ProgrammeNotes GrandFinale Fri9June2023 •20.15 Sun11June2023 •14.15
PROGRAMME
conductor LahavShani piano Seong-JinCho
AaronCopland 1900-1990 FanfarefortheCommonMan (1942)
MauriceRavel 1875-1937
PianoConcertoinGMajor (1929–1931)
•Allegramente
•Adagioassai
•Presto intermission
PjotrIljitsjTsaikovski 1840-1893 SymphonyNo.6inbMinor,Op.74 ‘Pathétique’(1893)
•Adagio-Allegronontroppo
•Allegrocongrazia
•Allegromoltovivace
•Adagiolamentoso
Concertendsataround 22.20/16.20
Mostrecentperformancesbyour orchestra:
CoplandFanfarefortheCommon Man:May2001,conductor
GianandreaNoseda RavelPianoConcerto:Feb
2022,pianoMarthaArgerich, conductorLahavShani
TchaikovskySymphonieNo.6:Sep 2021,conductorValeryGergiev
Onehourbeforethestartofthe concert,WimRuitenbeekand GalahadSamsonwillgivean introduction(inDutch)tothe programme,admission€5.Tickets areavailableatthehall,payment bydebitcard.Theintroductionis freeforVrienden.
Cover:Tuileries,Paris.
PhotoLucaDugaro
AaronCoplandbehindthemicrophoneatWQXRRadio, NewYork1942.PhotoHaroldStein.
Thegreat connector
AaronCoplandis regardedasoneofthe godfathersofAmerican music.Hewasableto becomesobecause hisparentshadlefttheir EasternEuropean birthplaceattheendofthe nineteenthcentury tobuildanewlifeinNew York.Iftheywouldnot havemadethisjourney, thentheirson–had hestillbecomeacomposer –wouldprobably havefollowedinthetradition ofTchaikovsky.
Fromtheson ofimmigrants to leading Americancomposer: thecareer ofAaronCoplandis synonymouswith theAmerican Dream. Adreamscapewas also theinspirationforCopland’s Fanfarefor theCommonMan composedin1942.Thatvision hadbeenputinto wordsby US VicePresidentHenryWallacein aground-breakingspeech.‘The centurywhich willcome outof thiswarcanbeandmustbethe century ofthe commonman’ proclaimedWallace–expressly referring tothe commonman inGermanyand theUSSR. Bold language.
Wallace’sspeechaboutthe commonmanresonatedwith theidealistic Copland, whowas alltooeagertosweepconcert musiccleanof its elitist image.
Herespondedwithashort and powerfulpiece forbrass thatwas impossibletoignore.Thetimpani beatandopenchordshavean almostritualisticsound, andit quicklyacquired thestatusof anunofficialAmericannational anthem:itisplayed againand again atnational memorialdays andbigtelevisedevents.Andit foundits wayintopop music: ina coverversion byEmerson, LakeandPalmer, andas the inspirationbehindQueen’s We WillRockYou.
Divertissement
MusicastheGreatConnector, that'salsocharacteristicof MauriceRavel’s PianoConcerto inGMajor.Ravelabsorbedwildly differentmusiccultures,fromthe Viennesewaltzandgypsymusic,to
thesoundsofAsia,andjazz. Furthermore,hisorchestration skillswereheavilyinfluencedby theRussianmasterorchestrator NikolaiRimsky-Korsakov. ThePianoConcertoinGopens withaBasque-likefiddletune(a hinttohismother’shomeland); itthenmovesseamlesslyintoa flamenco-likemotifforpianoand jazz-themedhornparts. Evenmoreastonishingisthe stylisticsummersaultinthe middlemovement:Ravel modelledthisontheLarghettoof Mozart’s ClarinetQuintet,an angelicmelodysoaringabovea gentlerockingaccompaniment. Withlessercomposers,such ‘channelhopping’stylewould haveresultedinanincoherent mush;butwithRavelitbecomes anirresistiblecocktail. Thereisastrict,ultra-classical formthatkeepseverythingunder control–barelynoticeable thankstoallthecolourand sparkle.Aconcerto,thought Ravel,mustaboveallbelightfootedandbrilliant.Hehad initiallywantedtonamethe piece Divertissement -alightheartedmusicaldiversion,in otherwords.Andlight-heartedit certainlyis:notonlythanksto thealmostacrobaticfeatsofthe pianist,butalsodowntothebig-
bandlikeroleoftheorchestra, withstarturns
Fromcradletograve Originally,theclassical symphonywas anything but for‘thecommonman’. Mozart,Haydn,and their contemporariescomposedthem fortheentertainment oftheir noblepatrons.Butthischanged around1800,whenconcerts becamepublicevents;and the natureof thesymphonychanged asaresult.ThoseofBeethoven embodiedsocietyandthe humanspirit.AndTchaikovsky developed thesymphonyinto anepic workwithastrongly autobiographicalelement. Theseworksfollowed,likea seismograph,thecomposer’s intenseemotionallife, although herarely, ifever,disclosedany preciseautobiographicaldetails. Noneof Tchaikovsky’s symphoniesareasemotionally chargedashis Sixth.The desolate,dissipatingfinal movementcreatedsurprise–hissymphoniesusuallyended withenergyand ingreat spirits – andthe suddendeath ofthe composershortlyafterits premièregaverisetoastorm ofspeculation.Thecomposer
himselfhadhelpedwhipupthis storm. Afew monthsearlierhe hadhintedthathe wasworking onarequiem;hetold others thathis newsymphonyhad an underlying‘programme’that hedidnotwishto specify. Some suspectedthathehad foreseen hisdemise;othersthathehad committedsuicide,orhad evenbeen sentencedto death byasecret tribunalforbeing homosexual.
Now,asoberingcenturylater, thereisnovalid reasonto doubt theofficialcauseofdeath: Tchaikovskyhadabsentmindedlydrunka glassof unboiledwaterduring acholera epidemicandsuccumbed. But thatmakeshis musicnoless beautiful, andtheintensedrama ofthesymphony sprangin part fromthe composer’s one-sided infatuation withhis nephew, hisjunior bythirty years. Butnobody inhis closecircle couldaccuse himoffatalism. Infact, hewasfull ofplans for newcompositions.Sowhere, then,didthatmelancholy finalmovementcomefrom?It wasprobablytheresult ofthe programmefor thesymphony he hadfromthe outset: aworkthat hewouldname‘Life!’andthat wouldleadthe listenerthrough allstagesoflife:fromcradle to grave.Apaththatall ofus follow, whetherwearea composerora CommonMan.
Tchaikovsky’ssymphoniesfollowed, likeaseismograph,thecomposer’s intenseemotionallife
MichielCleij
LahavShanichiefconductor
Born: TelAviv,Israel
Currentposition: chiefconductorRotterdam
PhilharmonicOrchestra;musicdirectorIsrael PhilharmonicOrchestra
Before: principalguestconductorViennaSymphony Orchestrafrom2017to2020
Education: pianoattheBuchmann-MehtaSchool ofMusicTelAviv;conductingandpianoatthe AcademyofMusicHannsEislerBerlin;mentor: DanielBarenboim
Breakthrough: 2013,afterwinningtheGustav MahlerInternationalConductingCompetitionin Bamberg
Subsequently: StaatskapelleBerlin,BerlinState Opera,ViennaPhilharmonicOrchestra,Bavarian RadioSymphonyOrchestra,StaatskapelleDresden, ZurichTonhalleOrchestra,BerlinRadioSymphony Orchestra,PhilharmoniaOrchestra,Philadelphia Orchestra,PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra,Seoul PhilharmonicOrchestra,RoyalConcertgebouw Orchestra
DebutRotterdamPhilharmonic: 2016
Seong-JinChopiano
Born: Seoul,South-Korea
Education: firstpianolessonsatagesix,study withMichelBéroffattheConservatoireNational Supérieur,Paris,andunderthementorshipof AlfredBrendel
Awards: HamamatsuInternationalPiano Competition2009(asyoungestwinnerever), InternationalTchaikovskyCompetition,2011
Breakthrough: 2015:firstprizeintheInternational ChopinCompetition,Warsaw,exclusivecontract withDeutscheGrammophon
Solo-appearances: BerlinPhilharmonic,London SymphonyOrchestra,MunichPhilharmonic, DeutschesSymphonie-OrchesterBerlin,Orchestre deParis,PhiladelphiaOrchestra,LosAngeles Philharmonic,MariinskyOrchestra
Solorecitals: CarnegieHallNewYork,Philharmonie Berlijn,ConcertgebouwAmsterdam,SuntoryHall Tokyo,festivalsofLaRoqued’Anthéron,Verbier, Gstaad
DebutRotterdamPhilharmonic: 2021
Foto:MarcoBorggreve
Photo:ChristophKobl
Agenda
Fri8September2023•20.15
conductor ManojKamps
soprano KatherineDain
voice DiamandaLaBergeDramm
VanVeldhuizen undeimberetignes
Debussy Préludeàl’aprês-midid’un
faune
Debussy FromNocturnes:Fêtes
Björk Songs
Sondheim Songs
Fri15September2023•20.30
conductorTarmoPeltokoski
violin SimoneLamsma
HermannVertigo:Suite
KorngoldViolinConcerto
Williams StarWars:Suite
Sun17September2023•14.15
conductorTarmoPeltokoski
violin SimoneLamsma
Hermann Vertigo:Suite
KorngoldViolinConcerto
WagnerTannhäuser:Overtureand
VenusbergMusic
KodályDancesofGalánta
Thu28September2023•20.15
Fri29September2023•20.15
conductor LahavShani
piano MarthaArgerich
Gardiner EveningSong(arr.Shani)
StravinskySymphonyofPsalms
Shostakovich PianoConcertoNo.1
ProkofievRomeoandJuliet(selection)
Fri13October2023•20.15
conductor FinneganDownieDear
violinClara-JumiKang
Adès TheExterminatingAngel
Symphony
BrittenViolinConcerto
Mussorgsky PicturesatanExhibition
ChiefConductor
LahavShani
Honorary Conductor
Musicians
Viola
AnneHuser
RomanSpitzer
GalahadSamson
KerstinBonk
Clarinet
JulienHervé
BrunoBonansea
YannickNézet-Séguin
Principal Assistent
Conductor
BertieBaigent
FirstViolin
MariekeBlankestijn, leader
QuirineScheffers
HedYaronMeyerson
SaskiaOtto
ArnoBons
MireillevanderWart
CorvanderLinden
RachelBrowne
MariaDingjan
Marie-JoséSchrijner
NoëmiBodden
PetraVisser
SophiaTorrenga
HadewijchHofland
AnnerienStuker
Alexandravan
Beveren
KoenStapert
SecondViolin
CharlottePotgieter
CeciliaZiano
FrankdeGroot
LaurensvanVliet
TomokoHara
ElinaStaphorsius
JunYiDou
BobBruyn
LetiziaSciarone
EefjeHabraken
MaijaReinikainen
WimRuitenbeek
BabettevandenBerg
MelanieBroers
LexPrummel
JanineBaller
FrancisSaunders
VeronikaLénártová
RosalindeKluck
LeónvandenBerg
OlfjevanderKlein
Cello
EmanueleSilvestri
EugeneLifschitz
JoannaPachucka
DanielPetrovitsch
MarioRio
GévanLeeuwen
EelcoBeinema
CarlaSchrijner
PepijnMeeuws
Yi-TingFang
DoubleBass
MatthewMidgley
YingLaiGreen
JonathanFocquaert
RobertFranenberg
HarkeWiersma
ArjenLeendertz
RicardoNeto
Flute
JulietteHurel
JoséphineOlech
DésiréeWoudenberg
Flute/Piccolo
BeatrizDaBaião
Oboe
RemcodeVries
KarelSchoofs
AnjavanderMaten
Oboe/CorAnglais
RonTijhuis
Clarinet/ BassClarinet
Romke-JanWijmenga
Bassoon
PieterNuytten
LolaDescours
MariannePrommel
Bassoon/ Contrabassoon
HansWisse
Horn
DavidFernández
Alonso
WendyLeliveld
RichardSpeetjens
LaurensOtto
PierreBuizer
Trumpet
AlexElia
SimonWierenga
JosVerspagen
Trombone
PierreVolders
AlexanderVerbeek
RemkodeJager
BassTrombone
RommertGroenhof
Tuba
Hendrik-JanRenes
Timpani
DannyvandeWal
Percussion
RonaldEnt
MartijnBoom
AdriaanFeyaerts
Harp
CharlotteSprenkels
