the philharmonia orchestra of yale peter oundjian principal conductor
ignat solzhenitsyn guest conductor
Friday, January 26, 2018 • 7:30 pm Woolsey Hall
igor str avinsk y Firebird Suite (1919) I. Introduction — The Firebird and its Dance — The Firebird’s Variation II. The Princesses’ Round III. Infernal Dance of King Kaschei IV. Berceuse (Lullaby) V. Finale niccolò paganini Sonata per la Grand Viola, MS 70 I. II. III.
Introduzione. Larghetto — Recitativo a piacere Cantabile. Andante sostenuto Tema con variazioni
Josip Kvetek, viola
intermission césar fr anck Symphony in D minor, FWV 48 I. Lento — Allegro ma non troppo II. Allegretto III. Finale. Allegro non troppo
Robert Blocker, Dean
As a courtesy to others, please silence all cell phones and devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.
P ro g ra m N otes
Igor Stravinsky » 1882–1971 Firebird Suite (1919)
Niccolò Paganini » 1782–1840 Sonata per la Grand Viola, MS 70
The Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev launched his Ballets Russes company in 1908, hoping to capitalize on cosmopolitan Parisians’ appetite for the exotic by engaging other expat artists from his faraway homeland. His aim was to synthesize works of art, theater, music, and dance by Russian artists into a unified whole, a sort of Franco-Russian reincarnation of the spirit behind Wagner’s 19th century Gesamtkunstwerk.
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist and composer whose virtuosic violin playing pushed that instrument to extraordinary musical heights in the 19th century. He also played the viola and the guitar; Paganini’s devotion to those two instruments is evident in the 15 quartets he composed for violin, viola, guitar, and cello. Paganini’s interest in the viola blossomed in the 1830s. He purchased a Stradivarius viola in 1833 and commissioned Hector Berlioz to write a viola concerto, but was dissatisfied with the early phases of Berlioz’s composition. Paganini instead wrote the Sonata per la Grand Viola to better show off his rapid fingers (Berlioz turned his rejected viola concerto into the symphony Harold en Italie, a piece which Paganini came to admire).
After the breakdown of agreements with other composers and under pressure from approaching deadlines, Diaghilev took his ballet concept for The Firebird to a fledgling, 27-yearold Igor Stravinsky. The ballet was to fuse two of Russia’s most famous legends, "The Firebird" and "Kaschei the Immortal." Stravinsky responded by concocting a hybrid between the folk influences and orchestration techniques he inherited from his Russian The "grand viola" designation is a curious predecessors, and the piquant colors being one. It is likely that Paganini used a special explored by French modernists. To borrow an five-string instrument borrowed from his apt metaphor from the composer Constant friend and instrument collector Luigi Germi, Lambert, Stravinsky “applied the rejuvenating as requested in a letter from February of 1833: influence of Debussy’s impressionism to the “Should I be in need of your very large viola by now somewhat faded Russian fairytale to be used in London,” he wrote to Germi, tradition in much the same way that one “would you send it to me? I would name such pours a glass of port into a Stilton.” an instrument ‘controviola.’” Their correspondence about such an instrument continued Stravinsky’s formidable feats of musical depth until the end of that year, when the controviola and scope in his score, made more impressive finally made its way to London. by the fact that this was his first large-scale work for orchestra, earned him a fruitful Paganini premiered the Sonata in London collaborative relationship with Diaghilev and on April 28, 1834. Despite some reservations an ecstatic public response to The Firebird about Paganini’s technique on the viola versus — decidedly more favorable than the riotous the violin, a reviewer for the London Times reception that greeted The Rite of Spring, which wrote, “the audience was a musical one and the two partners would produce three years we never heard the Signor play better or later. Newfound fame and further successful receive more applause than he did last night.” collaborations notwithstanding, Stravinsky eventually found himself in unstable financial Whether in operatic, recitative-like passages, straits in the wake of World War I. Having or impassioned moments of virtuosic ferocity, signed an exclusivity agreement with Diaghilev Paganini shows off the viola’s dark sound for the rights to the ballet, Stravinsky could quality and explores all of the instrument’s only make money from concert performances musical possibilities to great effect. of his orchestral suite to The Firebird. But this —Jonathan Salamon 1911 suite, scored for the same massive orchestra of quadruple winds and three harps as the original ballet version, was hardly financially feasible for groups in postwar Europe. He thus reorchestrated the work in 1919, paring it down to a more manageable-sized orchestra, and creating the version most often heard today. —Graeme Steele Johnson
art ist p ro f i le s
César Franck » 1822–1890 Symphony in D minor, FWV 48 It is curious that Franck would turn to the symphony for one of his last works. While a smattering of symphonies did emerge from such 19th century French voices as SaintSaëns and Lalo, the genre was still decidedly a fixture of Germanic music. Moreover, Franck’s abstract brand of form may have been better described by the looser “symphonic poem” designation; his treatment of the first movement structure seems at once to acknowledge the procedure of sonata form while ignoring some of its core tenets. Franck’s unorthodox double alternation in this movement of the Lento introductory material with the Allegro recasting of that motif offended contemporary critics for its strain on the pace of the movement, in contrast to the structural economy of sonata form. It is ironic, then, that musicologist Donald Tovey should liken this same device to the B-flat major Quartet, Op. 130 of Beethoven, the master symphonist himself. Beethoven’s influence infects other areas of this rogue symphony as well. Franck’s resurrection in his finale of themes from earlier movements and his layering them atop a tireless bass ostinato undeniably recalls the ubiquitous Ninth Symphony, also in D minor. But Franck’s musical language in his symphony, with its tertian key relationships and heavy chromaticism, its lush textures and web of recurring motives, points unabashedly to Wagner. Perhaps it is the symphony’s peculiar position in the context of the symphonic tradition of the 19th century that provoked such mixed reactions to its early performances. It occupies an awkward, neither-here-nor-there space between Beethoven and Wagner, two titans of artistic influence who loomed large in the venerable Germanic musical legacy that ostensibly did not include Franck. The symphony’s premiere in February of 1889 was met with cold condemnation, with purists offended by Franck’s departure from the harmonic and formal processes of Haydn and Beethoven, and other critics bemoaning a dogmatic German style present in the work. This delicate paradox seems to be the symphony’s handicap and its lifeblood. It was only a few years later, when public opinion turned overwhelmingly in the symphony’s favor, that Vincent D’Indy declared Franck,
the French proprietor of this contorted symphony, the first worthy heir to Beethoven’s symphonic legacy. —Graeme Steele Johnson
a rti st Profiles p rofiles A r t i st Ignat Solzhenitsyn, guest conductor Recognized as one of today's most gifted artists, and enjoying an active career as both conductor and pianist, Ignat Solzhenitsyn's lyrical and poignant interpretations have won him critical acclaim throughout the world. Principal guest conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Ignat Solzhenitsyn is much in demand as a guest conductor, having recently led the symphonies of Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Phoenix, Seattle, and Toronto, the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, and the Czech National Symphony, as well as many of the major orchestras in Russia including the Mariinsky Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Moscow Philharmonic, and the Moscow Symphony. He has partnered with such world-renowned soloists as Richard Goode, Gary Graffman, Steven Isserlis, Leila Josefowicz, Sylvia McNair, AnneSophie Mutter, Garrick Ohlsson, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Mitsuko Uchida. In recent seasons, his extensive touring schedule in the United States and Europe has included concerto performances with numerous major orchestras, including those of Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore, Washington, Montreal, Toronto, London, Paris, Israel, and Sydney, and collaborations with such distinguished conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, James Conlon, James DePreist, Charles Dutoit, Lawrence Foster, Valery Gergiev, Krzysztof Penderecki, André Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gerard Schwarz, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Maxim Shostakovich, Yuri Temirkanov, and David Zinman. In addition to his recital appearances in the United States at New York’s 92nd Street Y, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, St. Paul's Ordway Theatre, Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium, Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, and many others from coast to coast, Mr. Solzhenitsyn has also given numerous recitals in Europe and the Far East in such major musical centers as London, Milan, Zurich, Moscow, Tokyo, and Sydney. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Solzhenitsyn has collaborated with the Emerson, Borodin, Brentano, and St. Petersburg String Quartets, and in four-hand recital with Mitsuko
Uchida. He has frequently appeared at such international festivals as Salzburg, Evian, Ludwigsburg, Caramoor, Ojai, Marlboro, Nizhniy Novgorod, and Moscow’s famed December Evenings. A winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Ignat Solzhenitsyn serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Tanglewood Music Center. He has been featured on many radio and television specials, including CBS Sunday Morning and ABC’s Nightline. Born in Moscow, Mr. Solzhenitsyn resides in New York City with his wife and three children. Josip Kvetek '18mm, viola Born in Germany in 1992, Josip Kvetek started his education on the violin at age 8 in the town of Osijek in his family's native Croatia. He graduated from the Pavao Markovac Music School in Zagreb and continued his education with eminent pedagogues Leonid Sorokov, Marina Sorokova, Adam Korniszewski, Mária Vermes, Stefan Milenkovich, and Maja Despalj-Begovic. Josip has been a winner and special-prize recipient at numerous national and international competitions, including the International Competition of Gorizia, Italy; The National Competition for students of music and dance in Varaždin; the International contest for young virtuosos in Zagreb; the Rudolf Matz International String Competition in Dubrovnik; the Sondeckis International String Competition, Lithuania; the Lewisville Lake International Competition; and the International Crescendo Music Awards Tulsa, Oklahoma. Josip has performed numerous recitals throughout Croatia, as well as in Austria, Germany, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Josip graduated from the University of North Texas where he studied with Susan Dubois (viola), Julia Bushkova (violin), and Cynthia Roberts (Baroque violin). He is currently studying with Ettore Causa and Steven Tenenbom at the Yale School of Music.
A b o u t Ya l e Philharmo nia
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.
peter oundjian Principal Conductor
Performances include an annual series of concerts in Woolsey Hall, as well as Yale Opera productions in the Shubert Theater. The Yale Philharmonia has also performed on numerous occasions in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 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.
jeffrey m. mistri Manager
philharmonia staff
samuel bobinski Assistant Manager/Librarian david yi Assistant Conductor
the philharmonia orchestra of yale Violin I Alyssa Blackstone Ariel Horowitz Sophia Mockler Clement Luu Elliot Lee Maura Scanlin Michael Tropepe Gaga Won Emre Engin Chang Hoon Bae Nuri Lim Gregory Lewis Violin II Kate Arndt Marianne Di Tomaso Emily Switzer Laura Park Rachel Ostler Martin Peh Andy Peng Mevlan Mecid Lauren Bennett Viola Marlea Simpson Julia Clancy Thomas Duboski Rayna Chou Abby Elder Rimbo Wong Hayaka Komatsu Marta Lambert Cello Samuel DeCaprio James Rosamilia Bo Bae Lee Yiqiu Chen Justin Park
Sophie Yu Anita Balazs Samuel Walter Bass Amy Nickler Kaden Henderson Kohei Yamaguchi Mariya-Andoniya Andonova Russell Thompson Kelvin Ng Flute Amir Farsi 1 Benjamin Morency 3 Lucas Oliveira 2 Oboe Lauren Williams 1 2 Michelle Nguyen Elliot Lichtenberg Lauren White 3 Shawn Hutchison english horn Michelle Nguyen Clarinet Giovanni Bertoni 1 Graeme Johnson 3 Elisha Willinger 2 bass clarinet Giovanni Bertoni Bassoon Ming Yang 1 2 Ethan Lippert 3
Horn Steven Harmon 1 Stephen Newberry Scott Leger Esteban Garcia Gabriel Mairson 2 Josh Thompson Luke Baker 3 Trumpet Ashley Hale 1 Chloe Swindler Jonathan Shadle 3 Eric Rizzo Oscar Mason Trombone Ingram Lee 1 William Wortley Hillary Simms 2 Grant Futch 3 Bass Trombone Zachary Haas 1 2 Daniel Vaitkus 3 Tuba Joseph Guimaraes Timpani YoungKyoung Lee 1 Dmitrii Nilov 2 Sam Um 3 Percussion Jisu Jung 1 Sam Um YoungKyoung Lee 2
Harp Anna Ellsworth 1 Margaret Davis 3 piano Fantee Jones 1 2 3
Principal on Stravinsky Principal on Paganini Principal on Franck
a rti rofiles U p cost m ping Events JAN 30
FEB 2
FEB 16–18
CALIDORE STRING QUARTET Oneppo Chamber Music Series The Calidore String Quartet, including cellist Estelle Choi '12MM, presents “Hommage,” a program that explores the influence that Bach, Beethoven, and Webern had on the composers who followed them into history. “In a scene crowded with excellent young ensembles,” The New York Times has said, “the Calidore String Quartet can assert itself with pride.” Morse Recital Hall | Tuesday | 7:30 pm Tickets start at $26, Students $13 THE WAYNE ESCOFFERY QUINTET FEATURING JEREMY PELT Ellington Jazz Series The Wayne Escoffery Quintet featuring Jeremy Pelt presents “Delightfulee Morgan,” a program that celebrates Lee Morgan’s 80th year and features the legendary trumpeter’s rarely heard and unrecorded compositions. Morse Recital Hall | Friday | 7:30 pm Tickets start at $20, Students $10 THE MAGIC FLUTE Yale Opera The Yale Opera presents a new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Shubert Theatre. Yale School of Drama alumnus Dustin Wills directs a phenomenal cast and Israel Gursky conducts the magnificent Yale Philharmonia in this timeless tale of a hero’s journey to enlightenment. Shubert Theatre | Fri & Sat 8 pm • Sun 2 pm Tickets from $19 • shubert.com
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