October 14 & 16 program

BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS | HEINZ HALL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022 AT 8:00 P.M. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2022 AT 2:30 P.M.

Juraj Valčuha, conductor Augustin Hadelich, violin

Esa-Pekka Salonen Helix

Jean Sibelius

Concerto in D minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 47 I. Allegro moderato II. Adagio di molto III. Allegro ma non tanto

Mr. Hadelich

Intermission

Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Opus 10 I. Allegretto – Allegro non troppo II. Allegro III. Lento — IV. Allegro molto — Lento — Allegro molto

GRAND CLASSICS TITLE SPONSOR MEDIA SPONSOR

COMMON THREADS

National and Personal Identities A composer’s first composition or symphony is often a daunting, monumental task. Not only does the history of past composers loom largely over them, but also the public’s reception of their work. Emerging from college, Dmitri Shostakovich completed his Symphony No. 1 as a graduation piece at the age of only 19 years old. The work impressed many and immediately vaulted Shostakovich into the spotlight on the international music stage. Jean Sibelius’ works heralded a new national prominence for Finland. At a time when Finland was seeking independence from Russia, the music of Sibelius served as a rallying call to the Finnish people to form their own musical and cultural identities. A fellow Finn, the composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen is equally at home at the composer’s desk as he is on the podium as a conductor of international renown. As Salonen himself once noted, “It is a constant battle between the composer and the conductor.”

IN THE NEWS

“If there is one dogma in Esa-Pekka Salonen’s understanding of music, it is the rejection of all dogmas. He doesn’t allow himself to be pigeonholed, but searches for music that excites and moves the listener – how he gets there is secondary.” - The Berlin Philharmonic

“But more importantly, Saturday night’s performance was convincing evidence that Houston’s new maestro [Juraj Valčuha] thinks big. Very big.” - The Houston Chronicle

“He [Augustin Hadelich] has a really hypnotic sound. I’d recognize it in any recording. It’s so original, and never indulgent. - Joyce Yang, pianist and recital partner to Augustin Hadelich

DID YOU KNOW?

Helix The title Helix is a nod to the form of the composition which is similar to a spiral or coil. The DNA helix imagery also is a nod to the more linear nature of written music on a page. As Esa-Pekka Salonen writes in his program notes, “The process of Helix is basically that of a nine-minute accelerando. The tempo gets faster, but the note values of the phrases become correspondingly longer. Therefore only the material's relation to the pulse changes, not necessarily the impression of speed itself. Hence the spiral metaphor: the material (which consists essentially of two different phrases) is being pushed through constantly narrowing concentric circles until the music reaches a point where it has to stop as it has nowhere to go.”

PITTSBURGH CONNECTIONS

Juraj Valčuha made his U.S. debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in April 2008, and last conducted here in November 2021.

Augustin Hadelich made his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in September 2015, and last performed here in December 2019.

VOICES OF TODAY

PITTSBURGH + ESA-PEKKA SALONEN Equally known as both a composer and conductor of great international acclaim, Esa-Pekka Salonen has had a career spanning many orchestras and countries. Salonen currently serves as the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, Conductor Laureate of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, and was the former Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1992 to 2009. The Pittsburgh Symphony first performed one of his works, Foreign Bodies, in 2007. Join us for our next Voices of Today programs on October 28 - 30, featuring Rolf Martinsson’s Open Mind, and November 25 & 27, featuring Noah Bendix-Balgley’s Fidl-Fantayze.