Pacific Symphony plays Mozart, Barber’s Adagio & Tchaikovsky
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Sunday, February 16, 2025 | 3PM
Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America
Joshua Roman, cello
PROGRAM
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K.385
Allegro con spirito
Andante
Menuetto - Trio
Presto
SAMUEL BARBER
Adagio for Strings
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K.385
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Born January 27, 1756, Salzburg
Died December 5, 1791, Vienna
For Mozart, July 1782 brought some of the best of times, and some of the worst. On the 16th of that month, his opera The Abduction from the Seraglio was produced in Vienna after nearly a year of intense work. The Abduction–Mozart’s first opera in German–was a huge success: it was at that premiere that Emperor Joseph II complained that the opera had “too many notes,” only to be met with Mozart’s famous reply: “Exactly as many as are necessary, Your Majesty.” Mozart was quite busy with other matters as well, arranging the opera for wind ensemble, revising an earlier wind serenade, and preparing for his own marriage to Constanze Weber on August 4. But back in Salzburg, that marriage had been frostily opposed by Mozart’s father Leopold, who had cut off all communication with his son for a time.
And now, in the midst of this frantically busy month, came a letter from Leopold, and it brought a request. In Salzburg, Sigmund Haffner, the son of a prominent family, was being elevated to the nobility. Six years earlier, in 1776, when one of the Haffner daughters was married, the family had asked Wolfgang to compose music for that occasion, and he had responded with the Serenade in D Major, K.250, nicknamed the “Haffner” Serenade. Now, the family wondered, could Wolfgang supply music for the ennoblement
ceremony?
The composer nearly exploded. Some sense of his thorny relation with his father burns through his reply:
And now I’m supposed to produce a new symphony? How is such a thing possible? You have no idea how hard it is to arrange something like that for winds so that it really suits them and yet loses none of its effect. Oh well, I must just spend the night over it, otherwise it can’t be done–and for you, dearest father, I’ll make the sacrifice. You’ll definitely get something from me in every mail–I’ll work as fast as possible–and so far as haste permits, I’ll write well.
Desperate for his father’s approval of his marriage, Mozart set to work on the music for the Haffners in what little spare time he had (his father’s approval would arrive–grudgingly–on August 5, the day after he and Constanze were married). While he missed sending something “in every mail,” he did manage over the next couple of weeks to turn out a six-movement serenade consisting of an Allegro, a march, a slow movement, two minuets, and a rondo-finale. He finished and dispatched the last of these movements on August 7, three days after his marriage, and then–with other things on his mind–completely forgot about this music.
He remembered it the following winter. Mozart had scheduled an academy of his own music at the
Burgtheater in Vienna on March 23, 1783. It would be a long concert indeed: Mozart played one of his piano concertos, there were arias and other orchestral movements, and Mozart played some solo piano music. He needed a festive orchestral work to open this program, and now he remembered the serenade he had written the previous summer for the Haffners. He wrote to his father, asking to have the manuscript sent from Salzburg. Mozart’s music could impress even its creator, and he wrote back to his father: “My new Haffner symphony has positively amazed, for I had forgotten every single note of it. It must surely produce a good effect.”
It should be noted, though, that what Mozart received from Salzburg was not a symphony, but a serenade. To convert it to a symphony, he made a number of changes, eliminating the opening march (this survives as his March in D Major, K.408) and one of the two minuets (this has been lost). He also added flutes and oboes to what was now a fourmovement symphony. What we know as the “Haffner” Symphony had its first performance at the Burgtheater concert, an evening that was by all accounts a huge success. Mozart described it to his father: “The theater could not possibly have been fuller and all the boxes were taken. What pleased me most, however, was that his Majesty the Emperor was present, was delighted and applauded me loudly.”
Mozart’s decision to open that concert with the “Haffner”
Symphony was exactly right, for this is a perfect piece to launch a program: it explodes to life, then seems to overflow with festive energy across its compact (twentyminute) span. Something of Mozart’s performance before the emperor may be evident from the performance instructions he sent his father the previous summer: “The first Allegro must be played with great fire, the last–as fast as possible.” We feel that “great fire” from the first instant, when the violins make their two-octave leaps and the music races ahead on trills, a firm little march-rhythm, and blazing runs. This symphony is in the “violinist’s key” of D major, a key that sits comfortably under the hand and has a particularly resonant sound, and the writing for violins in the outer movements of this symphony is particularly brilliant. Mozart builds this Allegro on only one theme–the powerful opening–and this undergoes some impressive contrapuntal extension before the movement races to its ringing close on great D-major chords.
Mozart left no marking for the second movement, and later editors have marked it Andante. It too is in sonata form, contrasting the elegant opening with an active second idea from the second violins and violas. The development is quite brief, and Mozart rounds the movement off with a recapitulation that continues to develop the material. The Minuet returns to the manner (and the key) of the opening Allegro–its powerful beginning makes the same two-octave leap
that brought the symphony to life–but the graceful trio draws us into a world of polished elegance.
We should remember Mozart’s instruction that the finale should be “as fast as possible.” He marks it Presto, and it often feels like a perpetual-motion for the combined violin sections, which are given passages of virtuoso brilliance. This movement is just plain fun, with its racing violins, great explosions, surprising little adventures along the way, and the final rush to the sizzling close.
No wonder Joseph II was delighted and applauded so loudly. Over two centuries later, this symphony still has that effect on audiences.
Adagio for Strings
SAMUEL BARBER
Born March 9, 1910, Pennsylvania
Died January 23, 1981, New York
Barber spent the summer and fall of 1936 in the small village of St. Wolfgang in the Tyrol. The 26-yearold composer had just completed a symphony, and now his thoughts turned to chamber music. The Curtis String Quartet, made up of friends from the Curtis Institute, was planning a European tour that fall, and they had invited Barber to compose a quartet for them to play on the tour. Barber struggled with it, however, and the Quartet in B Minor–as the three-movement quartet was called–was not ready for the Curtis to play; the Pro Arte Quartet gave the first performance in Rome on December 14, 1936. Even before the quartet had been played,
though, Barber knew that there was something extraordinary about its central movement, an Adagio. On September 13, 1936, he wrote to the cellist of the Curtis Quartet: “I have just finished the slow movement of my quartet today–it is a knockout!”
During the summers of these years, Barber and his friend GianCarlo Menotti had been visiting Arturo Toscanini at the conductor’s summer home at a villa on Lake Maggiore. In the summer of 1937, the conductor–who had just heard Barber’s First Symphony performed at the Salzburg Festival–asked to see some of his music, and the young composer sent Toscanini the manuscript scores of an Essay for Orchestra and of an arrangement for string orchestra he had made of the quartet’s slow movement. But then Barber heard nothing, and the scores were returned by mail, without comment. Stung, Barber refused to accompany Menotti when his friend went to say goodbye to the maestro at the end of the summer. Toscanini recognized what had happened and said to Menotti: “Tell him not to be mad. I’m not going to play one of his pieces, I’m going to play them both.” The conductor had memorized both scores and–not needing them–had simply sent them back; he did not ask to see them again until rehearsals were about to begin. Toscanini led the premiere of what had now come to be known as the Adagio for Strings on November 5, 1938. He liked this music well enough that he took it on the NBC Symphony’s tour of South America in 1940 and recorded it shortly after
the beginning of World War II.
The Adagio for Strings takes the form of a long arch. It is built on only one theme, a slow and sinuous melody initially heard in the first violins. There is an “archaic” quality about this music that is easy to sense but difficult to define–Barber’s noble melody almost has something in common with medieval choral music (in fact, late in life Barber made a choral arrangement of the Adagio for Strings, setting the Agnus Dei text). The theme develops with slow but inexorable power, passing from section to section and gathering force with each repetition until finally it builds to a climax of great intensity. Here the music breaks off suddenly, falls away, and concludes on nearly inaudible fragments of the original theme.
The restrained and solemn character of the Adagio has led to its frequent use as mourning music, much to Barber’s distress. It was broadcast in both the United States and England immediately following the announcement of President Roosevelt’s death in 1945, and–ironically–it was performed by the New York Philharmonic to mark Barber’s own death in 1981. More recently, the Adagio has almost become a victim of its own success: it seems fated to be used whenever someone needs music that sounds both “ceremonial” and “American,” and its obsessive use as part of the sound track of the motion picture Platoon is only one example. Perhaps the best way to hear this familiar music is to try–as much as
possible–to scrape it free of these cultural accretions and to listen to the skill with which its young creator takes his solemn melody–still beautiful after countless hearings–and builds it to that powerful climax, then leads it through a long descent into silence.
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Born May 7, 1840, Votkinsk Died November 6, 1893, St. Petersburg
It is hard to believe that Tchaikovsky wrote this lovely, elegant, chaste music immediately after completing his overwrought Francesca da Rimini and immediately before his white-hot Fourth Symphony. That sequence alone should alert us to the fact that there were many sides to this often-tormented composer. If we automatically identify Tchaikovsky with colorful and emotional music, we need to remember that he was also drawn to the formal clarity of eighteenth-century music and loved Mozart above all other composers. One of the finest examples of this attraction is his Variations on a Rococo Theme, composed in December 1876, shortly after Tchaikovsky returned to Moscow after attending the first performance of Wagner’s Ring at Bayreuth.
This was a very difficult time for Tchaikovsky. He was on the verge of entering into a disastrous marriage with one of his students. He hoped that such a union would “cure” him
of his homosexuality, but secretly he must have known that that was hopeless. Writing this music may have offered him an escape from that personal turmoil into the clarity and order of another era. The immediate impulse to write it came in a commission from the cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen. Trained in Germany, Fitzenhagen had in 1870 become professor at the Imperial Conservatory in Moscow, where Tchaikovsky also taught, and the two men had become good friends. When Fitzenhagen asked Tchaikovsky to write a piece for cello and orchestra for him, the composer responded with a set of variations based on what he called a “rococo” theme and scored for what was essentially Mozart’s orchestra (pairs of woodwinds and horns, plus strings).
A briefly orchestral introduction (how light and clear this music sounds!) gives way to the entrance of the solo cello, which sings the “rococo” theme. That theme (Tchaikovsky’s own) is marked espressivo on its first appearance, and it falls into two eight-bar phrases. Seven variations follow. These are nicely contrasted: some are lyric, some athletic. Some emphasize the cello, while others vigorously toss the theme between soloist and orchestra. Tchaikovsky varies key and meter throughout the set, and he ingeniously turns the final variation into an exciting coda. Yet the key word throughout is “restraint,” and this gentle score seems to come from a different planet altogether from the Fourth Symphony, which would shortly
follow.
A CURIOUS NOTE
ON TEXT: Tchaikovsky worked closely with Fitzenhagen while composing the Rococo Variations, and the writing for cello is graceful & idiomatic. But Fitzenhagen, a composer himself, apparently regarded Tchaikovsky’s manuscript as only a starting point, and he drastically revised the score. He reduced Tchaikovsky’s original eight variations to seven, altered the order of the variations, and re-wrote some of the cello part. By the time of the premiere, which took place in Moscow on December 1877, Tchaikovsky had made the fateful marriage, abandoned his wife, and fled to Switzerland to restore his mental balance. He had no idea that these changes had been made, and by the time he returned to Moscow in 1879, the music had been published in Fitzenhagen’s revision. At this point it was virtually impossible for him to re-do these changes. The result is that the Rococo Variations are invariably performed today in Fitzenhagen’s revised version rather than in the version Tchaikovsky actually wrote.
Program notes by Eric Bromberger © 2025.
Pacific Symphony with Joshua Roman
JOSHUA ROMAN CELLO
Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed for his “effortlessly expressive tone … and playful zest for exploration” (The New York Times), as well as his “extraordinary technical and musical gifts” and “blend of precision and almost improvisatory freedom … that goes straight to the heart” (The San Francisco Chronicle). His genrebending programs and wideranging collaborations have grown out of an “enthusiasm for musical evolution that is as contagious as his love for the classics” (The Seattle Times).
Committed to bringing classical music to new audiences, Roman opened the acclaimed 2017 TED Conference — and his performance of the complete Bach Cello Suites after the 2016 U.S. presidential election was the most-viewed event in the history of TED’s social channels, with nearly a million live viewers. Roman has collaborated with world-class artists across genres and disciplines, including Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Tony-winner/MacArthur Genius Bill T. Jones, GRAMMY®-winning East African vocalist Somi, and Tonynominated actor Anna Deavere Smith.
As a soloist, Roman’s “exceptionally high quality of performances” (The Los Angeles Times) combine “the expressive control of Casals with the creative individuality and virtuoso flair of Hendrix himself” (Gramophone). He has performed with leading orchestras
around the United States and the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, Toronto Symphony, BBC Scottish, and Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra, and he was principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony from age 22 to 24.
Roman’s singular 2024-25 season opens with the launch of his ambitious and deeply personal project Immunity, an intimate musical exploration of his lifealtering experience of ongoing Long COVID, with music ranging from J.S. Bach to George Crumb to Caroline Shaw, as well as Roman’s own compositions. A recording of the full program was released October 4, 2024 on Bright Shiny Things, coinciding with a tour where Roman will perform music from Immunity in Long COVID clinics across the United States, including New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland, Kansas City, St. Louis, and more. By sharing music and community with other Long COVID patients, Roman aims to raise awareness of the condition and communicate the project’s core message of finding strength in vulnerability.
Additional 2024-25 highlights include a national Trio tour with violinist Tessa Lark and double bassist Edgar Meyer, the world premiere of a new Cello Concerto composed by James Lee III with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, two Well-Being concerts with Carnegie Hall, a residency at Stanford University that will center around Immunity, concerto
performances with the Pacific Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and Asheville Symphony, and solo recitals around the country.
Roman has long been a leader and innovator in his use of digital and social media, with projects like his Popper Etude videos amassing nearly two million views. His solo performance with the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall was viewed by 33 million people across almost 200 countries, with Yo-Yo Ma introducing him as “one of the great exemplars of the ideal 21st century musician.”
As a composer, Roman has been commissioned by Music Academy of the West, Illinois Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Girls Chorus, Grace Cathedral, and more, and he has written for the JACK Quartet, violinist Vadim Gluzman, and conductor David Danzmayr. Equally accomplished as an interpreter of the music of other contemporary composers, Roman has premiered works by Mason Bates, Reena Esmail, Timo Andres, Gabriela Lena Frank, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lisa Bielawa, and others. Roman also curated a forward-looking chamber music series at Town Hall in Seattle for 15 years, presenting artists like Jennifer Koh, JACK Quartet, Sō Percussion, and more.
A native of Oklahoma City, Roman began playing the cello at the age of three on a quarter-size instrument, and gave his first public recital at age 10. He went on to pursue his musical studies at the Cleveland
Institute of Music, studying with Richard Aaron and Desmond Hoebig, former principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra. Roman plays an 1830 Giovanni Francesco Pressenda on a generous loan through The Stradivari Society of Chicago.
For Roman’s complete itinerary of 2024/25 concerts — please visit joshuaroman.com/schedule.
© Shervin Lainez
PACIFIC SYMPHONY
CARL ST.CLAIR MUSIC DIRECTOR
Currently celebrating its 46th anniversary season, the Symphony is the largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 50 years and is recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scene, as well as in its own community of Orange County.
In April 2018, Pacific Symphony made its debut at Carnegie Hall as one of two orchestras invited to perform during a yearlong celebration of composer Philip Glass’ 80th birthday, and the following month the orchestra toured China. The orchestra made its national PBS debut in June 2018 on Great Performances with Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America, conducted by St.Clair. Presenting more than 100 concerts and events a year and a rich array of education and community engagement programs, the Symphony reaches more than 300,000 residents—from school children to senior citizens.
In both 2005 and 2010, the Symphony received the prestigious ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Also in 2010, a study by the League of American Orchestras, Fearless Journeys, included the Symphony as one of the country’s five most innovative orchestras. The Symphony’s awardwinning education and community engagement programs benefit from the vision of St.Clair and are designed to integrate the orchestra
and its music into the community in ways that stimulate all ages.
The Symphony’s Class Act program has been honored as one of nine exemplary orchestra education programs by the National Endowment for the Arts and the League of American Orchestras. The list of instrumental training initiatives includes Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings, and Pacific Symphony Youth Concert Band.
The Symphony also spreads the joy of music through arts-X-press, Class Act, Heartstrings, Lantern Festival Orchestra, Symphony on the Go!, and Symphony in the Cities.
Carl St.Clair Music Director, Pacific Symphony © Texas Classical Review
Pacific Symphony Announces Alexander Shelley as next Artistic & Music Director, beginning in 26-27 Season
Alexander Shelley has been appointed as Pacific Symphony’s next Artistic and Music Director, commencing in the 2026–27 season. This marks a historic transition as Carl St.Clair, who has led the orchestra for over three decades, steps into the role of Music Director Laureate in 2025–26. Shelley will serve as Artistic and Music Director Designate during the 2025–26 season, ensuring a smooth handover of artistic leadership.
Known for his dynamic artistry and innovative programming, Shelley brings extensive experience from his roles as Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada, Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Artistic and Music Director at Artis—Naples. He is celebrated for his operatic productions and groundbreaking multimedia projects, including Life Reflected, which honors Canadian female pioneers, and the ballet-focused Encount3rs.
Shelley is a staunch advocate for community engagement and education, demonstrated by initiatives like the NAC Mentorship Program and Germany’s awardwinning “Future Lab.” His appointment signals an exciting new era for Pacific Symphony,
building on its legacy of musical excellence, education, and cultural contributions to Southern California.
Shelley’s vision for Pacific Symphony includes expanding its reach through inclusive programming, fostering new connections, and celebrating the role of music in uniting communities. His deep respect for the orchestra’s artistic foundation, paired with his forward-thinking leadership, promises to usher in a vibrant and innovative chapter for the ensemble.
Pacific Symphony
plays Mozart & Bruch with
Amaryn Olmeda, violin
SUNDAY, MAR. 23, 2025 | 3PM
Jacob Sustaita, conductor PROGRAM
MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K.543
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Prodigy is a big word to throw around. But in this case, there may be no better description”
SOKA
Concessions
A wide variety of wine, beer, soft drinks and freshly prepared snacks will be available before the concert.
Artist Drink Pick
Old Fashioned
We asked the artist for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions! Old Fashioned was selected by Carl St.Clair and will be available for purchase before the performance.
Click here for menu and to order
Pre-order your concessions and skip the line before the performance!
Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Elevate the Human Spirit
Soka Performing Arts Center strives to elevate humanity through transcendent experiences. Come experience our exquisite acoustics. Come to expand your understanding and appreciation of music. Come to forge community and emotional connections through the shared experience of live music.
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More than 750 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2024-25 season marks our thirteenth season presenting first-class programming in our world-class concert hall. We are continuing to expand our programming and outreach with the addition of a Children’s Concert Series and the only Great Pianists Series on the West Coast. From classical and jazz to world and contemporary music, the Soka Performing Arts Center has become a prized space for artists and audiences alike.
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Anonymous
OC Chinese Cultural Club
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Terumi Saito
Jochen Schumacher
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Scott A Shuping
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Anonymous
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John Morgan
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Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America. We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.
SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR
Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR
Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | New York, New York
Andrea Bartoli, PhD
President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York
Matilda Buck
Benefactor | Los Angeles, California
Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS
Dean, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Firoved
CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California
Jason Goulah, PhD
Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois
Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD
Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California
Karen Lewis, PhD
Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Luis Nieves
Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California
Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD
Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana
Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS
Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California
Adin Strauss
General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California
Yoshiki Tanigawa
Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan
Gregg S. Wolpert
Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President
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Archibald E. Asawa
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