St. Louis Symphony Extra - October 25, 2014

8/10/2019 St. Louis Symphony Extra - October 25, 2014

1/16

23

CONCERT PROGRAMOctober 24-25, 2014

John Storgrds, conductorHeidi Harris, violin

PANUFNIK Landscape (1962, rev. 1965) (1914-1991)

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64 (1844)

(1809-1847) Allegro molto appassionato Andante Allegretto non troppo; Allegro molto vivace

Heidi Harris, violin

INTERMISSION

SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor, op. 39 (1899, rev. 1900) (1865-1957)

Andante, ma non troppo; Allegro energico Andante (ma non troppo lento) Scherzo: Allegro Finale (Quasi una fantasia): Andante; Allegro molto


2/16

24

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

These concerts are part of the Wells Fargo Advisors series.

John Storgrds is the Linda and Paul Lee Guest Artist.

Heidi Harris is the Essman Family Charitable Foundation Guest Artist.

The concert of Friday, October 24, is underwritten in part by a generous giftfrom Walter G. Shifrin.

The concert of Saturday, October 25, is underwritten in part by a generous giftfrom Dr. Cora E. Musial.

Pre-Concert Conversations are sponsored by Washington University Physicians.

Large print program notes are available through the generosity of Link AuctionGalleries and are located at the Customer Service table in the foyer.


3/16

25

FROM THE STAGEMike Walk, trumpet, on Sibeliuss Symphony No. 1: Its a rst symphony, but

Sibeliuss ideas are already fully formed. To some, it may sound amorphousto the ear, but there is a good sense of form here.Sibelius is a composer I really enjoy listening to. I played him before

coming to St. Louisand this orchestra plays Sibelius really well. I played theFirst in Tucson. I was more familiar with the Second Symphony, so it was areal surprise to discover what a wonderful work the First is. It doesnt have asense of rawness or immaturity that sometimes comes from a rst symphony.With Sibelius, the First was a masterpiece all on its own.

Mike Walk

SCOTTFERGUSON


4/16

26

TIMELINKS

1844MENDELSSOHNViolin Concerto in Eminor, op. 64Karl Marx meets Friedrich

Engels in Brussels

1899-1900SIBELIUSSymphony No. 1 in Eminor, op. 39Russia declares Finlandslegislature to be subject toImperial rule

1962PANUFNIKLandscapeU.S. and U.S.S.R. go tobrink of nuclear war duringCuban Missile Crisis

An artist in exile tries to wed his most treasured

landscapes, that of his homeland and that of thecountry that gave him sanctuary. A musical wun-derkind keeps a promise to a childhood friend.An emerging artist keeps a promise to himselfand to his country. Loyalty is another word thatcomes to mind in uniting the three composers onthis weeks program. Andrzej Panufnik keeps aloyalty to memorybridging his beloved nativelandscape of the past with that of his pleasant

British exile, a bridge of melancholy beautifullyconstructed. The too-busy Felix Mendelssohn isnot too busy for one of his closest friends. Evenas the composer is distracted by other projects,he keeps a conversation going with violinistFerdinand David, out of which will emerge oneof the great violin concertos. Jean Sibelius keepsdual loyalties, to his nation and to his own ambi-

tions. The two elide with each other, both Finlandand Sibelius emerging on the world stage. HisFirst Symphony makes a name for him and forhis new nation.

ANDRZEJ PANUFNIKLandscape

OUT OF EXILE, A BOUNDLESS LANDSCAPEAndrzej Panufnik is one of Polands heroes.Born in Warsaw in 1914, he grew up in a musi-cal family. He was composing by age nine, andwould go on to receive a degree from the WarsawState Conservatory. He traveled to the West forfurther studies, in Vienna, Paris, and London. With the German blitzkrieg of 1939,Panufnik chose to return to his home city. Duringthe brutal Nazi occupation, he wrote patrioticsongs under a pseudonym and gave clandestineunderground concerts, performing on piano.Many times he played piano duets with fellowPolish composer Witold Lutosawki. After the war he held conducting positionswith the Krakow and Warsaw philharmonics. In

JEWELS OF THE HEARTBY EDDIE SILVA


5/16

27

1954 he left Poland in protest of the constraintsplaced on creative artists by the Communistregime. Until 1977, with the rise of the Solidaritymovement, Panufniks work and name werebanned from his country.

He became music director of the City ofBirmingham Symphony Orchestra, a positionhe served from 1957-59. After that time, he gavehimself fully to composition.

First composed in 1962 and revised in 65,Landscape, says the composer, is an attempt toconvey musically a landscape of my imagina-tion, similar to those I have seen in Suffolk or

remember from Poland a boundless landscapewhich evokes melancholywhere the far distant,evanescent horizon induces a sense of space andunconned contemplation. Panufniks music is known for its simplicity,which is far from simple. Music writer BernardJacobson describes the opening to Landscape:a rising A minor triad, A-C-E, followed by a fallback to the keynote by way of D, the whole split

between two intertwining lines of muted cellos.The complexity lies in the shifting harmonicangles at which this central cell is subsequentlyplayed off against its own refractions. Written in three broad sections, the secondmirrors, the rst, like seeing the same land-scape from the opposite end, the composerwrites. In its nal section, where heavy cloudshave gathered low over the land as Panufnikdescribes it, Perhaps one can imagine oneselfstaring at one point of the dissolving horizonuntil it fades into innity.

BornSeptember 24, 1914, inWarsaw

DiedOctober 27, 1991, in London

First PerformanceNovember 13, 1965, inTwickenham, near London,the composer conductedthe English ChamberOrchestra

STL Symphony PremiereThis week

Scoringstrings

Performance Timeapproximately 7 minutes


6/16

28

FELIX MENDELSSOHNViolin Concerto in E minor, op. 64

WRITING FOR THE BAND Of value to any com-poser is to have great musicians for whom to

write. J. S. Bach had this. Mahler had this. DukeEllington had this. In 1835 Felix Mendelssohn was namedPrincipal Conductor of the remarkable LeipzigGewandhaus Orchestra. He was 26 years old,but was managing to shirk off the child prodigytag and be accepted as a mature artist. With suchtalented musicians at his disposal, Mendelssohncould write works that explored and challengedthe range of those musicians and their instru-ments. Just as Bach must have had a terric ut-ist for whom to write his Orchestral Suite No. 2(which Principal Flute Mark Sparks performedfor the Symphonys Red Velvet Ball gala); Mahlermust have had a helluva trumpet player for hisFifth Symphony; Ellington had a slew of cats togroove with in his bands throughout his many

years of music-making. Music was the reigning art form in the19thcentury, so if you were into playing and writingmusic, it wasnt hard to nd mates who were intoyour thing. In Leipzig, Mendelssohns childhoodfriend, Ferdinand David, became concertmasterof the orchestra. It didnt take long, 1838 to beexact, before Mendelssohn sends a letter to hischum, I should like to write a violin concerto for

you next winter. One in E minor runs through myhead, the beginning of which gives me no peace.Once you hear that opening phrase, you cant getit out of your head either. Next winter became another winter, andanother. For six years Mendelssohn dealt withsome pretty serious distractions: his ThirdSymphony, a call to Berlin from the King of

Prussia, and general self-doubt. During theseyears he kept his discussions going with David,and by 1844 it at last came togethera great con-certo made through dialogue between composerand performer.

A CONVERSATION The concerto is like a conver-sation, like a voice speaking to you: lyrical, ow-ing, intimate. In some violinists hands it may

BornFebruary 3, 1809, Hamburg

DiedNovember 4, 1847, Leipzig

First PerformanceMarch 13, 1845, in Leipzig;Ferdinand David was thesoloist, and Niels Gadeconducted the LeipzigGewandhaus Orchestra

STL Symphony PremiereMarch 22, 1912, with AlbertSpalding as soloist and Max

Zach conductingMost Recent STL SymphonyPerformanceFebruary 4, 2012, David Halenwas soloist, with StanislawSkrowaczewski conducting

Scoring2 flutes2 oboes

2 clarinets2 bassoons2 horns2 trumpetstimpanistrings



7/16

29

sound Russian, or like Jewish folk music. The violin plays that melody, then itcrashes and clanks with the orchestra a bit until they all come togetherliltingutes, pretty tunes. The concerto is utterly transparent. Nothing up its sleeves. Its genius issimplicity. Music writer Geoff Kuenning shares this information: The orches-

tration of the rst movement is generally straightforward, designed to show offthe violinist rather than overwhelm the listener with complexity. It is worthlistening carefully for the especially luminous point where Mendelssohn takesthe idea of simplication to the limit (foreshadowing Mahlers chamber-likestyle) by reducing the instrumentation to a simple clarinet-and-ute melodywhile the soloist holds an endless note on the lowest string. That note is really cool. Joseph Joachim, great violinist and friend of Brahms, made his debut, at

age 14, substituting for David on the Mendelssohn concerto in a performancein Dresdena performance that would make him famous. On his 75th-birth-day Joachim said, The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, mostuncompromising, is Beethovens. The one by Brahms vies with it in serious-ness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the mostinward, the hearts jewel, is Mendelssohns.


8/16

30

JEAN SIBELIUSSymphony No. 1 in E minor, op. 39

THE BIG TIME At age 32 Jean Sibelius beganwork on his rst symphony. He was already

a national hero in the making, as MichaelSteinberg describes him in his valuable resource,The Symphony. That hero status was achieved bySibelius being the right composer in the rightplace at the right time. A nationalist movementwas on the rise in Finland. In 1892 Sibeliusreturned from Berlin to nd his homeland inpolitical turmoil. Although his rst language andhis name were Swedish, Sibelius wrote music forthis critical moment in Finnish history. Workssuch as Kullervo, borrowed from ethnic legendsand folk traditions, was music around whichpeople could unite, and from which they coulddream a common dream of freedom. Sibelius fed the revolutionhis KareliaSuite and Finlandia were performed at resis-tance movement fundraisers. Sibelius took these

works on the road to European capitals andattracted attention to his homelands struggleand to his own unique talents. His The Swan ofTuonela became a hit. From Kullervoto the beginnings of his FirstSymphony, a period of eight years, Sibelius devel-oped his skills. His tone poems already exhibitedevidence of his orchestral strengths. He learnedto order materials. He acquired inuences from

others. He heard Bruckners Third Symphony inVienna, and would always remember the com-poser suffering boos from some of the audience,and then being carried on the shoulders of hissupporters to his coach. Bruckners music would remain in his head.Sibelius worked through Haydn and Beethoven,and entertained the worlds devised by Brahms,

Wagner, and Richard Strauss. He heardTchaikovskys Symphony No. 6, Pathtique, inHelsinki. If you return for the Symphonys per-formances of the Tchaik 6, in March, you mayrecognize some of what Sibelius heard. Sibelius was primed for the making ofhis First Symphony. Following its premiere inHelsinki, Sibelius led the orchestra on a Europeantour that included Stockholm, Oslo, Hamburg,

BornDecember 8, 1865,Hmeenlinna, Finland

DiedSeptember 20, 1957,Jrvenp, Finland

First PerformanceApril 26, 1899, in Helsinki,the composer conductedthe Helsinki PhilharmonicOrchestra

STL Symphony PremiereDecember 17, 1909, Max Zach

conductingMost Recent STL SymphonyPerformanceSeptember 6, 2012, Lucerne,Switzerland, on EuropeanTour, David Robertsonconducting

Scoring2 flutes

2 piccolos2 oboes2 clarinets2 bassoons4 horns3 trumpets3 trombonesTubatimpanipercussion

harpstrings



9/16

31

Amsterdam, and the Paris World Exhibition. Sibelius gave audiences, in AlexRosss words, orchestral dramas of the heroic soul. In The Rest Is Noise, Rossdescribes Sibelius breaking down themes into murmuring textures. Formany listeners, this sounded strange and new. He hit the big time.

AT SEA The symphony grabs you right awaya lonely clarinet, timpani softlyrolling. Everything is magical and shimmering. From out of this, the orches-tra surges forth powerfully. It never ceases to amaze how Sibelius moves fromsimple, quiet phrases to these great orchestral forces, the brass suddenly givingvoice to full-throated song. Then he pulls back againa harp, the clarinetreturns, then trumpet, horns, and ute involved in an intimate conversation. This back and forth, small to grand, grand to small, is not unlike watching

mighty waves form out of a small crest in the distance. It has a sensual appeal. In the second movement the winds swirl spookilya sound that willbecome emblematic of Finnish atmosphere for Sibelius and all the country-men and women who followed his massive snow prints in the years to come inthat musically productive nation.

Brass bark and bite. In the third movement there is much scurryingabout until the horns settle into a lyrical theme, with ute and trilling clarinetto follow. This short wind ensemble ensues before the strings rush in with abold romantic ourish. The movement abruptly closes with a smattering of

brass. The fourth and nal movement gives you what you needa kind of fan-tasy in which it feels as through the strings have drawn invitingly close toyou. The percussion and brass stab violently to delay the inevitablethe naloverwhelming tide.

Program notes 2014 by Eddie Silva


10/16

32

JOHN STORGRDSLINDA AND PAUL LEE GUEST ARTIST

Chief Conductor of the Helsinki PhilharmonicOrchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgrdshas a dual career as a conductor and violin vir-tuoso and is widely recognized for his creativeair for programming and his commitment tocontemporary music. He additionally holds thetitle of Artistic Director of the Chamber Orchestraof Lapland and was the Chief Conductor of theTampere Philharmonic from 2005-08.

Storgrds appears with such orchestrasas WDR Sinfonieorchester Kln, OrchestrePhilharmonique de Radio France, NetherlandsRadio, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAITorino, BBC Symphony, City of BirminghamSymphony Orchestra, and the Scottish ChamberOrchestra, all of the major Scandinavian orches-tras, as well as with the Sydney, Melbourne, andNew Zealand symphonies.

Storgrds made his North American debutwith the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra during the2005-06 season. Since then, he has appearedwith the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, theCleveland Orchestra at Blossom, and is a regu-lar guest with the National, Toronto, Detroit,Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Houston sympho-nies and with the National Arts Centre Orchestrain Ottawa. During the 2014-15 season, he makes

his debuts with the Montreal and Atlanta sym-phonies and returns to the Detroit Symphony, St.Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the National ArtsCentre Orchestra.

Highlights of John Storgrds 2014-15season in Europe include a return to the BBCPromsboth with the BBC Philharmonic andthe Chamber Orchestra of Lapland for their

debut at the festivalan appearance with ZurichsTonhalle Orchestra conducting the world pre-miere of a new song cycle by Rolf Martinsson,a tour of South America with the HelsinkiPhilharmonic, his debut with the Royal ScottishNational Orchestra, and a cycle of Nielsen sym-phonies with the BBC Philharmonic, which willbe recorded on the Chandos label.

John Storgrds mostrecently conducted theSt. Louis Symphony in

November 2012.


11/16

33

HEIDI HARRISESSMAN FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION GUEST ARTIST

Violinist Heidi Harris won her rst orchestrajob in the St. Louis Symphony during her senior

year of college at the New England Conservatory.A few years later she left the Symphony to jointhe Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where sheremained for three seasons. In 1998 she returnedto St. Louis as Assistant Concertmaster, andshortly thereafter earned her current position asAssociate Concertmaster.

Harris began her musical studies on thepiano at age three, and began studying the violinat age four. At 13 she made her solo debut withthe Utah Symphony under the baton of JosephSilverstein. After graduating high school fromthe Interlochen Arts Academy, Harris went onto earn her Bachelor of Music degree from theNew England Conservatory, attending underfull scholarship. Harris also served as an extrain the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji

Ozawa, participating in recordings with BernardHaitink, as well as touring with the BSO whilestill in school.

Harris has soloed extensively and has givenrecitals in the U.S. and Europe in such venues asthe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Bostonand the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Hermost recent concerto appearances have beenwith Leonard Slatkin conducting performances

of Bartks Violin Concerto No. 1, and withDavid Robertson conducting performances ofMozarts Violin Concerto No. 4, both with theSTL Symphony. As well as recital and solo per-formances, Harris has served as guest concert-master of the Seattle Symphony and the PhoenixSymphony.

In 2010, Harris was presented with the

Mabel Dorn Reeder Award. This award is givenevery ve years, and was created to recognizeexceptional leadership and contribution in thecommunity. Harris was the rst person in the St.Louis Symphony to receive this award.

Heidi Harris performs on a G.B. Guadagniniviolin, dated 1753.

Heidi Harris most recentlyperformed as a soloist withthe St. Louis Symphony in

March 2010.


12/16

34

PLAYING SIBELIUS:MIKE WALK, TRUMPET

The trumpet parts are both inter-esting and challenging. Youre feeding

the sound of the whole orchestra, pro-viding colors that sometimes comeforward, sometimes pull back.

A BRIEF EXPLANATIONYou dont need to know what andante means or what a glockenspiel isto enjoy a St. Louis Symphony concert, but its always fun to know stuff.

For example, what are those long dashes that follow the movements on theprogram page for Mendelssohns Violin Concerto?

Attacca: in Italian it means attack, but dont be wary; its the composersdirective telling the conductor and musicians that the movements need to beperformed without pause from one to the next. Mendelssohn is one of thoseartists who didnt like applause between movements. Making the concertosound like one long movement was his solution.

Mike Walk

DILIPVISHWANAT


13/16

35

YOU TAKE IT FROM HEREIf these concerts have inspired you to learn more, here are suggested sourcematerials with which to continue your explorations.

Lawrence Weschler, Passion of PolandPantheonWeschler was present for the rise of theSolidarity movement, writing for the NewYorker. Learn about the Poland AndrzejPanufnik escaped.

dailykos.com

An entertaining analysis of MendelssohnsViolin Concerto, with video. The easi-est way to nd it is via Google: Daily KosMendelssohn Violin Concerto.

Glenda Dawn Goss, Sibelius: A Composers Lifeand the Awakening of FinlandThe rise of the artist coincides with the rise of

his nation.

Read the program notes online. Go tostlsymphony.org. Click Connect, thenProgram Notes. Also learn more about this season of anniversaries withvideos and podcasts. Click Connect, then 10-50-135.

Keep up with the backstage life of the St. Louis Symphony, as chronicled by

Symphony staffer Eddie Silva, via stlsymphony.org/blog

The St. Louis Symphony is on


14/16

36

COMMUNITY & EDUCATION:FAMILY CONCERTS

OCTOBER 26Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo

The St. Louis Symphony and Saint Louis Zoo join forces showingaudiences just how musical animals can be. Hear Saint-Sanss Carnivalof the Animals and other popular works that combine with actor JohnLithgows childrens book.

Presented by PNC Arts AlivePresented in Partnership with the Saint Louis Zoo


15/16

37

AUDIENCE INFORMATION

BOX OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm;closed Sunday. Concert Hours: Friday

morning Coffee Concerts open 9am;all other concerts open 2 hours prior toconcert through intermission.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Box Ofce: 314-534-1700Toll Free: 1-800-232-1880

Online: stlsymphony.orgFax: 314-286-4111

A service charge is added to alltelephone and online orders.

SEASON TICKET EXCHANGE POLICIES

If you cant use your season tickets,

simply exchange them for anotherWells Fargo Advisors subscriptionconcert up to one hour prior to yourconcert date. To exchange your tickets,please call the Box Ofce at 314-534-1700 and be sure to have your tickets

with you when calling.

GROUP AND DISCOUNT TICKETS314-286-4155 or 1-800-232-1880 Anygroup of 20 is eligible for a discount ontickets for select Orchestral, Holiday,or Live at Powell Hall concerts. Callfor pricing.

Special discount ticket programs areavailable for students, seniors, and

police and public-safety employees.Visit stlsymphony.org for moreinformation.

POLICIES

You may store your personalbelongings in lockers located on the

Orchestra and Grand Tier Levels at acost of 25 cents.

FM radio headsets are available atCustomer Service.

Cameras and recording devices aredistracting for the performers andaudience members. Audio and videorecording and photography are strictly

prohibited during the concert. Patronsare welcome to take photos before theconcert, during intermission, and afterthe concert.

Please turn off all watch alarms, cellphones, pagers, and other electronicdevices before the start of the concert.

All those arriving after the start of the

concert will be seated at the discretionof the House Manager.

Age for admission to STL Symphonyand Live at Powell Hall concerts

varies, however, for most events therequired age is ve or older. All patrons,regardless of age, must have their owntickets and be seated for all concerts.

All children must be seated with anadult. Admission to concerts is at thediscretion of the House Manager.

Outside food and drink are notpermitted in Powell Hall. No food ordrink is allowed inside the auditorium,except for select concerts.

Powell Hall is not responsible for

the loss or theft of personal property.To inquire about lost items, call314-286-4166.

POWELL HALL RENTALS

Select elegant Powell Hall for your nextspecial occasion. Visit: stlsymphony.org.Click About Us, then Hall Rental formore information.


16/16

38

BOUTIQUE

WHEELCHAIR LIFT

BALCONY LEVEL(TERRACE CIRCLE, GRAND CIRCLE)

GRAND TIER LEVEL

(DRESS CIRCLE, DRESS CIRCLE BOXES,GRAND TIER BOXES & LOGE)

MET BAR

TAXI PICK UPDELMAR

ORCHESTRA LEVEL(PARQUET, ORCHESTRA RIGHT & LEFT)

WIGHTMAN

GRAND

FOYERTICKET LOBBY

CUSTOMER

SERVICE

POWELL HALL

LOCKERS

WOMENS RESTROOM

MENS RESTROOM

ELEVATOR

BAR SERVICES

HANDICAPPED-ACCESSIBLE

FAMILY RESTROOM

Please make note of the EXIT signs in the auditorium. In the case of an emergency,proceed to the nearest EXIT near you.

St. Louis Symphony Extra - October 25, 2014

Documents

Transcript of St. Louis Symphony Extra - October 25, 2014