PROGRAM
Performed on May 12, 2018 at Crouse Hinds Concert Theater
Jon Nakamatsu,piano; Lawrence Loh conductor
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Concerto, Piano, No.5, op.73, E-flat major (Emperor)
Performed on May 12, 2018 at Crouse Hinds Concert Theater
Lawrence Loh conductor
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No.10, op.93, E minor
PROGRAM NOTES
Tonight’s concert pairs monumental works that mark major historical shifts. The Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) is arguably the first of the great romantic piano concertos; and while important symphonies continue to be written, the Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) is arguably the last in the line of great symphonies in the standard repertoire. Both were written by composers at the height of their powers; both were written in difficult political circumstances. Despite these parallels, however, they are more notable for their contrasts than for their similarities.
The Fifth Concerto was composed ...
Tonight’s concert pairs monumental works that mark major historical shifts. The Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) is arguably the first of the great romantic piano concertos; and while important symphonies continue to be written, the Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) is arguably the last in the line of great symphonies in the standard repertoire. Both were written by composers at the height of their powers; both were written in difficult political circumstances. Despite these parallels, however, they are more notable for their contrasts than for their similarities.
The Fifth Concerto was composed in 1809 in a war-torn Vienna that had just been captured by Napoleon—the man whom Beethoven angrily removed as the dedicatee of the Eroica Symphony when he declared himself emperor. (The con- certo’s nickname does not originate with Beethoven himself!) This political trauma was combined with physical trauma. Beethoven’s deafness, hardly helped by the bombardment of his city, had proceeded so far that he couldn’t perform the work at the premiere. Nonetheless, according to tonight’s soloist Jon Nakamatsu, it’s “probably the most positive and life-affirming music that he penned”—a sign that Beethoven could “write outside of himself.”
It is also, in Jon’s words, “a soloist’s piano concerto,” a work where the pianist comes “to the forefront” to a degree greater than in any previous piano concerto. “That’s obvious in the beginning, where there’s a cadenza after the first two mea- sures.” Jon points in particular to the contrast to the Fourth, composed four years earlier, which is “really a chamber work.” The mood in the Fifth “couldn’t be more different”—and the work could hardly have had a more profound effect on musical history. Chopin, Liszt, Brahms: in fact, “everyone who wrote a concerto after this” was influenced by it.
For all the thunder and virtuosity, though, the Fifth has its share of intimacy. In fact, says Jon, “my favorite moment is the most quiet moment in the piece”—surprisingly, a moment in which the piano doesn’t even play. “The opening of the second movement is absolutely the most sublime thing, even in instrumentation—muted strings just laying out the theme and the bass in pizzicatos. That is an unbelievable effect, it’s so poignant. My next favorite moment is when I get the theme, 30 or 50 bars later, and underneath the basses are pizzing the harmony, laying out the chordal structure of what I do. That is a pioneering moment in orchestration, showing how the most simple things can be absolutely the most thrilling.” Shostakovich greatly admired Beethoven. A talented pianist himself, he learned the Beethoven Third Concerto before he hit his teens, and he told his friend Krzysztof Meyer, “In Beethoven we have everything.” So it’s not particularly striking that, in a letter to composer/pianist Elmira Nazirova later made public by her pupil Aida Huseinova, he wrote, “I feel so pleased that you are playing Beethoven’s Fifth Concerto.” Or it be striking were it not for three resonant facts. First, Shostakovich had a life transforming crush on Elmira. Second, he wrote that letter on August 25, 1953, when he was nearing completion of the Tenth Symphony. Third, and most significant, he wrote that letter only a few days after announcing to Elmira that he had encoded her name into the Tenth’s third movement.
Encoded her name? Shostakovich, like many earlier composers (including Bach), enjoyed using the notes of the scale to spell out names. In particular, he used the motif DSCH (D-Eflat-C-B, using traditional German nomenclature) to refer to himself (using the German spelling of his name, D. Schostakowitsch). The DSCH motif comes up often in the Tenth: it appears clearly on piccolo, flute, and oboe about a minute into the third movement, for instance, and is even more evident when piccolo and flute whisper it three times to mark the movement’s poignant close.
Equally central, though, is a motif based on Elmira—EAEDA, or E-La-Mi- Re-A in the composer’s tortuous coding, which combines letter notation and solfege syllables (do, re, mi…). As Shostakovich pointed out to Elmira, it echoes the opening of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde—and it is shouted out by the horns over and over in the third movement. Despite this web of connections—the similarity of the circumstances of composition, the historical importance of the works, and the Elmira/Beethoven link—it’s hard to imagine two pieces less alike. The Beethoven is positive, life-affirming, forward- thinking, transparent in its orchestration, and direct in expression; as Jon puts it, the concerto boasts “really clear architecture.” The Shostakovich is angst-ridde (until the giddy DSCH-capped ending), conservative in idiom (closer to Mahler than to Schoenberg or even Stravinsky), frequently dense, and ambiguous in both form and meaning.
The Tenth begins with a long and often bleak Moderato, its emotions, in the words of conductor Larry Loh, “brewing underneath, from deep within his subconscious.” In 3/4 meter, unusual for an opening movement, it seems at times like a macabre waltz; and its huge outbursts are not really climaxes because they don’t seem to resolve anything. There are many symphonic first movements—the Tchaikovsky Fourth offers a prime example—that could stand on their own; this one, in contrast, is unstable, ending irresolutely. So when the extraordinary violence of what Larry calls the “compact and intense” second movement erupts, we may feel jolted but not realy surprised. There’s little relief in the Elmira-soaked third movement, where, Larry says, “the climax is just as terrifying.” Indeed, things only brighten three or four minutes into the finale, where a mournful introduction suddenly breaks into what Larry calls a “peppy, upbeat theme. ”The darkness reappears briefly, and just as we are left wondering where we will end up, we get “the most incredibly light and upbeat ending, like a carnival.”
So what does it all mean?? In the score’s preface, Shostakovich insists that the first movement avoids the tragic; in the notes to the New York premiere, he’s quoted as claiming the work as a tribute to the creativity of the human spirit. Should we hear the Tenth as an optimistic vision? Perhaps. At the same time, we should remember that it was mainly written in the wake of a denunciation by the Soviet cultural apparatus in 1948. Should we hear it as a bitter attack on Stalin? Perhaps. But we know that it was written during his infatuation with Elmira. Should we hear it as a frustrated love-letter or more generally as a confession of his own frailties? It’s hard to know. Still, whatever you take from this symphony, it leaves you transformed. The Tenth is not as popular as the Fifth (although it comes close), not as monumental as the Seventh, not as radical as the Second, Third, and Fourth. It is, however, the most profound of his orchestral works and the one that invites the widest range of responses from both performers and listeners.
Peter J. Rabinowitz
Have comments or questions? Contact me at prabinowitz@ExperienceSymphoria.org
FEATURED ARTISTS
The distinguished American pianist Jon Nakamatsu – known internationally for the panache and elegance of his solo, concerto, and chamber performances – has become a favorite with audiences throughout the world. Of Mr. Nakamatsu’s January 2019 performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Ward Stare, ...
The distinguished American pianist Jon Nakamatsu – known internationally for the panache and elegance of his solo, concerto, and chamber performances – has become a favorite with audiences throughout the world. Of Mr. Nakamatsu’s January 2019 performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Ward Stare, David Raymond of Rochester City Newspaper wrote:
[Beethoven’s] Second Piano Concerto also strikes me as a work that is smack in the middle of Jon
Nakamatsu’s sweet spot as an interpreter. “Elegant” can be a two-edged adjective in describing a performance; Nakamatsu’s finely judged reading of this concerto was not only drop-dead elegant, but also full of Beethoven’s signature energy. The pianist added just enough percussiveness to lyrical passages to keep them from drooping, and his playing of the “Adagio” was hypnotic, particularly at the end: wonderfully focused and wonderfully poetic.
—February 1, 2019
Mr. Nakamatsu will perform as soloist with Austin Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony under the aegis of the Cliburn, and Symphony Silicon Valley. He collaborates with the Miró Quartet in two programs at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in summer 2019, and appears in chamber concerts with the Jupiter and Modigliani Quartets, as well as Imani Winds. Recital performances include engagements with the Steinway Society of the Bay Area, International Classical Concerts of the Desert, Reynolds Chamber Concerts, and Chamber Music San Francisco.
Mr. Nakamatsu has been an active guest soloist with leading orchestras throughout his career, including the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Boise Philharmonic, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Bozeman Symphony, Cape Cod Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Fresno Philharmonic, Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Helena Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Las Cruces Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Meridian Symphony, Milan Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Chile, Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, San Jose Wind Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Stockton Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Symphoria Syracuse, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Toledo Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. His numerous summer engagements have included appearances at the Aspen, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Caramoor, Vail, Wolftrap, Colorado, Aloha International Piano, and Britt festivals, as well as the Chautauqua Festival, where he has served as Artist in Residence since the Summer of 2018.
Among the many chamber ensembles with which Mr. Nakamatsu has collaborated are the Brentano, Escher, Jupiter, Miami, Tokyo, Parker, Prazak, St. Lawrence, and Ying String Quartets, the San Jose and Mission Chamber Orchestra, and Imani Winds. He also tours frequently with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet and in 2008 debuted on the Philharmonic’s chamber music series performing with the Quintet and members of the orchestra. That same year, the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo released its first CD (Brahms Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano) which received the highest praise from The New York Times Classical Music Editor James R. Oestreich, who named it a “Best of the Year” choice for 2008. In addition to their joint concert performances Mr. Nakamatsu and Mr. Manasse serve as Artistic Directors of the esteemed Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, founded by pianist Samuel Sanders in 1979.
Mr. Nakamatsu has collaborated with such esteemed conductors as James Conlon, Philippe Entremont, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Gerard Schwarz, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Michael Tilson Thomas and Osmo Vänskä. In 1999, Mr. Nakamatsu performed at the White House at the special invitation of President and Mrs. Clinton. Other engagements include solo recitals with the American Beethoven Society, University of Georgia, Athens, Arts Council of Moore County, and International Classical Concerts of the Desert, as well as solo performances in New Jersey, Pensacola, FL, Waco, TX, Japan’s Okinawa and Miyako Islands, and several cities throughout the state of California.
He records exclusively for harmonia mundi USA, and has released twelve CDs to date. All have garnered high critical praise. Notable releases include an all-Gershwin recording with Jeff Tyzik and the Rochester Philharmonic featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F which rose to number three on Billboard’s classical music charts and a trio disc of works by Brahms, Beethoven, and Weber with Mr. Manasse and cellist Clive Greensmith, which has elicited brilliant reviews from The New York Times (“Mr. Nakamatsu’s fleet-fingered clarity enhancing the vivacious outer movements and all three playing with deep expression in the Adagio”), Gramophone (“a most enjoyable disc, beautifully played and recorded, with the three players joining together to make a perfect ensemble”), and audiophile edition (“Every once in a while a disc comes along so good that I would award it six stars if my editor allowed such things”).
A high school teacher of German with no formal conservatory training, Jon Nakamatsu’s electrifying performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto won him the Gold Medal at the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition amidst a field of experienced competition warriors. Mr. Nakamatsu had studied privately with the late Marina Derryberry from the age of six, and worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, son of the great pianist Artur Schnabel. He also studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein of the Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California, and pursued extensive studies in chamber music and musicology. Mr. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in German Studies and a master’s degree in Education. In the fall of 2016, Jon Nakamatsu joined the piano faculty of the prestigious San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Described as bringing an “artisan storyteller’s sensitivity… shaping passages with clarity and power via beautifully sculpted dynamics… revealing orchestral character not seen or heard before” (Arts Knoxville) Lawrence Loh enjoys a dynamic career as a conductor of orchestras all over the world.
After an extensive two ...
Described as bringing an “artisan storyteller’s sensitivity… shaping passages with clarity and power via beautifully sculpted dynamics… revealing orchestral character not seen or heard before” (Arts Knoxville) Lawrence Loh enjoys a dynamic career as a conductor of orchestras all over the world.
After an extensive two year search, Lawrence Loh was recently named Music Director of the Waco Symphony Orchestra beginning in the Spring of 2024. Since 2015, he has served as Music Director of The Syracuse Orchestra (formerly called Symphoria), the successor to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. “The connection between the organization and its audience is one of the qualities that’s come to define Syracuse’s symphony as it wraps up its 10th season, a milestone that might have seemed impossible at the beginning,” (Syracuse.com) The Syracuse Orchestra and Lawrence Loh show that it is possible to create a “new, more sustainable artistic institution from the ground up.”
Appointed Assistant Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2005, Mr Loh was quickly promoted to Associate and Resident Conductor within the first three years of working with the PSO. Always a favorite among Pittsburgh audiences, Loh returns frequently to his adopted city to conduct the PSO in a variety of concerts. Mr. Loh previously served as Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Syracuse Opera, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.
Mr. Loh’s recent guest conducting engagements include the San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, National Symphony (D.C.), Utah Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Symphony and the Cathedral Choral Society at the Washington National Cathedral. His summer appearances include the festivals of Grant Park, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Tanglewood with the Boston Pops, Chautauqua, Sun Valley, Shippensburg, Bravo Vail Valley, the Kinhaven Music School and the Performing Arts Institute (PA).
As a self-described “Star Wars geek” and film music enthusiast, Loh has conducted numerous sold-out John Williams and film music tribute concerts. Part of his appeal is his ability to serve as both host and conductor. “It is his enthusiasm for Williams’ music and the films for which it was written that is Loh’s great strength in this program. A fan’s enthusiasm drives his performances in broad strokes and details and fills his speaking to the audience with irresistible appeal. He used no cue cards. One felt he could speak at filibuster length on Williams’ music.” (Pittsburgh Tribune)
Mr Loh has assisted John Williams on multiple occasions and has worked with a wide range of pops artists from Chris Botti and Ann Hampton Callaway to Jason Alexander and Idina Menzel. As one of the most requested conductors for conducting Films in Concert, Loh has led Black Panther, Star Wars (Episodes 4-6), Jaws, Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and Singin’ in the Rain, among other film productions.
Lawrence Loh received his Artist Diploma in Orchestral Conducting from Yale, his Masters in Choral Conducting from Indiana University and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester. Lawrence Loh was born in southern California of Korean parentage and raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jennifer have a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Hilary. Follow him on instagram @conductorlarryloh or Facebook at @lawrencelohconductor or visit his website, www.lawrenceloh.com