Program Notes
Like the Fourth Symphony, the Eighth is something
of an orphan in Beethoven’s canon, often ignored
in comparison to the more powerful odd-numbered
works. The shortest of his symphonies, the Eighth
is almost polite in character, introducing itself from
the get-go without a mood-setting preamble. In a
salute to tradition, Beethoven cast the four brief
movements in a cheerful light that belies what’s
underneath: a potent originality that packs a lot
into a little.
“Many people believe it’s his most perfect
symphony,’’ said TFO Music Director Michael Francis.
“It’s his most condensed and pure symphony, like
the Sibelius on this program. There’s not a single
wasted note.’’
The symphony opens with a dance-like theme
Beethoven had originally sketched for a piano
concerto, but this isn’t the sound of Haydn’s time.
The richer texture comes from the larger forces
Beethoven organized for the premiere in 1814: 36
violins, 14 violas, a dozen cellos, and seven basses.
In the brief allegretto, Beethoven parodies the
newly invented metronome of the time by scoring
much of the movement in abrupt “tick-tock’’
staccatos. The third movement minuet echoes the
feel of a courtly dance, and the finale explodes in
high spirits and sends the musicians scurrying to an
energetic climax.
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3 IN D MINOR, OP. 30
Duration: ca. 39 minutes
Like Mozart and Beethoven before him,
Rachmaninoff was a highly respected pianist in
his day, and his talent earned him sizeable sums
on concert tours. He was a connoisseur’s artist,
impeccably trained from a young age and armed
THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2019-2020
with a formidable musical mind, large hands, and
perfect pitch. He also was dismissed by some critics
as a gushing romantic.
His favor in today’s concert halls is no quirk or
stylish trend. He never turned his back on the
romantic in music, and he may be regarded as the
most impassioned of all 20th-century composers. He
spent his life exploring the creative possibilities of
the piano, and with his knack for writing a nostalgic
tune – and a penchant for melancholy – he has
remained an audience favorite. In fact, the single
most performed piece of classical music among
American orchestras today is his Piano Concerto No. 2.
Although less popular, the Piano Concerto No. 3
is a deeper, more cohesive work with a mature
development of themes. Completed in 1909,
it unfolds on a grand scale, with a sweeping
emotional range and lyricism. The first movement
opens with a foreboding diatonic melody that
eventually leads to a series of furious climaxes
and a knuckle-breaking keyboard cadenza – one
reason the third Piano Concerto was called the
Mount Everest of piano concertos in the 1996
Academy Award-winning film Shine.
If the soloist survives, woodwinds take up the
action with a return to the main theme and
a gentle close by the orchestra. The middle
movement revolves around a poignant melody
in F sharp minor, and the finale flows without
pause into a set of variations on ideas introduced
earlier, which lends an organic wholeness to the
entire work.
“It’s the leviathan of piano concertos,’’ said TFO
Music Director Michael Francis. “And it balances
the two symphonies on this program very well.’’
Program notes © 2020 by Kurt Loft, a freelance writer
and former music critic for The Tampa Tribune.
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