Ravinia 2023 Issue 4

ANTHONY BARLICH (THOMAS) I rhythmic, and contrapuntal elements that are constantly transformed—at times whimsical and light, at times jazzy, at times almost Rav- el- or Stravinsky-ballet-like, at times layered and reverberating with lyrical resonance, pir- ouettes, fulcrum points, and effervescence.” One of the most dynamic compositional voic- es of her generation, Augusta Read Thomas is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, former Board Chair of the American Music Center, one of Crain’s Chicago Business 2001 “40 under 40,” Chicago Tribune 2016 Chicagoan of the Year, and Grammy Award winner from the Chanticleer CD Colors of Love . Thomas serves as Univer- sity Professor of Composition in the Depart- ment of Music and the College at The Univer- sity of Chicago, where she founded the Center for Contemporary Composition in 2016. Pre- viously, she taught at the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University as Wyatt Professor of Music, Tanglewood Music Cen- ter, and Aspen Music Festival. In addition, Thomas was the longest-serving Mead Com- poser-in-Residence with the Chicago Sym- phony Orchestra (1997–2006), working close- ly with Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez. She has received numerous compositional honors, including the prestigious Interna- tional Orpheus Prize (for her chamber opera Ligeia ); awards from The Siemens Founda- tion in Munich, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and the John Si- mon Guggenheim Memorial, Koussevitzky, and Fromm Foundations; The Rudolph Nis- sim Award from ASCAP; the Third Century Award from the Office of Copyrights and Pat- ents in Washington, DC; and the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra Composer Award, the oldest award of its kind in the nation. Born in Glen Cove, NY, Thomas studied at Northwestern University, Yale University, and the Royal Academy of Music in London and was a Bunting Fellow at Radcliffe College and a Junior Fellow at Harvard University. She has received the Distinguished Alumni Associa- tion Award from St. Paul’s School in Concord, Augusta Read Thomas NH, an Award of Merit from the President of Northwestern University, and an Alumnae Award from Northwestern University. Her composition teachers included William Kar- lins, Alan Stout, Jacob Druckman, and, of course, Oliver Knussen. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, op. 55 (“Eroica”) Scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings Symphony No. 3 confronts human themes as vast as the music itself—ideological betrayal and heroic triumph. Popular legend records the composer’s violent reaction upon receiv- ing word of Napoleon’s coronation. Ferdinand Ries bore the shocking news: “I was the first to bring him the intelligence that Bonaparte had proclaimed himself emperor, whereupon he flew into a rage and cried out, ‘Is he then, too, nothing more than an ordinary human being? Now he, too, will trample on all the rights of man and indulge only his ambition. He will exalt himself above all others, become a ty- rant!’ Beethoven went to the table, took hold of the title page by the top, tore it in two and threw it on the floor. The title page was rewrit- ten and only then did the symphony receive the title ‘Sinfonia eroica.’ ” This anecdote leaves one crucial question unanswered: What exactly did Beethoven write on the original title page that he ripped from the score? Conclusive evidence of a Napoleon dedica- tion exists not in this copy score but on the composer’s autograph manuscript. Its ti- tle page contains numerous emendations, but the most significant resides in a poorly erased line near the top that apparently once read “Intitulata Bonaparte”—“Entitled Bona- parte.” This had been replaced by the words “Sinfonia Grande.” Another line, added at a later date, clearly suggests that the symphony Ludwig van Beethoven by Christian Horneman (1803) was “Written for Bonaparte.” Truth be told, Beethoven had vacillated over the title and dedication for some time prior to the Na- poleon crisis. With its publication in 1806, he dedicated the score to his patron Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz and formalized the title “Sinfonia eroica” with a postscript, “composed to celebrate the memory of a great man”—Napoleon the champion of the peo- ple, not his despotic reincarnation. Beethoven composed Symphony No. 3 during the summer of 1803, a period of growing pro- fessional ambition and personal catharsis. Plans for a musical conquest of France had reached their final stages. His attraction to things Gallic extended far beyond political sympathies with the goals of the Revolution: France offered a musical public interested in highly dramatic expression, which suited his own extroverted personality. Emblematic of his French inclinations, Beethoven signed every score of this period “Louis van Bee- thoven.” Later, when rumors of his departure for the French court circulated throughout Austria, a handful of wealthy aristocrats of- fered a substantial annual salary to keep Bee- thoven in Vienna. These months also witnessed his spiritu- al recovery after the previous year’s crisis, when recognition of his irreversible deafness poured onto the pages of the so-called Heili- genstadt Testament. Beethoven lamented the cruel loss of his hearing: “Such experiences almost made me despair, and I was on the point of putting an end to my life—the only thing that held me back was my art. For in- deed it seemed to me impossible to leave this world before I had produced all the works that I felt the urge to compose; and thus I have dragged on this miserable existence.” Despite this seeming resolve, Beethoven rambled on later in the letter about his coming demise: “Joyfully I go to meet Death.” This confusing turnabout might represent the symbolic en- actment of his own artistic death. Thusly the symphony “composed to celebrate the mem- ory of a great man” assumes deeper signifi- cance—Beethoven’s own heroic resurrection. This triumphant symphonic essay unfurls with unprecedented breadth. The Allegro con brio announces a new musical universe with two crashing chords. Cellos introduce the heroic main theme in E-flat major, whose es- sence is more harmonic than melodic. Rhyth- mic dislocation first appears in the transition, but Beethoven employs it more forcefully in later sections. Contrasting “themes” appear as composites of melodic fragments, rather than long sweeping lines. This motivic property al- lows spacious expansion in the development. The infamous “premature” horn entry antic- ipates the recapitulation by four measures. Beethoven affixes an enormous coda onto this movement to offset his sizeable develop- ment section. The funeral march in Cminor progresses with a solemn gait, accompanied by the ominous rat-a-ta-tat rhythm. Whether this represents the death of the hero, as frequently stated, seems a peripheral concern in Beethoven’s en- larged symphonic scheme. This somber mon- ument provides an emotional foil and coun- terbalance to the colossal opening movement. A true scherzo in E-flat major follows, with all the rhythmic energy Beethoven typically brought to the form. Horns interject a hunt- ing-like trio theme, and then the scherzo re- turns with renewed vigor. The Finale begins with a tumultuous outburst, modestly antici- pating the Ninth Symphony. Strings pluck out a simple harmonic pattern, later joined by a theme from the composer’s own Creatures of Prometheus music. Beethoven builds a glori- ous series of variations, often combined with fugal textures. The coda provides a conclusive moment of triumph and jubilation. SERGE RACHMANINOFF (1873–1943) Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, op. 30 Scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings, and solo piano Somewhat reluctantly, Rachmaninoff agreed to his first concert tour of the United States during the 1909/10 season. He detested the idea of leaving his homeland to cross the At- lantic by ocean-liner, but the financial lures proved irresistible. Owing to the enormous success of his Piano Concerto No. 2, Rach- maninoff was at the height of his popularity. Proper protocol dictated that the Russian in- troduce himself to the American public with a new work, and he obliged with the Piano Concerto No. 3. Rachmaninoff conceived a work that is as un- affected in melodiousness as it is perilous in technical demands. Many aspiring virtuosos have tested their mettle on this work. Some have failed, while others have catapulted to immortality; Vladimir Horowitz immediately Serge Rachmaninoff at the piano RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 33