russian national orchestrapiano concerto no. 1 fryderyk franciszek chopin in e minor, op. 11...

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GLAZUNOV: CHOPINIANA, OP. 46

Glazunov produced the suite Chopiniana in 1892,arranging four of Chopin’s piano works fororchestra. Glazunov’s selection and placement ofChopin pieces takes on the structure of a classicalsymphony; in the Chopin repertoire Glazunovfinds clever analogs for typical symphonicmovements, even though the earlier composernever wrote a symphony. A polonaise (up-tempo,assertive, characteristic of a first movement) opensthe suite, followed by a nocturne (languid, vocal, asan adagio movement should be). Then there is amazurka (a dance form not so far from the minuet,the typical third movement of a symphony), andlastly a tarantella (perpetual-motion, hair-raising,and thrilling like many a rondo-finale). Glazunov’steacher Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov conducted thepremiere of Chopiniana in 1893.

However, Chopiniana is better known in itssecond life as part of the score to Michel Fokine’sballet Les Sylphides, which premiered at theMariinsky in 1907 and was revised and expandedfor Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1909. Castingoff two centuries of the ballet d’action (narrativeballet) tradition, Fokine envisioned a productionthat was purely about movement and atmosphere,

MIKHAIL PLETNEV (RNO)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019, 8PMSegerstrom Center for the Arts | Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Pre-concert lecture by Brian Lauritzen, 7pm

RUSSIAN NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

MIKHAIL PLETNEVFOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

GEORGE LI, PIANO

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Chopiniana, Op. 46 Alexander GLAZUNOV(1865-1936)

Polonaise, Op. 40, No. 1Waltz, Op. 64, No. 2Tarantella, Op. 43

Piano Concerto No. 1 Fryderyk Franciszek CHOPINin E minor, Op. 11 (1810-1849)

I. Allegro maestosoII. Romanze: LarghettoIII. Rondo: Vivace

George Li, piano

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Symphony No. 6 Sergei PROKOFIEVin E-flat minor, Op. 111 (1891-1953)

I. Allegro moderatoII. LargoIII. Vivace

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the essence of ballet as emancipated from plotcontrivances. Chopin’s eminently danceablemusic fit his aims perfectly, and Glazunov’sChopiniana suite seemed ready-made for the job.Fokine requested a waltz addition (with such awealth of Chopin waltzes, it would have been asin to set a Chopin ballet without one!) andGlazunov obliged Fokine by arranging Chopin’sswirling C-sharp minor waltz, Op. 64 No. 2.

Arrangements and transcriptions often highlightaspects of their source material that may nothave been so prominent in the original form.Paradoxically, Glazunov’s orchestrations returnChopin’s keyboard compositions to a somewhatmore “literal” form: the timbral neutrality of thepiano, and its inescapable identity as a concertinstrument, ensure that much of the musicwritten for it is suggestive, endlessly pointingoutward to other instrumental colors, singingstyles, dance idioms. Performed on keyboard,Chopin’s “Military” polonaise Op. 40 No. 1invokes military brass, but an orchestra isable to supply these actual sounds from thereal instruments. Likewise, the tarantellafeels even more “Neapolitan” with the presenceof a tambourine-emulating percussionsection. Glazunov’s adroit and sensitiveinstrumentations add yet another dimension toChopin’s already fully-realized conceptions.

CHOPIN: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1IN E MINOR, OP. 11

Chopin has perhaps been unfairly maligned forthe quality of his non-piano writing—sorenowned was he for his mastery of the keyboardthat his forays into composing for otherinstruments seem to reveal a sophistication gap.But in the case of the two piano concertos,criticisms of Chopin’s “sub-par” orchestrationsseem to misunderstand the performance practiceand social function of these compositions. Inthe nineteenth century, two branches of pianoconcerto flourished, each emanating from

models established by Mozart and Beethoven.The Mozartean prototype privileged soloist overorchestra: while the ensemble was responsiblefor establishing themes and dialoguing withthe soloist (often delightfully so), in the endthe orchestra lived to serve the pianist.Beethoven’s innovations for the concerto genretook a more symphonic bent, where the starkhierarchy of soloist and tutti dissolved in favor ofa unified whole.

Chopin notably disliked Beethoven and vauntedMozart, so it is no surprise that he would takeafter the latter for his concerto template. Chopinwas also a virtuoso composer-pianist whowanted to write music not only for artisticfulfillment but as a vehicle for his concertizingcareer. His premieres of both the F minor andE minor piano concertos in Warsaw in 1830were lauded as acts of national heroism.On arriving in Paris in 1831, Chopin rapidlyestablished himself as the one to catch, and histwo concertos—public, large-scale, dazzling—were “instrumental” in cementing his reputation.

No work of mere empty virtuosity, the E minorConcerto projects elegance and subtle depththroughout. Chopin adheres to a strict classicalform in his first movement, offering anaristocratic opening theme that transitions into amore dreamlike realm for the second theme.After the orchestra’s stoic foundation-laying ofthese ideas, the piano enters and re-articulatesthese same themes—but this time around, themelodies and motives melt, plead, roar, and takeon an entirely new sensibility, a soliloquy againstthe masses. The second movement is aspure a nocturne as Chopin ever wrought,a heartfelt expression of bel-canto fioraturaand legato lines with only the barest orchestralaccompaniment. The rondo-vivace is spryand sparkling, with the élan of a rustic dance;Chopin features two episodes of folkishnostalgia, in a unification of brilliance andsentiment that would become paradigmatic ofhis style.


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PROKOFIEV: SYMPHONY NO. 6 INE-FLAT MINOR, OP. 111

Sometimes musical opus numbers are random, afunction of chronology and the publishingprocess. But other times opus numbers carrynumerological significance, whether deliberateor accidental. Brahms, for instance, struggled fordecades to produce a symphony, paralyzed byBeethoven’s monumental precedents; when hefinally completed his Symphony No. 1 in Cminor, it was published as Op. 68—andBeethoven’s C minor symphony had been hisOp. 67. The “heir-apparent” symbolism of thesenumbers, whether intentional or not, is ratheron-the-nose.

Prokofiev’s sixth symphony is his Op. 111,which immediately brings to mind anotherOp. 111—Beethoven’s last piano sonata, aweighty and profound valediction to the genrethat balanced craft and formalism withexperimental freedom. Prokofiev, a brilliantpianist, loved Beethoven’s Op. 111 and had

performed it many times in concert; his decisionto label the Sixth Symphony with the same opusnumber was conscious. On the surface, thesimilarities between Prokofiev’s symphonyand Beethoven’s sonata end with theirnumerical overlap, but the two works sharean unmistakable quality of gravitas, of “lateness”and encroaching end-of-life. Prokofiev begancomposing the Sixth Symphony in late 1945,when his health was failing and his activities asa performer and conductor were severelycurtailed. He had suffered a heart attack and astroke earlier in the year, and, would never fullyregain his faculties.

A sense of personal desolation thus permeates acomposition that was already conceived as anexpression of collective loss: the SixthSymphony was a direct response to the ravagesof the SecondWorld War. Prokofiev composedits immediate predecessor, the Fifth Symphony,as WWII still raged, but he characterized itas “a hymn to free and happy Man, to hismighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” The

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Fifth Symphony projects a certain nobility andtriumphal imperative in the face of enemies—anethos that contrasts strikingly with Prokofiev’sSixth, which confronts the ugliness and devasta-tion of war head-on.

The Sixth Symphony would be well-receivedby critics when it premiered in 1947. But theinfamous Zhdanov Decree, issued in 1948,denounced Prokofiev, Shostakovich, andKhachaturian, and others as artistic traitorswhose “formalist” music flew in the face ofwholesome Socialist Realist aesthetics.Prokofiev’s career suffered from this smear, andthe Sixth Symphony was briefly obliteratedfrom the repertoire due to the issuing of“corrected” reviews. Prokofiev would live out therest of his days buffeted between intense popularsupport and censorious crackdowns by theSoviet State; he and Stalin famously died onthe same day, a cruel twist that robbed Prokofieva reclamation of his artistic autonomy.

Luckily for us, the gorgeously strange, deeplyelegiac Sixth Symphony made its way back intothe repertoire. The first movement, a spikymarch shot through with mournful melodiesand moments of wrenching dissonance,has shades of an earlier Sixth Symphony,Mahler’s “Tragic” (though it is unclear whetherthe Mahler would have been a direct influencehere). Prokofiev described his first movement as“austere,” and indeed his writing is strikingforits extreme economy, with frequent unisons,octaves, or two-voice counterpoint thatsuddenly erupts into layered sound masses andnarrows just as abruptly. Throughout, Prokofievemploys the piano as a unique orchestralcolor rather than as a soloist: skeletal chordspunctuate and support the many proliferatingmarches and woodwind duets. After theenigmatic pointillism and chamber-musictextures of the first movement, Prokofievunleashes the full sonic powers of the orchestrain a colossal Largo that is as sumptuous, dark,and dramatic as anything found in Romeo and

Juliet. Prokofiev’s finale movement at last cracksa smile. Its breathless, jocular character impliesthat processes of recovery and reinvigoration areunderway—but Prokofiev knows better than tooffer a facile effacement of the suffering of theprevious movements. A searing reemergence ofthematic material from the first movementtoward the end of the finale reminds us of thepersistence of trauma, even in the midst of joy.

—Alana Murphy

RUSSIAN NATIONAL ORCHESTRA

The Russian National Orchestra was founded in1990 by pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev.Of its debut at the BBC Proms in London, theEvening Standard wrote, "They played with suchcaptivating beauty that the audience gave aninvoluntary sigh of pleasure." The RNO has beendescribed as "a living symbol of the best in Russianart" (Miami Herald) and "as close to perfect as onecould hope for" (Trinity Mirror).

Maintaining an active international schedule, theRNO appears in the music capitals of Europe,Asia and the Americas, is a frequent guest atfestivals such as Edinburgh, the BBC Proms andFestival Napa Valley, and presents the RNOGrand Festival each September to open theMoscow season.

RNO concerts are often aired on National PublicRadio, the European Broadcasting Union, andRussia’s Kultura channel. Their discography,launched with a highly praised 1991 recordingof Tchaikovsky's Pathétique, now numbersmore than 80 critically acclaimed recordings.Notable releases include the complete Beethovensymphonies and piano concertos on DeutscheGrammophon, Tchaikovsky’s six symphoniesfor Pentatone, and the RNO Shostakovichproject, also on Pentatone, cited as “the mostexciting cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies tobe put down on disc, and easily the best recorded”(SACD.net).

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Their recording of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolfand Beintus' Wolf Tracks, conducted by KentNagano and narrated by Sophia Loren, BillClinton and Mikhail Gorbachev, received a 2004Grammy Award, making the RNO the firstRussian orchestra to win the recording industry'shighest honor. Their recording of ShostakovichSymphony No. 7, conducted by Paavo Järvi,was awarded the Diapason d’Or de l’Année2015 as the year's best symphonic album, andwas nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award.The RNO is unique among the principal Russianensembles as a private institution funded withthe support of individuals, corporations andfoundations in Russia and throughout the world.

The Russian National Orchestra thanks the generouspatrons and sponsors who helped make the 2019 UnitedStates Tour possible, including Peter Paul and ElenaSysovskaya, Ann and Gordon Getty, Barbara Roach,Marianne Wyman, the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation,the Prince Michael of Kent Foundation, the Trust forMutual Understanding, and the Friends of the RNO.

MIKHAIL PLETNEV,FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Mikhail Pletnev’s genius as pianist, conductorand composer enchants and amazes audiencesaround the globe. His musicianship encompassesa dazzling technical power and provocativeemotional range, and a searching interpretationthat fuses instinct with intellect. Pletnev was GoldMedal and First Prize winner of the 1978Tchaikovsky International Piano Competitionwhen he was only 21, a prize that earned him earlyrecognition worldwide. An invitation to performat the 1988 superpower summit in Washingtonled to a friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev andthe historic opportunity to make music in artisticfreedom.

In 1990 Pletnev formed the first independentorchestra in Russia's history. The risks of this step,even with Gorbachev's endorsement, wereenormous and it was Pletnev's reputation andcommitment that made his long-held dream areality. Sharing his vision for a new model for the

performing arts, many of the country's finestmusicians joined Pletnev in launching the RussianNational Orchestra. Under his leadership, theRNO achieved in a few short years a toweringstature among the world's orchestras. Pletnevdescribes the RNO as his greatest joy andcontinues to serve as its Artistic Director andPrincipal Conductor. In 2006, he launched theMikhail Pletnev Fund for the Support of NationalCulture, a nonprofit that supports major culturalinitiatives, including the RNO's annual GrandFestival that opens the Moscow cultural seasoneach September.

Pletnev’s recordings and live performances haveproved him to be an outstanding interpreter of anextensive repertoire, both as pianist and conduc-tor. The London Telegraph remarked, "fromPletnev's fingers and brain come ideas that vitalisethe music and make it teem with freshness andwit. [He] made the music positively leap for joy."The Times describes his playing as "born of aprodigious virtuosity of imagination outrageous inits beauty."

Pletnev’s recordings have earned numerous prizes,including a 2005 Grammy Award for his ownarrangement, for two pianos, of Prokofiev’sCinderella, with Martha Argerich and Pletnev atthe keyboards. He received Grammy nominationsfor recordings of Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes(2004) and Rachmaninov and Prokofiev PianoConcertos No. 3 with the RNO and conductorMstislav Rostropovich (2003). His album ofScarlatti’s Keyboard Sonatas (Virgin/EMI)received a 1996 Gramophone Award. BBC MusicMagazine called the recording "piano playing at itsgreatest... this performance alone would be enoughto secure Pletnev a place among the greatestpianists ever known." His recording of the com-plete Beethoven symphonies and piano concertos(Deutsche Grammophon) was named “Best of2007” by The New Yorker.Pletnev's compositions include works for orches-tra, piano, strings and voices. His transcriptionsfor piano of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and

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Sleeping Beauty were selected, along with his per-formance of Tchaikovsky's Second PianoConcerto and The Seasons, for the 1998 anthology"Great Pianists of the 20th Century" (PhilipsClassics).

The son of musician parents, Pletnev was con-ducting and learning multiple instruments as ayoung child and entered the MoscowConservatory as a teenager. Today he is one ofRussia's most respected and influential artists. Anadvisor on Russia’s Cultural Council, Pletnev isfrequently acclaimed for his contributions toRussia's artistic life, receiving a Presidential Prizein 2007 and the Platonov Prize in 2014. Pianist,conductor, composer and cultural leader—all aresignificant facets of Mikhail Pletnev's life as anartist. Yet he considers himself, simply, a musi-cian.

GEORGE LI, PIANOPraised by the WashingtonPost for combining "stagger-ing technical prowess, a senseof command and depth ofexpression," pianist GeorgeLi possesses an effortlessgrace, brilliant virtuosity andpoised authority far beyond

his years. Since winning the Silver Medal at the2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Lihas rapidly established a major internationalreputation and performs regularly with some ofthe world’s leading orchestras and conductorssuch as Gergiev, Dudamel, Honeck, Petrenko,Tilson Thomas, Robertson, Slatkin, and Long Yu.

In the 2018-19 season, Li makes his debuts withthe London Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony,Tokyo Symphony, and Royal LiverpoolPhilharmonic; embarks on an 11-city recital tourof China; and tours the United States with theRussian National Orchestra and Mikhail Pletnev.Concerto highlights include performances withthe New York Philharmonic, San Francisco

Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic,Philharmonia Orchestra, RotterdamPhilharmonic, DSO Berlin, Frankfurt RadioSymphony, Oslo Philharmonic, OrchestreNational de Lyon, Sydney Symphony, and St.Petersburg Philharmonic. He frequently appearswith Valery Gergiev and theMariinsky Orchestra,including performances at the Paris Philharmonie,Luxembourg Philharmonie, New York’s BrooklynAcademy of Music, Graffenegg Festival, and invarious venues throughout Russia.

In recital, Li performs at venues includingCarnegie Hall, Davies Hall in San Francisco, theMariinsky Theatre, Munich’s Gasteig, the Louvre,Seoul Arts Center, Tokyo’s Asahi Hall andMusashino Hall, NCPA Beijing, Shanghai PolyTheater, and Amici della Musica Firenze, as wellas appearances at major festivals including theEdinburgh International Festival, Ravinia Festival,Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence Festival,and Montreux Festival.

An active chamber musician, Li has performedalongside James Ehnes, Noah Bendix-Balgley,Benjamin Beilman, Kian Soltani, Pablo Ferrandez,and Daniel Lozakovich, and future plans includecollaborations with Daniel Hope, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Lawrence Power. Li is an exclusiveWarner Classics recording artist, with his debutrecital album released in October 2017, which wasrecorded live from the Mariinsky.

Li gave his first public performance at Boston’sSteinway Hall at the age of ten and in 2011, per-formed for President Obama at the White Housein an evening honoring Chancellor Angela Merkel.Among Li’s many prizes, he was the recipient ofthe 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, a recipient ofthe 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and theFirst Prize winner of the 2010 Young ConcertArtists International Auditions. In summer 2018,Li graduated from the Harvard University / NewEngland Conservatory joint program, where hestudied with Wha Kyung Byun.

(SIMON FOWLER)


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RUSSIAN NATIONAL ORCHESTRAMIKHAIL PLETNEV, FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

FIRST VIOLINAlexey BruniConcertmaster

Olga ChepizhnaiaAssistant Concertmaster

Anna PaninaVasily VyrenkovAleksei KhutorianskiiAnatolii FedorenkoOlga LevchenkoAlexei SobolevSergey PutnikovLeonid AkimovIgor AkimovDaria StrelnikovaYulia PalelevaViacheslav ChirkunovTamerlan Tedeev

SECOND VIOLINSergei StarcheusPrincipal

Lina VartanovaAssistant Principal

Pavel GorbenkoEvgenii DurnovoEvgeny FeofanovVladimir TesliaElizaveta DyakovaVarvara BaskovaMaria DobrogorskaiaMariia TkachevaEkaterina KarpovaEkaterina BraishevaValeria Kapko

VIOLASergei DubovPrincipal

Ivan AgafonovAssistant Principal

Sofiia LebedSergei BogdanovLiubov PopovaAleksandr ZhulevKseniia ZhulevaMariia Goriunova

Artem KukaevOlga SuslovaAleksandr Tatarinov

CELLOAleksandr GotgelfPrincipal

Vsevolod GuzovAssistant Principal

Aleksandr GrashenkovSergey KazantsevNatalia LyubimovaDmitry FastunovAlevtina FastunovaEkaterina Kulakovskaia

DOUBLE BASSAnton VinogradovPrincipal

Miroslav MaksimyukVasilii BeschastnovAlexei VorobevGennadii KarasevLeonid BakulinAleksandr Muravev

FLUTEMaxim RubtsovPrincipalKonstantin EfimovAssistant PrincipalSergei IgrunovNikolai Lotakov

OBOEOlga TomilovaPrincipalVitaly NazarovAssistant PrincipalStanislav TokarevEkaterina Bespalova

CLARINETSergey EletskiyPrincipalDmitrii AizenshtadtAssistant PrincipalDmitrii BelikKhasan Mukhitdinov

BASSOONAndrei ShamidanovPrincipalDanila IakovlevAssistant PrincipalVladimir MarkinElizaveta Vilkovyskaia

FRENCH HORNIgor MakarovPrincipalAlexey SerovAssistant PrincipalViktor BushuevAnton AfanasyevAndrei Romanov

TRUMPETVladislav LavrikPrincipalLeonid KorkinAssistant PrincipalAndrey KolokolovKonstantin Grigorev

TROMBONEIvan IrkhinPrincipalSergey KoryavichevAssistant PrincipalTarasov MaximViacheslav PachkaevDmitry Anakovskiy - Tuba

PERCUSSIONAlexandr SuvorovPrincipalIlia MelikhovAssistant PrincipalKirill LukyanenkoVitaly MartyanovLeonid LysenkoMarina Loginova

HARPSvetlana Paramonova

PIANOLeonid Ogrinchuk

STAGE CREWAlexei DragunVladimir Kireev

INSPECTOR/LIBRARIANValentin Teslia

LOGISTICS MANAGERAmir Iliyasov

FOR OPUS 3 ARTISTSDavid V. FosterPresident & CEO

Leonard SteinSenior Vice President,Director, TouringDivision

Robert BerrettaVice President, Manager,Artists & Attractions

Tania LeongAssociate, TouringDivision

Grace HertzAssistant, Artists &Attractions

John PendletonCompany Manager

Irene LönnbladAssistant CompanyManager


russian national orchestrapiano concerto no. 1 fryderyk franciszek chopin in e minor, op. 11...

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