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Guest conductor Thomas Wilkins makes his Seattle Symphony debut conducting the orchestra in Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, and Seattle Symphony Principal Tuba John DiCesare steps into the spotlight to perform Arild Plau’s Tuba Concerto on the Benaroya Hall stage, broadcasting live on Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 7:30pm on Seattle Symphony Live.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021, AT 7:30PM
Beethoven Eroica Symphony
DELTA | MASTERWORKS

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
John DiCesare, tuba
Seattle Symphony

ARILD PLAU   Tuba Concerto

JOHN DICESARE, TUBA

PAUSE

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN    Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, Eroica

Allegro con brio
Marcia
Scherzo: Allegro vivace
Finale: Allegro molto

2020–2021 Season Streaming Sponsor: Scan Design Foundation
2020–2021 Masterworks Season Sponsor: Delta Air Lines
Thomas Wilkins’ performance is generously underwritten by Dana and Ned Laird.
 

PROGRAM NOTES

ARILD PLAU

Tuba Concerto

BORN: July 10, 1920
DIED: October 27, 2005
WORK COMPOSED: 1990
WORK PREMIERED: 2001, in Poland, performed by Øystein Baadsvik with the Wratislava Chamber Orchestra and conducted by Jan Stanienda.

The instrumental concerto, a piece for a soloist and orchestral accompaniment, is one of the most popular genres in classical music. These compositions provide opportunities for virtuosic performers to show off their talent and dates back to the late 17th century. And yet, despite this long history, no composer created a tuba concerto until the mid-20th century. The first piece on tonight’s program, Tuba Concerto by Norwegian composer Arild Plau, is a stunning work that exposes the lyricism and virtuosity of an instrument often discredited as simply orchestral support. Plau juxtaposes the deep, resonant sound of the tuba with string accompaniment, which creates a piece full of stark timbral contrasts.

Simply entitled “Prolog,” the first movement begins with soft strings and a lyrical tuba melody. The melody transforms, however, when the strings abruptly change tempo. The rest of the movement explores the tuba’s wide range as the soloist transitions between moments of thrilling virtuosity and contemplative melodies. In contrast, the second movement is a slow and emotional exploration of the tuba’s lyricism. Plau composed this movement in remembrance of his wife, who had passed away from cancer shortly before the composer began his Tuba Concerto. As you listen, note the mournful string passages and dark, emphatic proclamations from the tuba. The final movement, however, is fast and exuberant, and ends the composition by showcasing the surprising range of the tuba as well as the talent of the performer.

Scored for solo tuba; strings.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, Eroica

BORN: December 16, 1770, in Bonn, Germany
DIED: March 26, 1827, in Vienna, Austria
WORK COMPOSED: 1802–1804
WORK PREMIERED: April 7, 1805, in Vienna, Austria

We finish our evening with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, Eroica. Written mainly in the summer of 1803, the Eroica symphony is famous not only for its music, but for its intended dedication. As Napoleon Bonaparte swept through Europe in the early 19th century, Beethoven followed the general’s career with interest. The composer dedicated his Eroica, which captures a heroic spirit, to Napoleon, only to recant the dedication when he heard that the Frenchman had declared himself emperor. Indeed, Beethoven’s student Ferdinand Ries wrote that the composer “went to the table, took hold of the title page by the top, tore it in two, and threw it to the floor” when he received the news. Although this story fails to capture the more nuanced reasons for Beethoven’s change in dedication, it nevertheless explains Beethoven’s vague description at the publication of the Eroica, where he described the symphony as “celebrat[ing] a great man.”

Although the Eroica symphony is not programmatic and does not tell a coherent story, Beethoven embedded the concept of a hero throughout his work and speculation over the meaning of each movement abounds. For example, musicologist Thomas Sipe argued that Beethoven modeled the symphony on Homer and historical epochs, with Napoleon fulfilling the role of a modern Achilles. Furthermore, theorist Constantin Floros astutely noted that Beethoven reused melodies from his ballet The Creatures of Prometheus in the third and fourth movements, which ties Beethoven’s hero to the Greek Titan who gave fire to humanity. Whether Achilles or Prometheus, all agree that the symphony follows a hero as they face adversary but return renewed and triumphant.

Beethoven’s Third Symphony marked a significant shift in the composer’s style. Previously, Beethoven had composed primarily in the Classical style, which included elements like symmetrical phrases and lyrical melodies. Although his Eroica symphony still follows overarching Classical forms, Beethoven incorporated new elements that foreshadowed Romantic music. Known as the beginning of the composer’s heroic style, Symphony No. 3 includes elements such as large codas, or an ending of a movement, and the alteration of heavy downbeats with reactive upbeats.

Thematic development, in particular, plays an essential role in the symphony. Beethoven merges the traditional Classical forms with extensive development of themes, which adds to the drama and intrigue of the work. The entire symphony is teleological, pointing the way to an emphatic finale. Indeed, the entire work is composed to reach a powerful conclusion — an innovative concept in the early 19th century. Although it would take until Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for the composer to fully connect each movement to the next (through its famous short-short-short-long earworm), the Eroica symphony is an essential first step.

The first movement of the symphony is immense. Although Beethoven set the opening of his work in sonata-allegro form, which was the standard structure of a symphony’s first movement, he included several key deviations. Furthermore, the middle section of the work) is significantly larger due to the composer’s emphasis on thematic development. As you listen to this movement, note how Beethoven develops the opening theme—a lilting melody presenting in the initial measures of the work—throughout the rest of the movement.

The second movement is equally stunning in size and innovation. A traditional slow movement, Beethoven composes a funeral macabre that Sipe argued is a depiction of human suffering pulled from historical epochs. The movement is set in ternary form, which features a recurring theme first presented by mournful strings. Again, listen for the Beethoven’s development of the funeral march throughout the movement, in particular noting the instruments playing each reiteration of the theme.

In stark contrast to the second movement, Beethoven’s third movement is a lively scherzo. The form should once again guide your listening, as the composer traces the standard fast-slow-fast structure of a dance movement. The lively dance that opens the movement will spin out into a trio. To note this transition, listen for the hunting horns that often call to mind a pastoral scene. After the trio, the dance returns to vigorously end the movement.

The fourth movement, which Beethoven built towards the entire symphony, features our hero’s apotheosis. It is here that Beethoven’s recalls his past melodies (specifically, two country dances) from Prometheus in a stunning theme and variations. Listen for Beethoven’s development of these final themes as the symphony climbs to its dramatic climax.

Scored for pairs of woodwinds; 3 horns; 2 trumpets; timpani; strings.

© 2021 Megan Francisco