Program Notes

April 18, 2010

Mendelssohn: Overture in C Major ("Trumpet"), Op. 101

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote a number of overtures with dramatic themes (such as the Hebrides Overture), but the Trumpet Overture, which takes its name from the opening trumpet calls, is a lighter, crisper piece, written when he was only 17. It was initially performed for his family at home. Mendelssohn was never satisfied with it, but his father liked it so much that he said he would like to hear it on his deathbed.

Haydn: Concerto for Cello in C Major I. Moderato II. Adagio III. Allegro molto

We have an autocratic prince and a Communist regime to thank for Franz Joseph Haydn's Concerto in C Major for Cello and Orchestra.  At the age of 29, Haydn (1732-1809) gave up trying to be a free-lance composer and joined the court orchestra of the Hungarian Prince Nikolaus Esterházy. During his 30-year tenure there, Haydn enlarged the orchestra and composed many pieces for it; one of the earliest was the C Major Cello Concerto. But the concerto was never published, and it disappeared, except for a tantalizing listing in Haydn's own catalogue of his works. Unbeknownst to scholars, however, the manuscript was in a private library in Prague. After World War II, the Communist Czech government confiscated many private libraries and placed them in the National Library. The concerto was discovered there in 1961, 200 years after its premiere, and has delighted audiences ever since. Haydn's mastery of orchestral writing is evident throughout, with impressive virtuoso writing for the cello from the moment it enters.

Schumann: Symphony No. 1 in B-Flat Major ("Spring"), Op. 38 I. Andante un poco maestoso. Allegro molto vivace II. Larghetto III. Scherzo: Molto vivace. Trio I. Scherzo. Trio II. Scherzo IV. Allegro animato e grazioso

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was one of the most important composers of the Romantic era, but his composing career began comparatively late. He did some composing as a child, but was distracted by an equally compelling interest in literature. At 18, he decided to study law, but after a year or so he wrote to his mother, "My whole life has been a struggle between Poetry and Prose, or call it Music and Law." He abandoned the law to resume piano lessons under his old teacher, Friedrich Wieck, whose daughter Clara — a fine pianist and composer in her own right — Schumann married after a nasty legal battle with Wieck. At some point, Schumann injured his hand and gave up performance for composition. He struggled to learn orchestration, and finally produced his Symphony No. 1 in 1841. Felix Mendelssohn conducted the premiere and kindly suggested various changes to the score to correct some of Schumann's amateurish scoring errors. Schumann himself called it the "Spring" Symphony, for it was written shortly after his joyful marriage to Clara. He was inspired by a poem by Adolf Böttger, the final line of which is "Spring unfolds in the valley." Schumann's original titles for the four movements, "Spring's Awakening," "Evening," "Merry Playmates," and "Spring's Farewell," are reflected in the happy mood of the music.

Program Notes by Linda Cantoni

For further reading:
Sadie, Stanley (ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Grove 1995)
Kramer, Jonathan D., Listen to the Music (Schirmer 1991)