Symphony Soundbites: May 2014

Note that our concert title is not “The Three B’s,” a phrase coined by the noted German conductor Hans von Bülow which refers to Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Our three ‘B’s’ do include Beethoven, but his “Eroica” Symphony is joined by masterpieces by Max Bruch and Samuel Barber.

The program begins with the School for Scandal Overture of Samuel Barber (1910–1981), which was his first orchestral work, written as a graduation thesis at the Curtis Institute of Music in 1931, and premiered in 1933. This nine minute showpiece is meant to typify the 1777 English upper class comedy of the same name by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and is a stand-alone sonata form movement. It is notable for its beautiful theme for the solo oboe, the first of many lyrical oboe solos from this American romantic composer. (When this theme is reprised it is played by the oboe’s close relative, the English horn).

Max Bruch (1838–1920) was a leading German composer of the Romantic era whose list of works numbers close to 100, and includes three symphonies, three violin concertos and many other works for solo instrument with orchestra. However, he is now known primarily for his Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, which is the second work on our program. The extremely influential virtuoso Joseph Joachim gave the premiere of the standard version of this concerto in 1868, and many years later stated that “the Germans have four violin concertos.” His list included the concertos of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and the Bruch G Minor, which he said was “the richest, the most seductive.”

The Symphony No. 3 of Beethoven (1770–1827), titled the “Eroica” by the composer, is among the most influential works in the history of music, and particularly in the symphonic form. Its 50 minute length is roughly twice that of the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. The climax of the development section of its first movement contains chords with a dissonance level never before heard. The second movement funeral march (Marcia Funebre) simply disintegrates at its conclusion. The central section (Trio) of the third movement scherzo features some of the most difficult horn parts ever composed. The finale is based on a simple dance tune which Beethoven utilized in several other works; see Maestro Eckerling’s column on the next page for more on Beethoven and this tune.

The “Eroica” (1804) was originally dedicated to Napoleon, but Beethoven crossed out the dedication on the score when he learned that Napoleon had declared himself an Emperor. The theme of heroism remains, however, and is typified by the key of E Flat Major, which is particularly kind to the French horn. One of the most remarkable features of the “Eroica” is that all of its large scope and grandeur is achieved with the relatively small orchestral forces of a Mozart or Haydn symphony, but with the addition of only one instrument — a third horn!

— David Ellis