2 alsomarkedthebeginningofaveryunusualrelationshipwiththeimmensely wealthywidowNadezhdaFilaretovnavonMeck.Theyearpriorsheluredhim withacommissionforhisfriendandviolinistYosifYosifovichKotek.Thena secondcorrespondencefromvonMeckarrived:“Ishouldlikeverymuchtotell youatlengthofmyfanciesandthoughtsaboutyou,”shewrote,“butIfeartotake upyourtime,ofwhichyouhavesolittletospare.Letmesayonlythatmyfeeling foryouisathingofthespiritandverydeartome.”Tchaikovskyrespondedthe nextday:“Whydoyouhesitatetotellmeallyourthoughts?...PerhapsIknow youbetterthanyouimagine.” Forthenextthirteenyearstheyexchangedstreamsofcorrespondencebutnever metinperson.Shedeposited500rublesinTchaikovsky’sbankaccountevery month,whichallowedhimtocomposeatwill.However,therewasapricetopay asvonMeckwasconsideredneuroticandoftendifficulttomanage,but Tchaikovskyhandledhispatroncarefullyuntilshefinallyendedtheirrelationship in1890. ThefourthsymphonyandhisinvolvementwithvonMeckbeganatthesametime, andthetwoweretightlyconnected.InhisletterstovonMeckheoftenreferred toitas“oursymphony,”sometimesevenas“yoursymphony.”ByMayhe completedmostofthepiece.“Ishouldliketodedicateittoyou,”hewrote, “becauseIbelieveyouwouldfindinitanechoofyourmostintimatethoughtsand emotions.”OftheSymphony,Tchaikovskyexplained: Theintroductionistheseedofthewholesymphony,undoubtedlythecentral theme.ThisisFate,i.e.,thatfatefulforcewhichpreventstheimpulsetowards happinessfromentirelyachievingitsgoal,foreveronjealousguardlestpeaceand well-beingshouldeverbeattainedincompleteanduncloudedform,hanging aboveusliketheSwordofDamocles,constantlyandunremittinglypoisoningthe soul.Itsforceisinvisible,andcanneverbeovercome.Ouronlychoiceisto surrendertoit,andtolanguishfruitlessly. Hewentontosuggestthatonatechnicallevel,“myworkisareflectionof Beethoven’sFifthSymphony.Ihavenot,ofcourse,copiedBeethoven’smusical content,onlyborrowedthecentralidea”referringtothesimilarityoftheopening motivewhichbindstheentireworktogether. Dr.Tueller BYU-IDAHODEPARTMENTOFMUSIC PRESENTS SYMPHONYORCHESTRA Dr.RobertTueller,Director PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky1840-1893 FeaturingDr.DavidOlsen MARCH30,2017,7:30PM BARRUSCONCERTHALL 2 3 1 BYU-IDAHOSYMPHONY NOTES Dr.RobertTueller,Director ElizabethCrawford,WoodwindSpecialist Dr.MatthewMoore,BrassSpecialist RememberedasDenmark’sgreatestcomposer,CarlNielsenwrotetheHelios (Greeksungod)Overturein1903whilelivinginGreecewithhiswifewhowas studyingclassicalart.TheOverturewasinspiredbyasunrisevisittothe TempleofPoseidonatCapeSounion,adramaticpromontoryoverlookingthe southofAthens.Inalettertoafriend,Nielsenbrieflyexplainedhistenminutetonepoem:“MyOverturedescribesthemovementofthesunthrough theheavensfrommorningtoevening...andnoexplanationisnecessary.” However,hedidincludeamorepoeticdescriptioninthescore:“Silenceand darkness.Thesunriseswithajoyoussongofpraise.Itwandersonitsgolden wayandsinksquietlyintothesea.” ThemusicofGustavMahlergainedpopularityafterahalfcenturyofneglect includingabaninmostofEuropeduringtheNaziera.Rediscoveredinthe secondhalfofthecentury,hislargescale,romanticsymphoniesgained widespreadpopularity–rivalingBeethovenintheamountofperformancesby modernorchestras.Perhaps,themostexpressiveandbeautifulcompositions arehisorchestralsongcycles.Mahler’stragicKindertotenleider–Songsonthe DeathofChildren–isdrawnfromasetofpoemsbyFriedrichRückert(1788– 1866),whosufferedthelossoftwochildrentoscarletfever.WhenMahler begancomposingtheworkin1901hehadnotyetmethiswife.Bythetime hecompletedthecycle,in1904,hewasthefatheroftwoyoungdaughters. HiswifeAlmawashorrifiedthatGustavwouldchoosesuchasubject,asthe couple’ssecondchildMariawasbornduringthattime. Icanunderstandsettingsuchfrightfulwordstomusicifonehadnochildren, orhadlostthoseonehad.Moreover,FriedrichRueckertdidnotwritethese harrowingelegiesoutofhisimagination:theyweredictatedbythecruellest lossofhiswholelife.WhatIcannotunderstandisbewailingthedeathsof children,whowereinthebestofhealthandspirits,hardlyanhourafter havingkissedandhuggedthem.Iexclaimedatthetime,"Forheaven'ssake, don'ttemptProvidence!" GustavMahler'sfascinationwithRueckert'spoems,probablybeganmuch earlier,andmayhavehadsomethingtodowiththedeathofhisbeloved youngerbrotherin1874whohadthesamenameasoneofRueckert's children,Ernst.However,afewyearslaterMahler’sdaughterMariawould alsounfortunatelysuccumbtoscarletfever. AlreadyconsideredtheleadingRussiancomposerofhisgenerationPyotr IlyichTchaikovskybeganworkonhisfourthsymphonyin1877.Thatyear Flute MaddieChilds StephanieMerrick ClarissaTracy,piccolo Oboe LizzyHenderson AanjaStringham HannahWallis,englishhorn Clarinet BrennanJessee DavidTorres EthanTufts,bassclarinet Bassoon AliciaFalconbury ElizabethCrawford TerryJordan,contra Horn LizzShill HeidiRichardson JeffreyHadfield AdamHeyen Trumpet KatherineHarvey ConnerPack TylerMcTavish Trombone RandallSmith JosephPugh TomFrancis Tuba IanWatson Timpani AdrianRosales Percussion JackEnsign BrennanLoveless EllieSieber Harp MatalynNelson Celeste EdwardPoston ViolinI RebeccaFagersten CristaGuthrie DavidTruscott MattGardner SarahBagley McKenzieZenger McKennaMotto SamShumway AnnieSmith HaileyHinnen ViolinII KarlyLay AndreGaspar GretaHansen AnnaRasmussen LeahJeppson MikaylaSchmidt JuliannaOlsen NathanHooper MissyMcKenna AmiraJones AubreyGainer MariahBozeman Viola CamilleNaillon JosephArnesen ElizabethBaird DallinGreen SpencerHunt RebeccaIverson BonnieMcDougal MeliaYoung CurtisAnderson Cello TaylorRhodes SaraCerrato SebastianFraser CharlottePetersen JacobPulsipher JennaMedlyn LeticiaWilson Bass NathanMay JessicaHarris JosephMecham GabeDavis PROGRAM HeliosOverture,Op.17.............................................................................CarlNielsen 1865–1931 Kindertotenlieder...................................................................................GustavMahler I.Nowthesunwillriseasbrightly 1860–1911 II.NowIseewellwhywithsuchdarkflames III.Whenyourmotherstepsintothedoorway IV.OftenIthinkthattheyhaveonlysteppedout V.Inthisweather,inthiswindystorm Dr.DavidOlsen,Baritone Short,standingintermission SymphonyNo.4inFminor,Op.36........................................PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky I.Andantesostenuto-Moderatoconanima 1840–1893 II.Andantinoinmododicanzona III.Scherzo:Pizzicatoostinato IV.Finale:Allegroconfuoco Dr.DavidOlsenteachesvoiceatBrighamYoungUniversity-Idaho,wherehealso servesastheDirectorofVocalStudies.Anavidperformer,Dr.Olsenhas performedinawidevarietyofstylesandvenues,frommusicaltheatretoopera, barbershoptoacapellajazz.Someofhisrecentappearancesincludethetitlerole inJuliusCaesar,JavertinLesMisérables,PapagenoinTheMagicFlute,theFather inHanselandGretel,andthebaritone/basssoloistinBrahms’sGermanRequiem, Mozart’sRequiem,andHandel’sMessiah.Otherprofessionalengagementsinclude severalseasonswiththeUtahFestivalOperaYoungArtistprogram,appearingas featuredsoloistwiththeTulsaSignatureSymphony,andrecordingwiththe Boston-basedearlymusicensembleLaDonnaMusicale.Hehasalsobeenfeatured asasoloistinmultipleworksfromtheBYU-IdahoSacredMusicSeries,including RobertCundick’sGod’sEverlastingLoveandTheRedeemer,aswellasNewell Dayley’sBringForthMyZion.Dr.Olsenreceivedhisassociate’sdegreefromRicks College,hisbachelor’sdegreefromUtahStateUniversity,andhismaster’sand doctoraldegreesfromtheUniversityofOklahoma. TRANSLATION I.Nowthesunwillriseasbrightlyasifnomisfortunehadoccurredinthenight. Themisfortunehasfallenonmealone.Thesun-itshinesforeveryone. Youmustnotkeepthenightinsideyou;youmustimmerseitineternallight. Alittlelighthasbeenextinguishedinmyhousehold;Lightofjoyintheworld,be welcome. II.NowIseewellwhywithsuchdarkflamesyoureyessparkledsooften. Oeyes,itwasasifinonefullglanceyoucouldconcentrateyourentirepower. YetIdidnotrealize-becausemistsfloatedaboutme,wovenbyblindingfate- thatthisbeamoflightwasreadytobesenthometothatplacewhenceallbeams come. Youwouldhavetoldmewithyourbrilliance:wewouldgladlyhavestayednearyou! ButitisrefusedbyFate.Justlookatus,forsoonwewillbefar!Whattoyouareonly eyesinthesedays-infuturenightsshallbestarstous. III.WhenyourmotherstepsintothedoorwayandIturnmyheadtoseeher, mygazedoesnotalightfirstonherface,butontheplacenearertothethreshhold; there,whereyourdearfacewouldbewhenyouwouldstepinwithbrightjoy,asyou usedto,mylittledaughter. Whenyourmotherstepsintothedoorwaywiththegleamofacandle, italwaysseemstomeasifyoucameinaswell, slippinginbehindher,justasyouusedtocomeintotheroom! Oyou,afather'scell,alas!tooquicklyyouextinguishthegleamofjoy! IV.OftenIthinkthattheyhaveonlysteppedoutandthatsoontheywillreachhome again.Thedayisfair-Odon'tbeafraid-Theyareonlytakingalongwalk. Yes:theyhaveonlysteppedoutandwillnowreturnhome. Odon'tbeanxious-thedayisfair.Theyareonlytakingawalktothosehills. Theyhavesimplygoneonahead:theywillnotwishtoreturnhome. We'llcatchuptothemonthosehills.Inthesunshinethedayisfair. V.Inthisweather,inthiswindystorm,Iwouldneverhavesentthechildrenout;They werecarriedoutside-Icouldsaynothingaboutit! Inthisweather,inthisroaringstorm,Iwouldneverhaveletthechildrenout. Iwasafraidtheyhadfallenill,butthesethoughtsarenowidle. Inthisweather,inthiscruelstorm,Iwouldneverhaveletthechildrenout; Iwasworriedtheywoulddiethenextday-butthisisnownoconcern. Inthisweather,inthiscruelstorm,Iwouldneverhavesentthechildrenout; Theywerecarriedoutside-Icouldsaynothingaboutit! Inthisweather,inthisroaring,cruelstorm,theyrestastheydidintheirmother's house:theyarefrightenedbynostorm,andarecoveredbythehandofGod. Translationcopyright©byEmilyEzust,fromtheLiederNetArchive-- http://www.lieder.net/
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