Tchaikovsky's The Tempest

MASTERWORKS

Tchaikovsky’s

THE TEMPEST DECEMBER 6, 2024 / 10:00 AM / MAURICE ABRAVANEL HALL (FINISHING TOUCHES) DECEMBER 6, 2024 / 7:30 PM / MAURICE ABRAVANEL HALL DECEMBER 7, 2024 / 5:30 PM / MAURICE ABRAVANEL HALL FABIEN GABEL, conductor CHANGYONG SHIN, piano

BRITTEN

SHOSTAKOVICH

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (16’) I.

Dawn

II.

Sunday Morning

III.

Moonlight

IV.

Storm

Piano Concerto No. 2 (20’) I.

Allegro

II.

Andante

III.

Allegro

CHANGYONG SHIN, piano INTERMISSION

TCHAIKOVSKY KORNGOLD (ARR. PATRICK RUSS)

The Tempest (18’) The Sea Hawk Suite (17’) Main Title Reunion The Albatross The Throne Room The Orchid Gold Caravan The Duel Freedom

CONCERT SPONSOR

JONATHAN & MARISA SCHWARTZ

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ARTISTS’ PROFILES — THE TEMPEST

Fabien Gabel Conductor

F

abien Gabel is the newly appointed Music Director Designate of the Tonkünstler-Orchester, a position which begins with the 2025–2026 season. Elsewhere, he has established an international career of the highest caliber, appearing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Oslo Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his dynamic style and sensitive approach to the score, he is best known for his eclectic choice of repertoire, ranging from core symphonic works to new music to championing lesser-known composers of the 19th and the 20th centuries.

Having attracted international attention in 2004 as the winner of the Donatella Flick conducting competition, Gabel was Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra 2004–2006. He was music director of Orchestre symphonique de Québec 2012–2021 and Orchestre Français des Jeunes 2017–2021. Fabien Gabel was named ‘Chevaliers des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French government in January 2020.

Changyong Shin Piano

P

assionate, inspired performances and brilliant technique are the hallmark of pianist Changyong Shin, First Prize Winner of the Gina Bachauer International Artist Competition, Seoul International Music Competition, and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. In 2022, he won the Raymond E. Buck Jury Discretionary Award at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

A native of South Korea, Shin was selected as the first prize winner of the Young Artist Award of The National Academy of Arts, Republic of Korea Academy in 2022. He has pursued his musical education in the United States since 2011, earning a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and Master’s degree and Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Robert McDonald. Currently, he is studying as an Artist Diploma student under the guidance of Wha Kyung Byun at New England Conservatory.

GUEST ARTIST SPONSOR

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HISTORY OF THE MUSIC — THE TEMPEST

“Four Sea Interludes” from Peter Grimes, op. 33a Duration: 16 minutes in four movements.

THE COMPOSER – BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976) – After three years in North America, Britten sailed back to Britain in 1942. He had just come across the work of the English poet George Crabbe and the experience of reading the words of a man he described as “entirely of England” made the composer long for home. Home did not long for him so much.

Many in the British press were critical of Britten’s departure for America in 1939 (and the accompanying avoidance of his military service), remarking often that his responsibility was to protect his countrymen, not make luxurious art for audiences abroad. Those sentiments were still apparent when Britten and his partner Peter Pears returned, but both men applied immediately for recognition as conscientious objectors. Yet another betrayal in the eyes of some.

THE HISTORY – Peter Grimes was Britten’s first full-scale opera. It was a huge success in England when it premiered in 1945, if perhaps tainted by his status as shirker of patriotic duty. Britain had not produced a homegrown operatic blockbuster since Purcell in the 17th century, so the island was hungry for a work of historic prominence.

Hungry enough to forgive a fallen son? In time. Britten was occupied with the thought of Peter Grimes almost from the moment he set foot on his home shore but couldn’t begin writing the score in earnest until 1944. The libretto,

by Montagu Slater, was drawn from the poetry of Britten’s recent discovery, George Crabbe. Crabbe wrote The Borough in 1810 and arranged the long tale in a series of 24 letters, the most well-known of which is Letter XXII and its principal character Grimes. In Crabbe’s work, Grimes is a deeply troubled fisherman whose young apprentices wind up dead after spending time in his care. In the hands of Britten he is expanded into the archetypal tortured outsider, a man perhaps not guilty of unspeakable acts but one punished for them nonetheless. Britten masterfully wove the human drama of his story with the musical fabric of the sea and its many faces. In the suite of orchestral Sea Interludes, we have not only a set of brilliantly realized tone portraits, but a subtle psychological primer on the deep questions posed in the libretto. “Dawn” takes place after a duet between Grimes and Ellen, a teacher he hopes to wed. “Sunday Morning” begins with oceanside church bells at the top of Act II and ends with a subtle dread that predicts terrible events. “Moonlight” takes us into Act III when Grimes’ second apprentice has died and the initial calmness of this movement, though deeply beautiful, rings false in context. Finally, the “Storm” from back in Act I

carries us on its gathering winds into the pub with Grimes and his cohort while they wait out the wrath of the water.

THE WORLD – Elsewhere in 1945, Korea split into two nations, the Arab League was formed in Cairo, George Orwell published Animal Farm, scientists discovered the chemical element Promethium, and penicillin became widely available for the first time.

THE CONNECTION – Britten’s Four Sea Interludes has not been heard on a Utah Symphony concert since 2016. Rei Hotoda conducted.

Concerto No. 2 for Piano in F Major, Op. 102 Duration: 20 minutes in three movements.

THE COMPOSER – DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) – Shostakovich’s wife Nina died in 1954, a year after Stalin passed. Both departures had significant impacts on the composer. With Stalin gone, his rehabilitation in the eyes of the Soviet state could truly begin and he could finally live without (or at least with less) daily terror. But the loss of Nina had an opposite effect, leaving him alone and publicly unguarded. Shostakovich was dedicated to his kids, but he was not well equipped to take care of them alone, which is perhaps why he re-married so abruptly and without warning in 1956. The match with Margarita Kainova did not last long, but Shostakovich’s desire for a measure of stability in the household and some personal/professional companionship for himself at the age of 50 was real.

THE HISTORY – By 1959, the relationship with Margarita was over but we should imagine the first years of her time with Shostakovich as hopeful. He certainly seemed to be reinvigorated, if his increased compositional activity is any indication. Following the Sixth String Quartet and tucked into the tiny free spaces his work on Symphony No. 11 would allow, Shostakovich wrote a concerto for his son, Maxim, in 1957. It had been two and a half decades since the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 1, a witty, virtuosic work he had written for himself, and the water under the bridge since then contained the driftwood of many lifetimes. But, by placing his Piano Concerto No. 2 in the hands of his beloved boy, Shostakovich seemed to have forestalled any desire to reflect on his trials. Besides, Stalin was four years dead, and the composer was trying again to be happy at home. No reason to dwell on the past with this music. He had other outlets USUO.ORG | (801) 533-NOTE

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HISTORY OF THE MUSIC — THE TEMPEST like quartets and symphonies for that. As a result, the Piano Concerto No. 2 is fun in a way Shostakovich’s music rarely tries to be. There is a reckless abandon to the writing, so much so that Shostakovich may have feared the carefree nature of the piece would feel a little care-less to the listener.

His own stated opinions about the Concerto’s lack of “artistic value” were probably sarcastic, because he liked it well enough to add it to his own concert repertoire in ensuing years. The premiere, however, belonged to Maxim. He was in his final year of study and the performance took place on his 19th birthday in 1957 with the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Nikolai Anosov in Moscow. Listen especially to the beautiful, lyrical 2nd movement for hints about how proud Shostakovich must have been of young Maxim. The technical demands are not great, so the depth of feeling required to pull it off is the real challenge. And the best possible gift.

THE WORLD – Elsewhere in 1957, Elvis bought Graceland for just over $100,000, the The Bridge Over the River Kwai opened internationally in theaters, the Anne Frank Foundation was formed in Amsterdam, and Malaya (now Malaysia) gained its independence.

THE CONNECTION – Shostakovich’s 2nd Piano Concerto was last performed in Abravanel Hall in 2018 under Thierry Fischer. Boris Giltburg was soloist.

The Tempest, Op. 18 Duration: 18 minutes.

THE COMPOSER – PIOTR ILYCH TCHAIKOVSKY (18401893) – Tchaikovsky completed his third opera, The Oprichnik, in 1872. It was based on a tragic historical novel

by Ivan Lazhechnikov about the reign of Ivan the Terrible.

Tchaikovsky had destroyed the scores of his previous two major stage attempts (Voyevoda of 1869 and Udina of 1870), so the new work was carrying a lot of baggage as it entered rehearsals. Oprichnik was initially successful with audiences, but critics found it lacking in creativity and inspiration.

Cesar Cui was especially unimpressed, commenting on the “unpleasant mix” of music in the score. Good thing for Tchaikovsky, unblessed with confidence on the best of days, his contemporaneous Symphony No. 2 fared better, and he found the energy to tackle a few interesting projects in 1873.

THE HISTORY – In fact, it was the Symphony No. 2 that got the attention of Vladimir Stasov. Stasov was a respected cultural critic who mentored the “Mighty Five” group of

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Russian composers that comprised Balakirev, Cui, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Mussorgsky. Such attention was welcomed by Tchaikovsky, who knew that Stasov’s support and guidance would be a professional boon. Stasov, almost certainly acquainted with Tchaikovsky’s previous embrace of literary inspiration (Romeo and Juliet, 1869), made three suggestions to the composer in 1873, each complete with a detailed synopsis. In the end, Tchaikovsky chose to stick with Shakespeare and set the scenario from The Tempest. The two men exchanged wonderfully brainy letters about exactly how the overture should proceed programmatically. Tchaikovsky asked whether an actual tempest (storm) was necessary for his purposes and, if not, questioned whether the piece should be named for the character Miranda. Stasov, in reply, insisted on an orchestral storm and offered specific insights on how it should unfold. Tchaikovsky gracefully conceded the point but admitted that the project would require more thought and might not happen right away. The program inscription that finally made its way into the printed score is reflective of their agreement: “The sea. The magician Prospero commands his spirit Ariel to create a storm, of which a victim is the unfortunate Ferdinand. The enchanted island. The first shy stirrings of love between Ferdinand and Miranda. Ariel. Caliban. The lovers are overwhelmed by passion. Prospero renounces his magical powers and leaves the island. The sea.” As evocative and explicit as that sounds, Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasia The Tempest is a broad-strokes reflection of the play, not a note for word re-telling. It would not be his last dance with The Bard.

Hamlet inspired a similar work years later in 1888.

THE WORLD – Elsewhere in 1873, Famed Scottish explorer/physician Dr. Livingstone died of malaria, the QWERTY keyboard layout was created, Jules Verne published “Around the World in 80 Days,” and Japan adopted the Gregorian Calendar.

THE CONNECTION – Ardean W. Watts was the last conductor to lead the Utah Symphony in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s rare The Tempest. The year was 1979.

The Sea Hawk Suite Duration: 17 minutes.

THE COMPOSER – ERICH KORNGOLD (1897-1957) – Korngold moved to Hollywood in 1934 and, along with other fellow émigrés, spent the years leading up to the war breaking important ground in the nascent art of film scoring. For his part, Korngold believed he was creating music for “operas without singing” and always endeavored to craft scores that could pass

HISTORY OF THE MUSIC — THE TEMPEST the concert hall test. Korngold had been a child prodigy of the sort not seen since Mozart. He was not even yet a teenager when Mahler and Strauss pronounced him a genius, and his star kept rising from there. Who knows what impact Korngold in his later years would have had on European music had not the war necessitated he remain in America in 1938. Sadly, he died at 60, so he didn’t get many “later years” anyhow.

THE HISTORY – In 1935, before he decided to stay, Korngold was hired by Max Reinhardt to come to Hollywood and adapt Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for a filmed version of the play. The quality of Korngold’s work made a big impression on the film industry and especially thrilled the bigwigs at Warner Brothers. They offered him three more projects over the next couple of years, the third of which was The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). That score earned Korngold his first Academy Award and provided him a reason to stay in California when war and persecution spoiled his home country. Investing in Korngold turned out to be a wise decision for Warner Brothers, and it had a transformative impact on the business of film scoring. Mahler and Strauss were clearly right about this gentleman. Korngold’s preternatural quickness and boundless creativity were perfectly suited to the demands of movie music. Many regard The Sea Hawk (1940) as his best work in the genre. The film starred

Errol Flynn as a roguish swashbuckler in the 15th century who worked for Queen Elizabeth I to harass the Spanish Armada in name of English pride. The Sea Hawk was nominated for four craft Oscars (Korngold included) in 1941, but it didn’t win any. Regardless, it holds up today as a perfect example of Golden Age Hollywood adventure, with enough swordplay and romance to inspire action filmmaking for decades. Korngold, a master of the calibration between sight and sound, depicts everything with the signature enthusiasm that made him so popular in Austria. His suite from The Sea Hawk, reconstructed in 2003 by Patrick Russ, functions like a traditional (if slightly longer than normal) opera overture as it runs the listener through some cardinal themes and plot points. The sections: Main Title, Reunion, The Albatross, The Throne Room, The Orchid, Gold Caravan, Duel Part I, Duel Continued, Freedom.

THE WORLD – Elsewhere in 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in California, and Lhamo Thondup was officially installed as the 14th Dalai Lama in Tibet.

THE CONNECTION – These concerts mark the Utah Symphony Masterworks premiere of Erich Korngold’s Suite from The Sea Hawk.

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