Last updated: June 29, 2022
Program
ARCHER Sinfonietta
MOZART Symphony No. 31, “Paris”
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
Repertoire
Sinfonietta
I. Andantino ma energico
II. Larghetto piacevole
III. Allegro molto con brio
Canadian composer Violet Archer relished writing music for orchestra. Although trained as a pianist and organist, she spent nearly eight years (1940–1947) as the percussionist for the Montreal Women’s Symphony Orchestra, playing all percussion instruments except the timpani. She credits the experience for her interest in—and understanding of—writing for the orchestral medium. “Being in that orchestra was a great learning experience in the ‘inside’ of orchestra sound,” she said in an autobiographical essay. “It also made me conscious of the importance of the dynamic value of percussion instruments in the orchestral fabric.”
Archer’s Sinfonietta from 1968, originally commissioned by the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, is a fine display of her signature style and craft in writing for large instrumental ensemble. In each of its three movements, groups of instruments are assigned various melodic motifs, which they present, develop, and recombine in dialogue with each other. With the textures being relatively spare rather than dense, the distinctive timbres of the instruments—as well as the artistry of the orchestra’s musicians—are allowed to shine.
The energetic first movement has a somewhat grand, ceremonial quality about it with its trumpet fanfares and the ratatat of the snare drum throughout. It progresses, first by individually highlighting in turn three main sections of the orchestra and their respective motifs—strings, then dialoguing woodwinds, and later, the brass with bold proclamations. In between, there are episodes of playful counterpoint. As the motifs develop, the sections gradually combine, building intensity and volume of sound to culminate in a boisterous final shout.
The second movement is a tender serenade, with a lyrical melody whose phrases are passed from instrument to instruments. Silvery touches of triangle evoke a dreamy nighttime atmosphere. In the middle, the strings introduce a haunting chant-like motif that they take to an impassioned peak. Afterwards, the serenade resumes, the triangle now more prominent, before fading out with the flute at the close.
Lighthearted and full of humorous touches, the finale includes a scampering tune, a quirky motif of alternating notes, and a majestic phrase of repeated sustained notes against vigorous tremolo. A rather ominous climax is reached that stops the orchestra in its tracks, giving space for a solo clarinet cadenza. But the violins soon interrupt the clarinet’s rhapsody with a reprise of the scampering tune, ultimately leading to a bold ending on the motif of alternating notes.
Symphony No. 31, “Paris”
I. Allegro assai
II. Andantino
III. Allegro
In March 1778, Mozart travelled to Paris, then one of the major centres for orchestral music, where the symphony was coming into its own as a significant artform with the rise of public concerts. While Wolfgang didn’t care much for Parisians and (what he felt) were their snobby attitudes towards him, his father had strongly suggested he go there to see if he could advance his reputation as a composer. Soon after he arrived, he received a commission from the Concert Spirituel, a prestigious concert series.
The new symphony opened the concert on June 18, 1778, at the Palais des Tuileries. Brilliant and confident, the work was clearly conceived to make the most of the musical resources Mozart had on hand. For one, it was the largest ensemble he had written for to date, and the first time he incorporated clarinets. He was no doubt excited to use them; months earlier, he had seen the famed Mannheim orchestra (after which the Spirituel ensemble was modelled) and was impressed by their innovations on orchestral colour and instrumentation, particularly the inclusion of clarinets among the woodwinds. As he had written to his father after a performance, “You cannot imagine the glorious effect of a symphony with flutes, oboes, and clarinets.”
Mozart was also aware that Parisians enjoyed dramatic effects in their symphonies, and he was willing to satisfy their tastes. One such effect was the premier coup d’archet (first attack of the bow), consisting of strong sustained chords followed by a rushing ascending scale, usually appearing at the beginning of the piece. Mozart was ambivalent about using this Parisian orchestral hallmark (“I have been careful not to neglect [it],” he wrote to his father, “and that is quite sufficient”); however, not only does he use it in the first movement, how he uses it goes beyond mere effect. After its first presentation, it becomes integrated as an important signpost—listen for its appearance throughout the movement, to its final joyous declaration at the end.
In the second movement, the warm sound of the string section is given prominence, enriched by oboes, bassoons, and horns. It has a relaxed, pastoral feel, with the whistling of a single flute doubling the violins high above. Mozart especially loved this movement, writing that “the andante has the greatest applause from me, from all experts and connoisseurs…for it is natural—and short.”
At the beginning of the finale, Mozart throws in a surprise for his Parisian audience—instead of the strong statement they would have anticipated, he starts with delicate phrases in the violins over quiet chattering, followed by a full orchestral burst. He was very pleased with the result, reporting to his father that “the audience had, because of the quiet beginning, shushed each other, as I expected they would, and then came the forte—well, hearing it and clapping was one and the same.” In another inventive twist, the robust second theme is presented as the subject of a fugue, which is subsequently developed at greater length and seriousness in the middle of the movement. Following the return of the opening chatter, the music, bypassing the second theme entirely, dashes towards a jubilant close.
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito
II. Andantino semplice – Prestissimo
III. Allegro con fuoco
“Worthless and unplayable.” “Passages so fragmented, so clumsy, so badly written that they were beyond rescue.” “The work itself was bad, vulgar. …only two or three pages were worth preserving; the rest must be thrown away or completely rewritten.” According to Tchaikovsky in a letter to his patron Nadezhda von Meck, these were Nikolai Rubenstein’s first impressions of the composer’s first piano concerto. He had hoped Rubenstein would perform the work and had brought it to him for consultation on the solo part. Rubenstein said he’d only play it if the composer revised the work substantially. Greatly offended, Tchaikovsky said that he would not alter one note and offered Hans von Bülow the premiere instead, which occurred in Boston on October 24, 1875, on one of von Bülow’s tours. While critics were initially skeptical about the piece, it was a huge success with the audience.
And it has remained beloved and popular in the concert hall today. (Initial drama aside, Rubenstein eventually warmed to the piece, conducting it and playing the solo part himself; Tchaikovsky ultimately did make some revisions.) Compared to concertos written earlier in the 19th century, this one is of unprecedented grand scale, with piano and orchestra as equals in the unfolding of its drama. The piano part demands much from the soloist, not only virtuosic technical displays—double octave passages, quicksilver runs, rhapsodic cadenzas, and the like—but also deep expressiveness. The large orchestral part is symphonic in scope and sophistication, presenting and developing musical material in intense dialogue with the pianist.
This concerto’s emotional appeal owes much to Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable melodies. After a stern horn call, it opens with a soaring melody played by the violins and cellos, accompanied by majestic chords on the piano. While the tune only appears in the work’s introduction, certain aspects of it are subtly embedded in later motifs. Moreover, its passionate character connects it to the lyrical themes in the concerto’s other movements.
Providing striking contrast are several melodies based on popular tunes. The lively main theme of the first movement proper is based on a street song accompanied by the hurdy-gurdy that Tchaikovsky had heard in Ukraine. In the second movement, following the tender lullaby, the sparkling middle section features the orchestra playing a French popular tune, “Il faut s’amuser, danser et rire”, that Tchaikovsky’s brother Modest recalled he and his brothers singing together frequently in the early 1870s. The spirited first theme of the third movement is a Ukrainian spring song, while the Russian folk tune “I am going to Tsar-gorod” is the basis of the second theme. It is the latter’s expansive melody that, following a technical firework of a piano cadenza, forms the magnificent climax of the movement. Together, orchestra and piano present it in full glory—thereby closing the grand lyrical arc that was introduced at the beginning of the concerto—after which they hurtle to a dazzling finish.
Artists
Sri Lankan-born Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO, ECMA and SOCAN award-winning composer/conductor/pianist described as “exuberantly creative” (New York Times) and as “an artist who reflects a positive vision of our cultural future” (Toronto Star). He is a lively disrupter who crosses traditionally held musical boundaries, equally at home with symphony orchestras and string quartets, Tabla players and DJs. He has worked in international venues as poles apart as the Berlin Philharmonie and Amsterdam’s North Sea Jazz Festival.
Dinuk has twice performed in Carnegie Hall with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble and alongside tabla legend Zakir Hussain. Dinuk has also appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera Bastille, The Lincoln Center, Teatro Colón, and in venues in Sri Lanka, Japan, and the Middle East. He was featured as a main character in What Would Beethoven Do? – the documentary about innovation in classical music featuring Eric Whitacre, Bobby McFerrin, and Ben Zander. Dinuk has composed specially for almost all of the artists and ensembles with whom he has performed, to name a few: Suzie LeBlanc, Kinan Azmeh, David Jalbert, Sandeep Das, Ramesh Misra, Ed Hanley, Eric Vloeimans, Buck 65, the Gryphon Trio, the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, the Afiara and Cecilia String Quartets, and the symphony orchestras of Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Nova Scotia, Buffalo, and KwaZulu Natal (South Africa).
Dinuk grew up in Dubai and then studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music (U.K.). He subsequently joined the Juilliard studio of Oscar-winner composer John Corigliano. Conducting studies followed at Mannes College under David Hayes, and doctoral studies with composer Christos Hatzis at the University of Toronto.
He is the recipient of the Canada Council Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral conducting; the NS Established Artist Award; NS Masterworks nominations for his Tabla Concerto and piano trio Love Triangle; double Merritt Award nominations; Juilliard, Mannes & Countess of Munster scholarships; the Sema Jazz Improvisation Prize; the Soroptimist International Award for Composer-Conductors; and the Sir John Manduell Prize – the RNCM’s highest student honor. His music and collaborative work embrace the great diversity of his international background and influences.
Proclaimed “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished concert pianist, improviser, and composer. He has performed with, and has been commissioned by, many of the major orchestras and chamber music organizations around the world.
Last year, Orchid Classics released Goodyear’s recording of his suite for piano and orchestra, Callaloo, and his piano sonata. His recent commissions include a piano quintet for the Penderecki String Quartet, and a piano work for the Honens Piano Competition.
Stewart Goodyear’s discography includes the complete sonatas and piano concertos of Beethoven, as well as concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff; an album of Ravel piano works; and an album entitled For Glenn Gould, which combines repertoire from Gould’s U.S. and Montreal debuts. Goodyear’s recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (complete ballet), was chosen by The New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015. His discography is released on the Marquis Classics, Orchid Classics, Bright Shiny Things, Steinway and Sons, and Naxos labels.
Last summer included performances with the Chineke! Orchestra at Southbank Centre (U.K.) and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Grant Park Music Festival, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. He also performed with Chineke! at the NAC in March 2023. Highlights of the 2023–2024 season are his recital debut at Wigmore Hall, his debut with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, his return with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and his Carnegie Hall debut with Toronto’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra under Peter Oundjian.
Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.
Alexander Shelley began his tenure as Music Director in 2015, following Pinchas Zukerman’s 16 seasons at the helm. Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and former Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (2009–2017), he has been in demand around the world, conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others, and maintains a regular relationship with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the German National Youth Orchestra.
Each season, the NAC Orchestra features world-class artists such as the newly appointed Artist-in-Residence James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds. As one of the most accessible, inclusive, and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.