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program notes
Symphony No . 4 in A Major , “ Italian ”
Felix Mendelssohn
Born in Hamburg , Germany , February 3 , 1809 ; died in Leipzig , Germany , November 4 , 1847
“ This is Italy ! And now has begun what I have always thought … to be the supreme joy in life . And I am loving it . Today was so rich that now , in the evening , I must collect myself a little , and so I am writing to you to thank you , dear parents , for having given me all this happiness …”
Thus the 21-year-old Felix Mendelssohn wrote his family on October 10 , 1830 after arriving in Venice . He did well to remember to thank his parents , for it was their wealth that had made possible this second installment of his Grand Tour of Europe . The previous year had taken him to the British Isles and sown the seeds for his “ Scottish ” Symphony ; his journeys in and around Venice , Florence , Rome and Naples from October 1830 to July 1831 would inspire his other most popular symphony , the sunlit “ Italian .”
Although he found much in the Italian culture that offended his fastidious German soul , the young composer threw himself into his Italian experience with gusto , not only making dutiful pilgrimages
The BSO to all the great museums and churches but also reveling in Rome ’ s pre-Lenten carnival season and taking long hikes in the countryside . Soon he began work on a new symphony inspired by this captivating land . But possessed with good looks and a charming personality , he made little progress on it ; as he confessed in another letter home , he had so many calling cards stuck in his mirror that he need never spend an evening alone .
After returning to Germany , however , the “ Italian ” Symphony began to take shape during the winter of 1832 , spurred on by a commission from the London Philharmonic Society . But despite its air of spontaneity and effortlessness , the symphony cost Mendelssohn a great deal of sweat . Even after its highly successful premiere by the London Philharmonic on May 13 , 1833 , under his own baton , he continued to anguish over it . Ultimately , it was not published until after his death at 38 . Mendelssohn left behind instructions for its improvement , but fortunately , nobody has ever implemented them .
First movement : With its upwardleaping theme for violins above throbbing woodwinds , the opening of “ Italian ” is one of the easiest to remember in the symphonic canon . It ’ s an irresistible musical expression of youthful high spirits and sheer joy . Clarity and lightness mark the orchestration of one of Mendelssohn ’ s finest scores , in which exactly the right color mixture is found for each mood . A rhythmically vigorous new tune delays its appearance until the development section , where it becomes the subject of a lively string fugue — Mendelssohn certainly had not worshipped J . S . Bach in vain !
The slower second movement in D minor is a masterpiece of atmosphere and scene painting . It was apparently inspired by a religious procession Mendelssohn witnessed in Naples , and the constant “ walking bass ” line — or at this tempo , call it a “ jogging ” bass — carries the processional feeling . Above it , the haunting timbres of oboes , bassoons and violas introduce a grave and lovely melody . When the violins succeed them , they are partnered by two flutes weaving a cool , beguiling obbligato melody above . At midpoint , clarinets offer a flowing , heartfelt new theme . Throughout , a wailing motive , rising and falling a half step , suggests the cries of the pilgrims . The procession gradually fades into the distance .
Instead of following Beethoven ’ s pattern of an earthy scherzo third movement , Mendelssohn harkens back to an earlier age for a very Classical minuet . But the string writing is more lush and the sentiment stronger than in Mozart ’ s minuets , and the trio section with its suave horn and bassoon parts has a warm nobility . Here the composer seems to be thinking more of Germany than Italy .
Italy and the spirit of the Roman carnival return in the vivacious finale , based on the Italian leaping dance , the saltarello . In an unusual choice , this is a minormode ( A minor ) conclusion to a work that began in major . But Mendelssohn had the gift for writing very light-hearted music in minor keys — remember his Violin Concerto in E minor . And indeed high spirits and nonstop energy propel this dance to its whirling conclusion .
Instrumentation : Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , two horns , two trumpets , timpani , strings .
Notes by Janet E . Bedell , Copyright © 2017
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