Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 ("Eroica")
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Born December 16, 1770, in Bonn
Died March 26, 1827, in Vienna
It was during the year 1802 that Beethoven realized that his loss of hearing would become a
permanent reality. Overcome by depression, he withdrew from his friends and spent many
lonesome hours brooding about his fate; he also wrote the famous "Heiligenstadt Testament" in
which he bemoaned his ailment but accepted its finality, defended himself against charges of
misanthropy, and took leave of his brothers declaring that, although he now rejected the notion
of suicide, he would welcome death when it chose to come for him. Yet in spite of these tragic
circumstances, the artistic yield of that year is astonishing. Some of the works the composer was
in the midst of writing include: the three violin sonatas of Opus 30 and the Kreutzer sonata; the
three piano sonatas of Op. 31; the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives; and the Second
Symphony, which he completed that summer. Shortly thereafter, he began work on the Third
Symphony; he also confessed to his close friend, Wenzel Krumpholz: "I am not satisfied with
any of my works up to the present time. From today I mean to take a new road." The Testament
being dated October 6, and the Third Symphony having been started the same month, seem to
indicate that both were an outgrowth of the same basic experience. In a violent rebound from
despair, Beethoven took a sudden leap into a wholly new tonal world; the few months
intervening between the completion of the Second Symphony and the first sketches of the Third
were sufficient for him to turn his back on Mozart and Haydn and look far into the future. In his
book Beethoven: His Spiritual Development, J.W.N. Sullivan says: "The first piece of music he
composed that has a really profound and important spiritual content is the Eroica symphony.
Indeed, the difference from the earlier music is so startling that it points to an almost catastrophic
change, or extremely rapid acceleration in his spiritual development....we shall see that the
Eroica symphony is an amazingly realized and co- ordinated expression of the spiritual
experiences that underlay [the Heiligenstadt Testament]."
Completed in 1804, the Eroica presents two striking innovations: a Funeral March, which
at the time was unheard of in a symphony, and a Finale comprising a set of variations. In
addition, the depth to which the composer carried the development of his themes made this the
longest symphony ever written at the time. Beethoven's sketch books reveal a relentless
determination to forge the simplest motifs into fragments full of import and stamped with an
unmistakable character that would relate them to each other and to the work as a whole.
Beethoven, a democrat in an age of revolution, originally dedicated his Third Symphony
to Napoleon, who, at the time, was known less as a soldier than as a public figure who
championed freedom and would restore his country to prosperity and order. The manuscript of
the symphony bore Napoleon's name at the top and the composer's at the bottom. But when the
composer learned that Napoleon had proclaimed himself Emperor, he was so outraged that he
tore off the title page. The score was published two years later, in 1806, without any reference to
the tyrant; instead the title page read "Heroic symphony in celebration of the memory of a great
man." Many music commentators have remarked that if anyone is portrayed in this work, it is
surely the composer himself.
The first movement begins with two quick and mighty staccato chords, then proceeds
directly to the main subject which is heard somewhat tentatively but clearly in the cellos. This
theme is subsequently repeated boldly and vigorously in octaves by the horns, clarinets and
flutes. About the straightforward, rather military theme Beethoven has built a structure of
surging sound. Occasionally the theme is heard in one or another of the many choirs of the
orchestra, dominating the elaboration. After the introduction of the contrasting theme, divided
between the woodwinds and violins, both motifs are developed superbly. Despite the powerful
ideas projected throughout the orchestra and culminating in a succession of forceful tones, the
simple utterance at the beginning of the basic portion of the movement prevails.
The significance of the music of the second movement is unmistakable. The slow rhythm
can be only that of a funeral march, the first ever to appear in a symphony. The theme, although
originally presented quietly and sadly, is sometimes expressed vehemently. Then from the oboe
comes a sad and beautiful melody to answer the melancholic utterances of the bass. Later,
another very lyrical and important theme is introduced by the strings and the two subjects are
developed.
The swift vigor of the opening notes of the Scherzo contrasts sharply with the dirge and is
a relief to its solemnity. A murmuring in the strings played lightly but swiftly and energetically
becomes a tumultuous sound. In the delightful trio a subject resembling a hunting call is
announced by the three horns (not two or four!) and is answered soon by the whole orchestra.
This is repeated wistfully by the horns and for a moment the instruments respond with a
suggestion of sadness. The unexpected joy of the opening of the movement returns in the
powerful climax.
The Finale is a unique blend of variations on a double theme and sonata form. Here
Beethoven uses a theme which he had used three times before - in the ballet, The Creatures of
Prometheus, the Variations for Piano, Op. 35, and in a contradanse. After a few measures of
introduction, the bass to the coming melody is heard as an independent theme, plucked simply by
the strings. The first variation pits the theme on the strings against a counter-subject; the second
variation presents the theme once again on the strings, adorned by florid counterpoint. For the
third variation the theme is now only implied, while the oboe presents the melody that makes up
the second subject. The fourth variation is a long fugal treatment of the first theme against the
counter-subject heard in the first variation. This is followed by a new fugal development of both
themes. The tempo changes to a slower pace and the woodwinds play an expressive verse of the
second theme, and further development ensues. Shortly thereafter, the brass present a majestic
statement of the theme. After a final development section, the coda brings the "Eroica"
Symphony to its conclusion in a grandiose burst of sound and excitement.
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two paragraphs should be reversed (third paragraph becomes the first and the second paragraph
still remains the second)
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Born December 16, 1770 in Bonn
Died March 26, 1827 in Vienna
"Keep your eye on him; he will make the world talk about him some day." So did Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart write in a letter to his father about the then sixteen year-old Beethoven.
Indeed, Mozart's words proved to be prophetically true, as even during his lifetime, Beethoven's
works attained a strong - and since then, unshakable - place in the repertoire, while some of the
older masters like Bach and Vivaldi, Beethoven’s younger contemporary, Schubert, and even
Mozart himself in some cases, had to wait until revivals of their works were held, in order to
establish their place in concert programs.
Strongest in the repertoire amongst Beethoven's works are both the Fifth and Sixth
Symphonies. Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor was heard for the first time on December
22, 1808, at an extraordinary benefit concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. The program
that was conducted by the composer included his Fourth Piano Concerto, the scena and aria Ah!
perfido, excerpts from the Mass in C major, and the premiere performances of the Pastoral
Symphony (No. 6) and the Choral Fantasy, Op. 80; Beethoven was also the soloist in the two
piano works.
Beethoven was occupied with the composition of the Fifth Symphony at the small village
of Heiligenstadt, near Vienna, in 1807 and he completed the work early the following year. It is
known, however, that he had been working on his sketches for this Symphony since 1804 or
even earlier, shortly after the completion of the Third Symphony.
The Fifth Symphony requires greater instrumental resources than any of Beethoven's
earlier symphonies or - for that matter -than his next three symphonies. In addition to the pairs
of woodwinds, horns and trumpets that were commonly used at the time, this work calls for
several instruments borrowed from the more colorful opera orchestra: a piccolo, a contrabassoon,
and three trombones.
The organic structure of the first movement may serve to illustrate the distinction
between constituent ideas and what a composer does with them. Its way of developing broad
melodic spans out of brusquely unmelodic little motifs is original by any standards. Equally so
is the Andante con moto's brilliant utilization of variation form, and the third movement's
dissolution of the main scherzo section into an evanescent wraith of itself after the robustness of
the trio.
The first movement, Allegro con brio, is dominated by the rhythmic four-note motif that
opens the work. This motif probably has wider recognition than any other theme in the history
of music, being perhaps the best-known four notes in the entire concert literature. "Thus Fate
knocks at the door" is the significance that Beethoven himself is quoted as having placed on this
opening theme that establishes within the first measure a mood of despair and oppression. The
motif itself forms the core of this movement's first subject, as well as providing the first two
measures of the more lyrical second subject; this second subject arrives early in the proceedings,
in the form of a horn-call, with the new melody taken up by the violins. Indeed, the "Fate" motif
is so pervasive in this work, that it can be heard in almost every measure of the first movement; it
also makes its appearance - albeit in modified form - in all the other movements.
Relief from the previous struggle comes with the second movement, an Andante con
moto; built upon a freely varied song-form, the predominant mood here is one of consolation and
meditation. As in the first movement, the mood is established with amazing technical economy
within the first two measures. Barely supported by pizzicato basses, the violas and cellos present
the placid melody that constitutes the theme of the movement. This is followed by three
variations, the second of which is extended in the manner of a development section, and the third
that has a coda appended to conclude the movement.
The Scherzo that makes up the third movement is marked Allegro. It begins with a
solemn introduction in which an ascending arpeggiated melody is heard twice in the basses.
Abruptly, the horns enter with a relentless march-like theme obviously derived from the "Fate"
motif heard in the first movement; soon this is taken over by the entire orchestra. After a
modified repeat of the introduction, the Scherzo theme is developed further in a passage where
the constantly shifting dynamics create a sense of tension and expectancy. The trio section
begins with a forceful theme in the cellos and basses, followed by the bassoons and violas, and
eventually, with different entrances, by the rest of the orchestra. The short recapitulation of the
Scherzo is announced by another variation of the introduction. As in the last four concertos, so
in this Symphony (and again in the Sixth and Ninth) Beethoven decided to dispense with the
customary break between the last two movements. Instead we encounter a passage in the form
of a coda exhibiting extraordinary breathless tension; the timpani maintains a soft inexorable
rhythm under the shadowy pianissimo strings, until the last movement bursts forth exultantly.
The Allegro finale begins with a martial theme encompassing several diverse motifs.
After a short transitional passage, these motifs are further elaborated before Beethoven presents
his second theme, one of ascending triplets, again derived from the "Fate" motif. For all the
(musically) revolutionary aspects of the first three movements, the last is in some respects the
most forward-looking of the four. Two aspects of this truly majestic finale are absolutely
unprecedented among the major classics. First is its instrumental coloring, as in the opening
measures a piccolo, a contrabassoon, and three trombones make their first appearance in the
symphonic literature. The other is the dazzlingly dramatic stroke Beethoven achieves in briefly
quoting motifs from the scherzo just after the development section. After the recapitulation of
the finale's thematic material, the grandiose, extended coda is announced by a motif in the
bassoons, heard immediately in the horns and passing through all the woodwinds in fugato
fashion. An almost relentless pedal point on the note of C brings the symphony to its triumphant
conclusion.
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Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Born May 7, 1833, in Hamburg
Died April 3, 1897, in Vienna
Brahms has often, with arguable justification, been called the last of the great classical
composers; a fervent admirer of Beethoven, he was moved by a desire to be linked to the
tradition of the symphony as set by the master. However, Brahms cannot so easily be regarded
as a mere neo-classicist (as he was called in life and even after his death); it is only the most
superficial listener who could deny that his music possesses qualities of the most intense
romanticism. The richness and abundance of his musical genius poured forth in his symphonies,
as it did in his chamber works, choral pieces and his long list of songs. Like Beethoven before
him, he provided a strong voice, dramatic content and perfection of structure to the symphony;
this however, he complemented with the introduction of the German lied to the essence of
symphonic form. Beethoven had not made use of this lyric, uncomplicated and somewhat rustic
vein in his symphonies as it was later to be found in Brahms', but the practice was perpetuated
into the turn of this century by Mahler, and to some lesser degree by Bruckner.
Brahms was over forty years old when he completed his First Symphony; having
garnered a substantial reputation with his small scale works (particularly his chamber music),
and with Schumann's pronouncement naming him Beethoven's successor as a composer of
symphonies, Brahms felt tremendous pressure and weight of responsibility in presenting his first
such work to the world. As a result, labor on the First Symphony took him fifteen years between
initial conception and the production of the completed score in 1876. Opus 68 turned out to be a
magisterial work, and having overcome his fears regarding his abilities to compose in the
grandest of forms for instrumental music, he produced his Second a year later; the Third
Symphony was written after six years elapsed, with the Fourth coming once again a year later.
Brahms final work in symphonic form was composed during the summer months of 1884
and 1885. It appears that Brahms suffered from a certain lack of confidence in his new
symphony. For example, in a letter to the conductor Hans von Bulow, who was hoping for a
third piano concerto from Brahms, the composer wrote: "Unfortunately the Piano Concerto
which I should have like to write came to nothing...However, I have a few Entr'actes instead which together form what is called a Symphony." After treating a group of close friends and
advisors to a four-hand piano version of the Fourth Symphony's first movement, the prominent
music critic Eduard Hanslick remarked that he felt he "had been beaten up by two highly
intellectual people." As for Brahms, self-doubt in evidence, he asked, "If persons like you do not
like my music, whom will it please?" When he sent the score to his close friend Clara Schumann
for her appraisal, Brahms first instructed her: "If you do not like the work, do not hesitate to say
so. I am not anxious to write a bad No. 4." Clara Schumann, for her part, was much impressed
by the work; which gave Brahms the courage to pursue a performance.
Brahms suggested to von Bülow, then in charge of the Meiningen Orchestra that he
consider rehearsing the new symphony while on tour with the Orchestra and the conductor
happily complied. After a few rehearsals, von Bülow wrote to his agent on October 22, 1885:
"Just back form rehearsal. No. 4 is stupendous, quite original, quite new, individual and rocklike. Incomparable strength from start to finish." Three days later, the first performance of the
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 took place at Meiningen with Brahms at the podium. The
work was severely criticized by some of Brahms detractors - it appears some were most
perturbed by his choice of E minor as the work's key; nonetheless, the work was reasonably well
received by the public and the premiere was a success.
Although not as dynamic as the First Symphony, nor as warm as the Second, nor as
Lyrical as the Third, today the Fourth Symphony is regarded as Brahms' most perfectly wrought
symphony, and one of the most eloquent manifestations of his genius. It could be viewed as a
symphonic drama; Brahms, somewhat cryptically, referred to it in a letter as "a choral work
without a text." About this symphony, the contemporary music critic Irving Kolodin has
written: “It has been said that the artist's greatest challenge is to see, in the beginning of his
material, its ultimate end and destination. In this respect, the Fourth Symphony fulfills the
challenge superbly, not only in the working out of the individual movements and their suitability
to the place assigned to them in the sequence, but also in the subtle link that binds the all
important first and last movements together."
The Symphony is set into motion by a motif which is constructed of only two intervals:
the dominant scale degree of the E minor scale which descends a major third to the mediant scale
degree which is followed by the tonic scale degree ascending a major sixth to the sub-mediant
scale degree. The resulting main theme is carried by the violins playing in octaves. Woodwinds
and the lower strings participate motivically in the texture from the beginning. This opening
theme of the Allegro non troppo has been likened to the "Behold and see if there be any sorrow"
melody of Handel's Messiah. While there is undoubtedly a great deal of similarity between these
two melodies, the treatment undoubtedly a great deal of similarity between these two melodies,
the treatment of this theme is typically "Brahmsian" and provides a magnificent example of his
remarkable ability to present themes, develop theme and then combine them in a heroic coda.
After a counter-statement of the theme, the music becomes more energetic. The strong and
broadly flowing melody of the cellos heralds the beginning of the subsidiary theme. In the
counterpoint, triplet figures assume rhythmic prominence and the brass is heard in heroic tones.
The beginning of the development section recalls the opening of the symphony, however, the
subsidiary material of the exposition is now intensely varied. Worthy of special note is the
veiled manner in which the recapitulation section appears. Oboes, clarinet and bassoon play the
main motif twice, marked dolce. A mysterious string figuration of equal notes is heard and as
the music moves on, we find ourselves suddenly in the full course of the recapitulation. The first
movement is crowned with tremendous climax. With resounding fortissimo, the main theme
storms forth from the basses, while the higher registers answer with brief canonic statements.
The coda rushes on to its final Amen-like cadence, with a chord in six-four inversion chord that
is held by the full orchestra as the timpani fatefully sounds the bass.
The second movement, Andante moderato, is notable due to Brahms' use of the Phrygian
mode, thus lending the music a rather severe and ancient-sounding tone. The horns and
woodwinds intone dark hues; and while the music has a tranquil quality, it evidences an
abundance of rhythmic richness. Also worthy of particular mention is the beautiful melody
given the cello just before the recapitulation of the main theme. Of this melody, Brahms' close
friend Elisabet von Herzogenberg wrote: "How every cellist will revel in this glorious long
drawn out song of the summer."
In the third movement, Brahms departs from his customary practice of introducing an
intermezzo style movement as a contrast between the slow movement and the Finale by instead
presenting a Scherzo (which, point in fact, is the only true Scherzo to be found in his
symphonies) with a tempo designation of Allegro giocoso. The Scherzo features a gruff, good
humor which, given its boisterous yet delicate music, serves as the perfect link between the
beauty of the second movement and the tremendous stress of the last movement.
The Finale, Allegro energico e passionato, is Brahms' oblation to the musical past. He
employs a passacaglia, a form in which Bach excelled. A passacaglia utilizes a recurring
ostinato in the bass over which melodic material is elaborated. Some years earlier, Brahms had
discussed with von Bülow the prospect of using the passacaglia from Bach's Cantata No. 150,
"Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich" as the basis for a symphonic movement. Brahms contended
that, with slight chromatic alteration from the original, it would be entirely possible to do so. In
the Finale of his last symphony, Brahms proved the point. Over the fixed bass theme from
Cantata No. 150, Brahms builds a series of variations. These variations can be divided into four
groups. The first group, appearing subsequent to the first statement of the passacaglia features
the theme prominently appearing in the bass. The second group features an augmented theme in
a major tonality. The third group returns to a minor tonality and the rhythmic play and dramatic
character of the variations are heightened. The fourth group recalls structurally the initial
variations.
It is interesting to note that the Fourth Symphony was the last of Brahms' own works that
he was to hear in public. According to accounts of that performance - which took place in
Vienna on March 7, 1897, less than a month before the composer's death - the audience erupted
into a storm of applause after the first movement and the ovation was not abated until Brahms,
who was seated in the artists' box, came forward to acknowledge the applause. The same thing
occurred after the second and third movements. As the Fourth Symphony never became a
favorite work in Vienna, one must surmise that the concert-going public of Vienna realized the
frailty of Brahms and wanted to express their admiration for him, as well as for his final
symphony. The demonstration that followed the conclusion of the work was extraordinary. In
the words of Brahms' biographer, Florence May: "The applauding, shouting house, its gaze on
the figure standing in the balcony, so familiar and yet in present aspect so strange, seemed unable
to let him go. Tears ran down his cheeks as he stood there, shrunken in form, with lined
countenance, strained expression, white hair standing lank; and through the audience there was a
feeling of a stifled sob, for each knew that they were saying farewell. Another burst of applause
and yet another; one more acknowledgment from the master, and Brahms and his Vienna had
parted forever."
 1994 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
*If program-note length is a problem, the first and/or second paragraph(s) may be omitted.
Other optional cuts are the fifth paragraph and/or the tenth (last) paragraph. If the tenth
paragraph is omitted, the following shortened version of it should end the note:
It is interesting to note that the Fourth Symphony was the last of his own works which
Brahms was to hear in public,on March 7, 1897, less than a month before his death. The end of
each movement was greeted with applause and the demonstration which followed the conclusion
of the work was extraordinary. In the words of Brahms' biographer, Florence May: "The
applauding, shouting house, its gaze on the figure standing in the balcony, seemed unable to let
him go. Tears ran down his cheeks as he stood, and through the audience there was a feeling of a
stifled sob, for each knew that they were saying farewell. Another burst of applause and yet
another; one more acknowledgment from the master, and Brahms and his Vienna had parted
forever."
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
Born March 1, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, near Warsaw
Died October 17, 1849 in Paris
In the works of Frédéric Chopin we find a unique example of a composer writing almost
exclusively for the piano, who nonetheless has been granted a place among the greatest
composers of all time - universally idolized in his own century and in ours. His contemporaries,
perhaps from jealousy, were sometimes slighting; yet, despite their derogatory epithets, the fact
remains that Chopin invented a keyboard style that fitted ideally into nineteenth-century
Romanticism. His music is tinged with melancholy, suggesting a never-ending search for the
unattainable, yet arrayed in an impeccable technical structure. All his works demand of the
player not only a flawless touch and technique but also an imaginative use of the pedals and a
discreet application of tempo rubato, which Chopin himself described as a slight pushing or
holding back within the phrase of the right-hand while the left-hand continues in strict time.
In the summer of 1829, Chopin completed his studies at the Warsaw Conservatory
and left for Vienna to investigate the possibility of publishing some of his music. While there,
he gave a concert that critics said "electrified the public." When Chopin yielded to demands for
a second concert, it was less to please the Viennese public than to impress the people back home
in Warsaw.
On May 25, the composer wrote, "The rondo for my concerto is not yet finished
because the right, inspired mood has always been lacking. When I have just the Allegro and
Adagio completely finished, I shall have no anxiety about the finale. The Adagio is in E major,
and of a romantic, calm and partly melancholy character. It is intended to convey the impression
one receives when the eye rests on a beloved landscape that calls up in one's soul beautiful
memories - for instance, a fine, moonlit, spring night. I have written for violins with mutes as an
accompaniment to it."
The Concerto No. 1 in E minor was finished in August, 1830, and in September,
rehearsals were begun, with a string quartet accompaniment. A rehearsal with nearly full
orchestra minus trumpets and timpani was held in Warsaw on September 22 before a select
audience. The premiere took place on October 11, and was a great success. The concert was his
farewell: three weeks later Chopin set on a long tour across Germany to Paris, from which he
was never to return. In Polish eyes, Chopin was viewed as a Polish national composer.
© 1998 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
- Ileen Zovluck
Mazeppa, from Études d’exécution transcendante, S. 139/4
FRANZ LISZT
Born October 22, 1811, in Raiding, near Sopron
Died July 31, 1886, in Bayreuth
Renowned as the very epitome of a piano virtuoso, to say that Franz Liszt was a musical
innovator would be an understatement. He invented the modern piano recital: he was the first to
play entire programs from memory (keeping as many as 50 pieces in his memory on one tour
alone), he was the first to consistently position the piano so that the lid opened out to the
audience, he was the first to play the entire repertory from Bach to Chopin, he was the first to
have full-blown recital tours that extended from Portugal to Russia and Turkey, he was even the
first to coin the term “recital” in a performance in London on June 9, 1840. Liszt was the first
pianist to give a concert of solo piano music alone. He developed new and imaginative
compositional techniques, evolved the 'transformation of themes' in form and invented the
symphonic poem.
His father recognized that he had musical talent and began to give him piano lessons at
age seven. At age eight he began to compose. In 1820 Liszt gave his first public recital. There
were several Hungarian magnates in the audience that were so impressed with the nine year old's
playing that they banded together and put up money for his formal musical education. As a
result, the family moved to Vienna where young Franz studied piano with Czerny and
composition with Salieri.
Liszt's bold compositional style owes its diabolical twist to the influence of Berlioz,
whom he met one day before the premiere of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique. The beginning of
Liszt's own serious compositional career is marked by the 1824 composition of Etude en douze
exercices. Originally conceived as “Forty-eight Exercises in All the Major and Minor Keys,”
only twelve ever appeared. These exercises were later transformed into his 1838 Grandes
Etudes, and finally reworked into his 1851 Études d’exécution transcendante, and dedicated to
his teacher Carl Czerny. The fourth etude, Mazeppa, is based on the legend of the man named
Mazeppa as written in a poem by both Victor Hugo and Lord Byron. This man, born in Poland
was found guilty of having an affair with another man’s wife and stripped naked, tied to the back
of a horse and set loose. He was eventually found and nursed to health by the Cossacks, and
became a hero. He was eventually made a prince in Ukraine.
Liszt uses a technique common to these etudes where he continually transforms a
particular theme. The main theme is first heard just after the opening cadenza, and goes through
four major transformations throughout the work. In these repetitions or transformations of the
theme, he uses different harmonizations in the accompaniment, he sometimes varies the melody,
and he explores different keys. After the last transformation, there is a brief recitative followed
by a coda. The work comes to a crashing end in the joyful key of D major and in the score
occurs the quotation “Il tombe enfin – et se relève Roi.”
© 2004 Columbia Artists Management LLC
- Elizabeth Ely Torres
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major
FRANZ LISZT
Born October 22, 1811 in Raiding, near Sopron
Died July 31, 1886 in Bayreuth
If it were not so well documented the prowess of Franz Liszt as a pianist would by now be a
matter of legend. We are fortunate in having the testimony of some of his great contemporaries
to beat out the facts.
Robert Schumann, a man of letters as well as critical discernment in music, reflected
some of the awe that a Liszt concert aroused in his audiences: “The instrument glows and its
notes cascade under the hands of its master. It is no longer piano playing of this or that kind, but
the natural expression of a bold personality.”
It is probable that Schumann, a pianist who learned his way in music at the keyboard, was
setting down his reactions to the historic first performance of the E-flat major Concerto in
February, 1855. It must have been a stormy session, not only because of the tumultuous nature
of the concerto, but because the strongly individualistic Liszt was making his first major assault
on conventional structure. Not every one was favorably impressed by the concerto. The
ubiquitous Eduard Hanslick took a backhanded swipe at it by calling it a “Triangle Concerto,” a
nickname by which it is still sometimes distinguished.
At this time, Liszt was turning to experimentation, especially in the tone poem. So it is
small wonder that he was not content to compose his piano concertos in the established three or
four-movement manner. Each of his concertos (the E-flat and A major) is, like the symphonic
poems, in one movement, with a single poetic idea threading its way from end to end. In the A
major, a lyrical theme is used in free variations.
The E-flat major Concerto, on the other hand, is still similar to the symphony in four
movements, but these movements, so-called, are closely linked, with their relationship
emphasized by their dependence on the powerful motive heard at the beginning. Liszt had
sketched out the ideas for the concerto as early as 1830. The work was completed in 1849 and
was revised in 1853 and 1856. The first performance was under the direction of Hector Berlioz,
with the composer as the soloist.
The concerto opens and closes with the familiar theme which Liszt identified by singing
his amiable little doggerel “Das versteht ihr alle nichts” (This you do not understand). The
motive is announced in unison by strings, with chords in woodwinds and brass. The piano joins
in powerfully with chords in both hands. A cadenza, still in the grand manner, begins with a C
major triad and exploits it from end to end of the keyboard. Other cadenzas for the solo
instrument are firmly set in their relationship to the opening motive. There is a duet for clarinet
and piano, after which the piano presents the second subject in C minor. The orchestra more or
less retires from the scene, leaving things to be discussed by the piano in duet, first with the
clarinet, then with violins, and finally with cello. There is a period of modulation climaxed by an
orchestral restatement of the opening theme. The piano takes the theme for runs in octaves. The
movement ends softly.
Muted cellos and basses open the next section, Quasi adagio. Muted violins repeat the
melody and the piano then takes it over for a solo interlude. The piano suddenly bursts into a
flight of operatic intensity. As it decists with the cello, a new melody appears, with the flute,
clarinet, oboe and horn taking it in turn. The opening quasi-adagio melody, with the clarinet as
soloist, leads without interruption into the next movement.
It is at this point that the triangle makes its bow and is heard in its distinctively shining
tone all the way through this delightful scherzo. A solo cadenza recalls the opening theme of the
concerto, building in momentum to the final statement of the imperious principal theme.
The finale is a summing up of the concerto, with the earlier thematic material being, in
Liszt’s own words, “a binding together” of the whole piece. The work concludes with the first
motive shouting its demand in no uncertain mood.
© 2000 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
GUSTAV MAHLER
Born in Kalischt, Bohemia on July 7, 1860
Died in Vienna, May 18, 1911
Work on the Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor involved the composer between 1901
and 1902; it was completed during a brief summer holiday that gave Mahler respite from the
demands of leading the Vienna State Opera. This came at a time when Mahler was being
gradually accepted as a composer, while his fame as a conductor increased in geometric
proportion. He hoped to hear this new symphony in a congenial environment, performed by an
orchestra able to cope with the technical and spiritual complexities of the score; this was fulfilled
in Cologne. The work received its first public performance in that city at the famous G rzenich
on October 18, 1904, with the composer conducting. The work was next heard the following
year by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, conducted by Wilhelm Mengelberg, and soon other
performances followed. After the composer's death, this symphony - like the rest of his works lapsed into obscurity; it was not until the 1960s, with the renewed interest in Mahler, that the
Fifth Symphony attained a secure place in the repertoire of the virtuoso orchestras of today.
The Adagietto acts as a long introduction to the Finale. Scored exclusively for harp and
strings, this is perhaps the most sublime music Mahler ever wrote; this is also, most likely,
Mahler's best know music, as it was most dramatically and effectively used in Visconti's film,
Death in Venice. The radiance that was established in the Scherzo is now continued in a vein of
pure lyricism and bitter-sweet contemplation. The mood established here reflects that of
Mahler's contemporaneous song "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" ("I am lost to the
World") from the collection now known as Rckert Lieder; the movement also shares the
aforementioned song's melodic style as well as utilizing melodic turns and strains from the
second song in his own Kindertotenlieder ("Songs on the death of children"), also written at the
same time as the Fifth Symphony. The serene glow of the pianississimo ending, is startingly cut
off by the the first horn note that begins the last movement without a pause.
© 1996 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
Overture to Paria (The Pariah)
Stanisław Moniuszko
Born in Minsk, May 15, 1819
Died in Warsaw, June 4, 1872
Paria (The Pariah) is the last of Moniuszko’s operas, coming after The Haunted Manor (1865)
which is the best known. Moniuszko worked on the opera for some ten years and based it on a
play by Casimir Dalvigne. In fact when he was eighteem Moniuszko had made his own
translation of Dalvigne’s play but this has been lost; the libretto to the opera is by Jan Checinski
who wrote the librettos to Moniuszko’s two previous operas (The Haunted Manor and Verbum
Nobile). It is puzzling as to why Moniuszko might have chosen the subject matter. Its Hindu
setting links it to such operas as The Pearl Fishers and Lakmé, but Moniuszko’s treatment lacks
the perfumed exoticism of Bizet and Delibes. Moniuszko’s music is no more Hindu than Verdi’s
music for Aida is Egyptian. Interestingly another play by Dalvigne was the source material for
the libretto of Verdi’s opera Vêpres Siciliennes which was premiered in 1855.
Though other European influences can be detected, it is German Romanticism which seems to
have influenced Moniuszko most, as evidenced in this lush and sweeping overture, densely
orchestrated and yet full of folk influences of the Polish countryside.
Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Born in Salzburg, January 27, 1756
Died in Vienna, December 5, 1791
Up until 1786, Mozart had composed at least one symphony almost every year since he was
eight years old. Only once in the last four years of his life did Mozart turn back to the
symphony; the great trilogy of his last symphonies was written in June, July and August of 1788.
There is no record of any of these symphonies being performed during his lifetime, and indeed
the date of their first performance is unknown. It is not even known if Mozart had a specific
reason for writing these symphonies; it has been theorized that they may have been intended for
projected concerts that never took place. On the other hand, it may well be that the composer
wrote them for himself, finding solace in the full expenditure of his creative energies in the form
he loved the best, during a time darkened by ill health and the crushing weight of debt.
Structurally, Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 is different from its two sister
symphonies by the inclusion of a slow introduction to start the first movement - a favorite devise
with Haydn, but relatively uncommon with Mozart. The Adagio introduction is solemn in
character but harmonically audacious and it ably expands the proportions of the movement. The
quiet dignity, serenity and spiritual mood give way to a graceful Allegro that exhibits the essence
of Mozartean charm. In this richly developed movement there are brilliant passages for the full
orchestra and an endless variety and imagination are at work. The development is energetic and,
at times, almost martial in character, contrasting with the lyrical charm of the serene, opening
violin theme.
The slow movement (Andante con moto) - one of the longest in all Mozart
symphonies - offers an extended development of three themes through a number of exquisite
variations. This songful movement begins in a pensive and restrained mood in the key of A-flat,
but becomes momentarily more passionate as it delves into the almost portentous keys of F
minor and E-flat minor. After the recapitulation, the movement ends as quietly and tranquil as it
began.
The menuetto - marked Allegretto - is cast in a strictly symmetrical three- part dance
form. The sturdy "masculine" main section frames the middle Trio for woodwinds, an
enchanting musical idyll in which the first clarinet intones a cheerful, care-free melody while the
second clarinet provides a humorous burbling accompaniment, all echoed by the flutes.
The Symphony comes to its conclusion with a brilliant Allegro. With the soft start
and sudden loud tutti repetition of its mercurial opening theme, this movement acquires a
definite Haydnesque tinge; here Mozart matches the older master for resourceful invention. The
joyful and witty Finale stems - almost in its entirety - from its opening phrase, even though it is
written in sonata form. In its energetic humor and high spirits, the course of the movement is full
of sudden modulations into unexpected keys and abrupt dynamic contrasts. From time to time,
the flute and first bassoon engage in competitive dialogue typical of the humorous merriment
that Mozart maintains to the finish. It is hard to believe that such a self-confident and exultant
masterpiece was written in the midst of all the despairing circumstances of the last years in the
composer's life
The score of Mozart's Symphony No. 39 calls for one flute, pairs of clarinets,
bassoons, horns, and trumpets, kettledrums and the traditional string choir.
© 1998 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
Overture to the opera The Magic Flute
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Born January 27, 1756 in Salzburg
Died December 5, 1791 in Vienna
In the last months of his life, when he was worn by illnes and abject poverty, Mozart wrote two
of his greatest operatic masterpieces: the tragic opera seria, La clemenza di Tito and the
singspiel, Die Zauberflöte ("The Magic Flute"). The latter received its premiere in the Theater
auf der Wieden in Vienna on September 30, 1791, with Mozart on the conductor's podium. In its
first season, the opera was received with apathy by the public, but later became one of the
composer's most successful dramatic creations.
The fact that the opera succeeded at all is due not so much to the libretto, which
purportedly reveals secrets of the Masonic order, as to Mozart's music. The libretto, by
Emmanuel Schickaneder, head of a traveling company of players, is extravagant, as well as
allegorical. The story of The Magic Flute is a strange mixture of the comical, the fantastic and
the symbolic; the plot involves a prince and princess, an Egyptian high priest, an evil queen, and
such comic characters as a birdman and his mate, and even a dragon. Nevertheless, Mozart's
music casts over the proceedings an air of poetry, mystery and sacredness, which transcends the
"problematic" libretto.
As was the case with many other dramatic works of Mozart, the Overture was composed
after the opera was completed. Although the story goes that the ink was still wet at the dress
rehearsal, the overture was actually completed two days before the first performance. The
Overture offers a synopsis of the action to follow. A slow introduction represents the initial
chaos of the First Act, followed by five "feminine" chords representing the dominating influence
of the Queen of the Night. A rhythmic fugue, framed by three chords representing masculine
initiation, describes the ordered society of the Masons. A middle episode, featuring chromatic
writing, alludes in its "tonal sojourn" to the main characters' journeys during their trials. A final
section of clear texture leads to the final fanfare celebrating the victory of good over evil.
 1994 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Born November 6, 1880 in Poland
Died June 29, 2941 in New York
Ignace Jan Paderewski (1860 - 1941) was one of the world's greatest pianists of the late 19th
century on through to his death in 1941. Well-known world-wide, he increased his fame in 1911
by beginning a long and fruitful relationship with HMV and RCA Victor records that lasted until
1938. In between this time, Paderewski had served as his native Poland's first prime minister
from 1920 to 1925, becoming the darling of the League of Nations for his flare in addressing
everyone in their own language. The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17 was written in 1888 and
first performed not by Paderewski himself but by pianist Anna Esipova, wife of piano pedagogue
Leschetizky with the orchestra conducted by the great Hans Richter. The piece became a popular
concerto immediately and it was in Boston, during Paderewski's first visit to the United States in
1891, that he first performed the work on March 13, 1891 with the Boston Symphony under the
direction of Arthur Nikisch. The first recording of the work occurred in 1939 under the
supervision of Paderewski with Arthur Fiedler (who was a member of the Boston Symphony
from 1915 through 1938 and chief conductor of the Pops concerts from 1930 to 1979) leading
the Boston Pops Orchestra and with pianist Jesus Maria Sanroma. The concerto itself was hardly
heard after that recording session and Fiedler himself never scheduled any performances of the
work until this recording session in 1970 with the London Symphony Orchestra with Earl Wild
as the pianist. Paderewski: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 17 - First movt., Part 1 and 2 The
first movement of the concerto begins with a grand flourish before stating a bold folk-like
melody which the piano takes up.
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
JEAN SIBELIUS
Born December 8, 1865, in Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus)
Died September 20, 1957, in Järvenpää
Early in his life Sibelius manifested an interest in music; he actually began composing before
having received any instruction in music theory. After studying piano and violin, he made a
definite decision in his twentieth year to become a composer. He studied in Helsinki and later in
Berlin, returning to Finland in 1899. It was at this time that he received a monetary grant from
the Finnish state that enabled him to devote his entire creative endeavors to composition.
Having styled himself "a dreamer and poet of nature," Sibelius came to carve for himself
a special place in the development of Scandinavian music, with his native Finland dominating
the genre. His works reveal a close identity with Finnish nationalism and his inspiration often
came from Norse mythology and the Scandinavian naturalist poets. Indeed, one would be hard
pressed to find one of his work that is not characterized by the typical "Sibelius sound," where
scenery and deed alternate in shifting blends of tone, often combining the qualities of picture and
story. Just like the symphonies and the tone poems may strike the listener as containing great
canvases of Finland's landscape and heroic past, the Violin Concerto seems to be tinged by a
mood of communion with nature. Remarks about this work from music analysts and
commentators include such ones as: "bardic songs heard against a background of pagan fires in
some wild Northern night;" "the settled melancholy of a Finland of Northern darkness;" and "the
violin expresses...the labor and the love of a sensitive, almost morbidly modern, personality
among the crude and prehistoric conditions of an unprotected land and ancient myths."
Sibelius wrote the Violin Concerto at Lojo, Finland, in 1903; it was premiered on
February 8, 1904, under the composer's direction, with Victor Novacek as the soloist. Sibelius
then revised the work during the summer of 1905 and in this new, definitive version it was first
performed in Berlin on October 19, 1905, with Karl Halir playing the violin under the direction
of Richard Strauss.
By virtue of its thematic material and the way in which it is developed, Sibelius' only
concerto stands alongside his symphonies and tone poems as testament to the composer's right of
inclusion in the list of the great European composers of the twentieth century. Music writer
Louis Biancoli best summarizes the make-up of this work in the following words: "Despite its
strongly modern character and modified sonata form, Sibelius' score belongs to the romantic
tradition of the nineteenth century concerto. The so-called 'bardic' moods and exotic folk like
strains give it a special salience of its own. The opposition of violin and orchestra is almost
unique in its brooding contrasts, and the rhapsodic note of remote minstrelsy is strong, especially
in the first movement. But the technique, the mounting climaxes, the surging drama of tone and
theme, the high-register flutterings all give it a kinship with other repertory of the later romantic
period."
The first movement is in a free sonata form. The solo violin announces the principal
theme over divided and muted strings, the somber character accentuated by an imitation of the
opening motif by a clarinet. Two more important themes follow and, after a cadenza for the
solo, the three subjects are recapitulated and developed at the same time.
The Adagio di molto, a romanza, opens with a brief prelude followed by a broad, singing
melody from the solo instrument. The preludial woodwind motif returns to introduce a short
contrasting section, which soon gives way to the return of the principal theme, now in the
orchestra with elaborate figuration for the violin. There is a short coda.
The finale is a concentrated rondo on only two themes. The first is hurled forth from the
solo violin over a relentless rhythm in the strings and timpani. Then, the violins and cellos chant
the defiant second theme. Both themes are developed with startling ingenuity to a brilliant end.
 1994 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
* If program-note length is a problem, the first paragraph may be omitted. Also, the fifth (last)
sentence of the second paragraph and the first sentence of the fourth paragraph may be cut.
Don Juan, Tone Poem (after Nicolaus Lenau), Op. 20
RICHARD STRAUSS
Born June 11, 1864, in Munich
Died September 8, 1949, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
There was a time when the music of Richard Strauss was the center of great controversy. At the
end of the nineteenth century, when the successors of Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt and Richard
Wagner were probing the possibilities of new musical means and were discovering new
potentials of poetic expressiveness in music, Strauss was in the vanguard of the creative search the tone poems Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel, Also Sprach Zarathustra and Ein Heldenleben were
composed before 1900; the operas Salom and Elektra appeared during the first decade of the
twentieth century. Although Strauss later chose to follow a more moderate course, leaving the
more telling innovations to composers such as Schoenberg and Stravinsky, he nevertheless
created works in a variety of forms which have established him as one of the most significant
composers of his time. Ironically, many of the works which were the subject of the most heated
controversy have since come to be recognized as the masterpieces most representative of his
genius.
Although Strauss had already declared himself an orchestral composer with the symphonic
fantasy, Aus Italien (1886), and the tone poem Macbeth (1886-8), it was Don Juan, written in
1888 at the age of twenty-four, that brought him international recognition for the first time. This
work was the first of his tone poems to be performed in public and showed ample evidence of his
precocious ability in handling large forces to produce dazzling orchestral colors, as well as a
startingly individual style and a gift for memorable melody and harmonic mastery. Furthermore,
the complete mastery of the form itself - the single-movement Romantic tone-poem - in addition
to all the aforementioned, helped to establish the young Strauss' reputation as a mature and
confident artist and one of the foremost German composers of his time.
The premiere of Don Juan took place in Weimar on November 11, 1899, with the composer
leading the Court Orchestra of that city; the performance was a great success. In a letter to his
father, the composer wrote: "It sounded wonderful...Nowhere have I made a mistake in the
orchestration." Indeed, Strauss was called by the audience on to the stage five times, persisting
until the work was played once more. Even the staunch Brahmsian Hans von B low called it "a
most unheard-of success"; a year later, after conducting the Berlin premiere he wrote to the
composer: "Your most grandiose Don Juan has taken me captive."
The figure of the philandering Don Juan Tenorio of Seville has been the inspiration for many
artists since the sixteenth century for treatment in various mediums, from Tirso de Molina and
Molire, through Mozart and Da Ponte with their operatic collaboration Don Giovanni, to
Byron, Balzac and Bernard Shaw. For his inspiration, Strauss chose the dramatic poetic
treatment of the Don Juan legend by the Austrian Nicolaus Lenau (1802-1850). In his retelling
of the story, Lenau presents Don Juan as a man engaged in a romantic, idealistic quest. Of his
main character, Lenau said: "My Don Juan is no hot-blooded man eternally pursuing women. It
is the longing in him to find a woman who is to him the incarnate womanhood and to enjoy in
one all the women on earth, whom he cannot as individuals possess. Because he does not find
her, although he reels from one to another, at last disgust seizes hold of him, and this disgust is
the Devil that fetches him." After countless disillusionments, at the end the Don allows himself
to be slain in a duel with the avenger of one of his amorous conquests.
Strauss never provided a synopsis of the action in his Don Juan, as the work is really a
psychological study more than a narrative tale. However, certain themes and motifs, carrying
programmatic connotations, may be discerned throughout the work. Don Juan is introduced at
the outset by three different thematic elements that follow each other and keep recurring in the
proceedings; the introductory upward flourish, representing his unquenchable ardor; a lyrical
subject which symbolizes his eternal longing; and a heroic motif heard in the horns. Several of
the protagonist's amorous exploits are represented in brief musical episodes, and a few of the
women who succumb to the anti-hero's charms and seduction are represented by lyrical themes,
as in the extended solo passage for the oboe. Towards the middle, a new theme for the horns
asserts Don Juan's masculinity. As all the themes are woven together with astonishing orchestral
colors and complexity of contrapuntal texture, a climax is reached with a shattering dissonance,
followed by an abrupt pause. A brief coda of stark orchestration signal's Don Juan's last breaths
on earth and reflects the closing line of Lenau's dramatic poem: "The fuel is consumed, the
hearth cold and dark."
© 1996 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
* If program-note length is a problem , the first paragraph may be omitted. If a further cut is
necessary, the fourht paragraph may also be omitted.
Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor, Op.22
Henri Wieniawski
Born July 10, 1835 in Lublin
Died March 31, 1880 in Moscow
The Polish violinist Henri Wieniawski was already performing concerts in Warsaw when he was
only 8 years old. He was a student at the Paris Conservatoire before he was in his teens. In 1851
he became a traveling virtuoso, touring throughout Europe and Russia where he finally settled in
1860 at the behest of the pianist-composer-conductor Anton Rubinstein, the influential mentor of
Tchaikovsky. Rubinstein described Wieniawski as “without doubt the greatest violinist of his
time.”
When Rubinstein founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862, Wieniawski became chief
professor of violin. He would also become one of the tsar’s official court musicians. With
Rubinstein as his accompanist, he toured Europe and America in the early 1870’s. Eventually
Wieniawski succeeded Vieuxtempts as professor at the Brussels Conservatoire from 1875 until
1877. Despite ill health, he continued an active concert career. His death occurred in Moscow in
1880 during a concert tour. Throughout his busy performing and teaching activities, Wieniawski
composed numerous violin works marked by a font of melodic beauty and fiendishly difficult
pyrotechnics.
His two concertos for violin and orchestra are his most ambitious works. The 2nd Concerto in D
minor was premiered by the composer on November 27, 1862 in St. Petersburg with Rubinstein
conducting. Throughout the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, the concerto
was immensely popular with violinists and audiences alike. Jascha Heifetz and Isaac Stern were
among its most fervent advocates. In recent decades, this work has figured much less frequently
in concert programming. The score has the melodic appeal of the best Russian and French
concertos and nearly matches Paganini’s works in that genre for sheer technical wizardry. This
bravura piece deserves renewed exposure so that its many felicities can once again beguile
listeners.
The initial Allegro moderato opens with an orchestral tutti that states the movement’s two
principal themes: the first agitated and impassioned; the second an expansive, lyrical melody that
will act as the concerto’s unifying thread. The solo violin restates and develops these subjects. A
vibrant second movement – Romance - follows without pause. Here is one of Wieniawski’s most
beautiful melodies. This rhapsodic movement seems to flow with a sense of inevitability
(through a series of graceful exchanges between violin and orchestra). After some dramatic
pronouncements by the orchestra, a brilliant solo cadenza introduces the Rondo finale – a
dazzling violin showpiece of Hungarian gypsy cast. A final repetition of the first movement’s
lyrical pendant leads to a fiery conclusion.