Blossom Music Festival 2015 by Live Publishing

S U M M E R

H O M E

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THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTR A

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BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL P R E S E N T E D

saturday August 22

BACH, HAYDN, AND MOZART The Cleveland Orchestra Nicholas McGegan, conductor Mark Kosower, cello

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BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL

Saturday evening, August 22, 2015, at 8:00 p.m.

THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA N i c h o l a s M c G eG a N , conductor

johann sebastian bach (1685-1750)

f. joseph haydn (1732-1809)

suite No. 3 in D major, bwv1068 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Overture Air Gavotte I, Gavotte II Bourrée Gigue

cello concerto in c major, H.vIIb:1 1. Moderato 2. Adagio 3. Finale: Allegro molto Mark kosower, cello

inter mission johann christian bach (1735-1782)

wolfgang amadè mozart (1756-1791)

sinfonia in G minor, Opus 6 No. 6 1. Allegro 2. Andante 3. Allegro molto

symphony No. 31 (“Paris”) in D major, K297 1. Allegro assai 2. Andante 3. Finale: Allegro

This concert is sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. This concert is dedicated to Mr. and Mrs David A. Ruckman in recognition of their extraordinary generosity in support of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2014-15 Annual Fund. Media Partner: Northeast Ohio Media Group

The 2015 Blossom Music Festival is presented by The J.M. Smucker Company. The Cleveland Orchestra

Concert Program: August 22

Nicholas McGegan As he continues in his fourth decade on the podium, British conductor Nicholas McGegan is recognized for his exploration of music from all periods. He first led The Cleveland Orchestra in February 2007 at Severance Hall and, most recently before this weekend’s concerts, in July, 2013. Mr. McGegan has served as music director of San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra for twenty-nine years. He is also principal guest conductor of the Pasadena Symphony, and artist-in-association with Australia’s Adelaide Symphony. He was artistic director of the International Handel Festival 1991-2011. In recent years, he has also participated in residencies at the Juilliard School and Yale University, and has worked with dancer and choreographer Mark Morris. One of the few baroque specialists to regularly conduct major symphony orchestras, Nicholas McGegan’s North American appearances have included engagements with the orchestras of Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, St. Paul, and Toronto. He has also led concerts with the Göteborg Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Royal

Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Sydney Symphony. He has conducted operatic performances at Sweden’s Drottningholm Theater, London’s Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the Washington National Opera. Nicholas McGegan’s extensive discography comprises more than 100 recordings with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and other performing groups, including albums with the Göttingen Festival Opera and Orchestra and the Arcadian Academy. His world-premiere recording of Handel’s Susanna with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson earned a Gramophone Award. His recent albums for the Philharmonia Baroque Productions label include Brahms’s Serenades, Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été alongside Handel arias with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Haydn’s Symphonies Nos. 88, 101, and 104, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock, and Handel’s Atalanta. Born in England and educated at Cambridge and Oxford universities, Mr. McGegan’s honors include an honorary degree from London’s Royal College of Music, election as an honorary professor of philosophy at the Georg-August Universität Göttingen, and an honorary doctorate from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Among other awards, he was named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and has received the Hallé Handel Prize, Order of Merit of the State of Lower Saxony (Germany), and the Medal of Honor of the City of Göttingen. For further information, visit www.nicholasmcgegan.com. Conductor

Blossom Music Festival

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068 composed circa 1720s-1730s

T H I S G R E A T W O R K is traditionally designated as No. 3 of the

Johann Sebastian

BACH

born March 21, 1685 Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, Germany died July 28, 1750 Leipzig

At a Glance Exactly when Bach wrote each of his four orchestral suites has been subject to intense debate over the years. Dates for Suite No. 3 have ranged from as early as 1720 to the late 1730s. Nothing is known of its early performance history. This suite runs about 20 minutes in performance. Bach scored it for an orchestra of 2 oboes, bassoon, 3 trumpets, timpani, strings, and continuo (harpsichord on the bass line plus lower strings possibly reinforced with bassoon).

The Cleveland Orchestra

four orchestral suites. We call them “Suites,” but Bach called them “Ouvertures,” which is confusing when the same title also denotes the first movement. At all events, the movements of these orchestral suites are parallel to those of his keyboard suites (English Suites, French Suites, Partitas) in containing a series of French dances always constructed in two balanced halves, each of which is repeated. This work is thought to have originated in the 1730s, when Bach was pulling back from his commitment to music for the church and giving more of his precious time to running concerts in the city of Leipzig. Some of these concerts were promoted by purveyors of the latest craze, coffee. Bach’s group was a voluntary association of professional musicians and university students, who gave regular weekly concerts with public admission. This alone would have been a heavy commitment, for Bach remained in charge of the music at St. Thomas’s and a second church, St. Nicolai. But at least by this time he had a large reserve of cantatas and other music to draw on, so that he could devote his composing time to creating instrumental music. This D-major Suite makes brilliant use of three trumpets, in addition to the two oboes and drums that complement the usual strings. Trumpet playing was a highly specialized art in Bach’s time (as it still is); it used to be thought that Bach’s trumpeters died young, a belief that probably failed to recognize that life expectancy was not high for any adults at that time. Nonetheless, at least there were enough good trumpeters in Leipzig to allow Bach to write for them in this spectacular fashion. The opening movement is in the manner of a French overture, with dotted rhythms and little scalic upbeats, leading directly into a swift fugue led off by oboes and violins. The whole process is then repeated. The second-movement Air is one of Bach’s most celebrated tunes — although while basking in the superbly crafted melody we may not notice that the harmony (with strings alone) is full of tension and daring. The Gavotte brings back the wind players in a strongly Frenchified dance movement structured in the A–B–A pattern. The lively Bourrée is full of interjections from the trumpets and drums, as though they were not being allowed to play their full About the Music

part. The Suite closes with a Gigue, its melody typical of Bach in ranging high and low and darting about in unexpected rhythms. The major key and the sense of solid celebration make this one of Bach’s happiest works and a fitting opening to any concert and reminds us of his incomparable genius. —Hugh Macdonald © 2015

Cello Concerto in C major composed 1762-65

F. Joseph

HAYDN

born March 31, 1732 Rohrau, Austria died May 31, 1809 Vienna

O F T H E T H R E E G R E A T V I E N N E S E classical masters, Haydn — who otherwise had much less interest in the concerto than either Mozart or Beethoven — was the only one to write works for cello and orchestra. The most likely explanation is that, as Kapellmeister to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, Haydn worked closely with many excellent instrumentalists in the prince’s orchestra. Concertos were welcome additions to the programs of the twice-weekly musical “academies,” for which so many of Haydn’s symphonies were written. (It should be noted that many of Haydn’s symphonies from this period also contain extended, almost concerto-like, instrumental solos.) The Concerto in C major, the first of Haydn’s two cello concertos, was written about two decades before the once betterknown D-major work. For many years, the C-major work was thought to be lost — only its first two measures were known from the handwritten catalog Haydn had kept of his own works. Even more frustrating, the catalog contained not one but two nearly identical incipits (opening measures) for cello concertos in C major. In 1961, Czech scholar Oldrich Pulkert discovered a set of parts in Prague that corresponded to one of the two incipits. The concerto was published and immediately taken up by cellists everywhere. As for the other C-major catalog incipit, it may be a simple mistake (Haydn could well have notated the theme from memory and didn’t remember it exactly) or a discarded variant. On stylistic grounds, scholars have dated the C-major concerto from between 1762 and 1765; it is certainly an early work, from the first years of Haydn’s three-decade-long tenure with About the Music

2015 Blossom Festival

Prince Esterházy, from 1761 to 1790. It also belongs to the transitional period between Baroque and Classicism, whose greatest representative, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), had a strong influence on the young Haydn. The continuity of the rhythmic pulse and the numerous identical repeats of the first movement’s main theme are clear Baroque features, while the shape of the musical gestures points to the emergence of a new style that would later become known as Classicism or Classical. The original cello part shows that the soloist was expected to play along with the orchestra during tutti passages of the whole orchestra, helping to reinforce the bass line. The solo part itself is extremely demanding, with rapid passagework that frequently ascends to the instrument’s high register. The Adagio second movement, in which the winds are silent, calls for an exceptionally beautiful tone, and the last movement for uncommon brilliance and stamina. Surely the first cellist of Haydn’s orchestra, Joseph Weigl, must have been one of the outstanding players of his time. —Peter Laki © 2015

The Cleveland Orchestra

About the Music

At a Glance Haydn wrote his Cello Concerto in C major between 1762 and 1765. Performances were given during Haydn’s lifetime. The score was not published and, by sometime in the 19th century, no score or parts were known to have survived. In 1961, however, a set of parts was discovered in Prague, and the work quickly entered the standard repertory. This concerto runs about 25 minutes in performance. Haydn scored it for 2 oboes, 2 horns, and strings, plus solo cello. The Cleveland Orchestra first performed Haydn’s C-major Cello Concerto in March 1975 under the direction of Lorin Maazel with Mstislav Rostropovich as soloist. Prior to this weekend, Alan Gilbert led the most recent Severance Hall performances, with soloist Truls Mørk, in April 1997. The most recent Blossom performance was with soloist Johannes Moser under Franz Welser-Möst’s direction in July 2007.

Mark Kosower

Principal Cello Louis D. Beaumont Endowed Chair The Cleveland Orchestra

Described as “a virtuoso of staggering prowess” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mark Kosower is a consummate artist equally at home internationally as a recital and concerto soloist and, since 2010, as principal cello of The Cleveland Orchestra. As an orchestral principal, he was formerly solo cellist of the Bamberg Symphony in Germany (2006-10). The 2015-16 season features his performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with The Cleveland Orchestra alongside concertmaster William Preucil in Miami. Recent and upcoming solo engagements include appearances with the orchestras of Columbus, Dayton, Hawaii, Indianapolis, and San Jose. He also performed and recorded both of Victor Herbert’s cello concertos with Belfast’s Ulster Orchestra under the direction of JoAnn Falletta. Mr. Kosower is a frequent guest at international chamber music festivals, including Santa Fe, Eastern Music, North Shore Chamber Music, Japan’s Pacific Music Festival, and Colorado’s Strings Music Festival. In past seasons, he has appeared internationally as soloist with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, China National Symphony in Beijing, National

Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Venezuela, in addition to solo performances at the Châtelet in Paris, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. Other appearances as concerto soloist have included the orchestras of Detroit, Florida, Houston, Milwaukee, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Phoenix, Ravinia, Saint Paul, Seattle, and Virginia. Mr. Kosower has recorded for the Ambitus, Delos, Naxos International, and VAI labels, including as the first cellist to record the complete music for solo cello of Alberto Ginastera, which he completed for Naxos. He was described as a “powerful advocate of Ginastera’s art” by MusicWeb International, and Strings Magazine said of his Hungarian music album (also with Naxos) that “the music allows Kosower to showcase his stunning virtuosity, passionate intensity, and elegant phrasing.” A dedicated teacher, Mr. Kosower is currently a member of the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and also with the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. He has given masterclasses around the world. His previous posts include professor of cello and chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (2005-07). Born in Wisconsin, Mark Kosower began studying cello at the age of one-anda-half with his father, and later studied with Janos Starker at Indiana University and with Joel Krosnick at the Juilliard School. Mr. Kosower’s many accolades include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, a Sony Grant, and as grand prize winner of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition. Soloist

2015 Blossom Festival

Sinfonia in G minor, Opus 6 No. 6

flute. A dynamic sonata exposition soon gets underway; it is characteristic composed circathat 1765Dvořák “overshoots the mark” as he bypasses the expected secondary key, D major, in favor of a more remote, but even brighter-soundingJ BO major. development H A N N The CHR I S T I A N B A Csection H , the youngest of Johann Sebasworks up quite a storm, buttian’s it subsides when far theaway playful main sons, moved from his upbringing, both musically At a Glance theme returns, now playedand by the english hornEarly instead of the in geography. studies were with his father, but dad Dvořák Eighth flute (two octaves lower than before). Thewas recapitulation died when J.C. only 15 andends he was sent tocomposed live withhis— and Symphony between August with a short but very energetic learncoda. from — his older brother in Berlin. Carl Philipp Emanual and November 1889. It was The second movement begins with a simple Bach(Adagio) was twenty years J.C.’s senior and fian already well-estabrst performed on February string melody in darker tonal regions (E-flat major/C minor) that lished composer who was successfully bridging the transition 2, 1890, in Prague, under the composer’s direction. soon reaches bright C major,from where remains.era Theofmain theitBaroque theirtheme father’s world to the newer ClasDvořák spawns various episodes, insical turnera lyrical passionate. a (and justand being created inAfter sound art). was not satisfied with the low fee offered powerful climax, the movement The endstwo quietly. brothers failed to agree onfor matters both personal the symphony by his by The third movement (Allegretto is neither a advice, and musical. grazioso) And J.C., against Carl’s headed German publisher,south Simrock,to Johann Christian minuet nor a scherzo but an like the third and instead soldknown the work as try“intermezzo” his luck in Italy. There hemovebecame well-enough to Novello in London,where who BACHof Brahms’s First andanSecond ments Its off first tune opera Symphonies. composer to be ered a position in London, published the symphony in is a sweet and languid waltz; its second, functioning as a Trio Italian opera was all the rage. John Christian (he eventually born 1892 with a dedication to the (or middle section of three) sounds more like a Bohemian folk adopted the English form of his given name) wrote operas for September 5, 1735 Czech Academy of Science, Leipzig After the return of the King’s dance. waltz,Theater. Dvořák surprises us by a There he gained particular recognition Literature, and the Arts,from to which Dvořák been very section, in III which commentators King George and Queen Sophie Charlotte, who, had a homesick died fast (Molto vivace) coda elected musician. in 1890. have recognized one herself, of Dvořák’s earlier January 1, 1782 a theme from German hired J.C. asoperas. her household The symphony runs London But this section actually consistsAfter of exactly the same notesfrom as the separating himself King’s Theater, J.C. about 35 minutes in perforthe lilting Trio melody, onlyestablished in a faster tempo, stronger ac- in London a newwith concert series together with mance. Dvořák scored it for 2 flutes (second cents, and in duple instead composer of triple meter. It is interesting that, Carl Friedrich Abel. Throughout much ofdoubling the 1760s, piccolo), 2 oboes (second in the third movement of his Symphony, hadHouse theSecond Bach-Abel concertsBrahms at Carlisle in Soho Square were doubling english horn), transformed his Trio themethe in exactly the same way.in town, and afforded Bach access to most popular series 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 A resounding trumpet announces theday fourth thefanfare best musicians of the (and tomorrow — the3 tromyoung horns, 2 trumpets, movement (Allegro ma non troppo), a complex theme-and-variMozart met and studied with Bach during his fi rst London bones, tuba, timpani, and At a Glance strings. ations with a central episodejourney, that sounds at fi8). rst like contrasting at age Bach wrote this symphony Symmaterial but is in fact derived from main theme. Dvořák’s Forthe these Soho concerts, Bach wrote Dvořák’s a seriesEighth of symphosometime between 1762 and phony was introduced to form-building procedures have(or their antecedents in the last nies sinfonias) and helped promote music 1768, as part of a set of six Theinstrumental Cleveland Orchestra’s movements of Beethoven’s and Brahms’s Fourth,onbut toThird an artform very nearly parhewith repertoire opera inin London. sinfonias for his concert series in October 1938His London. Thethe first performance by Arturduring Rodzinski. Thetime, most fi lled out form with melodies unmistakably Czech flavor Opusof6an set of six symphonies was written this date is unknown. recent performances the and a joviality few composers atin thethe time possessed. The variaand 20th century helped reestablish J.C. Bach’sby repuThis symphony runs a Orchestra at Severance Hall tions diff er 15 inminutes character. Many areamong in the major mode, though of the early Classical era. tation the best practitioners little more than in were given in February 2007 the centralBach one, reminiscent a village band, is in the Heofwas a strong influence onminor. Mozart and a leading precursor performance. scored it for under the direction of Iván 2 oboes, 2 horns,isand strings.cheerful A The music always optimistic, yet ideas. it doesn’t lack Fischer. It was most recently forand many of Haydn’s bassoon probably alsoending played in seems toThe August grandeur. The be aSinfonia long time in Gcoming, minor iswith the onlyheard one at ofBlossom the setinin a miearly performances, reinforcing 2012, led by Jakub Hrůša. an almost interminable series of closing fi gures. When the last nor key. The three movements include a pleasing and lengthy the bass line. chord finally arrives, abruptan due to its and closing of much more middledelightfully Andante between opening The Cleveland Orchestrait is still sounds unusual metric placement. performing this symphony for animation and force. —Eric Sellen © 2015 —Peter Laki © 2015 the first time with this concert. Copyright © Musical Arts Association

Blossom Music Festival

About the MusicAbout the Music

Symphony No. 31 (“Paris”) in D major, K297 composed 1778

W H E N M O Z A R T W R O T E his Eine kleine Nachtmusik serenade,

Wolfgang Amadè

MOZART born January 27, 1756 Salzburg died December 5, 1791 Vienna

he was still enjoying a thriving career and bright reputation in Vienna. Less than a decade earlier, however, he was on the cusp of adulthood and without either satisfactory employment or prospects. And so, in the spring of 1778, the 22-year-old Mozart set forth from his native Salzburg with the goal of establishing a career in a leading musical center. After visits to several musically active German cities, he arrived in Paris in March. Unhappily, Mozart’s professional aspirations were everywhere thwarted. His hopes for a salaried post met only polite rebuffs, and he was unable to secure a commission for an opera or other large-scale work. In the face of such discouragement, Mozart’s creative energies flagged. Indeed, the whole period of his journey, over a year in all, produced only two significant compositions — the Sinfonia Concertante, K297b, for wind instruments, and the Symphony in D major, K297 (or 300a in the latest version of the Köchel catalogue of Mozart’s output). Mozart completed the latter work in June of 1778, and it was played on a program of Paris’s famed Concerts spirituels scarcely a week later. The symphony received only a single rehearsal, and we know from a letter Mozart wrote to his father that he was rather apprehensive about the quality of the performance. He declared that if the orchestra played the work as badly as it had in rehearsal that he would seize the concertmaster’s violin and lead the proceedings himself. In the event, it proved unnecessary to carry out that drastic plan. The work was extremely well received, its success reflecting Mozart’s savvy ability to fulfill the expectations of his listeners. This last point deserves further explanation. In creating his “Paris” symphony, Mozart faced challenges and opportunities he had not yet encountered as a symphonist. The Concerts spirituels boasted what was at the time an unusually large and accomplished orchestra, and composers writing for it were expected to show it off to best advantage. Well aware of this, Mozart responded with the requisite runs, leaps, and other passagework for the strings; with sustained wind sonorities; and with the premier coup d’archet [“bow stroke”], an opening uniAbout the Music

2015 Blossom Festival

son passage for the full orchestra designed to demonstrate its power and precision. This initial gesture, with its rocketing scale figure, frames the symphony’s long opening subject. More than this, it recurs throughout the first movement and generally establishes the tone of this portion of the composition. Although Mozart soon turns to more supple subsidiary themes, the feeling of splendor and brilliance imparted by the initial figure dominates the movement. In contrast with this robust opening, the ensuing secondmovement Andante (originally marked Andantino) is gently gracious. Remarkably, this movement failed to please Joseph le Gros, director of the Concerts spirituels, who ordered Mozart to write another in its place. The composer obediently did so, but his original effort is restored to its proper place in the score in most performances today. In beginning the third-movement finale, Mozart toyed with the expectation of another coup d’archet. Knowing that the Parisians anticipated a strong unison tutti, he opened with a quiet passage for violins alone. “So the audience all said ‘Sssh’ during the piano [‘soft’], as I expected,” he reported in a letter to his father; “then came the forte, and they all applauded.” If this first theme shows Mozart’s wit, the second reveals his skill. Given out in a series of overlapping fugal entrances, it is developed through further contrapuntal echoes during the course of the movement. —Paul Schiavo © 2015

At a Glance Mozart composed this symphony in 1778 and attended its first performance on June 18 of that year, in Paris. This symphony runs a little more than 15 minutes in performance. Mozart scored it for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 2 horns, timpani, and strings. The Cleveland Orchestra has performed this symphony only rarely, first presenting it in November 1963 under the direction of Michael Charry. It was most recently performed, led by Ton Koopman, in May 2012.

FAMILY PORTRAIT A later engraving based on a favorite Mozart family portrait painted in 1780-81. Wolfgang and his sister, Nannerl, are sitting at the fortepiano, father Leopold stands with his violin, and mother Anna (who died in 1778) is represented in the portrait on the wall.

Blossom Festival 2015

About the Music

5470

Blossom Music Center opened on July 19, 1968, with a concert that featured Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the direction of George Szell.

20%

OVE R

B LO S S O M M U SIC CENTER

1968

SEATS

and under

The portion of young people at Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Blossom has increased to 20% over the past five years, via an array of programs funded through the Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences for students and families.

Blossom’s Pavilion, designed by Cleveland architect Peter van Dijk, can seat 5,470 people, including positions for wheelchair seating. (Another 13,500 can sit on the Lawn.) The Pavilion is famed for the clarity of its acoustics and for its distinctive design.

BY THE NUMBERS

19 million ADMISSIONS

Blossom Music Center has welcomed more than 19,000,000 people to concerts and events since 1968 — including the Orchestra’s annual Festival concerts, plus special attractions featuring rock, country, jazz, and other popular acts.

1,000+

The Cleveland Orchestra has performed just over 1,000 concerts at Blossom since 1968. The 1000th performance took place during the summer of 2014.

1250 tons of steel

12,000 cubic yards concrete 4 acres of sodded lawn

The creation of Blossom in 1966-68 was a major construction project involving many hands and much material, made possible by many generous donors.

Blossom’s 50th Anniversary Season in 2018 will bring to a close the Orchestra’s 100th Season celebrations during 2017-18, and mark the beginning of The Cleveland Orchestra’s second century serving Northeast Ohio.

2018