Program Notes

RICHARD WAGNER

born: May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany died: February 13, 1883 in Venice, Italy

Siegfried Idyll

WWV 103

composed: 1870 premiere: Christmas Day, 1870 in Lucerne

In the summer of 1864, Richard Wagner began an affair with Cosima von Bülow— the daughter of Franz Liszt, and wife of conductor and pianist Hans von Bülow. Richard and Cosima’s first child, Isolde, was born in 1865. Richard and Cosima later moved to a villa in Tribschen at Lake Lucerne., where their second daughter, Eva, was born in 1867. The birth of Richard and Cosima’s son, Siegfried, took place two years later.

After von Bülow agreed to divorce Cosima, she and Wagner finally married in August 1870. That November, Wagner composed a special musical birthday gift for his wife, one that also served to commemorate the birth of Siegfried, whom the couple nicknamed “Fidi.”

Cosima Wagner’s birthday was December 24. On Christmas morning, 1870, Richard Wagner presented his special gift. In her diary, Cosima described the magical event:

I can give you no idea, my children, about this day, nor about my feelings. I shall only tell you quite barely what happened: As I awoke, my ear caught a sound, which swelled fuller and fuller; no longer could I imagine myself to be dreaming; music was sounding, and such music! When it died away, Richard came into my room with the children and offered me the score of the symphonic birthday poem. I was in tears, but so was all the rest of the household. Richard had arranged his orchestra on the staircase, and thus our Triebschen was consecrated forever...After lunch the orchestra came into our house downstairs, and now the Idyll was heard once again, to the profound emotion of us all.

Wagner originally entitled this work Triebschener Idyll, with Fidi’s Birdsong and Orange Sunrise, as a Symphonic Birthday Greeting from Richard to Cosima. Wagner never intended this composition to be made public. Later, however, during a period of severe financial duress, Wagner agreed to the score’s publication, with the title Siegfried Idyll.

In Siegfried Idyll, Wagner incorporates several melodic themes that also appear in his epic cycle of heroic operas, The Ring of the Nibelung. But in the Siegfried Idyll, the themes are part of an instrumental work of extraordinary tenderness, introspection, and beauty. As such, Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll provides another, and most valuable window to the artistry of one of opera’s most revolutionary composers.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

born: January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria died: December 5, 1791 in Vienna, Austria

Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major

K. 219, “Turkish”

composed: 1775 premiere: December 1775 in Salzburg

In addition to his prowess as a keyboard artist, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a highly accomplished violinist. During his early tours of Europe, Mozart astonished audiences with his command of both instruments. Mozart’s father, Leopold, himself a fine violinist, once told his son, “You don’t realize yourself how well you play the violin when you are on your mettle and perform with confidence, spirit and fire.”

In 1775, Mozart authored his five Violin Concertos. It is not entirely certain whether Mozart composed these Concertos specifically for his own use, or for the Italian violinist Antonio Brunetti, a prominent Salzburg Court musician. We do know that Mozart played his Violin Concertos at public concerts. Without question, the Concertos were intended to display the technical fluency and pure, singing tone that were hallmarks of Mozart’s violin artistry.

Mozart’s final Concerto for Violin and Orchestra is considered the richest and most innovative of the five — a testament to his rapid development as a composer. The brilliance of this work makes one regret all the more that, although Mozart lived another sixteen years, this Concerto proved to be his last.

The Concerto is in three movements. The first (Allegro aperto), while in traditional sonata form, offers many inventive touches that vary the basic structure. The ascending motif, introduced at the outset by the first violins, turns out not to be the main theme, but merely its accompaniment. The soloist enters with a reflective Adagio episode before launching into a lively presentation of the various themes. The brief development journeys into the minor, but the recapitulation and solo cadenza recapture the high spirits with which the movement began. The slow-tempo second movement (Adagio) is based upon an extended, graceful melody introduced by the violins and then repeated, to sighing accompaniment, by the soloist. A melancholy episode provides contrast prior to the reprise of the Adagio’s opening portion, the soloist’s cadenza, and the ensemble’s final bars. The rondo finale (Rondeau. Tempo di Menuetto) begins with the soloist’s presentation of the principal theme, an elegant minuet. The theme returns throughout, alternating with spirited, contrasting episodes. Most striking is a lengthy Allegro set in duple meter that makes use of the percussive “Turkish” effects popular in Mozart’s day. A return to the principal minuet leads the work’s conclusion; a series of five ascending notes.

JOHANNES BRAHMS

born: May 7, 1833 in Hamburg, Germany died: April 3, 1897 in Vienna, Austria

Serenade No. 2 in A major

Op. 16

composed: 1859 premiere: February 1860 in Hamburg

For years, Johannes Brahms resisted calls to compose a symphony. In 1870, the German composer insisted to conductor Hermann Levi: “I shall never write a symphony. You have no idea how the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him beside us.” Here, Brahms referred to the shadow cast by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and his trailblazing Nine Symphonies. In fact, it was not until 1876 that Brahms, then in his 40s, summoned the courage to complete the First of his great Four Symphonies.

But prior to the First Symphony, Brahms did compose successfully for orchestra. In 1858 and 1859, Brahms produced two charming Serenades for Orchestra — Opus 11 in D and Opus 16 in A. The First Piano Concerto was published in its final form in 1861. And, in 1873, Brahms composed his superb Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn.

It appears that Brahms began work on the A Major Serenade in 1858. In December of that year, Brahms forwarded the work’s opening movement to his dear friend, Clara Schumann (widow of Robert Schumann, and an eminent pianist and composer in her own right). Clara responded: “The beginning has charm and must sound well. The second theme is in good contrast with the first…In short it compares favorably with the impression made by the D major Serenade, but the working out is far more successful. Are there any more movements?”

Several months elapsed before Brahms sent more of the Second Serenade to Clara. On September 13, 1859 (her birthday), he shared the second-movement Scherzo and third-movement Adagio. Clara Schumann was ecstatic:

What shall I say about the Adagio?…I cannot find the words to express the joy it has given me and yet you want me to write at length! It is difficult for me to analyze what I feel; it impels me to something which gives me pleasure, as though I were to gaze at each filament of a wondrous flower! It is most beautiful!…The whole movement has a spiritual atmosphere; it might almost be a (Kyrie) Eleison. Dear Johannes, you must know that I can feel it better than express it in words.

Brahms completed the Serenade No. 2 in the autumn of 1859. The premiere took place in Hamburg on February 10, 1860, with the composer leading the Hamburg Philharmonic. A few months later, Brahms arranged the work for piano duet. As he told his friend, the eminent violinist Joseph Joachim: “Don’t laugh! It gave me extreme pleasure. I have seldom written music with greater delight; it seemed to sound so beautiful that I was overjoyed.” In 1875, Brahms penned final revisions to the orchestral score.

The winds in the Brahms A Major Serenade comprise pairs of flutes (as well as a piccolo in the finale), oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns. The prominence of the winds is accentuated by the omission of the string section’s violins. The lack of the highest string instrument also imparts an autumnal hue to one of the more charming works of Brahms’s early years.

The Serenade is in five movements. The first (Allegro moderato), in sonata form, is based upon two themes. The winds immediately sing the enchanting opening theme. A series of triplets finally resolves to the dotted-rhythm second theme — introduced by the clarinets, and marked dolce. The lively spirit and forceful rhythms of the second movement Scherzo (Vivace) are in the character of a vigorous country dance. The slowtempo third movement (Adagio non troppo) juxtaposes somber and more pastoral episodes. A relaxed and graceful mood pervades the third movement (Quasi Menuetto), suggesting, but not quite replicating, the courtly triple meter dance of Haydn and Mozart’s time. After a brief, ascending introduction by the ensemble, the clarinets sing the finale’s (Rondo: Allegro) jaunty recurring melody. The lighthearted mood of the finale (a marked contrast to the preceding two movements) is enhanced by the addition of a piccolo. The finale proceeds headlong to an ebullient close.

Brahms was in no mood for comparisons of his First Symphony to those by Beethoven. When a friend suggested that the theme of the finale of the Brahms First bore a resemblance to the “Ode To Joy” in the Beethoven Ninth, Brahms responded, “Any ass can see that!”

Pianist, composer, and teacher Clara Schumann (1819-1896) was, along with her husband Robert, an early champion of Brahms’s music and a lifelong friend. She was the first to perform many of his works in public.