UMS Concert Program, November 11, 1988: International Presentations Of Music & Dance -- Vienna Symphony Orchestra

Season: 110th
Concert: Eleventh
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

_3ntetMtiona Presentations to&cD
THE UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
GEORGES PRETRE Principal Guest Conductor
Friday Evening, November 11, 1988, at 8:00 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
PROGRAM
Overture to Die Zauberflote, K. 620 ............................... Mozart
Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Op. 59....................................Strauss
INTERMISSION
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14.................................... Berlioz
Reveries. Passions
Largo, Allegro agitato e appassionata assai Unbal
Waltz: allegro non troppo Scene aux champs
Adagio Marche au supplice
Allegretto non troppo Songe d'une nuit du sabbat
Larghetto, Allegro
Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Orfeo, Philips, and Teldec Records.
Georges Pretre and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra appear by arrangement with Columbia Artists Management Inc., New York.
Cameras and recording devices are not allowed in the auditorium. Halls Cough Tablets, courtesy of Warner-Lambert Company, arc available in the lobby.
Eleventh Concert of the 110th Season 110th Annual Choral Union Series
PROGRAM NOTES
Overture to Die Zauberflote, K. 620 ........... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
During the last months of his life, Mozart composed two operas: Die Zauberjlote (The Magic Flute), known as a singspiel because of the spoken dialogue, and La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), an opera seria for the coronation of the Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia. He also composed several sacred choral works, including the unfinished Requiem. The Magic Flute was first performed in Vienna on September 30, 1791.
Die Zauberjlote begins with an overture that from the start makes clear that this is to be an opera that deals with profoundly significant matters. The overture defines the two conflicting aspects of the plot: the call to virtuous life, for which Sarastro and his priests stand, and the clowning of Papageno the bird catcher, intent on daily delights with no thought for tomorrow. An introduction opens with resounding chords played by the full orchestra. These chords, heard in Act II of the opera where they appear between the Priests' March and Sarastro's aria "O Isis and Osiris," help to unify the overture, in that they return at several points in the score. The main portion of the piece is in the form of a sonata with two principal themes, a development, and a return. The principal theme is realized as a fugal exposition, the develop?ment section is fairly brief, and the restatement presents the themes in a somewhat varied manner.
The overture is scored for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets, three trombones, the timpani, and strings.
Der Rosenkavalier Suite, Op. 59............................ Richard Strauss
(1864-1949)
The first two operas of Richard Strauss -Guntram (1892) and Feuersnot (1901) attracted little attention. By contrast, his next two operas shocked and antagonized the public: Salome, after Oscar Wilde's French play, was produced in 1905, with its erotic subject and sensuous music; and Elektra was produced in 1909, in which the horrors of matricide were pictured with extraordinary strength and crushing dissonance. Then, as if to make a graceful concession to public taste, Strauss produced Der Rosenkavalier in January 1911, a comedy of manners with its gentility and engaging intrigue and its appealing blend of wit, pathos, buffoonery, and nostalgia, restoring to the late Victorians their faith in decency and good taste. With Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier, Strauss established his fruitful collaboration with the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, who wrote the librettos for these works and also for the subsequent operas Ariadne aufNaxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die agyptische Helena, and Arabella.
Der Rosenkavalier is a comedy of eighteenth-century Vienna that tells the story of a charming woman's reconciliation to her advancing years and her noble renunciation of a love that has turned from her to a younger woman. The story, relieved by scenes of humor that verge on the bawdy, is so permeated with the spirit of human understanding, humility, and wisdom that it never fails to leave the spectator with a renewed faith in the goodness of living.
The Suite was compiled for Fiirstner, Strauss's publisher. It begins with the orchestral introduction to the opera and includes the outstanding ensemble music as well as that associated with the entrance of the Roscbcarer. It ends with the waltzes that occur throughout the opera, particularly at the end of Act II, which are mostly associated with the capers of the fat and lecherous, but impoverished, Baron von Lerchenau as he dances around the room delighted with the outcome of his immediate amorous plans.
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14............................. Hector Berlioz
(1803-1869)
The Symphonie fantastique was composed in 1830 and first performed on December 5 of that year at the Paris Conservatory. Berlioz referred to the symphony in his memoirs as "the history of my love for Miss Smithson, my anguish and my distressing dreams." It also says: "It was while I was still strongly under the influence of Goethe's poem Faust that I wrote my Symphonie fantastique."
The central character in this instrumental drama is a young artist disappointed in love. He takes an overdose of opium and suffers nightmarish dreams. In his dreams, his fantasy is fixed upon his beloved. She is represented by a leading theme that recurs throughout the five
movements in varying shapes. Berlioz called this theme idee fixe. In contrast to the principle of variation, the "fixed idea" undergoes little development except for an occasional dramatic effect. This device, ingeniously introduced by Berlioz in this symphony, attained great signifi?cance in the evolution of program music and is the obvious predecessor of Wagner's leit-motif.
Berlioz prefaced his score with the following synopsis of the five movements:
Reveries. Passions: "He first thinks of the uneasy and nervous condition of his mind, of somber longings, of depression, and joyous elation without any recognizable cause, which he experienced before the beloved one had appeared to him. Then he remembers the ardent love to which she suddenly inspired him; he thinks of his almost insane anxiety of mind, of his raging jealousy, of his reawakening love, of his religious consolation." The theme is stated in full in this movement.
Un bal: "In the ballroom, amidst the confusion of a brilliant festival, he finds the beloved one again." Two strains of the theme are quoted by the clarinet.
Scene au champs: "It is summer evening. He is in the country, musing, when he hears two shepherd lads who play, in alternation, the ranz des vaches (the tune used by the Swiss shepherds to call their flocks). This pastoral duet, the quiet scene, the soft whisperings of the trees stirred by the zephyr-wind, some prospects of hope recently made known to him -all these sensations unite to impart a long unknown repose to his heart and to lend a smiling color to his imagination. She appears once more. His heart stops beating, painful foreboding fills his soul. 'Should she prove false to him' Sunset . . . distant rolling thunder . . . loneliness . . . silence." The idee fixe appears in the oboe and flute while the lyrical thought is interrupted by the tempestuous strings.
Marche au supplice: "He dreams that he has murdered his beloved, that he has been condemned to death and is led to execution. A march that is alternately somber and wild, brilliant and solemn, accompanies the procession . . . The tumultuous outbursts are followed without modulation by measured steps. The 'fixed idea' returns, and for a moment a last thought of love is revived -which is cut short by the death-blow." The solo clarinet sings four bars of the theme. His last thought belongs to his beloved.
Songe d'une unit du sabbat: "He dreams he is at a witches' revel, surrounded by horrible spirits, amidst sorcerers and monsters in many fearful forms, who have come together for his funeral. Strange sounds, groans, shrill laughter, yells, which other cries seem to answer. The beloved melody is heard again, but it has lost its shy and noble character; it has become a vulgar, trivial, grotesque dance tune . . . she joins the orgy . . . bells toll for the dead ... a burlesque parody of the Dies Irae . . . the witches' round dance ... the dance and the Dies Irae are heard together." In this final movement, the "fixed idea" loses its original shape and grace. In its vulgarity, disillusionment replaces the love ideal.
About the Artists
Founded in 1900 by the legendary conductor Ferdinand Lowe, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra has performed in the Vienna Konzcrthaus since 1913 and is the city's only full-time concert orchestra. Through the years the orchestra has been led by conductors such as Wilhelm Furtwangler, Richard Strauss, Bruno Walter, Karl Bohm, Otto Klcmperer, Herbert von Karajan, Josef Krips, and Claudio Abbado. Lorin Maazcl, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Seiji Ozawa, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giulini, and Gennady Rozhdcstvcnsky made their Vienna debuts with this orchestra, and the last three have become principal conductors as well. Georges Prctrc is the most recent conductor to assume this position. More than 900 works have received their world or Vienna premieres with this orchestra, among them Bruckner's Ninth Symphony, Schoenberg's Gurreliedcr, and Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra is the official orchestra of the famous Brcgenz Festival. In addition, the ensemble maintains a regular concert season in Vienna and makes frequent international tours. The orchestra now returns to North America for its sixth tour, the first to feature appearances conducted by Georges Prctrc.
The orchestra that would eventually become known as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra gave itsfirst concert in 1900 under the name of Wiener Konzertverein, the Orchestra of the Vienna Concert Society. Its founderconductor, Ferdinand Lowe, a pupil of Bruckner and a friend of Hugo Wolf, was a composer of note in his own right and already a popular and esteemed figure in Vienna's musical life. For a quarter of a century, until his death in 1925, Lowe guided the destiny of the new orchestra and firmly established it as a vital addition to the cultural life of the city.
Under Lowe, the orchestra undertook its first tours, at first through the Austrian prov?inces, then extending its range to include Germany, Italy, and the rest of Europe. After more than a decade of growth and prosperity, the orchestra was beset with difficulties following the
outbreak of World War I and into the period of inflation that followed. A solution was found in 1921 with the amalgamation of the orchestra with the Wiener Tonkunstlerorchcster, an organization that had been founded in 1907 by Oscar Nedbal. The combined orchestras were then christened the Wiener Sinfonieorchestcr. With the assistance of important organizations and figures in Viennese public life, the new orchestra regained its prestigious position at home and soon won an international reputation through its increasingly extensive tours abroad. A climax came in 1936 with the orchestra's highly successful appearances in England under the direction of Oswald Kabasta, the orchestra's conductor, and Felix von Weingartner.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra's prosperous career was again disrupted during World War II, but was revived in 1945 with two public performances of Mahler's Das Lied von derErde, conducted by Josef Krips. Today, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra enjoys distinction as one of the world's great orchestras, bringing its artistry to millions of people through its tours and recordings. With nearly 100 albums on every major label, the orchestra's recordings span masterpieces of the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and twentieth century repertoire, many of them with legendary soloists such as Richter, Oistrakh, Michelangcli, Brcndel, and Weissenberg.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra has made jour previous appearances in Ann Arbor: three under Wolfgang Sawallisch in 1964, 1967, and 1985, and one with Josef Krips in 1912.
Georges Pretre, appointed principal guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1986, was born in 1924 in Douai in northern France. He first studied music at the Douai Conservatory before attending courses at the Paris Conservatory and taking lessons in conduct?ing from Andre Cluytcns. He made his debut as conductor at the Marseilles Opera in 1946, with subsequent guest engagements in Lille, Toulouse, and other provincial French cities. In 1955 he was engaged as conductor of the Opera-Comiquc in Paris and four years later was appointed to the staff of the Paris Opera. Prctre made his American debut with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 1959, followed by a first appearance at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1964, conducting Samson et Dalila. In Europe, his other engagements include those at Covent Garden in London, La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and the Salzburg Festivals. Pretre was the conductor at Covent Garden for Maria Callas' Tosca in 1965 and often conducted for her in the theater and recording studio as well. That same year he made an American tour that included an appearance with The Philadelphia Orchestra.
In subsequent years, Maestro Pretre has been invited to conduct most of the major symphony orchestras of the world. He also lays claim to a large discography, including the large symphonic works and many operas with the leading orchestras of France and others including the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and the Philharmonic Orchestra of London, all with leading vocalists and instrumental soloists.
This evening's concert marks Georges Pretre's first visit to Ann Arbor.
Coming Concerts
Messiaen Birthday Salute: "Quartet for the End of Time" ........Tues. Nov. 29
Robert McDuffie, violinist; Gervase de Peyer, clarinetist; Santiago Rodriguez, pianist; Nathaniel Rosen, cellist
Handel's "Messiah" Donald Bryant, conductor............Fri.-Sun. Dec. 2-4
Ashley Putnam, soprano; Kathleen Segar, alto; Richard Fracker, tenor; Stephen Bryant, bass; members of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
Yo-Yo Ma, cellist ...........................................Mon. Dec. 5
I Solisti Veneti Claudio Scimone .........................Tues. Dec. 6
Vienna Choir Boys .........................................Sat. Dec. 10
Kathleen Battle, soprano ....................................Mon. Jan. 9
Klezmer Conservatory Band ................................Sat. Jan. 14
Montreal Symphony Orchestra Charles Dutoit.........Wed. Jan. 25
Radu Lupu, pianist
Mazowsze, Polish Folk Company.............................Mon. Jan. 30
Canadian Brass...........................................Thurs. Feb. 2
Beaux Arts Trio.............................................Sat. Feb. 4
Osipov Balalaika Orchestra..............................Thurs. Feb. 9
with stars of the Bolshoi Opera
Mummenschanz ....................................Sat., Sun. Feb. 11, 12
New York City Opera National Company ..........Sat., Sun. Feb. 18, 19
Verdi's "La Traviata"
Richard Stoltzman and Friends...........................Wed. Feb. 22
"New York Counterpoint"
Folger Consort & Western Wind..........................Mon. Mar. 6
Paul Taylor Dance Company .......................Tues., Wed. Mar. 7, 8
Israel Philharmonic Zubin Mehta .......................Tues. Mar. 14
Faculty Artists Concert (free admission)....................Sun. Mar. 19
The Chieftains............................................Wed. Mar. 22
Emerson String Quartet .................................Wed. Mar. 29
Alicia de Larrocha, pianist ...............................Thurs. Mar. 30
Stuttgart Wind Quintet ..................................Wed. Apr. 5
Dennis Russell Davies, pianist
Munich Philharmonic Sergiu Celibidache...............Thurs. Apr. 13
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin........Thurs. Apr. 20
96th Annual May Festival .........................Wed.-Sat. Apr. 26-29
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Kurt Masur Artists and programs to be announced in December.
Complete information in free color brochure, available upon request.
Pre-concert Presentations
Make new discoveries and enjoy nuances in the performing arts with this season's scries of presentations by authoritative speakers. All are free and open to the public, held in the Rackham Amphitheater one hour before the concert.
Monday, Dec. 5 at 7:00, preceding Yo-Yo Ma, cellist
Speaker: Bert Hornback, Professor of English, U-M Topic: Oh, To Be a Cello!
Monday, Jan. 9 at 7:00, preceding Kathleen Battle, soprano
Speaker: Richard LeSueur, Head of Technical Services, Ann Arbor Public Library;
President of a consulting service for singers and accompanists Topic: The Song Recital: A Musical Society Tradition
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7:00, preceding "New York Counterpoint," Richard Stoltzman & Friends Speaker: David Gregory, Associate Professor, and Director, Center for Performing Arts and
Technology, U-M School of Music Topic: The New Age of Multimedia Performance
Wednesday, Mar. 22 at 7:00, preceding The Chieftains Speaker: Marie McCarthy, Authority on Irish Music; Doctoral Candidate, U-M School of Music Topic: The Chieftains: An Image of Ireland
Wednesday, Mar. 29 at 7:00, preceding Emerson String Quartet Speakers: John Madison, Violist, and Maria Smith, Violinist
Co-founders of the Cassini Ensemble Topic: PlayerInstrument Chemistry: Making It Work
Wednesday, Apr. 5 at 7:00, preceding Stuttgart Wind Quintet
Speaker: William Bolcom, Professor of Composition, U-M School of Music;
1988 Pulitzer Prize Winner Topic: Live Program Notes on "FiveFoldFive"
Thursday, Apr. 20 at 7:00, preceding St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Speakers: Robert Alexander and Judy Dow Alexander, Producers and Arts Consultants Topic: Performing With and Managing American Orchestras
VIENNA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
GEORGES PRETRE
Principal Guest Conductor
Conccrtmasters Franz Fischer Jan Pospichal Stefan Plott
First Violins Prof. Laszlo Barki Gerhard Breuer Iwan Dimitrov Maximiliam Dobrovich Peter Michael Grosch Eugen Hodosi Karl Hoffingcr Christian Kallinger Doris Kostcnbergcr Martin Lchnfeld Friedrich Miksovsky Helmut Mitter Walter Pfluger Edwin Prochart Peter Schoberwalter Nicolas Tramitz Kurt Weidenholzer
Second Violins Thorwald Almassy Peter Katt Rainer Hornek Christian Birnbaum Christian Blasl Leopold Buchmann Michael Dittrich Heinz Griinberg Manfred Heinel Timon Hornig Gottfried Justh Helmut Kinateder Helmut Lackinger Richard Motz Wolfgang Schuchbaur Erwin Spullcr
Prof. Herbert Stiglitz Prof. Ferdinand Svatck Mag. Wolfgang Trauner
Violas
Johannes Flieder Herbert Miiller Wolfgang Klos Prof. Vladimir Haklik Georg Haselbock Heinrich Kottbauer Prof. Kurt Letofsky Friedrich Letz Franz Moschner Martin Ortner Prof. Dieter Ostheim Ulrich Schonauer Prof. Tomislav Sestak Richard Strabl Prof. Kurt Theiner Peter John Waite
Cellos
Wilfried Rehm Walthcr Schulz Herwig Tachczi Kentaro Yoschii Wolfgang Aichinger Friedrich Geyerhofer Fritz Hiller Karl Krumpock Werner Lill Andreas Pokorny Peter Roczek Peter Siakala Gunter Thomasbergcr Eberhard Zwolfer
Basses
Firmin Pirker Peter Stepanek Eduard Hruza
Andrew Ackcrman Werner Buchmann Werner Fleischmann Oskar Moser Jaroslav Oboda Christian Roschck Andreas Sohm Ernst Weissensteiner
Flutes
Herbert Weissberg Mag. Robert Wolf Rudolf Huber Raphael Leone Alexandra Schlenck
Oboes
Klaus Lienbacher
Peter Schreiber Alfred Dutka Mag. Ernst Kobau
Clarinets
Gerald Pachinger Reinhard Wicser Gottfried Mayer Wilfried Gottwald Siegfried Kiiblbock
Bassoons Richard Galler Gottfried Pokomy Peter Spitzl Wolfgang Kiihn Wolfgang Kuttner
Horns
Eric Kushner Alois Schlor Kurt Schwertsik Elmar Eisner Steven Hayworth
Prof. Ernst Miihlbacher Othmar Berger Hermann Klug
Trumpets
Hcinrich Bruckner Karl Steiningcr Karl Brugger Richard Schwameis Hermann Schober
Trombones
Prof. Ernst Hoffmann Dietmar Kiiblbock Johann Jeitler Helmut Ascherl Horst Kiiblbock
Tuba
Klaus Schaffcrer
Percussion
Prof. Siegfried Bernstein
Martin Kerschbaum
Walter Seitinger
Erhard Wetzer
Prof. Karl Wirtherle
Harp
Volkcr Kempf Orchestra Inspector Prof. Bruno Dorrschmidt
Librarian Dr. Ernst Istler Technicians Herbert Engel Josef Giffinger George Kainz
This tour of the Vienna Symphony is facilitated by the Ministry of Culture of the City of Vienna.
Columbia Artists Management Inc. acknowledges with thanks the cooperation of the American Federation
of Musicians in making possible the appearance of the Vienna Symphony in the United States.
New Group Ticket Sales Policy
The Musical Society is pleased to offer a new group discount policy for tickets to all concerts in the Choral Union, Chamber Arts, and Choice Series, and for "Messiah" concerts, subject to availability depending upon prior sale.
Group discounts as follows:
Minimum of 20 to 49 tickets -10 percent discount
50 tickets and above -15 percent discount
For students and seniors: Minimum of 10 tickets -20 percent discount For information and to reserve tickets, call 763-0611 or 764-2538.
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
Burton Memorial Tower, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1270 Telephone: (313) 764-2538