Beethoven, Overture to "Egmont" – The Incident at Teplice

Bettina von Arnim, née Brentano, was a somewhat fanciful writer who had the good fortune to meet Beethoven and Goethe, as well as many other artists of the time. As she told – twenty years after the facts – she was the one who conceived the encounter of both universal artists in the small thermal city of Teplice, in July of 1812, when Beethoven spent the summer there to follow the treatments prescribed by his doctors. She also is who narrates the famous incident, when Beethoven and Goethe met the archduke Rodolfo and the empress, during a walk.

The incident
According to Bettina, Beethoven, who was twenty years younger than the elder Goethe, whispered in Goethe's ear as they passed the imperial princes: keep walking, take my arm, they are the ones who have to give us the step, not the other way around. But the poet respectfully stepped aside and took off his hat. Beethoven, on the other hand, continued his march unperturbed, without answering the greeting of the imperial family. After a while, he stopped to wait for Goethe. When he had him at his side, he said: "I have waited for you because I have great respect for you, and I admire your work, but it seems to me that you show too much esteem for these people". Bettina does not say what Goethe would have replied.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(1749 - 1832)

Goethe's impression
Nothing was said at the time, we suppose, but Goethe did have an impression of the encounter, though not a very encouraging one.
In a later letter to his "musical assistant", Carl Zelter, he described Beethoven as "a surly and hostile personality who, although he is not wrong in saying that the world is detestable, does not make the slightest effort to make it more livable or bearable...".
However, in a letter to his wife around the same time, he expresses that Beethoven's talent had impressed him, for he had never before seen "a more concentrated, more energetic, and more profound artist." 

"Egmont", incidental music
In contrast to other opportunities, musical assistant Zelter had no objections when Goethe decided to send Beethoven his tragedy "Egmont" in 1809 for the Bonn master to write the incidental music. Beethoven saw in it one more opportunity for glory and applied himself to the work with zeal. Very respectful, almost flattering, he thus wrote to Goethe announcing that he had already completed the commission.

"You will soon receive my music for Egmont, this wonderful drama which I read and felt and set to music with you warmly in mind. I am anxious to know what you think of it. Even censure will be beneficial to me and to my art, and will be as welcome as unreserved praise."

It is clear that Beethoven admired "unreservedly" the "greatest German poet", in his own words.

The drama
Goethe's work is about freedom. And it was this that excited Beethoven, who had already ventured into the subject with his opera Fidelio. The story of Egmont (a real character) takes place during the Spanish Inquisition's persecution of the Flemish people in the mid-16th century. Egmont is a Catholic count who is eventually killed even though the rebellion ends successfully.

Overture and nine scenes
The first performance of Goethe's drama with music by Beethoven took place on June 15, 1810. The complete work consists of nine scenes plus the overture, which opens in a somber mood, sostenuto ma non-troppo, depicting darkness and oppression. The subsequent allegro brings to mind the heroism of the struggle. Finally, the piece concludes in a triumphant and celebratory mood.

The rendition is by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, led by the German conductor Kurt Masur.

György Ligeti, Poème Symphonique for 100 Metronomes

The Dutchman Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel invented the metronome in 1814 but forgot to patent it. His compatriot Johann Maelzel, more astute, took some ideas from him and in 1816 patented the device that since then musicians have used to keep a regular tempo while practicing. The same year, the shrewd entrepreneur began to manufacture it under the name of "Maelzel Metronome".
Soon after, Beethoven learned of the existence of the new gadget, and raised a ruckus. He claimed that for the new, free and untethered music of romanticism, the device was an aberration. Nevertheless, he was one of the first to use it, and to publish works with metronomic indication.

Ligeti's idea

Neither Winkel, Maelzel, nor Beethoven imagined that one hundred and fifty years later, a composer would use the device as a musical instrument. But there was no lack of precedents. Ravel, for example, used three metronomes at different speeds, at the beginning of his opera "The Spanish Hour". But the use of it as the sole instrument in charge of the complete work only occurred to the Hungarian composer György Ligeti, who in 1963 premiered before an astonished audience the work composed the previous year, Poème Symphonique for 100 Metronomes, 10 performers, and a conductor... the author.

György Ligeti (1923 - 2006)

The reception

The singular performance took place in Holland, in a very circumspect ceremony intended to conclude a series of concerts and conferences on new music that had taken place in the city of Hilversum, in whose municipality Ligeti's symphonic poem was heard for the first time, before the astonished ears (if ears could be astonished) of politicians and local dignitaries.

In due time, the one hundred metronomes were arranged at the established speeds, and the ten performers started them up at Ligeti's precise indication. Then, the performers and conductor left the stage, to return for receiving the applause about thirty minutes later. Naturally, the applause was sparse. It had been arranged for the ceremony to be televised, and so it was, but its broadcast had to be canceled by order of the City Council.

Rhythm, Ligeti's fascination

Celebrated as one of the greatest composers of contemporary music, György Ligeti had always shown a special attraction for the combination of musical lines resting on different rhythms and tempi. This work is based on that approach, and the metronomes – an arbitrary "instrument", it could have been any other –, fully serve that purpose.

Although the concept is odd, the work is still interesting from a rhythmic perspective. In the beginning, it is absolute chaos, but little by little distinguishable rhythmic patterns emerge (perhaps randomly, I think). As some devices are "muted", the silence begins to compete for the limelight. Finally, there is only one "operative" metronome left. Then, only silence.

The "symphonic poem" begins at minute 1:35. Before, two girls, speaking French, introduce the work.
The version, of course, reduced, is by French "metronomists".

Verdi: La Traviata - Overture - Premiére

From Giuseppe Verdi's epistolary, perhaps the best-known letter is the one he sent to a friend the day after the premiere of La Traviata, on March 6, 1853. In it, he expressed his surprise at the ungrateful reception. At the same time, he was confident – he was forty and famous and was living comfortably – that time would resolve the doubts: "La Traviata, last night, a failure. Will the fault be mine or the singers'? Time will tell". Time gave its verdict and proved Verdi right: throughout the twentieth century and so far in the twenty-first, the work has remained at the top of the most performed operas in the world.

The initial rejection
It is true that the prima donna chosen, or rather, the prima donna that the Teatro La Fenice of Venice imposed for the role of Violetta, was somewhat overweight to play a young woman suffering from a disease that visibly weakens her.

Fanny Salvino-Donatelli,
the first Violeta

As if that were not enough, the soprano, Fanny Salvino-Donatelli, was no longer so young, around 38 years old. But, apparently, the audience's rejection was not directed exclusively or preferentially to her but to the tenor and the baritone on which the second act rest (too little rehearsal perhaps), because it was only then that the boos and laughter began.

Indeed, during the overture and the entire first act, the audience listened respectfully, attentively and with pleasure. And since Violeta's involvement in Act I is outstanding, it must be concluded that history has been unfair to the excellent singer who was the soprano Salvino-Donatelli, even if the opportunity caught her somewhat stout and she were no longer so young.

Overture, or Prelude to Act I

As is known, the work is based on a theatrical adaptation of the novel by Alexandre Dumas junior, La Dame aux Camélias.

In the prelude or overture, Verdi made use of Dumas' narrative resources by musically telling the story from the end, as Dumas does in his novel. Thus, the overture begins with the theme of Violetta's agony, sad and melancholic, which, however, gives rise to a surprising link with the festive and joyful theme that will accompany the party held at Violetta's house, the revelry portrayed in the image at the head of this article.

The performance is by the Milan Symphony Orchestra "Giuseppe Verdi", led by the Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang.

P. I. Tchaikovsky, piano Concerto No 2 - Andante

Nikolai Rubinstein had been rather bitter when Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky made him listen to his first piano concerto, at Christmas 1874. On the occasion, the eminent pianist vilified the work even though he was later to become one of its most applauded performers. So when he received the first sketches of the second work for piano and orchestra on which Tchaikovsky had decided to venture six years later, maestro Rubinstein was extremely cautious, making very thoughtful and careful remarks.

And although relations had somewhat deteriorated, Tchaikovsky thought of rededicating his second concerto to Rubinstein, in recognition of the popularity the first one was enjoying thanks to the performances the talented Rubinstein was giving. He let his patroness Nadezhda von Meck know this, adding that although he was somewhat concerned about Rubinstein's opinion, he simply hoped that on this occasion the lapse of time between the first critical impression of the gifted pianist and the performance of the concerto would be shorter.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
(1840 - 1893)

Looking for a suitable performer
But there was no such lapse. Rubinstein managed to give his opinion (closing his impressions with a respectful "but perhaps I am wrong"), thanked for the dedication, but was unable to perform the work, as he died soon after, in March 1881. In the ensuing search for a suitable Russian interpreter, the premiere had to be performed in New York by an American pianist in November of the same year. Four months later, the Russian premiere took place in March 1882, with a former disciple of Tchaikovsky at the piano, and in the conduction, Anton Rubinstein, former composition teacher of the maestro and brother of the acclaimed pianist and dedicatee of the work.

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in G major, op 44

The work is unusually long, lasting about three-quarters of an hour for its complete performance. Initially, it was even longer, and Tchaikovsky himself had to agree to shorten it before its final publication in 1880.

2nd movement - Andante
The work is in three movements, structured in the typical manner (fast-slow-fast movements).
Presented here is the second, the slow movement, andante non troppo, a page full of serenity and beauty, in a rendition by the remarkable Russian pianist Boris Berezovski, accompanied by the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the Russian maestro Dmitri Liss.
The movement is opened by the cello, followed by the violin. The piano makes its entrance only at 3:20 minutes, with restrained drama.

Jan K.J. Neruda, Concerto for trumpet and string orchestra

 
The dates of birth and death of the today almost forgotten Czech composer Jan Krtitel Jiri Neruda (Germanized his names as Johann Baptiste Georg), remain so far wholly uncertain. It is assumed that he was born around 1708 in Bohemia – today part of the Czech Republic – and died in Dresden around 1780.

The Neruda family, of course, cultivated music. A brother of Jan, as well as one of his sons, were musicians. However, no relation exists with the cellist of the romantic era Alois Neruda, and neither is there with the poet of the XIX century Jan Nepomuk Neruda, from whom Neftalí Reyes, the Chilean poet, took his name to become Pablo Neruda.

Konzertmeister in Dresden
Jan Neruda studied violin in Prague while working as a violinist in a theater orchestra, where he remained until 1750 when he joined the Dresden court orchestra, becoming later its konzertmeister (its concertmaster, that is to say, the first violin). He was a notable court composer of the time. Along with sacred works, an opera, and several trio sonatas, he produced 18 symphonies and wrote 14 concertos for various instruments, including the most renowned, the Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major.

Concerto for trumpet and string orchestra in E flat major
The work, a little gem of the late baroque, was composed sometime in the period between 1740 and 1775. It was originally written for the instrument of the time known as "corno di caccia" (or in French, trompe de chasse), widely used by Bach and Haendel, whose mouthpiece was very similar to that of the modern trumpet, hence the work can be performed today without much difficulty using the modern instrument.

Movements
00        Allegro - In allegro sonata form, is very Mozart-like according to scholars, which at first seems odd but is not so strange since Mozart was almost 20 years old by the time Neruda may have finished the work.
06:37  Largo - Also in the key of E-flat, a lovely bit in the style of an aria da capo (A-B-A form).
12:29  Vivace - Written in ternary time signature, also in E-flat (I imagine because of the limitations of the original instrument), a flowing and powerful line.

The performance is by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Goiás, Brazil, conducted by Eliseu Ferreira. As a soloist, Heinz Schwebel.