Program notes for "viva musica"
By Emily Reese

Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34
b. March 18, 1844, Tikhvin
d. June 21, 1908, Lyubensk
Premiered October 31, 1887, St. Petersburg, conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov

Rimsky-Korsakov devoted much of his compositional time to his operas, but turned to instrumental works in between operatic projects.  He was already a famous composer, conductor and teacher, and Capriccio Espagnol was borne out of one such period in the composer’s life.  As part of the Mighty Five Russian nationalists, he was, and still is, considered one of the most brilliant writers when it comes to orchestration, spinning great works into magnificence through his skill of knowing exactly how to write for and combine instruments.

Critics, audiences and instrumentalists celebrated the Capriccio for that very reason, but Rimsky-Korsakov took slight offense and adjusted their opinions by writing the following in his autobiography:
“The opinion formed by both critics and the public, that the Capriccio is a magnificently orchestrated piece - is wrong. The Capriccio is a brilliant composition for the orchestra.  The change of timbres, the felicitous choice of melodic designs and figuration patterns, exactly suiting each kind of instrument, brief virtuoso cadenzas for instruments solo, the rhythm of the percussion instruments, etc., constitute here the very essence of the composition and not its garb or orchestra.”

Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the Capriccio during an 1887 summer vacation on a lake in the Altai Mountains of Russia.  The Capriccio was originally sketched as a fantasy violin concerto using Spanish themes, but Rimsky-Korsakov chose to expand its scope to full orchestra.  The premiere was a huge success, and a rehearsal with the Imperial Russian Orchestra went so well that Rimsky-Korsakov dedicated the work to that ensemble.

Remnants of Rimsky-Korsakov’s original plan to score the work for solo violin and orchestra exist throughout the Capriccio.  The short Alborada, or Morning Serenade, draws to a close with flourishes of solo clarinet and solo violin.

The second movement is a brief theme and variations.  The theme, introduced in the horns, takes its turn around the orchestra.  Strings play the first variation, followed by a duet between horn and English horn; the full orchestra completes the last two variations.

Clarinet and violin dance together again in a reprise of the Alborada.  A brass fanfare opens the fourth movement, giving way to more solos, including violin, flute, harp and oboe.  Trombones announce the arrival of the Fandango, a flourish of activity that drives to the end.  Although Rimsky-Korsakov spent only three days in Spain in his lifetime, he successfully captured the characteristics idiomatic to a country so different than his own.

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Sergei Rachmaninoff
b. Oneg, April 1, 1873
d. Beverly Hills, California; March 28, 1943
Premiered November 1934, in Baltimore with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conductor, Rachmaninoff soloist

Written some 20 years after Schoenberg’s “emancipation of the dissonance,” Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini clearly defines Rachmaninoff as one of the last great Romantics. The popularity of the Rhapsody speaks volumes through the fact that only one of the 24 variations is extraordinarily well known; many people recognize the melody of the 18th variation, but are unable to name either the composer or the piece itself.

Like so many great Russian composers of the early 20th century, Rachmaninoff eventually fled his homeland, never to return.  He and his family traveled to Scandinavia in 1918, where Rachmaninoff had to decide whether to exploit himself as composer, conductor or soloist.  He was already internationally recognized for all three, but he felt that he’d find more financial stability as a soloist and guest conductor.

Therefore, Rachmaninoff wrote very few compositions during this latter period of his life, only six major works in his final 16 years. The Rhapsody was one of them, written quickly during a summer vacation in 1934 at his Swiss villa, Senar, near Lake Lucerne. Liszt, Brahms and other composers wrote variations on the same theme by Paganini.  Rachmaninoff knew of the Liszt and Brahms arrangements, but he was more interested in the legend of Paganini than in the theme itself.

Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) was such a gifted violinist that legend says he sold his soul to the devil in return for talent.  People didn’t believe it was human to play violin in such a manner.  His gaunt frame and pale skin fueled the story, and some even thought he strangled his wife and used a length of her muscle as the fourth string on his violin.

Rachmaninoff was so fascinated with the story that he suggested the legend as a ballet to choreographer Mikhail Fokine.  The two considered a ballet together some 20 years before that was never finished, and wished to collaborate again.

“Last night I was thinking about a subject,” Rachmaninoff wrote to Fokine in 1937. “Why not recreate the legend of Paganini selling his soul to the Evil Spirit for perfection in art and also for a woman?”  In 1939, the Paganini ballet had a successful run Covent Garden, then in New York in 1940.

Rachmaninoff wrote the Rhapsody long before he wrote the programme for Fokine’s ballet, but it’s clear the Paganini legend was on his mind as much as the theme itself during composition.  Variations 7, 10, 22 and 24 quote Dias irae (Day of Wrath) from the Gregorian Mass for the Dead.
“The first appearance of the Evil Spirit is the 7th variation... Variations 8, 9, and 10 are the progress of the Evil Spirit,” Rachmaninoff later said.

Typically, a theme and variations presents the ideas in just that order: first the theme, then the variations.  Rachmaninoff most unusually placed the theme afterthe first variation.  The 24 variations divide smoothly into three continuous sections, a slow section connecting the outer two.
The composer later said that the slower variations 12-18 represent the woman for which Paganini sold his soul.  It is the 18th variation that is so famous, used in no less than seven films.

The final six variations come together as one energetic push to the final variation, which is devious in its subdued entrance.  The Dias irae makes one final appearance before the unexpectedly brief ending.

Carmen Suite No. 2
Georges Bizet, assembled by Ernest Guiraud
b. Paris, October 25, 1838
d. Bouvigal, near Paris, June 3, 1875

Much of Bizet’s success as a composer came posthumously, and Carmen is no exception. It was his final opera, and performances were still running at the time of his early death. The success of Carmen after Bizet’s death was unlike any success Bizet ever felt during his life. Sadly, the collection of music left behind by Bizet was inadequately managed and much of his music was censored, forged or has completely vanished. Some surviving works weren’t published until the latter half of the 20th century, and others remain unpublished altogether.  Six of his 17 operas have never been performed, and some of the remaining 11 exist only in fragments.

It is no secret that Bizet was an inconsistent composer, with enough good compositional moments to receive some commissions and recognition but too few great pieces to be truly famous. He generally struggled financially, but some years were more comfortable than others. Bizet managed to make ends meet during periods of financial trouble by arranging other composer’s works and often worked as a rehearsal pianist. He received a handful of significant commissions, including one for Carmen in 1872.

Bizet also had great trouble following through with his ideas for operas, let alone completing them. His letters are riddled with ideas for his next opera, many of which were never begun. Perhaps the surprise of Carmen comes from the fact that it was completed at all; one scholar counts some 30 unfinished scores at Bizet’s death.

Bizet finished Carmen in mid-1874. The promiscuous content was quite controversial, however, and angry performers and directors constantly postponed rehearsals, forcing Bizet to revise the score. The opera premiered in March of 1875 to rather cool reviews, but the second performance was better received. It went on to run for 45 performances. Had the opera been the grand failure many painted it to be, it’s unlikely Carmen would have had such a run.

Bizet fell ill shortly after the premiere and died the night of the 33rd performance.  His friend and colleague Ernest Guiraud compiled two orchestral suites posthumously. Guiraud was quite familiar with Carmen; it was Guiraud who supplied the sung recitatives for the opera.

The first suite focuses on the instrumental aspects (interludes and entr’actes) of the opera, but the second suite consists of the most popular vocal ensemble pieces and arias, replacing voices with solo instruments.  Many of the great composers matured significantly while in their 30s.  For Bizet to die at the age of 36, it is unfortunate to imagine what might have been.

Ballet Suite from Estancia, Op. 8a
Alberto Ginastera
b. Buenos Aires, April 11, 1916
d. Geneva, June 25, 1983
Premiered May 12, 1943 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires

Alberto Ginastera is considered by many to be the most influential composer from South America.  His unique and versatile style also places Ginastera among the powerful composers of the 20th century.  His works span three quite different stylistic periods, yet all are linked through Ginastera’s nationalistic techniques.  At times, the composer’s devotion to South American folk melodies and idioms are obvious, while other works contain subtle nods toward the music of his homeland.

Ginastera’s musical journey began at a young age.  He began formal piano lessons at age seven and enrolled in the Williams Conservatory when he was 12.  At 13, he continued his education at the National Conservatory.  Ginastera won awards for composition and conducting while in school, and was already looked upon as a shining star in Argentinean music.

The successful premiere of Ginastera’s first ballet, Panambí, pushed him into the international spotlight.  A commission quickly followed for a second ballet.  He wrote Estancia for the American Ballet Caravan under the direction of Lincoln Kirsten.  The group dissolved in 1942 and Ginastera was left with a completed ballet and no scheduled premiere in the immediate future.

Ginastera had been in a similar situation before graduation from the National Conservatory.  The public was first exposed to Panambí as an orchestral suite in 1937 and the full ballet wasn’t premiered until 1939.  Ginastera chose to rework Estancia into an orchestral suite as well, premiered in 1943 in the same theater as Panambí.  He would wait until 1952 to see his ballet premiere.

In 1941, Ginastera returned to the National Conservatory as a teacher, and also began teaching at the San Martín National Military Academy.  The following year, he received a Guggenheim grant to study in America but he waited until after the war, coming to America in 1945 and staying for two years.  He became friends with Aaron Copland, later adopting some of Copland’s styles and techniques.

Politically, the Argentinean government was quickly changing following a military coup and Juan Perón’s swift rise to power.  Ginastera supported civil liberties and signed a petition saying so; this upset the Peronist regime, which forced Ginastera’s resignation from the Military Academy.

The political turbulence continued on and off throughout Ginastera’s life.  He lost another position in 1952 at the National University of La Plata as a result of political differences with the Perón regime, and wasn’t reinstated as director there until after the 1956 defeat of Perón.

His influence spread beyond that of his compositions through his devotion to the education of young composers and his foundation of the Argentinean International Society of Contemporary Music.

Ginastera eventually became dean of musical arts and sciences at the Catholic University of Argentina, and then became director of the newly formed Latin American Centre for Advanced Musical Studies at the Instituto Torcuato di Tella in 1962.  He lived the last twelve years of his life in Geneva, Switzerland, with his second wife.

The ballet tells the story of a boy from the city in love with a ranch girl.  The first movement, Los Trabajadores Agrícolas (The Land Workers), sets a spirited stage.  Percussion plays a huge role throughout Estancia, evident early in the opening measures.

Danza Del Trigo, or Wheat Dance, beautifully contrasts with Los Trabajadores Agrícolas.  A melodic flute solo soars above pizzicato strings, giving way to the horns.  The full orchestration is rich and lush, almost picturesque.

Los Peones de Haciendas (The Cattlemen) returns to the driving, Stravinsky-esque dance rhythms of the first movement.  Horns take the lead once again, in duet with timpani.  The duet gradually becomes more of a call and response than a collaborative duet.

The final dance begins with a rhythmic ostinato that continues throughout the movement.  The ostinato passes around the orchestra and stops only for a split second toward the end of the piece.  The melody is technically difficult, and subsequent brass themes are also demanding.