Overture Magazine: 2017-2018 Season March - April 2018 | Page 21
Schubert knew, or at least suspected,
that the syphilis he contracted in 1822
was a death sentence. Yet he lived out
his remaining years with optimism
and boundless creativity, and one can
perhaps hear that drama given musical
expression in this movement. Over a
relentless march beat, a solo oboe sings
a plucky melody that Donald Francis
Tovey called a “heart-breaking show of
spirit in adversity.” Loudly, the strings
mock the oboe’s tune. This section
alternates with another in which the
violins deliver a consoling, downward-
flowing hymn-like theme in the major.
Upon the return of the oboe music, the
two repeated notes that gently end its
first phrase erupt into a terrifying crisis
of dissonance. After a dramatic pause,
cellos offer comfort and the violin hymn
returns to complete the recovery.
The third movement is a scherzo in the
Beethovenian style, full of rhythmic drive
and bold energy. But it contains music
that is quintessential Schubert: a middle
trio section in the style of an Aust rian
ländler (the precursor of the waltz)
featuring the woodwind band’s most
beguiling sonorities. It is one of the most
enchanting of his creations.
The finale immediately engulfs us in
a whirlwind of fire and speed. The sense
of forward momentum is relentless,
intensified by 88 consecutive measures
of devilishly fast triplets for the strings,
spinning under the woodwinds’ quietly
obsessive second theme. Still greater
force emerges from the four repeated
notes that innocently begin that theme.
Schubert metamorphoses them into
pounding hammer strokes that, in
Tovey’s words, are “as powerful and
terrible as anything in Beethoven or
Michelangelo.” But Schubert, the
lyrical genius, is strong enough to wield
them, and with their help, he creates a
dramatic finish Beethoven would have
surely applauded.
Instrumentation: Two flutes, two oboes,
two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two
trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings.
Notes by Janet E. Bedell, © 201 8
2017-2018 SEASON
FRI, MAY 4 | 8 PM • SUN, MAY 6 | 3 PM
MARIN ALSOP, Music Director
NICOLA BENEDETTI, violin
JOHN WILLIAMS, LUCIANO BERIO AND JOHN CORIGLIANO // Birthday Bouquet
BERNSTEIN // Serenade
BERNSTEIN // Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
BERNSTEIN // Three Dance Episodes from On The Town
The BSO celebrates Bernstein’s centennial with Nicola Benedetti, one of the most
sought-after violinists of her generation. This performance of Bernstein favorites
also includes works by modern composers written in homage to his genius.
Together, they illustrate how impossible it is to singularize Bernstein’s brilliance.
Presenting Sponsor: M&T Bank
JOSEPH MEYERHOFF SYMPHONY HALL
TICKETS FROM $25 | BSOMUSIC.ORG | 410.783.8000
M A R –A P R 2018 / OV E R T U R E
19