Ravinia 2019, Issue 5, Week 10

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844–1908) Scheherazade , op. 35 Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, tambourine, snare drum, bass drum, gong, cymbals, harp, strings, and solo violin The revision and orchestration of Prince Igor , an opera by Alexander Borodin left incomplete at his death, completely absorbed Rimsky-Kor- sakov’s energy for much of 1887 and early 1888. Freed of his editing responsibilities in the sum- mer of 1888, Rimsky-Korsakov quickly com- pensated by producing three orchestral works: the symphonic suite Scheherazade , op. 35; the Souvenir de trois chants polonaise for violin and orchestra; and the liturgically inspired overture Russian Easter Festival , op. 36. Delving into “Oriental” literature, Rimsky-Kor- sakov discovered the ancient anthology of Per- sian, Indian, and Arabian tales known as AThou- sand and One Nights, or The Arabian Nights . This collection of disconnected stories is unified only by the narrative voice of Sheherazade, the ill-fat- ed wife of the sultan. Rimsky-Korsakov selected four tales to inform the four movements of his symphonic suite. Similar to his literary source, he unified the movements with a single solo-vi- olin theme “delineating Sheherazade herself telling her wondrous tales to the stern sultan,” according to the composer. Other themes recur periodically: “These given motives thread and spread over all the movements of the suite, alter- nating and intertwining each with the other. Ap- pearing as they do each time under different il- luminations, depicting each time different traits and expressing different moods, the selfsame given motives and themes correspond each time to different images, actions, and pictures.” Rimsky-Korsakov prefaced the first edition of Scheherazade with the following programmat- ic outline: “The Sultan Schahriar, convinced of the duplicity and infidelity of all women, vows to slay each of his wives after the first night. The sultana, Sheherazade, however, saved her life by the expedient of recounting to the sultan a suc- cession of tales over a period of a thousand and one nights. Overcome by curiosity, the monarch postponed from day to day the execution of his wife, and ended by renouncing altogether his sanguinary resolution. “Many were the marvels recounted to Schahriar by Sheherazade. For the telling of these she drew from the verses of the poets and the words of folksongs and tales, connecting her stories one with the other.” All four movements were given descriptive titles, which the composer later at- tempted to suppress. I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship . The sultan speaks gruffly in the opening measures, but Sheheraza- de’s gentle voice soothes him for the first tale. Sinbad, a wealthy Baghdad sea merchant, gains his riches through seven difficult voyages. The ocean rocks back and forth in a gentle 6/4 meter. Billows gradually rise, making for a tumultuous journey. II. The Story of the Kalender Prince . In the Ara- bian Nights , three royal princes are disguised as wandering beggars ( kalenders ). Each has lost his right eye: the first is plucked out, the second is burned by a hot cinder, and the third is knocked out by a flying horse’s tail. Rimsky-Korsakov perhaps represents the hapless trio in recitative passages for trombone/trumpet, clarinet and bassoon. III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess . A string waltz serenades the young lovers. With- in this romantic setting, a most unlikely debate arose. Vasily Vasilyevich Yastrebtsev wrote in his Reminiscences of Rimsky-Korsakov (Novem- ber 10, 1898), “We [the composer and Yastrebt- sev] also took note that Sheherazade was played recently in London and that a heated contro- versy had broken out among the English over whether the clarinet runs in the third movement depicted kisses!” IV. Festival at Baghdad—The Sea—The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock Surmounted by a Bronze Warrior—Conclusion . Rimsky-Korsakov embel- lishes the tale with this festival in Baghdad. The fifth of Sinbad’s voyages violently sweeps him to a rocky crag, which smashes his ship to bits. Themes from the previous three movements make fleeting appearances. The solo violin plays a final, gentle phrase as Sheherazade spins her last tale, laying the sultan’s fury to rest. –Program notes © 2019 Todd E. Sullivan LEONARD SLATKIN, conductor Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and Lyon National Orchestra (ONL), and he maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting throughout the world in addition to activities as a composer, author, and educator. Highlights of his 2018–19 season include a tour of Germany with the ONL, a three-week American Festival with the DSO, the Kastalsky Requiem project commemorating the World War I Centennial, the 85th birthday celebration of composer Krzysztof Penderecki in Warsaw, the Manhattan School of Music’s 100th anniversary gala concert at Carnegie Hall, and five weeks in Asia leading orchestras in Guang- zhou, Beijing, Osaka, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. He will also conduct the Moscow Philharmon- ic, Balearic Islands Symphony, Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Monte Carlo Symphony, Ireland’s RTÉ National Symphony, and the Bern, Pittsburgh, and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestras. Slatkin has earned six Grammy Awards and 33 nominations for his extensive discography. His recent recordings for the Naxos label include works by Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and Berlioz (with the ONL) and music by Copland, Rachmaninoff, Borzova, McTee, and John Williams (with the DSO). In addition, he has recorded the complete Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky symphonies with the DSO. A 2003 recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Slatkin also holds the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. He has also been hon- ord with Austria’s Decoration of Honor in Silver, the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton Award, and the 2013 ASCAP Deems Taylor Spe- cial Recognition Award for his debut book, Con- ducting Business . His second book, Leading Tones: Reflections on Music, Musicians, and the Music Industry , was published in 2017. Slatkin has con- ducted virtually all the leading orchestras in the world. In addition to the DSO and ONL, he has been the music director of ensembles in London (BBC Symphony Orchestra), New Orleans, Saint Louis, and Washington, DC. He has also served as principal guest conductor in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Cleveland. Leonard Slatkin first appeared at Ravinia in 1971 and is re- turning for his eighth season at the festival. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov RAVINIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 5 – AUGUST 11, 2019 96