Ravinia 2021 - Issue 1

TIMOTHY GREENFIELD-SANDERS (MIDORI) February Revolution, not for ideological rea- sons but to sustain an amazing creative flow that eventuated in the Visions fugitives , the Third and Fourth Piano Sonatas, the cantata Seven, They Are Seven , and his first symphony and violin concerto. This frenetic activity oc- casionally cast him into a state of depression, which he dispelled by gazing at stars through a new telescope and taking steamboat expedi- tions down the Kama River into the Volga. Prokofiev applied finishing touches to the Violin Concerto No. 1 during one river jour- ney: “The Kama is wild, virginally pure, and incredibly beautiful here, with its red hilly shore covered with dark Siberian pine forest. I’m orchestrating my violin concerto and am planning to finish my symphony.” In his Auto- biography , Prokofiev explained that this work had begun as a “concertino” in 1915, but it ex- panded considerably when he revisited the sketches two years later. The score—especially in light of its original diminutive title—reflects the composer’s interest in succinct, modestly scaled Classical structures. (His First Sym- phony is popularly called the “Classical” Sym- phony.) As the composer noted, “The critics were divided; some of them commented not without malice on its ‘Mendelssohnisms.’” Like the Kama River journey, the violin con- certo mingles serene and ferocious moments while simultaneously encapsulating all four lines of style development that Prokofiev outlined in his Autobiography . The modest dimensions and traditional formal structures of the concerto as a whole reflect the first line, “classical.” Prokofiev cited the Andante as an ideal example of his fourth (“lyrical”) line of composition, typified by broad, languid, and meditative melodic writing. The Scherzo catapults into his infamous untamed second (“modern”) line, in which “crudeness” of har- monies, melody and orchestration “express powerful emotions.” This brashness combines with a constant motor rhythm, the third style line (“toccata”). Prokofiev extended some of this driving energy into the finale, which employs another classical formal conceit—a unifying return of the Andante theme. Sergei Prokofiev FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809–47) Symphony No. 4 in A major, op. 90 (“Italian”) Scored for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets, timpani, and strings As with Mozart and Schubert, Mendelssohn lived a prolific, but tragically short life. Un- like the others, he enjoyed the benefits of a wealthy upbringing and never depended on income from composition to survive. His comfortable financial situation also allowed frequent travels. At 12, the prodigious Fe- lix was taken to meet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who immediately recognized his talent. Goethe and Mendelssohn fashioned a friendship that transcended the 60-year difference in their ages. They corresponded frequently, and Felix made several trips to see the elderly poet during the next 11 years, until Goethe’s death in 1832. Mendelssohn visited his mentor one last time in 1830, the year Goethe censured Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Weimar was only an inter- mediate stop on his first trip to Italy—Ven- ice, Florence, and finally Rome. Mendelssohn experienced an eventful stay in Rome. Pope Pius VIII died, and Pope Gregory XVI was elected his successor. The coronation fes- tivities fell on Felix’s 22nd birthday. During this momentous time, Mendelssohn began the “Italian” Symphony, a title of his own de- vising. “I am now trying to reflect whether I have made the best use of my time, and on every side I perceive a deficiency. If I could only compass one of my two symphonies! I will reserve the Italian one till I have seen Na- ples, which must play a part in it,” he wrote home on March 1, 1831. Manuscript evidence indicates that some symphonic sketches were made in Naples. Work was not concluded in Italy, but after Mendelssohn’s return to Berlin. He complet- ed the symphony on March 13, 1833, as part of a commission from the London Philharmon- ic Society, which gave its premiere on May 13. The composer personally delivered the final manuscript of the “Italian” Symphony. Men- delssohn remained highly critical of the work throughout his lifetime; the published score appeared in print only after his death. Many composers seemed to have influenced Mendelssohn’s musical style. His interest in “archaic” composers—Bach, Scarlatti, and others—contributed contrapuntal elements to his writing. Beethoven exerted some influ- ence over Felix, as he did over most compos- ers of the age. Mendelssohn scholar Philip Radcliffe points out that “it may be said in general that, of his predecessors, Beethoven was probably the one whom he was most ea- ger to emulate, and with whom he had least in common temperamentally.” Radcliffe argues further that he “certainly could never achieve the peculiarly dynamic collaboration of heart and mind that enabled Beethoven to explore so astonishingly wide an emotional range without a loss of balance.” Mendelssohn near- ly always appeared of good countenance, even amidst great external turmoil. Spiritual fire, like that of Beethoven’s character, was never part of his demeanor. Perhaps Men- delssohn’s style more closely approached that of Mozart, with its cool, polished beauty. The opening of his four-movement “Italian” Symphony lacks the dramatic intensity with which Beethoven began the Fifth Symphony, for example. The hunting-horn call presents a rustic, folk-like atmosphere. By movement’s end, there have been no large emotion- al swings, not even contrasts in intensity as would have been present in a Mozart sym- phony. The song-like Andante con moto bears a slight Beethovenian solemnity. A fast-tem- po minuet follows. The only musical remem- brance of Italy appears in the final move- ment: the Saltarello , a fast triple-meter dance characterized by vigorous leaping steps. This dance was popular in several regions of Italy during the 18th and 19th centuries, and Men- delssohn likely heard the music during his sojourn. –Program notes © 2021 Todd E. Sullivan Felix Mendelssohn by Ferdinand Theodor Hildebrandt (1834–35) MARIN ALSOP, conductor For Marin Alsop’s biography, see page 62. MIDORI, violin Midori began violin studies at an early age in her hometown of Osaka, Japan, and in 1982 the 11-year-old was invited to be a surprise soloist for the New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve concert, laying the foundation for her career. She has since performed with many of the major orchestras of the world, including those of Boston, Chicago, Cleve- land, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, London, Paris, and Vienna, earning Musical America ’s Instrumentalist of the Year honor and the Avery Fisher Prize in 2001. Midori is deeply committed to furthering humanitari- an and educational goals. She has established a number of nonprofit organizations in sup- port of music, including Midori & Friends in 1992, founded to provide music programs for New York City youth and communities, and Music Sharing, a Tokyo-based founda- tion that brings both Western classical and Japanese music traditions into young lives by presenting programs in schools, institutions, and hospitals. In recognition of these com- mitments, Midori has been UN Messenger of Peace since 2007, and this year she was ac- corded the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime contributions to American culture. Midori’s diverse discography on the Sony, Ondine, and Onyx labels includes recordings of Bloch, Janáček, and Shostakovich as well as a Grammy Award–winning recording of Hindemith’s Violin Concerto with Christoph Eschenbach conducting the NDR Symphony Orchestra. Her recording of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin at Köthen Castle for Accentus was also filmed as released on DVD. Her latest album, released in October 2020 onWarner Classics, features Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and two Romances, record- ed with the Festival Strings Lucerne. Current- ly a member of the Curtis Institute faculty, she was previously strings department chair at USC’s Thornton School of Music and is on the Ravinia Steans Music Institute faculty for the fifth time since 2014. Midori made her Ravinia debut in 1987 and tonight returns for her 11th season at the festival. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 53