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SEPTEMBER 15 PROGRAM NOTES Back to Top

The Overture to Colas Breugnon is Kabalevsky’s most well-known work outside of Russia. This first opera, composed in 1938, was based on Romain Rolland’s The Master of Clamecy. It emphasizes the conflicts that existed between a French craftsman and his feudal duke.

Kabalevsky taught composition at the Moscow Conservatory and composed music that is immediately appealing and accessible to musicians and audiences alike. The Overture to Colas Breugnon is a lively, happy piece that reminds one of the overtures to some of Mozart’s operas.

Swan Lake was the first ballet to be set to music by a symphonic composer. Previously, the scores were created by specialists who were highly skilled in complementing the libretto in such a way that matched defined choreographical requirements. Tchaikovsky studied the work of these specialists and then exceeded their abilities with his own adept compositions. Drawing on some of his previous works, Tchaikovsky’s “Swan’s Theme” originated in a piece titled “The Lake of the Swans” which he had written for his sister’s children.

Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres, wrote the libretto and paid Tchaikovsky to set it to music. Julius Reisinger, who choreographed the original production, had been the ballet master of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre. He was displeased with the composition and complained that the music was too difficult for dancing. He began looking for alternate musical options but returned to the original score after Tchaikovsky protested.

Rehearsals for the premier lasted for a lengthy eleven months, during which time Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother, "If you could have seen how comical the ballet master looked, composing the dances in a most serious and concentrated manner, to the accompaniment of a little fiddle. At the same time it was a pleasure to watch the male and female dancers smiling at the future audience and looking forward to the possibility of jumping, pirouetting and turning about in the execution of their holy duty. Everybody in the theater is delighted with my music!"

Indeed, the music was delightful, but the premier was a disaster. Critics unanimously opposed the many aspects of the production, and even the music was deemed too complicated for ballet. However, slight changes were made and Swan Lake continued for a total of forty-one performances until it closed in 1883. Two years after Tchaikovsky’s death, in 1895, a revised version of Swan Lake premiered in St. Petersburg with great success. This later edition provides the basis for all productions of the ballet today.

Swan Lake Suite opens with the familiar Swan Theme in which the swans (beautiful maidens under an evil spell) glide across the lake. The Valse is danced by young villagers as the guests arrive at the Prince’s ball. The Danse de petits cygnes features brilliant writing for winds. Following the bubbly Dance of the Swans, the enchanting Scene (White Swan Pas de deux) highlights a delightful solo violin, and later a duet for violin and cello. As the ladies are given opportunity to present a national dance from their native country, we have three exotic and colorful passages: Danse hongroise, Danse espagnole, and Danse napolitaine. In the final scene, the tension is heightened as the ballet reaches its climactic event in which the swan-maidens are forever freed from the evil spell.

Rachmaninoff’s Concerto for Piano #3 is considered the most difficult piano concerto in standard repertoire. Its technical and musical demands strike fear in the hearts of many pianists, and those who have conquered the “Rach 3” are lauded as extraordinary musicians. Upon hearing this third concerto, Grigory Prokofiev wrote, “The new concerto mirrored the best sides of Rachmaninov’s creative power: simplicity, sincerity and clarity of musical thought. It has a freshness of inspiration that doesn’t aspire to the discovery of new paths. It has a sharp and laconic form as well as simple and brilliant orchestration.”

Written at his family’s country estate in Ivanovka, Rachmaninoff took his third piano concerto to America where he was to embark on a successful tour in the fall of 1909. He had been pressed for practice time in Russia and rehearsed on a silent keyboard on the ship. On November 28, Rachmaninoff performed the world premiere of his own Concerto for Piano #3 in D Minor with the New York Symphony Orchestra under the directorship of Walter Damrosch. Several weeks later he performed with Gustav Mahler conducting. This was one of the highlights of his triumphant tour of the United States.

Concerto for Piano #3 in D Minor is indeed known for its difficulty, but it is so much more than a flashy display piece. Throughout the entire work, Rachmaninoff pleases the ear through transformation of thematic material and variation of rhythmic passages. In this way the three movements are unified and yet convey an incredible diversity in regards to drama and color. As the mood intensifies, there is nothing forced or artificial – pianistic virtuosity blends with beautifully phrased melodies to strike emotive chords within every listener.

In the first movement the piano introduces the melody in octaves. Speaking of this Russian theme, Rachmaninoff comments, “It simply wrote itself! … If I had any plan in composing this theme, I was thinking only of sound. I wanted ‘to sing’ the melody on the piano as a singer would sing it.” A rhythmic development is followed by a beautiful, soaring melody which climaxes in a lengthy cadenza. The main theme is restated in full before closing with the coda.

The Adagio movement provides an interlude that is opened by the orchestra with variations of a lush, romantic melody. The main melody is restated and a brief piano cadenza leads directly into the third movement.

The third Finale movement begins with quick, vigorous passages that advance into grand, triumphant restatements of the main themes. After a suspenseful buildup toward a toccata climax, the main theme makes a brilliant appearance. The concerto finishes with a passionate coda that thrills. This piece will be remembered, even after an initial hearing.

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OCTOBER 20 PROGRAM NOTES Back to Top

George Chadwick’s works represent the distinctively American style of music in the late 19th century. His compositions and leadership at the New England Conservatory of Music influenced many American composers who followed in his footsteps. Symphonic Sketches was written as a four movement piece in which each movement can easily stand alone. The music is based on poems which Chadwick included in the original score. The first sketch is Jubilee and was completed in 1895. It was inspired by the following poem:

No cool gray tones for me!
Give me the warmest red and green,
A coronet and a tambourine,
To paint my Jubilee!

For when pale flutes and oboes play,
To sadness I become a prey;
Give me the violets and the May,
But no gray skies for me.

Bernard Herrmann was the Academy Award winning composer who created the music for many genres of 20th century entertainment. Well-known for his partnerships with Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles, Herrmann set the stage for such thrillers as Psycho, The War of the Worlds, and The Twilight Zone. Herrmann saw his film, radio, and television compositions as equal to those that were designed for the concert hall. Indeed, his works stand alone as the masterpieces that accompanied other forms of entertainment.

The music for Vertigo is one of Herrmann’s best scores for film. The story somewhat follows the dramatic opera Tristan and Isolde, and similarly, the music resembles Wagner’s sweeping intensity. From the very beginning, Herrmann adds authenticity to the film with a two note falling motif that mimics the fog horns on the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. The score for Vertigo capitalizes on the movie’s themes of fearful horror and heartbreaking love throughout.

Aaron Copland set out to write music for Americans that was distinctively American. He began by incorporating modern jazz techniques with his own approaches to harmony and rhythm. As a result of the Great Depression, many composers modified their style to appeal to a larger audience, and this adjustment produced within Copland some of his best known works. Copland turned from jazz to the hymns and regional folk songs for inspirational material. He accompanies the melodies with sweeping harmonies which allow one to experience America’s vast landscape in musical form.

Appalachian Spring was commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, and Martha Graham was called to create and choreograph a ballet for the music. Copland only knew that the ballet was to be about pioneering in America, and he titled his piece, Ballet for Martha. Graham drew the title for the ballet and subsequently for the music from a poem by Hart Crane. The story follows the springtime celebrations around a newly married couple who have built a house in the western frontier of Pennsylvania. Appalachian Spring premiered on October 30, 1944 with Martha Graham dancing the lead role. Copland won the Pulitzer Prize for composing Appalachian Spring in 1945.

Copland originally orchestrated the piece for thirteen instruments, as that was all that would fit in the orchestra pit of the original stage. In 1945 he rearranged the piece as a suite for full symphony orchestra. Copland was amused by those who congratulated his ability to capture the essence of the Appalachian region, as he had known nothing of the title during its formation. During an interview with National Public Radio, Copland commented, “The fate of pieces is really rather curious…you can’t always figure out in advance exactly what’s going to happen to them.”

Copland himself described the eight sections of the orchestral suite:
1. Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light.
2. Fast. Sudden burst of unison strings in A major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and religious gives the keynote to this scene.
3. Moderate. Duo for the Bride and her Intended – scene of tenderness and passion.
4. Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling – suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers.
5. Still faster. Solo dance of the Bride – presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder.
6. Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent of the introduction.
7. Calm and flowing. Scenes of daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer husband. There are five variations on a Shaker theme. The melody most borrowed and used almost literally, is called “Simple Gifts.”
8. Moderate. Coda. The Bride takes her place among her neighbors. At the end the couple are left "quiet and strong in their new house." Muted strings intone a hushed prayerlike chorale passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music.

Shortly after the United States entered World War II, Aaron Copland was commissioned to write a patriotic piece that would bring encouragement to the nation. Copland chose to highlight Abraham Lincoln by using quotations from many of his speeches. These inspirational excerpts emphasize the values of freedom and justice for all. Copland utilized folk songs such as “Camptown Races” and “Springfield Mountain” to complement the narration. Lincoln Portrait is scored for a full orchestra, with the brass section particularly highlighted during climactic moments. Lincoln Portrait was premiered in May 14, 1942 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

One of America’s foremost composers found success in the creation of popular music, musicals, and concert works. George Gershwin was already rising in fame when he sought instruction from some of the best in Europe. He was turned down by many who felt that he already had all he needed to continue such innovative composing. When Ravel learned that Gershwin’s salary was much higher than his own, he responded, “How about you give me some lessons?” Similarly, Schoenberg countered Gershwin’s request for composition lessons with, “I would only make you a bad Schoenberg, and you’re such a good Gershwin already.”

Gershwin’s time in Paris inspired him to write a tone poem that captures the moods of Paris from an American point of view. He collected Parisian taxi horns, as he anticipated using them in the composition. Shortly before the debut of An American in Paris, Gershwin was gave these program notes in an interview:

“This new piece, really a rhapsodic ballet, is written very freely and is the most modern music I’ve yet attempted. The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six, though all the themes are original. My purpose is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris, as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.

The opening gay section is followed by a rich blues with a strong rhythmic undercurrent. Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a café and having a couple of drinks, has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness. The harmony here is both more intense and simpler than in the preceding pages. This blues rises to a climax, followed by a coda in which the spirit of the music returns to the vivacity and bubbling exuberance of the opening part with its impression of Paris. Apparently the homesick American, having left the café and reached the open air, has disowned his spell of the blues and once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life. At the conclusion, the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant.”

Gershwin arranged his own orchestration for An American in Paris, using the standard members of the orchestra with the addition of the saxophone, celesta, and the distinctive taxi horns. An American in Paris was premiered on December 13, 1928 in Carnegie Hall and continues to hold high acclaim in concert halls today.

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JANUARY 19 PROGRAM NOTES Back to Top

EGMONT OVERTURE, OP. 84
In 1787 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a play to illustrate the challenging life of Count Egmont, a Netherlandic noble who gave his life in the struggle for freedom against Spanish tyranny. When Beethoven was asked to compose incidental music for the play, he gladly agreed to accompany this tale of justice and liberty. Beethoven began to write an overture and nine separate pieces for soprano solo and orchestra in 1809 and his work premiered on June 15, 1810.

The Egmont Overture is one of Beethoven’s greatest overtures. Written two years after his fifth symphony, it resonates with similar power and expression. The events of the entire play are outlined in this programmatic overture, beginning with the count in prison. The piece opens with solemn chords, setting the stage for a tragedy. The first theme is a contrast of images – those of the Spanish invaders and those of the conquered people. The middle section embodies the conflict with an extended crescendo and a tense atmosphere that surges forward toward silence. And even though the hero has fallen, the final passages speak of victory over evil as the full orchestra joins in a triumphant fanfare.

CONCERTO FOR PIANO #3, C MINOR, Op. 27
Beethoven was equally considered as great a pianist as he was a composer, and he performed in the premiere of his third piano concerto. The concert featured the debut performances of three of Beethoven’s works, including his second symphony. On April 5, 1803, Beethoven had not yet completed the score for the piano solo and played much of it by memory. Even so, he asked Ignaz von Seyfried to turn pages for him. His friend recalled the details of this awkward assignment, "I saw almost nothing but empty leaves; at the most, on one page or another a few Egyptian hieroglyphs wholly unintelligible to me were scribbled down to serve as clues for him; for he played nearly all the solo part from memory since, as was so often the case, he had not had time to set it all down on paper."

As a pianist, Beethoven was a very skilled technician, but it was the drama and intensity with which he played that set him apart from the others. While Mozart had learned to play on a harpsichord, Beethoven practiced on the pianoforte and learned from an early age to use this versatile instrument in ways that excite the emotions and stir the soul.

Piano Concerto #3 in C minor is a bolder piece than the first two concertos, beginning to exemplify the dynamic style for which Beethoven is known. The Allegro con brio opens with the orchestra presenting an exposition of themes. The piano makes a grand entrance with a forceful series of rising scales and then affirms the main theme with powerful octaves. New relationships between the orchestra and piano are forged throughout the piece, and in the coda the timpani contributes to the piano’s reflection of the principal theme.

The Largo movement continues this unique development between piano and orchestra. The piano solos with a beautiful melody before the orchestra states the theme. In the middle section, Beethoven displays his innovative genius by scoring the piano as accompaniment to a bassoon and flute duet.

Rondo: Molto allegro is an energetic movement that presents a joyful theme which recurs throughout. After alternating between the main theme and episodic themes, the concerto rises to a thrilling and jubilant conclusion.

SYMPHONY #3, IN E FLAT, OP. 55 “EROICA”
Beethoven, who is known for creating the bridge between the Classical and Romantic time periods, makes colossal changes in the classical symphonic form with his third symphony. This work is monumental in size and design – the first movement alone extends beyond the length of most symphonies of the time, and throughout the work Beethoven integrates new ways of conveying his ideas. Even with all the changes, Beethoven manages to stay within the symphonic form in his use of melodic and rhythmic development. This piece is intriguing in regards to content as well as history and is one of the most popular symphonies for study.

“Eroica” is a shortened version of Beethoven’s final name for the piece - Heroic symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man. But this was not the initial title. Until Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor, Beethoven had planned to identify the symphony with his hero. His assistant, Ferdinand Ries, describes Beethoven’s response upon hearing the news of Bonaparte’s actions. “In writing this symphony Beethoven had been thinking of Buonaparte, but Buonaparte while he was First Consul. At that time Beethoven had the highest esteem for him and compared him to the greatest consuls of ancient Rome. Not only I, but many of Beethoven’s closer friends, saw this symphony on his table, beautifully copied in manuscript, with the word "Buonaparte" inscribed at the very top of the title-page and "Luigi van Beethoven" at the very bottom. Whether or how the intervening gap was to be filled out I do not know. I was the first to tell him the news that Buonaparte had declared himself Emperor, whereupon he broke into a rage and exclaimed, "So he is no more than a common mortal! Now, he too will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!" Beethoven went to the table, seized the top of the title-page, tore it in half and threw it on the floor. The page was later re-copied and it was only now that the symphony received the title ’Sinfonia Eroica.’”

While the final title leads one to believe that Beethoven was still thinking of Bonaparte, there are two other alternatives. It is possible that the piece was dedicated to Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, who later became Charles XIV of Sweden. When considering the personal context of this piece, greater potential is held in the likelihood that Beethoven was speaking of himself as the hero.

Beethoven spent the summer of 1803 in the quiet village of Heiligenstadt, hoping to recover from the deafness that was overcoming him. He was discouraged by the lack of improvement and resigned himself to the fact that he would lose something most precious to him as a musician. In the fall of 1803 he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament, in which he willed all his belongings to his brothers and described his anguish at losing his capacity to hear. Following this time of retreat and lament, Beethoven returned to his work with renewed vigor and intensity. From this moment on, he steps beyond the forms and functions that had so long defined his work, breaking new ground with every composition. Beethoven had been brought low by adversity and chose to rise above it heroically.

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major was completed early in 1804 and purchased by Prince Lobkowitz to be performed in his castle for the first six months. During this time, Beethoven was able to work with the orchestra and fine tune the piece before presenting it to the general public in Vienna on April 7, 1805.

The main theme of the first movement is presented by the cellos. This heroic motive develops and rises through modulations to distant keys until it finally reaches its ideal form in the coda. From the beginning, the orchestral balance is altered from what had been previously heard by 19th century audiences. A third horn is added and the entire wind section possesses a greater volume of sound and importance.

The second movement surprised listeners of the time with a funeral march that exhibits a deep, cutting loss unfamiliar to previous symphonies. The solemn dirge is followed by a brighter episode and finally a massive fugue. This movement has been performed alone for many memorial services.

In the early 19th century, the minuet was losing popularity as a dance, and Beethoven used a lighter, accelerated form in his scherzo. The jovial theme is first expressed by the oboe, followed by the flute and then filled out with the entire orchestra. The horn fanfare seems to celebrate the special instrumentation of the piece.

For the fourth movement, Beethoven abandons the quickly concluding rondos of Mozart and Haydn and creates something equal in importance to the first movement. The theme and variations are found in the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus and an earlier piano composition. The symphony concludes with an exuberant presto that applauds the success of this brilliant composition.

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MARCH 15 PROGRAM NOTES Back to Top

Nancy Galbraith exhibited her musical talents at the age of four when she began studying piano. She holds degrees from Ohio University, West Virginia University, and now she teaches composition and music theory at Carnegie Mellon University. Galbraith enjoys a close relationship with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, premiering six of her works through that venue. The PSO commissioned A Festive Violet Pulse in 1998 to celebrate the arrival of their new director.

Galbraith is esteemed for her brilliant orchestrations of melody and rhythm. A Festive Violet Pulse begins with lively woodwinds as accompaniment for the violins. The celli respond to the melodic statement before it develops through the repetition of melodic phrases. The middle section features the rhythmic percussion until the strings come to the forefront with a repeated note theme. At the conclusion, the trumpets and violins present a bright return to the original theme.

Known for his ability to incorporate elements of various styles, Ibert was a successful composer of music for films, ballets, operas, and concert orchestra. He began his musical career by accompanying silent films on solo piano, and also composed many pieces featuring this instrument. In 1956 the French national radio commissioned Ibert to write a piece commemorating the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. Homage a Mozart is a one-movement work, employing the classically proportioned symphony that Mozart would have encountered. His rondo for orchestra develops a repeated theme which is alternated with various episodes. This French-sounding composition is a delightful tribute to the master of orchestration.

Mozart’s horn concertos were composed for Joseph Ignaz Leutgeb, who moved from the Archbishop’s orchestra in Salzburg to Vienna in 1771. In addition to playing the horn, Leutgeb operated a cheesemonger’s shop. Mozart clearly valued Leutgeb’s technical abilities, as his concertos are filled with extremely difficult passages for the natural horn. Mozart also esteemed Leutgeb’s musicianship – gifting this player with gorgeous solo melodies that are now included in every professional horn player’s repertoire. However, Mozart did not so highly regard the mental capacities of this hornist and throughout the concertos, Mozart pokes fun of him. In one concerto he gives Leutgeb different tempo markings from the rest of the orchestra, and in another he uses different colored inks throughout the manuscript. Many of them contain a running commentary on how well he expects Leutgeb to perform, and the second concerto is sarcastically dedicated to him, “Mozart has taken pity on the ass, ox, and fool Leitgeb at Vienna May 27, 1783.” These jests must have been well received, as Mozart mentioned his friend in his final letter to his wife.

The Allegro first movement of Horn Concerto #3 required much of the natural horn of the 18th century as the hornist had to achieve many of the pitches by changing the placement of the right hand in the bell. Even while using the valves of today’s horns, technical and musical skills are required to achieve the requirements of Mozart’s writing. The Romance movement features the horn at its best – the soaring melody is punctuated with an interlude that challenges the fluidity and range of the performer. The final Allegro movement is a lively rondo that features a recurring hunting-horn theme. Throughout the piece Mozart showcases the horn in dazzling ways, orchestrating an accompaniment that adds richness and texture throughout.

Gustav Mahler found his greatest joys in composing, but he provided for his needs with his conducting skills. Mahler held center stage in many opera houses, including a ten year term with the most esteemed Vienna Opera and one year with the New York Metropolitan Opera. He was highly esteemed for exacting brilliant performances of the classic operas. During the summer months he was free to pursue his passion for composition, in which he reached beyond the times to create pieces that stretched the rules and roles of music in the late 19th century.

Every time that one of Mahler’s compositions was performed, he reworked the manuscript. Symphony #1 in D Major saw many changes before becoming the well-known piece it is today. In 1889 Mahler premiered a “Symphonic Poem in Two Parts.” This second of the five movements was the Blumine, which contained material from an earlier piece of stage music. For an 1893 performance Mahler renamed his tone poem Titan after the novel by Jean Paul, although he said his music had nothing to do with the story. In 1896 the Blumine movement was discarded, the instrumentation was adjusted, and Mahler simply titled it Symphony in D major. This is very close to the version heard today, as few changes were made in 1899 when it first appeared in print as Symphony #1 in D Major.

Two subjects emerge early in the first movement which symbolizes the dappled sunlight streaming down through the forest canopy. The woodwinds are followed by distant trumpets and low clarinets who exchange a sequence of fanfares. The clarinet calls out with a cuckoo and the cellos introduce a sprightly theme before the stillness returns. The horns break the tension and lead the way through the riotous conclusion which finds the hero breaking out in a jovial run.

The second movement is one of Mahler’s most enjoyable dances. In this scherzo the hero roams about the world as the strings and woodwinds step through a lively dance. The tempo slows through a graceful trio section before the opening theme is repeated.

The funeral march of the third movement was puzzling and displeasing to audiences of Mahler’s time. The unique instrumentation, rhythms, and key changes can even startle listeners of the 21st century. Mahler based the movement on a well-known picture from a children’s book that was titled ‘The Huntsman’s Funeral.’ Animals follow the coffin through the woods and a group of street musicians accompany the procession. The double bass and muffled drum open the movement with a minor key version of Frère Jacques. The theme is developed through a gradual crescendo as various instruments are included to comment on the scene. After a surprising intrusion by the street musicians, the muted violins murmur a tender interlude. The march returns with quickening speed as the hunter is rushed to his grave.

A terrifying shriek immediately follows the third movement. Mahler described this as “the sudden cry of a deeply wounded heart.” The finale is filled with contrasting emotions - a new theme alternates with versions of the first movement’s ideas. Symphony #1 in D Major is scored for a colossal orchestra of 100 instruments who rise to an irresistible climax as the piece comes to a close.

One of Mahler’s admirers asked him how he achieved such distinctive sounds in his orchestral arrangement of his 1st Symphony. Mahler replied, “That comes from the way I use the instruments. In this first movement they disappear behind a radiant sea of sounds, just as a lamp becomes invisible behind the brilliance which it gives out. In the March movement the instruments are disguised and go round dressed as strangers. Everything has to sound deadened and muffled, as if ghosts were parading past us. To ensure that in the canon each new entry comes over distinctly, with a surprising tone colour that draws attention to itself as it were—that caused me a real headache! Eventually I got the instrumentation right, so that it produced that weird, otherworldly effect you noticed today. And I don’t think anyone has yet managed to work out how I achieve it. When I want to produce a soft, restrained sound, I don’t give it to instruments which can produce it easily, but to one which can produce it only with effort, reluctantly, indeed often only by forcing and going beyond its natural limits. So I often make the double basses and the bassoon squeak out the highest notes, while the flutes are puffing away deep down below.”

Many composers use their early creations to draw upon the works of those who have gone before, developing their own style in later compositions. However, Gustav Mahler initiates his own style with his first symphony, making an indelible mark on orchestral works from that day forward.

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APRIL 12 PROGRAM NOTES Back to Top

The Luisa Miller Overture is one of Verdi’s finest and an unusual specimen from his era. While most Italian operatic overtures were merely a light introduction, this overture could stand alone as a first movement to a symphony. A single theme is developed throughout, beginning in a serious minor key and transforming to a brilliant major key conclusion.

When Modest Mussorgsky met Victor Hartman, they discovered a common interest in traditional Russian designs. Hartman promoted these through his artwork and Mussorgsky through his music. Mussorgsky was devastated when Hartman died in 1873 at the age of 39. A year later he attended an exhibition in St. Petersburg which featured 400 of his friend’s watercolors, sketches, and costume designs. Mussorgsky was uplifted by the way he experienced the presence of his friend through his art and was inspired to compose a series of pieces that depicted ten of the scenes.

Less than two months after visiting the exhibition, Mussorgsky finished his set of tone poems for solo piano. Much of his life was plagued by alcoholism, and Mussorgsky died just seven years later, at the age of 42. Pictures at an Exhibition was not published until five years after his death. Although it afforded little interest for pianists of the day, more than two dozen composers created their own orchestrations. The most famous is that of Maurice Ravel, whose 1922 version brilliantly captures the mood of each piece.

By way of introduction and interspersed throughout, Mussorgsky uses a promenade theme which gives the impression of one walking through a gallery. Vladimir Stasov, who introduced Mussorgsky to Hartman said that he portrayed himself "roving through the exhibition, now leisurely, now briskly in order to come close to a picture that had attracted his attention, and at times sadly, thinking of his departed friend." The later tone poems incorporate this promenade theme, creating cohesion throughout the entire work.
Gnomes – The first picture to be represented is that of a Gnome-shape nutcracker, creeping about on crooked legs in a clumsy dance.
Promenade – The walking theme returns as an interlude to the next piece. The Old Castle – A medieval castle looms large behind a troubador who plays with enchanting melancholy.
Promenade – A short eight measures transports the listener to the next work of art.
Tuileries – While Hartman had painted an empty garden avenue, Mussorgsky fills it with “Children Quarreling at Play.”
Bydlo – Based on a painting which shows an ox cart lumbering down a road, Mussorgsky allows one to hear the steady pull of the powerful beasts as they approach, draw close, and then move away.
Promenade – The walking theme returns.
Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks – This drawing of Hartman’s costume design for the ballet Trilby depicts the aimless and uncoordinated dance of children who are pecking their way out of their shells.
Samuel Golden berg and Schmuyle – Mussorgsky uses two separate drawing to create a musical conversation between “Two Jews: Rich and Poor.” The pompously low tones of the rich man begin the piece before the high entreaties of the poor man interrupt. Both men are heard speaking together before the overbearing rich man drowns out the cries of the poor.
Limoges Market – The marketplace at this city in central France is filled with the bustle of shoppers. Mussorgsky depicts the shrill voices of haggling and gossiping women. This piece leads directly into the next without a pause.
Catacombs – In this painting Hartman pictures himself with a lantern, examining the Roman catacombs below Paris. The alternating loud and soft chords of the Largo section simulate the echoing accoustics of this dark place. Throughout the Andante, an eerie variation of the Promenade theme makes a reappearance.
The Hut on Hen’s Legs – Baba Yaga is the famed character of Russian folk-lore who was said to live in a hut which was perched upon fowl’s legs. Hartman created a clock out of this hut, and Mussorgsky depicted it flying to the forest, stalking through the woods, and returning once again to careen through the air. Baba Yaga’s flight leads directly into the final movement.
The Great Gate of Kiev – Hartman’s drawing was his entry into a contest for the design of city gates meant to commemorate Tsar Alexander II. Hartman won the competition, but his plans were never used. This grand finale features a stately version of the Promenade theme as the audience is transported up to the city and through the gate.

Saint-Saëns began his musical training at the age of two, when he began taking piano lessons from his great-aunt. This child prodigy could read and write by age three and gave his first recital at the young age of five. By the time Saint-Saëns was 10, he had memorized all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas and delighted in allowing the audience to choose one for his encore performances.

As Saint-Saëns expanded his musical studies beyond the piano, he was found to be a gifted organist and master of improvisation as well. None could equal his expertise on the organ, and yet his demeanor throughout each performance seemed to lack emotion and inspiration when compared with the engaging entertainers of the time. This conservatism extended to his compositions as well – rather than focus on the drama of the piece, Saint-Saëns’s creations are classically refined and technically flawless. His charming melodies are distinctively French and his orchestration maintains an elegant sense of proportion.

Saint-Saëns wrote the first of five symphonies at the age of sixteen. The first and third were withdrawn from publication, so Symphony #3 is really his last, written at the age of fifty. Even though he had many more years to compose, Saint-Saëns never attempted another symphony. After completing the C Minor Symphony with organ he said, “With it I have given all I could give. What I did I could not achieve again.”

Symphony #3 with organ is a grand piece which typifies the confident disposition of France in the late 19th century, an age which saw the building of the Eiffel Tower and the Universal Exposition at Paris. Saint-Saëns’s lead instrument was crafted by the world’s leading symphonic organ builder, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Often called the Organ Symphony, the pipe organ awaits a delayed entrance and participates in two of the four sections. Saint-Saëns intended that his work be divided by two longer movements, but each of these contains two separate parts, maintaining the traditional form of four movements.

The London Philharmonic Society commissioned Saint-Saëns to write Symphony #3 and he conducted its premiere performance on May 19, 1886. The piece was dedicated to a dear friend, Franz Liszt, who died that year. Fitting for the memory of this great pianist, Symphony #3 contains parts for four hands on piano in addition to the two on pipe organ.

The Adagio introduction shifts tempo as the strings perform the main theme in the Allegro moderato. Later, a gentle theme is established before the two themes appear simultaneously. The tempo returns to Adagio as the strings and organ maintain a beautiful dialogue. The main theme is varied by the woodwinds before revisit the Adagio theme. Saint-Saëns exhibits his superior orchestration abilities in a lovely casting of the woodwinds with the reed stops on the organ as the first movement draws to a quiet conclusion.

An aggressive string section opens the Allegro moderato of the second movement. The excitement further intensifies as the tempo changes to presto and the piano enters with extremely rapid scales. The scherzo material returns before the lower instruments introduce a new theme. The Maestoso finale begins with the organ on a powerful C Major chord. Following a quiet interlude, the organ and orchestra present a transformed theme in which the organ’s chordal melody is interspersed with brass fanfares. This glorious tune inspired Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Kelly’s 1977 hit “If I Had Words.” It can also be heard at Disney World in Epcot’s French exhibit, and was recently associated with the family movie “Babe.”

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