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PROGRAM NOTES

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO trombones , tuba , timpani , bass drum , bell tree , glockenspiel , marimba , suspended cymbal , tom tom , chimes , sizzle cymbal , tam-tam , triangle , vibraphone , crotales , harp , strings , celesta , prepared piano .

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Born : May 7 , 1840 , Votkinsk , Russia Died : November 6 , 1893 , Saint Petersburg , Russia

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO . 1 [ 1875 ]

As a young man , Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was educated for a career in civil service , because there were very few opportunities for professional musicians in Russia at the time . When the St . Petersburg Conservatory opened in 1862 , Tchaikovsky entered as a student , graduating three years later . He would eventually become the first Russian composer to have his music recognized around the world , and a number of his works are among the most famous in the classical music canon .

One such work is the composer ’ s Piano Concerto No . 1 , which continues to be one of the most-performed piano concertos in the standard repertoire . Tchaikovsky hoped to have Russian pianist Nikolai Rubinstein premiere the concerto in 1875 , but when Tchaikovsky presented the pianist with the score , Rubinstein dismissed it as “ impossible ” to play and refused to play it without substantial revisions . Tchaikovsky was unwilling to rewrite the piece ; instead , he had the piece premiered in Boston by German pianist Hans von Bülow . The audience was so enamored with the piece that they demanded a second performance of the last movement . Music critics , however , found fault with both the composition and the musicians ’ performance . In fact , one audience member even recalled that the trombones had a very noticeable incorrect entrance , and the pianist audibly decried “ The brass may go to hell !” from the stage ! Tchaikovsky eventually revised the concerto three times to the satisfaction of Rubinstein , who ultimately became one of the work ’ s greatest champions .

The concerto opens with a boisterous introduction featuring the brass and the piano playing full , grand chords . Atypical for a work of this time , the lengthy introduction includes three themes that are not heard again in the movement . The primary theme of the movement , which occurs after the introduction , is based on a Ukrainian folk melody that Tchaikovsky first heard performed near Kyiv . Call and response between the piano and the orchestra plays an integral role in the structure of this movement , especially in the development section when the piano and strings alternate playing themes from the exposition . As in many concertos , the pianist is featured in a solo cadenza near the end of the movement .

The second movement begins with a gentle flute solo that is accompanied by pizzicato ( plucked ) strings . This haunting melody is then taken over by the piano , and the orchestration gradually builds . Full of nuanced rubato and lush harmonies , this movement exemplifies many quintessential Romantic musical ideals . The exquisite opening section

Mendelssohn ' s

Elijah

Sunday , May 21 2023 , 3pm

Baltimore Choral Arts presents Mendelssohn ' s much-loved oratorio at the Murphy Fine Arts Center at Morgan State University .

Free and secure parking available

For tickets , visit baltimorechoralarts . org

MAY-JUN 2023 / OVERTURE 17