13 9 20 the rite of spring issuu

THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA OF YALE sep tember 2 0 , 2 0 13 路 f rid ay 8 pm 路 wool s e y h all

Jonathan Brandani, conductor

richard wagner Overture from The Flying Dutchman

Shinik Hahm, conductor

lu d w i g v a n b e e t h o v e n Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 I. Allegro II. Adagio un poco mosso III. Rondo: Allegro Boris Berman, piano Intermission

igor stravinsky The Rite of Spring Part I: The Adoration of the Earth Introduction

Augurs of Spring

Ritual Abduction

Spring Rounds

Ritual of the Rival Tribes

Procession of the Sage: The Sage

Dance of the Earth Part II: The Sacrifice Introduction

Mystic Circles of the Young Girls

Glorification of the Chosen One

Evocation of the Ancestors

Ritual Action of the Ancestors

Sacrificial Dance As a courtesy to others, please silence all cell phones and devices. Photography of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.

Robert Blocker, Dean

pro g ra m no tes Richard Wagner » 1813–1833

Overture from The Flying Dutchman

progra m note s Ludwig van Beethoven » 1770–1827

On this bicentenary of Richard Wagner’s birth, it is fitting to pay homage to a work of music that the composer would come to call “the decisive turning point of [his] evolutionary career” as a poet and creator of music-dramas.

The most well-known excerpt of Wagner’s 1843 opera Der Fliegende Holländer is its overture. This work is a sort of tone poem, brilliantly synopsizing the plot and character of the opera through instrumental music. Its three distinctive primary motives engage in a musical dialogue, reflecting the conflict among the opera’s characters and themes. Tying all of these motives together is the musical depiction of a tempest at sea, heard in the thunderous and crashing percussion, bright and sonorous brass, and the rapid chromatic figures ascending and descending in the upper woodwinds and violins, in a manner reflecting the powerful waves.

The overture opens with strident open fifth tremolos in the strings and a horn fanfare signifying the ominous ship, the Flying Dutchman. The sheer power of this opening shocks the listener in the way that a sailor would experience having spotted the doomed ship, a dark omen, at sea. After this tempestuous opening episode, there is a dramatic shift to the second motive of the work, a pious and hymnlike motive introduced first in the pastoral English horn. This music represents the loyal Senta, the heroine of the opera who sacrifices herself out of loyalty to the Dutchman to save him from eternal purgatory. Later, Senta’s theme develops, though now in the mode, meter, style, and tone of the Dutchman’s theme. Wagner thus begins to transfigure his motives and spin his tale.

In the final portion of the overture is a jaunty interjection, an F-major theme representing the Norwegian sailors of the setting. The work ends with a triumphant statement of Senta’s motive, instilled with great energy to represent the heroine’s ecstasy as she plunges into the stormy sea to join the Dutchman in death.

The orchestra’s texture stabilizes into a placid D major, and the arpeggio figure of Senta’s motive, like her spirit, ascends to the heavens.

– Patrick Jankowski

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 The philosopher Theodor Adorno wrote of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto and “Eroica” Symphony that they caused him to feel “exaltation — an expression of pride that one is allowed to be present at such an event, to be its witness.” Beethoven had nothing to do with the title of the fifth and last piano concerto; the French and British nicknamed it long after its first publication. Since it shares noble E-flat major with the Eroica, the heroic imagery is unavoidable, especially since the concerto belongs to the year of the Napoleonic invasion, 1809.

Within the conventional three-movement framework, Beethoven writes a symphonicscale concerto. The opening is a grand cadenza for the piano punctuated by massive orchestral chords on the tonic, subdominant, and dominant seventh — a progression that yearns to return to the tonic. All this virtuousity, it turns out, is merely a prologue to the first theme of the exposition. A carnival of themes follows, in which the solo piano matches the fabric of the entire orchestra with exhibitionist flights of fancy. The second subject is an arpeggiated horn theme that appears first in minor and then in major, and later, in a piano rendition, in the extraordinary key of B minor. The coda, first celestial and then energetic, is the longest in any of Beethoven’s concerto movements.

As in the “Ghost” trio, written a year earlier, the slow movement is the emotional heart of the work. The key is B major — the same as C-flat major, and thus a major third below the key of the first movement, the same relationship we find in the C-major concerto. For all its transcendent beauty, the movement is a simple paean-like theme and two brief variations. The woodwinds take the melody in the second while the piano accompanies, and a short coda leads to the finale.

The rondo finale bursts forth in fortissimo as a great, syncopated dance in 6/8 time. Some of its elements suggest galloping, an idea the orchestra takes up as part of the first subject.

The final bars of the slow movement echo when the main theme returns, and the timpani takes up the “galloping” rhythm to bring the concerto to an exuberant finish.

– Ariana Falk

Igor Stravinsky » 1882–1971 The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky said that one day in 1910, “I saw in my imagination a solemn pagan rite — sage elders, seated in a circle, watched a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of spring.” Nicholas Roerich created a scenario for the ballet, and Stravinsky wrote the music 1911–1913. The Rite of Spring reccived its first performance, with choreography by Nijinsky, in 1913. The premiere caused a near riot. Listeners were galvanized by the heretofore-unheard rhythmic power, brutally dissonant harmonies, and shocking orchestral effects. Two features are especially notable. The first is a lack of “symphonic” methods of composition: various cells and blocks of sounds are juxtaposed and overlaid, or lines are piled on top of one another to give frenetic but logical crescendi of activity. The second is the work’s revolutionary use of rhythm: ostinati, long sections of conflicting accents, and motives with varying meter.

“Adoration of the Earth” begins with a quiet transformation of a Russian folk song in the bassoon. “The Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls” opens with a thick chord in the strings, repeated in a motoric fashion. A pattern introduced in pizzicato strings then serves as an ostinato for a textural buildup that leads to the “Ritual of Abduction.” The fourth scene, “Spring Rounds,” opens with a pentatonic clarinet melody and continues with a heavy choral song. After a “Ritual of Rival Tribes,” a steadily building texture of several rhythmic ostinati heralds “The Procession of the Sage.” This reaches a thunderous pitch until the texture cuts off and a ghostly chord indicates “The Sage.” Part I concludes with the passionate “Dance of the Earth.”

Boris Berman, piano Boris Berman, piano, is well known to the audiences of close to fifty countries on six continents. He regularly appears with leading orchestras, on major recital series, and in important festivals. He studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with the distinguished pianist Lev Oborin. An active recording artist and a Grammy nominee, Mr. Berman was the first pianist to record the complete solo works by Prokofiev (Chandos). Other acclaimed releases include all piano sonatas by Alexander Scriabin (Music and Arts) and a recital of Shostakovich piano works (Ottavo), which received the Edison Classic Award in Holland, the Dutch equivalent of the Grammy. The recording of three Prokofiev concertos with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Neeme Järvi conducting (Chandos), was named the Compact Disc of the Month by CD Review.

Other recordings include works by Mozart, Beethoven, Franck, Weber, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Shostakovich, Joplin, and Cage.

Part II opens with quiet undulating chords in the winds. “Mystical Circles of the Young Girls” begins with a gentle chorale melody based on a Russian folk song. Strings and timpani introduce “The Glorification of the Chosen One,” a wild dance with irregular meters. The following scenes feature a fanfare first introduced by the winds and brass and a slower procession. “The Sacrificial Dance” depicts the chosen maiden dancing herself to death. Stravinsky said of this gripping finale that at first he knew how to play it, but not how to write it down.

In 1984, Mr. Berman joined the faculty of the Yale School of Music, where he is professor of piano, coordinator of the piano department, and music director of the Horowitz Piano Series. He also gives master classes throughout the world. In 2005, he was given the title of honorary professor of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and in 2013, was made an honorary professor of the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen. In 2000, Yale University Press published Mr. Berman’s Notes from the Pianist’s Bench; since then, the book has been translated into several languages. In 2008, the same publisher released Mr. Berman’s new book Prokofiev’s Piano Sonatas: A Guide for the Listener and the Performer. This year, Mr. Berman wil be performing and teaching in the U.S., Russia, China, South Korea, Israel, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, United Kingdom, Austria, Luxembourg, and Holland.

— Edited from a note by David Heetderks

»www.borisberman.com

a rt i st p rofiles

Shinik Hahm, conductor

Jonathan Brandani, assistant conductor

Shinik Hahm has been conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale since 2004, performing regularly at Woolsey Hall. Professor Hahm and Yale Philharmonia have toured Boston, New York, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul. As a conducting pedagogue, Hahm’s students have won top prizes at the Besançon, Pedrotti, Toscanini, and China National conducting competitions. They are also active at the helm of various orchestras around the world.

Jonathan Brandani (b. Lucca, Italy 1983) is currently conducting fellow (’14mm) at the Yale School of Music, where he studies with Shinik Hahm. Jonathan studied orchestral conducting with Mark Stringer at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna (Austria), where he obtained his Magister Artium Diploma with full grades and honours in June 2012. At the same University he also studied opera conducting/répétiteur with Konrad Leitner and choral conducting with Erwin Ortner; while studying in Vienna, he also received advice from Daniel Harding and Zubin Mehta.

His guest conducting appearances include engagements in North and South Americas, Europe and Asia. He has led orchestras in the world’s most prestigious concert halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Boston Symphony Hall, Rudolfinum in Prague, Seoul Arts Center, Tokyo Opera City Hall, and the National Theater of China, to name a few. Most recently, as music director and chief conductor of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Hahm led the orchestra on tour with concerts at the General Assembly of the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. He also served in the same capacity with the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra from 2001 to 2006, during which the orchestra has earned not only national attention but international acclaim through concert tours in USA and Japan.

Jonathan has conducted the Wiener Kammerorchester, Russian National Orchestra, Webern Symphonie Orchester, Maribor International Orchestra, Haydn Sinfonietta, and Royal Camerata Bucharest. From 2008 to 2010 he worked as répétiteur at the Festival Oper Klosterneuburg (Austria). He recently conducted several operas at the Opera House at Schönbrunn Castle (Vienna, 2011–2012), Sommertraum Festival am Semmering (Austria, 2012), and Lucca Opera Festival (Italy, 2013).

Hahm was a winner of the Gregor Fitelberg Competition for Conductors, was awarded the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize from the Eastman School of Music, and received the Shepherd Society Award from Rice University.

Maestro Hahm was decorated by the Korean government with the Arts & Culture Medal.

A passionate interpreter and scholar of early music, Jonathan has played continuo with several renowned European early music ensembles, such as Concerto Köln, I Barocchisti, Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana, and ArteMusica, and has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, VIRGIN Classics, and ORF. Jonathan also studied piano (graduating with full marks and cum laude from the Instituto Musicale P. Mascagni in Livorno, Italy) as well as harpsichord, organ, composition, and musicology.

»www.shinikhahm.com

» www.jonathanbrandani.com

a b o ut yale p h ilharmonia

The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale is one of America’s foremost music school ensembles. The largest performing group at the Yale School of Music, the Philharmonia offers superb training in orchestral playing and repertoire.

Performances include an annual series of concerts in Woolsey Hall, as well as Yale Opera productions in the Shubert Performing Arts Center. The Yale Philharmonia has also performed on numerous occasions in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The orchestra undertook its first tour of Asia in 2008, with acclaimed performances in the Seoul Arts Center, the Forbidden City Concert Hall and National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

shinik hahm Conductor philharmonia staff andrew w. parker Manager roberta senatore Music Librarian kate gonzales Production Assistant jonathan brandani Assistant Conductor louis lohraseb Assistant Conductor

The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale violin 1 Benjamin Hoffman Melanie Clapies Marina Aikawa Betty Zhou Tianyun Jia Ki Won Kim Xi Liao Mann-Wen Lo Ryan Truby Barbora Kolarova Inyoung Hwang Shuaili Du Jessica Oddie violin 2 Choha Kim Hye Jin Koh Suliman Tekalli Dae Hee Ahn Matheus Garcia Souza Julia Ghica Eun Kyung Park Nathan Lesser Seul-A Lee Jinyou Lee Eun-young Jung Yite Xu Do Hyung Kim Jing Yang viola Rebecca Wiebe Daniel Stone Ksenia Zhuleva Isabella Mensz Yejin Han Hyeree Yu Batmyagmar Erdenebat David Mason Xinyi Xu Yuan Qi Benjamin Bartelt Colin Brookes 1 - Principal on Wagner 2 - Principal on Beethoven 3 - Principal on Stravinsky

cello Sohyang Yoo Allan Hon Jia Cao Chang Pan Christopher Hwang Zhilin Wang Yoonha Yi Yifan Wu Kimberly Miyoung Jeong Ji Eun Lee bass Samuel Suggs Jonathan Hammonds Gregory Vartian-Foss Christopher Lettie Ha Young Jung Samuel Bobinski Noah Cotler Andrea Elizabeth Blackert Beyer flute Jacob Mende-Fridkis 3 Bo Hee Kim Christina Hughes Victor Wang Isabel Lepanto Gleicher 1, 2 oboe Timothy Gocklin 3 Fiona Last Sol Jee Park Kemp Jernigan 1 Kristin Kall 2 clarinet Tianyu Zhang 3 Chi Hang Fung Kevin Schaffter 1 Eric Anderson 2 Joshua Christian Anderson bassoon Darren Hicks 3 Michael Zuber 1, 2 Marissa Olegario

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