INTRODUCING THE CONCERT
Emperor & Empire
T H I S W E E K E N D ’ S P R O G R A M features two masterpieces created a
hundred years apart. One is extraordinarily well-known, the other too often overlooked among classical music’s many, many great works. The performances begin — except for Friday Morning’s Concert — with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5. Premiered in 1811 and known (in English-speaking countries) by the nickname “Emperor,” this is Beethoven at his grandiloquent, masterful self. When he was creating this work, pianos had just recently gained increased volume and strength (from iron sounding boards), and in this concerto Beethoven matches the piano (and pianist) in a full-throated back-and-forth with the orchestra, as competitors and colleagues. This music shines with inventiveness, from its grand opening through the gentle ne qu uietude of its slow movement, to the fusillade of jo oy that bursts forth in the finale. Guest pianist Yefim Bronfman is our masterful soloist. Y For the other piece, guest conductor Nikolaj Znaider has chosen Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 2, premiered in 1911. Elgar had been catapulted to international fame only a dozen years before, with his Enigma Variations. He was quickly hailed as Britain’s greatest composer, and his ability to reflect the British mindset of the Edwardian era — mixing tenm der emotion with strong-willed determinad tion — gave Elgar a particularly high and notable place in music’s history. Even today, long after the dismantling of Britain’s once ubiquitous Empire, this composer’s music resonates with humanity’s unavoidable emotional turmoil and creative capacity. Together, these two masterworks remind us of music’s power — to energize and inspire, to soothe and caress, to bond us together, and to bring pleasure even in reflection and sadness. —Eric Sellen
Severance Hall 2017-18
Week 15 — Introducing the Concerts
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