CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
New York String Orchestra

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Monday, December 24th, 2007 at 7:00 PM

New York String Orchestra
Jaime Laredo, Conductor
Yefim Bronfman, Piano

MOZART Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, K. 16
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482
MOZART Symphony No. 35, "Haffner"

Perspectives: Yefim Bronfman

This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for young artists established by Stella and Robert Jones.

Perspectives concerts are made possible, in part, by a generous grant from The Alice Tully Foundation.

Program Notes:

By Cody Franchetti

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, K. 16
Born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria; died December 5, 1791, in Vienna.

Composed in 1764–65, Mozart’s Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major received its Carnegie Hall premiere on March 30, 1933, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

Scoring: 2 oboes, 2 horns, and strings.

In 1976, in a provocative statement, which also turned out to be an authentic conviction, Glenn Gould made Mozart’s first symphony notorious by stating that he preferred it to the great G- Minor Symphony, K.550. The provocation turned out to be beneficial for Mozart’s music as attention was drawn to his early output, which¾Gould still declared¾“had more contrapuntal purity and refinement in texture than all his later music.” That K. 16 is “better” than K. 550 might be challenged; but that Mozart at the age of eight showed startling genius is beyond dispute.

Mozart wrote the E-flat Major Symphony while in London during one of the many itinerant trips his father Leopold organized in order to display his children’s prodigious talent (Wolfgang’s sister Nannerl was also an exceedingly talented pianist). During the festivities for the fourth anniversary of King George III’s reign, the Mozart family was invited to court on February 21, 1765, to play Wolfgangs’s latest Ouvertures (symphonies), which included K. 16. While in London, Mozart had a chance to meet Johann Christian Bach (the youngest of J. S. Bach’s children) who was there actively writing tremendously successful operas. J. C. Bach’s influence over Mozart has been long recognized by scholars, and indeed Bach’s influence is apparent in the symphony’s subdivision into three movements; the clear differentiation between the first and second themes; the utilization of rondo form in the last movement; and the frequent cadential gestures, typical of Neapolitan opera. A lot of influence, no doubt, but Mozart still achieved much originality.

The rousing initial motive is followed by an answer that is almost triple in length, already displaying the dual nature of Mozart’s music that was to intensify so particularly.
In the second movement, we find a glimpse of what was to come: the horns play a motive that is the very same opening theme of the last movement of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony K. 551.

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482Composed in 1785, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 received its Carnegie Hall premiere on January 13, 1905, with the People’s Symphony Society Orchestra conducted by Franz X. Arens and Wesley Weyman, piano.

Scoring: flute, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

The Concerto in E-flat Major, K. 482, was completed on December 16, 1785, just a few months after the one in C Major, K. 467. The former was a point of arrival; the latter, a new sound world: the Concerto in E-flat is illuminated with colors unheard of before and prefigures late Romantic sonorities¾like the bronzed orchestral tones of Brahms where woodwind and horn prevail.

The first movement’s relaxed form permits the discursive splendor of the orchestra’s exposition: by simplifying his themes, basing them on simple triadic motives, Mozart achieves a glowing sonority that stresses the E-flat major tonality. In contrast, the solo enters with new ideas of its own, which have not been presented in the orchestral exposition. This device is characteristic of Mozart, but in K. 482 the soloist’s entry is a genuine preface consisting of 17 measures of thematic material that is never reused in the movement. “The effect,” observes the scholar Leon Plantinga, “is a little like the beginning of a dramatic scene that introduces a lead character who has not yet been firmly drawn into central action.” In the context of the concerto, where the opposition of the solo and tutti sections is the outstanding dramatic element, such a device is very successful indeed—so much so that Beethoven used it in his first two piano concertos.

In the recapitulation, Mozart’s lyrical vein is so complete that he dares to bring the music to a virtual standstill before sounding the second theme, which is introduced by the clarinets and horns out of the stunning silence.

The second movement, in C minor, belongs to Mozart’s supreme, elegiac slow movements in the same key (Concerto in E-flat Major, K. 271; Sinfonia concertante K. 364). Here, too, coloristic interests are apparent, especially in the two major sections, and the movement is profused with the incredible and uniquely Mozartian combination of deep tragedy and sensuousness.

The final rondo is one of Mozart’s most cherished finales. It boasts a slow section in A-flat major¾a simple lied theme whose purity of sound is of unreal beauty. One can tell Mozart was at work on Le nozze di Figaro, for this section’s heart-swelling humor is akin to the opera’s finale “Contessa Perdono,” where the Count Almaviva begs the amenable Countess for forgiveness over his conduct.

Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, “Haffner”
Composed in Vienna in July 1782, Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony received its Carnegie Hall premiere on February 15, 1923, with the New York Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bruno Walter in his US debut.

Scoring: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

In 1782, inspired by his acquaintance with the compositions of Handel and J. S. Bach, Mozart underwent a fundamental stylistic transformation. His compositions during this period display the influence of the old masters by a thickening of contrapuntal writing and a return to older forms. At first, Mozart measured himself against his predecessors by writing a few preludes, fugues, fantasias, and even a suite. The latter (K. 399), which remains unfinished and is regrettably little known, attests to Mozart’s complete assimilation of the stile antico.

Another important influence was Vienna. In fact, by July 1782, Mozart had been living there for a year and was about to fulfill his first imperial commission with the Abduction from the Seraglio. By then, Mozart had had a chance to absorb the decorously cosmopolitan milieu of the Hapsburg capital. A case in point is his rondo for piano and orchestra K. 382, which flaunts all the Viennese gallantries that the contemporary public appreciated and expected.

From the unconstrained fusion of urbanity and severity sprang the “Haffner” Symphony. The Symphony was originally a serenade commissioned by Mozart’s protector from Salzburg, Siegmund Haffner, for whom the composer had previously written the famous “Haffner” Serenade, K. 250. Clearly, Mozart greatly esteemed his patron, since he presented him with this new “Haffnermusik” despite the burden of completing the Abduction. A year later, Mozart produced the work for a concert at the Vienna Academy; for the performance he suppressed the introductory march and one of the minuets. The Symphony has thus survived in a “legitimate” four-movement form.

The unusual first movement is one of the very few monothematic sonata forms Mozart ever wrote. (A monothematic exposition is one where the main theme is repeated in the dominant—often in a different permutation—in place of the more customary lyrical second theme.) This technique was widely employed by Haydn, whose expositions tend to have less thematic wealth than Mozart’s.

The rousing initial gesture is a two-octave leap on the tonic played in unison by the whole orchestra followed by a dotted descent to an identical leap on the leading tone. After the first phrase, a short canon at the octave in the theme manifests the composition’s pronounced polyphony and serves as a modulating passage to the second group. The main theme is the pervasive element of the entire first movement: its rhythmic and melodic features recur over and over again in ingeniously devised variations.

During the development, another series of canonic variations ensues before the compressed recapitulation, and a short coda that shares a striking similarity with one of the motives of the last movement of Mozart’s last symphony, K. 551. The second movement, also in sonata form, is notable for its placid theme, which is enlivened by a series of playful trills, acciaccaturas, and other typical Viennese charms.

The stately minuet and the liederlike trio also have a distinctly Haydnesque stamp, though the latter is mostly felt in the original finale. In it, Mozart pays homage to the older composer by utilizing the most typical of Haydn’s formal procedures: a false recapitulation in the development. The last movement is taxing for the strings and requires a virtuosity for which the Viennese players were renowned.

Copyright © 2007 by The Carnegie Hall Corporation

New York String Orchestra
Jaime Laredo, Conductor
Jaime Laredo excels as soloist, conductor, recitalist, and chamber musician. Since his San Francisco Symphony debut at the age of 11, he has won the admiration and respect of audiences, critics, and fellow musicians with his passionate and polished performances. At the age of 17, Jaime Laredo won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition, launching his rise to international prominence.

The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio celebrated its 30th anniversary during the 2006–07 and 2007-08 seasons with concerts at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd Street Y in New York, at the Kennedy Center in DC, and in Boston, Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Tucson, La Jolla, El Paso, Lisbon, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Calgary.

As a highly sought after conductor and solo violinist, Mr. Laredo has appeared with all of America’s major orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Philadelphia orchestras with such conductors as Barenboim, Mehta, Ozawa, Slatkin, and Colin Davis, as well as great conductors of the past, including Ormandy, Leinsdorf, Stokowski, and Szell. Abroad, Mr. Laredo has performed as soloist and/or conductor with the London Symphony, the BBC Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Mr. Laredo has been a principal figure at the Marlboro Music Festival and more recently at the Aspen Music Festival. He is actively involved at Tanglewood, Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as festivals in Italy, Spain, Finland, Greece, Israel, Austria, Switzerland, and England.

Laredo has numerous recordings on KOCH International, CBS, RCA, Dorian, and Sony Classical. He has received the Deutsche Schallplatten Prize, seven Grammy nominations, and the Grammy Award for a disc of Brahms piano quartets, which he performed with his frequent chamber music collaborators Emanuel Ax, Isaac Stern, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Laredo serves as Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Chamber Music at the Y series, the Brandenburg Ensemble, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar, as well as guides the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and serves on the faculty of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Born in Bolivia, Jaime Laredo resides with his wife, Sharon Robinson, in Vermont and Indiana.

NEW YORK STRING ORCHESTRA SEMINAR

The year 2007 marks the New York String Orchestra Seminar’s 39th season as one of the country’s most acclaimed professional training programs for young musicians. Arts administrator and arts manager Frank Salomon created the Seminar for Alexander Schneider, one of the 20th century’s most important musical figures. A member of the Budapest String Quartet, and a major influence at the Marlboro Music School and Festival, Schneider was a founder of the Israel Festival and helped establish the Casals Festival in Prades and Puerto Rico. He had a deep commitment to young artists and was an inspiration to a generation of musicians. Before his death in 1993, Schneider personally chose Jaime Laredo to carry on the project’s mission.

The 2007 New York String Orchestra is comprised of 61 students (ages 15–22) from conservatories, colleges, and high schools across the United States and Canada. Selected through highly competitive national auditions, the young musicians come to New York City for 10 days to participate in the New York String Orchestra Seminar. During this time they are immersed in orchestral rehearsals under the leadership of Jaime Laredo and chamber music sessions with master artists Tim Cobb, Eugene Drucker, Bart Feller, Pamela Frank, Ida Kavafian, Joel Krosnick, Joan Kwuon, Peter Lloyd, Frank Morelli, Daniel Phillips, Samuel Rhodes, Sylvia Rosenberg, Stephen Shipps, Joel Smirnoff, Linda Strommen, Steven Tenenbom, Michael Tree, Peter Wiley, and Hiroko Yajima.

The Seminar provides the young musicians with new musical ideas and a professional challenge on the highest level as they prepare and perform two concerts at Carnegie Hall. To open the opportunity to the widest number of gifted young people, there is no application fee for the program, audition panelists hold 11 days of auditions in cities across the country, and every young musician receives a full scholarship to participate in the program. For more information, visit newschool.edu/concerts.

Alumni of the New York String Orchestra Seminar can be found in leadership roles around the world; as soloists such as cellist Yo Yo Ma; violinists Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Kyoko Takezawa, and Shlomo Mintz; in chamber ensembles including the Guarneri, Emerson, Orion, Muir, Johannes, Brentano, and Kronos string quartets; as members of leading symphony and chamber orchestras (including the concertmasters of the Philadelphia and Cleveland orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Boston, Cincinnati, and Chicago symphonies); as conductors such as Peter Oundjian, Joseph Swensen, Douglas Boyd, and Marin Alsop; and on the music faculties of the most distinguished conservatories and universities.

The New York String Orchestra Seminar is sponsored by The New School Concerts Department and the Schneider Fund for Young Musicians, and presented in concert by Carnegie Hall. Clive Gillinson is Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall; Frank Salomon is Founding Director of the New York String Orchestra Seminar. Salomon and Rohana Elias-Reyes are Administrative Directors of New School Concerts. Ben Cadwallader-Staub is Production Manager. New School Concerts’ Music Advisors are Pamela Frank, Jaime Laredo, Cho-Liang Lin, Arnold Steinhardt, and Michael Tree. New School Concerts’ Advisory Committee members are Dominick DeRiso, Mark Epstein, Fiona Morgan Fein, Bart Feller, Theodore Harris, Elisabeth Lorin, Frank Salomon, Linda Strommen, Jani Tree, and Helen Wright.

The sponsors wish to express their appreciation to the conductor, coaches, soloists, audition panelists and advisors for their invaluable contributions to the project. They are grateful to the many others whose time, effort, and resources helped to make the Seminar possible. Our thanks go to the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Colburn School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and the Wellington Hotel. We also thank the following friends of the New York String Orchestra Seminar for their extra efforts on behalf of the project: Erik Bestmann, Patricia Davis, Bart Feller, Valerie Feuer, Alan Kay, Dean Joel Lester, Diane Lesser, Don Liuzzi, Peter Lloyd, Raymond Mase, Kurt Muroki, Daniel Phillips, Susan Sawyer, Stephen Shipps, and Hiroko Yajima.

Yefim Bronfman, Piano
A 2007–08 Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist, Mr. Bronfman will partner with the Orpheus Chamber, Royal Concertgebouw, and Metropolitan Opera orchestras as well as the Vienna Philharmonic. He has just completed a tour of Japan with the Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev and just began a solo recital tour which will take him through Japan, the US, and Europe. He will appear with the Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, New Jersey, and Toronto symphony orchestras and will conclude the season with the west coast premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s piano concerto with Salonen conducting.

Mr. Bronfman appears regularly with the Berlin, Israel, Los Angeles, and New York philharmonics, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle, London’s Philharmonia, and the Orchestre de Paris. He has worked with conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Yuri Temirkanov, Franz Welser-Möst, and David Zinman. Regular summer engagements include the Aspen, Bad Kissingen, Blossom, Hollywood Bowl, Lucerne, Mann Music Center, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Salzburg, Saratoga, Tanglewood, and Verbier festivals.

A devoted chamber music performer, Mr. Bronfman has collaborated with the Emerson, Cleveland, Guarneri and Juilliard quartets, as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and with such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Lynn Harrell, Shlomo Mintz, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and Pinchas Zukerman.

Born in Tashkent, Mr. Bronfman immigrated to Israel at age 15 and made his international debut two years later with the Montreal Symphony, his New York Philharmonic debut seven years later, and Kennedy Center debut three years after that. He became an American citizen in July 1989 and was awarded the 1991 Avery Fisher Prize.