{ program notes
of great humility, the tenors and basses begin the solemn chant“ Laudate.” After the music briefly slows for“ Alleluia,” the tempo accelerates again, and we hear an exciting passage of vaulting notes in the winds and pianos. Stravinsky explained that this“ was inspired by a vision of Elijah’ s chariot climbing the heavens [ Second Kings 2: 11 ] … The final hymn of praise must be thought of as issuing from the skies; agitation is followed by the calm of praise.” That calm is expressed in an extended slow-tempo closing coda: a grand and moving apotheosis such as we hear in a number of Stravinsky’ s works, beginning with the beautiful ending of The Firebird.
Instrumentation: Five flutes including piccolo, four oboes, English horn, three bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, five trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, two pianos, cellos, contrabasses.
Symphony No. 2 in E minor
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Born in Oneg, Russia, April 1, 1873; died in Beverly Hills, California, March 28, 1943
One of the most lavishly gifted of musicians, Sergei Rachmaninoff was not only a composer but one of this century’ s greatest pianists, and during his Russian years a celebrated conductor as well. But he often found his multiple talents more curse than blessing. As he explained,“ When I am concertizing, I cannot compose. When I feel like writing music, I have to concentrate on that— I cannot touch the piano. When I am conducting, I can neither compose nor play concerts. … I have to concentrate on any one thing I am doing to such a degree that it does not seem to allow me to take up anything else.”
In 1906, the urge to compose predominated. But first Rachmaninoff had to extricate himself from his post as conductor at Moscow’ s Imperial Grand Theater and the hectic social life that came with it. To secure the serenity he needed for creation, he moved his family to Dresden, Germany, where he lived virtually incognito for the next three years. The fruits of this self-imposed exile included his First Piano Sonata, the brooding tone poem The Isle of the Dead, and his Second Symphony.
Composing this last work required laying some demons to rest. In 1897, Rachmaninoff’ s First Symphony had had a disastrous premiere in St. Petersburg; the brutal reviews it received almost scuttled his composing career for good. Thus, he was very secretive with friends and the press about what he was up to in Dresden.“ I give my solemn word— no more symphonies. Curse them! I don’ t know how to write them, but mainly I don’ t want to.” However, the Second Symphony was drafted at high speed in the final months of 1906, then painstakingly revised and orchestrated throughout 1907. Rachmaninoff returned to Russia to conduct its premiere in St. Petersburg on January 26, 1908; its unqualified success finally vindicated his powers as a symphonist.
Rachmaninoff’ s First Symphony had had a disastrous premiere in St. Petersburg; the brutal reviews almost scuttled his composing career for good.
The Second draws its power and popularity from Rachmaninoff’ s talent for creating ardent, emotionally compelling melodies.“ Music must first and foremost be loved,” he once said.“ It must come from the heart and it must be directed to the heart. Otherwise it cannot hope to be lasting, indestructible art.”
The first movement grows from its opening phrase, played quietly by cellos and basses. This motto idea spawns all the movement’ s themes and also underpins the entire symphony. The violins immediately spin it into a swirling melody. This slow introduction reaches a peak of emotional ardor before the English horn leads smoothly into the main Allegro section. Here, the violins introduce the principal theme, itself more lyrical and expansive than most symphonic first themes. A dramatic transitional passage precedes the even more lyrical second theme, with melancholy woodwind sighs and a soaring violin melody. Solo violin launches the development section, which explores the dramatic potential of the opening motto idea.
The second-movement scherzo is as vigorous as the first movement was languorous. Throughout his career, Rachmaninoff used the stark, downand-up“ Dies irae” chant theme from the Catholic rite for the dead as a leitmotive; here, it is hidden in the horns’ boisterous opening theme. Yet in the midst of this movement’ s manic energy, there is time for another luxuriant Rachmaninoff tune for the violins. The middle trio section features a ferocious string fugue— so testing it is included on orchestral auditions for violinists and violists.
The Adagio third movement is luscious, heartfelt melody from beginning to end. The most famous is the violins’ upward-sighing phrase at the beginning. But this is only introduction to the solo clarinet’ s long-spun-out melody. A plaintive dialogue among oboe, English horn and strings fills the middle section; it recalls nostalgically the themes of the symphony’ s slow introduction.
Rachmaninoff opens the finale with a wild tarantella dance. A wry march for woodwinds provides a second thematic strand. And the third theme is the last big lyrical melody for violins— the most sweeping of them all. In the development section, listen for one of the work’ s most extraordinary passages: a long crescendo of downward scales in different speeds for the various instruments. This is a dazzling recreation of the pealing of Russian church bells, a sound Rachmaninoff loved as a child and recalled in many of his works. The coda offers a grand reprise of the violins’ big tune and finishes in a blaze of Czarist splendor.
Instrumentation: Three flutes including piccolo, three oboes including English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, strings.
Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright © 2017
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