PROGRAM NOTES
ELLINGTON AND GERSHWIN
street scenes , Gershwin drafted a work for piano and orchestra that went through a number of working titles , including Manhattan Rhapsody and Rhapsody in Rivets .
For the concert version that he premiered with the Boston Symphony in 1932 , Gershwin simply titled it Second Rhapsody . This score has always languished in the shadow of its more famous older sibling , even though there is much in the attractive music that reveals itself to be the work of a more polished composer , with a compelling structure and thoughtful orchestration to make the most of those jazzy themes that are , as always with Gershwin , truly delicious .
Instrumentation Two flutes , piccolo , two oboes , English horn , two clarinets , bass clarinet , two bassoons , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , harp , and strings .
Johannes Brahms
Born May 7 , 1833 in Hamburg , Germany Died April 3 , 1897 in Vienna , Austria
SYMPHONY NO . 2 IN D MAJOR [ 1877 ]
“ I shall never write a symphony ,” Brahms lamented in a letter to a friend , at a time when he was nearing 40 and already one of Europe ’ s most famous composers . “ You can ’ t have any idea what it ’ s like always to hear such a giant marching behind you !” That giant was Beethoven , and the shadow he cast over Brahms was nearly inescapable . In the First Symphony , completed in 1876 after an arduous process that spanned 14 years , Brahms squared directly with his hero and tormentor , following the same fateful path from C-minor to C-major that Beethoven traversed in the Fifth Symphony .
Brahms ’ Second Symphony , written just a year later , could not have been more different in its origins . He wrote it that summer at a lakeside village in the Austrian Alps , describing the work as “ all blue sky , babbling of streams , sunshine , and cool green shade !”
The cellos and basses begin the symphony with a four-note figure , that , by coincidence , corresponds exactly to the start of Stephen Foster ’ s 1864 song “ Beautiful Dreamer ” — clearly both composers appreciated the motive ’ s idyllic lilt . Another recognizable snippet comes from Brahms ’ own pen : the famous Lullaby he published in 1868 . The violas and cellos , instructed to play in a singing manner , introduce a variant of that soothing tune .
The main melody of the slow second movement is another marvel of songlike expression , with the cellos once again placed in their sweet tenor range to deliver the long , slurred phrases . With Brahms ’ typical grace , the rhythms sometimes morph effortlessly into triplets , recalling the smooth contours of the first movement .
The third movement begins with a woodwind ensemble supported by plucked cellos , an outdoorsy sound that recalls the refreshing harmoniemusik of eighteenth-century wind bands . Instead of a typical scherzo interrupted by a contrasting trio section , this movement oscillates between two conflicting tempos in a five-part form . The transitions that serve to dovetail the mismatched rhythms show Brahms at his most playful and ingenious .
The finale begins with a type of surprise that Haydn used so effectively . Once the extremely quiet music has you craning forward expectantly , the full orchestra rocks you back with a sudden forte arrival , pointing this sophomore symphony toward its radiant conclusion .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , and strings .
Musical Terms Neoclassical : a 20th-century trend in which composers returned to the aesthetic of music composed in the 18th century , with characteristics of balance and clarity . Rhapsody : Translating to “ songs stitched together ,” the Greek wrote poetic rhapsodies — long poems taken apart and strung together for performance . In music , it is a piece with no formal structure comprised of a number of different musical ideas . Harmoniemusik : Music composed for Harmonie , a German word that designates an ensemble of wind instruments . Aristocratic patrons during the 18th century would often employ a Harmonie for an outdoor performance . Scherzo : Translates to a “ joke .” The scherzo is often the fast , third movement of a larger work , followed by a more gentle section called the trio . The scherzo is then repeated .
SAT , FEB 5 , 8 PM MEYERHOFF STEVE HACKMAN , conductor Considered one of the greatest albums of all time , Radiohead ’ s OK Computer is interwoven with Brahms ’ lush First Symphony in arranger and conductor Steve Hackman ’ s Brahms v . Radiohead . Performed by the BSO and three pop vocalists , the melodies of Brahms are seamlessly intertwined with songs such as “ Paranoid Android ,” “ Karma Police ,” “ No Surprises ,” and “ Let Down .”
SAT , APR 2 , 8 PM MEYERHOFF STEVE HACKMAN , conductor A transformative exploration of life , death , legacy , struggle , and triumph , The Resurrection Mixtape fuses the quintessential music of Notorious B . I . G . and Tupac Shakur with Mahler ’ s “ Resurrection ” Symphony . Included in the performance are “ Hypnotize ,” “ Dear Mama ,” “ California Love ,” “ Juicy ,” “ Keep Ya Head Up ,” “ Everyday Struggle ,” and more .
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JAN-FEB 2022 / OVERTURE 35