No. 2076 Subscription (Program B)

Born into a Russian noble family, Sergei Rakhmaninov (1873–1943) received training as a piano prodigy in Saint Petersburg, before studying piano and composition in Moscow. After leaving his beloved native land ruled by the Soviets following the 1917 Russian Revolution, he spent the rest of his days in exile and passed away in the USA.
A key work of his pre-exile period, Piano Concerto No. 2 was composed in 1900–1901. Its successful first performance was for him the exit of a long tunnel, for he had suffered from a loss of self-confidence and writer’s block since the fiasco of the 1897 premiere of his Symphony No. 1. He dedicated the Concerto to the physician and hypnotist Nikolai Dahl who treated him to restore his confidence.
The Concerto is an eloquent witness of Rakhmaninov’s reliance on the Western 19th-century Romantic idioms. This was unswerving during his long life treading in the footsteps of his idol Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (discussed below) who trained Anton Arensky (1861–1906), Rakhmaninov’s harmony teacher. The Concerto is known as a tremendously difficult piece for pianists, as Rakhmaninov wrote it for himself who was a top piano virtuoso with phenomenally large hands.
The opening movement is in sonata form. Piano solo prefaces it with a solemn eight bars showing how deeply Russian church bells were engraved in Rakhmaninov’s mind. Then strings state the first weighty, wavy theme in the home key. The E-flat-major second theme introduced by piano is a tenderer and more lyrical nature. The middle movement has also a brief preamble followed by A–B–A form. Flute and then clarinet give the mellifluous main tune for the A section. As if breaking a stillness, the next movement begins with a march-like brilliant introduction. In this finale, two opposed moods alternate due to two main elements recurring: the effervescent first theme with staccato is launched immediately by piano, and later the placid second theme appears on oboe and violas before being sung by piano with a resounding voice. The concerto heads toward an exultant C-major conclusion.

[Kumiko Nishi]

At the forefront of Russian Romanticism, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) is well-known for his innate good sense of melody writing and his style deeply rooted in the Western, European tradition. He achieved lasting fame particularly with his three ballet scores, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.
The year 1886 was definitely a crucial one for Tchaikovsky and Russian ballet history, as Ivan Vsevolozhsky, then the director of the Imperial Theatres in Saint Petersburg, took two drastic measures. One was relocating the Imperial Ballet from the aging Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre to the newer Mariinsky Theatre. The other, was putting an end to the post of principal composer at the Imperial Ballet aiming at diversifying ballet music. This would give birth to The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker (premiered respectively in 1890 and 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre) of which Vsevolozhsky commissioned Tchaikovsky to compose the scores. More than a decade had passed then, since the composer suffered a bitter experience at the 1877 premiere of Swan Lake in Moscow with his music being treated disrespectfully.
The first half (Act 1) of the fairy-ballet The Nutcracker is set in a house where the family of young Clara hosts a gathering around a beautiful Christmas tree. Clara’s godfather gives her a nutcracker doll as a present. In the middle of the night, after the guests have left and everyone but Clara has fallen asleep, the Nutcracker, now life size and joined by gingerbread soldiers, begins the battle against the mice led by their King. Clara rescues the Nutcracker from a life-threatening situation, so he defeats the Mouse King. The Nutcracker transforms into a human prince and, in gratitude, invites Clara to the Land of Sweets ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
For today’s concert, our conductor Tugan Sokhiev selected some numbers from the second half (Act 2) of the ballet. They will be preceded by the ballet’s famous, fairytale-like Overture calling for only high-pitched instruments. Sokhiev’s idea is to immediately invite his audience to a party to welcome Clara in the Land of Sweets where a succession of musically inventive, captivating, and at times exotic dances unfolds. Following the Overture, the entrance of Clara and the Nutcracker Prince into the Land of Sweets is informed with sparkling In the Magic Castle on the Sugar Mountain (No. 10 Scene) where a celesta (bell-piano) representing the Sugar Plum Fairy and harps play prominent roles. The highlights of this Sokhiev Selections are two pieces performed towards the end: Waltz of the Flowers (No. 13), opened with an enchanting tonal cascade on a harp, has tuneful string melodies, while Variation II: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (No. 14 Pas de deux) showcasing the dreamlike, metallic timbre of a celesta is a fine example of Tchaikovsky’s boundless musical imagination.

[Kumiko Nishi]