IV. Presto. Mozart. Symphony No. 31 in D Major, “Paris”. I. Allegro assai. II.
Andante. III. Allegro ... two Flute Concertos— in G Major, K. 313, and in D Major,
K.
KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Lucas Richman, Music Director 2013-2014 - Seventy-Eighth Season Lucas Richman, Music Director Natalie Leach Haslam Music Director Chair
All Mozart
This concert is presented with support from the Aslan Foundation
Lucas Richman, conductor Ebonee Thomas, flute Mozart
Sunday afternoon January 26, 2014 ~ 2:30 p.m. Bijou Theatre
Overture to Idomeneo
Mozart Concerto No. 1 in G Major for Flute and Orchestra I. Allegro maestoso II. Adagio ma non troppo III. Rondo. Tempo di Menuetto Ebonee Thomas, flute Intermission Mozart Ein Musikalischer Spass (A Musical Joke) in F Major I. Allegro II. Menuetto. Maestoso III. Adagio cantabile IV. Presto Mozart I. Allegro assai II. Andante III. Allegro
Symphony No. 31 in D Major, “Paris”
This concert will air on WUOT 91.9 FM on Tuesday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. This concert will be rebroadcast on Monday, August 11 at 8:00 p.m Performances of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra are made possible in part by grants from the City of Knoxville, the Knox County Government and by contributions to the Knoxville Symphony Society’s Annual Support Drive. This project is funded under an agreement with the TENNESSEE ARTS COMMISSION. Latecomers will be seated during the first convenient pause in the performance. The use of recording devices and/or cameras is strictly forbidden. Please remember to turn off all electronic devices and refrain from text messaging during the concert. Programs and artists subject to change.
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Program Notes: All Mozart Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756, and died in Vienna, Austria, on December 5, 1791. Overture to Idomeneo, K. 366 (1781) The first performance of Idomeneo took place at the Residenz Theater (now the Cuvilliés) in Munich, Germany, on January 29, 1781. Instrumentation: The Overture to Idomeneo is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, continuo and strings. Duration: 5 minutes Mozart’s opera, Idomeneo, King of Crete, is based upon the legend of Troy. Idomeneo is shipwrecked while returning to Crete from the Trojan War. The King of Crete begs Neptune to save him, and promises in return to sacrifice the first person he meets when landing on shore. That person turns out to be Idomeneo’s son, Idamante. After much turmoil, a deus ex machina rights the conflict. The brief, turbulent orchestral Overture to Idomeneo sets the stage for the ensuing drama. § Concerto No. 1 in G Major for Flute and Orchestra, K. 313 (285c) (1778) Instrumentation: In addition to the solo flute, the Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two horns and strings. Duration: 25 minutes. In September of 1777, Mozart left his home in Salzburg to begin an 18-month journey throughout Europe. Mozart, who felt his talents were not appreciated in his native city, hoped to find steady employment elsewhere. Mozart’s journey took him to Munich, Augsburg, Mannheim, and finally, to Paris. While in Mannheim, Mozart made the acquaintance of a Dutch visitor to the German city, a surgeon and amateur flutist by the name of Ferdinand Dejean. Dejean commissioned Mozart to compose “three short easy concertos and a pair of flute quartets.” Mozart did not have great affection for the flute, at least as a solo instrument.
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In his memoirs, Viennese physician Joseph Frank recalled: “Once when we were speaking about instruments Mozart said that he loathed the flute and the harp.” That opinion is reflected in a letter of February 14, 1778 Mozart wrote to his father, Leopold. In the letter, Mozart commented on his slow progress in completing Dejean’s commission: “you know that I become quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument which I cannot bear.” In light of Mozart’s opinions expressed, above, this quote from a letter he wrote to Leopold in December of the same year bears repeating: “Ah, if only we had clarinets too! You cannot imagine the glorious effect of a symphony with flutes, oboes and clarinets.” Mozart ultimately fulfilled Dejean’s commission, which included the composer’s two Flute Concertos— in G Major, K. 313, and in D Major, K. 314 (the latter, an adaptation of the composer’s Oboe Concerto in C Major). Despite Mozart’s protestations, the Flute Concertos are beautiful, eloquent works that glow when played by a musician of the highest order. The Concert is in three movements. In the first (Allegro maestoso), the orchestra introduces the principal themes before the soloist enters with a more elaborate restatement. The traditional development and recapitulation of the themes are capped by the flute’s solo cadenza and the emphatic closing bars. A heartfelt slow movement (Adagio ma non troppo) leads to the finale (Rondo. Tempo di Menuetto). A Minuet, an elegant court dance in triple meter, serves as the recurring principal theme. § Ein Musikalischer Spass (A Musical Joke), in F Major, K. 522 (1787) Instrumentation: A Musical Joke is scored for two horns and strings. Duration: 18 minutes Mozart’s well-documented sense of humor is certainly evident in the composer’s engaging letters to friends and family (although Mozart’s racy language still has the power to make some people blush). Mozart was a superb practical joker as well, as the following anecdote demonstrates. On September 30, 1791, Mozart’s final opera, The Magic Flute, premiered in Vienna. During the first run of performances, Emanuel Schikaneder sang the role of the
Program Notes: All Mozart bird-catcher, Papageno. Schikaneder also wrote the opera’s text. In the second act, Papageno sings an aria, during which he accompanies himself on the glockenspiel. A backstage musician was assigned the task of playing the glockenspiel for Schikaneder, while the singer mimed the action. During one performance, Mozart decided to have some fun at his friend Schikaneder’s expense. In a letter, Mozart described to his wife, Constanze, what occurred: During Papageno’s aria with the glockenspiel I went behind the stage, because I had an urge to play it myself today. For a joke, when Schikaneder had a rest (and there was supposed to be silence) I played an arpeggio—he was startled—looked into wings and saw me—at the repeat (where Schikaneder now expected music to be played) I didn’t do it—he stopped and absolutely refused to continue—I guessed what he was thinking and played another chord—then he hit the glockenspiel and said “shut up”— everyone laughed then… Mozart’s sense of humor is also apparent in many of his compositions, notably in his operas. And it was during the composition of his opera, Don Giovanni, that Mozart created his most overtly comic instrumental work, Ein Musikalischer Spass (A Musical Joke). Mozart completed the score on June 14, 1787. The circumstances surrounding the composition of this work are not certain. But given Mozart’s usual practice, he most likely wrote it for a specific occasion. In The Musical Joke, Mozart portrays a composer who is trying his notso-considerable best to produce a work of substance. The awkwardness of much of the writing attests to his lack of success. In addition, the poor composer is not well served by an ensemble that frequently has difficulty executing the score’s demands. The Musical Joke is in four movements (I. Allegro, II. Menuetto. Maestoso, III. Adagio cantabile and IV. Presto), each containing its share of pratfalls, including a remarkable final cadence. § Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K.300a (297), “Paris” (1778) The first performance of the Symphony No. 31 took place in Paris, France, on June 18, 1778, as part of the Concert Spirituel.
two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. Duration: 17 minutes As part of a journey begun in September of 1777 (see, Flute Concerto No. 1, above), Mozart remained in Paris from March 23 to September 26, 1778. Mozart received an invitation from Joseph Legros, Director of the famous Paris Concert Spirituel. Legros commissioned Mozart to compose a new Symphony. That Symphony—No. 31, nicknamed the “Paris”—premiered on June 18, 1778. Mozart wrote extensively to his father, Leopold, about the creation, preparation, and premiere of the “Paris” Symphony. Despite problematic rehearsals, the performance went well: Right in the middle of the first Allegro, there was a place I was sure they would like. All the listeners were electrified and there was tremendous applause. And since I knew, when I was writing it, what an effect it would make, I repeated the passage toward the end, and they began applauding all over again. Note that in Mozart’s time, audiences felt free to applaud, not just between movements of a symphony, but while the music was being played! It’s also obvious that Mozart derived great satisfaction from their reaction. And it’s fair to assume that Mozart composed this work (and others, for that matter) with the hope of eliciting such a response. The premiere of the “Paris” Symphony was a success from beginning to end. As Mozart proudly reported to his father: “They liked the Andante too, and the final Allegro even more…So after the Symphony, out of pure joy, I went right to the Palais Royal, ate a nice ice, said the rosary I had promised, and went home.” The “Paris” Symphony is in three movements. The brilliant opening movement (Allegro assai) features both a remarkable wealth of thematic material, and dramatic contrasts of loud and soft dynamics. The elegant slow movement (Andante) opens with the violins singing the first of several lovely themes. The hushed dynamics at the start of the third movement (Allegro) are quickly swept away by a vigorous forte. A whirlwind of activity from start to close, the finale is finally capped by three emphatic chords.
Instrumentation: The Symphony No. 31 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets,
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