Overture Magazine: 2017-2018 Season November-December 2017 | Page 23

PRESENTING THE
Instrumentation: Two flutes, two oboes,
two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two
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The first movement’s opening is one of
the most famous in the repertoire: a series
of nine chords in the piano, underpinned
by deep tolling, that crescendos from
pianissimo to fortissimo and leads directly
into the first theme, played low in the
strings and clarinets. Surely this is an
evocation of the great bells of Russian
churches, which fascinated Rachmaninoff.
Also influenced by Russian Orthodoxy
is the melancholy principal theme, which
moves chant-like within a narrow range.
The piano introduces the second theme,
full of romantic yearning. After a brief
development section (announced by a
brass fanfare) featuring both themes, the
chant theme returns in the strings, but
now with the piano providing an incisive
march tread beneath.
A quiet prelude by muted strings
opens the slow movement and moves the
tonality from C minor to a very distant
E major. The movement’s main theme is
oddly introduced: over a piano arpeggio,
a solo flute presents a little phrase that
turns out to be the theme’s ending.
Then the solo clarinet offers the theme
proper: a subdued, repetitive tune that
will only find passionate release when
the piano adopts it late in the movement.
Rachmaninoff saves his loveliest music
for the close, as the woodwinds singing
birdcalls mesh magically with the piano
and the violins complete the melody.
Another bridge prelude opens the finale.
Here in the midst of much bold, aggressive
music comes a surprise: the marvelous
soaring melody, first heard in the plangent
tones of solo oboe and viola, for which
this concerto is so beloved. This tune
almost lost its dignity forever when Tin
Pan Alley hijacked it in the 1940s for the
sentimental love song “Full Moon and
Empty Arms.” The work ends with one
last sweeping statement by full orchestra
and soloist of the big tune, then hustles to
an exciting finish.
NEW
Brian Ganz
All concerts at Peabody are now FREE!
Peabody Chamber Orchestra All-Chopin Recital
Saturday, November 11 at 8:00 pm
with Joseph Young, conductor Tuesday, November 28 at 8:00 pm
with Brian Ganz, piano
Johann Sebastian Bach: Including the rarely heard Tarantella,
Bolero, Fugue, and Bourrées, as well
as the Polonaise in A major, Fantasy-
Impromptu and excerpts from the
Opus 10 études.
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068
Maurice Ravel:
Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) Suite
Joseph Haydn:
Symphony No. 96 in D major
trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani,
percussion and strings.
Notes by Janet E. Bedell, © 2017
Reserve seats at
peabody.jhu.edu/events
or by calling 667-208-6620.

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