The Philadelphia Orchestra

Vladimir Jurowski ConductorAlina Ibragimova Violin

Anderson The Stations of the Sun First Philadelphia Orchestra performances

Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218 I. Allegro II. Andante cantabile III. Rondeau: Andante grazioso—Allegro ma non troppo

Intermission

Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 a. Dawn— b. Of the Backworldsmen— c. Of the Great Longing— d. Of Joys and Passions— e. Grave-Song— f. Of Science— g. The Convalescent— h. The Dance-Song— i. The Night-Wanderer’s Song

This program runs approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes.

designates a work that is part of the 40/40 Project, which features pieces not performed on subscription concerts in at least 40 years.

Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM. Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details.

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Season 2014-2015Thursday, October 23, at 8:00Friday, October 24, at 2:00Saturday, October 25, at 8:00

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The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of imagination and innovation on and off the concert stage. The Orchestra is transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging—and exceeding—that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike since his inaugural season in 2012. Under his leadership the Orchestra returned to recording with a celebrated CD of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions on the Deutsche Grammophon label, continuing its history of recording success. The Orchestra also reaches thousands of listeners on the radio with weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts on WRTI-FM.

Philadelphia is home, and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center, and also with those who enjoy the Orchestra’s other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, and other cultural, civic, and learning venues. The Orchestra maintains a strong commitment to collaborations with cultural and community organizations on a regional and national level.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The ensemble annually performs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center while also enjoying summer residencies in Saratoga Springs, New York, and Vail, Colorado.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a decades-long tradition of presenting learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages. The Orchestra’s recent initiative, the Fabulous Philadelphians Offstage, Philly Style!, has taken musicians off the traditional concert stage and into the community, including highly-successful Pop-Up concerts, PlayINs, SingINs, and ConductINs. The Orchestra’s musicians, in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors, serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music, nurturing and celebrating the wealth of musicianship in the Philadelphia region. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Jessica Griffin

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Music DirectorMusic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin continues his inspired leadership of The Philadelphia Orchestra, which began in the fall of 2012. His highly collaborative style, deeply rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called Nézet-Séguin “phenomenal,” adding that under his baton, “the ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has never sounded better.” He has taken the Orchestra to new musical heights. Highlights of his third season as music director include an Art of the Pipe Organ festival; the 40/40 Project, in which 40 great compositions that haven’t been heard on subscription concerts in at least 40 years will be performed; and Bernstein’s MASS, the pinnacle of the Orchestra’s five-season requiem cycle.

Yannick has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most exciting talents of his generation. He has been music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic since 2008 and artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000. He also continues to enjoy a close relationship with the London Philharmonic, of which he was principal guest conductor. He has made wildly successful appearances with the world’s most revered ensembles, and he has conducted critically acclaimed performances at many of the leading opera houses.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Deutsche Grammophon (DG) enjoy a long-term collaboration. Under his leadership The Philadelphia Orchestra returned to recording with a CD on that label of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions. He continues a fruitful recording relationship with the Rotterdam Philharmonic on DG, EMI Classics, and BIS Records; the London Philharmonic and Choir for the LPO label; and the Orchestre Métropolitain for ATMA Classique.

A native of Montreal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin studied at that city’s Conservatory of Music and continued lessons with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini and with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Among Yannick’s honors are an appointment as Companion of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors; a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canada’s National Arts Centre Award; the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts in Quebec; and honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec in Montreal and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

To read Yannick’s full bio, please visit www.philorch.org/conductor.

Chris Lee

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ConductorOne of today’s most sought-after conductors, Vladimir Jurowski is a frequent guest with The Philadelphia Orchestra, with which he made his debut in 2005. He made his international debut in 1995 at the Wexford Festival conducting Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night, and the same year made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Verdi’s Nabucco. Mr. Jurowski was appointed principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic in 2003 and became principal conductor in September 2007. From 2001 to 2013 he served as music director of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. He is also principal artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and artistic director of the Russian State Academic Symphony. As a guest he has conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Boston and Chicago symphonies, and the Dresden Staatskapelle.

In addition to these current performances, highlights of the season and beyond include return visits to the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; tours with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; and a unique project with the London Sinfonietta in Moscow to celebrate the Anglo-Russian Year of Cultural Exchange. Mr. Jurowski made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1999 with Verdi’s Rigoletto and has since returned for Janáček’s Jenůfa, Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Mr. Jurowski’s discography includes the first-ever recording of the cantata Exile by Giya Kancheli for ECM, Meyerbeer’s L’Étoile du Nord for Marco Polo, Massenet’s Werther for BMG, and a series of records for PentaTone with the Russian National Orchestra. The London Philharmonic has released a wide selection of his live recordings on its LPO Live label; recent releases include Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy and an album of orchestral works by the orchestra’s composer-in-residence, Julian Anderson. Mr. Jurowski’s tenure at Glyndebourne has been documented in numerous CD and DVD releases, including Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Rachmaninoff’s The Miserly Knight, all released by Medici Arts.

Sheila R

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SoloistViolinist Alina Ibragimova is making her Philadelphia Orchestra debut with these concerts. Performing music from Baroque to new commissions on both period and modern instruments, she has appeared with such ensembles as the London, WDR, Stuttgart Radio, and Seattle symphonies; the Konzerthausorchester Berlin; the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in Bremen; the Radio France Philharmonic; the Mariinsky Theatre and Hallé orchestras; London’s Philharmonia; the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; and all the BBC orchestras. Conductors with whom she has worked include Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vladimir Jurowski, John Eliot Gardiner, Valery Gergiev, Paavo Järvi, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Charles Mackerras, Mark Elder, Philippe Herreweghe, Osmo Vänskä, Hannu Lintu, Sakari Oramo, Ilan Volkov, Tugan Sokhiev, Jakub Hrůša, Ludovic Morlot, Edward Gardner, and Gianandrea Noseda.

Highlights among future concerto plans include return engagements with the London Symphony (Mozart with Bernard Haitink), the Bergen Philharmonic (Berg with Mr. Gardiner), and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Tchaikovsky), and a tour in Australia performing the Sibelius Concerto. Also upcoming are Ms. Ibragimova’s debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra (Sibelius with Juanjo Mena), the Montreal Symphony (Beethoven with Kent Nagano), the Hungarian National Philharmonic (Bartók with Zoltán Kocsis), the Bamberg Symphony (Ravel with Robin Ticciati), and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Schumann with Mr. Ticciati). Recital highlights include a complete Mozart sonata cycle at Wigmore Hall and at Oji Hall in Tokyo; a Lucerne Festival debut; and solo Bach recitals at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, the Gulbenkian Auditorium in Lisbon, the Barcelona Auditorium, and Oji Hall.

Born in Russia in 1985, Ms. Ibragimova studied at the Moscow Gnesin School before moving with her family to the U.K. in 1995, where she studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music. Her awards include the 2010 Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award, the 2008 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and the 2009 Classical BRIT Young Performer of the Year Award. She records for Hyperion Records and performs on a 1775 Anselmo Bellosio violin kindly provided by Georg von Opel.

Sussie A

hlburg

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Framing the ProgramThe concert today continues three programming themes this season: the 40/40 Project, the presentation of pieces that have not been performed on subscriptions concerts in at least the past 40 years—or ever; a month-long celebration of the “Art of the Pipe Organ,” featuring Verizon Hall’s majestic Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ; and a commemoration of the 150 anniversary of the birth of the great Richard Strauss.

The program opens with a piece, and in fact a composer, new to The Philadelphia Orchestra. Julian Anderson’s The Stations of the Sun tackles a theme that has proven attractive to many composers: the seasons. Vivaldi’s famous Baroque masterpiece was the first great instrumental exploration, Haydn’s oratorio was one of his most popular works, and the Philadelphians this year are presenting parts of Alexander Glazunov’s ballet.

Today we tend to think of Mozart principally as a preeminent composer while recognizing that in his own time he was also a great keyboard virtuoso. His performing skills in fact extended even further as he was one of the leading violinists of the day. His violin concertos—of which we hear the sprightly No. 4 in D major—date from relatively early in his career, as the piano preoccupied his full maturity.

The celebration of Strauss continues with Also sprach Zarathustra, a work the composer himself conducted with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1921 on the second of his two visits to America. Friedrich Nietzsche’s brilliant, puzzling, and disturbing philosophical meditation provided the impetus for this bold tone poem with its famous opening deploying the organ to full effect.

Parallel Events1775MozartViolin Concerto No. 4

1896StraussAlso sprach Zarathustra

1998AndersonThe Stations of the Sun

MusicPaisielloIl gran CidLiteratureAlfieriCleopatraArtChardinSelf-PortraitHistoryBeginning of American Revolution

MusicPucciniLa bohèmeLiteratureChekhovThe Sea GullArtLeightonClytieHistoryUtah becomes a state

MusicGubaidulinaIn the Shadow of the TreeLiteratureRowlingHarry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsArtHockneyA Bigger Grand CanyonHistoryGoogle is founded

The MusicThe Stations of the Sun

Julian AndersonBorn in London, April 6, 1967Now living there

British composer Julian Anderson’s compositional pedigree is remarkably varied. He studied at London’s Royal College of Music with John Lambert, a student of Nadia Boulanger. Then at Cambridge he was taught by Alexander Goehr, whose father had been a student of Schoenberg. Anderson also worked briefly with Tristan Murail, one of the pioneers of spectralism in music, and participated in courses taught by Olivier Messiaen, György Ligeti, Oliver Knussen, and Per Nørgård.

Multiple Influences This miscellany of influences—from neoclassical to ultramodern—has allowed Anderson to develop a diverse palette of musical options. And this has only been enhanced by his interest in non-Western musical cultures, especially the folk music of Eastern Europe and the modal melodic forms or ragas of sub-continental Indian classical music.

Anderson found early success with his first orchestral work, Diptych, from 1990, which won a composition prize from the Royal Philharmonic Society. Since then he has worked on major commissions for the BBC, the New York Philharmonic, and the London Sinfonietta, among numerous other esteemed ensembles. He has served as composer-in-residence for the Cleveland Orchestra and the London Philharmonic, and currently serves in that role at Wigmore Hall. Anderson has also pursued an academic career, serving as professor of composition at London’s Royal College of Music, at Harvard University, and presently at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is also a noted writer and presenter on music topics.

Inspired by the Seasons and their Customs One of Anderson’s earliest commissions from the BBC was for an orchestral piece to be performed at the 1998 Proms. For this occasion he produced The Stations of the Sun, a work for full orchestra inspired by the natural cycle of seasons and the rituals and ceremonies, both pagan and Christian, developed over the centuries to mark their passage. The title of the work is not derived from the seasons or rites themselves, however, but from the title of a groundbreaking 1996 book by Ronald Hutton. In his research, Hutton re-examined and challenged many of the stories and myths

Maurice Foxall

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surrounding (especially British) seasonal customs: the giving of Easter eggs, commemorating the winter solstice, May Day, Valentine’s traditions, Halloween, and so on. When Anderson read Hutton’s book soon after it was published, it immediately suggested to him a new orchestral piece.

Instead of approaching his subject literally, in a programmatic way, Anderson decided “to let the music take its own shape whilst keeping the idea of a seasonal cycle in mind as a background.” This overarching concept is expressed most simply in the work’s large-scale form: four connected sections (representing loosely the four seasons, perhaps) plus a coda. But within and between these sections there are more subtle musical interruptions and cross-references that multiply the work’s internal relationships.

A Closer Look Like Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Anderson’s Stations of the Sun begins with springtime, as an aviary of bird-like motifs emerges first in the woodwinds, spreading to pizzicato strings and finally expanding to brass and percussion. At the climax of this section, descending scales and sustained string chords then lead into a “slow movement.” Violins present a new theme that is varied until it becomes continuous, enriched with timbral colors and polyphonic treatments.

A lively dance for flutes and Japanese temple bells introduces a second scherzo, but it is quickly apparent that this scherzo is simply another variation of the same slow-movement theme. The theme is then revealed by the violins, horns, and trumpets (with bongo accompaniment) as a passage of Gregorian chant—“Alleluia: Adorabo ad templum”—layering the early Christian liturgy over the seasonal cycles of nature.

The trumpets draw out the plainchant melody into a longer “ecstatico” section where, the composer notes, “it is surrounded and eventually overwhelmed by carillons on the rest of the orchestra.” The music in this section also moves away briefly from traditional equal temperament and introduces a small number of microtonal chords (a legacy of Anderson’s studies in spectral music) to add resonance and color to the musical fabric.

The woodwind and drum dance resumes periodically, but is interrupted by other musical references. The tension between the dance and these interruptions builds polyphonically, leading into the work’s main climax, an “evocation of Easter with an explosion of bells, both real and imaginary.” Here the annual cycle has come full-circle,

The Stations of the Sun was composed in 1998.

These are the first Philadelphia Orchestra performances of the work, and the first time the ensemble has performed anything by the composer.

The score calls for three flutes (II and III doubling piccolo), three oboes (III doubling English horn), three clarinets (III doubling bass clarinet), three bassoons (III doubling contrabassoon), four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (anvil, bass drum, bongos, cabaza, clashed cymbals, congas, dinner bell, flexatone, glockenspiel, maracas, marimba, mass [sanctus] bells, metal chimes, mokubyo, rin, side drum, sizzle cymbal, sleigh bells, suspended cymbals, tambourine, tam-tams, tavolette, tom-toms, triangles, tubular bells, tumbas, tuned gongs, turkish cymbal, vibraphone, vibraslaps, woodblocks), harp, piano, celesta, and strings.

Performance time is approximately 17 minutes.

beginning with a representation of spring as a natural phenomenon and culminating in its celebration as a Christian rite.

In similar fashion to Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Anderson includes an additional section that both confirms the temporal cycles of nature and suggests a departure from those cycles. This coda consists almost exclusively of a single six-octave modal chord, built over a bass pedal-point on D, and around which the earlier harmonic and melodic motifs congregate in the work’s only true tutti passage. But just as this coda appears to dissipate in a tremulous decrescendo, Anderson adds a sudden “zoom” at the conclusion, suggesting (as he explains) “the beginning of something new, which is cut off before we can fully glimpse it.”

—Luke Howard

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The MusicViolin Concerto No. 4

Wolfgang Amadè MozartBorn in Salzburg, January 27, 1756Died in Vienna, December 5, 1791

“I played Vanhal’s B-flat Violin Concerto, to general applause,” the young Mozart wrote to his father from Augsburg in 1777, where he was a musical guest of the court. “That evening I played my ‘Strassburg’ Concerto [probably K. 216] during dinner. It flowed like oil; everyone praised my beautiful, pure tone.” Mozart could hardly be accused of boasting here, for he was indeed a violinist of considerable accomplishment. “You yourself do not even know how well you play the violin,” Leopold wrote back to him. “If only you will do yourself credit and play with energy, with your whole heart and mind—just as if you were the greatest violinist in Europe.” The elder Mozart, who was also a well-known violinist, knew what he was talking about: In 1756 he had published the most influential violin teaching treatise of the era. Nor was the stern Leopold prone to puffery, least of all where his son was concerned; in fact he was probably Wolfgang’s toughest critic.

A Prodigy on Both Violin and Piano Despite his mastery of the violin, however, the young Mozart virtually abandoned it as a virtuoso vehicle after the 1770s. By the time he moved to Vienna in 1782, he was far more interested in another instrument, whose popularity throughout Europe was on the rise: the fortepiano. In Vienna careers and fortunes were being made on the piano, and it was only natural that the ambitious Mozart—whose keyboard virtuosity had probably always exceeded his skills on the violin—should embrace the instrument that was his first love. He would ultimately compose nearly 30 concertos for fortepiano, works he programmed on subscription concerts to great acclaim.

In contrast his five verifiably authentic concertos for violin were the product of the years 1773-75, when the teenaged virtuoso was still in the service of the Salzburg court of the tyrannical Archbishop Colloredo. The concertos were composed chiefly for practical purposes—performed by the composer himself, or perhaps by the court violinist Antonio Brunetti—intended for outdoor evening concerts or for use during Catholic Mass, where the performance of symphonies and concertos was common practice. Thus their character

is less virtuosic than that of the piano concertos, more purely melodic. Yet despite their pragmatic origins, each of the five concertos bursts with all the inventiveness of design and lyricism that we normally associate with Mozart’s later works. And each concerto asserts a uniqueness and individuality that is relatively rare in the composer’s earlier works.

A Closer Look The Fourth Concerto, composed in Salzburg in October 1775, distinguishes itself immediately with the forcefully martial character of the opening Allegro. This theme gives way to a contrasting section that is abruptly concluded in time for the soloist to enter with the principal theme, heard in the violin’s upper register. The second movement, Andante cantabile, is like a tuneful aria, fashioned in the style of the Italian operas Mozart heard on his travels as a youth. The Rondeau finale, whose French title reflects the young composer’s cosmopolitan view, is built from an alternation of a brief Andante grazioso section and a lilting gigue in 6/8 meter, Allegro ma non troppo. They are interrupted mid-way by a vigorous contrasting section, based upon a folk-like dance.

—Paul J. Horsley

Mozart composed the Fourth Violin Concerto in 1775.

The first Philadelphia Orchestra performances of the Fourth Violin Concerto took place in March 1925, under Leopold Stokowski’s baton, with Carl Flesch as soloist. The most recent performances were in March 2010, when Stefan Jackiw performed the work with Andrew Davis. Other violinists who have performed the piece with the Orchestra include Fritz Kreisler, Albert Spalding, Norman Carol, William dePasquale, and Zino Francescatti.

The Philadelphians recorded Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in 1955 with David Oistrakh as soloist, led by Eugene Ormandy.

The score calls for an orchestra of solo violin, two oboes, two horns, and strings.

The Concerto runs approximately 25 minutes in performance.

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The MusicAlso sprach Zarathustra

Richard StraussBorn in Munich, June 11, 1864Died in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, September 8, 1949

Strauss’s telling statement that Nietzsche’s philosophical tract Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) “offers much aesthetic enjoyment” can help us gain a proper perspective on the significance of the book’s bizarre world-view to the composer’s own. True, the young Strauss had showed a passionate interest in the writings of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche during the 1890s, and he loved nothing more than to become absorbed in animated conversations with his literary and musical friends on art, philosophy, and the nature of man. But as with his other musical treatments of “heavy” subjects (such as the earlier Death and Transfiguration, or the later Ein Heldenleben), a streak of Bavarian self-parody tends to undercut any excess of pomposity or over-seriousness that may threaten the purely musical discourse. Strauss initially inscribed his musical setting of Zarathustra with the following ironic and elusive subtitle: “Symphonic optimism in fin-de-siècle form, dedicated to the 20th century.”

“An Homage to Nietzsche’s Genius” Though there seems little question as to the basic earnestness of intent in his Zarathustra, Strauss shows himself a true modernist by making its centerpiece the Dance of the Superman, in which frail Zarathustra rises from his sickbed and dances to a tune that could be the product of another Strauss, the Waltz King himself, Johann Strauss, Jr. By placing Nietzsche’s sixth-century-B.C. Persian mystic in a Viennese ballroom ca. 1880, Strauss has humanized him for us, at the same time making him (perhaps unwittingly) into someone that we might just as easily ridicule as harken to. Through his compositional mastery, Strauss forces us to sit up and take notice of this philosophic oddity, yet his touch of whimsy allows us to enjoy the music without embracing Nietzsche’s ideas. “I did not intend to write philosophical music or to portray Nietzsche’s great work in music,” he wrote. “I wished to convey by means of music an idea of the evolution of the human race from its origins, through the various phases of its development, religious and scientific, up to Nietzsche’s idea of the Superman. The whole symphonic poem is intended as an homage to Nietzsche’s genius, which found its greatest expression in his Also sprach Zarathustra.”

Strauss had probably begun reading Nietzsche during his early years as an opera conductor at Weimar; but it was not until his travels through Greece, Egypt, and Sicily in 1892-93—when he was recovering from a serious illness—that he had completely immersed himself in philosophy and mysticism, using the surroundings of noble antiquity to stimulate his reflections on ancient thinking and on contemporary philosophy as well. Several things in Nietzsche aligned with the direction in which Strauss’s own thoughts were moving, particularly the rejection of organized religion and the embracing of Man as agent of his own “regeneration” into near-deity. On one level the composer’s tone poem did indeed become an oblique statement of faith, though it was not squarely in line with Nietzsche’s own.

The Inspiration Nietzsche uses the figure of Zarathustra, whom the Greeks called Zoroaster, as a sort of mouthpiece for his own musings on mankind’s place in nature and the universe. This peculiar philosophical masterpiece, first published between 1883 and 1885, is cast in the form of some 80 short “proclamations,” each with a title indicative of its content (“Of Virtue,” “Of Science,” “Of Chastity,” etc.), and each ending with the words “Also sprach Zarathustra.” Over the course of Nietzsche’s work, Zarathustra passes through various levels of spiritual development, from the basest of “natural” conditions through religion and worldly delights and finally to a sort of nervous breakdown, the aftermath of which is a period of visionary convalescence followed by a transfiguration into the Superman. “Man is a thing to be surmounted,” Zarathustra says. “What is the ape to man? A jest or a thing of shame. So shall man be to the Superman. … Man is a rope stretched between beast and Superman—a rope over an abyss. Man is great in that he is a bridge not a goal. … The Superman is the meaning of the earth.”

Strauss recognized the musical potential of Nietzsche’s great work immediately. For his tone poem he selected eight of Zarathustra’s “proclamations” to use as an abridged outline of the work’s spiritual progression. He began sketching ideas for the composition as early as February 1894 in Weimar, continuing these sketches in Cortina d’Ampezzo the following year; but most of the music for Zarathustra—the sixth of his great succession of tone poems—was written in the spring of 1896 in his native city of Munich.

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“A Philosophy of Life” At the work’s premiere, which the composer conducted in Frankfurt on November 27, 1896, neither the Zarathustra quote printed in the score nor the eight subtitles were reproduced in the program book. Nevertheless Strauss spoke openly and often about the work’s programmatic apparatus. “Taken musically,” he said, “Zarathustra is laid out as an alternation between the two remotest keys.” This alternation takes the form of a juxtaposition of C major, standing for elemental nature, with B major, representing Man and his struggle. Thus, in the words of the biographer Willi Schuh, “a philosophy of life, a Weltanschauung, takes concrete form in musical terms.” Just exactly what this philosophy embraces becomes apparent only through an examination of the work’s individual movements. Though modern listeners have difficulty separating Strauss’s music from the accrustation of later associations—Stanley Kubrick’s use of its opening in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, or the Nazis’ use of language similar to Nietzsche’s in their talk of a Master Race—Strauss’s piece will always remain more the product of a young composer “spreading his wings” than an idealistic tract for the future.

The work had a profound effect on 20th-century composers, too, most notably Béla Bartók, who counted its 1902 Hungarian premiere as among the decisive moments of his career: “My creativity was in stagnation at the time,” he wrote. “Freed from Brahms, I could not find the way past Wagner and Liszt. I was aroused as by a flash of lightning by the first Budapest performance of Zarathustra. At last I saw a way that would lead me to something new. I threw myself into a study of Strauss’s scores and began composing again.”

A Closer Look Strauss’s score is inscribed with an introductory passage from the Zarathustra prologue, describing the philosopher’s withdrawal from his home and his self-imposed exile to the wilderness. One morning he awakens and proclaims his new-found wisdom to the rising sun; Strauss’s work thus begins with a splendid sunrise (Dawn), the famous arching introduction in C major, with the C-G-C ascent that the composer called his “universe” theme. (As the sun rises over the elemental wasteland of prehistoric knowledge, we become aware that Kubrick and his screenwriters knew just enough Nietzsche to get them into trouble.) The first section proper, Of the Backworldsmen, is a depiction of man in a state of nature, unknowing and guided by fleeting and inchoate longings (in the “human” key of B minor);

the sounding of a Gregorian Credo melody in the horns suggests that traditional religion is among these ephemerae. Here Strauss divides his string section into a grand chamber ensemble of 16 parts, a technique to which he would return throughout his career. Of the Great Longing is Zarathustra’s yearning for fulfillment of human urges; in addition to the Credo we are treated here to a Magnificat tune as well. Of Joys and Passions places the soul on an earthier level, with a fiercely passionate theme in C minor for upper strings, horn, and oboe. The Grave-Song, which again divides the strings into a multi-voiced choir, portrays Zarathustra’s sorrow and loss; at one point the C-G-C theme breaks forth, as if to challenge the dim demeanor of the human struggle in B minor.

Of Science is, appropriately, a fugue that begins as deep utterings of lower strings, on a subject that not only includes all 12 tones of the chromatic scale, but which juxtaposes the C-major nature-theme with the “human” B minor. The work climaxes with The Convalescent—in which the hero heals his soul through breakdown and recovery, growing ever more animated and energetic to the accompaniment of music from the 12-note “Science” theme—and The Dance-Song, our fin-de-siècle apotheosis of the waltz. Any remaining seriousness is dispelled in this closing dance, which culminates in the sounding of the midnight bell and with the ethereal Night-Wanderer’s Song.

—Paul J. Horsley

Strauss composed Also sprach Zarathustra from 1894 to 1896.

The work received its first Philadelphia Orchestra performance on November 15, 1921, in New York with the composer on the podium. Most recently it was heard on subscription in February 2012 with Charles Dutoit.

The Orchestra has recorded Zarathustra four times: in 1963 with Eugene Ormandy for CBS; in 1975 with Ormandy for RCA; in 1979 with Ormandy for EMI; and in 1996 with Wolfgang Sawallisch for EMI.

Strauss scored the piece for piccolo, three flutes (III doubling piccolo II), three oboes, English horn, two clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon, six horns, four trumpets, three trombones, two tubas, timpani, percussion (bass drum, chime, cymbals, glockenspiel, triangle), two harps, organ, and strings.

Performance time is approximately 30 minutes.

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Program notes © 2014. All rights reserved. Program notes may not be reprinted without written permission from The Philadelphia Orchestra Association and/or Luke Howard.

Musical TermsGENERAL TERMSAria: An accompanied solo song, usually in an opera or oratorioChord: The simultaneous sounding of three or more tonesChromatic: Relating to tones foreign to a given key (scale) or chordCoda: A concluding section or passage added in order to confirm the impression of finalityContrapuntal: See counterpointCounterpoint: A term that describes the combination of simultaneously sounding musical linesDiatonic: Melody or harmony drawn primarily from the tones of the major or minor scaleGigue: One of the most popular of Baroque instrumental dances and a standard movement of the suite, written in a moderate or fast tempo with irregular phrases and an imitative, contrapuntal textureK.: Abbreviation for Köchel, the chronological list of all the works of Mozart made by Ludwig von KöchelMicrotonal: Music that uses microtonesMicrotone: Any musical interval or difference of pitch distinctly smaller than a semitoneMode: Any of certain fixed arrangements of the

diatonic tones of an octave, as the major and minor scales of Western musicOctave: The interval between any two notes that are seven diatonic (non-chromatic) scale degrees apart Op.: Abbreviation for opus, a term used to indicate the chronological position of a composition within a composer’s outputPedal point: A long-held note, usually in the bass, sounding with changing harmonies in the other partsPizzicato: PluckedPolyphony: A term used to designate music in more than one part and the style in which all or several of the musical parts move to some extent independentlyRondeau: A term used in France for a composition, instrumental or vocal, based on the alternation of a main section with subsidiary sectionsScale: The series of tones which form any major or minor keyScherzo: Literally “a joke.” Usually the third movement of symphonies and quartets that was introduced by Beethoven to replace the minuet. The scherzo is followed by a gentler section called a trio, after which the scherzo is repeated. Its characteristics are a rapid tempo in triple

time, vigorous rhythm, and humorous contrasts. Also an instrumental piece of a light, piquant, humorous character.Semitone: The smallest interval of the modern Western tone system, or 1/12 of an octaveSpectral music: Music in which the acoustic properties of sound (sound spectra) constitute the source material. The term spectral refers to timbral content of sound—the precise mixture of frequencies, amplitudes, and initial phases. Symphonic poem: A type of 19th-century symphonic piece in one movement, which is based upon an extramusical idea, either poetic or descriptiveTutti: All; full orchestra

THE SPEED OF MUSIC (Tempo)Allegro: Bright, fastAndante: Walking speedCantabile: In a singing style, lyrical, melodious, flowingGrazioso: Graceful, easy

TEMPO MODIFIERSMa non troppo: But not too much

DYNAMIC MARKSDecrescendo: Decreasing volume

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October/November The Philadelphia Orchestra

Mahler’s “Resurrection”Premium Plus Thursday, October 30 8 PM Saturday, November 1 8 PM Sunday, November 2 2 PMYannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Angela Meade Soprano Sarah Connolly Mezzo-soprano Westminster Symphonic Choir Joe Miller Director

Mahler Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”)

The All-Organ WeekendThursday, November 6 8 PM Friday, November 7 2 PM Saturday, November 8 8 PMYannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Peter Richard Conte Organ (Thursday) Paul Jacobs Organ (Friday) Ken Cowan Organ (Saturday)

Buxtehude Chaconne in E minor Jongen Symphonie concertante, for organ and orchestra (Thursday) Guilmant Symphony No. 1 for Organ and Orchestra (Friday) Paulus Grand Concerto for Organ and Orchestra (Saturday) Elgar “Enigma” Variations

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