GERSHWIN’ S PIANO CONCERTO
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904 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201 Bistro: 410-385-9946 Catering: 410-385-9956 Fax: 410-385-9958 marielouisebistrocatering. com from Russia and France to create ballet extravaganzas that looked as colorful as they sounded. In 1909, seeking a composer to replace Anatoli Liadov( dropped after he failed to meet his deadline), Diaghilev had the happy inspiration to try the 27-year-old Stravinsky, who had hitherto worked for him only as an orchestrator. The Firebird was Stravinsky’ s first major commission.“ Take a good look at him,” Diaghilev told his leading ballerina Tamara Karsavina during rehearsals.“ He is a man on the eve of celebrity.” And indeed, when The Firebird premiered at the Paris Opéra on June 25, 1910 to tumultuous applause, Stravinsky immediately became one of the hottest composers of the day.
The Firebird is a beloved creature in Russian folklore, and she corresponds to the Phoenix in classical mythology as a symbol of rebirth. The Russian folklorist Afasyev describes her thus:“ The feathers of the Firebird are effulgent with silver and gold … her eyes shine like crystal, and she sits in a golden cage. At darkest midnight, she flies into the garden and lights it as brightly as if with a thousand burning bonfires. Just one of her tail feathers holds such magical power that it is worth more than a kingdom.” The scenario of the ballet combines the Firebird with the legends of the evil ogre Kastchei, the Deathless One, and the captive princesses( familiar to us as the Grimm Brothers’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses).
We will hear the 20-minute suite Stravinsky drew from his 45-minute complete ballet score. In the murky and mysterious Introduction, Stravinsky conjures the dangerous realm of Kastchei’ s castle with ominous scales in muted low strings and menacing trombone snarls. Soon we hear in the strings the eerie sound of the Firebird’ s wings. Prince Ivan climbs over the castle wall to try to capture her. He briefly succeeds in the“ Dance of the Firebird”: some of Stravinsky’ s most ingenious music, glinting with darting rhythms and prismatic, lighter-than-air colors from high woodwinds. The Firebird escapes, but leaves the Prince with one of her magical feathers.
More earthbound is the“ Dance of the Princesses,” who, like Ivan, are ordinary mortals and captives of Kastchei. They dance a traditional Russian khorovode or female round dance, and the Prince falls in love with the most beautiful of them. Next comes the stunning“ Infernal Dance of King Kastchei.” Stravinsky’ s rhythmic vitality is on full display in this brutal dance built from syncopations.
In the nick of time, Ivan remembers the magic tail feather and summons the Firebird. She forces Kastchei and his minions to dance until they drop in exhaustion. Lulling them to sleep with the rocking“ Berceuse” led by solo bassoon, the Firebird tells the Prince that Kastchei’ s soul lives in a buried egg; if he can crush that, he will kill the ogre and break the spell that binds the princesses. The Prince accomplishes this and in the majestic Finale weds his Princess. Its melody, introduced by solo horn, is another authentic Russian folksong. The melody spreads through the orchestra, and the ballet ends in a blaze of bell-tolling Russian splendor.
Instrumentation: Two flutes including piccolo, two oboes including English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, celesta and strings.
PIANO CONCERTO IN F
George Gershwin
Born in Brooklyn, NY, September 26, 1898; died in Hollywood, CA, July 11, 1937
While George Gershwin’ s Rhapsody in Blue of 1924 has become a ubiquitous showpiece on both classical and pops concerts, it is by no means the only work America’ s favorite composer wrote for piano and orchestra. Every bit as appealing is his longer and more adventurous Concerto in F, which takes the Rhapsody’ s attractive mixture of jazz and classical elements and builds them into a fullfledged three-movement concerto.
Although he had only the Rhapsody under his belt as a concert-hall piece,
26 OVERTURE / BSOmusic. org