CANCELLED: Sibelius Violin Concerto
The season concludes with the winning piece in the 2020 Young Composers Competition and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Op. 47, D minor. Passionate and emotional, the orchestra and soloist shine equally and brilliantly. Featuring “Korea’s hottest violin prodigy” Soobeen Lee. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, Op. 64, in E minor describes "ultimate victory through strife," and was popular during World War II. The Leningrad Radio Symphony Orchestra broadcast it live during the Siege of Leningrad. When bombs started to fall, the orchestra continued playing until the final note.
Young Composers Competition Winner
Sibelius:Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
SooBeen Lee, violin
Tchaikovsky:Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Program Notes
Jean Sibelius
Born: 8 December, 1865, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Died: 20 September, 1957, Ainola, Finland
It should come as no surprise that Sibelius’s only complete concerto is his Violin Concerto in D Minor. Sibelius took up the violin at the age of fourteen and passionately pursued his dream of being a violin virtuoso. Unfortunately, his late start with the instrument and limited access to good teachers proved too much for him to overcome. After an unsuccessful audition for the Vienna Philharmonic at age twenty-six, Sibelius finally relinquished these ambitions and focused his attention fully on composing. Eleven years later, in 1902, his dreams of virtuosic violin playing began to resurface in the form of a concerto for his beloved instrument. By January of 1904 a substantial amount of the concerto was written, and Sibelius was furiously working to finish the piece. At the time his wife, Aino, wrote: “He has such a multitude of themes in his head that he has been literally quite dizzy. He stays awake all night, plays incredibly beautifully, cannot tear himself away from the delightful melodies--he has so many ideas that it is hard to believe it. And all the themes are so capable of development, full of life.”
One month later, in February 1904, the premiere of the concerto was given but was not well received. This was partially due to the short time the soloist had to prepare the piece. Sibelius also realized there were areas he wanted to improve. In June, he wrote: "I shall remove my violin concerto; it will not be published until two years have passed. The first movement must be rewritten, the same goes for the proportions in the andante etc." However, in less than a year Sibelius had completed the revised version, and in October 1905 the work received its second premiere with Karl Halir as soloist and Richard Strauss conducting. The revisions proved worthwhile: this version has become one of the most beloved concertos in the repertoire.
In most violin concertos the orchestra is simply there to provide a background and dialogue partner for the soloist. This is done to keep the spotlight on the violin and ensure that virtuosic playing does not go unnoticed. Sibelius devised a new way of joining the forces of orchestra and violin soloist. In his concerto, the orchestra part is more like a symphony than an accompaniment and plays a critical role in driving the piece forward. The genius of Sibelius is that his orchestral writing enables rather than limits the soloist’s ability to showcase their virtuosity.
One of the innovations Sibelius uses in this work is the first-movement cadenza. A cadenza is a passage for the soloist alone and typically comes just before the closing of the movement. In this case, Sibelius places his cadenza right in the middle of the movement. The cadenza forms a type of development section, bringing back earlier themes with fresh insights and angles. The orchestra then returns with a sweeping recapitulation, further propelling the music towards the coda before finally coming to an end.
The second movement provides a respite after the dramatic first movement. The placid and serene setting of this movement demands great control from both the soloist and orchestra. Perhaps the soulful melodies were Sibelius’s way of saying farewell to the instrument that he had dreamed of mastering.
This work is among the most challenging of concertos for violin, but it is the third movement in particular that gives the soloist opportunities to showcase exceptional technique. The opening timpani part introduces a rhythmic figure that is featured prominently throughout and gives the movement a folk-dance-like quality. Another returning theme, written as a rondo, is played in between episodes of new material. Many composers have written flashy pieces for the violin, but in this concerto, Sibelius manages to marry virtuosic writing with musical depth.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Born: 7 May, 1840, Votkinsk, Russia
Died: 6 November, 1893, Saint Petersburg
Tchaikovsky wrote his Symphony No. 5 in E Minor during a period of great self- doubt. After an extremely productive period which yielded four operas, including his masterpiece Eugene Onegin, his second piano concerto, the 1812 Overture, the Manfred Symphony and other well-known works, he feared that he might have reached the end of his creative output. One year had passed without his having written any significant works, but in the Spring of 1888, he set out to begin another symphony. Futile efforts left him discouraged and he wrote to his brother: “I have still not yet made a start. ... I can honestly say that once again I have no urge to create. What does this mean? Am I really written out? I have no ideas or inspiration whatsoever!” That summer Tchaikovsky took up residence in his vacation home in the rustic and idyllic countryside of Frolovskoe. The change of scenery seems to have helped stimulate his creativity for he wrote to his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, "The beginning was difficult. Now, however, inspiration seems to have come". Inspiration did indeed revisit him because in just four months Tchaikovsky completed this fifty-minute work.
In the writing of his fourth symphony, Tchaikovsky explored the idea of fate as “the fatal force that prevents our strivings for happiness from succeeding”. This description was provided in a letter to von Meck some years after its premiere. Tchaikovsky continues this exploration of fate in his fifth symphony but from a different perspective. Instead of an intruder that one fights against, here fate is portrayed as a force that one may plead with and even resent, but with which one must ultimately make peace.
Tradition has long held that the opening melody played in the low register of the clarinets is the “fate theme” of this symphony. Much like the opening theme of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s theme is woven throughout the entire symphony. Each appearance of the “fate theme” brings a fresh approach to the melody, just as one may experience different feelings towards fate in different contexts.
After the beginning with the significant “fate theme” in E Minor the first movement slowly opens up, and eventually the violins introduce a sweeping melody in D Major. This in turn leads to a rhythmically energetic and driving motif which provides momentum that continues right up until the movement is about to end. In an unexpected twist, Tchaikovsky winds the movement back down to the quiet place where he began.
Tchaikovsky uses a variation on his “fate theme” at the beginning of the second movement and this provides the foundation for the horn solo that emerges. This horn solo is one of Tchaikovsky’s most beautiful melodies and it is no wonder that it contributed to making this his most beloved symphony. The “fate theme” makes two more appearances in this movement. The first is a subtle reentry but the second comes as an almost brutal interruption to the otherwise serene music.
The third movement begins with one of Tchaikovsky’s signature waltzes. The fairytale atmosphere of this movement may remind listeners of the composer’s ballet music for the Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. However, fate is hiding in the shadows and the “fate theme” makes a less sinister appearance shortly before the movement ends.
Tchaikovsky changes his “fate theme” from E Minor to E Major and uses it as the main melody in the final movement. As in the first movement, a slow introduction is followed by a quick Allegro but this time the energy is unceasing, leading to the fanfare-like coda which ends the symphony.
Since its premiere, audiences have adored Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony and it has become one of his most popular works. However, Tchaikovsky struggled to appreciate its worth and after a few of the initial performances he wrote to his patroness that “[It is] a failure. There is something repulsive about it, a certain excess of gaudiness, insincerity, and artificiality. And the public instinctively recognizes this.'' As with his fears about having lost his creative powers, these emotions also passed with some time. After a subsequent performance of this symphony, Tchaikovsky wrote to his nephew that “The Fifth Symphony was beautifully played and I have started to love it again.” We can be thankful that Tchaikovsky did not allow his doubts to keep him from producing one of the great pillars of the symphonic repertoire.
Symphony in C program notes are written by Megan Carroll.