Many terms have been used to describe the extraordinary career ofLeonardBernstein,butperhapsthemostaccuratewouldbe“versatile.”Asidefromhis activities as conductor, lecturer, author, philosopher, and pianist,Bernsteinʼsversatilitywasreflectedinhismusic,whichrangesfromthedeep-lyserious,classicaland“cultivated”totheworldofthepopularandvernacu-lar.Inhisall-encompassingrangeofmusicalactivities,inhispopularappeal,andinhisassimilationofAmericaʼsmusicalidioms,bothclassicalandpopu-lar,BernsteinmayberegardedasthequintessentialAmericancomposer.
The aperitif on this concert is a delectable, four-minutemorsel thatsparkleswithall thebrillianceandwitof theoriginalbook.VoltaireʼsnovelCandidefirstappearedin1759asabiting,satiricattackonthephilosophicalfollyofbelieving that “all is for thebest in thisbestofallpossibleworlds.”Nearly two centuries later (December 1, 1956), a comic operetta based onVoltaireʼsnovelopenedonBroadway,adaptedbyLillianHellmanandwithlyricsbyRichardWilbur.Theplayfailed,buttheoverturesoontookonalifeonitsown,andhasbecomeoneofthemostpopularorchestralworksofthetwentieth century. The composer conducted the New York Philharmonic inthe first concert performance on January 26, 1957. Bright sonorities, jazzysyncopations, energeticmelodies, irresistible charmand a sassy ambianceconstitute the mix of ingredients that bubble and froth to produce theOverturetoCandide.
Copland:AppalachianSpringSuiteforfullorchestra
Ⅰ VerySlowly V SubitoAllegroⅡ Allegro Ⅵ Asatfirst(slowly)Ⅲ Moderato Ⅶ DoppiomovimentoⅣ Fast Ⅷ Moderato
AaronCopland: Born inBrooklyn,NewYork,November 14, 1900; died inNorthTarrytown,NewYork,December2,1990
Americacontinuetobethemusicthepublicmostcloselyassociateswiththiscomposer.Theseworks,writtenmostlyduringthelatel930ʼsandearlyl940ʼs,includeBilly the Kid,Our Town,Lincoln Portrait,Rodeo,The Tender Land,andAppalachian Spring.
Theballet score forAppalachian Spring wascomposed in1944asaresultofacommissionbytheElizabethSpragueCoolidgeFoundationforthedancerandchoreographerMarthaGraham.GrahamandhertroupegavethefirstperformanceattheLibraryofCongressinWashington,D.C.onOctober30,1944.LaterthatyearCoplandexpandedtheoriginalinstrumentationfromthirteenplayerstofullsymphonyorchestraandreducedtheworkʼslengthbyaboutathird,resultinginthewell-knownsuite.
Thepublishedscorebearsthefollowingdescriptionoftheaction:“…apioneer celebration in spring around a newly-built farmhouse in thePennsylvaniahillsintheearlypartofthe[nineteenth]century.Thebride-to-beandtheyoungfarmer-husbandenacttheemotions, joyfulandapprehen-sive,theirnewdomesticpartnershipinvites.Anolderneighborsuggestsnowand then the rocky confidenceof experience.A revivalist andhis followersremind the newhouseholders of the strange and terrible aspects of humanfate.Attheendthecoupleareleftquietandstrongintheirnewhouse.”
6.Asatfirst(slowly)Transitionscenesreminiscentoftheintroduction.7.DoppiomovimentoScenes of daily activity for theBride and her
Farmer-husband.There are five variations on a Shaker theme.The theme,sungbyasoloclarinet,wastakenfromacollectionofShakermelodiescom-piledbyEdwardD.Andrews,andpublishedlaterunderthetitleThe Gift to Be Simple.ThemelodyIborrowedandusedalmostliterallyiscalled“SimpleGifts.”
tenwellbeforeGrahamchose the title.True, shebased the storyonchild-hood memories of a ninety-year-old grandmother living on a farm inPennsylvania.ButthetitlecamefromapoembyHartCrane,“TheBridge,”inwhichthespeakeratonepointclimbsahillintheAppalachiansandfindsagushing stream issuing forth from the summit. His exclamation “OAppalachianspring!”obviouslyrefersnottothevernalequinoxbuttoabodyofflowingwater.
CharlesIvesisgenerallyregardednotonlyasthefatherofnearlyevery-thingAmericaninAmericanmusic,butasthefatherofnearlyeverythingmod-ern inmodernmusicaswell.Heanticipated theuseof toneclusters,quartertones, indeterminacy,PopArt, thedistributionofmusiciansovera largeper-formingarea, polytonality, andpolyrhythmyears beforeother composersthoughtofdoingso(andtakingcreditforit).IveswasoneofthefirstseriousAmerican composers deliberately to avoid carrying on the tradition ofEuropeanartmusic. In spite of a thorough schooling inEuropeanmusic, heturnedtoAmericanhymntunes,parlorsongs,marchesandpatrioticsongsforhisrawmaterial,andfashionedthemintocompositionsofremarkablyoriginalstyleinwhichthetime-honoredconceptsoftonality,unity,functionalharmonyandresolutionwereleftbythewaysideashepursuedhisownuniquepaths.
Ivesʼsmusichadvirtuallynoaudienceduringhislifetime.Insurancewashisbusiness,andhisfirmbecameoneofthemostsuccessfulinthehistoryofinsurance. ( “How can I letmy children starve on dissonances?” he onceasked.)Butthemusicwasadifferentstory.Manyofhismostimportantworkswaiteddecadestobeperformed.HisSecondSymphonywaitednearlyhalfacentury.TherehasprobablybeennoothercomposerofIvesʼstaturetobesoneglectedinhisownlifetimeyetsohonoredtoday.
The Second Symphony had amost convoluted genesis.A completedescriptionofhowitallcametogetherwouldfillseveralparagraphs.Someofit dates from1889when the composerwas just fifteen; some comes from1897while IveswasanundergraduateatYale;partsof itarederived frommusic he played as a church organist inNewHaven,Connecticut; others
frommusichewroteforapopsorchestraandabrassband;thethirdmove-mentwasoriginallypartoftheFirstSymphony.TheSecondSymphonywas“finished”by1902,butIvescontinuedtoworkonitforseveralyearsthereaf-ter.ThefirstperformancewaiteduntilanenterprisingLeonardBernsteinpro-grammeditwiththeNewYorkPhilharmonic in1951.Bythis timeIveswasanoldmaninpoorhealthanddeclinedtoattendtheevent.Bernsteinevenoffered to hold a private rehearsal just for himbut he declined this also,thoughhedidhearthebroadcastonacheapradioathome.Ivesʼswifeandrelativesattendedtheperformanceandwitnessesahighlyfavorableresponsefrombothaudienceandcritics.
Itwillnottakeeventhemostcasuallistenerlongtorecognizethatmusicalquotationspervade this symphony –everything fromclassics likeBeethovenʼsFifthandBrahmsʼsThirdtosongslike“Columbia,theGemoftheOcean”and“Turkey in theStraw.”Fragments fromsome thirtydifferentclassicalcomposi-tions,patrioticsongs,hymntunes,marchesandfolksongshavebeen identifiedhere,allexpertlywovenintoacogent,highlyintegratedworkofart.QuotationisIvesʼscentraloperatingprinciple,butthesymphonyisfarmorethanamerecol-lage.“Ivesisremodelinghissourcesratherthanmakingacrazyquilt,”writesIvesscholarPeterBurkholder, “[and] the intelligibilityof themusicdependson itsinternallogicratherthanonthefusingtogetherofdisparateelements.”
LeonardBernstein,everasarticulateinwordsasinmusic,wroteofthesymphonythatit“addsuptoasortofpersonalmemoirofIvesʼsownmusicalexperience. Inaway, it ismusicaboutothermusic rather thanaboutany-thingprogrammatic.Whenyouhear‘TurkeyintheStrawʼinthissymphony,youarenotsupposedtovisualizeabarndance.Rather,trytofeeltheimpactofsuchatuneononeparticularcomposerʼsconsciousnessatagivenmomentinAmericanculturalhistory,whenanythingthatwasanygoodatallhadtocomefromEurope.ThatʼswhatʼssotouchingaboutallthisuseofAmericana.ItcomestousfullofIvesʼsbraveresolvetobeAmerican,towriteAmericanmusicinthefaceofadiffidentanduninterestedworld.”
The firstmovement, firmly rooted in the key of Bminor, is a fuguescoredmostlyforstrings.Withoutpausethemusicslipsintothejolly,spiritedsecondmovementwhich, for all its folksy character, nevertheless adheresratherstrictlytotraditionalsonata-allegroformwithitstwocontrastingmainthemes, a development, recapitulation and coda.The serene centralmove-ment (Adagio cantabile)was to Ives “a reflection of the organ and choirmusicoftheLong Green Organ Book.”Astentorianpronouncementfromapair of horns alone introduces the fourthmovement,which returns to thesymphonyʼsopeningkeyofBminorandtothefirstmovementʼsmainthemat-icmaterialaswellastoitsquotationof“Columbia,theGemoftheOcean.”The finale is a good-natured romp through awide range ofAmerican folkandpatriotictunes.Thefunallcomestoacrashinghaltonahorrendousdis-sonancecontainingeverynotebutoneofthechromaticscale.
Majoring in Jazz composition and arrangement,MakotoOzone graduated fromBerkleeCollegeofMusicin1983.Thesameyear,hebecamethefirstJapanesemusiciantobeexclu-sivelysignedtoCBS,withtheworldwidereleaseofhisfirstalbumOZONE.Hehasconstantlybeenintheforefrontoftheinternationaljazzsceneandhaverecordedandtouredwithleg-ends such asGary Burton,ChickCorea, andothers. His stellar career has brought him aGrammynomination in2003. Inrecentyears,Ozonehasalsobeenfocusingonworksfromtheclassicalmusicrepertoire,collaboratingwithorchestrasincludingNewYorkPhilharmonicandSanFranciscoSymphony.Ozonehasjustcelebratedhis60thbirthdayandtheOZONE60projectswillbetakingplacealloverJapan.
1966～67年に作曲された交響曲第７番は、当時ストックホルム・フィルの首席指揮者を務めていたハンガリー出身の名指揮者アンタル・ドラティ（1906～88）に捧げられた。「Music for the Young」という新しいコンサート・シリーズの第１回で本作が初演されると、これまでペッテションが味わったことのないほどの大成功を収め、作曲者は何度もカーテンコールに応えたという。また、かつてヴィオラ奏者として所属していたこのオーケストラの名誉会員にも選ばれた。
ThelifeofAllanPetterssonwasdoggedbymisfortune,misery,humilia-tion,despair,anddistresstoanextentbeyondthatofnearlyeveryothercom-poserofclassicalmusic.Hewasborn intopovertyandgrewup inadampone-roombasementapartmentwiththreesiblings,hismother,andaviolentfather(ablacksmith)who,asthecomposerputit,“mayhavesaidnotoGodbutnot toalcohol.”Whenhis fatherdiscoveredhissonwasstudyingmusichebeattheboy.Nevertheless,Allanpersistedinhismusicalstudies.HesoldChristmascardsinordertoacquirethefundstobuyacheapviolin.Buthispracticing annoyed the neighbors, and the boywas threatenedwith beingsent to reform school.After being twice rejected by theRoyal SwedishAcademyofMusic(probablybecauseofhislowsocialclassheassumed),hewasfinallyacceptedin1931.Havingnopianoathome,hesoughtoutinstru-ments invarious locations includingachurch,wherehewaswelcomeuntil,onceagain,neighborscomplained.In1939hewonascholarshiptostudyinFrance,buthadtoreturnhomethefollowingyearduetothewar.From1939to1951Petterssonplayedviola intheStockholmConcertSocietyOrchestra(nowtheStockholmPhilharmonic).Intheearly1950shecontinuedhisstud-iesinParis,mostlywithRenéLeibowitz.
During his years as an orchestral violist Pettersson began composing,buthismusicwasneglectedandunperformeduntil,in1954,TorManncon-ducted the Second Symphony andPetterssonʼs career began to flourish inSweden, but it tookAntalDorátiʼs discovery of the Seventh Symphony tobringPetterssoninternationalacclaim.In1968,Doráti,thenconductoroftheStockholmPhilharmonic,ledthisorchestraintheworldpremiereonOctober13 and subsequently recorded the symphony, which received glowingreviews.TheSeventhremainsthebest-knownofPettersson'sseventeensym-phonies.(No.1wasleftincomplete,whileNo.17existsonlyasaseven-min-ute fragment.) Yet such is his reputation now that all have been recorded,andallbuttheFirstmultipletimesover.Nearlyallareinasinglemovement,andlastanywherefrom22minutestowelloveranhour.
Petterssonʼseventual recognitionasacomposer ranconcurrentwithadebilitatingdisease,rheumatoidarthritis,whichplaguedhimforthelasttwodecadesofhislife,resultinginlengthyhospitalstaysandinabilitytoassumenormalposture.Whenaskedin1974abouthowthediseaseaffectedhim,hegave thedistressing reply that it “really didnʼt changemy situation at all. Iwasalreadyenclosedinmyownworldandhadadjustedtothelonerʼsstrug-
gle.” In 1964, the government granted Pettersson a lifelong guaranteedincome, but in spite of limitedmobility, he continued to live on the fourthfloorofabuildingwithnoelevatoruntillate1976,whenhemovedtomoresuitablequarters.
Inlightofalifeofalmostconstantphysicaland/oremotionalpain,itishardlysurprisingthatlittleofPetterssonʼsmusicislightheartedorjoyful.Theintensity andweight of hismusical statements have been compared to theanguished spiritualworld ofMahler. Themusic is intensely personal, anddoesnotprovide“easylistening.”Butfortheindividualpreparedtoabandonworldlycaresandconcerns in searchofa transcendentmusicalexperience,therearefewmorerewardingworksthanPetterssonʼsSeventhSymphony.
The symphony is laidout ina singlemovement lastingapproximatelythree-quartersofanhour.IncommonwithmuchofSibeliusʼmusic, it isnotorganizedaroundprincipaland subsidiary themes,but rathergrowsorgani-cally fromnumerous small, constantly repeatedmotifs into large symphonicmasses. In formal terms itmay be divided into about seven continuouslylinkedsectionsofvaryinglength,thoughtheseareinnowaydenotedinthescore,andaresubjecttoeachlistenerʼsperceptionofhowthemusicunfolds.Fromthedarklybroodingopeningto its finalpagesofgloom,the listener isswept across Petterssonʼsworld of searing emotional intensity.Oppressivesadness, inexpressible grief, soaring lyricism, heart-achingmelancholy, andsereneacceptanceareallpartofPetterssonʼssoundworld.LikethefinaleofTchaikovskyʼsPathétiqueSymphony,PetterssonʼsSeventhendsinBminorinamoodofprofoundresignation,thesoundfadingawayslowlyintoblackness…nothingness.
RachmaninoffʼsSecondPianoConcerto,oneofthemostbelovedintheentirerepertory,hadastrangegenesis.TheharrowingexperienceoftheutterfailureofthecomposerʼsFirstSymphony(1897)hadplungedhimintodeepmelancholy,andhe shunnedboth the socialandmusicalworlds.He finallyconsentedtoseeaDr.NicolaiDahl,whohadacquiredareputationforsuc-cessfullytreatingnervousdisordersthroughhypnosisandauto-suggestion.By
inducingRachmaninoff to repeat over and over phrases such as “Youwillbegintowriteyourconcerto…Youwillworkwithgreatfacility…Thecon-certowill be of excellent quality…”while in a hypnotic daze, the youngcomposerʼscreativeimpulseswererecharged.
The second and thirdmovementswere ready for performance onDecember 15, 1900, and the first complete performance took place onNovember9ofthefollowingyear.Onbothoccasions,Rachmaninoffwasthesoloist,andtheconductorwashiscousinandformerteacherAlexanderSiloti.Thescorebearsadedication to themanwhohadmade itallpossible,Dr.Dahl.Popular successwas immediate,Rachmaninoffʼs spirits soared,and inhisrenewedmoodofself-confidence,hemarriedin1902.In1904,thecon-certowonhimthefirstoftwoGlinkaprizes(theothercamein1906forhisSecond Symphony).Through its sweepingmelodies, extravagant grandeur,melancholy and passion, Rachmaninoffʼs SecondPianoConcertomakes anunabashedappealtotheemotions,andjustifiablyqualifiesasthemostpopu-larpianoconcertoofthetwentiethcentury.
Theopeningchordsforthesoloisthavebeendescribedasasummationof all that ismost noble in the piano, a sort ofmonument to the concertgrand.Theviolinsgiveforththebroadlyflowingfirstthemewiththepianoasaccompaniment.ThepianopresentsthewarmlylyricalsecondthemeinE-flatmajor.Althoughthepianowritingisovertlyvirtuosic,therearealsonumerouspassageswherethesoloistassumestheroleofaccompanist.
ThesecondmovementisinEmajor,aremotekeyfromtheconcertoʼsbasic tonalityofCminor.However, themovementbegins in the latter key,onlylatermovingtoEmajor.Followingafewchordsinthemutedstrings,thesolo clarinet, accompanied by the piano, intones themovementʼs principalmelodicidea,whichsurelyranksasoneofthemost ineffablybeautifuleverwritten.Themoodisoneofmidnightpoetryandquietreflection.Duringthethematicworkingoutthepacequickens.Afterabriefcadenza,wehearoncemorethatmemorablethemeintheviolins.Foracoda,thepianoplaysanewthematicideainblockchords,accompaniedbyleft-handarpeggiosandtrip-letsinthewoodwinds.Themovementclosesinserenepeace.
The thirdmovement,dramaticandcolorful like the first, alsohas twothemes,thefirstmilitaristicandnoble,announcedbythesoloist;thesecondbroadlylyrical,heardfirstintheviolasandoboe.Themovementincorporatesafugatobasedonthemovementʼsmaintheme.Firstviolinsalonestatethethemelightlyandsoftly;thepianoanswersalmostimmediatelyandcontinueswhileotherinstrumentstaketurnsatthetheme.Boththemesareworkedoutinvariousadditionalwaysandtheconcertoendsinablazeofvirtuosity.
RobertMarkowʼsmusicalcareerbeganasahornplayerintheMontrealSymphonyOrchestra.HenowwritesprogramnotesfororchestrasandconcertorganizationsintheUSA,Canada,andseveralcountriesinAsia.AsajournalisthecoversthemusicscenesacrossNorthAmerica,Europe,andAsiancountries, especially Japan.AtMontreal'sMcGillUniversityhelecturedonmusicforover25years.
