Ravinia 2023 Issue 5

ALFRED LORENZ (TCHAIKOVSKY) KENNY LOGGINS With more than 25 million albums sold worldwide and two Grammy Awards to his credit, Kenny Loggins has left an indelible imprint on contemporary music. Over the past four decades, his chart-topping songs have included “This Is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Footloose,” “Danger Zone,” and so many more. His song “Conviction of the Heart” was hailed as the “unofficial anthem of the environmental movement” by Al Gore when Loggins performed it on Earth Day in 1995 at The National Mall in Washington, DC. In addition to his string of successful record- ings—both solo and in his famed duo with JimMessina—Loggins became the first major rock star to dedicate himself to recording mu- sic for children and families. His 1994 album Return to Pooh Corner remains the best-sell- ing children’s album of the last 20 years. Loggins released his latest children’s project, the book Footloose , inspired by his 1985 Os- car-nominated and Grammy Award-winning Song of the Year, in 2016. That same year, the Guild of Music Supervisors honored Log- gins with its inaugural Icon Award for his outstanding achievements in film, television, and soundtracks, and ASCAP conferred him its Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award. He also regularly lends musical support to youth-centered programs like Make a Wish, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, and Little Kids Rock, which honored Loggins with its Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2016. In February 2021, Loggins released “The Great Adventure,” a new single that became the theme song for the San Diego Zoo Kids tele- vision network, a closed-circuit channel that features programs produced primarily for pediatric medical facilities. Later that year, for Record Store Day, he released At the Mov- ies , an exclusive vinyl that included some of his career-spanning soundtrack hits for the first time ever on one album— Caddyshack ’s “I’m Alright,” Footloose ’s title track, Top Gun ’s “Danger Zone,” and many more. Last sum- mer Loggins published Still Alright , a candid memoir of his life and career as one of the most noteworthy musicians of the 1970s and ’80s. Kenny Loggins first played Ravinia in 1972 and 1974 with Loggins & Messina, re- turned solo in 1994 and 2008, and came back with the duo in 2009. PAVILION 5:00 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2023 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GEORGE STELLUTO, conductor KEVIN MURPHY, piano RAVINIA STEANS MUSIC INSTITUTE SINGERS CELESTE MORALES, soprano ELISSA PFAENDER, mezzo-soprano YUNTONG HAN, tenor ERIK GRENDAHL, baritone TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso Andante semplice Allegro con fuoco Kevin Murphy –Intermission– TCHAIKOVSKY The Tempest Symphonic Fantasy * Andante con moto—Allegro moderato TCHAIKOVSKY Arias from Eugene Onegin “Kagdá by zhíz’n’ damáshnim krúgam” (Onegin’s Aria) Erik Grendahl “Ja ni spasóbna g’grústi tómnaj” (Olga’s Aria) Elissa Pfaender “Kudá, kudá, kudá vy udalílis’” (Lensky’s Aria) Yuntong Han “Kto ti: moy ángel li khranítel’” (Letter Scene excerpt) Celeste Morales TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture (with cannons) * First performance at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Featured Sponsor The Negaunee Foundation and The Tchaikovsky Spectacular Consortium . The Tchaikovsky Spectacular Consortium comprises an anonymous donor; Earl Abramson & Sheila Schlaggar; Jane & David Casper; Carol & Douglas Cohen; Bobbie & Charlie Denison; Larry & Barbara Field and Family; Larry A. Gerber & Kari A. Guhl, in memory of Thomas “Tom” Lipman; Jack & Donna Greenberg; Lori Ann Komisar & Morris Silverman; David & Susan Kreisman; Kenneth & Jodi Meister; and the Stillman Family Foundation. Ravinia is proud to feature “Charlie’s Cannons” in tonight’s performance of the 1812 Overture. PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893) Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, op. 23 Scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two tenor and one bass trombones, timpani, strings, and solo piano On Christmas Eve 1874, Tchaikovsky per- suaded Nikolai Rubinstein—pianist, teacher, and director of the Moscow Conservatory— to listen to his new, still-unorchestrated piano concerto. The two musicians met in a class- room at the conservatory. Tchaikovsky sought friendly technical advice from his col- league before attending a holiday gathering: “As I am not a pianist, I needed a virtuoso’s opinion as to what was technically impracti- cal, difficult, unplayable, and so on. I needed a serious but friendly critic, but only for the pianistic aspect of my composition. Rubin- stein is not only the first pianist of Moscow, but is truly a perfect pianist; knowing he would be deeply offended if he thought I had ignored him, I asked him to listen to the con- certo and give me an opinion on the piano part, although some inner voice protested against my selecting him as judge.” Tchaikovsky should have heeded his “inner voice,” for a most shocking scene transpired. The memory of that infamous night still burned three years later, when the composer sent a detailed account to his patron, Nadezh- da vonMeck: “I played through the first move- ment. Not a word, not a remark. …I armed myself with patience and played it through to the end. Again silence. I stood up and said, ‘Well?’ Then from the lips of [Rubinstein] poured a torrent of words. … It appeared that my concerto is worthless … as a composition it is poor, I stole this from here and that from there, there are only two or three pages that can be salvaged, and the rest must be thrown away or changed completely!” Deflated and incensed, Tchaikovsky stormed out of the room. This humiliating outburst was hardly what he expected. “I am no longer a boy trying his strength in composition—I Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1874) RAVINIA MAGAZINE • AUGUST 15 – AUGUST 27, 2023 28 I