Ravinia 2019, Issue 6, Week 11

1812 Festival Overture, op. 49 Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two cornets, two tenor and one bass trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, tambourine, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, cannons, chimes (bells), and strings “The overture will be very loud, noisy, but I wrote it without any warm feelings of love, so it will probably be of no artistic worth.” Un- questionably, Tchaikovsky produced an over- ture with “very loud, noisy” portions, but the rest of his assessment missed wide of the mark. The 1812 Festival Overture ranks as perhaps Tchaikovsky’s most popular composition for its sentimental, as well as artistic, worth. Nikolai Rubinstein requested a new work from Tchaikovsky for an upcoming Exhibition of Arts and Crafts in Moscow. This 1882 exhibition co- incided with the scheduled dedication of the new Cathedral of the Redeemer and a 70th-an- niversary commemoration of the Russian re- sistance to Napoleon’s assault. Tchaikovsky’s “festival overture” was given a grand, open-air performance (such as this evening’s). A massive assemblage of instruments filled the cathedral square with sound—a military band, an enor- mous orchestra, a company of artillery, and pealing bells from the church towers. Tchaikovsky composed the 1812 Overture be- tween October 12 and November 19, 1880, with the Napoleonic defeat in mind. An old Russian anthem—a patriotic prayer—serves as the slow introductory theme: “Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine heritage; grant victory to our land, our sovereign and his warriors over the invad- ers, and by the power of Thy cross preserve Thy commonwealth.” The tempo increases as the conflict builds. Among the main themes is a Russian children’s folk song. French troops ad- vance to the strains of the “Marseillaise,” but the Russian anthem spurs the people to victory. –Program notes © 2019 Todd E. Sullivan KIAN SOLTANI, cello Born in Bregenz in 1992 to a family of Per- sian musicians, Soltani began playing the cello at age 4 and was only 12 when he entered the tutelage of Ivan Monighetti class at the Basel Music Academy. He was awarded an Anne-So- phie Mutter Foundation scholarship in 2014, and he has completed further studies with the Young Soloist Program at the Kronberg Acade- my in Germany and at the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein. Soltani launched his international performing career at age 19 with acclaimed debuts at the Goldener Saal of Vien- na’s Musikverein and at the Hohenems Schuber- tiade. He attracted further attention in 2013 as the winner of the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, and again in 2017 as both the winner of the Leonard Bernstein Award from the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany and the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award. That was also the year that Soltani signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and he released his first disc, Home , comprising works for cello and piano by Schubert, Schumann, and Reza Vali, in early 2018. He also appeared on a recording of Mozart’s piano quartets with Daniel and Michael Barenboim and Yulia Deyneka later in 2018. Soltani made his Carnegie Hall recital debut earlier this year and also gave chamber performanc- es at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Berlin’s Boulez Saal. He also gave recitals at Paris’s Philharmonie, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, London’s Barbican Centre, and Cologne’s Philharmonie as part of the ECHO Rising Stars program. This season Soltani toured the US with Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Center, and the Kennedy Center, and he made debuts with the Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Or- chestra, Berlin State Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Lyon National Orchestra, and (US) National Symphony Orchestra. This fall he begins a residency with the Residentie Orkest. Kian Soltani is making both his Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. TERLATO WINES AND RAVINIA The Perfect Pairing A perfect evening includes both marvelous music and fine wine. Because you are here tonight, you know that Ravinia provides great music in an incomparable setting. Enhance your experience with a bottle of wine from Terlato’s exceptional portfolio, which is available throughout the park and at many Chicagoland retailers. The Terlato family supports Ravinia because much like music, an appreciation for fine wine also has the power to enrich lives. Headquartered in Lake Bluff, Terlato Wines has a portfolio of more than 85 wine brands from world-class wine producers in more than a dozen countries and is the leading marketer of wines $20 and up in the US. For more information, visit www.terlatowines.com. Main entrance to the 1882 Exhibition of Arts and Crafts in Moscow AUGUST 12 – AUGUST 18, 2019 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE 103