Ravinia 2022, Issue 6

JOSEPH HAYDN (1732–1809) Symphony No. 59 in Amajor, H. I:59 (“Fire”) Scored for two oboes, two horns, strings, and continuo A contemporary manuscript of the Sympho- ny in Amajor bears the indication “Feuer Sin- fonia” (Fire Symphony). This title offers tanta- lizing evidence of a programmatic association, but it also has generated some chronological inconsistency in the scholarly literature. The prevailing theory links this music to a perfor- mance of Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Gross- mann’s three-act play Die Feuersbrunst ( The Conflagration ) at the Esterházy court, where Haydn was employed from 1761 until his death 48 years later. In this scenario, the sym- phony’s movements served as incidental mu- sic scattered throughout the play. The exact date of the symphony’s composition remains a mystery, but stylistic features sug- gest the late 1760s, perhaps as early as 1765, during Haydn’s dramatic Sturm und Drang (“storm and stress”) phase. That dating, how- ever, does not coincide with the play’s pub- lication in 1773 or its first documented per- formance at Esterháza on April 4, 1778 (some scholars also reference a 1774 production). Perhaps Haydn adapted and repurposed his score for the later performance. As a four-movement symphony, this music contains many theatrical touches. The Presto employs rapid dynamic changes and charac- ter contrast between long, propulsive themes and brief, lyrical episodes. Haydn’s music loses momentum and “fire” near the end. The two middle movements share the triple meter of the minuet and display a recognizable themat- ic similarity in their opening measures. The Andante o più tosto allegretto begins in A mi- nor before shifting to A major in the second half, where the oboes and horns make their first appearance, and the horns unexpect- edly interject a fortissimo fanfare. The true minuet follows, retaining the overall A-ma- jor tonality while observing the standard Newly rediscovered portrait of Joseph Haydn by Christian Ludwig Seehas (1785) minuet–trio–minuet format. Scholars have identified thematic material in the Allegro assai finale as the work of Michael Haydn, the composer’s brother. Apparently aware of his sibling’s “borrowing,” Michael wrote a re- placement finale for his symphony in 1772. WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271 (“Jenamy”) Scored for two oboes, one bassoon (ad libitum), two horns, strings, and solo piano A French female piano virtuoso visited Salz- burg in late 1776 and early 1777, inspiring Mo- zart to compose his Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major. Little is known about this wom- an other than fleeting references to “Madame Jenomy” in Mozart’s correspondence, most often in connection with the concerto. The young composer again encountered the pia- nist during a 1778 trip to Paris. Her concerto completed a semi-official trilogy that Mozart arranged to have printed by the Parisian Georges Sieber in September 1778: “As for my three concertos, the one written for Mme. Jenomy, the one for Countess Lützow [in C major, K. 246], and the one in B-flat [K. 238], I shall sell them to the man who engraved my sonatas, provided he pays cash for them.” For years, the mysterious pianist’s identity remained obscured by insufficient docu- mentation and misinterpretation of existing evidence. French scholars writing early in the 20th century interpreted “Jenomy” as Mozart’s phonetic misspelling of “Jeunehom- me.” (His father, Leopold Mozart, referred to her as “Madame genomai.”) The “corrected” spelling gave K. 271 its popular nickname: “Jeunehomme” Concerto. The true identity of the enigmatic “Madame Jenomy” has been revised in recent years through the work of musicologist Michael Presumed portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Johann Georg Edlinger (c.1790) PAVILION 7:30 PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 MUSIC OF THE BAROQUE DAME JANE GLOVER, conductor GARRICK OHLSSON, piano HAYDN Symphony No. 59 (“Fire”) * Presto Andante o più tosto Allegretto Menuetto Allegro assai MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 (“Jenamy”) Allegro Andantino Rondeau: Presto Garrick Ohlsson –Intermission– BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 [Allegro] Adagio Allegro HANDEL Music for the Royal Fireworks Ouverture Allegro Bourrée La paix: Largo alla Siciliana Menuet II Menuet I Menuet II La réjouissance: Allegro * First performance at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Featured Sponsor The Negaunee Foundation . RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 31