Overture Magazine 2013-2014 March-April 2014 | Page 31

Roland Park Place is a unique continuing care retirement community in the heart of northern Baltimore City. he had heard the recently deceased composer’s Pathétique Symphony in Helsinki and been deeply moved by it. “There is much in that man that I recognize in myself,” he admitted to his wife. And there is much of Tchaikovsky’s spirit in both the Andante second movement here and the finale. It opens with a lovely rocking melody for the violins and cellos, romantic and wistful. This is followed by an episode in which two bassoons, abetted by other woodwinds, engage in a dark duet; Sibelius described them as instruments with a particularly Finnish sound. When the romantic melody returns, listen for the wild swirls of flute, clarinet, and bassoon that accompany it. This is an episodic movement full of passionate, tempestuous excursions, though it ultimately returns to the repose of the romantic theme. Bruckner was another composer who impressed the young Sibelius, and the third-movement Scherzo has the pounding energy of Bruckner’s scherzo dances, energized by the exciting conflict of cross rhythms. This music is suddenly stopped in its tracks by sighing horns, introducing a haunting trio section in a much slower tempo. Enigmatic and wonderfully scored, this is one of the First’s finest passages. The finale initially returns us to the world of the first movement. Once again we hear the melancholy clarinet theme, but now it is sung passionately by the strings. As the Allegro section begins, Sibelius substitutes a choppy, fitful theme for a conventional melody — a kind of theme Tchaikovsky also favored. But Sibelius more than compensates with his gloriously romantic second theme, richly sung by violins and rhapsodically accompanied by the harp. After a turbulent development, it is this magnificent melody that carries the Symphony to its grand conclusion, ending with a final Sibelian surprise: two delicately strummed pizzicato chords. Classic Connections, Exceptional Harmonies Enjoying the arts adds vitality to our lives. Many life-enriching qualities, connections to family and friends and favorite traditions can be found at North Oaks. Ask Cindy or Vicki about the art of living at North Oaks by calling 410-415-9034. www.NorthOaksLCS.com 725 Mount Wilson Lane Pikesville, MD 21208 It’s life as you know it, only better. 697492 Instrumentation: Two flutes, two piccolos, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and strings. Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright 0