RACHMANINOFF ’ S FIRST PIANO CONCERTO & STRAVINSKY
An agitated passage for full orchestra , accentuated by timpani strokes , introduces a stately cadenza that starts in dramatic , forte fashion and gradually turns lyrical .
The short slow movement , with its moving nocturnal ambiance , provides a momentary reprieve from the fiery outer movements . Pensive strings respond to a solo horn , until the piano enters , singing a mournful lyrical theme unaccompanied . Structured in sonata rondo form — a blend of the three-part sonata form and five-part rondo form , in which a main theme is interspersed with subsidiary ones — the finale picks up the pace from the ending of the first movement . The piano scintillates rapidly up the keyboard , over a soft bed of strings . There is a clear demarcation between the opening and the softer , introspective middle section , in E-flat major . The dreaminess of the contrasting episode subsides to give way to the full orchestra , over which the virtuosic piano part pushes forward , relentlessly , until the last measure of this zestful piano concerto .
Instrumentation : Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , timpani , percussion , and strings in addition to the solo piano .
Igor Stravinsky
Born June 17 , 1882 in Lomonosov , Saint Petersburg , Russia Died April 6 , 1971 in New York , New York
SYMPHONY IN C [ 1938 – 1940 ]
At first blush you wouldn ’ t recognize the formal , neoclassical Symphony in C as the work of the same composer who gave us The Firebird , The Rite of Spring , and Petrushka . But the Symphony in C , in four movements , with its generic title and all , is pure music of profound sophistication and fascinating orchestration . The piece was commissioned by Mrs . Robert Woods Bliss to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra , which gave the premiere on November 7 , 1940 , conducted by the composer . The music belies the personal tragedy that befell the composer at the time of its creation . The first two movements were composed in 1938 and 1939 in Paris and Switzerland — before Stravinsky ’ s relocation to the United States — and the second and third in 1939 and 1940 in Cambridge , MA and Beverly Hills , CA . Between late 1938 and early 1939 , Stravinsky ’ s daughter Ludmila , his wife , and his mother all died . The score betrays no affliction .
The Moderato alla breve first movement opens with a quick crescendo for low strings and rising violins and flute . The gesture anticipates the proper main theme , on a solo oboe , which will shape the concentrated development section . In his notes to the 1962 recording by the CBC Symphony , Stravinsky describes the Bachian Larghetto concertante second movement , with its thinner texture , as an “ Italianate song-and-accompaniment ,” also led by a solo oboe . A faster section for strings in the middle adds contrast and balances the movement .
The jaunty Allegretto — a “ suiteof-dances ,” according to the composer — features some of the rhythmic variety we associate with Stravinsky ’ s early ballets . The finale starts with a somber bassoon and two soft horns and trombones playing the gloomiest music of the piece . The dynamics turn loud and the pace picks up , with limpid lines for trumpet and strings — a ray of light through the murky texture of the opening , which returns as a signpost . After an allusion to the rhythmic motif of the first movement , the Symphony in C slows down and ends with a muted chord that defies resolution . With nowhere else to go , the music quietly ends .
Instrumentation : Three flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , and strings .
George Enescu
Born August 19 , 1881 in Liveni , Romania Died May 4 , 1955 in Paris , France
ROMANIAN RHAPSODY NO . 1 The brilliant George Enescu was a superb musician — not only a composer but also a violinist , pianist , conductor , and teacher — whose Romanian Rhapsody No . 1 captures the folkloric flavor of his Romanian homeland . He was only 19 when he composed the Rhapsodies 1 and 2 , in 1901 , assembling various melodies he remembered from his childhood .
The first is the most well known , with its exotic melodies , shifting colors , and a Modernist bent . Its structure derives from the rhapsodies of Liszt — essentially a medley that borrows and reinvents melodies . The genius of Enescu is in his deft stitching of the disparate Romanian folk themes and dances that it employs into a high-spirited , free-flowing orchestral showpiece . The music also alludes to the 19th-century Lăutari musicians from Romania , who played the lute , violin , and pan flute , among other instruments .
The Rhapsody gets underway with a folk drinking song , shared by a solo clarinet and oboe . The strings pick up the melody and the ensemble speeds it up . After a clear cadence , a wedding circle dance that is carried by the strings introduces a new episode , which in turn is followed by more folk tunes and dances in the middle . Gradually , we arrive at the tune “ Ciocârlia ” (“ The skylark ”), in which the woodwinds imitate the chirping of the lark . The tempo picks up further , as the folk tunes whirl and surge toward a frantic , head-spinning conclusion .
Instrumentation : Three flutes ( third doubling piccolo ), two oboes , English horn , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , two cornets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , two harps , and strings .
ESTEBAN MENESES is a fellow of the 2022 Rubin Institute for Music Criticism , a freelance arts and music journalist , and a bilingual public relations consultant . To read more , please visit muckrack . com / estebanmeneses
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