CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Berliner Philharmoniker

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 8:00 PM

Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 PM in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean, The Juilliard School.

Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, Music Director and Conductor
Evelyn Herlitzius, Soprano

SCHOENBERG Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9b
SCHOENBERG Erwartung

BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Program is approximately 2 hours, including one intermission

The Carnegie Hall presentations of the Berliner Philharmoniker are made possible by a leadership gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

Program Notes:

THE PROGRAM

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG (1874–1951)

About the Composer

Schoenberg began by writing tonal music in the late Romantic style: highly chromatic and expressive, yet still traditional in form and harmonic function. Between 1907 and 1909, however, he moved into uncharted tonal territory. Schoenberg enjoyed a great burst of creative energy during these two years—a period critical in his own compositional development and the whole of Western music history—and made his final break with tonality and conventional harmony, producing a series of atonal works. The term atonality is generally used to describe music that lacks a traditional key or tonality; uses the full chromatic spectrum of pitches, rather than the hierarchy of seven in a traditional diatonic scale; and relies on dissonant harmonies rather than triads. Schoenberg himself preferred the term pan-tonal.


Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9b

Schoenberg began his First Chamber Symphony in late 1905 and finished it in July 1906. The composer viewed the work to be the apex of his "first" period—meaning the period before he abandoned traditional tonality. In his own words, the Chamber Symphony exemplifies "a very intimate reciprocation between melody and harmony, in that both connect remote relations of the tonality into a perfect unity, draw logical consequences from the problems they attempt to solve, and simultaneously make great progress in the direction of the emancipation of the dissonance." (The "emancipation of dissonance" refers to his evolving dissolution of tonality.) The Chamber Symphony clings to tonality, but its role in determining the structure of the work is almost inaudible. Tonal harmony establishes a home key: Moving further away creates greater tension, released by a return. The Chamber Symphony is so unsettled, however, that the tension feels unflagging.

The Chamber Symphony, which begins ironically enough with a cadence, can be parsed into five large sections: exposition, scherzo, development, adagio, and recapitulation. The opening cadence lands on a lovely major chord; a rising horn motto then sends the movement off through two expositions. In each, the first theme is aggressive, searching; the second is quieter and more lyrical. The beginning of the exposition’s end is marked by horn blasts alternating with sharp chords in the orchestra; a mysterious, slow, murky passage paves the way for the scherzo, which opens with a chromatic ascent in the oboes above a roiling orchestral accompaniment. The slow movement is easy enough to grasp, thanks to its slackened tempo, and the piece concludes by recalling the many themes from the beginning, although all are endlessly varied and utterly fluid.

Performance Time: approximately 22 minutes


Erwartung, Op. 17

Schoenberg composed Erwartung in a mere 17 days to a text by young medical student and amateur author Marie Pappenheim. The monodrama for soprano and orchestra follows an unnamed woman walking through a forest; she is frightened, anxious, unsure of herself and her surroundings. In the fourth and final scene (about one-third of the way through the work), she stumbles across the dead body of her faithless lover. Or so it seems … Is the corpse indeed her lover? Did she kill him? Is she imagining his body? Is it all a deranged hallucination? "The whole play can be comprehended as a nightmare," Schoenberg explained.

The music of Erwartung is as fragmentary and disjointed as the text itself. Yet despite its seemingly limitless invention, the score is actually constructed from a very small harmonic kernel. The initial harmony of three notes is, as Richard Taruskin elucidates, "Schoenberg’s basic harmonic building block … providing his music with a sonic norm much as the triad had done in ‘common-practice’ harmony." Likewise, there is a pervasive melodic motif that, although nearly impossible to hear, silently structures the score. The dramatic gestures, sickening dissonances, sharp contrasts, and unpredictable outbursts perfectly capture the neuroses of a hysterical episode as described in the famous case of the psychoanalyzed "Anna O.," Bertha Pappenheim—cousin to Marie.


JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897)
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

About the Composer

Johannes Brahms struggled mightily with the symphony, recognizing that to compose one inevitably meant contending with the legacy of Beethoven. In the works of his "first maturity," roughly the years 1859 to 1865, he warily approached the fateful genre, honing his skills in formal design and thematic processes. In such pieces as the Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34, he deploys a motivic-thematic procedure that Schoenberg later dubbed "developing variation." Musical themes are less stable with only discrete melodies, rather than repositories of motivic ideas to be explored throughout a movement or even an entire piece.

About the Work

To leading music critic Eduard Hanslick, Brahms described his Second Symphony as "cheerful and lovely," with "so many melodies flying about that you must be careful not to tread on any." The composer’s confidante Clara Schumann predicted the new work would find "more telling success" than his gloomy, brooding First Symphony. As Walter Frisch observes, however, the contrast between the two works is not absolute; instead, Brahms manages to reconcile the seemingly competing tendencies of developing variation, with its dense motivic texture, and a simpler lyricism. "Historically, this synthesis reflects the dual heritage of Schubert and Beethoven," Frisch explains. "The result is pure Brahms."

A Closer Listen

The Second Symphony begins not with a single theme, but rather a group of motives: a four-note idea in the cellos and basses—the very first thing heard; an answer in the horns, and a rising scale in the flutes and winds. The pattern continues, with low strings, brass, and winds exchanging thoughts, until the strings seem to get lost in theirs, trailing off and running aground into an ominous timpani roll. A glorious new theme emerges, but it soon becomes unstable, transitional, leading to the lilting second theme carried by the viola and cello (many have heard an echo of Brahms’s famous lullaby here, "Guten Abend, gut Nacht"). The first section of the movement ends with a bold orchestral thrust that features wide upward leaps. The development takes up all of the motives and features a grand fugato of overlapping entrances, emphasizing the horns’ answer from the very second measure of the symphony.

The second movement showcases the technique of "developing variation," with themes composed of various fragmentary ideas that pile up to form the whole. The first theme comes to a close with a solo line in the horn that is taken up by oboe, flute, and cello in counterpoint; the second emerges quietly in the flutes and oboes with pizzicato (plucked) accompaniment in the strings. A densely inventive development follows: The return of the opening material is disguised by triplets in the violins. In the third movement (Brahms’s shortest, at some five minutes), the themes are more clear-cut, less subject to continuing development—at least initially—and the formal sections easier to discern. The first section, a triple-meter Allegretto, quite audibly contrasts with the second, a duple-meter Presto.

Like the first movement, the finale falls in sonata form, comprising an exposition with two themes, development, and recapitulation. The second, broad theme in the violins is marked by a musical iamb (short-long). These main themes return in the recapitulation, the transition of which involves an extreme pianissimo (very soft), slow rhythms, and a held note in the low strings. The coda, a conformational closing section, features three trombones and tuba with the second theme, leading to sweeping scales and a grand orchestral burst with triumphant horn calls.

Performance Time: approximately 40 minutes

More Information:

The innocence, joy, and romance of the Brahms Second Symphony still resonate with us in the 21st century. But here—as part of the Berliner Philharmoniker's joint Brahms-Schoenberg exploration—it's joined by two electrifying works that could only have been written in the modern era. The Chamber Symphony resembles a miniature Mahler symphony, and in Erwartung, an opera for a single singer, Schoenberg said he tried "to represent in slow motion everything that occurs in a single second of maximum spiritual excitement."

Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, Music Director and Conductor
THE ARTISTS

Sir Simon Rattle

Born in Liverpool in 1955, Sir Simon Rattle has been Principal Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker and Artistic Director of the Berliner Philharmonie since September 2002.

After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he took on various engagements in England and the US, where he was principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was 25 when he began his close association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), first as principal conductor and artistic adviser, then—until the 1998 season—as musical director. His tireless work and visionary artistic projects helped turn the CBSO into one of the world’s top-ranked orchestras.

In the concert hall and opera house, Simon Rattle’s extensive repertoire ranges from the Baroque era to contemporary music. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and works with leading orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic. Even before taking up his post as Principal Conductor, Simon Rattle had already collaborated regularly with the Berliner Philharmoniker for 15 years. Of the many recordings he has made with the orchestra, several have received prestigious awards. All of these releases were recorded live at the Philharmonie.

One of Sir Simon’s special passions is for bringing the work and music of the Berliner Philharmoniker to young people of diverse social and cultural backgrounds. To that end, he has established the education program Zukunft@BPhil, which enables the orchestra to pursue new approaches to promote its music. In 1994, Simon Rattle was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and has since received numerous distinctions. For his commitment to outreach work, Simon Rattle was awarded a Golden Camera and the Urania Medal in 2007.


Berliner Philharmoniker

The Berliner Philharmoniker, long considered one of the world’s finest orchestras, was founded in 1882 as a self-governing body. Its current artistic director is Sir Simon Rattle, who was appointed in September 2002.

The orchestra gave its first concert on October 17, 1882, under conductor Ludwig von Brenner, who was chosen by the musicians themselves. His successor, Hans von Bülow, went on to turn the Berliner Philharmoniker into one of Germany’s leading orchestras. Under Arthur Nikisch (1895–1922), its repertory grew to include works by Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Strauss, Ravel, and Debussy. On Nikisch’s death, the then 36-year-old Wilhelm Furtwängler took over as principal conductor. Furtwängler concentrated on Classical and German Romantic repertoire, but also performed contemporary pieces. At the end of World War II, Leo Borchard became the orchestra’s principal conductor; following Borchard’s death in August 1945, the young Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache became artistic director. Furtwängler returned as chief conductor in 1952. The postwar period also saw the founding, in 1949, of the Society of Friends of the Berliner Philharmonie, which in subsequent years sponsored the building of the new Philharmonie and continues to provide the hall with financial support.

When Furtwängler died in 1954, Herbert von Karajan became the permanent conductor and artistic director. In the ensuing decades, he worked with the orchestra to develop a distinctive tonal quality and performing style that made the Berliner Philharmoniker famous all over the world. In October 1989, the players appointed Claudio Abbado their new principal conductor. Abbado devised a new type of programming that included thematic cycles of contemporary works performed alongside standard repertoire. An increased number of chamber recitals and concert performances of operas provided further distinction and variety to the orchestra’s activities.

With the appointment of Sir Simon Rattle, the orchestra began introducing a number of innovations. The orchestra’s change of status to a charitable foundation (the Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker) has created new opportunities and ensured the economic future the ensemble’s 129 full-time members. The foundation is supported by the generosity of its principal sponsor, Deutsche Bank. Central to this support is the orchestra’s education program, Zukunft@BPhil, which was set up at the time of Sir Simon’s appointment and which is intended to ensure that the orchestra reaches a broader and younger audience. Within the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker, this signifies an important expansion of the orchestra’s cultural mission, one to which it commits itself with unswerving dedication. In recognition of this commitment, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle were named international UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors in 2007—the first time this distinction has ever been bestowed upon an artistic ensemble.


BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER

Sir Simon Rattle, Music Director

FIRST VIOLIN
Guy Braunstein, First Concertmaster
Daishin Kashimoto, First Concertmaster
Daniel Stabrawa, First Concertmaster
Rainer Sonne, Concertmaster
Zoltán Almási
Maja Avramović
Simon Bernardini
Wolfram Brandl
Peter Brem
Armin Brunner
Andreas Buschatz
Alessandro Cappone
Madeleine Carruzzo
Aline Champion
Felicitas Clamor-Hofmeister
Laurentius Dinca
Sebastian Heesch
Aleksandar Ivić
Rüdiger Liebermann
Kotowa Machida
Helmut Mebert
Bastian Schäfer

SECOND VIOLIN
Christian Stadelmann, First Principal
Thomas Timm, First Principal
Christophe Horak, Principal
Daniel Bell
Holm Birkholz
Philipp Bohnen
Stanley Dodds
Cornelia Gartemann
Amadeus Heutling
Rainer Mehne
Christoph von der Nahmer
Raimar Orlovsky
Bettina Sartorius
Rachel Schmidt
Armin Schubert
Stephan Schulze
Christoph Streuli
Eva-Maria Tomasi
Romano Tommasini

VIOLA
Neithard Resa, First Principal
Naoko Shimizu, Principal
Wilfried Strehle, Principal
Micha Afkham
Julia Gartemann
Matthew Hunter
Ulrich Knörzer
Sebastian Krunnies
Walter Küssner
Martin von der Nahmer
Zdzisław Polonek
Martin Stegner
Wolfgang Talirz

CELLO
Georg Faust, First Principal
Ludwig Quandt, First Principal
Martin Löhr, Principal
Olaf Maninger, Principal
Richard Duven
Rachel Helleur
Christoph Igelbrink
Solène Kermarrec
Martin Menking
David Riniker
Nikolaus Römisch
Dietmar Schwalke
Knut Weber

BASS
Matthew McDonald, First Principal
Janne Saksala, First Principal
Esko Laine, Principal
Fora Baltacigil
Martin Heinze
Wolfgang Kohly
Peter Riegelbauer
Edicson Ruiz
Janusz Widzyk
Ulrich Wolff

FLUTE
Andreas Blau, Principal
Emmanuel Pahud, Principal
Prof. Michael Hasel
Jelka Weber

OBOE
Jonathan Kelly, Principal
Albrecht Mayer, Principal
Christoph Hartmann
Andreas Wittmann
Dominik Wollenweber, English Horn

CLARINET
Wenzel Fuchs, Principal
Alexander Bader
Walter Seyfarth
Manfred Preis, Bass Clarinet

BASSOON
Daniele Damiano, Principal
Stefan Schweigert, Principal
Mor Biron
Markus Weidmann
Marion Reinhard, Contrabassoon

HORN
Radek Baborak, Principal
Stefan Dohr, Principal
Stefan de Leval Jezierski
Fergus McWilliam
Georg Schreckenberger
Klaus Wallendorf
Sarah Willis

TRUMPET
Gábor Tarkövi, Principal
Tamás Velenczei, Principal
Thomas Clamor
Georg Hilser
Guillaume Jehl
Martin Kretzer

TROMBONE
Prof. Christhard Gössling, Principal
Olaf Ott, Principal
Thomas Leyendecker
Stefan Schulz
Jesper Busk Sörensen

TUBA
Paul Hümpel
Alexander von Puttkamer

TIMPANI
Rainer Seegers
Wieland Welzel

PERCUSSION
Raphael Haeger
Simon Rössler
Franz Schindlbeck
Jan Schlichte

HARP
Marie-Pierre Langlamet

CHAIRMEN
Stefan Dohr
Andreas Wittmann

MEDIA CHAIRMEN
Olaf Maninger
Emmanuel Pahud

ORCHESTRA COMMITTEE
Stanley Dodds
Ulrich Knörzer
Nikolaus Römisch
Christian Stadelmann
Martin Stegner

Evelyn Herlitzius, Soprano