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PROGRAMME NOTES
March 15th 2008
in the Kings Hall,
Newcastle University with Jesmond Choral Society and
Bishop Auckland Choral Society and Solo Pianist Fang
Fang
PROGRAMME
NOTES
by
Michael Bell
Ludwig
van BEETHOVEN (1770 – 1827) Germany
“Egmont” incidental music, Op. 84 (1810) - Overture
Goethe’s
drama (1787) tells of the sixteenth century struggle
between the Netherlands and their oppressor, the King of
Spain - a patriotic and religious struggle of the
bitterest nature. Count Egmont was one of the
heroes of the Netherlands national party. Though under
threat of arrest Egmont refused to run away and give up
his craving for justice and national liberty. Imprisoned
and abandoned because of the cowardliness of his people
he was seized by the Spaniards, charged with over eighty
offences and sentenced to death. In 1568, with Count
Horn as companion, he was beheaded in the Grand-Place at
Brussels, meeting his death with noble courage. There is
a famous monument to him at Brussels, but Goethe’s
tragedy and Beethoven’s music constitute his most
enduring memorial.
When in 1809 the Burgtheater of Vienna asked
Beethoven, a great admirer of Goethe, to compose
incidental music for a revival of the play, he accepted
with enthusiasm. It recalled themes close to his own
political preoccupations, already expressed in his
opera Fidelio and in his overture Coriolan.
The overture begins with a loud unison chord played by
the whole orchestra. The slow introduction sets the
heroic but tragic atmosphere as Egmont is confined in
prison. The lengthy woodwind melody suggests the sorrow
of the downtrodden Netherland people.
Fierce
energy runs through the central part of the work,
expressing feelings of discontent and revolt, and the
fight of the Flemish nobleman against despotic
authority.
The Coda is
preceded by a ppp woodwind chord, from which
emerges (Allegro con brio) a whirl of strings,
sustained by the pulsating rhythm of the bass and a
rumbling of the timpani. A triumphant fanfare sounds, as
Egmont goes out to face his torturers. At the end a more
solemn fanfare bursts out concluding the overture with
conquering chords, announcing the final victory of Count
Egmont’s ideals.
Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra Op. 80 (1870)
Piano
soloist: Fang Fang
The
Choral Fantasy was rapidly thrown together as a
rousing finale for a concert at the Theater an der Wien
on December 22nd, 1808 – a concert
that also saw the first public performance of the 5th
and 6th Symphonies and the 4th
Piano Concerto. (The staying power of concert audiences
in those days would seem to have decreased somewhat in
modern times!)
The German
text was probably written by Christoph Kuffner to fit
the already written choral parts, although it is now
suggested that Beethoven may have written much of it
himself. He certainly composed the attractive (some
critic said, “corny”) main theme – in a song written 13
years earlier called Gegenliebe (“Love returned”)
- which has obvious similarities to the theme of the
finale of the revolutionary Ninth Symphony, first
performed in 1824.
The Fantasy
opens with a slow but virtuosic piano introduction
(extemporised by Beethoven at the first performance)
followed by several variations for piano and orchestra
on the Gegenliebe song and ending with a short
choral conclusion.
Although it has sometimes been criticised as lacking in
formal shape and balance, possessing a banal theme and
being a mere experiment that is completely overshadowed
by the finale of the Choral Symphony (which is similar
in many ways), the Choral Fantasy is actually a highly
original work in its own right. In its portrayal of
progress from darkness and chaos to light and order it
is virtually unmatched, and the gradual build-up from
solo piano to tutti with the voices held in
reserve to create a grand climax near the end is a
masterly effect.
For those
of you who are not fluent in German here follows a
translation of the somewhat extravagant words of the
choral part:
With grace,
charm and sweet sounds, the harmonies of our life and
the sense of beauty engenders.
The flowers
which externally bloom, peace and joy advancing to
perfect accord like the alternating play of the waves;
All harsh
and hostile elements render to a sublime sentiment.
When the
magic sounds reign and the sacred word is spoken that
strongly engender the wonderful,
The night
and the tempest divert light, calm without, profound joy
within, awaiting the great hour.
Meanwhile,
the spring sun and art bathe in the light.
Something
great, into the heart blooms anew, when in all its
beauty, which spirit takes flight,
And all a
choir of spirits resounds in response.
Accept
then, oh you beautiful spirits, joyously of the gifts of
art.
When love
and strength are united, the favour of God rewards Man.
The first
performance of this work seemed to be somewhat
disastrous. According to the composer’s secretary: It
simply fell apart, Because of a mistake it was stopped
halfway through and restarted. The master arranged at
the somewhat hurried rehearsal, with wet voice-parts as
usual, that the second variation should be played
without repeat. In the evening, however, he forgot all
about the instructions and repeated the first part while
the orchestra accompanied the second, which sounded not
altogether edifying” I may be tempting fate here,
but I do not think this error is likely to occur this
evening.
On a purely
personal note, as one who considers the “big tune”
(the Ode to Joy) in the last movement of Beethoven’s
Choral Symphony to be one of the most famous but
boring tunes ever written, I welcome the “corny, banal”
version in this work. It is as a breath of fresh air -
and the “Choral Fantasy” as a perfect antidote to the
overlong, bombastic and overbearing pretention of its
more famous successor. I don’t expect you all to
agree!
INTERVAL
Alexander Konstantinovich GLAZUNOV (1865 -1936) Russia
USSR
“Stenka
Razin” – symphonic poem in B minor, Op. 13 (1885)
Alexander Glazunov,
the son of a publisher/bookseller in St. Petersburg,
became a precocious pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov at
the recommendation of Balakirev, whom he had met
at the age of 14. His First Symphony was publicly
performed when he was 16 years old. His popular
symphonic poem Stenka Razin also comes from that
period. His work became well known both in Russia and
beyond, due partly to the advocacy of Franz Liszt
and also
thanks to a
wealthy orchestral patron and timber-merchant, Mitrofan
Belyayev, who was so impressed with his music that he
set up “Editions Beliaeff” to publish the music of
Glazunov and other young Russian composers.
In 1897
Glazunov conducted the premiere of Rachmaninoff’s
First Symphony. This was a total disaster which
was attributed to the fact that Glazunov appeared to be
drunk at the time.
Glazunov
died, at the age of 70, in Paris where he had moved for
reasons of “ill health”. He remained a respected
composer in the Soviet Union, unlike Stravinsky
and Rachmaninoff who had left for different
reasons.
The
symphonic poem Stenka Razin was composed in 1885.
It is modelled on the tone poems of Liszt and was
dedicated to the memory of Borodin.
Stenka
Razin
was a Cossack who led a peasant rebellion for four years
until 1671 when he was publicly executed. Among his
exploits were acts of piracy on the River Volga and the
defeat of a Persian fleet which was sent against him on
the Caspian Sea.
The sombre
opening introduces the well-known Song of the Volga
Boatman over the flowing rhythm of the river. This
is a rare example of Glazunov using an actual folk-song
– a moment of vulgarity punned one sniffy critic.
The change
to a quicker tempo and a galloping rhythm suggest
Razin’s acts of daring and a sinuous contrasting theme,
first heard on the clarinets, is a musical cousin to
Borodin’s Polovtsian princess in Prince Igor.
After
energetic development and a slower episode of more
intense feeling, a fierce climax is followed by a sudden
silence indicating the moment when Razin, surrounded by
his enemies, sacrifices a Persian princess he has
captured by hurling her into the river.
The strains
of the Volga Boat Song, played thrillingly by
the brass, dominate the conclusion of this colourful
piece.
George
Frideric HANDEL (1685 – 1759) Germany-England
The
Faithful Shepherd – suite for orchestra
During the
summer of 1923 Sir Thomas Beecham spent a few
pleasant weeks working on one of his favourite plays, a
long neglected piece by the Elizabethan playwright
John Fletcher (1579 – 1625), The Faithful
Shepherdess. As the play contained several songs and
choruses, and seemed to cry out for additional music
here and there, Beecham arranged selected fragments from
Handel.
The success
of this venture may have encouraged Sir Thomas to
arrange a suite of music taken from Handel’s Il
Pastor Fido (meaning the faithful shepherd, not the
sheep dog) – the second opera composed by Handel after
his arrival in England. It was first performed in 1712
and, for a later production in 1734, Handel composed an
extended Ballet entitled Terpsichore. The
original orchestral accompaniment was very sparse – much
too sparse for Beecham whose splendidly free arrangement
for full symphony is only marred by the omission of
trombones. This delightful suite consists of seven
movements of which we shall play five:
1.
Overture
(Introduction-Lento moderato and Fugue-Allegro
2.
Adagio
– a short dramatic piece
3.
Bourree-
a dance movement of French origin
4.
Minuet
– a graceful Moderato
5.
Finale
(Allegro)
Trumpets
and percussion, who have shown restraint during the
preceding movements, join in the joyful conclusion.
Sir Thomas
Beecham on the production of Fletcher’s play, “The
Faithful Shepherdess”:
The
admirable zeal of the Department of Inland Revenue was
now directed to the case of John Fletcher who died of
the Plague in 1625. One day I received a request for his
address, which they had been unable to trace, and on the
principle of being helpful whenever possible, I replied
that to the best of my knowledge it was the South aisle
of Southwark Cathedral, that he had been there for quite
a time and in all probability was not intending an early
removal
Alexander BORODIN (1833 – 1887) Russia
Prince
Igor – Polovtsian Dances
Borodin,
the illegitimate son of an Armenian prince was one of
the great scientific figures of his generation. Two of
his chemical treatises, Researches upon the Fluoride
of Benzol and The Solidification of Aldehydes
are well worth a read. He was an early advocate of the
emancipation of women and founded a School of Medicine
for Women.
Borodin
divided his life between science and music. The complete
list of his works runs to only twenty-one, including his
opera Prince Igor which he wrote piece by piece.
It was unfinished at his death and was completed by
Glazunov with the help of his mentor and friend
Rimsky-Korsakov. The Polovtsian Dances form
the climax of the second act. Though they are often
performed in the purely orchestral version, the chorus
is an integral part of them and adds greatly to the
vivid colour of the music.
Prince
Igor and his son Vladimir have been taken prisoner by
the Tartar chieftain, Khan Konchak, who treats them with
royal magnanimity - not as vanquished captives but as
honoured guests. He offers Igor any gift he cares to
name: fiery chargers, rich treasures, an ancestral sword
and, best of all, the most languorous beauties of his
harem. These emancipated Polovtsian young maidens now
enter and begin to sing and dance for Igor’s
entertainment. They do not sing the familiar
words Hold my hand. I’m a stranger in Paradise
(as in Kismet) but here is a translation of the
original Russian words by Robert C. Loge:
The
Flowing Dance of Young Maidens -
Fly away on
the wings of the wind to our native land, O you our
native song,
To that
place where we sang to you so freely, Where things were
idyllic for you and me.
There under
the sultry sky the air is full of bliss. There under the
murmur of the sea the hills slumber under the clouds.
There the
sun shines so brightly, Our native hills are flooded
with light,
In the
valley splendid roses bloom. Nightingales sing in the
green forests
And the
sweet grape glows. O fly away there.
The General Dance -
Sing songs
of praise to the Khan! sing!
Praise the
courage of the Khan! Praise! Glorious Khan! He is our
glorious Khan!
With a
blaze of glory equal to the sun is our Khan.
There is no
one equal in glory to the Khan! none!
Dance of the Slaves -
Prisoners
of Khan, praise the Khan! Sing songs of praise to the
Khan, sing!
Praise his
generosity, praise his kindness, praise!
For his
enemies he is terrible, our Khan! Who can be equal in
glory to the Khan?
With a
blaze of glory equal to the sun is he.
Dance of
the Men -
Equal to the
glory of our forefathers is the Khan Konchak. Glorious
Khan Konchak.
Flowing Dance of Young Maidens -
Fly away on
the wings of the wind (repeat)
Dance of
the Men -
Equal to the
glory of our forefathers is our Khan Konchak. The
Terrible Khan
Konchak.
Praise the
Khan. Khan Konchak.
General
Dance -
A dance for
your pleasure, Khan. Our Khan Konchak!
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