Program Notes
Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 35
- Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Born May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, in Russia’s Ural Mountains
Died October 6, 1893, in St. Petersburg
This work was premiered on December 4, 1881, by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Hans Richter, and with Adolf Brodsky as soloist. It is scored for solo violin, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings.
In 1877 a young musician named Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova became obsessed with Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky while enrolled in one of his classes. She proceeded to write several letters professing her love. Against better judgment, Tchaikovsky proposed to Antonina, and the two were married. Unknown to Antonina and everyone else outside the composer’s closest inner circle, he was secretly homosexual. Strictly a marriage of convenience against harsh Russian attitudes, the disastrous union lasted all of nine weeks. The composer was distraught over this failure and attempted suicide. To escape the unrelenting torment, Tchaikovsky traveled to the beautiful region near Clarens, on Lake Geneva in Switzerland in 1878.
Among the friends who visited the composer in Switzerland was the violinist Josef Kotek. For whatever reason, be it the divorce or Kotek’s presence in the idyllic surroundings of Lake Geneva, a sudden creative spurt seized the composer, and the entire Violin Concerto – from sketch to final orchestration – was complete within a month of concentrated creativity. Although the piece was originally meant for Kotek, Tchaikovsky feared that the public would misjudge their relationship, so he dedicated it to Hungarian violinist Leopold Auer.
More complications arose when Auer declared the unplayable. Viennese soloist Adolf Brodsky finally performed the concerto in 1881. At first, this thrilling tour-de-force met with resistance from audiences as well. Perhaps the most vitriolic of opinions came from the Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick who said, “The violin is no longer played, but is torn apart, and pounded black and blue . . . Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto brings us face to face for the first time with the horrid thought that there may exist music that stinks to the ear.”
This magnificent and timeless work begins with a short introduction, after which the soloist plays a slow cadenza leading to the first theme in the solo part. Interestingly, both of the main themes in the first movement are lyrical – reminiscent of the usual character of second themes from more ordinary sonata movements. With little diversity in thematic materials, Tchaikovsky turns to his mastery of development techniques and expertise in composing electrifying solo lines. With these skills, he keeps his audience captivated and eager for new surprises around every corner. Among the dazzling fireworks in Tchaikovsky’s arsenal are multiple stops, tremolos, rapid arpeggios, and leaps from one end of the violin’s range to the other. Marked andante, the Canzonetta second movement displays the rich expressive qualities of the violin’s lower range. A sunny central trio presents a different facet of this exquisite movement. Tchaikovsky originally included a different second movement, now known as the Méditation for violin and piano, but substituted the present music before the work’s premiere. Fiery and Russian in character, the rondo finale is a brisk romp through the violin’s facility as a solo instrument. More than one observer has noted the resemblance of the theme to that of the finale from Mendelssohn’s concerto. Despite these comparable melodies, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto remains one of the most admired barnburners in the repertoire.
Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Opus 68
- Johannes Brahms
Born May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany
Died April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria
This work was first performed on December 30, 1877, in Vienna, with Hans Richter conducting. It is scored for woodwinds in pairs, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings.
After Beethoven’s death in 1827, composers were held to an almost unattainable standard. The shadow cast by his nine symphonies, a monolithic body of work, intimidated many composers, causing some to delay their first efforts in the genre until later in life. Johannes Brahms, although a successful composer in his twenties, did not compose his Symphony No. 1 until he was forty-three. Perhaps he explained it best, “You have no idea how it feels to hear behind you the tramp of a giant like Beethoven.” As early as 1862, Brahms had sketched some of the material he would later use in the work. However, the pressure to complete a symphony was always palpable. Finally, when he was offered a position in Düsseldorf, he decided to write a symphony as a capstone to his Viennese experience. Although he ultimately declined the position, Brahms completed the symphony.
While Brahms’ first symphony is a monumental statement of personal triumph, the second is more intimate – a gentle caress of sound that is more in the spirit of a sunny serenade. It is almost as if the specter of Beethoven had disappeared, and Brahms was now able to freely compose symphonies without repression or fear. While the first symphony took nearly a decade to complete, the second was finished in just four months. When the composer discussed the new work with friends, he described it as a very somber and tragic work. “The new symphony is so melancholy that you will not be able to bear it,” he told his publisher, Fritz Simrock.
Brahms’ Second Symphony begins with a three note musical germ that pervades the entire symphony. First heard in the low strings, the motif D - C# - D is found in each movement (in nearly every theme) as the symphony unfolds. The first movement (allegro non troppo) receives its almost pastoral character from its broad horn melody – purposely avoiding a gigantic opening as in the first symphony, and replacing it with an expansive musical landscape. It is easy to speculate that Brahms might have intended this as a musical portrait of Lake Worth, in Southern Austria, where he composed the bulk of the symphony. Continuing with a second theme that bears a remarkable resemblance to the composer’s famous “Lullaby,” it is tinged with tender melancholy. Brahms’ three-note motif returns in the development section, and is put through every possible twist and turn. The recapitulation emerges from the storm, and the movement ends peacefully.
The second movement (adagio non troppo) is deeply emotional, easily the most introspective section of the work. Cast in sonata-allegro form, this perfectly balanced movement explores the many subtleties of the musical spectrum, perhaps most notably the shadings and contrasts of major and minor chords.
Marked Allegretto grazioso, the third movement has a decidedly rustic charm. This lilting section opens with an oboe solo that sounds almost like a rustic waltz. As the movement progresses, the strings present a new segment in 2/4, setting forth the triple/duple contrast that occurs throughout the movement.
The finale (allegro con spirito) is rhythmic and effervescent. Opening with a quiet passage, the movement erupts forth with excitement. Unexpectedly, the second theme takes on the character of a chorale with a palpable aura of restrained power. Brahms develops both themes and proceeds through a meticulously crafted recapitulation before the glorious coda. In this final section, he recalls the chorale – this time unleashing all the bottled energy to end the work in triumph.
©2007 Orpheus Music Prose & Craig Doolin
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