The composer poured some of his most affectionate
melody into the work, one tune popularized in Eric
Carmen’s 1976 pop hit All By Myself. In his 2005 book,
Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings, Max Harrison
describes the concerto’s “immediate emotional
power and yearning insistence.’’ But he also cites
what he believes are weaknesses: the lingering key of
E flat major in first movement, the similar themes of
the outer movements, and the relatively neutral piano
chords of the climax. The work ends with a turn from
the dark key of C minor to the sunny key of C major –
not unlike how Beethoven finishes a famous work also
performed on tonight’s program.
Many pianists have built careers around performing
the work, and audiences never seem to tire of its lush,
bravura score. Years ago, when the pianist Garrick
Ohlsson appeared with TFO, he shared his insight and
enthusiasm: “In the world of art and music, there are
certain works that are perfect, and the Rachmaninoff
Second is perfect,” he said in an interview. “It has a
flawless, heavenly quality to it. It’s a romantic journey
from despair to triumph, full of brooding tragedy
and some of the most gorgeous tunes ever written.
It sounds as if this piece dropped out of heaven fully
formed.”
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Duration: ca. 31 minutes
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony very well may be the most
famous piece of symphonic music ever written. If the
iconic opening notes – da da da dumm! – suffer under
the weight of countless cultural reinventions, the
work as a whole, in four economical and interrelated
movements, has aged without wrinkles since its
premiere 210 years ago.
The Fifth is ubiquitous, siphoned through television
commercials, the era of disco, video games, and too
many movies to mention. TFO has programmed it
nearly 15 times since the 1990s, and the nation’s
oldest orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, holds
the record with more than 500 performances over the
years.
It would be fair to say, however, that the symphony
exists in two forms: the famed burst of three Gs and
an E flat, and all the rest that comes after. Everybody
knows the opening, but listening to Beethoven’s
entire argument is one of music’s most rewarding
experiences. Why? Because of what the composer
does with those four simple notes over roughly 30
minutes.
No, they don’t go away after the first movement.
During tonight’s concert, listen carefully and you’ll
THE FLORIDA OR 38 CHESTRA | 2018-2019
hear them in the following three movements, in
different guises, recycled over and over. This gives the
symphony its drive, its concision, and its power.
Famous as they are, what do these notes mean?
Endless discussions on the topic will remain just that –
endless – because the Fifth is a piece of absolute music
without reference to a story or program. It is music for
music’s sake. It rebels against labels and descriptions,
and most explanations fail to capture its essence. Some
have come close, such as the poet E.T.A. Hoffman, a
contemporary of Beethoven who said the composer’s
music, including the Fifth, “sets in motion the lever of
fear, awe, of horror, of suffering, and wakens just that
infinite longing which is the essence of Romanticism.’’
Beethoven’s first biographer, the less-than dependable
Anton Schindler, called it “fate knocking at the door,’’
a moniker he attributed, falsely, to Beethoven himself.
Veterans of World War II knew it as three dots and a
dash: Morse code for the letter V – the symbol of the
Allied victory in Europe and the triumph over Nazi
tyranny. Maybe the best description of all came from
the conductor Arturo Toscanini, who called the opening
of the symphony simply Allegro con brio and nothing
more. Regardless of its meaning, or lack of meaning, the
pulse and daring simplicity of the music led Tolstoy – a
master of literary pontification – to say the Fifth fulfilled
the demand for “an art comprehensible by all men.’’
The world heard the Fifth for the first time on Dec. 22,
1808, in Vienna. The concert stretched four hours and
included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6; the concert aria
Ah! Perfido; two sections from the Mass in C; the Piano
Concerto No. 4 with the composer at the keyboard; the
Symphony No. 5; a piano improvisation by Beethoven;
and the Choral Fantasy for Piano, Orchestra, and Chorus.
The audience had heard nothing like the Fifth. The
opening notes launched an arching design in which
form takes precedence over melody. After the
electrifying opening in the dark key of C minor –
which left the Viennese flabbergasted – the second
movement introduced a series of double variations,
as solace after the storm.
The third movement, a scherzo, is the symphony’s
pivot point. It echoes the opening four-note theme in
hushed strings and muted timpani before unleashing
a blast of horns, bringing on the fourth movement
without a break. Darkness gives way to light with a
radiant explosion that turns C minor to C major – one
of the most memorable climaxes in all music.
Program notes by Kurt Loft, a freelance writer and
former music critic for The Tampa Tribune. © 2018
Program Notes