SSO October 11, 2014 Concert Program Notes
Roses from The South (Johann Strauss II)
Vienna, the waltz and the Strauss family are inseparable entities. The waltzes of
Johann Strauss Sr. (1804-1849) evoked the air of the Viennese countryside, beer
gardens and Heurigen. Those of his eldest son, Johann Jr., at first had the same
rhythmic vitality and brief melodies. After 1860, however, this would change
and the waltz transformed from dance piece to concert piece. The younger
Strauss infused the traditional waltz format and sound with a new vitality and
sophistication that reflected the glittery, hedonistic spirit of 19th century
imperial Vienna. Roses from the South was published in 1880 in Hamburg.
Concerto No. 2 (Franz Liszt)
Liszt (1811–1886) began work on his Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1839, yet it was not
published until 1863. Like the first piano concerto, it is cast in a single movement
although, unlike its sibling, the sections comprising it are numerous and less
distinct, prompting some musicologists to view it as a symphonic poem with piano.
W.F. Apthorp subtitled the concerto, “The life and adventures of a melody.” His
description is quite appropriate because, also like the First, the whole of this
concerto derives from its opening melody, which, over the course of the work’s 20
or so minutes, yields many transformations and variations. This is also a more
intimate composition than the first, and, ironically, more bombastic, as well.
The Moldau (Bedrich [Frederick] Smetana)
Smetana (1824-1884) conceived a series of orchestral pieces with topics drawn
from the legends and landscapes of his homeland, what he called “musical
pictures of Czech glories and defeats.” It took the better part of the 1870s for
the composer to bring the idea to full fruition as Má vlast. Each movement of the
suite is a self-standing symphonic poem with its own program (story). Má vlast
ultimately became Smetana’s most enduring composition, and of its movements,
the second, The Moldau, a river journey with scenes of rural life, has remained
the most popular.
Slavonic Dances (Antonin Dvorak)
Dvorak (1841–1904) was asked by Johannes Brahms’ publisher for pieces in the
increasingly popular nationalistic style. He presented eight of what he called
Slavonic Dances evoking music of his native land in not quoting actual folk
tunes but rather evoking music of his native land in an original way. Instead of
borrowing melodies, Dvorak employed traditional rhythms and structures
resembling Bohemian dance styles. The first Presto in C dance uses a Czech
rhythm known as a “furianty” (a lilting rhythm in ¾ metre with a strong
hemiola pattern to emphasize shifting beats). The Poco Allegro in A flat major
is an infectious polka depicting flavors of Bohemian folk music.
Notes taken from www.classicalarchives.com and www.britannica.com