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楽曲解説 / Program Notes

I. AllegroII. AndanteIII. Rondo-Allegro

Nearing theendof theEuropeanTourthat had takenhim toMannheimandMunich,Mozart arrived inParis in thespringof1778wherehecontinued tolook foradditionalworkopportunities.It was during this time that sinfonia concertante had come to the fore inthesecities,whereaworkwouldfeaturetwoormore solo instrumentswith theorchestra.So itwasnot surprising thatMozartwould attempt to compose anumberofworks in this genreusingavarietyof instruments.Althoughsomeofthesewouldnotcome tobepublishedorperformed, twodouble-concertiwerecompleteduponhis return toSalzburg.These includedtheSinfoniaConcertanteforViolinandViola inE-flat (K.364),aswell as theworkbeingperformed forthisconcertseries, theConcerto forTwoPianos(alsoinE-flat).

AlthoughitisnotknownexactlywhenthisDoubleConcertowas composed,it isbelieved thebulkof theworkwascompleted early in 1779,with somesketches probably coming in the fewyears prior to that. Having alreadytriedhishandat solopianoconcertosprior to this time,manyof theseearlierconcertoswere primarily consideredtobe transcriptionsorarrangementsofworksbysuchcomposersasC.P.E.Bachand J.C.Bach,amongothers.However,attheageoftwenty-one,in1777,Mozartcomposed his ninth piano concerto,whichmayhavebeenhis firstwhollyoriginalofthegenre.

It is thought that theConcerto forTwo

Pianoswas composedwith his sister,Nannerl inmind,especially since theyhad toured togetheralloverEurope intheiryoungerdays.Andalthough theirchildhoodperformanceshadlongpassed,they apparently continuedperformingtogether, sometimes presenting pianosonatas forpiano four-hands.So itwas,that the last concertoMozartwouldcomposeinSalzburgisbelievedtohavebeen this Double Concerto forTwoPianosandOrchestra, andmost likelyperformedbyheandhissisteratoneoffinalconcertstherein1780.

Presented in threemovements, thetwo soloist partswere composed forequal partners, so that both soloistshavesimilarchallenges throughout.Thefirstmovement (Allegro)openswith themain theme inanextensiveorchestralintroduction,which is then takenupbythetwosoloistsandexpanded.Asecondtheme offers a contrasting dramaticeffectbefore theorchestrareturns to theopeningtheme.Adoublecadenzaclosesthemovement.

The secondmovement (Andante )presentsmelodiesthatsomescholarshavecompared to the composer’s operaticarias,withbeautifulinterplaybetweenthesoloistsandfeaturingtheoboes,withthefullorchestrastaying in thebackgroundfor themostpart.The finalmovement(Rondeau: Allegro)alternates the rondothemewitheachsoloist featuredinturn.Throughoutonecanhearthetwosoloistseitherechoingeachother,oransweringoneanother’scall.At timesMozartmayhaveonesoloistpresentonethemewiththe second soloist presenting a slightvariation.Duringsomeinterchanges, thefirst soloistwillopenaphrasewith the

Austrianborn,Mozart isconsideredtobeoneof themostversatilecomposersof all time, especially consideringhisrelativelyshort lifespan.TouringEuropewidelyasachild,hegaveperformancesonpiano,harpsichordandorgan,andbegantocomposebothinstrumentalandvocalmusicfromaveryyoungage.HisexposuretoawidevarietyofmusicinlargemusicalcentersincludingAustria’scapitalofVienna;MunichandMannheiminGermany;Paris,France;London,England;andthroughoutmuch of Italy, can be seen to haveinfluencedhiswritingsagreatdeal.

Mozart’smovefromSalzburgtoViennain1781precipitatedanoutpouringofcompositions,notonlytoestablishhimselfprofessionallyasacomposerandpianist,butalso for financial support.The firstoperahewouldcomposetherewas“TheAbduction from theSeraglio”,andwascomposedwiththeideaofimpressingnotonly theEmperor Joseph II,butalso theViennesecourtandpublicaudiencesaswell.Itwascomposedinasingspiel styleusingaGermantextthatincludedspokendialoguebetweenthearias.

The librettowaswrittenbyGottliebStephaniewhowasaplaywrightandstagedirectoratVienna’sGermanOpera.Thestoryisbasedontheplay“BelmonteandKostanze”writtenbyChristopheFriedrichBretznerandpresentstheadventuresofthetwoloverswhohadbeenshipwreckedinTurkeyandwerebeingheldprisonerbythenobleman,PashaSelim.Followingaseriesofcrazyadventures thenoblemaneventuallysetsthemfree.

ApparentlyTurkishexoticmusicwasinvogueat the timeinViennaandMozarttookfulladvantageofthefact,incorporatingtimpani,bassdrum,trianglesandcymbals,aswellashavingpiccolodoubletheflutepart,tocreatethelivelyatmosphereforthescenesetinaTurkishharem.TheOvertureis inC-majorandopenswith thebrightTurkish-styled theme.Theslowermiddlesectionshiftstoaminorkeyandactsasapreviewtotheopeningariaof theoperawhere theheroBelmonte is longing forhis loverwhohas been captured andwithwhomhehopestobereunited.TheopeningTurkish-styled themereturns toclosetheOverture.

Theoperawascomposedbetween1781-1782andpremiered in Julyof1782. Itwasagreatsuccess,howevertheEmperor,JosephIIcommentedthatitwas“toofineforourears,andanimmensenumberofnotes…”TowhichMozartreplied“justasmanynotes,yourmajesty,asarerequired.”Inspiteofthehesitationsoftheemperor,theworkseemedtohavedoneits jobofestablishing thecomposer’s reputationamong theViennesepublic aswell asthroughoutEuropewhereitwasperformedas well.Mozart commented on theinclusionofthestrongpercussiveelementswhichweremeant to imitate theTurkishJanissarymusicalstyle,whenhestatedinalettertohisfather:“Idon’tbelieveanyonewilldozethroughit,evenifthey’vemissedanentirenight’ssleep.”

Program NotesSunday, July 12 The 866th Orchard Hall Subscription Concert

By April L. Racana

Instrumentation: 1 flute(doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, triangle, cymbal, bass drum, strings

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E-flat major, K. 365 (316a)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

"Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" Overture, K. 384

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楽曲解説 / Program Notes

April L. Racana / Music Specialist at Nishimachi International School where she has taught since 1992. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (BS/Piano Pedagogy) and her graduate studies at San Francisco State University (MA/Music).

Instrumentation: 3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, strings

ideas for the ‘Fate’ theme forhis FifthSymphony.And it seemed theprogramideas forhisSixthSymphonyweretobeleftevenmorevagueashestated:

“JustasIwasstartingonmyjourneythe idea came to me fo r a newsymphony, this timewithaprogram,butaprogramwhichwill remainanenigma toall.Let themguess itwhocan. Itwillbecalled ‘AProgrammaticSymphony.’Duringmy trip,whilecomposing inmymind, I frequentlyshed tears.When IgothomeI settleddowntosketchit,andtheworkwentsofuriously that Ihadthefirstmovementcompletelyreadyinlessthanfourdaysand the remainingmovements arealreadyclearlyoutlined inmyhead.Half the thirdmovement is alreadydone.Therewillbemuchinnovationofforminthissymphonyandincidentally,the finalewillnotbeanoisyallegrobut,onthecontrary,a longdrawn-outadagio.Youcan’t imaginewhatblissI feel,beingconvinced thatmy timeisnotyetpassedand Icanstillwork.Perhaps,ofcourse, I’mmistaken,but Idon’tthinkso.”

Indeed,Tchaikovsky’spersistent self-doubtcontinued to raise itsuglyhead,even amidst his own exuberation atfindinghiscreative juicesflowingagain.Yethedidindeedincorporateinnovativeform in this symphony.The foremostofthesebeing the5/4meterused in thesecondmovement,beautifullywroughtin apseudo-waltz feel; aswell as theunusualthirdmovementwithitsupliftingmarch,whichmany oftenmistake asbeingthefinale;andlastbutnotleast,ashementionedinhiscorrespondencewithhisnephew,contrarytotheusualcustom,

theslowmovementwasrelegatedto thelast,emphasizingto theverydepths, thedescendingscales found throughout thesymphony.

Following its premiere onOctober28th,1893,Tchaikovsky, inconversationwithhisbrotherModest,contemplatedanalternate ‘name’ for this symphony thatcouldbesentwiththemanuscript tothepublisher. Itwasaftersomedeliberationthat ‘pathétique’was settled on.Andalthoughmuch debate surrounds theuntimelydeathof thecomposerwithindays followingitspremiere, thathemayhaveeitherbeenwritinghisownrequiem(withreferencestotheMassfortheDeadthroughout),orperhapsevenmorelikely,reflectingontherecentdeathsofseveraldear friends, there isnodoubt that asTchaikovsky himself states: “Withoutexaggeration, Ihaveputmywholesoulinto thiswork.”And in a note to hispublisher:“Igiveyoumywordthatneverinmy lifehave Ibeensocontented, soproud,sohappy,intheknowledgethat Ihavewrittenagoodpiece.”

Instrumentation: 2 solo pianos (Klavier), 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, strings

secondsoloistcompleting their thought,justas twosiblingsmayhavecompletedeachothers’sentences.

In itsoriginal score, twooboes, twobassoons, twohorns and stringswereindicated. However, i t is bel ievedthatMozart added two clarinets, twotrumpetsandtimpani tothefirstandlast

movementsforsomeprivateperformancesinVienna in1781,whereheperformedthisworkwithoneofhisstudents (whowasalsoashispatron), JosephaBarbaravonAuernhammer.

I. Adagio-AllegronontroppoII. AllegrocongraziaIII.AllegromoltovivaceIV.Finale.Adagiolamentoso

TheSixthSymphonyultimatelycameto be described as one of a trilogy,linked inexorablywith theFourth andFifthSymphoniesnotonlybecauseallthreewerewritten insuccessionduringtheyearsbetween1878and1893,butmostof all becauseof thecomposer’snearobsessionwitha ‘fate’ theme thatbecame a common unifying force ineachoftheseworks.ItwasanemotionaltimeofturmoilinTchaikovsky’slifeashestruggledtocometotermswithpersonalissues inhis life;hisdeathcomingonlyshortlyafterthelastofthesethree‘fateful’workswaspremiered.

InMayof1888,priortocomposingthesecondofthetrilogy,(hisFifthSymphony),Tchaikovskyhadwritten tohisbrotherModeste:“Tospeak frankly, I feelasyetnoimpulseforcreativework.Whatdoesthismean?HaveIwrittenmyselfout?Noideas,no inclination!Still, Iamhopingtocollect, littleby little,material forasymphony.”Ithadbeenthreeyearssincethecomposerhadwrittenamajorworkfororchestra,and thepreviousone, the

‘Manfred’ Symphony (1885), had notbeensuccessfullyreceived.Prior to this,ithadbeen tenyearssincehispreviousorchestralattempt, theViolinConcerto(1878).

In 1891,Tchaikovsky had been inAmericaon tourwhenhisusualboutsof self-doubt re-surfaced: “I feel thatsomethingwithinmehasgonetopieces.”Notonlywashe feeling theeffectsofphysical age, but he also questionedwhetherhehad it inhim to composeagain.A year later, in1892hebegancomposing anew symphonybut thencalled it “an emptypatternof soundswithoutinspiration”andtoreitup.Inlatewinterof1893,hewrotehisnephew:“WhatIneedistobelieveinmyselfagainformyfaithhasbeengreatlyundermined;it seems tomemy role isover.” Itwaswith theseexperiences recently inhismind that he finally broke throughand began composing this, the SixthSymphony.

Un l i k e t h e Fo u r t h S ymphony,Tchaikovskydidnot leaveaspecificsetofprogramnotes forhis Fifthor SixthSymphonies.Butafterhisdeath, somenoteswere foundamongsthissketches,whichgavean indication regardinghis

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Symphony No. 6 in B minor “Pathétique” op. 74

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