Subscription Concerts 2023-2024Program B
No. 1994 Subscription (Program B)

Among many historic concerts left on record, the one held on December 22nd, 1808 in Vienna is significant by far, for the audience witnessed the world premieres of Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 5 (Destiny) and No. 6 (Pastorale) besides the first Viennese performance of his Piano Concerto No. 4 with him as soloist. He set to work on the next Piano Concerto No. 5 around the end of this December of great importance, to complete it by the summer of 1809.
No. 5 is Beethoven’s only piano concerto for which he couldn’t serve as soloist at the premiere, as his hearing was deteriorated seriously by then. Presumably because of that, he subsequently never wrote a new concerto for his instrument. This circumstance is related to the absence in No. 5 of traditional cadenza (where a soloist improvises freely without the orchestra, towards the end of the sonata movement). The cautious composer writes out all the cadential passages and reminds soloists on the score not to add any cadenza of their own.
No. 5 has an astounding, unheard-of beginning for a concerto: the soloist, backed up by the orchestra, gives a brilliant cadenza-like highlight before even the main sonata starts. The middle movement, a sublime variation, is followed seamlessly by the frisky last movement in rondo sonata form. Towards the closing, the serene duet between timpani and piano leads to the majestic conclusion worthy of the byname Emperor, although the appellation didn’t originate with Beethoven.

[Kumiko Nishi]

Feeling the shadow of the awe-inspiring giant Beethoven, Brahms spent over twenty years to complete his first symphony. In contrast, No. 3 was written speedily in the summer of 1883 in the scenic summer-resort Wiesbaden, Germany. It is the shortest of his all four symphonies and, moreover, each of the four movements ends tranquilly. That is arguably the reason why No. 3 is less frequently programmed for concert than the other three, in spite of its wide popularity (especially because of the third movement) and evaluation it has enjoyed. Incidentally, just before the resounding success of its 1883 premiere in Vienna, his admirer and friend Dvořák was deeply impressed by it and committed himself to writing a work on par with it. And hence, the Czech composer’s Symphony No. 7 exists today.
No. 3 begins with three forceful, broad chords stating a motto (brief motif) which will occur repeatedly throughout the symphony. The motto composed of three notes (F/A-flat/F) is thought to refer to “Frei aber froh” (free but happy). This is Brahms’ life motto responding to “Frei aber einsam” (free but lonely), his friend and violinist Joseph Joachim’s. However, Brahms’ three notes don’t sound “happy” in the context of F major, the symphony’s home key, due to the middle flat note belonging to F minor. It is this tonal ambiguity that brings the work a touch of melancholy.
The relatively transparent scoring instructs during the inner movements for the timpani, trumpets, contrabassoon and two of the horns to be tacit. Furthermore, Brahms breaks the convention by offering the slow third movement (in A–B–A form) with the famous longing melody. This unusual lack of a lively scherzo movement is made up only modestly and momentarily by the dance-like – but still slow – middle section B. The F-minor finale in free sonata form begins softly introducing the wriggling first theme. Then the mood turns bellicose, all at once. The music calms towards the end so the F-major coda recalls the opening movement quietly.

[Kumiko Nishi]