ABOUT THE WORKS
17 + 18 APR
SYMPHONIC POEM NO. 3, S. 97 (LES PRÉLUDES) Franz Liszt (1811 to 1886) In addition to serving as the 19th century’s reigning virtuoso pianist (the title was frequently challenged but never surrendered), Liszt made major contributions to the art of composition. None has been more influential than the creation of the symphonic poem. Drawing upon centuries-old practices of descriptive or programme music (such as Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6), this free-form type of orchestral music draws inspiration from such extra-musical sources as literature, painting, geography, and philosophy. Countless composers followed Liszt’s example in this field, Richard Strauss and Jean Sibelius perhaps most successfully. Les préludes (The Preludes) is the third and most frequently performed of Liszt’s 13 symphonic poems. Its musical origins lie in an overture that he composed in 1848, to introduce a choral setting of The Four Elements, verses by the French poet Joseph Autran. Six years later, he recast it as a symphonic poem. His quest for an appropriate programme for this second incarnation ended with a typical Romantic poem, Alphonse Lammartine’s Les préludes. Liszt’s composition closely matched its darkness-to-light emotional progress.
Friday 17 April 2020 / 7:30PM Saturday 18 April 2020 / 7:30PM Jack Singer Concert Hall Masterworks
Pictures at an Exhibition SPONSORS + SUPPORTERS Guest Artist Supporter: Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Programme Series Sponsor: United Active Living
PROGRAMME Kahchun Wong, conductor Maximilian Hornung, cello 16'
30'
Intermission
20'
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel) Promenade I. Gnomus (The Gnome) II. Il Vecchio castello (The Old Castle) III. Tuileries IV. Bydlo (Polish Oxcart) V. Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells VI. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle VII. Limoges (The Market Place) VIII. Catacombs IX. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga) X. The Great Gate of Kiev
35'
Programme and artists subject to change without notice
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CELLO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 107 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 to 1975) Like so many Soviet/Russian cello works, Shostakovich’s two cello concertos were inspired by and dedicated to the eminent soloist, Mstislav Rostropovich. Shostakovich knew that Rostropovich wished dearly to receive a concerto from him, but the composer’s wife warned the soloist never to mention it; she knew it would appear only when the time was right. That time proved to be the summer of 1959. Rostropovich recalled that “When I learned that Shostakovich
Marco Borggreve
Symphonic Poem No. 3, S. 97 (Les préludes)
Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major, Op.107 I. Allegretto II. Moderato III. Cadenza IV. Allegro con moto
Concert photo
Liszt
