PROGRAM NOTES by Pam Davis, Assistant Concertmaster
Mikhail Glinka (1804 - 1857) Russlan and Ludmilla Overture (1842) For a young aristocrat, becoming a composer was not a viable option, and Glinka’s father insisted that he work in government bureaucracy. Following a trip to Italy, during which he immersed himself in musical culture, Glinka finally denied the resistance to becoming a composer. He is often referred to as the father of Russian music, because of his use of folk melodies and colorful orchestration. Even Tchaikovsky once suggested that Glinka created the acorn of the great oak tree of Russian music. Glinka wished to create an opera with his acquaintance, the great Russian poet, Pushkin, based on his narrative poem Russlan and Ludmilla. Pushkin’s death in a duel over his wife’s honor prevented him from collaborating with Glinka on the project! Enlisting five different librettists resulted in an incoherent rendition of the tale that received at best a lukewarm reception. The protagonists include the daughter of the Grand Duke of Kiev and her hero. But Ludmilla is abducted and cast into a deep sleep by the wizard Chernomor. After Russlan’s first attempt to rescue and awaken her is foiled by another kidnapping, Russlan ultimately succeeds armed with a magic ring. The overture, written between rehearsals of the opera, is a favorite curtain-raiser and is widely performed. Brisk tutti fortissimo chords introduce the violin, viola, and flute theme of brilliant scales. Woodwinds accompanied by pizzicato strings precede the statement of the second folk-like subject. The first theme is taken from the opera’s final scene of rejoicing. The contrasting lyric theme in the viola, cello, and bassoon is taken from Russlan’s second act aria. The subjects are developed and repeated until a rousing coda, which contains a short-lived reference to Chernomor in a descending trombone whole tone scale. But in the final bars a classic ‘happily ever after’ is confirmed. e WORLD EVENTS: premiere of Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, Ambrose Bierce is born, first concert of the New York Philharmonic e FIRST PERFORMANCE: December 9, 1842, St. Petersburg e MOST RECENT SSO PERFORMANCE: April 2014, Kyle Wiley Pickett conducting Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Opus 64 (1888) “It is possible that I have, as people say, written myself out, and that nothing remains but for me to repeat and imitate myself,” Tchaikovsky wrote of this 46
