Ravinia 2021 - Issue 2

Stravinsky drew stylistic and textural inspira- tion from another time and place, the 18th-century court environment of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos . The “Neoclassical” (more accurately, “neo-Ba- roque”) Concerto in E-flat adopts the ensem- ble (or ripieno ) concerto format employed in Brandenburgs Nos. 1, 3, and 6, in which mem- bers of the orchestral ensemble also play solo passages. Stravinsky extended that concept to the extreme. All 15 instruments in his cham- ber orchestra have independent music. The three movements of the Concerto in E-flat are performed without breaks. The Tempo giusto begins with strong—some might say, static—figuration around an E-flat tonality. This music returns several times as an orchestral ritornello. Solo sections and solo-ensemble dialogue otherwise dominate. The direct influence of Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 emerges at the end of this movement, where Stravinsky injects a slow, eight-mea- sure chord progression comparable to Bach’s skeletal second movement. The Allegretto in- troduces an exquisite, delicately scored dance in triple meter. Chordal sections occur at the midpoint and ending of this movement. A weighty bassoon and horn theme begins the spirited Con moto . Like Bach before, Stra- vinsky thickens the orchestral sonority with divided strings. ZOLTÁN KODÁLY (1882–1967) Dances of Galánta Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, side drum, triangle, glockenspiel, and strings Kodály returned to childhood memories when composing this tribute to the oldest symphony in his native Hungary. Between 1885 and 1892, he lived in the small market town of Galánta, now situated in Czechia due east of Bratislava. Galánta enjoyed dis- tinction as a center of the verbunkos style of Igor Stravinsky gypsy music. Verbunkos music originated in the 18th century as recruiting dances for the imperial army. Troops traveled through- out Hungary stirring up patriotic fervor with their alternating vigorous and slow dances. Although this type of military recruitment ended in the 19th century, the style continued to flourish among the gypsy musicians. One ensemble still lingered in Kodály’s mem- ory after 40 years, as he described (in third person) in the preface to Dances of Galánta : “There existed at that time a gypsy band which has since disappeared. Their music was the first ‘orchestral sonority’ which came to the ears of the child. The forebears of these gypsies were known more than a hundred years ago. In about 1800, some books of Hun- garian dances were published in Vienna, one of which contained music ‘after several gyp- sies from Galánta.’ They have preserved the old Hungarian traditions. In order to contin- ue it, the composer took his principal subjects from these ancient editions.” Several authentic gypsy melodies make cam- eo appearances in the rondo-like Dances of Galánta . The Lento introduction evokes a rhapsodic atmosphere without reference to folk tunes. A clarinet cadenza guides the piece into the first melancholy dance, which serves as a refrain. The flute offers a buoyant, modal melody. Full strings reprise a livelier version of the initial gypsy tune. A graceful oboe tune adds a refreshing open-air quali- ty. Following an abbreviated refrain, Kodály introduces a colorful dance with pizzicato basses, timpani, and triangle. Horns interrupt with a sauntering accompaniment to the ex- uberant wind melody. The music accelerates into a toccata-like section. A brief return of the sorrowful refrain bursts into a frantic rush to the double bar. The Dances of Galánta were first performed on October 23, 1933, at the gala 80th anni- versary concert of the Philharmonic Society Orchestra of Budapest under Ernő Dohnányi. Zoltán Kodály LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61 Scored for one flute, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings, and solo violin “Proceed along the path which you have hith- erto trodden so splendidly and so gloriously. Nature and art vie in making you one of the greatest artists. Follow both, and you need not fear that you will fail to reach the great— the greatest goal on earth to which the artist can attain. Be happy, my dear young friend, and come back soon, so that I may hear again your delightful, splendid playing.” In 1794, Beethoven inscribed these words of encour- agement and praise in the autograph book of 14-year-old violin wunderkind, Franz Clem- ent (1780–1842). A child prodigy of Mo- zartian abilities, Clement made numerous tours throughout Europe, prodded along by his exploitative father. Beethoven crossed paths with Clement a doz- en years later in Vienna, when the young vi- olinist became leader of the orchestra at the Theater an der Wien. Anxious to reestablish professional ties with Clement, Beethoven hastily composed a concerto for the violin- ist’s already announced December concert date. (Sketches for the violin concerto exist side-by-side with music for the Symphony No. 5 and transcriptions of Handel’s Messiah .) According to legend, Beethoven finished the score so close to the premiere that Clement played the solo part without previous re- hearsal. Although this report may seem a bit fanciful, it should not be dismissed lightly; Clement was known for his technical perfec- tion and phenomenal aural memory, which allowed him to transcribe complete cho- ral-orchestral works from memory (for ex- ample, Spohr’s The Last Judgment and Haydn’s The Creation ). Between concerto movements, Clement allegedly played his own compo- sition on the G-string, with the violin held upside-down! Perhaps apologizing for his Franz Clement by Henri Hessell (1789) tardiness, Beethoven penned a witticism on his manuscript: “Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement” ( clemenza means “clemency” or “mercy”). Beethoven dedicated his published Violin Concerto score (1808) to longtime friend Stephan von Breuning. The Breunings be- came surrogate relatives to Beethoven, whose own family suffered from his father’s alcohol- ic fits of violence. Frau Hélène, the widow Breuning, became a stable mother figure. The boys—Christopher, Lorenz, and Stephan— were boyhood cronies. Stephan and Ludwig once fell in love with the same young woman, Jeannette d’Honrath. Beethoven also may have harbored romantic feelings for their sis- ter, Eleonore von Breuning. Stephan moved to Vienna in 1801, accepted work with the Im- perial War Council, and reunited with his friend Ludwig. The Breuning connection continued one step further in relation to the concerto. At the insistence of Muzio Clementi, the Italian pianist–composer–music publisher living in London, Beethoven rewrote this work as a piano concerto, doing little more than add- ing a left-hand accompaniment to the right- hand melody. For this edition, Beethoven composed solo cadenzas, including a novel first-movement cadenza for piano and tim- pani. Clementi’s edition was dedicated to Julie von Breuning (née Julie von Vering), Stephan’s bride who died tragically in 1809, one year after their marriage. Beethoven left no authentic cadenzas for the violin version. Clement, according to traditional practice, probably improvised a cadenza during per- formance. Later violinists, notably Joseph Joachim and Fritz Kreisler, have contributed their own cadenzas. Max Rostal, an English violinist of Austrian birth, has transcribed Beethoven’s piano cadenzas (retaining the timpani part) for violin. The Violin Concerto offers a congenial, broadly scaled contest between solo violin Ludwig van Beethoven by Isidor Neugass (1806) RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 24 – AUGUST 15, 2021 66