Program Notes Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 (1844) Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) As a composer of the early Romantic period, Mendelssohn eschewed the overtly dramatic, formless works that were all the rage among contemporaries such as Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt in favor of influence from such as Bach, Mozart, and Schubert. His happy marriage, his five children, his fruitful career as composer, conductor, and teacher-instead of eliciting admiration-were regarded with skepticism and cynicism. How could one so happy and balanced possibly write "real" music? After his death his music suffered from obscurity, due to the fickle tastes of Romantics as well as the general disdain for works by Jewish creators. In the last sixty years his music has enjoyed a rebirth as musicologists and audiences alike rediscover the magic of Felix Mendelssohn. Born to a Jewish family with a famous philosopher as his grandfather (Moses Mendelssohn), his home was the cultural center of Berlin. As a child, it soon became evident he had natural musical gifts similar to Mozart. By the time he was a young adult he was already a well known composer and conductor. In addition to founding the Leipzig Conservatory, conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and being a devoted husband and father, he still managed to find time to resurrect the works of great composers such as J.S. Bach and Franz Schubert. In his duties as conductor and teacher, he became well acquainted with the virtuoso violinist Ferdinand David, who commissioned a concerto. During the six-year compositional process, Mendelssohn consulted David regularly, seeking feedback and technical advice. The result is a piece that artfully blends yearning lyrical lines with unabashed virtuosity, and has been performed by many legendary violinists like Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, and Itzak Perlman. The Violin Concerto is a synthesis of the old and the new of the time. While the lyric quality draws much from Mozartian models, the concerto maintains a balance between the passionate and the delicate. Like Mozart concertos, the orchestra never overshadows the soloist. One could never say the concerto is without innovation, however. The violin jumps in right at the beginning, as if one were stumbling upon a very passionate event already in progress. The early cadenza in the first movement is also a lovely surprise. Although the movements segue from one to the next without break, the typical Fast-Slow-Fast structure is still evident and provides effective contrasts. The virtuosic final movement, complete with technical passages at break-neck speed, is a perfect ending which allows the soloist to showcase his or her musical prowess. Symphony No. 5 (1816) Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Growing up in Vienna in the shadow of Beethoven must have been both exciting and intimidating. For a young Schubert, whose quiet personality was no match for Beethoven's forceful and eccentric manner, the shadow must have often felt weighty indeed. As a young boy, after a performance of some of his lieder (songs), he asked his friend if he would ever amount to anything, to which his friend assured him that indeed he was already first-rate. Pondering, young Franz replied, "Sometimes quietly to myself I think so too. But who can ever do anything after Beethoven?" Shadow or not, the music produced from Schubert's unfortunately short life is well loved. He excelled at the German Art Song, producing over 600 in his life. His other works for chamber groupings and piano also show a proclivity for poignant lyricism and a harmonic ingenuity that is distinctly his own. Additionally, he completed seven symphonies in his brief life, all before the age of 31 when Beethoven at the same age had only just composed his first symphony. His symphonic language, especially in symphonies 1-6, pay homage to the Classical masters Haydn and Mozart. The years 1813-16 were a symphonic spree for Schubert, as he completed Symphonies 1-5 during this time, all before his 20th birthday. Most of his symphonies were performed privately by amateur orchestras populated with musicians and friends especially devoted to Schubert. Symphony #5 might have been composed especially for such a group. It is the shortest of all of his symphonies, and is particularly full of Viennese wit and charm. The overall feel of the orchestration is quite light, being scored without clarinets, trumpets, or timpani. Many believe Schubert's Symphony #5 pays tribute to Mozart by a near quotation of Mozart's Violin Sonata in F in the slow second movement, as well as a clear association of the third movement minuet with Mozart's Symphony # 40's minuet. Both minuets are in a more aggressive minor key, and begin with a strong theme presented unison in the strings. Others have traced the association further, even seeing correlations in harmonic structure, thematic phrasing, and orchestration (Mozart's original version had the exact same orchestration). Why he borrowed from Mozart so candidly is a question that largely remains unanswered, yet it is likely that in an environment where musical borrowing was common and ideology of personal copyright non-existent that he was merely modeling his own work on one he much admired. Even so, the result is a work that is uniquely Schubert's. Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus (1801) Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Western Classical music was never quite the same after Beethoven. He summed up the Classical epoch, being the last of the great "Viennese School" with Mozart and Haydn. But he didn't just mark the end of an era-he also ushered in the Romantic period. His struggle with deafness, his misunderstood yet difficult personality, and his sheer force of will extend beyond musical reform. The composer was no longer an artisan perfecting a skill; he was an artist changing the world. Symphonic composers such as Brahms, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Barber, and Bruckner all hail back to Beethoven. His symphonic idiom continues to permeate even today. Through his symphonies and piano works, one can trace a profound stylistic development that echoed the trends and developments of Romantic style. The Prometheus Overture, written in 1801, comes from a set of pieces meant for a two-act ballet and is fairly early in Beethoven's chronology. The ballet, premiered at the Hoftheater in Vienna, was produced by Salvatore Vigano, and included an overture, introduction, fifteen individual numbers, plus a finale, all written by Beethoven. The ballet was described as an allegory based on the Greek myth of Prometheus. In 1804 the overture by itself was published. The overture begins with a solemn, slow intro, followed by an oboe solo. This mood does not last for long; soon, the violins burst forth with energy, quick and light. The quick violin theme is often thought to represent Prometheus escaping from heaven after stealing fire from the Gods; indeed, it does not take an overly active imagination to see that scene play out in the music. --Notes by Jessica Mecham