GRIEG PIANO CONCERTO
Maximilian Franz instant hit at its premiere in 1869 , when Grieg was just 25 years old . He returned to this work throughout his life , revising it four separate times and finally putting it to rest in his 50s .
As a teenager studying at the Leipzig Conservatory , Grieg heard Clara Schumann perform her late husband ’ s Piano Concerto in A minor in a concert that deeply affected the young composer . The fact that Grieg modeled his concerto on Schumann ’ s is undeniable . He chose the same key of A minor and an opening gesture that mirrors Schumann : a dramatic flourish from the piano followed by a hushed theme in the woodwinds . Grieg ’ s interest in Norwegian folk music also plays an important role throughout the work , providing the rhythmic impulse for dance-like melodies and soaring lyrical themes . The long orchestral opening of the slow movement casts a serene spell with intimate writing that recalls Greig ’ s smaller-scale pieces .
When the piano finally enters , it is with a gently cascading shape reminiscent of its fiery entrance from the first movement .
The finale is resplendent in its Norwegian folk themes . Echoes of the halling , an energetic and athletic folk dance appear in the exuberant opening theme , complete with the jolting accents that are characteristic of the dance ’ s kicking movements . A tender moment comes with the flute playing a different folk-like melody that the piano extends with improvisatory freedom . The dance returns with an uncontainable vitality that leads to a thrilling conclusion worthy of one of the most popular concertos of the Romantic era .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two oboe , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horn , two trumpets , three trombones , timpani .
Ralph Vaughn Williams
Born October 12 , 1872 in Gloucestershire , England Died August 26 , 1958 in London , England
SYMPHONY NO . 5 [ 1938 – 1943 ]
The late-19 th -century musical landscape of England in which Ralph Vaughn Williams was born was dominated by German composers such as Wagner and Brahms , who were revered for their complexity and dense orchestral writing . As a young man , Williams sought to counterbalance these influences by exploring his own heritage , namely the rich traditions of Elizabethan-era church music and folk songs of rural England . This research guided the development of his own voice which helped create a distinct national style that infused contemporary classical music with elements of England ’ s musical past .
Much of the Fifth Symphony ’ s material is drawn from Vaughn Williams ’ s opera Pilgrim ’ s Progress which he worked on intermittently from 1909 to 1951 . Based on the 17th-century Christian allegory by John Bunyan , the work centers on a pilgrim ’ s spiritual journey to the “ Celestial City ” and the hardships encountered along the way . When Williams began work on his new symphony in 1936 , he was filled with doubt about completing his opera but attached to its theme of spiritual aspiration and peace . The Symphony was finished in 1943 , in the midst of the Second World War , and premiered in London that same year . Its overwhelmingly tranquil and pastoral music was an antidote to the traumatic violence that had so recently ravaged the city .
The first movement opens quietly in an ambiguous harmonic haze . The cellos and basses sustain a low C while the horns outline the key of D major . Violins gently respond to the horn but in the neighboring key of C major . This tenuous yet placid atmosphere sets the tone for the entire movement . Amid the searching strains a violin melody emerges , quoting the “ Alleluia !” refrain from “ For all the Saints ,” an original hymn composed by Vaughn Williams for the English Hymnal in 1906 . From here the music becomes agitated but soon recedes to the serene mood of the opening , leaving the harmonic tension between C and D unresolved as the music fades .
The Scherzo derives from an earlier musical sketch that Vaughn Williams had titled Exit for
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