Overture Magazine - 2015-2016 Season January-February 2016 | Page 32

{ program notes

Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright ©2016

30 O v ertur e |

www. bsomusic .org

Joshua Bell plays Tchaikovsky
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Friday, February 12, 2016 — 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, 2016 — 3 p.m.
Music Center At Strathmore Gala Celebration

Saturday, February 13, 2016 — 8 p.m.
Marin Alsop, Conductor
Joshua Bell, Violin

Gioachino Rossini Overture to William Tell

Richard Strauss

Also sprach Zarathustra, opus 30

INTERMISSION

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major, opus 35
Allegro moderato
Canzonetta: Andante
Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

JOSHUA BELL

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
The concert will end at approximately 9:50p.m. on Friday, and 4:50p.m. on Sunday.
Music Center At Strathmore
The concert will end at approximately 9:55p.m.
The Rodgers Organ used at the Meyerhoff performances is provided
courtesy of R.A. Daffer Church Organs of Jessup, MD

Marin Alsop

For Marin Alsop’s bio., please see pg. 7.
Mar i e Ma zzu cco

Movement one opens mysteriously with
what Michael Steinberg calls “a drama
of emergence”: a winding, rather melancholy theme in strings and woodwinds
over a subdued drum roll. It is this
winding theme that will be the work’s
recurring motto. Wisps of the Allegro
section’s theme appear, and the tempo
gradually accelerates to Lebhaft or “lively.”
Despite its very different character,
this new whirlwind of a theme, full of
passionate intensity, is actually derived
from that melancholy opening melody.
A startling brass-dominated chord
kicks us into the lengthy development
section. Here two more important
themes are belatedly introduced: first
a punchy quick march and second
a sweeping Romantic melody in
Schumann’s most personal lyrical style.
The orchestra abruptly rises a whole
step for the second-movement Romanze in A minor. Schumann was not
a particularly brilliant orchestrator, but
here he chose a haunting blend of oboe
solo and cellos for a pensive, rather
archaic-sounding melody that soon
incorporates movement one’s winding theme. The winding theme is then
transformed with a rippling violin solo
floating above.
For movement three, Schumann
energizes the winding theme into a
lively scherzo dance. This propulsive
music alternates with a leisurely trio
section, now with all first violins taking the solo line. Now comes the most
remarkable passage in the entire work.
Donald Francis Tovey called it “the
darkness before the dawn” and likened
it to the famous bridge passage between
scherzo and finale in Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony.
From this climax erupts the finale
with a familiar theme: it is the punchy
quick march from movement one. The
closing coda is heralded by a new theme
of boundless optimism; Schumann’s
first child had just been born. Two
accelerations of the tempo power the
Symphony to a ringing, triumphant
conclusion in D Major.

Joshua Bell

Joshua Bell is one of
the most celebrated
violinists of his era,
and his restless curiosity, passion, and multi-faceted musical
interests are almost unparalleled in the
world of classical music. He is equally

at home as a soloist, chamber musician,
recording artist and orchestra leader,
traveling the globe as a guest soloist with
the world’s finest music ensembles and
orchestras. Named the music director of
the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
in 2011, Mr. Bell is the first person to
hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner
formed the orchestra in 1958.
An exclusive Sony Classical artist, Mr.
Bell has recorded more than 40 CDs
since his first LP recording at age 18 on