Ravinia 2024 Issue 2

with his second tone poem— Don Juan . (His first tone poem, Macbeth , received its premiere in 1890.) The 25-year-old musician already had compiled an estimable list of compositions, but his professional reputation centered on conducting activities. Strauss became assistant conductor of the Meiningen Court Orchestra during the summer of 1885. In October, when Hans von Bülow resigned, the Duke of Meinin- gen promoted his protégé to full conductor. However, economic necessities soon forced cut- backs in orchestra personnel. Another opportu- nity presented itself, and Strauss left Meiningen to become third conductor of the Munich Court Opera, a post he retained for three years. He served as répetiteur at Bayreuth during the sum- mer of 1889, and in the autumn became assistant conductor of the Weimar Opera. The “tone poem” (Strauss’s term) roughly cor- responded to the single-movement “symphon- ic poem” of Franz Liszt. Liszt wrote his dozen symphonic poems while reigning as Grand Ducal Director of Music Extraordinaire and figurehead of the avant-garde “New German School” in Weimar. In this genre, Liszt inte- grated the Romantic belief in orchestral music’s ability to communicate meaning beyond pure structural principles and a specific literary (philosophical, autobiographical, or poetic) basis, known as the “program.” Before assuming his Weimar post, Strauss ar- ticulated his own understanding of the “pro- gram music” aesthetic—as reflected in the tone poem—in correspondence with Bülow (Au- gust 24, 1888): “If you want to create a work of art that is unified in its mood and consistent in its structure … this is only possible through the inspiration of a poetical idea, whether or not it be introduced as a program. I consider it a legit- imate artistic method to create a corresponding- ly new form for every new subject.” The program to Strauss’s symphonic Don Juan contains three passages from the poem by Niko- laus Lenau, a work left incomplete on the poet’s death in 1850. These lines deal not with specific Richard Strauss (1888) erotic conquests, but more with the psycholog- ical transformation of the hero/villain. The first two excerpts come early in Lenau’s poem, while the third appears near the end. That magic circle, immeasurably wide, of beautiful femininity with their multiple attractions, I want to traverse in a storm of pleasure, and die of a kiss upon the lips of the last woman. My friend, I want to fly through all places where a beautiful woman blooms, kneel before each one of them and conquer, if only for a few moments. • • • • • I shun satiety and the weariness of pleasure, and keep myself fresh in the service of the beautiful; hurting the individual woman, I adore the whole species. The breath of a woman, which is the fragrance of spring to me today, tomorrow may oppress me like the air of a dungeon. When I wander with my changing affections in the broad circle of beautiful women, my love for each one is different; I do not wish to build temples out of ruins. Yes! Passion must be new each time; it cannot be transferred from one woman to the next, it can only die in one place and arise once more in another; and if it recognizes itself for what it is, it knows nothing of repentance. Just as every beauty is unique in the world, so also is the love to which it gives pleasure. Out, then, and away after ever new victories as long as the fiery ardors of youth still soar! • • • • • It was a beautiful storm that drove me on; it has subsided, and a calm has remained behind. All my desires and hopes are in suspended animation; perhaps a lightning bolt, from heights that I contemned, mortally struck my amorous powers, and suddenly my world became deserted and benighted. And yet, perhaps not—the fuel is consumed and the hearth has become cold and dark. As represented in the German poet’s verse, Don Juan is neither the unrepentant libertine of the Mozart/Da Ponte opera Don Giovanni (1787) nor the bored, compulsive womanizer of George Bernard Shaw’s “Don Juan in Hell” episode in the play Man and Superman (1905). Both chronologically and psychologically, Lenau’s portrayal falls somewhere between the two. Strauss quoted passages concerned with the inner impulse driving Don Juan to such notori- ous libidinous acts, not the specific events them- selves. He pursued women with almost religious zeal, paying homage to and finding new passion for each. In the end, faded passion left Don Juan empty and alone. power in this movement; it is a quiet and melan- choly romance. Its effect is meant to be like that of gently gazing upon a place that awakens a thousand sweet memories, like a reverie in a beautiful moonlit night in spring.” The Concerto in E minor was first heard in two open rehearsals in Chopin’s salon—located in the Krasinski Palace in Warsaw—on September 15 and 22, 1830. Chopin introduced the concerto to the public on October 11, 1830, at his final public performance in Warsaw. The work elicited warm congratulations and spirited applause from the audience. Chopin had further cause to celebrate, for Konstancja performed a cavatina from Rossi- ni’s La donna del lago on the same program. Three weeks later, Chopin left Warsaw for Vienna, bid- ding a final farewell to his homeland and the sing- er who captivated his heart. Konstancja married Joseph Grabowski, a Warsaw merchant, in 1831. Rich melodic ideas and a Romantic virtuosity largely conform to the Classical first-movement design. The orchestra unveils two principal themes, one minor-key and the other major. Af- ter the piano solo elaborates on the initial melody, it introduces an unaccompanied nocturne. Cho- pin interrupts the virtuosic development to in- troduce a new melody. Chromatic parallel thirds in the piano prepare the thematic restatement. In the Romanze , muted strings and wind instru- ments accompany the piano’s delicate tribute to Konstancja. Many 19th-century musicians con- sidered the Rondo the composer’s most appealing movement for piano and orchestra, not only for its lively refrain but also the picturesque episodes. RICHARD STRAUSS (1864–1949) Don Juan , op. 20 Scored for three flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, glockenspiel, harp, and strings Richard Strauss leapt onto the international plat- form in 1889 as a leading modernist composer Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 1 – JULY 21, 2024 90