PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Please be considerate of others and turn off all phones, pagers, and watch alarms, and unwrap all lozenges prior to the performance. Photography and recording of any kind are not permitted. Thank you.

ARTISTSestonian national Symphony orchestraneeme Järvi, conductornarek Hakhnazaryan, cello

PROGRAMArvo Pärt: Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten (1977)

Antonín Dvorák: Cello Concerto in B Minor, op. 104, B. 191 (1894–1895) Allegro Adagio ma non troppo Allegro moderato

*inteRMiSSion*

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 82 (1914–1919) Tempo molto moderato – Allegro moderato Andante mosso, quasi allegretto Allegro molto

The ENSO’s 2013 U.S. tour is made possible through the support of the Estonian Ministry of Culture.

ESTONiaN NaTiONaL SYMPHONY OrCHESTra

PROGRAM: eStonian national SyMPHony oRCHeStRa

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2013 / 7:30 PM / BING CONCERT HALL

14 STaNfOrd LivE MagaziNE noveMBeR/DeCeMBeR 2013

PROGRAM: eStonian national SyMPHony oRCHeStRa

arvo PÄrt (B. 1935)CANTUS IN MEMORIAM BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1977)

Peel back the dense, multilayered string textures of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten and there is a simple yet radical idea. In one of his earliest pieces after casting aside the complex modernism of the 1960s and early 1970s, Pärt explores the potential of a single descending minor scale, with the highest violins to the lowest basses playing simultaneously but at different tempos. A solitary funeral bell punctuates the static serenity of the string sonorities, rich with overtones, constantly shifting. Pärt’s music is the farthest music imaginable from the goal-oriented music of a Beethoven. It is concerned with being and existing, not becoming. Along the way it pays tribute to the then-recently-deceased English composer, whom he never met but in whose music he discovered “unusual purity.”

antonÍn dvoŘÁK (1841–1904)CELLO CONCERTO IN B MINOR, OP. 104, B. 191 (1894–1895)

Written over a New York winter and inspired by the playing of Victor Herbert, principal cellist at the Met, Dvorák’s Cello Concerto opens with two of the most beautiful themes he ever wrote. Virtuosity is called for from the soloist in the opening movement, but there is no cadenza. The cello plays a heroic but not domineering role throughout and is frequently heard in imaginative, chamber music–like combinations of instruments. The slow movement strikes a deeply personal note. Like Mozart, Dvorák married a woman whose sister he once loved. Dvorák heard that his sister-in-law was ill while he was still in New York and quoted one of her favorite songs—his own song Leave Me Alone,

op. 82, no. 1—as the main theme of the slow movement. She died shortly after Dvorák returned home to Prague. Dvorák then added 60 or so new bars of music at the very end of the concerto, again quoting and meditating on the same song. It is a poignant and elegiac coda to the finale, which begins in a jubilant and robust mood with music that can be traced back to a cello sonata that Dvorák had sketched earlier in his time in the states. Of the tender, reflective closing, Dvorák wrote: “The concerto closes with a gradual diminuendo, like a sigh, with reminiscences of the first and second movements. The solo dies down to pianissimo, then swells again, and the last bars are taken up by the orchestra, which provides a stormy conclusion. That is my idea and I cannot depart from it.”

Jean SiBeLiUS (1865–1957)SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 82 (1914–1919)

On the evening of his 50th birthday, December 8, 1915, Sibelius conducted the Helsinki Municipal Orchestra in the premiere of his Fifth Symphony. It was a heroic, uplifting score; the music was powerful and festive. The day had been declared a national holiday for the Finns, marking a milestone in the life of Sibelius, their national hero. But the Fifth Symphony itself was far from the masterpiece we know today. Ahead lay two major rewrites—“practically composed anew,” Sibelius said, by the time the final version was complete, shortly after the end of the First World War, five years after he first began work on the symphony. The work grows organically from the noble horn motif with which the first movement opens. It is a questioning theme that ends inconclusively, in midsentence. But within its uneven contours lies an argument that occupies the entire symphony and haunts every measure.

Sibelius gradually unravels the dissonances contained in the theme, only resolving them in the widely separated, affirmative chords that bring the work to its conclusion. The opening movement unfolds the latent energy of the theme, gradually working towards a radiant reprise on full brass, even more noble than the opening. Before it ends, the tempo appears to quicken and, in one of the masterstrokes of the work, the musical argument evolves into a dance. In the period between the first (four-movement) and final (three-movement) versions of the work, Sibelius wove his opening movement and scherzo into a single, organic whole. Its new direction now seems inevitable as we listen, as does the fugal treatment of the motifs and thrilling, blazing conclusion. The excitement of the opening movement is stabilized with the theme and variations that follow. It’s a fascinating, almost hypnotic unfolding of a curious five-note theme. Beneath an outer appearance of calm and order, the music has an inner feeling of restlessness and unease. A slowly swaying bass line twice gives us a glimpse of a theme to come. The strings buzz excitedly. Then we hear the theme in its full glory in the finale, tolling in bell-like leaping thirds on two pairs of horns. This glorious theme has been likened to Thor swinging his hammer. Certainly, by the end, the noble theme has been solidly hammered in metal in as affirmative an ending as that of any symphony.

—Keith Horner, 2013

eStonian nationaL SYMPHonY orCHeStraThe Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ENSO, known in Estonian as Eesti Riiklik Sümfooniaorkester – ERSO) started out as a small radio orchestra in 1926. Over the years, it has become Estonia’s representative

16 STaNfOrd LivE MagaziNE noveMBeR/DeCeMBeR 2013

orchestra and has powerfully increased its international scope, particularly in recent decades. Since 2010 it has been led by Principal Conductor and Artistic Director Neeme Järvi, while Paavo Järvi has been its artistic advisor since 2002 and Olari Elts, its principal guest conductor since 2007. The orchestra’s previous principal conductors were Olav Roots (1939–1944), Paul Karp (1944–1950), Roman Matsov (1950–1963), Neeme Järvi (1963–1979), Peeter Lilje (1980–1990), Leo Krämer (1991–1993), Arvo Volmer (1993–2001), and Nikolai Alexeev (2001–2010).

Renowned guest conductors of ENSO throughout the years have included Hermann Abendroth, Karel Ancerl, Paavo Berglund, Leo Blech, Albert Coates, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Aram Khachaturian, Kirill Kondrashin, Dmitri Kitaenko, Nicolai Malko, Sir Neville Marriner, Kurt Masur, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Kurt Sanderling, Leif Segerstam, Maxim Shostakovich, Leonard Slatkin, Igor Stravinsky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Yuri Temirkanov, and Osmo Vänskä.

The high quality of ENSO’s recordings has been recognized by several music magazines, and it has won many awards, including a Grammy Award for its recording of Sibelius’s cantatas (Virgin Classics). In addition to close cooperation between ENSO and Virgin Classics, the orchestra has also recorded for Alba Records, BIS, Antes Edition, Ondine, Finlandia Records, Melodiya, and other companies.

The orchestra has toured widely throughout the world and has taken part in numerous music festivals at home and abroad. ENSO went on its first international concert tour to Romania and Bulgaria in 1972, with Neeme Järvi and Roman Matsov conducting. In the 1970s and 1980s,

Cantor Arts Center - TheatreWorks: 10/9 & Stanford Live: Nov/Dec 2013 Program Due: 9/6/13

The exhibition has been organized by Kathryn Delmez, curator, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, Tennessee. This exhibition is supported in part by grants fromThe Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and gifts from the HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and the TriStar

Family of Hospitals, and Robert and Richard Menschel.

The exhibition's presentation at Stanford is made possible by the Clumeck Fund and Cantor Arts Center Members.

328 Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Stanford • Free admission • museum.stanford.edu

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ENSO toured the Soviet Union actively (including the Far East and cities in Siberia and Transcaucasia) and was a regular performer in the renowned concert halls of St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) and Moscow. Since then the orchestra has gone on more than 50 tours, the longest being three-week tours of Italy (2003, conductor Nikolai Alexeev) and the United States (2009, conductors Eri Klas and Nikolai Alexeev). The most important festivals ENSO has performed in include Europamusicale in Munich, Musiksommer in Gstaad, the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm, and Il Settembre dell’Accademia in Verona. In 2006, ENSO and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conducted by Olari Elts, performed Arvo Pärt’s music in the Turin Cathedral as part of the cultural program of the XX Olympic Winter Games.

ENSO’s home venue is the Estonia Concert Hall, which turned 100 years old in 2013. The orchestra also regularly performs in other large concert halls in Estonia and also at open-air concerts in the summer. ENSO’s repertoire includes music ranging from the Baroque period to premiere performances of modern works. ENSO has performed the premieres of the symphonic pieces of almost all Estonian composers including Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Eduard Tubin, Eino Tamberg, Jaan Rääts, Lepo Sumera, Tõnu Kõrvits, Helena Tulve, and others. In addition to Estonian musicians, the orchestra performs with many renowned conductors and soloists from around the world.

neeMe JÄrviThe head of a musical dynasty, Neeme Järvi is one of today’s most highly respected maestros. He conducts the world’s most prominent orchestras and works alongside soloists of the highest caliber. A prolific recording artist, he has amassed a discography of nearly 500 recordings.

Over his long and highly successful career, he has held positions with orchestras across the world. Last season he took up his tenure as artistic and music director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He is also currently artistic director of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and music director emeritus of both the Residentie Orkest The Hague and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He also holds the titles of principal conductor emeritus of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Recent and future seasons include engagements with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and Wiener Symphoniker, as well as the major orchestras in the United States, and regular engagements with the NHK (Tokyo) and Singapore symphony orchestras. He also continues his regular relationships with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish National Orchestras of Gothenburg, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Highlights of an impressive discography include critically acclaimed complete symphony cycles of Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Dvorák, Glazunov, Grieg, Sibelius, Nielsen, and Brahms.

Neeme Järvi has also championed less widely known composers such as Wilhelm Stenhammar, Hugo Alfvén, Niels Gade, Franz Berwald, Johann Svendsen, Johann Halvorsen, and composers from his native Estonia including Rudolf Tobias, Artur Kapp, Eduard Tubin, and Arvo Pärt. Throughout his career he has recorded with Chandos, Deutsche Grammophon,

BIS, and EMI, among others. Future releases on Chandos include complete ballets by Tchaikovsky, symphonies and orchestral music by Swiss composer Joachim Raff, and also music by Massenet, Chabrier, Saint-Saëns, Suppé, Atterberg, and Scharwenka.

Neeme Järvi has been honored with many international awards and accolades. From his native country, these include an honorary doctorate from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn and the Order of the National Coat of Arms from the president of the Republic of Estonia. The mayor of Tallinn presented Maestro Järvi with the city’s first-ever ceremonial Sash and Coat of Arms Insignia, and he has been named one of the “Estonians of the Century.” Neeme Järvi holds an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Detroit’s Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, as well as honorary doctorates from the University of Aberdeen and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. He has also received the Commander of the North Star Order from King Karl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

nareK HaKHnaZarYanIn 2011, Narek Hakhnazaryan was awarded the Gold Medal at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition, the most prestigious prize given to cellists. Already hailed a “seasoned phenom” by the Washington Post and praised for his “intense focus and expressive artistry” by the New York Times, Hakhnazaryan is emerging as one of the most significant young artists on the world stage.

His recent performances include debuts with Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony and Mariinsky Orchestras, his debut with the Chicago Symphony, and his New York concerto debut performing the Elgar Concerto in

PROGRAM: eStonian national SyMPHony oRCHeStRa

18 STaNfOrd LivE MagaziNE noveMBeR/DeCeMBeR 2013

Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. In the 2012–2013 season, Hakhnazaryan appeared with the Rotterdam Philharmonic playing the Dutilleux Concerto conducted by Gergiev; he also performed with the Dallas Symphony under Jaap van Zweden, the Kansas City Symphony under Michael Stern, and the Filarmonica della Scala under Juraj Valcuha. He also made his debut with the London Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, NDR Hamburg, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Vienna Chamber, and Seoul Philharmonic orchestras. His summer festival appearances included a recital at the Ravinia Festival and performances at the Aspen Festival under David Robertson.

In the 2013–2014 season, Hakhnazaryan will appear in recital at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and throughout the United States. He will embark on a three-week U.S. tour playing Dvorák with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi and Nikolai Alexeev. He will also make his debut with the Toronto Symphony playing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and with the São Paulo Symphony playing Lera Auerbach. Other highlights include a tour with the Czech Philharmonic under Jirí Belohlávek and performances with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Filarmonica della Scala. Recent and upcoming recitals include appearances at Wigmore Hall, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Salle Pleyel, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Shriver Hall Concert Series in Baltimore, and the Vancouver Recital Society.

Mentored by Mstislav Rostropovich, Narek Hakhnazaryan was the only cellist invited to travel on behalf of the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation. As First Prize winner in the 2008

Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he debuted in the Young Concert Artists Series in New York at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He was born in 1988 in Yerevan, Armenia, into a family of musicians: his father is a violinist and his mother is

a pianist. His early studies were at the Sayat-Nova School of Music in Yerevan with Zareh Sarkisyan. At the age of 12, Hakhnazaryan began studies at the Moscow Conservatory with Alexey Seleznyov, and he went on to work with Laurence Lesser at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

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