rvinia 2002, international festival of the arts,, 2002

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RAVINIA 2002Christoph Eschenbach, Music Director

1904·2004

International Festival of the Arts2002 Festival Season

June 7 - September 8, 2002RAVINIA

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RAVINIAFESTIVAL 2002PROGRAM NOTES

JULY 15 - JULY 21

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~AT RAVINIA

I THIS WEEKJULY lSEMERSON STRING QUARTET 3

JULY 16BLUES TRAVELER 8

JULY 17CELIA CRUZ 10with special guest Tiempo Libre

JULY 18EMANUEL AX, Piano 12

JULY 19CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA .. 17James Conlon, ConductorGarrick Ohlsson, Piano

JULY 20CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 27James Conlon, ConductorEmanuel Ax, PianoChristine Brewer, SopranoMelina Pyron, Soprano

-Gayla Blaisdell, SopranoLouise Callinan, Mezzo-sopranoAnthony Dean Griffey, TenorBenjamin Butterfield, TenorJonathan Lemalu, BaritoneRobert Pomakov, BassDale Warland SingersApollo Chorus of ChicagoSI. Charles Singers

JULY 21CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 45David Alan Miller, ConductorChristopher O'Riley, PianoNicole Cabell, Soprano

Christoph Eschenbach's biography 52

Chicago Symphony Orchestra 53

Next Week's Events 56

The Ravinia Festival is partially supparted by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council,an agency of the State of Illinois

FESTIVAL INFORMATION• All concerts stort promptly. Management reserves the right to seat latecomers at its discretion.

No one will be seated during the performance of a work.

• Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones, pagers and alarm watches.

• Use of cameros and tape recorders is strictly prohibited at all Ravinia performances.• Ravinia is a smoke-free environment.

• Wireless headsets for assisted listening ore available at the customer service window for performancesin the Pavilion and Martin Theatre, or at the box office in the Harza Building for performances inIk=AA• G=~ ~IJ.. /I.o. •• .,;, •• ~~,,,''''''''''\'l ""'f""~ ~'" oj,-,e 9".,,\"= 'no, '0""" rncoe pos:ible 'oy a g{trfrom Kathryn and Bert Pollak.

Yamaha is the official piano of the Ravinio Festival.

SPM SATURDAY JUlY 20,2002 PAViliON

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAJAMES CONLON, Conductor

EMANUEL AX, Piano

CHRISTINE BREWER, Soprano

MELINA PYRON, Soprano

GAYLA BLAISDELL, Soprano

LOUISE CALLINAN, Mezzo-soprano

ANTHONY DEAN GRIFFEY, Tenor

BENJAMIN BUTTERFIELD, Tenor

JONATHAN LEMALU, Baritone

ROBERT POMAKOY, Bass

APOLLO CHORUS OF CHICAGO

DALE WARLAND SINGERS

ST. CHARLES SINGERSDALE WARLAND, Choral Preparation

BEE THO V EN Fantasy for Orchestra, Piano and Chorus, Op. 80

Adagio-Finale: AllegroEmanuel Ax, Melina Pyron, Gayla Blaisdell, Louise Callinan,Anthony Dean Griffey, Benjamin Butterfield, Robert PomakovDale Warland Singers, Apollo Chorus of Chicago,St. Charles Singers

Intermission

SATURDAY J U l Y 20, 200 2

Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op. 125

Allegro rna non troppo, un poco maestosoMoho vivaceAdagio moho e cantabilePresto-Allegro assai (based on Schiller's "Ode to Joy")

Christine Brewer, Louise Callinan, Anthony Dean Griffey,Ionathan LemaluDale Warland Singers, Apollo Chorus of Chicago,St. Charles Singers

The Ravinia Festival Association expresses its appreciationto KPMG LLP for its

generous sponsorship of this evening's performance.

This evening's concert is performed in memory of Edward Gordon.

SATURDAY JULY 20, 200 2

JAMES CONLON, ConductorJames Conlon's biography appears on page 18.

EMANUEL AX, PianoEmanuel Ax'sbiography appears on page 13.

CHRISTINE BREWER, SopranoSoprano Christine Brewer appears regularly in opera,concert and recital performances around the world.She has appeared with leading orchestras throughoutNorth America and Europe, and she has sung therepertoire of composers from Mozart to Britten andJanacek. This past season, she performed Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9 with the Montreal Symphony,London Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra, andalso appeared in performances of Verdi's Requiemwith the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.Other appearances included a concert version ofBeethoven's Fidelio with the Israel Philharmonic,Mahler's Symphony No.2 with the Chicago Symphony, Shostakovich's SymphonyNo. 14 with the Miinchen Staatsoper, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Janacek'sGlagolithic Mass with the National Symphony and the third act of Wagner's DieWalkilre with the Atlanta Symphony. She has appeared in a wide variety of roleson stage and has performed her signature role of Donna Anna in Mozart's DonGiovanni with the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, New YorkCity Opera, FloridaGrand Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and at the Edinburgh Festival. She hasalso appeared in the title roles of Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Santa FeOpera, English National Opera and Opera Colorado; Gluck's Iphigenie en Taurideat the Edinburgh Festival and in Rio de Janeiro and Madrid; and Strauss's Dieiigyptische Helena at the Santa Fe Opera. Next season, she makes herMetropolitan Opera debut in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos. Brewer hasappeared in recital at London's Wigmore Hall and on Lincoln Center's ''Artof theSong" series. She can be heard on recordings of Janacek's Glagolithic Mass andDvorak'sTe Deum with the Atlanta Symphony on the Telarc label and as a soloiston a recording of opera choruses entitled Grand & Glorious, also on Telarc.Tonight's performance marks Brewer's Ravinia Festival debut.

MELINA PYRON, SopranoSoprano Melina Pyron has been a member of the Lyric Opera Center forAmerican Artists for the past two years. During this time she has appeared at theCivic Opera House as the Second Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflote, CountessCeprano in Verdi's Rigoletto, Karolka in Janacek's /enufa and the shepherd in


Puccini's Tasca. Other opera -credits include Federica inVerdi'sLuisa Miller and Mercedes in Bizet's Carmen with theSarasota Opera; and Meg Page in Verdi'sFalstaff, Cherubinoin Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Rosina in Rossini's If bar-biere di Siuiglia at the Tacoma Opera. She was a first-placewinner in the 2001 Musician's Club ofWomen Competitionand has made numerous orchestral appearances aroundthe country. These include Mozart's "Great" Mass in CMinor at the Blossom Festival in Cleveland, Bernstein'sSongfest with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra andMahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Missoula Symphony

Orchestra. Tonight marks Melina Pyron's second apperance at Ravinia, where sheattended the Steans Institute for Young Artists in 1996 and sang at Box OfficeOpening Day in 2001.

GAYLA BLAISDELL, Soprano

Gayla Blaisdell recently made her Carnegie Hall debut assoprano soloist in Beethoven's symphony No.9 with theAmerican Composers Orchestra. She has given the pre-mieres of new works at the Society of ComposersConvention in New York City and performed the NewYork premiere of a composition by John Baboukis inMerkin Hall. Blaisdell has also recorded a cycle of songsby Elizabeth Bell with the North/South ConsonanceEnsemble. Additional credits include performances withthe Dorian Opera Theater and the State Repertory in NewJersey, as well as participation in the Tanglewood and

Opera North festivals, the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy andRavinia's Steans Institute for Young Artists. Tonight's performance marks GaylaBlaisdell's Ravinia Festival debut.

LOUISE CALLINAN, Mezzo-soprano

Louise Callinan was born in Sydney,Australia, and is a grad-uate of both the Sydney Conservatorium at the University ofSydney and the Queensland Conservatorium at GriffithUniversity. She was also a member of Opera Queensland'sYoungArtist Program and is a 2000 alumna of Ravinia's SteansInstitute for YoungArtists. In 1998 she was the first Australianartist to be accepted into the Centre de formation lyrique(Young Artist Program) of l'Opera National de Paris. Thereshe performed the roles of Hermia in Britten's A MidsummerNight's Dream, Meg Page in Verdi's Falstaff, Dorabella in

Mozart's COSlfan tutte and Concepcion in Ravel's L'Heure espagnole, a role shehas also performed in Montpellier, France and on a broadcast for Radio France.In 2000 she made her debut with l'Opera National de Paris as the Page in Verdi's

SATURDAY JUlY 20, 2 002

Rigoletto, followed by appearances as Tebaldo in Verdi's Don Carlosand a FlowerMaiden in Wagner's Parsifal. Additional performances there included roles inZemlinsky's Der Zwerg, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges and Stravinsky'sPulcinella. She performs regularly in concert throughout France with theorchestra of l'Opera de Massy and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, among oth-ers. Next season she will make her debut with Opera Australia in the title role ofRossini's La Cenerentola. Tonight's performance marks Louise Callinan's RaviniaFestival debut.

ANTHONY DEAN GRIFFEY, Tenor

Anative of North Carolina, Anthony Dean Griffey holdsdegrees from Wingate University, the Eastman Schoolof Music and The Juilliard School. He is also a graduateof the Metropolitan Opera Young Artist DevelopmentProgram, making his company debut in April 1995 asthe First Knight in Wagner's Parsifal. Other Met creditshave included Massenet's Manon, Verdi's Don Carlos,Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Tchaikovsky's PikovayaDama, Verdi's Aida, Britten's Billy Budd and Strauss'sSalome. He made his major role debut with the Met inthe title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, which was alsothe vehicle of his triumphant debut at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2000, andreturned to the Met as Sam in a new production of Carlisle Floyd's Susannahopposite Renee Fleming. Additional stage credits include Lenny in OfMice andMen at the Houston Grand Opera and in the title role of Weber's Oberon atCarnegie Hall. He has also given recitals in New Yorkand San Diego. This pastseason Griffey performed Britten's Serenade for Tenor and Horn with the NewYork Philharmonic. His other orchestral apperances have included Britten'sWar Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erdewith the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic and theDetroit Symphony. He can be heard on many recordings, including the role ofMitch in the debut recording of Andre Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire withthe San Francisco Opera for Deutsche Grammophon (a role he has also sungwith San Diego Opera and the Pittsburgh Symphony), as well as recordings ofPoulenc's LesMamelles de Tiresiason the Philips label and Verdi's I Lombardi forDecca Records. Tonight's performance marks Griffey's second performance atthe Ravinia Festival, where he first appeared in 1998.

BENJAMIN BUTTERFIELD, Tenor

Benjamin Butterfield studied at McGill University and the Banff Center for thePerforming Arts in Canada and later went on to study with Diane Forlano andLeopold Simoneau. He is a 1998 alumnus of Ravinia's Steans Institute for YoungArtists. Butterfield's orchestral engagements include performances with theMontreal, San Francisco, Houston and Toronto symphonies and performances

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in New Zealand of Britten's "Spring" Symphony with theChristchurch City Choir. He has performed under numer-ous noted conductors.. and his 1998 performances ofHandel's Messiah were taped live at the Handel Festival inHalle, Germany, for German television. He also sang inBach's Saint Matthew Passion at the Saito Kinen Festival inJapan under Seiji Ozawa. This past season included per-formances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with theVancouver Symphony and Handel's Messiah with theVancouver Bach Choir, Les Violons du Roi of Quebec andthe National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa. He per-

formed the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the ArizonaOpera and appeared in Stravinsky's Persephonewui: the Naples Opera. He hasrecorded for CBC Records, Dorian, Marquis and Koch International, and hisrecent releases include Opera Encores with the Canadian Opera Company andBach's Saint Matthew Passion with the American Bach Soloists. Tonight marksBenjamin Butterfield's Ravinia Festival debut.

JONATHAN LEMALU, Bass-baritone

Hailing from New Zealand, bass-baritone JonathanLemalu has just completed his studies at the BenjaminBritten International Opera School at the Royal College ofMusic. His earliest performances took place in NewZealand at the First Church of Otago, Dunedin and theDunedin Town Hall. Lemalu went on to perform with

. many of New Zealand's leading orchestras, including theSouthern Sinfonia, Christchurch Symphony, WellingtonSymphony, Auckland Philharmonic and New ZealandSymphony Orchestra, with whom he performed at the

Sydney Opera House in Australia as part of the 2000 Olympic Arts Festival.While a student at the Royal College of Music, Lemalu has also given many con-certs in Great Britian. He has performed recitals at such venues as WigmoreHall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St. James's Piccadilly, the Linbury Studio Theatreand Queen Elizabeth Hall. He has also been a guest artist with many Britishorchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra, the Royal LiverpoolPhilharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC ScottishSymphony Orchestra. Lemalu has won many competitions, including the 1996Dunedin Performing Arts Competitions Aria Contest, the 1998 Mobil SongQuest, the 1999 McDonald's Operatic Aria Contest and the LlangollenInternational Singer 2000 Competition. At the Royal College of Music, Lemaluwas presented with the Graziella Sciutti Recital Prize, the Keith FaulknerOratorio Prize, and the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Rosebowl. He wasalso made a 2002-03 BBCYoung Generation Artist. His operatic credits includeLeporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the London Royal Schools' Opera,Bottom in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Benjamin

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Britten International Opera School, Dr. Bartolo in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro atthe Menuhin Festival Gstaad 2001 in Switzerland and the title role of Verdi'sOberto at the Linbury Studio Theatre. Jonathan Lemalu makes his Americandebut tonight at the Ravinia Festival.

ROBERT POMAKOV, BassCurrently a student at The Curtis Institute of Music inPhiladelphia, Robert Pomakov has already estab-lished himself as an exciting new talent in the vocalmusic world. After a successful audition in 1999 forthe artistic director of the Canadian Opera Company,he was invited there for free coachings and a perfor-mance with noted baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Hewas also selected to perform in the New Year's EveMillenium Gala at Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall with14 of Canada's finest singers, for which he receivedglowing reviews. The concert was subsequentlyreleased on CD. Additional recording credits includeHandel's Apollo e Daphne for the Naxos label. Pomakov's awards and honorsinclude an Encouragement Grant from the George London Foundation, firstprize at the 24th annual Oratorio Society Solo Competition in New York andadvancement to the final round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium.Tonight's performance marks Robert Pomakov's debut at the Ravinia Festivalwhere he attended the Steans Institute for YoungArtists in 2001.

DALE WARLAND, Choral PreparationDale Warland grew up on a farm in rural Iowa andattended St. Olaf College, where he got his conductingstart, becoming the music director of the student-ledmale chorus at the age of 20. He attended graduateschool at the University of Minnesota and theUniversity of Southern California and spent two yearsin the United States Air Force. After teaching for threeyears in California and New York,Warland joined thefaculty of Macalester College in Minnesota in 1967.He formed the Dale Warland Singers in 1972 and con-tinued to teach at Macalester until 1985. As a guestconductor, Warland has led the Swedish Radio Choir, Mormon TabernacleChoir, Danish Radio Choir and Israel's Cameran Singers and has prepared manyvocal ensembles for orchestral performances with major conductors. In 2001Warland was given the McKnight Foundation's Distinguished Artist Award, andin 2002 he received the prestigious Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action andEntrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America, which included a $5,000 cash prizefor the Dale Warland Singers.

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SATURDAY J U l Y

APOLLO CHORUS OF CHICAGO

20, 200 2

As Chicago's oldest musical organization, the Apollo Chorus of Chicago carrieson a legacy of classical choral singing that began shortly after the Great ChicagoFire in 1872 when the chorus was formed to bring cultural life back to the city.The ensemble comprises more than 150 volunteer members who are accom-plished choral singers and presents three major programs in its concert serieseach year. Since 1879 the chorus has given annual performances of Handel'sMessiah during the month of December. Its annual Cathedral Concerts, held inlate winter, showcase shorter sacred works by both classical and contemporarycomposers, and each spring they present a major work for chorus and orches-tra, this year's being Haydn's The Creation. From its inception, the ApolloChorus has been an important part of cultural life in Chicago. Members of thegroup played an important role in bringing Theodore Thomas to Chicago in1891, one of Apollo's original directors as well as the first conductor of theChicago Symphony Orchestra. The chorus has performed at such importanthistorical events as the Colombian Exposition in 1893, the Century of ProgressExhibition in 1933 and the Golden Jubilee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestrain 1941, as well as the dedications of Navy Pier, Auditorium Theatre, MedinaTemple, Orchestra Hall and Symphony Center. The chorus made its New Yorkdebut in 1987 at Avery Fisher Hall and since 1980 has gone on two tours ofEurope, with a third planned for 2003. Tonight's performance marks the Raviniadebut of the Apollo Chorus.SOPRANO ALTOJulie Bromley Joan BehrensJohanna Clark Chris BobkaBeth Crome Carole HaysRoslyn DeBoer Chris MayDeanna Edgerson Cheryl MeierBrenda Green Anne MurrayMary Hernandez Sara PearsaulLise Jacobson Arlene TalbotMary Johnson Ethelyn TaylorTina Nolan Jill WalkerMichele Piel Gwenan WilberTamara Roberts

TENORTodd ArpJerry FusselmanGerhard HaigisEric JohnsonHarold JohnsonJim MayDan McMahonTom MurphyMaff PosthumaKen Rosinski

BASSJeff BuckleyDale CromeMartin DalyMartin DeppeDavid ElliottRob Groetti ngerStefan HaneyDave HahnPaul HekmanLuciano LaurentiuDick LauterbachLarry LeonardArt Moswin

SATURDAY JULY

THE DALE WARLAND SINGERS

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The Dale Warland Singers, a 40-voice professional choir, hale from the TwinCities, where they present subscription concerts. They regularly tour through-out the U.S. and abroad and in 1990 traveled to Stockholm and Helsinki to rep-resent North America at the Second World Symposium on Choral Music. Inaddition to giving live performances, the Dale Warland Singers are regularlyheard on radio broadcasts such as Garrison Keillor'sA Prairie Home Companionand Public Radio International's Saint Paul Sunday. They regularly collaboratewith other Twin Cities arts organizations such as the James Sewell Ballet, theSaint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. They have oyer 20recordings to their credit and have just released a recording of Bernstein'sChichester Psalms and Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb. The ensemble also has areputation for commissioning new works and has created a program calledChoral Ventures, which has contributed over $100,000for commissions to over 50composers. In 1992 the ensemble was the first recipient of the Margaret HillisAchievement Award for choral excellence and has received four ASCAPawards foradventuresome programming. Tonight's performance marks the Ravinia debutof the Dale Warland Singers.

SOPRANOBeth AlthofMargaret BurtonSora DickMarie Spar Dymit •Pamela MarentetteMelissa MoreyDeborah Loon OsgoodSarah SchlomerDawn SchuffenhauerNaomi Christensen

StoruchMonica Stratton• denotes section leader

ALTOCarrie BensonSara BoosTeresa K. ElsberndGalina EricksonJoanne Hclvorsen "Lynette JohnsonMary C . Maiden MullerKrista PalmquistRosita Tendall

TENORJared L. Anderson •Lawrence BachJoel BeyerJerome ElsberndJoel C. FischerEric N. HopkinsJustin KarchDavid NordliSteven StaruchHal SnyderGregory Tambornino

BASSJeffrey BipesBruce BroquistMatthew Culloton •Dave JacobsonBrian KremerMichael MeyerKevin NorbergTim O'BrienBob PeskinBrian E. PettyBrad RunyanTerry SheetzBrian L. Steele


ST. CHARLES SINGERS

The St. Charles Singers, founded in 1984 by Jeffrey Hunt, comprise 32 people,many of whom pursue musical careers outside of the choir. They regularly per-form a Christmas concert to benefit CASAKane County, a charity for children.The choir has also been part of the biennial 16-day St. Charles Art and MusicFestival, and for several years they have performed under the direction of com-poser and conductor John Rutter to critical and popular acclaim. They havealso worked with Timothy Brown, director of music at Clare College inCambridge, England, and have performed with the Illinois Chamber Orchestraand the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Recent guest artists who have appearedwith the St. Charles Singers include jazz pianist George Shearing, bassistMalcolm Creese and organist David Schrader. In 2000 the choir made a suc-cessful tour of England, returning in 2002 for a second tour of England andFrance. Tonight's performance marks the Ravinia debut of the St. CharlesSingers.

SOPRANOEllen AntonAnne ArendsGroce HuntLaura JohnsonCasey MurdaughAmanda KingCandace Thomas-KlessBeverly NesbitApril StovallTara Zamin

ALTOKatie BarrJennifer HuntBridget KanderHeather LambertAnn MacDonaldLinda McCulloughDebby WilderValerie Wilder

TENORTi BergmanBob BoydDavid HuntJeffrey HuntAndy JeffreyBryan KunstmanEric JohnsonStan McGrouty

BASSNick BradacGlenn BreilzigJohn ClarkePierrick HcnletLamont Lambert

Jacob MaddenJoel MillerMike MillerJonathan SagerJeff StoffelDavid TognorelliJon Warfel


PROGRAM NOTES

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

Fantasy for Orchestra, Piano and Chorus, Op. 80

First performed at the Theater an der Wienin Vienna on December 22, 1808;Beethoven played piano and conducted.The score calls for pairs of flutes, oboes,clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets,timpani, solo piano, strings and mixedchorus. Theodore Thomas introduced thispiece to Chicago Symphony subscriptionaudiences on December 18, 1896. DanielBarenboim appeared as pianist and con-ductor in the most recent performances,September 17, 20 and 27 1994, with theChicago Symphony Chorus and soloistsKary Stewart, Mary Ann Beatty, DianeBusko-Bryks, Thomas Dymit, KevinMcKelvie and Matthew Greenberg. At theRavinia Festival, the "Choral Fantasy" wasfirst performed by the Chicago Symphony Ludwig van Beethoven byOrchestra and Chorus, with pianist Rudolf Joseph Carl Stieler (1819)

Firkusny, under James Levine on July 10,1976. Riccardo Chailly led the most recent performance by the ChicagoSymphony Orchestra and Chorus, pianist Peter Serkin, and soloists Mary JaneEndicott, Amy Pickering, Diane Busko-Bryks, Kevin McKelvie, David Andersonand Matthew Greenbergon July 21,1995.

For his Akademie (public concert) of December 22, 1808, Beethoven mountedan extraordinarily long and taxing program. Its organization conformed to typ-ical late-18th-century concert format: two halves, each beginning with anorchestral work, followed by miscellaneous vocal-choral pieces and improvisa-tions by the featured composer-performer, and concluding with a major solopiece with orchestra. An ambitious musician occasionally scheduled such aconcert in order to introduce new works before an audience of potential aristo-cratic patrons or to enhance his reputation with middle-class consumers ofprinted music. Scheduling such a program first required official (after 1813,governmental) approval. Generally the musician assumed all financial liability,compensating the orchestra and vocalists from box-office receipts. Any remain-ing revenues became the featured performer's income.What distinguished Beethoven's public concert from those by his contempo-raries was its exceptional length and demanding content. As advertised in theWiener Zeitung on December 17, the program consisted of the following: "First


Part: 1.A Symphony, entitled: 'ARecollection of Country Life,' in F major (No.5)[actually No.6, the "Pastoral"]; 2. Aria [probably the soprano scena ''Ah!perfido"]; 3. Hymn with Latin text, composed in the church style with chorusand solos [from Mass in C Major]: 4. Pianoforte Concerto played by himself[No.4, in G major]. Second Part: 1. Grand Symphony in C Minor (No.6) [actu-ally No. 5J;2. Holy,with Latin text composed in the church style with chorus andsolos [from Mass in C Major]; 3. Fantasia for Pianoforte alone; 4. Fantasia forPianoforte which ends with the gradual entrance of the entire orchestra and theintroduction of choruses as a finale."

By all accounts, the concertwas a colossal disaster. Themusic lasted from 6:30 to 10:30p.m. in a bitterly cold theater.Beethoven offended his origi-nal soprano soloist, and herreplacement fell far short ofexpectations. The orchestra-still insulted by an unpleasantencounter with Beethoven atan earlier benefit concert-openly resisted his shoddydirection. Works receiving theirpremieres on that occasionwere unenthusiastically and

insufficiently prepared. In fact, not one piece was rehearsed in its entiretybefore the concert. Disaster was inescapable.

Inspired only days before the Akademie to conclude with a grand finale,Beethoven envisioned an unprecedented combination of piano, orchestra andchorus. The resulting Choral Fantasy-consisting of a piano introduction andorchestral-choral finale-reached only partial completion before the concert.Apparently the composer wrote the final section first, although without a com-plete text in hand. Only after composing his music did Beethoven commissionsix stanzas of poetry, most likely from Christoph Kuffner. (If Kuffner pennedthese lyrics, he apparently did not think highly of them, for they do not appearin his "complete works" edition.) The ink was still wet on the choral parts at thefirst rehearsal. Beethoven's original introduction has been lost. However, a set ofincomplete instrumental parts suggest that the composer began with a very dif-ferent conception than the now-authoritative opening solo piano cadenza.Despite Beethoven's sincerest efforts, the Choral Fantasy fell apart in concert.Confusion over repeated sections resulted in orchestral mayhem. Althoughaccounts vary in detail, the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung described theensuing scene during which Beethoven halted this ill-fated performance: "Thewind-instruments vary the theme that Beethoven had previously played on thepianoforte. The turn comes to the oboes. The clarinets, if I am not mistaken,

Interior of the Theater an der Wien, where Beethovengave his benefit concert on December 22, 1808

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make a mistake in the count and enter at once. A curious mixture oftone results.Beethoven jumps up, tries to silence the clarinets, but does not succeed until helas called out quite loudly and rather ill-ternperedly: 'Stop, stop! That will not

do! Again-again!'"The fantasy's unusual construction produced all obvious predecessor to the finalmovement of Symphony No. 9 for orchestra, solo voices and chorus. Its slow,improvisatory C-minor piano introduction contains virtuosic flourishes, occa-sionally in a pseudo-Baroque contrapuntal texture. Double basses and cellosbegin the Finale. Orchestral phrases alternate with recitative-like segments forsolo piano. The Ninth Symphony also applies vocal writing to the instruments.Beethoven introduced the C-major melody of his song Gegenliebe ("RequitedLove"),WoO ll8, in the piano, a theme ripe for variation. Certain melodic traitsanticipate the Ninth's "Ode to Joy": gavotte-like phrases beginning in the middleof a measure, a stanzaic grouping of four- measure phrases and a characteristicfermata before the final phrase. Eleven variations of this theme ensue, eachscored for a different instrumental and vocal combination. Beethoven high-lighted different members of the orchestra in his initial four variations: NO.1 forflute and piano, No.2 for oboe duet and piano, No.3 for two clarinets and bas-soon, and No.4 for a quartet of solo strings. The full orchestra makes its firstappearance in the fifth variation. An extensive piano interlude contains a per-vasive triplet rhythm.Following another cadenza, the piano begins Variation 6 in C minor, a transfor-mation that shifts the mid-measure phrases to the beginning of the measure.Variation 7 evokes a pastoral atmosphere with its chamber scoring for pairedclarinets and bassoons, an ornamented piano part, and violas and cellos.March-like orchestral rhythms further alter the theme (No.8). The piano reen-ters and engages in a series of expansive modulations. Double basses resumetheir introductory theme to the finale.Elaborate piano arpeggios lead to the first vocal entrances. A solo trio ofwomen's voices accompanied by the piano declaim two stanzas of poetry. Threemale soloists, supported by pizzicato strings, immediately follow with an addi-tional pair of stanzas (Variations 9 and 10). The mixed chorus contributes thefinal variation (No. ll) based on the final lines of poetry. Beethoven then buildsa tremendous coda by continuing the exchange between solos and chorus,employing imitative textures and accelerating into a presto climax.

SATURDAY JULY

Schmeichelnd hold und lieblich klingenunsers Lebens Harmonien,und dem Schonheitssinn entschwingenBlumen sich, die ewig bluhn.

Fried' und Freude gleiten freundlichwie der Wellen Wechselspiel;was sich drangte rauh und feindlich,ordnet sich zu Hochgefuhl.

Wenn der Tone Zauber waltenund des Wortes Weihe spricht,muss sich Herrliches gestalten,Nacht und Sturrne werden Licht.

Auss're Rube, inure Wonneherrschen fur den Glucklichen.Doch der Kunste Fruhlingssonnelasst aus beiden Licht entstehn.

Grosses, das ins Herz gedrungen,bluht dann neu und schon empor,hat ein Geist sich"aufgeschwungen,hallt ihm stets ein Geisterchor.

Nehmt denn hin, ihr schonen Seelen,froh die Gaben schoner Kunst.Wenn sich Lieb' und Kraft verrnanlen,lohnt dem Menschen Gotter-Gunst,

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Charmingly and lovingly flatteringsound our life's harmonies,and beauty's essence shoots forthflowers that bloom forever.

Peace and joy gently pass over,like the interplay of waves;that which urges them on, rudely andunfriendly,is put in order by exultation.

When music's magic rules,and the solemnity of words speaks forth,magnificence must take shape,night and storm become light.

Outward peace, inward blissgovern the fortunate.However, art-the sun of spring-allows light to arise from both.

Greatness, which penetrates into the heart,then blossoms upward new and beautiful;a spirit is lifted up,a spirit choir ever resounds.

Accept then their beautiful souls,the joyous gifts of a beautiful art.When love and might unite,the goodness of the gods rewardshumankind.


Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Gp. 125

First performed on May 7, 1824, at theKiirntnertor Theater in Vienna, IgnazUmlauf conducting. The score calls fortwoflutes, oboes,clarinets and bassoons,four horns, two trumpets, timpani,strings, solo vocal quartet and chorus.Theodore Thomas conducted the firstperformance of the Symphony No. 9 bythe Chicago Orchestra (as it was thencalled) on December 17,1892. Sir GeorgSolti led the most recent subscriptionperformances by the Chicago SymphonyOrchestra and Chorus on September 25,26 and 27, 1986; soloists were IessyeNorman, Reinhild Runkel, RobertSchunk and Hans So tin. This symphonyalso was performed on two special non-subscription concerts celebrating theinaugural season of Symphony Center Title page of Beethoven's Symphony NO.9on October 11 and 12, 1997; DanielBarenboim conducted, with soloists SoileIsokoski, Rosemarie Lang, Ben Heppner and Robert Holl, and the ChicagoSymphony Chorus. At Ravinia, the Ninth Symphony was first performed on July31, 1952, by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Northwestern UniversitySummer Chorus and soloists Eileen Farrell,Jane Hobson, Andrew McKinley andMack Harrell, all under the direction of Otto Klemperer. Christoph Eschenbachconducted the most recent performance by the Chicago Symphony OrchestraandChorus and soloistsPamela Armstrong.janis Taylor,Vinson Coleand PeterRoseonJune 24, 2000.Few works of art elevate, inspire and mystify with the same indescribable powerthat Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 possesses. The music dramas of RichardWagner and the symphonies of Gustav Mahler, to name a few,owe their very exis-tence to this work. Gustav Klimt's wonderfully sensual, art nouveau BeethovenFriezeembodies a personal reflection on the Ninth Symphony. Musical analysesof this complex score (such as Heinrich Schenker's tome) have filled volumes.The depth of meaning in Beethoven's inspired setting of Friedrich von Schiller's"Ode to Joy" has not been exhausted. It probably never will be.Even before moving to Vienna permanently in 1793, Beethoven announced hisdesire to compose music for the "Ode to Joy."The idea of including this text in asymphony, though, struck with jarring force 30 years later. Anton Schindler,Beethoven's secretary and biographer, remembered the magical moment: "Oneday, when 1entered his room, he called out to me, 'I have it!1have it,' holding outhis sketchbook, where 1 read these words, 'Let us sing the immortal Schiller'ssong, Freude.' At that moment, the master solved the aesthetic impasse

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presented by the final movement." Borrowing a notion (and actual melodicphrases) from his Choral Fantasy, Op. 80, for piano, orchestra and chorus,Beethoven made the unprecedented decision to incorporate chorus and vocalsoloists into his symphony. However, Schiller's drinking-song text requiredpatient selection and rewriting to extol universal peace and brotherhood.Although the Symphony No.9 originated as a work for the Philharmonic Society ofLondon, its premiere took place May 7, 1824,inVienna on a monumental programwith the Overture to Consecration of the House, Op. 124, and three movementsfrom the Missa solemnis, Op. 123. Totally deaf, the composer stood beside con-ductor Ignaz Umlauf, beating time and turning pages. Beethoven negotiated withseveral publishers for rights to the Symphony No.9, which he finally offered to theMainz firm of B. Schott and Sons. The printed score, complete with metronomemarkings and lavish title page, was dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.Structurally the Symphony NO.9 remains within accepted boundaries of early-Romantic instrumental practice: sonata-form first movement, scherzo-trio-scherzo, slowvariations and fast sonata-rondo. However, Beethoven saturates hismovements with a bounteous stream of melodic motives, rhythmic energy, dar-ing harmonic progressions and developmental expansion that stretch standardforms to the point of destruction and irrelevance. His colossal expression domi-nates every aspect of the music and in the final movement demands both a larg-er performing medium (solo and choral forces in addition to the typical orches-tral "families") and an enduring text.In the Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso, the robust triadic first themeslowly emerges from a sparse, hushed opening. A quiet composite of lyricalmotives, serving as a second theme, does not completely still the turbulencesimmer beneath the surface. Beethoven manipulates thematic fragments in theextensive development. The recapitulation begins in major, then reverts to minorin preparation for a massive coda.The second movement combines scherzo and sonata ideals. A fleet, triple-metersonata form, with repeated exposition, functions as a scherzo. Turning to cuttime, Beethoven introduces a quieter trio before resuming the scherzo music. TheAdagio malta e cantabile consists of interlocking sets of variations, such asBeethoven might have learned from Haydn.A chaotic dissonance inaugurates the finale. Basses and cellos anticipate the solobass voice recitative to come, while the orchestra reminisces on themes from ear-lier movements. Complete statements of the "Ode to Joy" melody appear in thelow strings, then in the full ensemble, but without text it remains a beautiful yetempty tune. Chaos strikes with greater force in a tone cluster containing everymember of the D-minor scale. The bass solo rejects all music heard to this point,implores the gathered company ("0 Friends, not these sounds! Instead, let usmake sweeter and more joyous music!"), then begins the famous "Ode," in whichthe chorus and other soloists join. This melody, varied in each repetition, alter-nates like a refrain between new vocal themes. Beethoven concludes hisexhilarating hymn with a quicksilver orchestral coda .

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The interpretive adaptability of Schiller's text has thrust this symphony into theservice of politics and nationalism. One popular notion, that the poet intendedan ode to Freiheit ("freedom") but changed it to Freude ('joy"), circulated widelyduring the 19th century. After the fall of the Berlin wall, a once-torn Germannation celebrated its reunification to these strains. Leonard Bernstein assembledan orchestra and chorus for two special Christmastime concerts on both sides ofthe Brandenburg Gate. These 220 musicians from the East and West performedDecember 23 in West Berlin's Philharmonie concert hall and then on Christmasmorning in East Berlin's Shauspielhaus theater. Caught in the spirit of the event,Bernstein substituted the word Freiheit for Freude. More recently Seiji Ozawaconducted an unusual performance as part of the opening ceremonies of the1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Five choruses in different countries were linkedby satellite for a truly global rendition of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."

o Freunde, nicht diese Tone! Sondernlasst uns angenehmere anstimmen undfreudenvollere!

o Friends, not these sounds! Instead, letus make sweeter and more joyousmusic!

Freude, schoner Gottcrfunken,Tochter aus Elysium!Wir betreten feuertrunken,HimmJische, dein Heiligtum.

Joy, lovely spark of the gods,daughter of Elysium.We enter elated with fervor,heavenly one, into your sanctuary.

Deine Zauber binden wieder,Was die Mode streng getheilt;Aile Menschen werden Bruder,Wo dein sanfter Flugel weilt.

Your charms unite againwhat fashion sharply divided;all men are made brotherswherever your gentle wing abides.

Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen,Eines Freundes Freund zu sein,Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,Mische seinen Iubel ein!

To whomever it has been grantedto be the friend of a friend;whoever has won a gracious woman,now join in the exultation!

Ja-wer auch nur eine SeeleSein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehleWeinend sich aus diesem Bund.

Yes-he who even only one hearthas called his own on the whole wideearth!And whoever never could feel it,let him steal away weeping from thisalliance.

SATURDAY J U L Y 20,

Freude trinken alle WesenAn den Brusten der Natur;Aile Guten, alle BosenFolgen ihrer Rosenspur.

Kusse gab sie uns und Reben,Einen Freund, gepruft im Tod;Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.

Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegenDurch des Himmels pracht'gen Plan,Laufet, Bruder, eure Bahn,Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt!Bruder-i-uberrn SternenzeltMuss ein Lieber Vater wohnen!

Ihr stiirzt nieder, Millionen?Ahnest du den Schopfer, Welt?Such' ihn iiberm Stemenzelt!tiber Stemen muss er wohnen.

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Ail creatures drink in joyat the breast of nature;all the good, all the evilfollow in her path of roses.

Kisses she gave to us, and wine,and a friend, faithful unto death;lust was given to the worm,and the cherub stands before God.

Happy, as the suns rushingthrough heaven's brilliant plane,follow, brothers, your pathjoyously as a hero to victory.

Receive this embrace, ye millions!This kiss to the whole world!Brothers-above the starry skythere surely lives a loving father!

Do you fall down, ye millions?Do you sense the creator, world?Seek him above the starry sky!Above the stars he certainly lives.

-Program notes and translation of the Choral Fantasy © Todd E. Sullivan 2002- Translation of Schiller's "Ode toJoy"by Don Horisberger

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rvinia 2002, international festival of the arts,, 2002

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