{ program notes
About the concert:
Symphony No. 8 in B minor,
“Unfinished”
Franz Schubert
Born in Vienna, January 31, 1797;
died in Vienna, November 19, 1828
Ch r is Lee
Since Schubert died at the tragically
young age of 31, many listeners may
assume that death cut off his magnificent B-Minor Symphony known as the
“Unfinished.” But the two movements
and a partial sketch of a third were actually written in October–November 1822,
when the composer was 25. After his first
six symphonies, written between ages
16 and 21, Schubert seems to have had
trouble achieving the next stage of his
symphonic expression. The B minor was
the third symphony he tossed away without completing, most likely because he did
not know where to take his revolutionary
new conception.
Because this work is so well loved today,
it is difficult for us to appreciate how radical it was for 1822. Its tone and emotional
content were altogether new, and both
movements share a bittersweet pathos
juxtaposed against violent outbursts. And
Schubert’s sound world here is utterly distinctive: predominantly dark and colored
by the plaintive sounds of the woodwinds,
The BSO
18 O v ertur e |
www. bsomusic .org
particularly clarinet and oboe, which are
given much important thematic material.
First movement: Nothing could be
more distinctive than the symphony’s
opening. Deep and barely audible in
the cellos and basses, a brooding theme
emerges that Schubert will make much
use of later. Then a mysterious rushing
figure in the violins leads to the principal
theme, intoned by solo oboe and clarinet.
Soon the cellos announce the famous
second theme, this symphony’s trademark. But before that lovely melody can
complete itself, the orchestra interrupts
with a fortissimo explosion; this battle between gentle lyricism and fierce outbursts
will characterize the entire movement.
The development section is built entirely
around that deep introductory theme;
now Schubert explores its potential with a
passion and power worthy of Beethoven.
At movement’s end, we hear this theme
again, now broken and dying away.
The interplay between the lyrical and
the dramatic continues in the Andante
con moto second movement in E major.
A stealthy pizzicato descending figure in
the bass leads immediately into another
yearning melody in the strings. A new
section is introduced by an arching theme
for violin, followed by haunting solos for
clarinet and oboe. These lyrical interludes
are again smashed by a fortissimo passage
of grandeur and harmonic searching.
After reprises of both sections comes an
ethereal coda with a twist of pain; it is
built from the violins’ arching theme and
fragments of the main theme wandering
in strange harmonic territory. So beautiful, so complete is this ending that we feel
this work is well and truly “finished.”
Instrumentation: Two flutes, two oboes, two
clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings.
Keyboard Concerto No. 11
in D Major
Joseph Haydn
Born in Rohrau, Austria, March 31, 1732;
died in Vienna, May 31, 1809
Although Haydn was an Austrian by
nationality, he was born very near the
Hungarian border. And one of the Esterházy residences, the castle of Esterháza
where he spent much of his time, was
actually in Hungary. Not surprisingly,
Haydn developed a fondness for Hungarian culture, especially the folk melodies
of Hungarian gypsies and the spicy local
cuisine. He became quite an authority on
Hungarian folksong and was one of the
first composers to use it in his works, such
as the engaging Piano Concerto in
D Major we’ll hear today.
Unlike Mozart, Haydn seems not to
have been strongly attracted to the concerto form. Partly this may have been due to
his modest performing skills; he was not a
brilliant virtuoso like Mozart and so had
little need for music to display his abilities
before the public. He was more anxious
to create pieces that would showcase the
highly skilled instrumentalists in the
Esterházy orchestra, then one of Europe’s
greatest ensembles. However, we do have
a small number of outstanding concertos
from his pen: most notably his well-loved
Trumpet Concerto, the Cello Concerto in
D Major, and tonight’s concerto, written
about the same time as the Cello Concerto around 1780.
The concerto’s opening movement,
marked “Vivace,” is built from just one
impishly sparkling theme, as was Haydn’s