Overture Magazine - 2015-2016 Season January-February 2016 | Page 27

tearing the work apart. Max Kalbeck,
hese days, smart seniors
the composer’s first biographer, suggested
are going back to class.
Brahms publish the finale as a separate
piece, throw out the third-movement scherAt Roland Park Place.
zo, and rewrite the first two movements!
A discouraged Brahms asked Kalbeck the
Roland Park Place offers something
next day, “If people like … you do not like
you won’t likely find in other
my music, who can be expected to like it?”
communities. Life here is like going
Fortunately, the musical public liked the
back to class. Many residents are
Fourth Symphony much better. It was a
former university professors,
resounding success at its premiere with the
educators, business leaders,
Meiningen Orchestra under the composer’s
baton on October 25, 1885 and was equally
entrepreneurs and artists. So there
applauded on a nine-city tour that folare always stimulating activities,
lowed, with Brahms and the distinguished
and the enriching company of
conductor Hans von Bülow alternating on
like-minded individuals.
the podium. Von Bülow responded to the
Why not learn more right now?
Fourth as we do today, calling it “stupendous … individual and rocklike. IncompaCall [phone] or visit
rable strength from start to finish.”
RolandParkPlace.org
What could have been so distressing
about this noble work to those first listeners, all sophisticated musical professionals?
830 W. 40th St. Baltimore, MD 21211
While composing it during the summers of
[phone] rolandparkplace.org
The educated choice.
1884 and 1885 in Mürzzuschlag in southern Austria’s Styrian Alps, Brahms wrote
to von Bülow: “It tastes of the climate
hereabouts; the cherries are hardly sweet RPPJ6439 Smart Senior Ad 4.625x4.875_OVER.indd 1
3/11/15
here, you wouldn’t eat them!” Certainly
compared to his first three symphonies,
the work has something of the bitterness of
sour cherries in its austerity, harmonic bite,
and predominantly tragic mood. It is the
most tightly constructed of his symphonies,
FREE TO ALL
governed by an internal logic inspired by
the strictness of its celebrated passacaglia
SUNDAYS @3:30PM
SUNDAYS @7:30PM
finale. But listeners will be less aware of
CHAMBER MUSIC BY
this than of the work’s amazing range of
JAN 17, 2016
CANDLELIGHT
moods, its wealth of lyrical melody, and its
Gary Louie, saxophone
Featuring members of the
overall drama.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
FEB 14, 2016
For Brahms, a firm structural foundaPrima Trio
tion gave freedom for unfettered expresJAN
31,
2016
siveness. This is epitomized by the finale’s
★ PREMIERE
MAR 06, 2016
use of the Baroque passacaglia or chaconne
Vega Quartet
form, in which a series of variations are
FEB 21, 2016
APR 24, 2016
created over a repeated theme. Brahms
eption
MAR 20, 2016
Wonderlic Recital
adopted his theme from Bach’s Cantata
Free Post-Concert Reception
No. 150, “Nach Dir, Herr, verlanget mich”
MAY 22, 2016
(“Toward You, Lord, I Long”).
Alexandre Moutouzkine, piano
MAY 01, 2016
The intimate opening of the Allegro non
troppo first movement is utterly unique,
JUN 12, 2016
suggesting the symphony has already
been in progress for some time. But the
For more information call 443.759.3309 or visit CommunityConcertsAtSecond.org
All concerts take place at the Second Presbyterian Church, 4200 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD
violins’ two-note motive of a descending

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2:58 PM

January– February 2016 |

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