about in 1878 as he was creating his great Violin Concerto, the proposed concerto between the two men, and it for which Joachim wrote the first-movement caden- seemed as though Joachim was positively inclined za which became an integral part of the work; and to the new venture, as he also had been feeling the Joachim conducted much strain of the breach over the preceding four years. At of Brahms’ orchestral the end of July, Brahms sent Joachim the solo parts Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz works and took part in and asked for his advice, to which Joachim replied What is the relationship of the 4 four Brahms symphonies to Mozart’s “Jupiter?”

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program notes favorably and suggested some minor alterations.

As had happened earlier on with the Violin Concerto, Brahms used only a few of the suggestions, but did rework some passages on his own after Joachim pointed out that they were unreasonably difficult.

While all of this was going on, Clara Schumann wrote in her diary, “The concerto is a work of reconciliation, and Joachim and Brahms have spoken to each other again for the first time in years.” Moreover, she volunteered her home in Baden-Baden as the site of preliminary rehearsals, and the three men gathered there in late September and spent two days familiarizing themselves with the music and working out details. Shortly thereafter the work was given a trial run with the local orchestra, with Brahms conducting, and then preparations were made for the formal premiere in Cologne in October, all parties performing from manuscript parts. Being the perfectionist that he was, Brahms subjected the work to revisions and alterations, and as a result, the work was not published until the following June. The new concerto, which became Brahms’ last work for orchestra, was given a very cool reception at its premiere, with Clara, the critic Eduard Hanslick (always a staunch supporter of the composer), and even Joachim expressing some disappointment with the work. Nevertheless, Joachim and Hausmann played the concerto whenever they could be jointly engaged for a concert, and as time went on Joachim changed his opinion about the work. It is true that the Double Concerto has never enjoyed the popularity of Brahms’ other orchestral works, but this may have had more to do with the logistical and financial difficulties involved in finding two equally-matched soloists than in any musical considerations. Most double concertos feature two soloists who play the same instrument or instruments of nearly-identical range, in order to assure equality and a good blend of sound. However, the combination of extremes found in this concerto did have some distant precedents in similar works

by Vivaldi, Telemann, J.C. Bach, Carl Stamitz and Louis Spohr, among others. Considering the ultimate success of the Brahms creation, it has always been surprising that more composers did not follow this example, but those who did include Delius, Ysaye, Pfitzner, Leon Kirchner and Miklos Rozsa. Many have stated that this concerto was Brahms’ renewal of

the 18th-century concerto grosso, in which a small group of two or more soloists was contrasted with the accompanying ensemble, but being very well versed in music history, Brahms knew as much about this Baroque form as he did about anything which Mozart or Haydn or Beethoven produced, and indeed never mentioned any such influence. Moreover, the style and construction of the piece bear no resemblance to the Baroque model other than its instrumentation.

What he had in mind seems to have been a revival of the traditional genre in the spirit of Romanticism, resulting in a concerto for two soloists written in the mode of his thorough integration of soloists and orchestra which he had perfected in the three earlier concertos, two for piano and one for violin. The soloists’ share in this work is considerable, and even though Brahms once referred to it as a “Concerto for a giant fiddle,” one still gets the impression that it can be thought of as a symphony with obbligato solo instruments which are directly involved in the musical discourse. In addition, Brahms cleverly reduced the difference in register between the two soloists by manipulating the orchestra in such a way that there is a permanent balance between them and the full ensemble.

This neglected work can be looked on not only as the culmination of Brahms’ stance against the conventions of the Romantic concerto, but also the culmination of his life-long attempt to create a concerto in which neither solo instrument nor the orchestra would dominate the other: the very ideal which Mozart had perfected. It is a concerto rich in harmony and melody and elaborate in counterpoint which is a product of the composer’s full maturity, replete with the autumnal glow which marks the masterpieces of his last years. As in most concertos, the first movement has the main musical weight, and is almost as long as the other two movements combined. It presents two main themes in a most unusual manner: announced first by the orchestra, they are repeated in turn by the two soloists on their own, and the following development of the themes is concise, with a formal recapitulation and coda. The beautiful second movement is a simple three-part structure built on a theme stated at the outset by the soloists playing in octaves. After a chorale-like central passage, the majestic recapitulation leads to a hushed coda.

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program notes The finale is cast as a rondo, Brahms’ favorite final movement form, and has a decided gypsy flavor.

The DSO last performed this work in March 2004 with Neeme Järvi conducting and Alban Gerhardt and Emmanuelle Boisvert as soloists.

It received its DSO debut in November 1920 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting and Ilya Schkolnik and Philipp Abbas as soloists.

——————

Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90 JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, CONTRABASSOON, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, 3 TROMBONES, TIMPANI AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 34 MINUTES) Each of Brahms’ symphonies is an acknowledged masterpiece, each is unique, and each portrays its own world of character and emotion. Yet, looked at from an unusual perspective, the four symphonies taken together could represent what one writer called “a symphony of symphonies.” If one thinks of the four symphonies as individual movements of one monumental symphony, this would be the pattern: No. 1, a dark and serious but ultimately triumphant beginning; No. 2, a lyrical and pastoral song ending in joy; No. 3, a reflective, somewhat bittersweet and almost spiritual intermezzo; and No. 4, the grand tragic finale. From first to last, one can follow the uninterrupted path of Brahms’ maturing genius, and understand his obsession for form and balance and perfection of detail. He completed this Third Symphony in the summer of 1883, shortly after he turned 50: it was a time when his accomplishments and successes were legion, his devotion to composition was legendary, and when he was looked on by many as the greatest living composer. He was at the peak of his mastery, concentration and confidence. The Symphony was written in and around Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz the city of Wiesbaden, the Why is it called “A German Requiem?”

26

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home town of a young singer half his age named Hermine Spies for whom he had a deep and abiding affection, but apart from that we know precious little of the work’s origins, as he purposely intended that his music be known to the general public only in its final form. (For the record, young Hermine apparently worshipped Brahms as a composer, but her feelings for him seemed to be more musical than romantic.) We do know, however, that when he felt the Symphony was substantially complete, he showed the manuscript to Clara Schumann, who by then had been widowed from her famous husband for 27 years. She was totally enraptured by the work, and wrote to Brahms in part, “I have spent many happy hours with your wonderful creation…from start to finish one is wrapped in the mysterious charm of the woods and forests…the final transfiguration begins with such beauty that words fail me.” Several of Brahms’ colleagues wanted to affix the sub-title Eroica to the Symphony, but, great work though it is, it is neither as grand or humanistic as the Beethoven epic. Heroic it is in a certain sense (particularly the final movement), but its Brahmsian traits are turbulence and sentiment, conflicts and warm resolutions, even feelings of desolation; but it ends with a very personal vision of twilight serenity. The Third is the shortest of his symphonies, but at the same time formally strict, tonally inventive, thematically integrated to a remarkable degree, and rhythmically complex.

What is unusual about the Symphony is that all four movements end softly, making it the only one of his orchestral works to end in that way.

The Third Symphony had its premiere in Vienna in December of 1883. It was one of the greatest triumphs Brahms was ever to experience, and in subsequent performances all over Europe it received similarly full-throated acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Ironically, he found this success hard to deal with, worrying that the Symphony’s great popularity would set up unreasonable expectations for his next work that he would not be able to fulfill.

This was the first time since The German Requiem that he had immediately won over everybody with a major work, and so the stakes were now higher than ever. Indeed, some six weeks after the premiere, he wrote to a close friend, “The reputation the famous F-Major has acquired makes me want to cancel all

program notes my engagements.” Happily, this never happened, and there was still the Fourth Symphony to come, a work which has been described by more than one authority as “one of the Seven Wonders of the Musical World.” The thematic development in the Third is of unusual interest, as Brahms is usually regarded as not utilizing the cyclic devices and thematic developments of people like Berlioz and Liszt. However, this Symphony does have a motto theme, which is used prominently in all but the third movement; there is also a theme from the second movement which reappears completely transformed in the finale; and the main theme of the last movement itself is subjected to metamorphoses as ingenious and clever as anything Liszt might have thought of—and all of this happens without in any way calling attention to itself.

That motto theme is a rising figure of the notes F-A-F, with the A sometimes natural and sometimes flatted, and represents the German words “Frei aber froh,” or “Free but happy.” The alteration of the natural and flattened A (which also alternates between major and minor) is one of the main musical arguments of the entire work. The three searing chords with which the Symphony begins are based on the F-A-F notes, and then, following a powerful introduction, much of the first movement is gentle and lyrically beautiful, featuring a lot of intimate, chamber-like scoring.

The equally beautiful second movement achieves a very subtle kind of unity by weaving the F-A-F mo-

tif into its principal theme, and then becomes part of the remainder of the movement as well. For the third movement, Brahms creates a moderate tempo instead of the rapid scherzo which was so popular in most 19th-century symphonies, and brings us one of his most cherished melodies: lonely, yearning, yet hopeful and, once heard, never forgotten. It was the great and immediate hit of the Symphony, and was regularly encored in concerts wherever it was played.

Here, he really exploits the major-minor fluctuations heard in the first movement, and small motifs heard in the previous two movements are hauntingly linked together. In the finale, Brahms again breaks with tradition by casting most of the movement in the minor key. It is indeed an epic—even heroic—finale, at once passionate, lyrical, breathless and unsettled, utilizing several themes in rapid succession, then modifying them, developing them, and switching back and forth among them, presenting a huge conflict of elemental forces. The last tradition-breaking transformation­ —which has the greatest impact in the entire work—is the recurrence in the final measures, now played softly, of the first movement’s F-A-F motif and its descending main theme, and the Symphony ends in a deep, quiet calm.

The DSO last performed this work in Devember 2006 with Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos conducting.

It received its DSO debut in December 1920 at Orchestra Hall with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting.

The Paradise Lounge has been transformed into

for the Brahms Festival!

Visit dso.org/brahmsfest for the latest offerings inspired by Brahms’ German heritage and career in Vienna.

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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program notes Leonard Slatkin’s bio appears on page 6.

Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80

Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor Neeme Järvi, Music Director Emeritus

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

CLASSICAL SERIES

SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, PICCOLO, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, CONTRABASSOON, 4 HORNS, 3 TRUMPETS, 3 TROMBONES, TUBA, TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION (BASS DRUM, CYMBALS AND TRIANGLE) AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 10 MINUTES)

Friday, February 19, 2016 at 10:45 a.m.

Friday, February 19, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. in Orchestra Hall LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor Johannes Brahms Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80

(1833-1897)

Serenade No. 2 in A major, Op. 16 —INTERMISSION—

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Un poco sostenuto - Allegro Andante sostenuto Un poco allegretto e grazioso Adagio - Più andante Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

This Classical series performance is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals This performance will be webcast at dso.org/live Experience the concert again at dso.org/replay Live from Orchestra Hall is presented by .

and made possible by

Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz

Brahms was a good pianist, but did he conduct as well?

6

Although Brahms never went to college, when he was 20 he had the opportunity to live the life of a student without any academic pressures. This came about when his tour with violinist Eduard Reményi (already mentioned in the first program of this series) came to a sudden end in July of 1853. A few weeks before that, Reményi had introduced Brahms to violinist-composer Joseph Joachim during a concert program in Hanover. The two men hit it off, and Joachim invited Brahms to join him at the University of Gottingen that summer where he would be taking some courses in history and philosophy. Brahms eagerly accepted, and for two months he hung out with Joachim and his colleagues, and enjoyed reading, debates, pleasant walks, beer drinking (something Brahms loved!) and song fests at the local beer halls, along with cordial interactions with many of the students. He also did a recital with Joachim, thereby raising enough money to finance a walking tour of the Rhineland, something he had dreamed about for years.

In 1879 the University of Breslau conferred on him an honorary degree, Doctor of Philosophy, and Brahms sent the faculty there a simple handwritten note of acknowledgement and gratitude. However, the Director of Music in Breslau, who had nominated Brahms for the degree, made it clear that in return, the faculty expected to receive some kind of an orches-

program notes tral composition which would fit the Latin citation on the degree referring to Brahms as “the foremost composer of serious music in Germany today.” Little did the faculty realize what they would ultimately get! Accordingly, it was while on vacation the following summer that Brahms created this mock-serious and rollicking overture, which was to become one of his most frequently performed works. The man was certainly not known for his sense of humor, but on this occasion the inherent pomposity of the situation brought forth from him a tongue-in-cheek jest of stinging proportions, a masterful balance of serious and light-hearted elements, and an emphasis clearly on “festival” rather than “academic,” along with an ebullient sense of fun. Brahms himself conducted the premiere at a special convocation held by the University shortly after New Year’s Day in 1881. All of the bigwigs of the University filled the front rows of the auditorium, expecting to hear something like a profound symphony or an intricate choral work, but what they got was—in Brahms’ own words—“a very boisterous potpourri of student drinking songs” celebrating the decidedly un-intellectual aspects of university life such as wining, dining, wenching, and freshman initiation pranks. There are no less than four student beer-hall songs woven into the orchestral texture, perhaps a fond backwards glance at his carefree days in Gottingen in that summer of 1853.

Among the tunes are “We have built a stately house,” “Father of his country,” “What comes from there on high?,” and to conclude, the well-known “Gaudeamus igitur,” the words of which say in part, “Let us rejoice while we are still young; after a jolly youth and a burdensome old age, the earth will claim us.” The blending of the tunes and orchestral colors is masterly, and, as you will see from the instrumentation list, this short work calls for the largest orchestra Brahms ever used.

The DSO last performed this work in June 2013 at the Heroes Gala concert with Leonard Slatkin conducting.

It received its DSO debut in April 1921 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting.

Serenade No. 2 in A Major, Op. 16 JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASOONS, 2 HORNS AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 29 MINUTES) Brahms produced his orchestral works in two segments. In his youth, painfully aware of the shadow of Beethoven, he waited an unusually long time before writing his first symphony. His first published works in this genre are the two Serenades and the First Piano Concerto, which appeared in print in the early 1860s. Due to the initially unfavorable reception of the concerto, he waited for more than ten years before composing the masterly Variations on a Theme of Haydn and revising the Second Serenade. These were published in the 1870s, and were intended as preparations for delving into full symphonic composition.

The present Serenade is unique, inasmuch as its two incarnations—1859 and 1875—belong to both segments. The traditional instrumental serenades as they were understood in the 18th century were often commissioned for specific occasions, usually performed outdoors, and consisted of light, pleasing entertainment music. They did share some elements with the symphony, usually based on the fast-slowfast model, to which were added marches and minuets and the like, and often movements which featured one or more soloists. At the time Brahms composed both of his Serenades, he was living in the small town of Detmold, near Hanover, where he was engaged for three years as a choir conductor, pianist and piano teacher by the court of the small principality of Lippe-Detmold, which was presided over by the musically enterprising Prince Paul Friedrich Emil Leopold. He was only required to be at the court for the last four months of the year, beginning in 1854, using the rest of the year, plus the generous free time he was allowed, for composing. The court had a permanent 45-piece orchestra, whose members also took part in chamber music conLeonard’s Little Brahms Quiz certs, with Brahms 7

Who wrote the theme for Brahms’ only set of Variations for Orchestra?

program notes joining them whenever a piano was required. The salary was not great, but he enjoyed the work because it gave him time to compose as well as to take walks in a beautiful neighboring forest. Because he was essentially in an 18th-century employment situation, it was not surprising that he took great interest in the courtly entertainment music composed by Haydn and Mozart and others, and soon after he arrived in Detmold he began planning a couple of Serenades in the light-hearted Classical style. He composed the first movement of this Second Serenade in the fall of 1858, and the other four movements followed the next year. He so enjoyed being back in the lovely forest scenery that he wrote to one of his relatives, “I was ecstatic and I thought only of music. If things continue like this, I am perfectly capable of evaporating into a musical chord and floating away in the air.” The Serenade was finished in November of 1859 with a dedication to his dear friend Clara Schumann, and was first performed the following February under Brahms’ direction in his native city of Hamburg, and it was a significant success, although it never quite achieved the popularity of the First Serenade. In April he made an arrangement of the work for piano duet (writing to a friend, “Seldom have I written musical notes with such extreme pleasure!”), and then in 1875 made some alterations to the orchestration, phrasing and dynamic markings. In 1863, after Brahms had moved permanently to Vienna, a second performance was scheduled with members of the Vienna Philharmonic, but the musicians almost scuttled the performance, complaining about the extreme difficulty of the parts. The conductor, who genuinely loved the work, was able to convince the players to buckle down and learn their parts, and when it was finally performed in March of that year it was again a considerable success.

The first movement begins in exactly this mood, and is quintessential Brahms with two lovely and contrasting melodies. Next comes the Scherzo, which was a spin-off of the 18th-century minuet and became a regular feature of the 19th-century symphony. Here, the music is lively and bouncy, somewhat reminiscent of Czech folk music, and in the Trio the Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz woodwinds predominate.

This leads to the beautiful 8

Who designated Brahms as one of the “Three Bs?”

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Adagio which is the emotional core of the Serenade, featuring repetition and development of a lilting melodic pattern stated initially by the strings. The fourth movement is almost—but not quite—a minuet, sounding more like a hesitant waltz, with a plaintive oboe solo in the Trio. The finale is a jaunty and dance-like rondo (repeated section with contrasting episodes), and here Brahms adds a piccolo to the instrumentation. He also features another delicious oboe solo in one of the episodes, and the movement ends with an exhilarating rush of brilliance.

The DSO has only performed this work once before, in January 2004 with Neeme Järvi conducting.

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Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 (1862–1876)

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria First performed on 4 Nov. 1878 in Karlsruhe, Germany under the direction of Felix Otto Dessoff.

SCORED FOR PAIRS OF FLUTES, OBOES, CLARINETS, AND BASSOONS, CONTRABASSOON, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, 3 TROMBONES, TIMPANI, AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 45 MINUTES) While many concertgoers of today associate Johannes Brahms with his masterful string quartets and symphonies from the 1870s and ’80s, he was lauded much earlier for his piano sonatas, Lieder, and chamber music. By 1853, at the age of 20, he impressed the virtuosos Joachim and Liszt, prompting the former to introduce Brahms to the influential composer and critic Robert Schumann and his wife Clara. Brahms performed many of his piano compositions for the Schumanns, affecting the music critic so deeply that he published a laudatory article in his Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. This opened up a world of possibilities for the young Brahms, just as prior articles had done for Chopin and Berlioz. Indeed, it was this very article, entitled “Neue Bahnen,” or “New Paths,” that turned the young Brahms into a

program notes household name. For Schumann, it was as if Brahms had “sprung like Minerva fully armed from the head of the son of Cronus,” no doubt “destined to give ideal expression to the times.” Although Robert would die only a few years later, Brahms remained the closest of friends with Clara, triggering rumors of a life-long love affair. But Robert Schumann’s prophecy regarding the younger composer would prove true, with Brahms joining (or opposing) Wagner atop the European music pantheon. In truth, while Brahms’s music is often pegged as conservative and traditional, it is just as revelatory and rich in progressive musical practices as the music of Wagner and Liszt —two composers who, despite speculation, Brahms admired.

Despite an early success with piano music and songs, Brahms struggled to master two genres that historically defined an instrumental composer’s career: the string quartet and the symphony. No composer had yet built successfully upon Beethoven’s instrumental legacy, and it was not until the last 25 years of Brahms’s life that he silenced his skeptical critics. Having completed two popular string quartets in the summer of 1873 (op. 51, in C minor and A minor), Brahms announced himself the rightful heir to Beethoven by finishing a ‘Grand’ Symphony in C minor in the summer of 1876, the culmination of 15 years of compositional anguish.

The weight of expectation Brahms felt to advance the Beethovenian tradition surely played a role in delaying the symphony, and certainly influenced the work itself, prompting conductor Hans von Bülow to call it “Beethoven’s Tenth.” In fact, Brahms’s First Symphony seems most clearly indebted to Beethoven’s Fifth, which served as an obvious model. Both works begin their struggle in C minor and eventually

triumph in C major, linking individual movements thematically and by key area to create an overarching sense of transformation.

Cast in the typical four-movement symphonic form, Brahms’s First Symphony is noteworthy for its uncanny combination of contrapuntal density and craft, harmonic richness, rhythmic complexity, and soaring lyricism. The main thematic idea of the opening movement is, in actuality, a complex of three separate motifs presented simultaneously. These are immediately developed, varied and transformed, employing a new, forward-looking method that would influence modernist composers such as Arnold Schoenberg, who named the technique “developing variation.” Here, Brahms’s phrases are of irregular lengths, constantly changing over conflicting rhythmic layers. Both the first and last movements employ lengthy slow introductions in C minor, with the finale revisiting the turbulent mood of the first movement’s introduction. An unexpectedly majestic horn call and trombone chorale, echoed throughout other sections of the orchestra, lead to the now-famous primary theme of the final movement. This stately C Major melody, first presented in the strings, has been linked to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” theme, both in general mood and intervallic content, and was later borrowed

by Mahler to open his Third Symphony. The theme’s use here, however, is unrivaled, alternating contrapuntal craft with sonorous sheets of sound while building to a fulfilling conclusion.

The DSO last performed this work in October 2012 with Leonard Slatkin conducting.

It received its DSO debut in January 1919 at Arcadia Auditorium with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting.

Unrequited Belgian Sparkling Ale

Official Brew of the Brahms Fest!

Find it at concessions or at Batch Brewing Co. in Corktown.

Each month Batch’s #FeelGoodTap provides funding for a different area nonprofit.

program notes Leonard Slatkin’s bio appears on page 6.

Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11

Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor Neeme Järvi, Music Director Emeritus

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

CLASSICAL SERIES

SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, TIMPANI AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 38 MINUTES)

Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in Orchestra Hall LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor Johannes Brahms Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11

(1833-1897) Allegro molto Scherzo Adagio non troppo Menuetto I - Menuetto II Scherzo Rondo —INTERMISSION—

Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 Allegro non troppo Adagio non troppo Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andantino) Allegro con spirito This Classical series performance is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals This performance will be webcast at dso.org/live Experience the concert again at dso.org/replay Live from Orchestra Hall is presented by .

and made possible by

Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz

What were his first and last compositions?

9

This first Serenade is like a symphony in all but name (even though it has six movements), and was Brahms’ first major orchestral work, and also his first orchestral work to have been published. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a major essay of symphonic proportions, but no matter how it is named, it was the first work he produced which contained most of his unique fingerprints and genius, and embodies almost the entire range of his mature compositional voice. For this work, Brahms adopted a neoclassical style which is reminiscent of the small-orchestra and ensemble works of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and others, but added to it his own individual Romantic sensibilities. The work originally was modestly scored for just nine instruments (solo strings, flute, two clarinets, bassoon and horn), but several of his close friends—among them Clara Schumann and Joseph Joachim—encouraged him to expand and re-orchestrate the work. Accordingly, it was re-cast for a chamber orchestra (roughly single winds and about 15 strings), and then in 1859 re-scored for a full orchestra consisting of brass, timpani and a larger woodwind section. While this was happening, he was already at work on the Second Serenade. Joachim gave Brahms some advice about the new scoring, and conducted the first performance of this revised, final version in Hamburg in March of 1860. Brahms was not all that pleased with the performance, but the audience loved it, vociferously registering their approval until Brahms came out onstage, at which time the audience

program notes shouted out their praise. For a time, Joachim wanted lyrical sections, and the Serenade comes to its joyful Brahms to call this his First Symphony, and as it was and exuberant conclusion in a blaze of festive glory. evolving the two of them referred to the work as a So ends this remarkable piece, the first orchestral Symphony-Serenade, but once the two scherzos were work which bears distinctively all of the hallmarks added Brahms definitely felt that Serenade was a which would make Brahms one of the truly great better designation. It also appears that he destroyed composers.

The DSO last performed this work in January the original nonet version, but it was reconstructed by scholars in the 1980s. Although written at the 2012 at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church with Leonard same time, the two Serenades have quite distinct Slatkin conducting. It received its DSO debut in Noidentities. Whereas the Second is smaller in scope, vember 1927 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting. features more intimacy of expression, and contains some of Brahms’ most subtle and poetic orchestra- —————— tion, the First is remarkably expansive, and contrasts a kind of rustic simplicity with a true symphonic outlook, particularly in the first three movements. Symphony no. 2 in D Major, Op. 73 JOHANNES BRAHMS One marvelous similarity exists with both works, and that is “In his Second Symphony, B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany how prominent and important D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Brahms abandoned the the wind writing is, the horn Austria section being especially so in

tragic Romanticism, the

this Serenade.

The first performance of JoThe vigorous first moveSturm und Drang, which hannes Brahms’ Second Symment opens with a theme phony took place in Vienna quite reminiscent of the last had launched his earlier on Dec. 20, 1877, with Hans movement of Haydn’s last Richter conducting the Vienna C minor Symphony and symphony, the so-called “LonPhilharmonic Orchestra. don” Symphony, and there are formed the premise for its allusions throughout to the SCORED FOR TWO FLUTES, first movement of the Beethotriumphant conclusion.”

TWO OBOES, TWO CLARINETS, ven “Pastoral” Symphony. The TWO BASSOONS, FOUR HORNS, first Scherzo is shadowy and pensive in mood, but TWO TRUMPETS, THREE TROMBONES, TUBA, TIMPANI is relieved by a very warm and rustic Trio, and foreshadows the Scherzo of the Second Piano Concerto, AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 40 MINUTES) composed some 20 years later. The heart of the Serenade is the beautiful Adagio, the longest and most ambitious slow movement in all of Brahms’ orchestral music—including the symphonies—and is a prime example of his expansive lyrical powers. The following movement contains two Minuets which are graceful intermezzos, the most like chamber music in the whole work, with the second being very tender and expressive. Then the sound of hunting horns ushers in the extrovert and vigorous second Scherzo, with the composer’s amazing contrapuntal skill coming to the fore. The finale is a rondo in which a rustic theme with driving dotted rhythms, paying homage to gypsy music, is repeated between two contrasting

In his Second Symphony, Brahms abandoned the tragic Romanticism, the Sturm und Drang, which had launched his earlier C minor Symphony and formed the premise for its triumphant conclusion.

In its place he offered an expansive lyricism and, in many passages, an undeniably pastoral charm. Karl Geiringer, one of the composer’s biographers, likened Brahms’ first two symphonies to the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies of Beethoven, in which epic struggles give way to essentially tranquil nature music. and yet there is more to Brahms’ Second Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz Symphony than these Who wrote the theme for 10

Brahms’ only set of Variations for Orchestra?

program notes observations imply. An artist of Brahms’ ambition and power would not have limited himself in a major work to carefree sentiments and bucolic impressions.

And the imposing scale and emotional complexity of the Second Symphony leave no doubt that it is indeed a major work.

This is, in fact, the longest of Brahms’ four symphonies and in many ways the richest in detail. In no other work does the composer achieve a more inventive development of his musical materials or more fascinating relationships among them.

The opening of the work could hardly be more modest: cellos and basses sound a tonic D, dip down a note and then return. But this three-note cell forms the foundation from which much of the symphony springs. It punctuates the horn-call presentation of the first theme and begins two variations of this theme—the first a flowing violin line, the second a robust orchestral tutti—that quickly follow. it appears in different guises again and again throughout the first movement and will emerge later as well. Two subsidiary themes also play roles in this initial movement: a minor-key variant of the familiar “Brahms lullaby” and a galloping pendant to that melody composed largely of the three-note motto. All this provides the composer with ample material for a rich and compelling musical fantasy.

The ensuing Adagio paints a darker picture. Beginning serenely with a theme that descends in the high register of the cellos against nearly its mirror image rising in the bassoons, the movement swells to several stormy outbursts before concluding on a softly radiant B Major triad. The third movement returns us to a brighter landscape, though with shadows, for there seems a wistful sadness in the alternation between major and minor modes that mark the oboe’s dance-like melody each time it returns after its initial statement.

No such ambiguity informs the finale, however.

The entire movement seems to flow effortlessly from a running theme stated sotto voce by the violins in the initial measures. That the first three notes of this melody are those of the opening “cell” provides a tangible link to the first movement and demonstrates Brahms’ conception of the symphony as a unified structure. Rhythmic vitality and skillfully varied instrumentation enliven the discourse, and the symphony concludes with one of the most joyous codas in the literature.

The DSO last performed this work in March 2014 at Seligman Performing Arts Center with Leonard Slatkin conducting.

It received its DSO debut in April 1920 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting.

1. He is a character in three books by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Brahms identified with the fictional musical genius who has a reluctance for public performance. He also signed several of his compositions as “Kreisler.”

2. No, but he tried to lure Clara Schumann. Brahms seemed to understand that his life would be a series of quick relationships rather than long-term.

3.

“Any jackass can see that.”

4. The key signatures chronologically of the symphonies is C,D,F,E, the same as the four- note motive of the last movement of the Mozart.

5. The text is from the “Luther” bible and is sung in German instead of Latin.

6. Apparently quite well, and he preferred conducting publically more than playing the piano.

7. Brahms wrote to Dvorak, on the occasion of the Czech leading the German’s 2nd Symphony, “ Formerly, when the piece was new to the audience, the repeat was necessary: today the work is so well known that I can go on without it.”

8. Originally Hector Berlioz anointed himself as the third, after Bach and Beethoven. This was changed by the pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow, who said, “I believe in Bach, the Father, Beethoven, the Son, and Brahms, the Holy Ghost of music.”

9. His first published pieces were two piano sonatas, but he had written several songs prior to that. Brahms’ last composition was Eleven Chorale Preludes for Organ.

10. This is a trick question. Although it was called the “Haydn” Variations, the theme is actually known as the St. Anthony Chorale. Often, publishers would ascribe a famous composer to a theme that had unknown origins, and Brahms would have seen an edition bearing “Papa” Haydn’s name.

Leonard’s Little Brahms Quiz ANSWERS

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

profile Leonard Slatkin’s bio appears on page 6.

HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor Neeme Järvi, Music Director Emeritus

CLASSICAL SERIES

Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, February 26, 2016 at 10:45 a.m. in Orchestra Hall LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD, piano Johannes Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

(1833-1897) Allegro

Orchestrated by Intermezzo: Allegro, ma non troppo Arnold Schoenberg Andante con moto Rondo alla zingarese: Presto —INTERMISSION—

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 Maestoso Adagio Rondo: Allegro non troppo Hélène Grimaud, piano

This Classical series performance is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals with additional support from This performance will be webcast at dso.org/live Experience the concert again at dso.org/replay

She could be called a Renaissance woman for our times. Hélène Grimaud is not just a deeply passionate and committed musical artist whose pianistic accomplishments play © Mat Hennek / DG a central role in her life.

She is a woman with multiple talents that extend far beyond the instrument she plays with such poetic expression and peerless technical control. The French artist has established herself as a committed wildlife conservationist, a compassionate human rights activist and as a writer.

Grimaud was born in 1969 in Aix-enProvence and began her piano studies at the local conservatory with Jacqueline Courtin before going on to work with Pierre Barbizet in Marseille. She was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13 and won first prize in piano performance a mere three years later. She continued to study with György Sándor and Leon Fleisher until, in 1987, she gave her well-received debut recital in Tokyo.

That same year, renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim invited her to perform with the Orchestre de Paris.

Between her debut in 1995 with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado and her first performance with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur in 1999 – just two of many notable musical milestones – Grimaud made a wholly different kind of debut: in upper New York State she established the Wolf Conservation Center.

Her love for the endangered species was sparked by a chance encounter with a wolf in northern Florida; this led to her determination to open an environmental education center. But Grimaud’s engagement doesn’t end there: she is also a member of the organization Musicians for Human Rights, a worldwide network of musicians and people working in the field of music to promote a PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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program notes culture of human rights and social change.

Recent performance highlights have included two collaborations with the Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon – firstly, tears become… streams become…, a large-scale immersive installation at New York’s historic Park Avenue Armory, whose Drill Hall floor was flooded to become an immense field of water, and secondly, Neck of the Woods, a piece devised for the Manchester International Festival combining music, visual art and theatre, in which Grimaud shared the stage with legendary actress Charlotte Rampling. She also appeared at the opening-night gala of the new Philharmonie de Paris and gave two summer concerts at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (New York State) in her role as 2015 Artist-in-Residence. Her recital at the Philharmonie Essen in May, meanwhile, was crowned by the award of the 2015 Klavier-Festival Ruhr Prize, honouring her exceptional career and extraordinary artistry.

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Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

Orchestrated by ARNOLD SCHOENBERG B. September 2, 1874 in Vienna, Austria D. July 13, 1951 in Los Angeles, California SCORED FOR 3 FLUTES, 3 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, 4 HORNS, 3 TRUMPETS, 3 TROMBONES, TUBA, TIMPANI, PERCUSSION AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 43 MINUTES) Brahms was a virtuoso pianist before he achieved international fame as a composer, and many of his most admired works involve the keyboard, including a good deal of his chamber music.

He began work on three piano quartets in the 1850s, a very difficult time for him emotionally because of his strong but concealed love for the recently-widowed Clara Schumann, and because of many creative struggles, chief among them the D minor

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Piano Concerto. This first Piano Quartet was first performed in his native city of Hamburg in 1861, with Clara Schumann as the pianist. Shortly thereafter, Brahms made his first major visit to Vienna—the city which would become his home—and his “calling card” was this quartet, this time with himself at the keyboard. Though called No. 1, this was preceded by a period of trial and error and aborted attempts which ultimately led to this masterpiece. Prior to this he worked on an unfinished and rather unorthodox quartet in C-sharp minor, bits of which would later appear as part of the Third Piano Quartet. This First Quartet was completed in 1861, and even though it is in a conventional four-movement design, there are many musical surprises in it, which probably were the cause of the mixed reviews it received from critics and friends alike. Clara Schumann, for one, thought the work was somewhat undisciplined and that the first movement was too long. In the 20th century, particularly after Schoenberg’s transcription was first heard, it gradually became looked upon as one of Brahms’ finest chamber works. At the Quartet’s first performance, he was already being looked upon as rather old-fashioned by people like Liszt and Wagner, but this work was on a larger scale than any similar previous work in the genre, and it also demonstrated his remarkable ability to integrate thematic material into a cohesive entity, something that was not found in chamber music at that time. It was also at this time that chamber music generally was beginning to move out of private homes and into the concert hall, mainly due to the fact that amateur musicians could no longer deal with the technical demands of the music which was beginning to take on truly symphonic proportions. In this regard, the Brahms scholar Malcolm MacDonald has written of the G minor Quartet that “the work seems continually to strive beyond its chosen medium towards an orchestral sense of color, scope of expression and developmental range.” In addition, Brahms used to be thought of as a great traditional classicist, but it was Schoenberg who first pointed out that Brahms was a very progressive and even innovative composer, particularly in his use of harmony. One aspect of Brahms’ genius was in combining the rich tone colors and lush harmonies of the Romantic style with the traditional formal structures of the Clas-

program notes sical past. Schoenberg, in fact, had a very special connection with Brahms, whom he had met in the last years of the earlier master’s life, and his early works were strongly influenced by Brahms, whose music he continued to study all of his life. His essay “Brahms the Progressive” is one of the most fascinating and insightful analyses of the older composer’s works, and from him Schoenberg learned the creative possibilities of the constant development of small motivic cells, a manipulation which eventually formed the basis of the 12-tone, or serial, technique.

One of the things Schoenberg pointed out was that Brahms’ music rarely deals simply with exposition or recapitulation, but showed that the musical material begins to develop right from the beginning and that this constant change goes on right to the end. Moreover, in his celebrated Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) and the works which followed, Schoenberg miraculously succeeded in blending the influences of Brahms and Wagner as no one had previously been able to do.

In choosing to orchestrate this magnificent and powerful Piano Quartet, it is possible that Schoenberg heard what Robert Schumann had heard many years earlier in the young Brahms’ piano sonatas, calling them “veiled symphonies.” Whatever the case, he began work on the orchestration in early 1937 in Los Angeles, where he had moved to get away from the volatile and dangerous political scene in Europe, and completed it in September of that year.

In 1939, in a letter to Alfred Frankenstein, the music critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, Schoenberg explained his somewhat idiosyncratic rationale for this project, saying: “My reasons? I like the piece; it is seldom played; it is always very badly played because the better the pianist, the louder he plays and you hear nothing from the strings. I wanted once to hear everything, and this I achieved.” Whereas Brahms had contrasted the piano with the three string instruments, Schoenberg had many different possibilities for contrasting timbres within the orchestra. In that letter to Frankenstein, Schoenberg said that he had remained strictly in the style of Brahms, and had gone no further than Brahms might have gone had he lived in the 20th century—which is already a very presumptuous and questionable statement! Schoenberg’s score contains instruments which Brahms had

never used, among them an Eb clarinet, bass clarinet, glockenspiel and xylophone, and includes some very un-Brahmsian techniques such as trombone glissandos, brass double-tonguing, divided strings as well as string harmonics, plus a style of chromatic writing for the brass which Brahms never used, and numerous examples of the brass doubling the melodic line far more than Brahms ever did. Even though he felt he was releasing some kind of latent potential in the music, Schoenberg’s transcription is comparable to what Ravel created in his orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which is to say that both arrangements are very creative interpretations of the originals, showing what one great composer thought of another’s work. Here, while including much of Brahms’ style, the orchestration makes the final result as much about Schoenberg as it does about Brahms. The first movement deals with five distinct themes, from somber to graceful, demonstrating Brahms’ gift for continuous variation.

The next movement, called an Intermezzo, marked the first time that Brahms substituted this somewhat gentler form for the usual minuet or scherzo.

The third movement contrasts a beautiful theme of great lyricism and grandeur with a little march which Schoenberg expands into a military display, replete with brass and percussion. The finale, whose title translates as Rondo in the Gypsy Style, is the earliest appearance in any of his chamber pieces of this evocation of the very popular gypsy music of the day. Brahms acquired his love for this music from the Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi, with whom he toured in the 1850s, and this exciting and bravura movement shows his creative response to Hungary’s traditional folk music just as strongly as any of the Hungarian Dances. Here, Schoenberg lets out all of the stops, going wild with the orchestration, including a real spirit of fun all the way to the whirling and hair-raising ending. In the original, Brahms cleverly imitates the sound of the cimbalom, the Hungarian version of a zither, while Schoenberg brings in the xylophone to remarkable effect!

The DSO last performed this work in January 1994 with Neeme Järvi conducting. It received its DSO debut in April 1980 at Ford Auditorium.

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program notes Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15

B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

SCORED FOR TWO FLUTES, TWO OBOES, TWO CLARINETS, TWO BASSOONS, FOUR HORNS, TWO TRUMPETS, TIMPANI, AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 42 MINUTES) Brahms himself was a pianist of extraordinary talent, and he undoubtedly had many ideas for piano concertos over the years. He was also the most highly self-critical of all the great composers, and any early attempts at a piano concerto likely met with the same fate as did some twenty-odd string quartets, before he relented and published what is now known as his “first” quartet: if they did not meet his high standards, they would have simply been destroyed.

The two piano concertos that survived this relentless self-criticism provide the attentive listener with as panoramic a view of Brahms-the-composer as one could hope for, appearing as they did at opposite ends of a period spanning nearly twenty-five years. The first concerto is the work of a young romantic—bold, tempestuous and outwardly emotional; the second belies the serene hand of an accomplished master who, though he may have abandoned extremes, did not turn away from either originality or expression.

As with his Symphony in C minor, Brahms’ D minor Piano Concerto underwent an extended gestation period—a fact which the seamless unity of the finished product manages to conceal. No one would guess, given the work’s epic seriousness and grandeur, that this was in fact the work of a very young man; yet it was begun when the composer was only twenty-one.

The composer had originally conceived the work in 1854 as a sonata for two pianos, though Robert Schumann (who described Brahms’ piano sonatas as “veiled symphonies”) had predicted that the piano would soon prove to be too limited a medium for the young composer. Ironically, it was while in the midst of creating this initial work that Schumann’s prophecy came to pass. A mere few weeks after beginning the piece, Brahms complained to the vi-

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olinist Joachim that even two pianos were becoming inadequate for the work’s requirements.

A short time later the two-piano sonata was abandoned, but its opening movement returned, after considerable reworking, as the beginning of a D minor symphony. Marking as it did Brahms’ first foray into the field of orchestration, this effort also proved unsatisfactory and within about a year of its inception, the material was given a third lease on life as a piano concerto.

By 1856, Brahms had extracted the sarabande which had formed the slow movement of the original sonata (and which was to resurface, years later, as part of the German Requiem), and replaced it instead with a newly composed Adagio followed by a rondo. Though he regarded the finished work as the product of an amateur, Brahms nevertheless felt ready to publicly unveil the new concerto by the beginning of 1859.

The concerto was well-received at its premiere in Hannover with Brahms himself as the soloist; however, a performance in Leipzig a week later turned out to be an absolute fiasco. It was, in fact, a public humiliation the likes of which Brahms had never known before and would never experience again. The musicians, who didn’t understand the work, greeted it in rehearsal with a stony silence; following the performance, audience members not only didn’t applaud, they actually hissed. The repercussions of this performance were so severe that the work was rejected by the prestigious publishing house of Breitkopf und Härtel when it was offered to them for publication more than a year after. Brahms calmly (and accurately) predicted that after a few further revisions the work would achieve popularity; it is now a standard of the concerto repertoire.

The DSO last performed this work in April 2012 with Neeme Järvi conducting and Hélène Grimaud as soloist.

It received its DSO debut in February 1922 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting and Artur Schnabel as soloist.

profile

Leonard Slatkin’s bio appears on page 6.

Hélène Grimaud’s bio appears on page 35.

RALPH SKIANO Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor Neeme Järvi, Music Director Emeritus

CLASSICAL SERIES

Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in Orchestra Hall LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor RALPH SKIANO, clarinet HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD, piano Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a

(1833-1897) Chorale St. Antoni: Andante Variation I: Poco più animato Variation II: Più vivace Variation III: Con moto Variation IV: Andante con moto Variation V: Vivace Variation VI: Vivace Variation VII: Grazioso Variation VIII: Presto non troppo Finale: Andante Johannes Brahms Sonata in F minor for Clarinet and Orchestra,

(1833-1897) Op.120/1

Arr. Luciano Berio Allegro appassionato Andante un poco Adagio Allegretto grazioso Vivace Ralph Skiano, clarinet —INTERMISSION—

Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83

(1833-1897) Allegro non troppo Allegro appassionato Andante Allegretto grazioso Hélène Grimaud, piano This Classical series performance is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals

Ralph Skiano was appointed Principal Clarinetist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2014, and was previously Principal Clarinetist of the Richmond Symphony and Des Moines Metro Opera. In addition, he also performed with the Richmond Ballet and the Virginia Opera.

Other orchestral appearances have included the Cincinnati Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, the Kentucky Symphony and the Washington Opera.

Ralph has been involved in numerous music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Center and the Britt Festival in Southern Oregon, and has been featured as a soloist with ensembles in the United States, France, Germany and Switzerland. In 2010 Ralph was a guest artist at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. He performed recently at the International Clarinet Association convention in a performance of Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsodie with the Baton Rouge Symphony.

Ralph is a founding member and director of the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble in Virginia and is part of the Fessenden Chamber Ensemble in Washington DC, along with members of the National Symphony and the Washington Opera. Some summers, he can be heard performing opera on the beautiful French island of Belle Ile en Mer. Under the guidance of Richard Hawley, Ralph completed his BM at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2002.

Join us for Late Night Lieder after the February 27 performance in The Music Box, featuring artists from area universities.

with additional support from This performance will be webcast at dso.org/live Experience the concert again at dso.org/replay PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

39

program notes Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, Op. 56a

JOHANNES BRAHMS B. May 7, 1833, Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897, Vienna, Austria Premiered in Vienna on November 2, 1873 SCORED FOR 2 FLUTES, PICCOLO, 2 OBOES, 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, CONTRABASSOON, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, TIMPANI AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 19 MINUTES)

repeated throughout until the close. This seemingly simple tune provides the structure upon which Brahms begins spinning off magnificent melodies and counter-melodies. As the finale progresses, this melody is slowly taken up by other instruments in higher registers until it finally reveals itself as a masked form of the original Saint Anthony chorale theme with which the piece began. Having circled back to the beginning, Brahms then brings the set to a triumphant close.

The DSO last performed this work in May 2014 at Seligman Performing Arts Center with Carlos Kalmar conducting.

It received its DSO debut in March 1917 at the Detroit Opera House with Westin Gales conducting.

As compared with his more progressive, even revolutionary moments, the Haydn Variations reveal the conservative, backwards-looking side of Brahms.

This set of variations is strict, in the sense that each —————— variation (save the finale) has an exact proportional correspondence to the theme. While reverting to this style was anachronistic—considering the variations Clarinet Sonata in F minor, written by Brahms’ contemporaries—it nevertheless Op. 120, No. 1 allowed Brahms to provide his own unique mark on JOHANNES BRAHMS a traditional genre.

B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany The theme for this set of variations was based on D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria the Saint Anthony chorale, which Brahms attributed to Haydn (although many scholars have since doubt- Orchestrated by LUCIANO BERIO ed this). This charming melody must have fascinated B. October 4, 1925 in Oneglia, Italy Brahms in large part because of its five-bar phrase D. May 27, 2003 in Rome, Italy rhythm, as opposed to the much more common fourbar phrase.

SCORED FOR SOLO CLARINET, 2 FLUTES, 2 OBOES, The theme itself reveals an overall three-part 2 CLARINETS, 2 BASSOONS, CONTRABASSOON, 3 structure: it consists of the opening theme for 10 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, TROMBONE, TIMPANI AND bars (which is repeated), a contrasting middle sec- STRINGS. (APPROX. 25 MINUTES) tion of eight bars, and then a reprise of the opening theme (after which these final two sections are reBrahms had a great love of all forms of chamber peated as a unit). This clear delineation of sections music. He gave his first solo piano recital when he provides the listener with a precise map for following was just 15, but the most formative and significant the ensuing variations. event in his early career was the concert tour he unThe first variation introduces a brilliant tech- dertook when he was 20 with the Hungarian violinist nique that is employed in many of the later ones as Eduard Reményi, an event already mentioned several well. The opening melody in the violins is accompa- times in these pages. His two clarinet sonatas come nied by a counter-melody in the lower strings; then from a period late in his life when, in his words, he in bar six of this variation, the two melodies switch “discovered the beauty of the sound and the tonal places: the cellos play the melody while the counter- color of the clarinet,” although it would probably be melody is in the upper strings. more accurate to use the term “rediscovered.” The For the Finale, Brahms again resorted to Ba- form of the clarinet sonata was in its infancy at the roque practice, employing a ground bass that is time, but after these two magnificent works were

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program notes completed, the combination of clarinet and piano began to be used more frequently. These were the last chamber pieces which Brahms composed, and are rightly considered to be two of the greatest masterpieces in the clarinet repertoire. At the same time, he produced transcriptions of these works for viola, with alterations which better suit that string instrument. In 1890, Brahms let it be known that he was retiring from composing, because his creative impetus seemed to have left him, and for the next year he wrote nothing of any consequence. Then, in early 1891, on a visit to the Court of Meiningen for an arts festival, the orchestra’s conductor drew his attention to one Richard Muhlfeld, a former violinist who was now the principal clarinet of the orchestra and director of the Court Theatre. Up to that time, Brahms had paid little attention to the possibilities of the clarinet as a solo instrument, but after hearing Muhlfeld play the First Concerto of Carl Maria von Weber and the Mozart Clarinet Quintet, he was so impressed that his creative juices began to flow once again. The two men formed an instant friendship, and Muhlfeld showed Brahms the clarinet’s new capabilities: its extended range, its three registers (specific and unique tonal segments of the instrument’s entire range), and the virtuoso possibilities using wide leaps and rapid arpeggios. In the 100 years since Mozart wrote his marvelous Quintet, the instrument had evolved significantly with a larger number and new arrangement of keys, which made for simpler fingering, more rapid chromatic fingering than previously, and easier playing of trills and formerly awkward intervals. As a result, just as Anton Stadler had previously inspired Mozart, now Muhlfeld inspired Brahms, and in rapid succession he produced four great masterpieces for the instrument: the Trio, Op. 114; the Quintet, Op. 115; and the two Sonatas, Op. 120. The first two works were written in the summer of 1892, and the Sonatas followed two years later.

They were the first significant and major sonatas for clarinet and piano, and of course, Muhlfeld and Brahms gave them their first performances.

A model of Classical form, it is in four movements, treats the clarinet and the accompaniment as equal partners in the musical dialogue, and is another example of Brahms’ almost unsurpassed ability to delineate a progression from darkness to

light. In the beginning of the first movement, the four-bar figure played in octaves can be shown to be the derivation of virtually all the subsequent ideas in the entire sonata, connections which are sometimes obvious and sometimes obscure, much as he had done years previously in the masterful Variations on a Theme by Haydn. The prevailing mood of the first movement is one of melancholy, although there is a good deal of unrest and turbulence in the music.

The two middle movements are both in Ab Major and complement each other beautifully. The first is an elegant nocturne in ternary form (A-B-A), with the B section being closely derived from the opening melody of the first A section, and is one of Brahms’ loveliest slow movements, almost like a contented dream. The following movement is a pleasant waltz in the style of an Austrian landler, once described as being of an idyllic charm and serenity, reminding one of Schubert’s forays into this style. The finale, which is now in F Major, is full of energy and youthful charm and even impertinence, and is cast in rondo form (a repeated section alternating with calmer, contrasting music) with Brahms’ typically cohesive structural complexities, and the Sonata ends with a joyous and exuberant outburst.

In 1986 the Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned the distinguished Italian composer Luciano Berio to orchestrate the accompaniment to this Sonata, thus creating a kind of Brahms clarinet concerto. Berio, who was a great admirer of Brahms, readily agreed and created the transcription with all respect for Brahms’ style. However, he did make two additions to the original: a 14-bar introduction to the first movement, and five bars at the beginning of the second movement. The clarinet part was virtually unaltered, and as in the original, he created an alternate version for viola. This new version was premiered by the Philharmonic with Michele Zukofsky as soloist in Los Angeles in November of that year.

In his arrangement for a classically-proportioned orchestra, Berio stayed true to Brahms’ basic harmonic vocabulary without any of the added chromaticism which Schoenberg incorporated into his transcription of the First Piano Quartet. Berio appears to have felt that, when heard in the less-than-intimate setting of a modern concert hall, the taut, concentrated compression of Brahms’ late chamber music style was in PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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program notes need of some additional support.

Because Berio is generally less well-known than Schoenberg, a brief biographical sketch would be in order. He was not just a successful composer, but also a theorist, conductor and teacher, and a leader of the avant-garde who managed to write music which communicated to a wide variety of listeners by combining lyric and expressive qualities with the most advanced techniques of electronic and aleatory (chance) music.

One of his most significant characteristics was a willingness to engage with music of the past as well as the present. Over the years he became a towering figure in the international music scene, and it would be fair to say that his major compositions became milestones in 20th-century music. He was remarkable for having mixed language, theater and music into a unique experience for the listener, and explored the frontiers of sound, particularly vocal sound, thanks to his association with the amazing American mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian, with whom he was married for 15 years. Berio taught at a number of institutions, including the Juilliard School, Harvard University (where he was a Distinguished Composer in Residence), Mills College in California (following in the footsteps of Darius Milhaud), Tanglewood, Dartington and Darmstadt. In 1994 he was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2000 became President and Artistic Director of the famed Saint Cecilia Academy in Rome, posts he held until his death three years later. A highly intelligent and perceptive musician, he once said, “In music, as I find myself forever saying, things don’t get better or worse: they merely evolve and transform themselves.”

These performances represent a DSO premiere.

——————

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83.

Johannes Brahms B. May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany D. April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

Composed in 1881 and publicly premiered with the composer as soloist at the Redoutensaal in Budapest, Hungary on Nov. 9, 1881.

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SCORED FOR PIANO SOLO, TWO FLUTES, TWO OBOES, TWO CLARINETS, TWO BASSOONS, FOUR HORNS, TWO TRUMPETS, TIMPANI, AND STRINGS. (APPROX. 50 MINUTES) As a child, Johannes Brahms chose to focus his piano study on the works of Bach and Beethoven. Later in life, he remarked: “Anything which was dear to me in my youth has remained so ever since.” Evidence of Brahms’ statement can be seen in his compositions, for the composer’s works adhere primarily to classical forms despite being written in the Romantic era. The classical nature of Brahms’ compositions earned him the reputation of a guardian of German tradition.

In spite of this status, Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 rejects tradition in several respects. Compared to other concertos, this work requires greater endurance and strength on the part of the soloist.

The concerto is much longer than any classical concerto and employs four movements instead of the usual three movement format. In the first movement, Brahms introduces the soloist relatively early on, instead of waiting until after the orchestral exposition, and expands the traditional sonata form. Similarly, the scherzo from of the second movement is enlarged through increased thematic development. The last movement, a rondo, makes full use of the larger Romantic orchestra, creating a sense of weight that is absent in the lighter rondos of classical concertos.

Brahms completed his second piano concerto in 1881 after three years of composition. Always a deliberate and cautious worker—he worked on his first symphony for more than 20 years—Brahms was hesitant to finish a second concerto after the poor reception of his Piano Concerto No. 1 of 1859.

However, the premiere of the second concerto, with the composer as a soloist, was a resounding success and the piece soon became part of the standard classical repertoire.

The DSO last performed this work in May 2010 with James Gaffigan conducting and Andre Watts as soloist.

It received its DSO debut in March, 1920 with Ossip Gabrilowitsch conducting and Arthur Rubinstein as soloist.

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DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Mr. Phillip Leon† Allan S. Leonard Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson Dr. Melvin A. Lester Mr. & Mrs.† Joseph Lile Mr. & Mrs. Eric C. Lundquist Harold Lundquist & Elizabeth Brockhaus Lundquist Roberta Maki Eileen & Ralph Mandarino Mr. Glenn Maxwell Mr. Leonard Mazerov Mary Joy McMachen, Ph.D. Rhoda A. Milgrim John & Marcia Miller Jerald A. & Marilyn H. Mitchell Mr. & Mrs. L. William† Moll Craig & Shari Morgan Ms. I. Surayyah R. Muwwakkil Beverley Anne Pack Mr. Dale J. Pangonis Ms. Mary W. Parker Sophie Pearlstein Helen & Wesley Pelling Dr. William F. Pickard Mrs. Bernard E. Pincus Ms. Christina Pitts Mrs. Robert Plummer Mr. & Mrs. P. T. Ponta Ms. Linda Rankin & Mr. Daniel Graschuck Mr. & Mrs. Douglas J. Rasmussen Ms. Dorothy J. Reidel† Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd E. Reuss Barbara Gage Rex Ms. Marianne Reye

Katherine D. Rines Bernard & Eleanor Robertson Ms. Barbara Robins Jack† & Aviva Robinson Dr. Margaret Ryan Marjorie & Saul Saulson Mr. & Mrs. Donald & Janet Schenk Ms. Yvonne Shilla Stephanie & Fred Secrest Mr. & Mrs. Stephan† Sharf Ms. Marla Shelton Ms. June Siebert Dr. Melissa J. Smiley & Dr. Patricia A. Wren Ms. Marilyn Snodgrass† Mr. & Mrs. Walter Stuecken Mr. & Mrs. Alexander C. Suczek Alice & Paul Tomboulian Mr. David Patria & Ms. Barbara Underwood Mrs. Richard C. Van Dusen Mr. & Mrs. Melvin VanderBrug Mr. & Mrs. George† C. Vincent Mr. & Mrs. Keith C. Weber Mr. Herman Weinreich John† & Joanne Werner Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Wilhelm Mrs. Michel Williams Ms. Nancy S. Williams† Mr. Robert S. Williams & Ms. Treva Womble Ms. Barbara Wojtas Elizabeth B. Work Dr. & Mrs. Clyde Wu† Ms. Andrea L. Wulf Mr. Milton Zussman † Deceased

planned giving council

Planned Giving Council

The DSO’s Planned Giving Council recognizes the region’s leading financial and estate professionals whose current and future clients may involve them in their decision to make a planned gift to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Members play a critical role in shaping the future of the DSO through ongoing feedback, working with their clients, supporting philanthropy and attending annual briefings.

LINDA WASSERMAN AVIV, Chair Mrs. Katana H. Abbott Mr. Christopher A. Ballard Ms. Sandra K. Campbell Mr. Henry M. Grix Mr. Mark W. Jannott, CTFA Ms. Jennifer A. Jennings

Ms. Dawn Jinsky Mrs. Shirley Kaigler Mr. Robert E. Kass Mr. Christopher L. Kelly Mr. Bernard S. Kent Ms. Yuh Suhn Kim

Mr. Henry P. Lee Ms. Marguerite Munson Lentz Mr. Christopher M. Mann Mr. Curtis J. Mann Mrs. Mary Mansfield Mr. Mark Neithercut

Ms. Deborah J. Renshaw, CFP Mr. James P. Spica Mr. John N. Thomson, Esq. Mrs. Linda Wasserman Aviv Ms. Wendy Zimmer Cox

If you would like to join the DSO’s Planned Giving Council, please call Dan Coleman at 313-576-5451.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Volunteer Ushers Sandy Aasgaard Fran Alberts Dee Allison Karen Arendall William Arendall Susan Baran Catherine Beaumont Clara Belt Barbara Binder Valerie Binder Niels Boesen Dorisel Boggs Kathie Booth Barbara Borden Elaine Bozin Ann Brilliant Nelda Brogan Roy Brogan Alexander Brown Kenneth Brown Ruth Bruce Joseph Buese Janice Calligaris-Sur Stephanie Canty Ed Carey Bethany Carmody Hannah Carmody Kay Carmody Maria Caruso Martha Casey Elaine Chalom

Gloria Coles Gregg Coughlin Nancy Courtney Gerry Crowe Neal Dahlen James Demers Kari Deming Nancy Deming Diane DeVincent Brian Doefer Barbara Drake Kay Dubois Michael Easter Monica Easter Naomi Edwards Bob Emick Mary Ann Emick Joanna Endres Robert Endres Leslie Falvey Pam Faricy Joseph Fasi Michael Fenchel Marvin Fink Rosalind Fink Lester Floyd Carmen Freeman laurie fundukian Frank Gasiorek Cheryl Gastwirth Jeffrey Gebauer

Steven Gensterblum John Gibson Toni Gibson Jackie Giering Bruce Gilbert Nora Gilbert Elisa Giuliani David Groen Rosemary Gugino Rebeca Guzman Carla Hall Claudia Hawkins Mary Heppner Fay Herman Francine Hill Jolyn Hillebrand Cal Hoeksema Norma Hoeksema Diane Holden Jasmine Hollis Robert Holzhauer Jean Hornbacher Regina Hughes William Isenhour Barbara Iseppi Larry Jacobs Linda James Germaine Jarvis Rick Jayroe Sue Jayroe Gregory Johnson

Marva Johnson Earline Jones Rita Kaplan Nancy Karpus Kathleen Keener Katherine Klimas Carol Kupinski Mary Lafter Jane Latessa Lorraine Lavoie Edward Lesnau Maureen Lesnau Louise Less Joyce Lyons Rochelle Mailhot Consquela Marbury Christina Marchwica Mark Marchwica Jack Marshall Kisha Martin Henry McCoy Diane McLeod Marie Meleski Paul Michalsen Nancy Miller Emma Mitchell Peg Mixter Virginia Moore Jim Moylan Nellie Murphy Don Musser

Dorothy Musser Mary Myers Joan Nagrant Florkowski Nancy Betty Nelson Courtney Nicholls Marylou Ouellette Ann Pape Maureen Paraventi Bob Patton Alice Paul Cassandra Pettway Fedora Pruitt Brenda Purkiss Betsy Quick Karen Rademacher Elizabeth Reid Peggy Roberts Shirley Ross Jane Rousseau Edna Rubin Mona Ruggers Vincent Ruggers Susan Saroglia Pat Shannon Emanuel Sharpe Martha Shumaker Craig Sieferd Helen Smiley Chris Smith Kathy Smith

Mary Smith Steven Smith April Snively Jeff Spakowski Glenn Stadts Archer Stone Art Stone Jennifer Sutherland Joan Swain Marianne Szymborski Ira Richard Talbott Joan Tilford Dorothy Trent Virnestean Tubbs Sherry Turner Fred Van Every Lee Visci Janice Wargo Jerry Wargo Sanford Waxer Charles Weaver Cobe Weaver Karen Weaver Carolyn Wedepohl Ted Wedepohl Chuck Wendt Miles West John Wheeler Stan Wisniewski Mary Zelenock

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the annual fund Gifts received between September 1, 2014 and January 31, 2016

Being a community-supported orchestra means you can play your part through frequent ticket purchases and generous annual donations. Your tax-deductible Annual Fund donation is an investment in the wonderful music at Orchestra Hall, around the neighborhoods and across the community. This honor roll celebrates those generous donors who made a gift of $1,500 or more to the DSO Annual Fund Campaign.

If you have questions about this roster, or to make a donation, please contact 313.576.5114 or go to dso.org/donate.

The Gabrilowitsch Society honors individuals who support us most generously at the $10,000 level and above.

JANET AND NORM ANKERS Co-Chairs

GIVING OF $250,000 & MORE

Mr. & Mrs. Lee Barthel

Mrs. Marjorie S. Fisher

Mandell & Madeleine Berman

Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Frankel

Foundation

Ruth & Al Glancy

Penny & Harold Blumenstein

Mr. & Mrs. Morton E. Harris

Julie & Peter Cummings

Danialle & Peter Karmanos, Jr.

Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. James B. Nicholson

Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Mrs. Richard C. Van Dusen

Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Family Foundation Ms. Leslie Devereaux Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Wm. Fisher

Emory M. Ford, Jr.+ Endowment Mrs. Sophie Pearlstein The Polk Family Cindy & Leonard Slatkin

GIVING OF $50,000 & MORE

Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Alonzo Mrs. Cecilia Benner Mrs. RoseAnn Comstock Linda Dresner & Ed Levy, Jr. Mrs. Bonnie Larson

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Lester Ms. Deborah Miesel Bernard & Eleanor Robertson

GIVING OF $25,000 & MORE

Ms. Sharon Backstrom Mr. & Mrs. John A. Boll, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Brodie Mr. & Mrs. Raymond M. Cracchiolo Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden Mrs. Kathryn L. Fife Mr. & Mrs. David Fischer Sidney & Madeline Forbes Barbara Frankel & Ronald Michalak

Herman & Sharon Frankel Mr. & Mrs. Eugene A. Miller Mr. & Mrs. Bruce D. Peterson Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd E. Reuss Mr. & Mrs. Alan E. Schwartz Mr. & Mrs. Larry Sherman Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Simon Mr. James G. Vella

GIVING OF $100,000 & MORE

48

DSO MUSIC DIRECTOR OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH (1918 - 1936) Ossip Gabrilowitsch was an internationally known Russian pianist whose presence gave the DSO instant credibility. Additionally, he inspired the construction of Orchestra Hall. The building was erected in four months and 23 days after Gabrilowitsch threatened to quit unless he and his musicians had a permanent home. A friend to Mahler and Rachmaninoff, and son-in-law of Mark Twain, Gabrilowitsch himself possessed greatness.

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

the annual fund GIVING OF $10,000 & MORE Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Allesee Daniel & Rose Angelucci Mr. & Mrs. Norman Ankers Mr. Chuck Becker Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Bluestein Mr. & Mrs. Jim Bonahoom Gwen & Richard Bowlby Michael & Geraldine Buckles Lois & Avern Cohn Mr. Gary Cone & Ms. Aimée Cowher Margie Dunn & Mark Davidoff Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. DeVore Marianne Endicott Jim & Margo Farber Dr. Marjorie M. Fisher Mr. Michael J. Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Fogleman Mr. & Mrs. Edsel B. Ford II Dr. Saul & Mrs. Helen Forman

GIVING OF $5,000 & MORE Mrs. Denise Abrash Richard & Jiehan Alonzo Dr. Lourdes V. Andaya Drs. John & Janice Bernick Robert N. & Claire P. Brown Mr. & Mrs. François Castaing Mr. & Mrs. Gary L. Cowger Deborah & Stephen D’Arcy Fund Beck Demery Mr. & Mrs. John M. Erb Ms. Mary D. Fisher Mr. David Fleitz Allan D. Gilmour & Eric C. Jirgens Dr. Robert T. Goldman Goodman Family Charitable Trust

Dale & Bruce Frankel Ms. Carol A. Friend & Mr. Mark T. Kilbourn Mr. & Mrs. Eugene A. Gargaro, Jr. Mrs. Byron Gerson Mr. & Mrs. Ralph J. Gerson Mrs. Gale Girolami Dr. Kenneth & Roslyne Gitlin Dr. Allen Goodman & Dr. Janet Hankin Mary Ann & Robert Gorlin Dr. Herman & Mrs. Shirley Gray Mr. & Mrs. James Grosfeld Dr. Gloria Heppner Ms. Doreen Hermelin Mr. & Mrs. Norman H. Hofley Lauri & Paul* Hogle Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Horwitz Richard H. & Carola Huttenlocher Mr. James A. Jacob Mr. Sharad P. Jain Chacona W. Johnson Lenard & Connie Johnston Faye & Austin Kanter

Mr. & Mrs. Norman D. Katz Mike & Katy Keegan Dr. David & Mrs. Elizabeth Kessel Dr. and Mrs. Myron LaBan Marguerite & David Lentz Mr. & Mrs. Ralph LeRoy, Jr. Dr. Melvin A. Lester Bud & Nancy Liebler Michael & Laura Marcero David & Valerie McCammon Mr. & Mrs. Doug McClure Alexander & Evelyn McKeen Dr. Robert & Dr. Mary Mobley Mr. & Mrs. Craig R. Morgan Cyril Moscow Xavier & Maeva Mosquet Geoffrey S. Nathan & Margaret E. Winters David Robert & Sylvia Jean Nelson Jim & Mary Beth Nicholson Patricia & Henry Nickol Mrs. Jo Elyn Nyman Anne Parsons* & Donald Dietz

Mr. Charles Peters Dr. William F. Pickard Ms. Ruth Rattner Jack+ & Aviva Robinson Martie & Bob Sachs Dr. Mark & Peggy Saffer Marjorie & Saul Saulson Elaine & Michael Serling Mark & Lois Shaevsky William H. Smith John J. Solecki Richard Sonenklar & Gregory Haynes Dr. Doris Tong & Dr. Teck M. Soo Mr. Gary L. Wasserman & Mr. Charlie Kashner Mr. Todd Watson Mr. & Mrs. R. Jamison Williams David & Bernadine Wu Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Zlotoff

Mr. & Mrs. James+ A. Green Judy & Kenneth Hale Mr. Lee V. Hart & Mr. Charles L. Dunlap Ms. Nancy Henk Mr. Eric J. Hespenheide & Ms. Judith V. Hicks Michael E. Hinsky & Tyrus N. Curtis Mr. & Mrs. A. E. Igleheart Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Jessup Michael E. Smerza & Nancy Keppelman Patrick J. Kerzic & Stephanie Germack Kerzic Mr. & Mrs. Harold Kulish Allan S. Leonard Mr. Daniel Lewis Mr. & Mrs.+ Joseph Lile Mr. Gregory Liposky The Locniskar Group Mr. Robert A. Lutz

Ms. Florine Mark Patricia A. & Patrick G. McKeever Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Miller Mr. Joseph Mullany Mr. & Mrs. Albert T. Nelson, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. David E. Nims Mr. & Mrs. Pat Olney Mr. & Mrs. Richard G. Partrich Mr. & Mrs. Roger S. Penske Mrs. Helen F. Pippin Dr. Glenda D. Price Mr. & Mrs. David Provost Barbara Gage Rex Dr. & Mrs. John Roberts Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Rosowski Mrs. Lois J. Ryan Mrs. Patricia Finnegan Sharf Mr. & Mrs James H. Sherman

Mr. & Mrs. Leonard W. Smith Renate & Richard Soulen Mrs. E. Ray Stricker Mr. & Mrs. John Stroh III Mr. Gary Torgow David Usher Mrs. Eva Von Voss S. Evan & Gwen Weiner Arthur & Trudy Weiss Dr. & Mrs. Ned Winkelman Mrs. Judith G. Yaker Mr. Michael Yessian Margaret S. York Erwin & Isabelle Ziegelman Foundation Milton & Lois Zussman Three who wish to remain anonymous

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the annual fund GIVING OF $2,500 & MORE Howard Abrams & Nina Dodge Abrams Dr. Roger & Mrs. Rosette Ajluni Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Anthony Drs. Kwabena & Jacqueline Appiah Dr. & Mrs. Ali-Reza R. Armin Mr. & Mrs. Robert Armstrong Mr. David Assemany & Mr. Jeffery Zook* Mr. Joseph Aviv & Mrs. Linda Wasserman Aviv Mr. & Mrs. John Axe Mrs. Jean Azar Ms. Ruth Baidas Nora Lee & Guy Barron Mr. Mark Bartnik & Ms. Sandra J. Collins Mr. J. Addison Bartush+ David & Kay Basler Mr. & Mrs. Martin S. Baum Mr. & Mrs. Richard Beaubien Dr. & Mrs. Brian Beck Ms. Margaret Beck Mrs. Harriett Berg Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Berner Mr. and Mrs. Michael Biber Dr. George & Joyce Blum Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Bluth Rud & Mary Ellen Boucher Don & Marilyn Bowerman Mr. Anthony F. Brinkman Mr. Scott Brooks Bowden & Elaine Brown Mr. & Mrs. Mark R. Buchanan Dr. Carol S. Chadwick & Mr. H. Taylor Burleson Ms. Evelyn Burton Julie Byczynski* & Angus Gray Philip & Carol Campbell Dr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Carson Ronald & Lynda Charfoos Mr. Daniel Clancy Gloria & Fred Clark Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Clark Dr. Thomas Clark & Annette Clark Nina & Richard Cohan Jack, Evelyn & Richard Cole Family Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Charles G. Colombo Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Cook Dr. & Mrs. Ivan Louis Cotman Dorothy M. Craig Mrs. Barbara Cunningham

50

Jerry P. & Maureen T. D’Avanzo Suzanne Dalton & Clyde Foles Barbara A. David Lillian & Walter Dean Mr. Kevin S. Dennis & Mr. Jeremy J. Zeltzer Mr. Giuseppe Derdelakos Adel & Walter Dissett Mr. & Mrs. Mark Domin Donato Enterprises Paul + & Peggy Dufault Mr. Michael J. Dul Mr. & Mrs. Robert Dunn Mr. Roger Dye & Ms. Jeanne A. Bakale Edwin & Rosemarie Dyer Dr. Leo & Mrs. Mira Eisenberg Dr. & Mrs. A. Bradley Eisenbrey Donald & Marjory Epstein Mr. Sanford Hansell & Dr. Raina Ernstoff Mary Sue & Paul Ewing Mr. & Mrs. Oscar Feldman Mr. & Mrs. Anthony C. Fielek Ms. Sharon Finch Mr. Jay Fishman Mr. & Mrs. Mark Frank Mr. Samuel Frank Mr. & Mrs. Daniel E. Frohardt-Lane Sharyn & Alan Gallatin Lynn & Bharat Gandhi Mr. George Georges Drs. Lynda & Conrad Giles Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Gillette Dr. & Mrs. Theodore Golden Mr. Nathaniel Good Dr. & Mrs. Paul Goodman Mr. Jason Gourley and Mrs. Rebekah Page-Gourley Ms. Jacqueline Graham Mr. Luke Ponder & Dr. Darla Granger Ms. Leslie Green Dr. & Mrs. Joe L. Greene Dr. & Mrs. Steven Grekin Mr. Jeffrey Groehn Ms. Janet Groening-Marsh Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hage Alice Berberian Haidostian Robert & Elizabeth Hamel Randall L. & Nancy Caine Harbour Ms. Albertine Harmon Mrs. Betty J. Harrell Scott Harrison & Angela Detlor Cheryl A. Harvey Gerhardt A. Hein & Rebecca P. Hein

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Mr. & Mrs. Ross Herron Jeremiah* & Brooke Hess Dr. Deanna & Mr. David B. Holtzman Jack & Anne Hommes Ms. Barbara Honner The Honorable Denise Page Hood & Reverend Nicholas Hood III Mr. Matthew Howell & Mrs. Julie Wagner Mr. F. Robert Hozian Mr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. Nicki* & Brian Inman Steven & Sarah Jackson Ira & Brenda Jaffe William & Story John Mr. John S. Johns Mr. George Johnson Mr. Paul Joliat Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Jonna Mrs. Ellen D. Kahn Ms. Cathleen Kapatos Mr. and Mrs. David Karp Dr. Laura Katz & Dr. Jonathan Pasko Betsy & Joel Kellman Martin & Cis Maisel Kellman The Stephanie & Frederic Keywell Family Fund Mrs. Frances King Mr. & Mrs. William P. Kingsley Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Kleiman Thomas & Linda Klein Mr. & Mrs. Ludvik F. Koci Ms. Margot Kohler Mr. David Kolodziej Dr. Harry & Mrs. Katherine Kotsis Robert C. & Margaret A. Kotz Barbara & Michael Kratchman Richard & Sally Krugel Dr. Arnold Kummerow Mr. John Kunz Mr. & Mrs. Robert LaBelle Dr. Raymond Landes & Dr. Melissa McBrien-Landes Drs. Lisa & Scott Langenburg Ms. Sandra Lapadot Ms. Anne T. Larin Dolores & Paul Lavins Mr. Henry P. Lee Max Lepler & Rex L. Dotson Mr. & Mrs. John D. Lewis Mr. & Mrs. Eric C. Lundquist Daniel & Linda* Lutz Mrs. Sandra MacLeod Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Manke, Jr.

Mervyn & Elaine Manning Mr. & Mrs. David S. Maquera, Esq. Maureen & Mauri Marshall Dr. & Mrs. Peter M. McCann, M.D. Mr. & Mrs. Alonzo McDonald Dr. & Mrs. Donald A. Meier Dr. & Mrs. David Mendelson Mrs. Thomas Meyer Thomas & Judith Mich Mr. & Mrs. Leonard G. Miller J.J. & Liz Modell Dr. Susan & Mr. Stephen* Molina Eugene & Sheila Mondry Foundation Mr. Lane J. Moore Ms. A. Anne Moroun Ms. Florence Morris Mr. Frederick Morsches & Mr. Kareem George Drs. Barbara & Stephen Munk Joy & Allan Nachman Edward & Judith Narens Mariam C. Noland & James A. Kelly Katherine & Bruce Nyberg Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Nycek Mr. John J. O’Brien Mr & Mrs. Arthur T. O’Reilly Dr. & Mrs. Dongwhan Oh Dr. William Oppat Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Opperer David+ & Andrea Page Mr. Randall Pappal Mrs. Margot Parker Mr. & Mrs. Kris Pfaehler Dr. Klaudia Plawny-Lebenbom Mr. & Mrs. William Powers Reimer Priester Charlene & Michael Prysak Mr. Ronald Puchalski Fair Radom Mr. & Mrs. Richard Rappleye Mr. Richard Rapson Drs. Stuart & Hilary Ratner Drs. Yaddanapudi Ravindranath & Kanta Bhambhani Carol & Foster Redding Mr. & Mrs. Dave Redfield Mr. & Mrs. Gerrit Reepmeyer Dr. Claude & Mrs. Sandra Reitelman Denise Reske Mrs. Ann C. Rohr Seth & Laura Romine Dr. Erik Rönmark* &

the annual fund Mrs. Adrienne Rรถnmark* Norman+ & Dulcie Rosenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Ross Jane & Curt Russell Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Ruthven Mr. David Salisbury & Mrs. Terese Ireland Salisbury Hershel & Dorothy Sandberg Mr. Robert Schaerer Ms. Martha A. Scharchburg & Mr. Bruce Beyer Dr. Sandy Koltonow & Dr. Mary Schlaff David & Carol Schoch Mr. & Mrs. Alan S. Schwartz Mr. & Mrs. Kingsley G. Sears Mr. Ken Seawell Mr. & Mrs. Fred Secrest Mr. Merton J. & Mrs. Beverly Segal Mr. Igal Shaham

Ms. Linda Zlotoff Mrs. Jean Shapero Ms. Cynthia Shaw Ms. Margaret Shulman Dr. Les & Mrs. Ellen Siegel Coco & Robert Siewert William & Cherie Sirois Dr. Cathryn Skedel & Mr. Daniel Skedel Dr. Gregory Stephens Mr. & Mrs. Cinton F. Stimpson III Dr. Mack Stirling Dr. & Mrs. Charles D. Stocking Mrs. Kathleen Straus & Mr. Walter Shapero Stephen & Phyllis Strome Mrs. Susan Svoboda & Mr. Bill Kishler Dorothy I. Tarpinian Shelley & Joel Tauber Dr. & Mrs. Howard Terebelo

Mr. & Mrs. James W. Throop Carol & Larry Tibbitts Mr. & Mrs. John P. Tierney Alice & Paul Tomboulian Mr. & Mrs. Michael Torakis Barbara & Stuart Trager Mark & Janice Uhlig Dr. Vainutis Vaitkevicius Amanda Van Dusen & Curtis Blessing Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Van Dusen Mr.+ & Mrs. George C. Vincent Mr. Bill Vlasic Mr. & Mrs.+ William Waak Dr. & Mrs. Ronald W. Wadle Mr. Michael A. Walch & Ms. Joyce Keller Captain Joseph F. Walsh, USN (Ret.) Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan T. Walton

Mr. Patrick Webster Mr. Herman W. Weinreich Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Weisberg Ambassador & Mrs. Ronald N. Weiser Mr. Brian Wenzel Janis & William Wetsman/ The Wetsman Foundation Beverly & Barry Williams Dr. M. Roy & Mrs. Jacqueline Wilson Rissa & Sheldon Winkelman Mr. John Wolak Mr. Jonathan Wolman & Mrs. Deborah Lamm Mrs. Cathy Cromer Wood Ms. Andrea L. Wulf The Yousif Family Mr. & Mrs. Alan Zekelman Four who wish to remain anonymous

GIVING OF $1,500 & MORE

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Dart Gordon & Elaine Didier Mr. & Mrs. Henry Eckfeld Mr. Lawrence Ellenbogen Mr. & Mrs. Howard O. Emorey Ron Fischer* & Kyoko Kashiwagi Dr. Linda Golumbia, Ph.D Mr. & Mrs. Saul Green Mr. Donald Guertin Mary & Preston Happel Mr. & Mrs. Michael Harding Mr. & Mrs. Howard Heicklen Mr. & Mrs. Paul Hillegonds Ms. Elizabeth Ingraham Carolyn & Howard Iwrey Ms. Nadine Jakobowski Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Janovsky Carol & Richard Johnston Dr. Jean Kegler June K. Kendall Ms. Ida King Mr. James Kirby Mr. & Mrs. Thomas N. Klimko Mr. & Mrs. Victor Kochajda/

Teal Electric Co. Miss Kathryn Korns Mr. James Kors & Ms. Victoria King* Mr. & Mrs. Kosch Martin & Karen Koss Mr. Michael Kuhne Mr. Charles E Letts Drs. Donald & Diane Levine Margaret Makulski & James Bannan Dr. Arlene M. Marcy, M.D. Ms. Annette McGruder Ms. Camille McLeod Mr. & Mrs. Brian Meer Mr. & Mrs. Germano Mularoni Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Norling Noel & Patricia Peterson Mr. Mark Phillips Dr. & Mrs. Terry Podolsky Mrs. Hope Raymond Mr. & Mrs. George Roumell Mr. R. Desmond Rowan Mr. & Mrs. James P. Ryan Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Schlack

Mr. Lawrence Shoffner Zon Shumway Mr. Mark Sims & Ms. Elaine Fieldman Ralph & Peggy Skiano Mr. Michael J. Smith & Mrs. Mary C. Williams Dr. & Mrs. Choichi Sugawa Dr. Gytis Udrys Ms. Charlotte Varzi Dr. Stanley Waldon Ms. Janet Weir Mr. Richard D. Zimmerman Frank & Ruth Zinn One who wishes to remain anonymous

Ms. Dorothy Adair Joshua & Judith Adler Mr. & Mrs. Ismael Ahmed Dr. & Mrs. Gary S. Assarian Drs. Richard & Helena Balon Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Bernard Ms. Kathleen Block Mr. & Mrs. G. Peter Blom Ms. Jane Bolender Ms. Liz Boone Mr. & Mrs. J. Bora Ms. Nadia Boreiko Mr. Paul & Mrs. Lisa Brandt Mr. & Mrs. Ronald F. Buck Mr. & Mrs. Richard Burstein Dr. & Mrs. Roger C. Byrd Ms. Sandra K. Campbell Mr. David Carroll Mr. Fred J. Chynchuk Patricia & William Cosgrove, Sr

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

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corporate partners $500,000 AND MORE JIM NICHOLSON

CEO, PVS Chemicals

$200,000 AND MORE

GERARD M. ANDERSON

FAYE NELSON

President, Chairman and CEO, DTE Energy Corporation

President, DTE Energy Foundation

MARK FIELDS

JAMES VELLA

President and CEO, Ford Motor Company

President, Ford Motor Company Fund

$100,000 AND MORE

​​​​​​SERGIO MARCHIONNE

Chief Executive Officer, FCA

MARY BARRA

Chairman and CEO, General Motors Corporation

KEITH J. ALLMANN

President and CEO, MASCO Corporation

VIVIAN PICKARD

Director, General Motors Public Policy

MATTHEW J. SIMONCINI

President and CEO, Lear Corporation

$50,000 AND MORE Target Corporation

$20,000 AND MORE

52

American House

Global Automotive Alliance

MGM Grand Detroit

Senior Living Communities

Greektown Casino-Hotel

Talmer Bank and Trust

Amerisure Insurance

Macy’s

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Rock Ventures, LLC

corporate partners $10,000 AND MORE

$5,000 AND MORE

Beaumont Health Delphi Foundation Dykema Edibles Rex Fifth Third Bank Greenleaf Trust Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn, LLP Huron Consulting Group KPMG LLP PNC Bank PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP REDICO Telemus Capital Partners, LLC Warner Norcross & Judd LLP Wolverine Packing Company

BASF Corporation The Boston Consulting Group Contractors Steel Company Creative Benefit Solutions, LLC Denso International America, Inc. Ernst and Young Midwest Medical Center St. John Providence Health System Suburban Collection Yessian Music

$1,000 AND MORE AAvis Ford, Inc. Broder & Sachse Real Estate Services Chubb Group of Insurance Companies Coffee Express Roasting Company

CRStager Darling Bolt Company Delta Dental Plan of Michigan Dickinson Wright HEM Data Corporation Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC KlearSky Solutions, LLC Lakeside Ophthalmology Center Michigan First Credit Union Oswald Companies Plante and Moran, PLLC Post, Smythe, Lutz, & Ziel LLP Robert Swaney Consulting, Inc. Sachse Construction Schaerer Architextural Interiors Urban Science Applications

support from foundations and organizations The Detroit Symphony Orchestra acknowledges and honors the following foundations and organizations for their contributions to support the Orchestra’s performances, education programming, and other annual operations of the organization. This honor roll reflects both fulfillments of previous commitments and new gifts during the period beginning September 1, 2014 to January 31, 2016. We regret the omission of gifts received after this print deadline.

$500,000 AND MORE

$50,000 AND MORE

$5,000 AND MORE

The William M. Davidson Foundation Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation Samuel & Jean Frankel Foundation

Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation William Randolph Hearst Foundation Richard & Jane Manoogian Foundation Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs National Endowment for the Arts The Taubman Foundation Matilda R. Wilson Fund

Benson & Edith Ford Fund Marjorie & Maxwell Jospey Foundation Herbert & Elsa Ponting Foundation Mary Thompson Foundation

$250,000 AND MORE The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Hudson-Webber Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The Kresge Foundation McGregor Fund

$100,000 AND MORE Fred A. & Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation Ford Foundation Detroit Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Council New Music USA League of American Orchestras

$25,000 AND MORE Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation DeRoy Testamentary Foundation Eleanor & Edsel Ford Fund Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation

$10,000 AND MORE Henry Ford II Fund Maxine & Stuart Frankel Foundation The Alice Kales Hartwick Foundation Myron P. Leven Foundation Oliver Dewey Marcks Foundation

$1,000 AND MORE Charles M. Bauervic Foundation Frank and Gertrude Dunlap Foundation Harold and Ruth Garber Family Foundation Clarence and Jack Himmel Fund James and Lynelle Holden Fund Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation Ludwig Foundation Fund Meyer and Anna Prentis Family Foundation Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation Louis and Nellie Sieg Foundation Sills Foundation Don and Dolly Smith Foundation The Village Club Foundation Samuel L. Westerman Foundation Young Woman’s Home Association PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

53

blockbuster fund Gifts received September 1, 2014 to January 31, 2016

Gifts to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Blockbuster Fund support those exceptional projects, partnerships and performances that boldly advance the DSO’s mission “to be a leader in the world of classical music, embracing and inspiring individuals, families and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.”

Blockbuster gifts fund defining initiatives that are outside the annual budget such as touring, Live From Orchestra Hall webcasts, certain community engagement and education partnerships, and capital and technology infrastructure.

Mr. and Mrs. Norman C. Ankers Mr. and Mrs. Lee Barthel Mr. & Mrs. Mandell L. Berman Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Brodie Mrs. RoseAnn Comstock Mr. and Mrs. Peter D. Cummings Mr. and Mrs. Jerry P. D’Avanzo

Mrs. Marjorie S. Fisher Mr. Michael J. Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Wm. Fisher Ford Motor Company Mr. Stephen Hudson Mr. Michael Jalving Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

tribute gifts

Mr. and Mrs. John Lesesne Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Lester McGregor Fund Michigan Lighting Systems East Ms. Deborah Miesel National Endowment for the Arts New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras

Mr. and Mrs. George Nyman Phillip and Elizabeth Filmer Memorial Charitable Trust Mr. Marc A. Schwartz Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America WDET

Gifts received September 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016

Tribute Gifts to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are made to honor accomplishments, celebrate occasions, and pay respect in memory or reflection. These gifts support current season projects, partnerships and performances such as DSO concerts, education programs, free community concerts and family programming.

For information about making a Tribute Gift, please call 313.576.5114 or visit dso.org/tribute.

In Honor of RICHARD AND MONA ALONZO Alan and Shirley Schlang In Honor of JOHN AND LINDA AXE Marianne Endicott In Memory of WILLIAM BAYER Betty Bayer In Memory of JAMES BRUNO John and Rebecca Bercini William Bielinkski Paul Bruno Shirley Bruno Harry and Pearl Gopoian Andrew Johns Diran and Patricia Kochyan Mihran Kochyan Lawrence and Susan Lankowsky Seymour and Norma Lankowsky Jeffry and Susan Palisin Lewis and Sharon Smith Bruce Thelen and Kathryn Flood Gary and Patricia Tibble John and Mary Ann Wheeler In Honor of Joanne Danto Lois and Avern Cohn

54

In Memory of Olga Dworkin Joseph and Sandra Knollenberg Robert and Sandra Moers Stanley and Gloria Nycek

David and Sylvia Nelson Gloria Siegel Anastasia Tessler Beverly and Gerald Viedrah W. William and Roseanne Winokur

In Memory of NAOMI S. EDEN Eve Eden

In Honor of JAMES S. GARRETT Timothy and Marianne LeVigne

In Memory of HAROLD C. L. JACKSON, JR. Ellen Barnes James and Edith Coussens Mark and Barbara Crowley Richard Davis Charles and Joanne Forbes Erwin and Barbara Gutenberg David and Laura Malik Les and Susan Schoonover David Thornbury and Judith Heinen Jerome Wahla Regina Wilking

In Honor of ALICE HAIDOSTIAN Esther Lyons

In Honor of BERTRAND AND MURIEL JACOBS Janice and Bradley Jacobs

In Memory of CAROL HORWITZ Jane Berg Gary and Judi Cooper Ralph and Erica Gerson Ira and Brenda Jaffe Professor Jerry Kazdan Barry and Linda Klein Julie Kraus Roger and Terran Leemis Richard and Brenda Neff

In Honor of HAROLD KULISH Mary Lou Dudley

In Honor of PHILLIP WM. FISHER Aviva and Dean Friedman Ira and Brenda Jaffe Marc Schwartz and Emily Lamlenek

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

In Memory of DAVID LEBENBOM Claude and Sandra Reitelman In Memory of ELAINE LEBENBOM Ralle Rothman

In Honor of DAVID LEDOUX Jerry and Virginia Ledoux In Memory of MACELLINE NOWICKI Marlene Bihlmeyer In Memory of JEROME PASKOVITZ Stephanie Louis Mickie Rumaner In Memory of ALEX PEABODY Stephen Liroff and Mary Ellen Gaffney In Memory of FAY ANN RESNICK Helene Hoffman Ira and Mildred Wells In Memory of HARVEY ROBB Ruthie Mizel In Memory of JACK ROBINSON Berger, Ghersi & LaDuke PLC Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Stanley and Judy Frankel Ralph and Erica Gerson

venture fund Gifts received September 1, 2014 to January 31, 2016

Gifts to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Venture Fund are contributions that support projects, partnerships and performances taking place in the current season. Venture gifts are generally on-time and non-renewable in nature and fund initiatives that are included in the annual budget such as DSO concerts, Civic Youth Ensembles, community engagement and partnerships, and DSO Presents and Paradise Jazz concert series.

Ms. Veronica Agosta† Mr. and Mrs. Norman C. Ankers Mr. Braxton Blake and Ms. Freda Herseth Ms. Bette Dyer† Edsel And Eleanor Ford House Dr. Margo Farber and Mr. James Farber

Mrs. Marjorie S. Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Wm. Fisher Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Frankel Mr. and Mrs Richard N. Holloway† Jill Fox Revocable Trust Mr. and Mrs. Eric B. Larson Mr. John C. Leyhan†

Michael Willoughby & Associates Mr. and Mrs. James B. Nicholson Oakwood Healthcare David Page† Mrs. Sophie Pearlstein Mr. George A. Raymond†

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schultz† Ms. Mildred Tanner Mr. Nicholas Thornton Ms. Sandra Thornton Mrs. Helen Walz-Gutowski Mr. Gary L. Wasserman and Mr. Charlie Kashner † Deceased

Merle and Shirley Harris Renee and Burt Mahler National Association of Chain Drug Stores David and Sylvia Nelson Graham and Sally Orley Barbara Roden Alan and Marianne Schwartz Lewis and Beverly Siegel Ted and Mary Ann Simon William and Janis Wetsman

In Memory of CLYDE AND HELEN WU Katherine Anslow Lee and Floy Barthel Cecilia Benner Mandell and Madeleine Berman Marlene Bihlmeyer Gust Bills and Effie Papadakis-Bills Craig and Christy Birch Harold and Penny Blumenstein Gregory Bonus and Linda Russell Richard and Gwen Bowlby Anita Boyer Julie Byczynski and Angus Gray Todd and Jill Campbell William Campbell Dr. Silas Cheuk Thomas Cliff Avern and Lois Cohn Martha and William Cox Friedrich and Hiroko Dalman Yuchuan Ding and Ning Yan Barbara Dursum Dr. Glen Elliott Marianne Endicott David Everson and Jill Jordan Christopher Felcyn Samuel and Laura Fogleman Ruth Frank Barbara Frankel and Ronald Michalak Stanley and Judy Frankel David and Lynn Galbenski Ralph and Erica Gerson Ellwyn and Johanna Gilbert Cozette Grabb Dr. Karen Hrapkiewicz Shyr-ing and Ellie Hu

Roland Hwang Dr. Cathy Jen John and Marlene Boll Chacona Johnson Karen Katanick Francis and Lucy King William and Dorothea Krieg Paul and Katherine Lam Raymond Landes and Mary McBrien Bud and Nancy Liebler Stuart and Patricia Lum Glen and Kelly Lutz Esther Lyons Malcolm and Cynthia MacDonald J. Thomas MacFarlane Richard and Florence McBrien Victoria McBrien H. and Venus Mighion Eugene and Lois Miller David and Sylvia Nelson Dr. Anke L. Nolting Stephen and Carol Park Anne Parsons and Donald Dietz Steven Peng Dr. Margaret Pierron Marilyn Pincus Ruth Rattner Ray and Jane Cracchiolo Claude and Sandra Reitelman Lloyd and Maurcine Reuss Raymond Robbins Charles and Patricia Rutherford Saul and Marjorie Saulson Alan and Marianne Schwartz William and Sally Shelden Gertrude Shiemke Tor Shwayder and Aimee Ergas Edward and Helen Sing

June Songe John and Vivian Stroh Frances Tatarelli Peter and Ellen Thurber Roy and Diana Vagelos Barbara Van Dusen Arthur and Trudy Weiss Ching-Hsong and Su-Mei Wu Stephen Wu Atsushi and Barbara Yoshida George and Mary Anne Zinn

In Memory of SHELDON SANDWEISS Doreen Hermelin Jerry and Sharon Knoppow Moore, Stephens, Doeren & Mayhew James and Denise Parker In Honor of MARGARET SPEAR Gretchen and Robert Wilbert In Honor of KEN TUCKER Marty and Rose Reichman In Memory of GEORGE C. VINCENT Lee and Floy Barthel In Memory of ANN K. WARREN George Haggarty, Jr. Gerhardt and Rebecca Hein Mary Ann Oderman Michael and Carolyn Skaff

In Memory of MARY LUZ ZUBRIN Peter Zubrin

PERFORMANCE MAGAZINE

55

Confident Warren

*

Managing my family’s wealth is complex and time-consuming, which is why I am grateful for FirstFamily® Advisors. Now I have one team who helps me coordinate my financial, investment, legal and tax advisors. Together, they can put their expertise and experience toward helping to ensure my family’s legacy. And I can spend more time with my family, confident that my legacy will continue on.

TO L E A R N MOR E A B O U T F I R S T M E R I T F I R S T FA M I L Y , C O N T A C T : Ken Duetsch II, Senior Vice President, at 248-430-1255 or ken.duetsch@firstmerit.com.

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*Warren reflects a composite of clients with whom we’ve worked; he does not represent any one person.

“FirstFamily® Advisors” is the marketing name for a segment of FirstMerit PrivateBank, the area designed to assist high net worth individuals, and is neither a Registered Investment Advisor nor a Registered Investment Company. Non-deposit trust products are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or obligations of FirstMerit Bank, N.A., or any of its affiliates, are not guaranteed by FirstMerit Bank, N.A. or any of its affiliates, and are subject to investment risk, including possible loss of principal invested.

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