Ravinia 2019, Issue 6, Week 11

the orchestra. A relatively succinct development section builds in passion as Dvořák conveys the movement to a reversed recapitulation of his principal themes (second, then rst). Orchestral woodwinds o er an e ortless melo- dy, which the solo cello continues. Strings con- tribute a light harmonic support. A passionate string outburst leads to the Lasst mich allein melody—transformed from / time to / — played by the cello. e opening theme returns in an elaborated form. Amarch theme, heroically scored for three horns and low strings, opens the Finale . (Dvořák may have remembered the use of three trombones in Herbert’s concerto.) e solo cello embraces this melody. ematic contrast rst occurs in the melancholy clarinet idea, lled with longing for the Czech homeland. Dvořák repeats his open- ing theme. Accompanied by woodwinds, the solo cello o ers further lyrical material. A vari- ation of the refrain emerges one nal time. e cello partners with a solo violin in a quotation from Lasst mich allein , interspersed with frag- ments of the rst movement’s opening melody. A short, brassy fanfare concludes the concerto. SERGE RACHMANINOFF (1873–1943) Symphonic Dances , op. Scored for two utes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets and bass clarinet, alto saxophone, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets and trombones, tuba, harp, piano, timpani, triangle, tambourine, glockenspiel, xylophone, tam-tam, bells, cymbal, bass drum and strings One by one, Rachmanino closed the doors on each facet of his career. e stream of composi- tions slowed rapidly a er his move to the Unit- ed States in , nally running dry in . Rachmanino made his nal appearance as a conductor in Chicago, the ultimate stop of the “Rachmanino Cycle” in March . His last concert tour as pianist was scheduled for the – season. However, death robbed Rach- manino of the eagerly anticipated retirement. e Symphonic Dances , op. ( ), Rach- manino ’s nal composition, o er a musical synopsis of his life and career. Originally, these three movements formed a ballet score for Mikhail Fokine bearing the title Fantastic Danc- es , with the individual movements called Noon , Evening , and Midnight . Descriptive labels were later removed, the ballet plans were scuttled, and the set was renamed Symphonic Dances . A week a er completing the score, the composer o ered the score to Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who gave the premiere on January , . Rachmanino explained the nal title in an in- terview for the New York World-Telegram (Oc- tober , ): “It should have been called just ‘Dances,’ but I was afraid people would think I had written dance music for jazz orchestras.” It seems doubtful that anyone would confuse the late-Romantic symphonist with a big-band composer, but perhaps this droll assertion al- luded to the prominent alto saxophone theme in the rst movement. Rachmanino sought the advice of popular composer and arranger Rob- ert Russell Bennett while preparing this his rst saxophone part. Based on musical quotations in the Dances , one suspects that the original movement titles suggested the passing of Rachmanino ’s own days. A vigorous march begins the Non alle- gro . Later, the saxophone solo imparts a mel- ancholy air. Material from the Symphony No. in D minor, op. ( )—a piece of his early maturity maligned by many, but prized by the composer—appears toward the end in a string and wind chorale. e Andante con moto waltz- es with élan. Occasionally, the dance-like triple meter grinds to a halt, only to resume newly embroidered by woodwinds and a solo violin. Rachmanino ’s web of allusions thickens in the nal movement as the cycle of life comes to its completion. Strains of his All-Night Vigil , op. ( ), suggest a late-hour setting. Anoth- er prominent melody recalls the Dies irae chant from the Mass for the Dead, which he also in- corporated in numerous other compositions. Rachmanino ’s inscription on the score hints at the serene closure brought by the Symphonic Dances : “I thank ee, Lord.” –Program notes © Todd E. Sullivan LONG YU, conductor Born in into a musical family in Shanghai, Long Yu studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and Berlin’s University of Art. In , he was ap- pointed principal conductor of Beijing’s Central Opera eatre, serving as its conductor for three years, and he also created opera productions for e Urban Council of Hong Kong for ve years. Yu made his debut with the Guangzhou Sym- phony Orchestra in , and in he became its music director, leading the orchestra on Euro- pean and Egyptian tours including appearances at Paris’s éâtre des Champs-Élysées, Conser- vatoire de Luxembourg, Amsterdam’s Concert- gebouw, and Cairo Opera House. He has also been music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra since , and he holds additional posts as artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmon- ic Orchestra, and co-director of the MISA Sum- mer Festival in Shanghai. From until , he was also artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival, which he founded. In , the Chi- na Philharmonic Orchestra, under Yu’s baton, became the rst Chinese orchestra to perform at the Vatican, and six years later together they marked the same rst at the BBC Proms with a televised performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. As a guest conductor, Yu has appeared with many acclaimed ensembles around the world, including the New York and Los Ange- les Philharmonics, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Chicago, Cincinnati, Montreal, and National Symphony Orchestras in North America; the Paris Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and Munich Philharmonic in Europe; and the Melbourne, Sydney, and Singapore Symphony Orchestras. In the past year, he has also guested with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Phil- harmonia Orchestra, and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, among other ensembles, and signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. In , the New York Philhar- monic named Yu an honorary member of its International Advisory Board, having led the de- velopment of China’s rst orchestral academy in partnership with that organization, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Shanghai Conser- vatory. Long Yu made his Ravinia debut in and is making his rst return to the festival. Serge Rachmaninoff RAVINIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 12 – AUGUST 18, 2019 96