PROGRAM NOTES

by

Hanguang Wang

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Beethoven: Overture to Leonore No. 3

 

Fidelio stands as Beethoven’s sole opera, a captivating romantic drama that underwent a decade-long journey from its early beginnings in 1804 to its final version in 1814. Throughout its compositional process, Beethoven wrote four overtures for this cherished work, with the “Leonore Overture No. 3” emerging as the most beloved and frequently performed in concert.

 

The opera was born in the aftermath of the French Revolution (1789-1799), a tumultuous period characterized by political upheaval and a fervent yearning for freedom. The libretto for Fidelio draws inspiration from a true story of that era, capturing the remarkable journey of Leonore, a fearless and devoted wife who assumes the guise of a young man named Fidelio. She ventures into the depths of a prison where her husband, Florestan, languishes unjustly. Through her unwavering determination, she rescues Florestan from political imprisonment and imminent doom. Notably, the premiere of Fidelio, in November 1805, unfolded against the backdrop of Napoleon’s army recently occupying Vienna, infusing the opera with an added layer of relevance and intensity. Its themes of freedom and political struggle resonated profoundly with the revolutionary spirit of the time, embodying the passionate quest for liberation and the ultimate triumph of humanity.

 

Returning to Leonore Overture No. 3, it serves as an instrumental summary of the opera, effectively distilling the essence of the entire opera, offering a condensed yet impactful musical journey through its narrative and themes. The overture follows the sonata-allegro form, beginning with a broad and slow introduction. A full orchestral chord in fortissimo opens the introduction, followed by a descending scale widely interpreted as a musical portrayal of Florestan’s descent into prison, capturing the atmosphere of uncertainty and anguish that pervades his unjust captivity. The clarinets and bassoons give us the themes from Florestan’s dungeon aria, a quotation from his second-act aria, accompanied by the strings.

 

The music gradually grows more agitated as it leads to the syncopated first theme of the main body of the piece, marked allegro in C major. A contrasting second theme emerges with a more relaxed motion in E major. Furthermore, significant themes from the opera also vividly emerged within the overture, including in the development section, sudden dynamic shifts and expressive harmonic explorations mirroring the perilous struggles depicted in the opera; and in the recapitulation section, the most dramatic moment occurs when the trumpet call of Florestan’s liberation sounds, and he then realizes that the one who has rescued him - Fidelio - is none other than his beloved Leonore.

 

The overture reaches its culmination in a joyous celebration of freedom and love, accompanied by rapid scales and the reappearing syncopated motive. An energic fanfare ensues, bringing this monumental overture to a magnificent conclusion. Perhaps it is the grandeur of the finale that provides subtle hints as to why Beethoven undertook multiple revisions of the overture: how can we effectively commence this compelling opera when the exciting finale has already unveiled Leonore’s ultimate success?

Mozart: Concerto for Two Pianos in E flat Major, K. 365

• Allegro

• Andante

• Rondeau: Allegro

 

Concerto is one of the areas in which Mozart most fully demonstrated his genius, revolutionizing and perfecting every aspect of the genre, bringing the classical concerto to unprecedented heights in both content and form.

 

In 1779, Mozart composed his Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365, shortly after his return to Salzburg from a two-year tour across Europe. The purpose of this tour was to find a more prosperous job, but unfortunately, Mozart did not succeed in this endeavor. Nevertheless, his visits to cities such as Mannheim, Paris, and Munich exposed him to diverse musical styles prevalent in Europe at that time. These encounters laid the foundation for the richness and diversity of musical elements that would greatly influence his later compositions. Concerto for Two Pianos in E flat Major was his only composition for two pianos and was written for himself to play together with his loved sister, Nannerl (Maria Anna Mozart). He may have chosen to use the double concerto form because he realized that to be successful he needed a slightly different approach than he or his contemporaries were used to.

 

Typically, the primary focus of Mozart’s concertos is the conversation between the soloist and the orchestra. However, the texture became overly dense when two soloists were involved in. In response, Mozart made the decision to diminish the orchestra’s role, repositioning them as accompaniment rather than an equal counterpart to the soloist. This adjustment created the essential space for a dialogue to unfold, allowing the two soloists to propel the musical narrative forward through their alternating, fluid and virtuosic melodies.

 

In the double concerto, the soloists maintain a relatively consistent relationship. The first piano introduces the thematic material in a high register, while the second piano presents the same material an octave lower. Throughout the piece, there is an engaging dialogue between the two pianos, with fragments of themes and passages swiftly exchanged between them, resulting in an impressive stereo-like effect. The final movement follows a typical rondo structure. A melodious rondo theme resurfaces throughout the movement, but with each recurrence, the music unexpectedly halts on a different pivotal chord. This sudden shift in character leads to a distinct change in atmosphere.

 

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F Major

• Allegro vivace e con brio

• Allegretto scherzando

• Tempo di Menuetto

• Allegro vivace

 

Unlike Beethoven’s well-known symphonies, the Eighth Symphony is not as familiar to many listeners. This symphony is a change from Beethoven’s usual majestic compositional style, full of sunshine and warmth. At the same time, it is significantly shorter and more concise, exhibiting extremely distinctive classical characteristics. In fact, Beethoven himself referred to it as “my little Symphony in F”, in contrast to the longer Sixth Symphony (the Pastoral Symphony), also in F major. Despite its short length, Beethoven was enamored of the Eighth Symphony, deeming it “much better” than his widely acclaimed Seventh Symphony.

 

Beethoven’s early music shows some traces of imitation of Haydn, but then it moved righteously in the direction of Romanticism. However, it was not until the Eighth Symphony that an “extremely classical” work re-emerged. In addition to being the shortest and simplest of the symphonies, this symphony employs the most classical harmonic language, adheres strictly to a structured form, uses material with concentration and economy, and the entire work resembles a rigorously mathematical problem. If this symphony is a Haydn work surely some will believe it, but it is not without the warmth and power of Beethoven. Just as there is “recapitulation” in life, this symphony also represents Beethoven's “second childhood” in a way.

 

In the Eighth Symphony, Beethoven explores subtle changes in the symphonic tradition. For example, he surprised listeners by omitting the slow introduction in the first movement and instead beginning with a gesture of closure. The opening two bars, which would typically serve as the end of a symphonic argument, are placed at the beginning. Interestingly, the first movement concludes with the same music, now in its proper place, bringing a sense of symmetry. In another unexpected alteration, Beethoven replaces the traditional slow movement with an Allegretto scherzando in the second movement. Initially, it was thought that this movement was a nod to the metronome, which had just been invented at the time by Johann Maelzel, but further evidence suggests that the metronome was actually invented a little later. Nonetheless, a metronome-like ticking sound continues throughout the movement. This constant and steady ticking may cause some confusion, naivety or mockery, but it is undoubtedly a pleasurable confusion.

 

The third movement is a light-hearted minuet and trio, featuring rough, thumping rhythms that are a departure from the elegant Baroque style, although the choice of genre might have appeared slightly dated to listeners during Beethoven's time. This is followed by the sharp finale, the most disturbing movement of all. Nonetheless, the symphony’s energy and passion, reminiscent of a perpetual motion machine, propelled it to a successful conclusion.

 

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