The
Classics
“First Stop:
Czech Republic”
October 3, 2009
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Elgar: Violin Concerto
Elissa Lee Koljonen: Soloist
Dvořák: Symphony No.7
Elgar’s Violin Concerto was his last work
to receive immediate popular acclaim.
Composed in 1909–10, and first performed
by the great Fritz Kreisler, this is a large-scale
composition —and one that has not been heard
in Reading for more than a decade. It has
been called Britain’s greatest contribution to
the Romantic violin concerto. While Dvořák
is best known for his Ninth Symphony (the
“New World” symphony), his other symphonic
works are just as entrancing. The Seventh
Symphony was composed eight years earlier
than the “New World,” but is a vastly different
work: a world removed, it reflects pressures
and stress in Dvořák’s European life—pressure
to have his operas accepted in Vienna, in
the original Czech, rather than German;
disagreements with his publisher; and reflections
of personal conflicts. While it’s deeply
melodic music, it shows a greater sense of
angst than the more ebullient “New World.”
“Port of Call:
New York!”
November 14, 2009
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Britten: Simple Symphony
Glass: Concerto Fantasy for Two
Timpanists and Orchestra
Steven Weiser and
Jonathan Haas, soloists
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Simple Symphony is a work for string orchestra,
composed by the twenty-one year old Britten and
based on themes he wrote as a child. This was
originally composed for a school orchestra,
though in the ensuing seventy-five years after
its premiere Simple Symphony has become a
favorite for major orchestras around the globe.
While we often associate New Yorker Phillip
Glass with minimalist compositions of exceptional
length and repetition, such as Einstein
on the Beach, he most recently has composed
more conventional (and melodic) works—
including the 2000 Concerto Fantasy for Two
Timpanists and Orchestra. The concert concludes
with one of the great early masterworks of the
Romantic era: Berlioz’ sprawling Symphonie
Fantastique. You’ll recognize many of the
sections of this programmatic work from
the movies and TV soundtracks—Berlioz
continues to be a musical inspiration.
“London Calling!”
January 23, 2010
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Finzi: Clarinet Concerto
Janine Thomas: Soloist
Suk: Serenade for Strings
We begin with an early work of Vaughan
Williams—one that helped make his reputation
as one of the 20th Century’s greatest composer.
The Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,
which was composed for the 1910 Three
Choirs Festival, uses the popular form of
variations on another composer’s theme.
Finzi was a British composer who has come
into increasing vogue since his early death
in 1956, noted primarily for this clarinet
concerto and his championing of early English
music. Several of his pupils, most notably
Julian Bream, went on to illustrious careers.
Suk’s 1892 Serenade for Strings ends the program
as it began—with a work of a youthful
composer, at the cusp of a brilliant career.
“A Spanish
Symphony”
March 6, 2010
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole
Christopher Collins Lee: Soloist
Sibelius: Symphony # 2
We begin with the raucous Berlioz Roman
Carnival Overture—a work taken from themes
in his opera Benvenuto Cellini. Berlioz had
a great affection for Italy; many of his works
reflect his study there. Lalo’s Symphonie
Espagnole is less a symphony than a violin
concerto, originally composed for the great
Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate. It
premiered a month after Bizet’s Carmen—
another Frenchman’s work featuring Spanish
musical styles. Sibelius’ Second Symphony
was composed in Italy in 1900; unlike the
Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture, though, it
doesn’t display any particular Italian influences
—it was originally thought to be a political
statement on Finnish independence, something
Sibelius vigorously disputed.
“German Dances”
April 10, 2010
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Bizet: Jeux d’Enfants
Poulenc: Concerto Champêtre for Harpsichord
Matthew Bengtson: Soloist
Beethoven: Symphony # 7
Bizet’s 1871 composition Jeux d’Enfants
(Children’s Games) was originally a suite for
two pianos, where each section of the twelvepart
suite focused on a particular children’s
toy or game. Poulenc’s Concerto Champêtre
for Harpsichord is a 1929 composition created
for the great harpsichordist Wanda Landowska.
She is considered the leading figure of the
harpsichord’s 20th century revival, just as
Andrés Segovia was credited with the revival
of classical guitar in the last century. To
conclude the program, Beethoven’s Seventh
Symphony, often called the “Dance” symphony
for its dance rhythms, returns to the RSO
stage after several seasons’ absence.
"A Russian in
Italy"
May 15, 2010
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien
Gershwin: An American in Paris
Respighi: Fountains of Rome
Elgar: Cockaigne, “In London Town”
Tchaikovsky’s 1880 Capriccio Italien was
inspired by the sights and sounds of a trip to
Rome. He originally thought of calling this the
Italian Fantasy, a melding of many different
impressions. In the next century Gershwin
took the view of an expatriate American
experiencing Paris. He incorporated the
sounds of Parisian street scenes, right down
to the bulb horns of 1920s Paris taxicabs!
Respighi’s Fountains of Rome is a 1916 work
that depicts four of Rome’s famed fountains at
different times of day. Today, it’s considered
part of Respighi’s “Roman Trilogy,” which
includes the Pines of Rome and Feste Romane.
To conclude this wide-ranging season, we
return to London with Elgar’s Cockaigne
Overture—a musical portrait of Edwardian
London. This is one of Elgar’s most acclaimed
works, performed often since its successful
1901 debut.
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