POETIC FIRE : FROM HAMLET TO DON JUAN
the fullest , Don Juan says ( in Donald Francis Tovey ’ s somewhat antiquated prose translation ): “ Fain would I run the circle , immeasurably wide , of beautiful women ’ s manifold charms , in full tempest of enjoyment , to die of a kiss at the mouth of the last one .” Late in the poem , when his appetite for life has changed into disgust and a longing for death : “ Beautiful was the storm that urged me on ; it has spent its rage , and silence now remains .… Perhaps a thunderbolt from the heights … struck fatally at my power of love , and suddenly my world became a desert and darkened . And perhaps not — the fuel is all consumed and the hearth is cold and dark .”
The trajectory outlined by these two quotations is the substance of Strauss ’ tone poem . Don Juan ’ s impetuous spirit is immediately introduced by the bold explosion that opens the work and the virile leaping theme for the violins that follows . After this subsides , the solo violin ushers in the first of two love episodes . This boasts an ardent , luxuriant theme for the strings : music of sensuous passion inspired by Wagner ’ s Tristan und Isolde . After another burst of his opening theme , Don Juan takes off to seek new loves . Cellos and violas introduce the second love episode , in which the solo oboe sings a haunting love song of genuine tenderness .
But even this cannot detain him for long . The horns call out a heroic new theme , as he rushes off to a masked ball , glittering with glockenspiel . At the height of the festivities , the orchestra suddenly plunges into a dark abyss . Don Juan ’ s zest for life has vanished . With a huge effort , he summons his energies again in a recapitulation of his violin and horn themes . But as he fights a duel , the will to live expires , and the music comes to an abrupt halt . Over shuddering strings , his opponent runs him through . Only “ silence now remains .”
Instrumentation : Three flutes including piccolo , two oboes , English horn , two clarinets , two bassoons , contrabassoon , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , harp and strings .
PIANO CONCERTO NO . 3 IN D MINOR
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Born in Oneg , Russia , April 1 , 1873 ; died in Beverly Hills , CA , March 28 , 1943
In 1909 , Sergei Rachmaninoff signed a contract to undertake his first American tour . Eight years before the Russian Revolution , he could not have guessed he would one day be a U . S . resident , but he did know he wanted to make a strong impression in the lucrative American market . And he decided a new concerto was required .
His Third Piano Concerto was composed the summer before the tour at his country estate . Rachmaninoff claimed it was “ more comfortable ” to play than his Second Concerto , but then he possessed unique physical characteristics and digital facility : at 6 ' 5 " in height , he had extraordinarily long-fingered hands that could span an octave and a fifth at the keyboard .
Although the Third Concerto scored a success at its premiere on November 28 , 1909 with the New York Symphony ( now the New York Philharmonic ), it was slow to win the mystique it possesses today . It was Vladimir Horowitz who began to build the Third ’ s legend as the ultimate virtuoso vehicle , and Van Cliburn who cemented it after his Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 .
Is this really the most difficult of all piano concertos to play ? Yes , it is highly demanding technically , requiring the utmost facility in executing very fast and intricately written passages and in encompassing extremely brawny chords . It also demands stamina , for during its nearly 40-minute length , the pianist receives little rest . But “ Rach 3 ,” as it ’ s known in the business , is a complete test for the pianist not for these reasons alone . It also requires a broad , expressive range , from imposing drama to quicksilver wit to songful lyricism . If the pianist cannot meet these interpretative tests , then a brilliant technique will not save him .
For a concerto with such a virtuosic reputation , the Third opens with surprising simplicity . Over a rocking accompaniment , the pianist launches an expressive song , played in bare octaves between the two hands . Its stepwise motion , pivoting around the tonic note of D , and its narrow range both suggest Russian Orthodox chant . The movement ’ s second theme appears first as a choppy rhythmic idea passed between orchestra and piano before the soloist smooths it into a lovely melody over rippling arpeggios .
A return of the opening music launches the development section , giving the pianist many opportunities to display his virtuoso skills . It ranges from high drama to eerie nocturnal passages before slipping into a big solo cadenza . Rachmaninoff wrote two : the first , longer and showier , which most pianists play today ; the second , shorter and slightly more understated , which Rachmaninoff himself preferred .
In the second movement , though the mode shifts from minor to major , the tone actually darkens . The piano sings a melancholy song , ebbing and flowing in intensity . Midway through comes a fast , feathery dance led by the piano ; listen to the woodwind solos that accompany it , for they are singing a cleverly altered version of movement one ’ s chant theme . The pianist abruptly dismisses the dark mood and , with a burst of virtuosity , sails directly into the finale .
Rachmaninoff loved the sound of Russian church bells , and we hear them ringing in the piano as this last movement opens . As in movement one , the second theme is presented rhythmically — this time in thick , aggressively syncopated piano chords . Then it is transformed into the big , soaring tune we wait for in every Rachmaninoff work . A series of variations on the bell theme takes the place of a development section . The concerto ’ s final drive begins with a roaring march for the piano , spurred on by low strings . Rachmaninoff piles excitement upon excitement to captivate his first American audience and all those to follow .
Instrumentation : Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion and strings .
Notes by Janet E . Bedell , © 2017
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