St. Louis Symphony Extra - September 27, 2014

8/11/2019 St. Louis Symphony Extra - September 27, 2014

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CONCERT PROGRAMSeptember 27-28, 2014

David Robertson, conductorCally Banham, English horn

SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela from Lemminkinen Suite (1895) (1865-1957)

Cally Banham, English horn

JOHN ADAMS My Father Knew Charles Ives (2003) (b. 1947) Concord

The LakeThe Mountain

INTERMISSION

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5 in B-at major, op. 100 (1944) (1891-1953)

AndanteAllegro marcatoAdagioAllegro giocoso


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

These concerts are part of the Wells Fargo Advisors series.

David Robertson is the Beofor Music Director and Conductor.

The concert of Saturday, September 27, is underwritten in part by a generousgift from Mr. and Mrs. Jay G. Henges, Jr.

The concert of Sunday, September 28, is underwritten in part by a generous giftfrom Mrs. Patricia N. Taylor.

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.


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FROM THE STAGE Jonathan Reycraft, trombone: Proko evs style is very relevant to many composers

today. In music for lm especially, you can draw a lot of parallels to his languagebecause it is so commonly used today. John Williams takes cues from Proko evmelodically. You hear it in themes for the Ewok and the Jedi in Star Wars . Anotheroccurrence, curiously enough, is in Danny Elfmans score to Pee-Wees Big Adventure . When I hear the third movement to Proko evs Fifth, I think Elfmanmaybe got some ideas from that.

Jonathan Reycraft

D ILIP V ISHWANAT


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TIMELINKS

1895SIBELIUSThe Swan of Tuonela from Lemminkinen SuiteLumire brothers showrst movie to an invitedaudience in Paris

1944PROKOFIEVSymphony No. 5 in B-atmajor, op. 100Siege of Leningrad ends

2003

JOHN ADAMSMy Father KnewCharles IvesU.S.-British coalition forceslaunch war on Iraq

The three compositions on the program for our

concert trace a narrative that moves from dark-ness to light, death to life, tragedy to triumph. We begin with a vision of the realm of the dead.In Finnish mythology this is the island Tuonela. Around it swims a sacred swan, singing a haunt-ing song. Jean Sibelius, Finlands great nationalcomposer, imagines the place and the great birdin his tone poem The Swan of Tuonela.

Death is, of course, an inescapable fact ofexistence. One way we counter its inexorabilityis through memory, which connects us to thepast and to our departed loved ones. Memory is very much a subject of John Adamss My FatherKnew Charles Ives. This piece is a tribute from one American composer to another. But it also fondlycommemorates Adamss father, like Ives a NewEnglander who approached music with open

mind and ears.Death can be mastered in a way by heroicstriving. This is the implicit theme of SergeyProko evs Symphony No. 5, a work that extendsthe tradition of other Fifth Symphoniesthose ofBeethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Mahler, for exam-plein presenting an aural drama of struggle andtriumph.

JEAN SIBELIUSThe Swan of Tuonela from Lemminkinen Suite

MYTHIC UNDERWORLD The notion that human-ity possesses a collective unconscious, a seriesof archetypal ideas, images, and stories relatedto our deepest existential concerns, is perhapsmost strongly supported by remarkably similar visions of the afterlife found in different cultures.In diverse myths and poems, the dead reside ina somber land that can be reached only by cross-ing a dark river. In ancient Greek mythologythe river Styx encircles Hades, the kingdom ofthe dead. For Dante, in LInferno, it is the river Acheron that separates the realm of the livingfrom the underworld. And in Finnish legend, the

MORTALITY, MEMORY, MASTERYBY PAUL SCHIAVO


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island home of deceased souls is Tuonela. It, too,is surrounded by a black river, anda uniquedetailthis is home to a swan who eternallysings a mournful song.

The picture of Tuonela, its surrounding water and the swan that oats upon it comes tous from the Kalevala, Finlands epic national folklegend. The Kalevala, which tells of creation andthe exploits of the earliest heroes, existed for cen-turies as an orally transmitted poem. Its initialpublication, in the 1830s, proved an importantmilestone in the emergence of a strong Finnishcultural identity. Thereafter, the Kalevala became

a touchstone for patriotic Finns and helped sparkthe movement that eventually led to Finlandsindependence from Russia, in 1917.

Among those drawn to the Kalevala was Jean Sibelius. Finlands rst great composer hadstudied in Berlin and Vienna, and his youthful works were in uenced by the powerful currentof German Romanticism. But upon returning toFinland, in 1891, Sibelius immersed himself inFinnish culture and discovered a rich source ofinspiration in the Kalevala.

SWAN SONG In 1895 Sibelius began workingon a quartet of tone poems, each based on a dif-ferent episode from the Kalevala. Four OrchestralLegends, as Sibelius called the composite work,is widely regarded as his rst orchestral mas -terpiece, and the second piece in the cycle hasbecome one of the most popular of all his works.Sibelius titled this work The Swan of Tuonela.

In Sibeliuss tone poem, the mythic bird ofthe title is represented by the English horn, heardas featured soloist. Accompanied almost exclu-sively by a string choir, its rhapsody becomesincreasingly impassioned before nally fadingand leaving the last mournful word to a solo

cello. Sibeliuss extremely sparing use of other wind instruments heightens the impact of theEnglish horn and helps create the dark, poeticaural colors that characterize the composition.

BornDecember 8, 1865,Hmeenlinna, Finland

DiedSeptember 20, 1957, Jrvenp, Finland

First PerformanceApril 13, 1896, in Helsinki, thecomposer conducted thatcitys Philharmonic Orchestra

STL Symphony PremiereMarch 18, 1910, Max Zachconducting

Most Recent STL SymphonyPerformance January 7, 2001, Marc Gordonwas soloist, with Hans Vonkconducting

Scoringsolo English hornoboebass clarinet2 bassoons4 horns3 trombonestimpanibass drumharpstrings

Performance Timeapproximately 10 minutes


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JOHN ADAMSMy Father Knew Charles Ives

AMERICAN MASTERS The development of American concert music over the course of thelast century is chronologically bracketed by the work of two composers, Charles Ives and John Adams. Ives, the inty New Englander who wrote largely in obscurity and often sufferedincomprehension and ridicule from those few who heard his music, is now recognized as ournations rst great composer and a quintessential American loner-original. Adams also grew up inNew England but has spent most of his adult lifein California. Like Ives, he has pursued his ownpath as a composer and developed a distinctivemusical style. Unlike Ives, he has been richly rec-ognized and rewarded during his lifetime. Nowthe most frequently performed of all Americancomposers, he has received the Pulitzer Prize andthe prestigious Grawemeyer Award. His workhas enjoyed a prominent place on the concert

programs of the St. Louis Symphony, especiallyduring the past decade.My Father Knew Charles Ives is Adamss trib -

ute to his great predecessor. It also is a remem-brance of the composers father, whom Adamscredits as an important early in uence on hisown musicianship. It was from his father that Adams learned to play clarinet, his rst instru -ment, and the two performed together in localbands and orchestras in New Hampshire. Adamsfurther credits his father with introducing him toboth classical and popular music without preju-dicial favoring of one over the other. Carl Adamsnever met Charles Ives, so the compositions titleis a small fantasy. But, Adams observes, the twomen had experiences and interests in common,and the composer imagines that they would have

liked each other.PLACES, PEOPLE, MEMORIES The rst movementofMy Father Knew Charles Ives is titled Concord.The village near Boston that bears that name was important to Ives as the home of Emerson,Thoreau, and Hawthorne, whom he deeplyadmired and who inspired perhaps his greatestcomposition, the Concord Sonata. For Adams,

BornFebruary 15, 1947, Worcester,Massachusetts

Now ResidesBerkeley, California

First PerformanceApril 30, 2003, in SanFrancisco, Michael TilsonThomas conducted the SanFrancisco Symphony

STL Symphony PremiereThis week

Scoring3 utes2 piccolos2 oboesEnglish horn3 clarinetsE-at clarinetbass clarinet2 bassoonscontrabassoon

4 horns4 trumpets3 trombonestubatimpanipercussionharppianocelestastrings


D E B O R A H

O G R A D Y


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however, Concord is the town in New Hampshire where he spent much of hisboyhood, and this initial movement is, among other things, a musical pictureof the place. It begins serenely, evoking what Adams calls the hazy stillness ofa summer morning. A wide-stepping melody for trumpet recalls Ivess mostfamous work, The Unanswered Question. Later Adams presents music for aparade, something Ives did also in his Three Places in New England. A return ofthe trumpet melody precedes the movements close.

The Lake, the second movement, is laden with memory. The openingsection conveys the lulling movement of water and a poetic spirit in the form ofa melody for oboe. From across the lake comes the sound of dance music, theindistinct bits of melody blending with the watery sonorities. Adams relatesthat it was at a lakeside bandstand, where his father was playing with a swing-era dance band, where his parents met, in 1935.

The nale, The Mountain, was inspired by boyhood memories of MountKearsarge, in New Hampshire, but also by more recent experiences hiking inCalifornias high country. Beginning gently, the music gathers momentum as ittraces a series of ascents to energetic climaxes. The last of these gives way to amusical vista of serene majesty and majestic serenity ... a moment of sudden,unexpected astonishment, as Adams describes it.

SERGEY PROKOFIEV

Symphony No. 5 in B- at major, op. 100

MUSIC IN WARTIME Proko ev wrote his Fifth Symphony during the summerof 1944, which he spent at the Soviet Composers Retreat east of Moscow. Iconceived it, the composer later explained, as a symphony of the grandeurof the human spirit.

We can be more speci c about the impulse behind this work. Althoughfamously apolitical and self-absorbed, Proko ev was well aware of the militarystruggle still raging in Russia as he wrote this music, and of the triumph that was at last in sight. Both the accessible style of the Fifth Symphony and itsunmistakable feeling of optimism suggest that the human spirit it extols isthat of the Russian people in their hour of victory.

This notion received a kind of uncanny con rmation when Proko ev con -ducted the premiere performance, in Moscow, on January 13, 1945. SviatoslavRichter, the great Soviet pianist, was present on the occasion and rememberedthat when Proko ev had taken his place on the podium and silence reignedin the hall, artillery salvos suddenly thundered forth. His baton was raised. He

waited and began only after the cannons had stopped. There was something very signi cant in this, something symbolic. It was as if all of usincludingProko evhad reached some kind of shared turning point.

The cannonade that delayed the performance that day was ceremonial,signaling that the Red Army had begun crossing the Vistula into Nazi Germany.For the Soviet people, it marked the regaining of their country. The same mightbe said for Proko ev. The Fifth Symphony proved his most successful worksince his return to the Soviet Union in the mid-1930s, after some fteen yearsof living in Europe and America. In this work he reached out to a large audience


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of his compatriots on a high artistic level, creatinghis most successful symphonic score.

GRANDEUR AND A HYMN Without fanfare orintroduction, the main theme of the openingmovement sounds in the ute and bassoon.Proko ev explores this melody at length beforepresenting a second, rather more intimate subject in the oboes and utes. The development ofthese ideas frequently involves different thematicfragments set against each other in counterpoint. Although Proko ev achieves a variety of moods,colors, and textures, the overall impression is one

of epic grandeur.The scherzo-like second movement is athrowback to the style of Proko evs pre-Sovietperiod. We hear not only his characteristichumor in the opening clarinet solo but the brittletextures, driving rhythms, and colorful orchestra-tion that gained the composer notoriety duringthe 1920s.

There follows a lyrical Adagio whose princi-pal melody rst appears over an accompanimentof steady triplets in the strings. A contrasting cen-tral section moves toward darker thoughts, cul-minating in wrenching discords and anguishedcries plummeting from the upper registers of the woodwinds. The abrupt and seemingly effortlessreturn to the initial idea seems a sudden ood ofsunlight over a cloud-darkened landscape.

A brief prelude in slow tempo, built aroundrecollections of the symphonys opening mea -sures, introduces the nale. This movement alsouses two principal subjects: a melody presentedat the outset by Proko evs favorite instrument,the clarinet; and a more pastoral idea heard inthe ute and clarinet. These light-hearted themesalone might have imparted too carefree a charac-ter here, but Proko ev balances them with a more

sober thought that rises hymn-like from the lowstrings midway through the movement.

Program notes 2014 by Paul Schiavo

BornApril 23, 1891, Sontsovka,Ukraine

DiedMarch 5, 1953, Moscow

First Performance January 13, 1945, in Moscow,the composer conductedthe USSR State SymphonyOrchestra

STL Symphony PremiereNovember 1, 1946, VladimirGolschmann conducting

Most Recent STL SymphonyPerformanceNovember 28, 2010, LeonardSlatkin conducting

Scoring2 utespiccolo2 oboesEnglish horn2 clarinetsE-at clarinetbass clarinet2 bassoonscontrabassoon4 horns3 trumpets3 trombonestubatimpanipercussionharppianostrings



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DAVID ROBERTSONBEOFOR MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR

A passionate and compelling communicator with an extensive orchestral and operatic reper-toire, American conductor David Robertson hasforged close relationships with major orches-tras around the world. In fall 2014, Robertsonlaunches his 10th season as Music Director ofthe 135-year-old St. Louis Symphony. In January2014, Robertson assumed the post of ChiefConductor and Artistic Director of the SydneySymphony Orchestra in Australia.

To celebrate his decade-long tenure with theSt. Louis Symphony in 2014-15, Robertson willshowcase 50 of the orchestras musicians in soloor solo ensemble performances throughout theseason. Other highlights include a concert per-formance of Verdis Adafeaturing video enhance-ments by S. Katy Tucker (one of a series of suchcollaborations during the season), and a returnto Carnegie Hall with a program featuring the

music of Meredith Monk. In 2013-14, Robertsonled the St. Louis Symphony in a Carnegie Hallperformance of Brittens Peter Grimes on theBritten centennial that Anthony Tommasini, inthe New York Times, selected as one of the mostmemorable concerts of the year, and in the springNonesuch Records released a disc of the orches-tras performances of two works by John Adams:City Noir and the Saxophone Concerto.

Robertson is a frequent guest conductor with major orchestras and opera houses aroundthe world. In his inaugural year with the SydneySymphony Orchestra, he led the ensemble in aseven-city tour of China in June 2014. He also ledthe summer 2014 U.S. tour of the National YouthOrchestra of the United States of America, a proj-ect of Carnegie Halls Weill Music Institute, in

cities including Boston and Chicago, culminatingin a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In the fall of 2014, David Robertson con-ducts the Metropolitan Opera premiere of John Adamss The Death of Klinghoffer .

M I C H A E L

T A M M A R O

David Robertson beginshis 10th season as St. LouisSymphony Music Director.


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CALLY BANHAM

Cally Banham has been a proud member of theSt. Louis Symphony since 2006, when she wasappointed to the Solo English Horn Chair byMusic Director David Robertson. A native ofPhiladelphia, she attended Temple Universityand studied with the late renowned PhiladelphiaOrchestra English hornist Louis Rosenblatt. Shelater moved to New York and received a Mastersfrom the Manhattan School of Music, as a schol-arship student of Joseph Robinson, New YorkPhilharmonic Principal Oboist emeritus.

Hailed by the New York Times for supremelybeautiful playing and graceful virtuosity, and bythe Boston Globe for playing outstanding in qual-ity of tone and eloquence of phrase, Banhamhas performed as a guest in the principal Englishhorn chairs of the New York Philharmonic,Chicago Symphony, L.A. Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra.

With the STL Symphony she was soloist

in Fialas English Horn Concerto in 2009, andCoplands Quiet City, in 2008. She has performednationally and abroad at various festivals, amongthem Tanglewood, UBS Verbier Festival inSwitzerland, Spoleto USA, Paci c Music Festivalin Japan, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, and theBellingham Music Festival in Washington State.

Banham is also a teacher. She has givenEnglish horn master classes at the New WorldSymphony, University of Illinois, Lynn University,and Duke University, among others. She oftengives educational demonstration concerts in St.Louis elementary schools, and coaches the oboestudents of the STL Symphony Youth Orchestra, while also maintaining a private teaching studio.

When Cally Banham is not working, she isseriously dedicated to the art of Argentine Tango.

Banham is the founder and leader of Cortango,a dance band that explores the repertoire of thegreat Argentinian composers and dance orches-tra leaders of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

D A N

D R E Y F U S

Cally Banham mostrecently performed assoloist with the Symphony

in October 2009.


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PLAYING PROKOFIEV: JONATHAN REYCRAFT, TROMBONE

In the rst movement the trombonesare peppering the harmony, playingsome really satisfying chords. I likedissonance, and here the dissonancealways resolves.

The third movement is a joy tolisten to and to play. The climax of thatmovement is an ostinato that churns. A lot of what the trombones do in thissymphony is engine driven. Its fun to watch. Our role is very rhythmic, not alot of melody for the trombones, except

for that churning ostinato.

A BRIEF EXPLANATION You dont need to know what andante means or what a glockenspiel is toenjoy a St. Louis Symphony concert, but its always fun to know stuff. For

example, what is ostinato?Ostinato: a term used to refer to the repetition of a musical pattern manytimes in succession while other musical elements are generally changing

Jonathan Reycraft

D ILIP V ISHWANAT


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

David Hurwitz, Sibelius Orchestral Works: An Owners ManualAmadeus Press An excellent guide to this music

sibelius./englishThe Jean Sibelius website, with lm, photos,audio clips and more

Thomas May, The John Adams Reader:Essential Writings on an American Composer Amadeus PressElaboration and context for Adamss music

earbox.com John Adamss website

Harlow Robinson, Sergei Prokoev Viking Press A thorough and thoughtful biography

Read the program notes online at stlsymphony.org/en/connect/program-notes

Keep up with the backstage life of the St. Louis Symphony, as chronicled bySymphony staffer Eddie Silva, via stlsymphony.org/blog

The St. Louis Symphony is on


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DONOR SPOTLIGHTTHOMPSON COBURN

With ties to St. Louis going back more than80 years, Thompson Coburn is one of the 150largest law rms in the country. Our 375 attor -neys practice nationwide in more than 40 areasof law from of ces in Chicago, Los Angeles, St.Louis, southern Illinois, and Washington, D.C.Our client base ranges from high-net-worth indi- viduals and venture-backed startups to Fortune100 companies. In 2013 we were recognized asone of the countrys top 13 law rms at provid -ing clients exceptional value for the dollar.

Thompson Coburns support of the STL Symphonygoes back a decade. Why does the rm believe insupporting the orchestra?In addition to its cultural importance for theSt. Louis community, Thompson Coburn hasa unique connection to the Symphony: our

private client partner Larry Katzenstein sits onthe Symphonys board and has been an ardentsupporter of the organization for more than 30 years. Each year, Larry dons a white-tie tuxedo, takes up the baton, and con-ducts a private concert for several hundred friends and clients.

One of the performances youre generously supporting this season is next monthsBrahms Requiem (October 4 & 5). What drew you to that performance?The Requiem is one of Brahmss longest and most complex compositions.From its haunting rst notes, this piece communicates powerful messagesof grief, comfort, and redemption that resonate deeply with everyone wholistens to it.

Being that we are celebrating our 135th birthday this season, what is your wishfor the orchestra?Our birthday wish for the St. Louis Symphony is that it continues to entertainand delight, perform its critical outreach into our communities and schools,

and introduce new generations to the joy and beauty of the symphony.For more information on Thompson Coburn, please visit thompsoncoburn.com,and follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn.

D ILIP V ISHWANAT

Thompson Coburn has aunique connection to theSt. Louis Symphony.


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RED VELVET BALL:LANG LANG

OCTOBER 18David Robertson, conductor; Lang Lang, piano; Mark Sparks, uteLynn and Thriess Britton, Red Velvet Ball Co-chairs

The annual St. Louis Symphony gala, the Red Velvet Ball, features internationalpiano sensation Lang Lang, one of the most exciting live performers on theplanet. He plays Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No. 1, a work of explosivepassions. Also on the program, St. Louis Symphony Principal Flute MarkSparks plays a delightful Bach suite. David Robertson leads the orchestra inthis stellar event. All proceeds bene t the St. Louis Symphony.

Gala packages include pre-concert cocktails and dinner, premium concert seatings,

and desserts and dancing. Symphony musicians join the party after the concert!For more information and to make your reservations contact Mary Balmer at314-286-4446.

Presented by World Wide Technology & The Steward Family Foundation

X U N

C H I


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AUDIENCE INFORMATIONBOX OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm; Weekday and Saturday concert evenings throughintermission; Sunday concert days12:30pm through intermission.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Box Of ce: 314-534-1700Toll Free: 1-800-232-1880Online: stlsymphony.org

Fax: 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 another Wells Fargo Advisors subscriptionconcert up to one hour prior to yourconcert date. To exchange your tickets,please call the Box Of ce at 314-534-1700 and be sure to have your tickets with you when calling.

GROUP AND DISCOUNT TICKETS

314-286-4155 or 1-800-232-1880 Any group 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, andpolice and public-safety employees. Visit stlsymphony.org for moreinformation.

POLICIES

You may store your personalbelongings in lockers located on theOrchestra 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 strictlyprohibited 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 theconcert 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/rentalsfor more information.


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B O U T I Q U E

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)

WIGHTMANGRANDFOYER

TICKET 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 - September 27, 2014

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