Ravinia 2021 - Issue 1

year by Simrock. Four pieces are entitled In- termezzos—a slower, lyrical type. The third in the set is a narrative Ballade, and the fifth is a lyrical Romance. Hungarian pianist Ilo- na Eibenschütz gave the first performance on January 22, 1894, in London at St. James Hall. Ballade No. 1 in D minor, op. 10, no. 1 Ballade No. 2 in D major, op. 10, no. 2 “Ballade” remained a comparatively flexible musical designation throughout the 19th cen- tury. Chopin, for example, approached the ballade as a dramatic genre emanating direct- ly from Romantic musical poeticism. In it, the musical “narrative” outlined an imprecise and unpredictable sequence of episodes often depicted through song-inspired thematic ma- terial. Other composers employed the term as a generic designation for light, short, and tuneful keyboard pieces. Johannes Brahms explored the vast ground between those two points in his Four Ballades, op. 10, a collec- tion completed in 1854. His first ballade most clearly approximates the dynamic Chopin model. Brahms evi- dently drew inspiration from the Scottish border ballad “Edward” published in a Ger- man translation in Johann Gottfried Herder’s Stimmen der Völker . According to the folk tale, Edward used a knife to kill his brother (in some sources, father). Countless variants of this piece have survived in the British bal- lad tradition. Most begin with the mother asking, “What makes that blood on the point of your knife?” or “How came that blood on your shirt sleeve?” Edward replies uncon- vincingly that the blood came from various animals. Then he confesses his brutal act. Many scholars have pointed out that Herder’s translation fits almost exactly with the main theme of this ballade. Brahms instilled the second ballade with far subtler meaning. Its sweeping opening ges- ture, from which many thematic ideas are Johann Gottfried von Herder by Anton Graff (1785) derived, outlines the pitches of his musical motto: F–A–F (in this case, F-sharps), which stands for “Frei aber froh” (“free but happy”). Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel in B-flat major, op. 24 In 1861, Brahms withdrew to a suburb of Ham- burg in order to spend the summer months in quiet solitude. His quarters in the small town of Hamm, a room in the house of Frau Dr. Rosing with a balcony and a view of the garden, provided Brahms a peaceful setting in which to compose. This productive period brought the composition of several important works: the first three songs of Die schöne Ma- gelone , the First and Second Piano Quartets (the latter was completed the following year), the Variations on a Theme by Schumann for two pianos, and the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel for solo piano. Brahms completed the Handel Variations and Fugue in September 1861 but kept the set a secret until October 11 when he sent a copy of the score to Clara Schumann as a belated birthday present: “I composed the Variations for your birthday and you have not heard them yet, although you ought to have been practicing them for your concerts.” Clara gave the first public performance on De- cember 7, 1861, in Hamburg. The variations made an immediate and lasting impression on Brahms’s musician friends, although the audience was less enthusiastic. Even Richard Wagner—whom Brahms met in Vienna on February 6, 1864, and who would become a musical and aesthetic adversary—expressed his admiration for the variations: “It shows what can still be done with the old forms by somebody who knows how to handle them.” An admirer of music by past masters, Brahms chose a simple binary Aria theme from the second volume of George Frideric Handel’s Suites de Pièces pour le Clavecin (Suites of Pieces for the Harpsichord; 1733), where it is followed by five variations. Brahms skill- fully fuses archaic and contemporary styles in his own 25 variations. He strictly observes the theme’s structure, according to Baroque practice, yet each variation displays its own distinctive character. Most variations retain the B-flat-major tonality, although nos. 5, 6, 13, and 21 turn to minor keys. Allusions to Baroque imitative writing appear in the ca- nonic variations nos. 6 and 16. Other varia- tions display a more Romantic exploration of emotional extremes, both introspective and extroverted. The final variation leads to a magnificent four-voice fugue. –Program notes © 2021 Todd E. Sullivan GARRICK OHLSSON, piano For Garrick Ohlsson’s biography, see page 36. 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2021 GARRICK OHLSSON, piano The Breadth of Brahms for Solo Piano Part 3 of 4 Seven Fantasies, op. 116 No. 1. Capriccio in D minor No. 2. Intermezzo in A minor No. 3. Capriccio in G minor No. 4. Intermezzo in E major No. 5. Intermezzo in E minor No. 6. Intermezzo in E major No. 7. Capriccio in D minor Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Book 2 Thema: Non troppo presto Var. 8. Allegro Var. 1 Var. 9 Var. 2. Poco animato Var. 10. Feroce, energico Var. 3 Var. 11. Vivace Var. 4. Poco Allegretto Var. 12. Un poco Andante Var. 5 Var. 13. Un poco più Andante Var. 6. Poco più vivace Var. 14. Presto, ma non troppo Var. 7 Piano Sonata No. 3 Allegro maestoso Andante espressivo Scherzo: Allegro energico Intermezzo (Rückblick) [ attacca ] Finale: Allegro moderato ma rubato There will be no intermission in this program. Making its debut across these concerts is a brand-new Hamburg-made Steinway grand, personally auditioned and selected by Garrick Ohlsson for Ravinia. Following its performances in the Pavilion all this season, it will reside in the Martin Theatre, taking the place of the recently retired Steinway that resonated under the hands of more than 200 different pianists over 28 Ravinia seasons. Ravinia is deeply grateful to Howard L. Gottlieb and Barbara G. Greis for the gift of this new piano and looks forward to its many years of making exceptional music. PAVILION RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 1 – JULY 23, 2021 42