Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven's "Emperor"

2016–2017 SEASON

PRESENTING

IN OGDEN FOR MORE THAN 65 YEARS

EMANUEL AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN’S “EMPEROR” SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 | 7:30 P.M.

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WELCOME We are thrilled that you are joining us for our 2016-2017 Season. You are now part of an Ogden cultural tradition going back sixty-seven years!

Speaking of traditions, I feel blessed that music and dance have been central to so many of my own personal traditions. As a child, I attended Kansas City Symphony performances with my parents. I confess that I did not always manage to stay awake for the entire performance.

(In my defense, the concerts ended well after my regular bedtime). Still, I always looked forward to these concerts.

They were an event – a special treat. Not only did I get to dress up and spend quality time with my parents, but I also loved to watch the musicians. And I marveled at the composers who crafted brilliant masterpieces using some of the very same chords I struggled to play.

Recently, I had the chance to share a similar experience with another younger generation when I brought my nephews to last seasons’ Utah Symphony Family Shows. I loved introducing them to something I love. One nephew could not stop asking questions afterwards, and several have since asked me when the next performance is. They are all coming back again this season, so I count it as a huge success!

I am sure you have similar stories as well. Each of us has been inspired and touched by live arts performances. This is why the Ogden Symphony Ballet Association exists.

We want to continue to inspire, to engage, to educate, and to uplift our community. So again, we are thrilled you are joining us this season. And we hope you make some new, amazing memories with us this year.

Emily Jayne Kunz Executive Director

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OSBA BOARD & STAFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paul C. Kunz President Robert Fudge President Elect Robert Newman Vice President Jennifer Webb Secretary Tina Olsen Treasurer Genette Biddulph Past President/Nominating Melissa Bennett Brenda Burton Linda Forest John Gordon Russ King McClain Lindquist Scott Major Stephanie Moore Shane Schvaneveldt Jan Slabaugh Paul Sonntag John Starley Mark Stratford

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ADVISORS Marlene Barnett Carol Brockman Karen Fairbanks Alan Hall Robert Harris Sharon Lewis Thomas Moore Suzy Patterson FOUNDATION Russ King Chair Marti M. Clayson Secretary Richard White Treasurer Beth Baldwin Paul C. Kunz Andrea Lane Robert E. Lindquist Michael S. Malmborg Judith Mitchell Meg Naisbitt Tina Olsen Ellen Opprecht Carolyn N. Rasmussen Sherm Smith

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Emily Jayne Kunz MARKETING MANAGER Melissa Seamons EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Marianne Rohbock ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Chris Brown

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OSBA 2016 –17 SEASON Emanuel Ax plays Beethoven’s “Emperor” September 15, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 February 2, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

Soul Unlimited featuring Ellis Hall

Jerry Herman: The Broadway Legacy Concert

September 22, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

February 9, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3

BYU Noteworthy March 4, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

October 20, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Brahms & Tchaikovsky

April 6, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

November 10, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

The Nutcracker

Gershwin’s Magic Key from Classical Kids Live!

Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular!

The Spy Who Loved Me starring Sheena Easton

December 8, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

April 20, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

The Little Mermaid

December 13, 2016 | 7:00 p.m.

April 22, 2017 | 2:00 p.m.

April 18, 2017 | 7:00 p.m.

November 25, 2016 | 7:00 p.m.

November 26, 2016 | 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

BYU Vocal Point January 21, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.

The Ogden Symphony Ballet Association is funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, Weber County Recreation, Arts, Museums, and Parks (RAMP) program, and Ogden City Arts.

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UTAH SYMPHONY Thierry Fischer, Music Director

Rei Hotoda Associate Conductor Barlow Bradford Symphony Chorus Director VIOLIN* Madeline Adkins Concertmaster The Jon M. & Karen Huntsman Chair, in honor of Wendell J. & Belva B. Ashton Kathryn Eberle Associate Concertmaster The Richard K. & Shirley S. Hemingway Chair Ralph Matson Associate Concertmaster David Park Assistant Concertmaster Claude Halter Principal Second

Elizabeth Beilman Julie Edwards Joel Gibbs Carl Johansen Scott Lewis Christopher McKellar Whittney Thomas CELLO* Rainer Eudeikis Principal The J. Ryan Selberg Memorial Chair Matthew Johnson Associate Principal John Eckstein Walter Haman Andrew Larson Anne Lee Louis-Philippe Robillard Kevin Shumway Pegsoon Whang

ENGLISH HORN Lissa Stolz

BASS TROMBONE Graeme Mutchler

CLARINET Tad Calcara Principal The Norman C. & Barbara Lindquist Tanner Chair, in memory of Jean Lindquist Pell

TUBA Gary Ofenloch Principal

Erin Svoboda Associate Principal

Eric Hopkins Associate Principal

Lee Livengood BASS CLARINET Lee Livengood E-FLAT CLARINET Erin Svoboda BASSOON Lori Wike Principal The Edward & Barbara Moreton Chair

Wen Yuan Gu Associate Principal Second

BASS* David Yavornitzky Principal

Hanah Stuart Assistant Principal Second

Corbin Johnston Associate Principal

Leon Chodos Associate Principal

Leonard Braus• Associate Concertmaster Emeritus

James Allyn Benjamin Henderson†† Edward Merritt Claudia Norton Jens Tenbroek Thomas Zera#

CONTRABASSOON Leon Chodos

Karen Wyatt•• Jerry Chiu• Joseph Evans LoiAnne Eyring Lun Jiang Rebekah Johnson Tina Johnson†† Paige Kossuth†† Veronica Kulig David Langr Melissa Thorley Lewis Yuki MacQueen Alexander Martin Rebecca Moench Hugh Palmer• David Porter Lynn Maxine Rosen Barbara Ann Scowcroft• M. Judd Sheranian Lynnette Stewart Julie Wunderle VIOLA* Brant Bayless Principal The Sue & Walker Wallace Chair Roberta Zalkind Associate Principal

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HARP Louise Vickerman Principal FLUTE Mercedes Smith Principal The Val A. Browning Chair Lisa Byrnes Associate Principal Caitlyn Valovick Moore PICCOLO Caitlyn Valovick Moore OBOE Robert Stephenson Principal The Gerald B. & Barbara F. Stringfellow Chair James Hall Associate Principal

Jennifer Rhodes

HORN Edmund Rollett Acting Principal Alexander Love Acting Associate Principal ††

Llewellyn B. Humphreys Brian Blanchard Stephen Proser TRUMPET Travis Peterson Principal Jeff Luke Associate Principal Peter Margulies Nick Norton# TROMBONE Mark Davidson Principal

TIMPANI George Brown Principal

PERCUSSION Keith Carrick Principal Eric Hopkins Michael Pape KEYBOARD Jason Hardink Principal LIBRARIANS Clovis Lark Principal Maureen Conroy ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Llewellyn B. Humphreys Acting Director of Orchestra Personnel Nathan Lutz Orchestra Personnel Manager STAGE MANAGEMENT Chip Dance Production & Stage Manager Mark Barraclough Assistant Stage & Properties Manager • First Violin •• Second Violin * String Seating Rotates † Leave of Absence # Sabbatical †† Substitute Member

Sam Elliot†† Acting Associate Principal

Lissa Stolz

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MASTERWORK SERIES Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven’s “Emperor” September 15 /

2016 / 7:30PM / VAL A. BROWNING CENTER

THIERRY FISCHER , Co nducto r EMANUEL AX , P i ano

SPONSORED BY

Bob & Marcia Harris Weber County RAMP Grant

BEETHOVEN BEETHOVEN

Overture to Fidelio, Opus 72 Concerto No. 5 in E-flat for Piano and Orchestra, “Emperor,” Opus 73 I. Allegro

II. Adagio un poco mosso

III. Rondo: Allegro EMANUEL AX , P i ano

/ INTERMISSION / BRAHMS

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68

I. II. III. IV.

Un poco sostenuto - Allegro Andante sostenuto Un poco allegretto e grazioso Adagio - Più andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME IS 1 HOUR, 20 MINUTES. Unless previously authorized, cameras and recording equipment of any kind are not allowed at Ogden Symphony Ballet Association performances. Please turn off cell phones, beepers and beeping watches before the performance begins.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURE Please identify the exits closest to your location. In the event it becomes necessary to evacuate the building because of an emergency, proceed to the closest exit in an orderly manner and then to a safe area away from the building.

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ARTISTS’ PROFILES Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer was appointed Music Director of the Utah Symphony in 2009 and his current contract is in effect through 2019. During his tenure, he has revitalized the music-making and programming, and brought a new energy to the orchestra and organization as a whole as demonstrated vividly during the organization’s recent 75th Anniversary celebrations. The pinnacle of these celebrations featured Maestro Fischer conducting the Utah Symphony at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Thierry Fischer Music Director The Maurice Abravanel Chair, endowed by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation

Recent engagements have included the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Mozarteumorchester, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, BBC Symphony, and London Sinfonietta. In 2015–16 he made his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (in subscription at the Royal Festival Hall), having recorded a Beethoven CD with them in 2014.

Maestro Fischer has made numerous recordings, many of them for Hyperion Records. Their CD of Frank Martin’s opera Der Sturm with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus was awarded the International Classical Music Award (opera category) in 2012. Maestro Fischer has also recorded works with the Utah Symphony including Mahler Symphony No. 1 and a trio of pieces commissioned for the orchestra’s 75th anniversary season—EOS, Goddess of the Dawn

by Augusta Read Thomas, Control by Nico Muhly and Andrew Norman’s concerto for percussion, Switch.

Maestro Fischer started out as Principal Flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera. His conducting career began in his 30s when he replaced an ailing colleague, subsequently directing his first few concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where he was Principal Flute under Claudio Abbado. He spent his apprentice years in Holland, and then became Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Ulster Orchestra 2001–06. He was Chief Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic 2008–11, making his Suntory Hall debut in Tokyo in May 2010, and is now Honorary Guest Conductor. Maestro Fischer was Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 2006–12 and returned as a guest conductor at the 2014 BBC Proms.

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ARTISTS’ PROFILES Born in modern-day Lvov, Poland, Emanuel Ax moved to Winnipeg, Canada, with his family when he was a young boy. His studies at the Juilliard School were supported by the sponsorship of the Epstein Scholarship Program of the Boys Clubs of America, and he subsequently won the Young Concert Artists Award. Additionally, he attended Columbia University where he majored in French. Mr. Ax made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series, and captured public attention in 1974 when he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the coveted Avery Fisher Prize.

Emanuel Ax Piano

Always a committed proponent of contemporary composers with works written for him by John Adams, Christopher Rouse, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bright Sheng and Melinda Wagner already in his repertoire, the 2016–17 season will feature two newly commissioned works. With the New York Philharmonic conducted

by Alan Gilbert, January will bring the world premiere of HK Gruber’s Piano Concerto, followed in March by the European premiere with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle. In recitals throughout the season his program will include works by Schubert and Chopin partnered with Impromptus by Samuel Adams, commissioned by Music Accord and inspired

by Schubert. His ongoing relationship with the Boston Symphony will include visits with them to Carnegie Hall, Montreal and Toronto. With the Cleveland Orchestra Mr. Ax will appear as the featured artist for their Gala opening concert of the season. As a regular visitor he will return to the orchestras of Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Toronto, Seattle, Milwaukee and Detroit.

A frequent and committed partner for chamber music, he has worked regularly with such artists as Young Uck Kim, Cho-Liang Lin, Mr. Ma, Edgar Meyer, Peter Serkin, Jaime Laredo and the late Isaac Stern.

Mr. Ax resides in New York City with his wife, pianist Yoko Nozaki. They have two children together, Joseph and Sarah. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and holds honorary doctorates of music from Yale and Columbia Universities. For more information about Mr. Ax’s career, please visit www.EmanuelAx.com.

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAM Notes by Michael Clive Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Overture to Fidelio, Opus 72 INSTRUMENTATION: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons; 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones; timpani; strings PERFORMANCE TIME:

BACKGROUND

6 minutes

Though Beethoven composed relatively few works for the stage, he had great regard for theatrical music. But of the 30 opera librettos that were offered to him over the years, almost none received serious consideration. Fidelio, his one and only opera, arrived in the opera house only after 12 years of intermittent travail. Compare that with the output of his contemporary in Italy, the opera composer Gioachino Rossini, who—as the cultural historian John Clubbe notes—“could knock off an opera in a few weeks.” Only one other possible subject for an opera tempted Beethoven: Goethe’s Faust. And when Goethe and Beethoven, two giants of German culture, finally met—well, let’s just say the chemistry was not great.

Still, the opera proved to be a masterpiece—the opera that Gustav Mahler, a major opera conductor and director, would call “the opera.” Love, primarily but not exclusively married love, is one of its two main themes; the other is freedom from political tyranny and injustice, a concern that we see in other Beethoven works, especially his Symphony No. 9. Beethoven’s ideals of romantic love, which have been the subject of speculation literally for centuries, are embodied in this opera’s story, in which the central

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character, Leonore, risks her own life and endures extreme hardship to rescue her unjustly imprisoned husband. Though we cannot know to what extent his depiction of Leonore was inspired by the woman he called his “Immortal Beloved,” we know that his tremendous, passionate love for her was of lasting importance to him, and that he worked toward a committed love relationship in his own life. Fidelio derives its power from his dramatic celebration of the ideals of love expressed in his famous letter to the Immortal Beloved—a letter he never sent.

The opera binds this theme of romantic love to the theme of human freedom from political tyranny. It takes place in prison, and its depiction of tortured prisoners released from their cells (by Leonore) into the light and air remains, unfortunately, quite modern. Its libretto was derived from a popular French play of 1798 by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly called Léonore, which is based, more or less, upon a true story about a wife rescuing her husband from prison during the time of the French Revolution. Léonore was a type of play pervasive at that time, known as the “rescue drama.”

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

Some 19th-century opera overtures preview the melodies to come; others set the mood, suggest the overall nature of the drama, or provide a kind of free-standing, small-scale version of the drama to come, incorporating its own musical materials to develop a theatrical premise, conflict and resolution. Beethoven composed three versions of possible overtures for Fidelio; the other two—the “Leonore”

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAM

overtures—are so intensely theatrical that they might have competed with the drama to come, especially with its relatively comic opening scene. But all three can stand as independent musical works embodying the philosophical themes of Fidelio, and they embody the textures, if not the tunes, of the opera itself.

All of the opera’s emotions are here: the gravity, the love and the yearning. The martial quality of the music, combined in a way that only Beethoven could, mobilizing the full resources of the orchestra. The overriding sonic impression is of steadfast nobility of purpose, with the suspense of a hairsbreadth rescue and a rousing, triumphant finale foreshadowing the triumph of the opera’s forces for good.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Concerto No. 5 in E-flat for Piano and Orchestra, “Emperor,” Opus 73 INSTRUMENTATION: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons; 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones; timpani; strings PERFORMANCE TIME:

38 minutes

BACKGROUND

Is there another piano concerto so frequently performed or widely accepted as a symbol of the form’s possibilities?

Listeners who would never think of poring over varying interpretations of other works remember their first “Emperor” and argue over comparative interpretations.

The sheer inventiveness and beauty of Mozart’s last and greatest piano concertos,

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composed from 1784 through 1786, had left Beethoven wondering how he could possibly advance the form. (Both men were pianists.)

The “Emperor” Concerto, completed 25 years later, provides an emphatic answer. Its beauty lies not so much in the originality of its relatively few melodies, but in the poetic grandeur and depth of their development.

Mozart’s uncanny mastery had pushed piano concertos from the salon to the concert hall; Beethoven gave them a breadth of scale and an engagement with ideas that have remained benchmarks through the Romantic and Modern eras.

So who is the concerto’s “emperor”? As author Andrew Schartmann notes in his Myth and Misinterpretation in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, it is clear that listeners had Napoleon in mind when the Fifth became associated with that highly charged word. But whether this nickname is appropriate is another matter. “There is no question that the popular title originated from extra-musical associations not sanctioned by the composer,” says Schartmann, who calls the term misleading.

“It can only be hoped that performer[s] do not base their interpretations on these unfounded anecdotes.”

Perhaps. But the anecdotes are inescapable, and there are good reasons why they seem tied to the notion of the common man versus an imperial ideal. Beethoven was deeply concerned with the philosophical ideas of the Enlightenment, and most particularly with the dilemma of the individual’s right to be free versus society’s need to be governed. Beethoven was among the many thinkers who first believed that as liberator of Europe from

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAM monarchies, Napoleon was a champion of human freedom who betrayed this noble cause by arrogating the power and privileges of monarchy to himself. The composer famously intended to dedicate his “Eroica” Symphony—which, like the “Emperor” Concerto, bears a key of E flat— to Napoleon, but furiously “undedicated” it in manuscript.

There are also good reasons why the concerto form is especially well suited to Beethoven’s philosophical concerns. Its most basic formal constraint—the one (soloist) versus the many (orchestra)— provides an ideal framework for exploring the individual’s relationship with society.

As with his symphonies, Beethoven’s piano concertos pushed the scope and heft of the form as he worked his way through musical ideas. Beethoven greatly admired Mozart’s piano concertos, with their constant sense of spontaneity and delight, but did not pursue these qualities in his own concertos. Instead, they get progressively weightier, until in the Fifth we hear some of the noblest music ever written. For all its beauty, “delight” is not the prevailing effect; as we listen, we have the impression that all of human dignity is at stake.

Playing the “Emperor” Concerto is almost mandatory for most top-flight pianists, regardless of specialty; for fans, deciding one’s preferences in the “Emperor” Concerto goes beyond an evening’s interpretation, to larger questions of performance style and aesthetic philosophy. Friendly debates over these matters have led to fistfights and worse. In recent decades we can trace these passions back to the friendly rivalry

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between Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz, brilliant pianists whose long and influential careers represented polar opposites in playing style. Rubinstein, one of the 20th century’s greatest interpreters of Chopin, waited until quite late in his career to tackle the “Emperor” Concerto, astonishing his admirers when he recorded it. His approach is characteristically restrained and poetic, in marked contrast to the power and dazzle of the Horowitz version. What’s more, Rubinstein’s comments—that it had taken him until late in life to discover the truth of the concerto buried under generations of misinterpretation and virtuosic display— were taken by many as a dig at Horowitz.

This partisanship has produced a glorious legacy of performance. In the latter half of the 20th century, pianists including Claudio Arrau and Rudolf Serkin emphasized statesmanlike restraint and overall architecture in the “Emperor,” while others including Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter thrilled with their fleetness and overpowering technique. This abundance has left today’s interpreters and listeners to enjoy one of Beethoven’s greatest creations any way we like—clearly a case of artistic freedom in the service of human freedom.

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

For all the philosophical meanings that many listeners hear in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, its appeal is mainly a matter of sheer, abstract beauty, expressed through melodies that combine simplicity and grandeur. Their development seems profound yet personal, partly because Beethoven’s development sections often delineate only the accompanying line in the orchestra or the piano, leaving

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAM us to imagine the melody on our own.

This draws us into the composition as few concertos do—one reason why the “Emperor” has achieved such rare popularity with its adoring public.

The “Emperor” Concerto bears the hallmarks that have grown familiar through the canon of Beethoven piano concertos: the fast-slow-fast arrangement of movements, the adherence to sonata form, the final rondo with its repeated melodic statements by the soloist. But its consistently noble character is unique. If Beethoven’s rededication of the “Eroica” symphony shows what he thought of emperors, the “Emperor” Concerto still seems aptly named for its elevated expression, which never flags.

Rather than climbing to altitude, the concerto’s opening seems already to have arrived at a great height, announcing itself through repeated, solemn chords with the gilded quality of a royal fanfare. After an introduction, the splendid opening theme has a sense of firmness, strongly rooted in the concerto’s tonic key of E flat. It is balanced by a second theme that is no less noble but far softer, almost whispering its presence until the two themes reconcile.

After this high-flying but worldly opening, the second-movement adagio seems to ascend still further, perhaps heavenward, stopping time with a sweet but melancholy meditation. After the end of a series of trills, listen for the second phrase of the poetic main theme: in his book The Rest Is Noise, the music critic Alex Ross identifies this as a source for Leonard Bernstein’s song “Somewhere” from the musical West Side Story.

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In the final movement, the main theme is really just an arpeggio reassembled.

But with each dazzling iteration, Beethoven disassembles it still further, requiring the listener to take part in the performance through active listening— just as variations on a theme may require listeners to bushwhack their way back to the original theme. As in the concerto’s opening, the main theme of the final movement has the structure and imposing character of a fanfare.

Beethoven performed his other concertos publicly, but by 1811 his increasing deafness prevented him from doing so. In listening, we can hear why: this concerto requires extreme virtuosity from the soloist.

Entrances are precise and unforgiving, and some passages that have a free, cadenza-like quality are actually prescribed in detail.

The premiere of the “Emperor” Concerto was played by pianist Friedrich Schneider in Leipzig.

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68 INSTRUMENTATION: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon; 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones; timpani; strings PERFORMANCE TIME:

32 minutes

BACKGROUND

By the time he completed his First Symphony, Johannes Brahms had successfully negotiated the “promising” phase of his career and was recognized as a master—an heir of the Viennese tradition who earned his place in the distinguished lineage of Romantic composers that

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAM started with Beethoven. No critic held Brahms’ music to a higher standard than the composer himself. Yet the idea of the symphonic form bedeviled him throughout his career. Why?

hardest, as the most intensive periods of composition date from about 1862. The earliest sketches of the symphony, which were in D minor, later became the basis for his D minor Piano Concerto.

To get a perspective on the expectations of Brahms’ public and his unease, it’s interesting to compare the premiere of his First Symphony to the publication of Harper Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman and the continuing media ballyhoo that surrounds it. This work, like Brahms’ first, entered the world under a very long shadow. For Harper Lee, it was her own To Kill a Mockingbird. For Brahms, it was Beethoven’s Ninth. Both artists were haunted, or perhaps hounded, by public expectation and media speculation.

Both were intensely private about their respective crafts.

The premiere of Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 occurred in the duchy of Baden in southwestern Germany rather than a musical capital such as Vienna or Berlin— perhaps a strategy to lower the stakes—and was an unqualified success, with responses ranging from dignified approval to outright elation. Brahms went on to write three more symphonies, but the nervousness he felt regarding the form never left him.

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

This symphony opens with a complex, nearly chaotic introduction that seems to part like storm clouds revealing a distant landscape. From there on we have a sense that Brahms is in total mastery of complex forces—that the scale and seriousness of this symphony are heard not in its length, but in the superb control and flow of its layered rhythms and inner voices.

The premiere of Beethoven’s Ninth was in 1824. In the 52 years that elapsed between that concert and the one that introduced Brahms’ First, the Ninth came to be recognized as one of the most significant of all classical compositions. Other composers followed with more symphonies, but none Throughout the symphony we hear a that satisfied the Austrian-German popular voice that is uniquely Brahms, with its sense that classical music was an art of ever- sense of perfect flow no matter how widening horizons. Enthusiasts still waited many different elements are in play. Yet for the composer who could continue the despite this distinctiveness, the talk of symphonic tradition in a way that would “Beethoven’s Tenth” continued, with some be worthy of Beethoven, expanding upon listeners noting similarities to various his achievements. How do you follow up Beethoven works, including the finale another artist’s masterpiece? of the Ninth. While some intentional quotations are embedded in Brahms’ Brahms rejected talk of “Beethoven’s music, including the rhythm of the Tenth,” but could not avoid the listening “fate” theme from Beethoven’s Fifth, this public’s hopeful expectations of gravitas symphony leaves us with a grandly scaled for his First. He worked on the symphony melody that is triumphant yet serene, and for more than two decades, though one entirely Brahmsian. could say that the last 14 years were the

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ABOUT OSBA In 1949, Beverly Lund and Ginny Mathei decided they wanted to add even more culture to Weber County, so, with the help of a few friends and their husbands’ checkbooks, they brought the Utah Symphony to Ogden for a single performance. The total cost was $400, and three hundred people attended the concert.

This 1949 concert was a big success, so the women decided to present even more concerts in Ogden. They organized a committee within the Welfare League (later the Junior League) to raise funds for the Symphony Concerts. Then, in 1957, this community reformed and incorporated as the Ogden Guild. After a few more name changes and the addition of Ballet West performances in 1982, the organization became the Ogden Symphony Ballet Association.

Under the direction of numerous dedicated Board Members and long-serving Executive Directors like Jean Pell (27 years) and Sharon Macfarlane (14 years), OSBA has expanded its programming but remains committed to its mission to enrich the lives of people in northern Utah by sponsoring world-class classical music and dance programming in the Greater Ogden Area. Since its inception, OSBA has presented over 800 performances.

In addition, OSBA actively works to engage and educate younger patrons. For example, our Youth Guild has provided generations of high school students with opportunities to serve and socialize. We also offer a variety of music education classes, from Masterworks Music Detectives to Symphony Summer Camps. And we are partnering with several local community organizations to expand these programs to reach even more kids, especially children in under-served communities. This year, we will also be holding our first Youth Benefit Concert, featuring Young Concert Artist Gleb Ivanov and young aspiring musicians from our very own community.

The proceeds from this concert will go to fund music education scholarships for local children. If you would like to know more about any of these programs, please do not hesitate to call our office!

801.399.9214 [ symphonyballet.org ]

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FRIENDS OF OSBA Includes Donations Received April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017 Thank you to all our donors! This concert would not have been possible without you.

SUSTAINING DONORS ($50,000+) Stewart Education Foundation Weber County RAMP Grant SEASON SPONSORS ($10,000+) The Norman C. Tanner and Barbara L. Tanner Charitable Support Trust Richard K. & Shirley S. Hemingway Foundation CONCERT SPONSORS ($5,000+) Edith Dee Green Foundation George S. & Delores Dore Eccles Foundation Mrs. Paul T. Kunz GUEST ARTIST SPONSORS ($2,500+) Beaver Creek Foundation Ogden City Corporation through Ogden City Arts Dr. Paul & Carol Sonntag State of Utah, Division of Arts & Museums BENEFACTORS ($1,000$2,499) Dr. Nelson L. & Carole W. Astle Dwight & Cindy Baldwin Bean Family Foundation Dr. Glen & Genette Biddulph Evan & Geraldine Christensen Dr. & Mrs. Fred Clayson Rick & Karen Fairbanks

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Farr’s Jewelry Mr. & Mrs. Kelly Goddard Kenneth & Norine Holmgren Jewel Lee Kenley Mike & Zona Keyes Paul & Cindy Kunz Dr. & Mrs. Seth Lewis Merrill Lynch Drs. Jean & Richard Miller Dr. Judith Mitchell Keith & Ellen Opprecht Carolyn Rich-Denson Harry & Becky Senekjian E.K. & Grace Walling Michael & Jennifer Webb Weber State University SUPPORTERS ($500-$999) America First Credit Union Marlene Barnett Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Budge Russ Carruth Mary & Lee Forrest Carter Elliot-Hall Company Rosemary Conover & Luckey Heath CrossAction Computers Douglas Deis Doug & Shelley Felt Dr. & Mrs. Ralph Friz Dean Hurst Kier Construction Lindquist Memorial Parks Suzanne Lindquist Val & Karen Lofgreen Jan & Jerome Luger Scott & Kirsten Major Robert & Eleanor Newman

Jim & Suzy Patterson Eloise Runolfson Mr. & Mrs. Howard Schuyler Shane & Pamela Schvaneveldt Jonathan & Beverly Souder Starley Family Dental Hal Wheelwright PARTNERS ($100-$499) Barbara Anderson Sally Arway Kay Ballif Mark Ballif Rich & Kristin Bauter Robert Beishline Bill & Melissa Bennett Dr. & Mrs. Paul C. Bennion Phil & Melanee Berger Jeffrey & Piper Blankinship Mr. & Mrs. Chris Bolieau The Boyer Company Kathleen & Phillip Browning Maj. & Mrs. Wendell Brumley Janice Burk Mr. & Mrs. Jeffry Burton Brad & Lynn Carroll Kitty Chatelain Allen & Janis Christensen Cathay Christiansen Kent Collins Clark & Pat Combe Frank & Ludene Dallimore Alan & Joanne Dayley Lynn & Natalie Dearden Golden & Sharon Decker Pete & Lynn Dehart Kellie & Allan Diersman Deloris & Dale Dorius

801.399.9214 [ symphonyballet.org ]

FRIENDS OF OSBA

Kathy Douglas Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Draper Ann Alene Dunn David & Robbyn Dunn Jennifer Earl Sandra Ebarb Jerry Eddy Rodney Egan Ann & Peter Ellis Brandon Erlacher Madelon Fallows Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Fearn Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Ford William & Anita Ford Linda Forest Robert Fudge & Sylvia Newman Gerry & Dixie Funk Bert & Karen Gall John Gordon Janice Grajek Nancy Granducci Lawren & Nancy Green Kim & Becky Hale Gwen Haycock Kimberly Hearn Angie Henderson John & Jeanne Hinchman Col. Douglas Holmes Greg Hyde Intermountain Healthcare Robert W. Irvine Val Iverson Carol Jackson Michael & Lori Jacobazzi Eric & Becky Jacobson John Watson Chevrolet Kevin Johnson Steve Johnston

Jeanne Kesler Melba & Denis Kirby Thomas Kuehls Andrea Lane Robert Lindquist Jeanette Long Rick & Nikki Lovell Eugene & Pat Low Ivaloo Lund Sharon Macfarlane Corey Malan Victoria & Michael Malmborg Mr. & Mrs. Dwayne Manful Debra Marin Frank & Sharon Markos Rand & Cynthia Mattson Sandy & Phillip Maxwell Evalyn McBurnie Andy & Susan Mccrady Jennifer & James Mcgregor Merrill Lynch Mary Ann Miller Nada Miller Matt Montague Mark & Meg Naisbitt Noel Nellis J. David Nelson Marilyn Nelson Gary Newman Arthur & Ruth Nielsen Peggy Nielsen Ogden School Foundation Cheryl Orme Donald Pantone Scott & Pam Parkinson Val & Marlene Parrish Paul & Sandra Perkin Janet Petersen

801.399.9214 [ symphonyballet.org ]

Jim & Kay Philpott Matt & Cami Pollard Sanford Poulsen Paul & Joan Powell Marty & Carolyn Rasmussen Mr. Juergen Sass Harlan & Lauralee Schmitt Blaine & Justine Seamons Sempre Musical Society Noellee Shaw Greg & Susan Shreeve Lawanna & Robert Shurtliff Jan & Mike Slabaugh Mr. & Mrs. Sherman Smith Keith & Marlys Sorbo Edward & Mari Lou Steffen Ned & Sheila Stephens Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stillwell Jeneile Tams Jeane Taylor John & Marcy Thaeler Ulrich & Associates Utah Eye Centers Patti Van Aarle Robert Van Dyke Karen Vanden Bosch Kathleen Vegh Melvin Walker Bruce Wallace Wasatch Peaks Credit Union Sheldon & Janice Ward Nancy Waterfall Suzanne Wayment Matthew Webb Lee & Carol Welch Roberta & Kent West Richard White Kenna Williams

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FRIENDS OF OSBA Carl & Helgard Wolfram Venita Wood Harry & Marilyn Woodbury Larry Zaugg Jan Zehner Jolene & Chad Zito IN-KIND DONORS Jonathan Adams ALSCO Amethyst String Quartet Apple Spice Junction Beehive Cheese Bell Janitorial Supply Bill & Melissa Bennett Big O Tires Booked on 25th Kate Bruce Brenda Burton Cafe Rio Centerpoint Legacy Theater Clifton’s Ladies Apparel Crossaction Computer Specialists Dinosaur Park Dr. Glen & Genette Biddulph Dr. Paul & Carol Sonntag Dwight Baldwin Eccles Community Art Center Farr’s Jewelry Linda Forest George and Mary Hall George B. and Betty Jo Handy Gibby Studios, Inc. Grounds for Coffee Iggy’s John Gordon Brenn Hill Julie Johnson Kaffe Mercantile Kangaroo Zoo

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Kier Construction KLO Radio Lifetime Products Scott Major Megaplex Theaters Mineral Reflections Mountain Medical Imaging Robert & Eleanor Newman Next Ensemble Now 97.9 Ogden Nature Center Olive and Dahlia Philip & Company Recreation Outlet Rocky Mountain Water Roosters Schneiter’s Riverside Golf Jan & Make Slabaugh Smith’s Snowbasin Standard Examiner Starley Family Dental Sun Valley Sunny 103.1 SuperSonic Car Wash Thai Curry Kitchen The Mumford Group Thomas & Stephanie Moore Toad’s Fun Zone Craig Umbrell Brad Waddoups Bob Wallis Jennifer Webb Ziegfeld Theatre Zions Bank

MEMORIAL DONATIONS Telitha Greiner Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Budge Susan Johnson Dr. & Mrs. Arthur Budge Mary McKenna Sharon Macfarlane Stephen Kent Paskins Mark & Shelley Geddes Bonnie Raleigh Andrea Lane Monte Shupe Mark & Shelley Geddes Hetty Hammon Sly Denise Sly Mel Sowerby Glenn & Connie Wimer Diane Cook Taylor Florence Stowe Ed Vendell Dr. Judith Mitchell IN HONOR OF DONATIONS Marjorie Funk Bud Funk Sharon Macfarlane Maryonne Wilson

801.399.9214 [ symphonyballet.org ]

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