St. Louis Symphony Program - April 13, 2013

7/28/2019 St. Louis Symphony Program - April 13, 2013

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CONCERT PROGRAMApril 12-14, 2013

Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductorAugustin Hadelich, violin

ROSSINI Litaliana in AlgeriOverture (1813) (1792-1868)

PAGANINI Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op. 6 (1816) (1782-1840)

Allegro maestosoAdagioRondo: Allegro spiritoso

Cadenzas composed by Augustin Hadelich

Augustin Hadelich, violin

INTERMISSION

BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, op. 14 (1830)(1803-1869)

Rveries. Passions: Largo; Allegro agitato e appassionato assaiUn bal: Valse. Allegro non troppo

Scne aux champs: AdagioMarche au supplice: Allegretto non troppoSonge dune nuit du sabbat: Larghetto; Allegro assai; Allegro


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Yan Pascal Tortelier is the Edna W. Sternberg Guest Artist.

Augustin Hadelich is the Bruce Anderson Memorial Fund Guest Artist.

The concert of Friday, April 12, is underwritten in part by a generous gift fromMr. and Mrs. Wilfred R. Konneker.

The concert of Saturday, April 13, is underwritten in part by a generous gift fromThe Honorable and Mrs. Sam Fox.

The concert of Sunday, April 14, is underwritten in part by a generous gift from

These concerts are presented by Thompson Coburn LLP.

Pre-Concert Conversations are presented by Washington University Physicians.

These concerts are part of the Wells Fargo Advisors Series.

Large print program notes are available through the generosity of Mosby

Building Arts and are located at the Customer Service table in the foyer.


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FROM THE STAGEBjorn Ranheim, cello: Symphonie fantastique is an amazing trip through the

tortured mind and imagination of Hector Berlioz!

Cally Banham, oboe/English horn: Symphonie fantastique is one of the onlypieces in the orchestral repertoire in which the English horn plays entirelyalone. I relish being able to do that in a setting like Powell Hall, with suchsonorous acoustics!

Bjorn Ranheim Cally BanhamDilipVishwanat

DilipVishwanat


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TIMELINKS

1813-16ROSSINILitaliana in AlgeriOverture

PAGANINIViolin Concerto No. 1 inD major, op. 6Giuseppe Verdi born

1830BERLIOZSymphonie fantastique,op. 14Tocqueville publishesDemocracy in America

The three works featured in tonights program

were written between 1813 and 1830, by threecomposers who knew one another. Paganinipaid Rossini the supreme compliment ofwriting variations on themes from at least threeof his operas. Rossini is quoted as saying that ifPaganini ever started writing operas, wed allbe in trouble. Berlioz called Paganini a genius,a titan among the giants. Paganini recognizedthe French composers gifts right away and

commissioned a piece for his Stradivariusviola. Paganini never played Harold in Italy,the requested work, but he gave Berlioz agenerous sum of money and hailed him as theresurrected Beethoven.

Although Rossini and Berlioz were bothfriends with Paganini, their relationship witheach other was complicated. Berlioz, one of the

leading music critics of the era, wrote severalblistering reviews of Rossinis works. Overtime he grudgingly acknowledged the meritsofIl barbiere di Siviglia and Le Comte Ory, buthis tirades are far more memorable than hiscompliments. In his memoir, he railed against...Rossinis melodious cynicism, his contemptfor the traditions of dramatic expression, hisperpetual repetition of one kind of cadence, his

eternal puerile crescendo, and his crashing bigdrum.... The feeling may have been mutual. Afterseeing a score of Berliozs Symphonie fantastique,Rossini reportedly said, What a good thing itisnt music.

DEMONOLOGYBY REN SPENCER SALLER


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GIOACHINO ROSSINILitaliana in AlgeriOverture

OPERA STAR For Gioachino Rossini, 1813 wasa very good year. He was the most famous living

opera composer in Italy, possibly in Europe, andhe was only 21 years old. His opera seria Tancrediwas a huge hit in February, at its Venice premiere.A few months later, he followed it with anotherbig crowd-pleaser, his comic opera Litaliana inAlgeri. He wrote it in less than a month. With alibretto by Angelo Anelli, the plot is invariablydescribed as zany, a charitable interpretation.Opera fans have never cared about such minormatters. As W.H. Auden famously observed, Nogood opera plot can be sensible, for people donot sing when they are being sensible. At anyrate, Venetians loved this nonsensical tale of anoblewoman from Italy who sails to Algeria torescue her enslaved lover.

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR It is important to remember

that Italy had no tradition of symphonic musicand very little orchestral music during the 19thcentury. Had he opted to write symphoniesinstead of operas, Rossini would have needed toleave his homeland for Austria or Germany. Thefact that this overture is now performed so oftensuggests that Italys foremost opera composermight have become a major symphonist, hadcircumstances permitted. The overture to

Litaliana of instrumental timbres and ranges and awitty approach to orchestration: tuneful andpropulsive, with vaguely exotic touches. It beginsquietly, with tentative pizzicato strings, only toexplode into a Haydenesque surprise from theabove the thrumming strings; the orchestra

becomes more assertive and then abruptly stops.The oboe reprises its solo, joined by a call-and- the woodwinds, followed by a sprightly stringinterlude punctuated by rolling percussion.before the recapitulation and characteristicallyrousing crescendo.

BornFebruary 29, 1792, Pesaro, Italy

DiedNovember 13, 1868, Paris

First PerformanceMay 22, 1813, at the TeatroSan Benedetto in Venice

STL Symphony PremiereJanuary 14, 1961, Edouard VanRemoortel conducting

Most Recent STL SymphonyPerformanceOctober 6, 2007, NicholasMcGegan conducting

Scoringpiccolo2 oboes2 clarinets2 bassoons2 horns

2 trumpetstrombonetimpanipercussionstrings

Performance Timeapproximately 9 minutes

Carjat


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NICCOL PAGANINIViolin Concerto No. 1 in D major, op. 6

DEMONIC FIDDLER Niccol Paganini is widelycited as the greatest violinist of all time, but he

virtuosity, along with his sinister appearancewild black hair, weirdly long limbs, piercing eyesset deep in a gaunt facecontributed to his auraof mystery. Some claimed that his mother made apact with the devil, selling her six-year-olds soulin exchange for his superhuman talent. Accordingto another rumor, the strings of his violin weremade from the guts of murdered lovers; if youlistened closely, it was said, you could hear theirscreams. He dressed entirely in black and oftentraveled to concerts in a black coach drawn byblack horses. When he performed, women faintedin ecstasy. His technical wizardry and abundantcharisma inspired Franz Liszt to become, in hiswords, the Paganini of the piano. Paganinisdeath, at the age of 57, happened too suddenly

for a priest to perform the last rites. Because ofthis and his general notoriety, he was denied aCatholic burial. After four years and an appealto the Pope, the Church allowed his body to bemoved to a cellar, but he was not actually burieduntil more than 30 years later.

INVENTIVE COMPOSER In addition to hisprodigious skills as a violinist, Paganini was also

his extraordinary skills. On his concert tours, hemostly played original compositions grounded inhis relentless pursuit of the seemingly unplayable.violin technique, and his frenetic tempos,

bravura leaps of the bow make his compositionsstaples of the soloists showpiece repertoire.He wrote six violin concertos, including anunnumbered youthful effort, and at least twentyother pieces for violin and orchestra.

PASSION AND PRECISION Paganini composed theViolin Concerto No. 1 sometime between 1816and 1818, when he was in his mid-30s. Studded

BornOctober 27, 1782, Genoa

DiedMay 27, 1840, Nice

First PerformanceMarch 7, 1816, in Milan,Paganini was soloist

STL Symphony PremiereJanuary 26, 1917, EfremZimbalist was soloist, withMax Zach conducting

Most Recent STL SymphonyPerformanceApril 3, 2004, Rachel Lee wassoloist, with Itzhak Perlmanconducting

Scoringsolo violin2 flutes2 oboes

2 clarinetsbassooncontrabassoon2 horns2 trumpets3 trombonestimpanipercussionstrings


DaViD

Dangers


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with double-stop thirds, quicksilver shifts of register, strummed chords, and its emphasis on individual expression over formal constraints mark it as

the product of a proto-Romantic. The lyrical Adagio that follows is reminiscentof bel canto opera and features interesting orchestral textures, with dramaticspirited rondo, is another strenuous workout for the soloist, with an extendedpassage of thirds in high harmonics. As a whole, the First Concerto is a perfectmarriage of passion and precision, boldness and discipline.

Augustin Hadelich


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HECTOR BERLIOZSymphonie fantastique,op. 14

A BAD TRIP In 1969, during one of his celebratedYoung Peoples Concerts, Leonard Bernstein

called Hector Berliozs Symphonie fantastique Summarizing its storyline, he quipped, Berlioztells it like it is. You take a trip, you wind upscreaming at your own funeral. Although thismay seem like an old dudes attempt to suckup to the hippie kids, Bernstein was simplyparaphrasing the composers own program notes,which Berlioz maintained were indispensable fora complete understanding of his work. Previoussymphoniessuch as Beethovens Pastoral Symphoniefantastiquedepicted landscapes and moods, butnone had told a story so explicitly, identifyingthe ways in which various melodies and sound

plot points. Essentially, Symphonie fantastique isan opera without singers. Today we recognizeBerliozs symphonic debut as the archetypalprogram symphonymusic that describescharacters, events, and emotions, as opposed toabsolute music, which is, at least theoretically,nonrepresentationalbut audience membersat the 1830 Paris premiere were unprepared forsuch detailed notes, particularly on such a sordid

topic. Heres the synopsis: A sensitive youngartist (an obvious proxy for the composer) fallsdesperately in love with a total stranger (clearlythe Irish actress Harriet Smithson, whom Berliozhad been stalking, to no avail, since he sawher play Ophelia in Hamlet three years earlier);attempts to poison himself with opium; butinstead has a nightmare about murdering his

beloved, being condemned to death by guillotine,witnessing his own execution, and attending hisown funeral in the company of ghouls, witches,and devils.

DETRACTORS AND DEFENDERS To many 19th-century listeners, the music was as depraved asthe subject matter. Felix Mendelssohns reactionwas not atypical: How utterly loathsome this is

BornDecember 11, 1803, near

Grenoble, FranceDiedMarch 8, 1869, Paris

First PerformanceDecember 5, 1830, atthe Paris Conservatoire,Franois-Antoine Habeneckconducted an orchestraassembled by the composer

STL Symphony PremiereNovember 11, 1910, Max Zachconducting

Most Recent STL SymphonyPerformanceJanuary 16, 2010, SusannaMlkki conducting

Scoring2 flutes

piccolo2 oboesEnglish horn2 clarinetsE-flat clarinet4 bassoons4 horns2 cornets2 trumpets3 trombones

2 tubas2 timpanipercussion2 harpsstrings



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to me.... To see ones most cherished ideas debased and expressed in pervertedcaricatures would enrage anyone. And yet this is only the program. Theexecution is still more miserable: nowhere a spark, no warmth, utter foolishness,contrived passion represented through every possible exaggerated orchestralmeans: four timpani, two pianos for four hands, which are supposed to imitate

bells, two harps, many big drums, violins divided into eight parts, two partsfor the double basses which play solo passages, and all these means...usedto express nothing but indifferent drivel, mere grunting, shouting, screamingback and forth.

The work also attracted passionate defenders, such as Camille Saint-Sans and Franz Liszt. Moreover, despite the premieres many technicalhitches, Berlioz described it in a letter two days later as a furious success:The Symphonie fantastiquewas welcomed with shouting and stamping; they

destroyed everything with Satanic effect!

ROMANTICISM AND BEYOND In Symphonie fantastique, the composer realizedhis dream of a new art form, one that comprised music, literature, andautobiography. The symphony has come to both apotheosize the Romanticera and move beyond it. His the recurrent melody that symbolizes the and his often bizarre orchestral sonorities (the col legno string passages in the

resemblance to sonata form. The second movement, an elegant waltz, contrastsa ballroom party (two harps!) with the protagonists subjective experience(obsessive torment!), culminating in a dazzling polyphonic display when thetwo worlds collide. In the third movement, subverted pastoral conventionsbecome yet another means to convey the artists isolation and despair. Thesonic equivalent of a decapitation serves as the climax to the fourth movement.jig voiced by a shrill clarinet, and then dancing witches enact a burlesqueparody of the Catholic plainchantDies irae from the Requiem mass. Call itblack metal avant la lettre.

Program notes 2013 by Ren Spencer Saller


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YAN PASCAL TORTELIEREDNA W. STERNBERG GUEST ARTIST

Yan Pascal Tortelier enjoys a distinguished careeras a guest with the worlds most prestigious

orchestras. He began his musical career as aParis Conservatoire and also made his debut as asoloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.Following general musical studies with NadiaBoulanger, Tortelier studied conducting withFranco Ferrara at the Accademia Chigiana inSiena, and from 1974 to 1983 he was AssociateConductor of the Orchestre National du Capitolede Toulouse. Further positions have includedPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Director ofthe Ulster Orchestra (1989-92) and PrincipalGuest Conductor of the Pittsburgh SymphonyOrchestra (2005-08). He was PrincipalConductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra(2009-11) and currently holds the position ofGuest Conductor of Honor, in which capacity he

returns to the orchestra a number of times eachseason. Following his outstanding work as ChiefConductor of the BBC Philharmonic between1992 and 2003, including annual appearances atthe BBC Proms and a very successful tour of theU.S. to celebrate the orchestras 60th-anniversaryseason, he was given the title of ConductorEmeritus and continues to work with theorchestra regularly. He also holds the position of

Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Academyof Music in London.

Highlights of the 2012-13 season andbeyond include return visits to the DresdenPhilharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic andHall Orchestras, St. Petersburg PhilharmonicOrchestra, and the Pittsburgh, San Francisco,Cincinnati, and Baltimore symphony orchestras.

He also undertakes a long-awaited return toAustralia for performances with the Melbourne,Adelaide, and West Australian symphonyorchestras.

Yan Pascal Tortelier mostrecently conducted the

St. Louis Symphony inMay 2009.


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AUGUSTIN HADELICHBRUCE ANDERSON MEMORIAL FUND GUEST ARTIST

top echelon of young violinists. After performing

a stellar debut with the Boston Symphony atTanglewood in August playing the Barber ViolinConcerto, he has recently played an equallyimpressive subscription debut with the New YorkPhilharmonic at Lincoln Center playing LalosSymphonie espagnole.

Among Hadelichs 2012-13 season highlightsare debuts with the Buffalo Philharmonic, DallasSymphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra,National Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, SanFrancisco Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony,as well as re-invitations to the Colorado, Houston,and Jacksonville symphonies and to the NewYork Philharmonic at Vail in the summer of 2013.Among his upcoming worldwide engagementsare the BBC Philharmonic, SWR Orchestra/Stuttgart, and Finlands Tampere Philharmonic.

Hadelich has recorded two CDs for AVIE:Flying Solo, a CD of masterworks for solo violin(including the Bartk solo sonata); and Echoesof Paris, which features French and Russian early 20th century. For Naxos, he has recordedHaydns complete violin concerti with theCologne Chamber Orchestra and Telemannscomplete Fantasies for Solo Violin. A new CD,

Histoire du Tango,will be released in the springof 2013.

The 2006 Gold Medalist of the InternationalViolin Competition of Indianapolis, Hadelich isalso the recipient of Lincoln Centers Martin E.Segal Award (2012), an Avery Fisher Career Grant(2009), and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship inthe U.K. (2011).

Born in Italy in 1984, the son of Germanparents, Hadelich holds an artist diploma fromthe Juilliard School, where he was a student of JoelSmirnoff. He plays on the 1723 Ex-KiesewetterStradivarius violin, on loan from Clement andKaren Arrison through the generous efforts of theStradivari Society.

Augustin Hadelich makeshis St. Louis Symphony

debut this week.


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A BRIEF EXPLANATIONYou dont need to know what andante means or what a glockenspiel is toenjoy a St. Louis Symphony concert, but its fun to know stuff. How about

col lengo?

Col legno:exploit use of this effect, in which the string musicians vibrate the stringsof their instruments with the wood of their bows

RATTLE & ROLL:DANA EDSON MYERS ON COL LEGNO

In Symphonie fantastiqueBerlioz makes use ofcol legno to produce a rattling,unsettling sound, like skeleton bones. It evokes bizarre emotions and moodsin the symphony. Theres a work by the contemporary composer KamranInce in which col lengo

A lot of musicians dont like it because it messes with the wood, themetal can scratch the wood of your bow. Theres really no technique to it.Anybody can do it. You just turn your wrist so the wood is facing down andyou clatter away.

Col legno, with the wood


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CORPORATE & FOUNDATIONDONOR SPOTLIGHTMARY PILLSBURY FINE JEWELRY

An Interview with Mary Pillsbury WainwrightThe St. Louis Symphony gratefully acknowledgesthe sponsorship of concerts with soprano ChristineBrewer on May 3-5 by Mary Pillsbury Wainwright.Philanthropist, singer, and entrepreneur, Mary is thefounder of Mary Pillsbury Fine Jewelry located at LeChateau Village in Frontenac, Missouri.

Trained as a lyrical soprano, she has performed

for a host of dignitaries including President GeorgeH. Bush and President Mikhail Gorbachev. Maryhas also received national and regional recognitionfor her community involvement, most recentlyas 2012 National Woman of the Year for theLeukemia & Lymphoma Society and St. LouisWomen of Achievement.

How did you enter the jewelry business and what will customers find at MaryPillsbury Fine Jewelry?While living in New York, I was the in- house singer during the evenings forthe Caf Pierre in the Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue. During the day, I startedselling Indian jewelry and eventually diamonds, learning the trade from someof the best. I earned a degree from the Gemological Institute of America andreturned to St. Louis to open Mary Pillsbury Fine Jewelry in 1978. Our selectionown custom creations.

How do you select the organizations that receive your support?In addition to arts and culture, I feel blessed I have the opportunity to supportother causes Im passionate about. My involvement with the Leukemia andleukemia at age 38. I founded the Diamond Ball in 1986 in his memory, andthis event has raised millions of dollars in support of cancer research andmedical breakthroughs.

Why do you support the St. Louis Symphony?My husband, Don and I love the Symphony and wholeheartedly support theirperformances that enrich peoples lives through the inspiration and beauty ofmusic. The quality of the orchestras programs at Powell Hall as well as in thecommunity is world class.

As a singer, Im honored to be supporting performances that featureChristine BrewerI have such admiration for her as a singer and person.

Mary Pillsbury Wainwright


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AUDIENCE INFORMATION

BOX OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm; Weekdayand Saturday concert evenings through

intermission; Sunday concert days12:30pm through intermission.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Toll Free: 1-800-232-1880Online: stlsymphony.org

Fax: 314-286-4111A 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,1700 and be sure to have your tickets

with you when calling.

GROUP AND DISCOUNT TICKETS

314-286-4155 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, andpolice 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.

Infrared listening headsets are availableat Customer 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

vary, however, for most events thepatrons, regardless of age, must havetheir own tickets and be seated for all

concerts. All children must be seatedwith an adult. Admission to concerts isat the discretion 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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BOUTIQUE

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MET BAR

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ORCHESTRA LEVEL(PARQUET, ORCHESTRA RIGHT & LEFT)

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CUSTOMER

SERVICE

LOCKERS

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POWELL HALL

St. Louis Symphony Program - April 13, 2013

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