Concerts - September 2008

A Star Shines in Autumn

  • September 27, 2008 - Cascade Theatre, Redding, 7:30 pm
  • September 28, 2008 - Laxson Auditorium, Chico, 2:00 pm

Jon Nakamatsu, California’s own Van Cliburn Award-winning pianist plays the passionate Third Concerto of Rachmaninoff, an all-time audience favorite. Music Director Kyle Wiley Pickett leads the orchestra in the mellow and profound Brahms Third Symphony, and a rousing salute to the season from Autumn by Glazunov.

Conductor Kyle Wiley Pickett will give a free pre-concert talk one hour before the concerts begin.

Visit Jon Nakamatsu's website

 

Glazunov – Bacchanale from Autumn (The Seasons)

Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936) was a student and friend of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who proclaimed Glazunov a prodigy whose ability prgressed ‘not by the day but by the hour.’  Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Wagner also became major influences on Glazunov’s composition and orchestration. Glazunov is credited with  a synthesis of Russian and European musical traditions in a time of great political unrest. Between 1905 and 1920, as Russia was wracked by a series of revolutions, there were student demonstrations and  internal issues at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. During this time of transition and turmoil, Glazunov became  professor and then Director of the Conservatory. As Director, he took excellent care of his students and put their needs before his own; on many occasions he would personally go to the Russian government to plead the cases of his students.

A pianist and composer, Glazunov also loved to conduct. Though never considered an outstanding conductor, he frequently conducted his own compositions throughout Europe and was notorious for a disaster while conducting  Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1. Some of Glazunov’s difficulty in mastering conducting may have been due to his struggle with alcoholism, as he was known to steal drinks through a tube while teaching private lessons.

The Seasons (1899), a one act ballet, brought Glazunov huge success. Characteristic changes in the timbre of the instruments provide the sights and sounds of each season in the work.
The Bacchanale from the ballet is particularly notable, and has been frequently described as “exhilarating.” The bacchanale (an “orgy of riotous dancing or singing in honor of Bacchus, the Greek and Roman god of wine)” begins Autumn; then the rest of the seasons dance, reminiscing about the year. Summer dances before the return to the Bacchanale and tumbling autumn leaves. The influence of Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral mastery and Tchaikovsky’s lyricism can be felt through the music.

 

Brahms - Symphony No. 3, op. 90, F major

Although Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) commenced his study of music at a young age and frequently performed in public, he did not share his own early compositions easily. Brahms studied the piano, cello, and horn and made his debut solo performance on piano at age 10. Performing both popular and folk music, Brahms developed his own style that incorporated both, as well as influences of Bach and Beethoven. His unassuming, reserved personality affected Brahms’ ability to share his music; once he destroyed the first movement of a recently composed piano trio, after presenting it to friends, due to this intense self-scrutiny. He continued to compose, but it was not until relatively late in life that Brahms’ self-confidence allowed him to compose four Symphonies.

Symphony No. 3, op.90 in F major was composed between 1882 and 1883, during a decade that produced a great number of Brahms’ best known works. At this time, Brahms was extensively touring Europe, performing his own piano concertos and appearing as a guest conductor.

The Symphony No. 3 is the shortest and clearest, and yet has the most subtle harmonies of his symphonies, including contrast between F major and more complex chromatic harmonies at the beginning of the work. Momentum throughout the first movement is frequently pressed forward by the bass, leading to an extended coda that ends in a quiet manner, unusual for symphonies during this time. The quiet ending of the first movement leads to second and third movements of an intimate character. Folk-like themes and harmonies are evident throughout the second movement, while the third movement is more romantic compared to the usual scherzo.

The final movement begins with a very somber melody, then progresses as themes and ideas reminiscent of earlier movements shine through new developments. As the work returns to the key of F major, the struggle from the beginning passes, tension subsides and the listener is left with a feeling of calm, yet solid, triumph.

 

Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 3, op. 30, D minor

Known for his lyrical qualities, rich orchestral colors, and expressive breadth, Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was one of the finest pianists and composers of his time; an outstanding representation of late Russian Romanticism. Although certainly indebted to Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff brought forth his own distinct style especially in his piano concertos.

Rachmaninoff had a tumultuous childhood in a family struggling financially. His father squandered the family fortune, and a battle with diphtheria took his sister Sofiya’s life. Rachmaninoff took piano lessons from his mother, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and later had the opportunity to study at the conservatory himself. The strain on the family caused his parents to separate, which in turn affected Rachmaninoff’s studies and nearly resulted in a lost scholarship. Rachmaninoff then transferred to the Conservatory in Moscow where he completed his studies. Rachmaninoff was not originally supported by his instructors in his desire to compose, and had to persevere, sharing a noisy flat with other practicing musicians. When he retreated to the country, his compositions blossomed. His first substantial piece, Symphony No. 1, was performed in 1897, conducted by Glazunov. The performance was a disaster as a result of the poor conducting. Rachmaninoff was highly critical and mildy depressed, and disappeared from the public music scene for a time.

After slowly building up confidence following his marriage to Natal’ya and the birth of their two daughters, Rachmaninoff composed his Third Piano Concerto. It debuted in 1909 in New York during his first American tour, with Rachmaninoff himself as the soloist. Unable to practice the piece in Russia due to time constraints, he practiced on a silent keyboard on board ship across the Atlantic Ocean.

The piece is one of the most difficult and technically demanding works in the piano repertoire, with a kind of affable interaction between the piano and the orchestra throughout the work. 

Due to the melodious and romantic nature, Piano Concerto No. 3 as well as other Rachmaninoff works continue to gain popularity and have been used in a number of different motion pictures over the years.

~ Program notes by Lauren Sharkey