Sergei Prokofiev is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Many of his most famous works—like Peter and the Wolf and the ballet Romeo and Juliet—are not only staples of the standard repertoire, but are also well known to the general public. Prokofiev’s unique compositional voice possesses a deep emotional breadth, intellectual thought, humor, sarcasm, and an inventive sense of drama. He takes classical conventions of harmony and form and twists them just enough to make them unique without seeming overly revolutionary—a safe strategy for a Soviet composer living under Stalin.
Prokofiev’s musical education began with piano lessons from his mother. Like Mozart, he began composing at the age of five, and he went on to study with Russian giants, including Reinhold Glière and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Prokofiev’s early success came as a result of his virtuosic piano skills, but as his performing reputation grew, his genius as a composer and a conductor also became apparent. Like Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev immigrated to the US after the Russian Revolution, and then to Paris in 1922, eventually returning to Russia in 1936. As one might expect, his career as a composer became more difficult when he returned to the Soviet Union; ironically, he died on the same day as Stalin, a renowned nemesis of Russian composers. He left behind a large body of masterpieces in all musical genres, including symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber music.
Completed in 1917 amidst the turmoil of revolution and world war, Prokofiev’s First Symphony premiered in 1918 with the composer himself conducting. In contrast to the times, the work has an infectiously youthful energy that makes it one of the composer’s most popular. Prokofiev himself gave the symphony the title “Classical,” as he emulated the style of Haydn through the prism of his own voice. The titles of the four movements read like a Haydn symphony, and the structure of the movements conforms closely to Classical norms. (Prokofiev’s choice of a gavotte in place of the typical menuetto for the third movement harkens back even further to the period between the Baroque and Classical eras.) In this fast-paced work, the contrast between elegance and melodic leaps and harmonic twists makes it difficult to discern between a mood of sarcasm and one of admiration. Perhaps channeling Haydn’s sense of humor, Prokofiev’s multi-dimensional genius creates stylistic musical puns for his own amusement, as well as the amusement of the listener.
The first movement begins with a big sweep similar to the Mannheim rocket of the early Classical era. It continues with a jaunty energy; charming melodic material and elegant textures contrast with outbursts of over-the-top exuberance and joy. The Larghetto second movement creates the dreamy, sentimental impression of a ballet scene. The simple melody sits atop layered scales and ostinatos that only intrude once on the delicate texture of this Rococo-style movement. The short Gavotte begins almost reluctantly with a boisterous theme repeated several times before a more delicate texture replaces it. The first theme returns in the flutes—first refined, and then, almost as if embarrassed, fades away. The final movement is a joyous dance reminiscent of Haydn’s finales that contains an almost folksy, fiddle-like quality.
Ludwig van Beethoven is an iconic, heroic figure in music history known for his compositional genius, fiery temperament, and the influence he had on composers and performers after him. If history were dated according to the evolution of Western art music, there would be two eras—before Beethoven and after. Beethoven was able to synthesize almost all previous compositional styles and bend them to his own artistic will—pushing the evolution of composition through the Classical era into the Romantic. While he never studied with Mozart, he was a pupil of Salieri and Haydn, deriving many early compositional techniques from them. And, while he was certainly influenced by Mozart, he never lost his taste for structural and expressive experimentation. Beethoven’s innovations in formal structure, development of material, and other compositional innovations influenced composers well into the 20th century. There is not one genre of music that he did not master and then set a new standard for, from chamber music to symphonic literature. His symphonies and concertos are considered the core of the Classical and early Romantic repertoire. In certain ways, as he pushed the boundaries of musical expression during his late period, his music turned from an art form into a kind of philosophy and existential expression of humanity’s essence.
Beethoven began composing his Piano Concerto No. 5 in 1809, one of the most productive years of his life, during which he composed dozens of works, including symphonies nos. 5 and 6. The work was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, one of Beethoven’s most dedicated patrons, friends, and students. Unlike his first four piano concertos, Beethoven could not perform the solo part at the premiere because of his ever-increasing hearing loss. It was first performed publicly in 1811 and premiered formally in 1812 in Vienna with Carl Czerny, Beethoven’s student, as soloist.
Beethoven’s innovations in formal structure, development of material, and virtuoso piano technique influenced composers well into the 20th century, and this particular concerto is a clear culmination of a compositional evolution—from the first Mozartian concerto model to true Beethovenian style. The formerly collaborative piano/orchestral relationship is now one of more heroic dominance by the soloist.
Though the sobriquet “Emperor” was not of Beethoven’s own pen, the concerto is unquestionably heroic and militaristic in style, possibly due to the Napoleonic Wars occurring during the work’s genesis. The chosen key of E-flat major is also symbolic of nobility and heroism (as in Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”). While there are relatively few unique melodies in the piece, they are developed with depth and grandeur, a consistently noble character evident throughout the work.
The exuberant majesty and emotional range of the “Emperor” Concerto is striking. The opening Allegro is bold and direct, presenting a new relationship between the piano and the orchestra. In place of the anticipated orchestral introduction, singular broad chords from the ensemble are answered by the piano’s cadenza-like flourishes. When the orchestra finally pronounces the opening theme, it is martial and richly varied with secondary ideas. This movement is expansive, stately, and well controlled—Beethoven even includes instructions to the soloist not to insert a cadenza in the expected places. Though the winds converse with expressive melodies in the development, the piano is clearly the hero of the movement.
The Adagio un poco mosso—an ethereal and tranquil nocturne anchored in the distant key of B major—opens with a chorale in the muted strings. This sublime interlude is simple and yet completely transcendent. However, the quiet, tender, and expressive transitions seamlessly and suddenly into the galloping, vigorous, and dancing. The final Rondo: Allegro returns to the dignified key of E-flat major, alternating episodically between the soloist’s adventures and orchestral punctuations. Beethoven’s humor is evident in the ample and abrupt key changes, and the seemingly calm “false ending” before the final, delightful triumph.
Mendelssohn was a renowned pianist, composer, and conductor. Though he was a child prodigy like Mozart, his parents were careful not to push him, allowing his abilities to develop naturally. The son of a banker and the grandson of well-known philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, the composer was also a painter and received a stellar education in the arts, sciences, languages, and humanities. By his teens, he was already composing and studying conducting. His music is in the early-Romantic style, but retains the élan and charm of the Classical era. Mendelssohn’s compositions are known for their energy, warmth, expressive texture, counterpoint, and refined sense of harmony and melody. He composed a wide variety of works that include concertos, symphonies, overtures, operas, oratorios, chamber music, and songs. Some of his most well-loved masterpieces include the E-Minor Violin Concerto, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Elijah, the “Reformation” Symphony, and, of course, the “Scottish” Symphony.
While on a tour to Scotland in 1829, Mendelssohn formed the musical ideas for both his famous Hebrides overture and the “Scottish” Symphony. The composer’s inspiration for the symphony began in the ruins of Holyrood Palace, where Mary, Queen of Scots, once reigned. It took more than 12 years, however, for the symphony to be fully realized; Mendelssohn conducted the premiere with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in London in March 1842. Despite its listing as the composer’s third symphony, it was actually the final symphony he completed (the others were published later). Though Mendelssohn had set out to write a Scottish-inspired symphony, he had difficulty composing it and may have abandoned its programmatic title in the ensuing years—he never referred to the symphony publicly as “Scottish,” and the title only appeared after his death. Robert Schumann referred enthusiastically to the symphony’s “Italianate” character, but there is no denying that Scottish references abound in this music, and Mendelssohn’s mild obsession with Mary, Queen of Scots, surfaces throughout the work. The symphony is dedicated to Queen Victoria, who attended its premiere.
Mendelssohn indicates that the “Scottish” Symphony should be played without pauses between movements, creating a rich panoply of brooding landscapes, expressive melodies, and Scottish folk influences that evoke the imagery Mendelssohn described in letters and sketches from his tour to Scotland. The stormy and shadowy Andante con moto opens solemnly with dark winds in the lower strings, and the violins don’t enter until after 16 measures. The opening melody comes from Mendelssohn’s visit to the Holyrood Chapel, where his first inspirations for the work came to him; the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, may have fueled much of the dramatic content of the work. The phrasing of the introduction in 3/4 meter hints at the upcoming Allegro in 6/8, which has the character of a folk song and tells an exciting but tragic Scottish tale. The opening material returns as a transition to the second movement, and the fast and joyful F major of the Vivace non troppo contrasts sharply with the first movement’s misty A minor. The movement draws its melodic and rhythmic inspiration from Scottish folk and dance music, though no recognizable folk melodies have been discovered as references.
The third movement Adagio is a tender expression of both admiration and grief purported to be a lament for Mary, Queen of Scots. One reason for this attribution is the prayer-like melody that opens the movement, onto which the syllables of the entire Latin devotion “Ave Maria” seem to fit perfectly. This tender melody is juxtaposed with sections of halting and dramatic funereal music. The final movement is a battle royal full of clashing counterpoint, marches, calls to arms, and the wailing of the wounded. The movement’s intensity is relentless until the coda, in which Mendelssohn introduces material derived from the opening of the first movement, this time set in a surprising and uplifting A major. Mary appears again when Mendelssohn quotes from his own 1830 setting of “Ave Maria”—composed more than a decade before he completed the symphony—and the movement ends in triumphant glory.
—Dr. ToniMarie Marchioni
(2003 NYSO Participant)