In 2023, we celebrated two pivotal milestones in the history of the Seattle Symphony. The Silver Anniversary of our beloved home, Benaroya Hall, marked a quarter century of tremendous energy during which the orchestra rose to new heights. These accomplishments built on a tradition that began with the orchestra’s founding in 1903. Throughout its existence, the Seattle Symphony has dedicated itself to artistic excellence, embraced its role as a musical ambassador for Seattle, and committed to engaging and inspiring audiences of all generations.
Our Anniversary Edition release is a testament to the orchestra’s enduring impact on the cultural landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Each track included represents a key moment in this journey. We dedicate this album to the countless supporters and partners who brought Benaroya Hall to life and those who have kept the music playing for 120 years. Thank you for your support!
Karelia Suite, Op. 10
III. Alla Marcia
BORN: December 8, 1865, Hämeenlinna, Grand Duchy of Finland
DIED: September 20, 1957, Järvenpää, Finland
WORK COMPOSED: 1893
WORLD PREMIERE: The longer Karelia Music premiered November 23, 1893, with Sibelius conducting, at the Imperial Alexander University in Helsinki, Finland; the shorter Karelia Suite had its debut 10 days later, also with Sibelius at the podium.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNIVERSARY LP RECORDING: October 10, 1943, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham at Moore Hall, Seattle
"A legendary figure in English orchestral history, Sir Thomas Beecham was Music Director of the Seattle Symphony from 1941 until 1944. Recordings of the orchestra from that time are extremely rare and this Sibelius selection, documented in 1943, is one of few to survive to the present day."
— Raff Wilson, Vice President of Artistic Planning (2020–2026)
Jean Sibelius came into his own as a composer when his country was fighting for independence from the Russian Empire, which had ruled Finland from afar for over 100 years. His family was part of an educated elite that spoke Swedish — a result of Finland being ruled by Sweden for centuries before Russia staked its claim — but when his father died, leaving behind insurmountable debt, Sibelius was sent to a local Finnish-speaking school.
It wasn’t until his 20s, when he was studying violin in Vienna, that Sibelius was inspired to compose music based on stories from the Kalevala, a Finnish collection of epic poetry that had been compiled in 1835 by folklorist Elias Lönnrot and used to bolster a national identity. Kalevala, meaning “land of heroes,” is a poetic name for Finland; the publication documented ancient myths about the creation of the world, adventurous warriors and the tragic character Kullervo, the subject of Sibelius’s first large-scale symphonic work.
Many of these legends originated from Karelia, a region on the southeast border that is now divided between Finland and Russia. During the 1890s, Sibelius and many other Finnish artists drew inspiration from the landscape and rich folklore found there to create a cultural trend of national romanticism. With the success of his Kullervo, which evoked traditional folksong and used Finnish language for its text, Sibelius quickly became recognized and cherished as the voice of his country.
The Karelia Suite comes from a larger work based on a series of tableaux depicting historical episodes from Vyborg, an ancient village in Karelia. The local students’ association of Vyborg presented these scenes as an educational initiative for the town and asked Sibelius to compose music to accompany the program.
Alla Marcia is the final movement of the Suite and was written to accompany a 16th-century tableau of Pontius de la Gardie, a French soldier who fought alongside Sweden to conquer Karelia from Russian control. It opens with a light and joyful melody in the strings. Trumpets, accompanied by boisterous percussion, enter with a second theme that conveys the grandeur of the episode and the sprawling landscape of Karelia. The two themes alternate and build with intensity and added flourishes as they make their way toward the expansive conclusion. (Catherine Case)
Reproduced with thanks to the Pristine Classical label.
Overture to Die Fledermaus, Op. 362
BORN: October 25, 1825, Vienna, Austrian Empire
DIED: June 3, 1899, Vienna, Austria-Hungary
WORK COMPOSED: 1873–1874
WORLD PREMIERE: April 5, 1874, conducted by the composer at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria
SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNIVERSARY LP RECORDING: June 6, 1954, conducted by Milton Katims at Civic Auditorium, Seattle
"This radio broadcast was recorded in 1954, and includes a concert for the 6,000 delegates of the 45th annual convention of Rotary International in Seattle. It features Milton Katims at the beginning of his 22-year tenure and is drawn from the Seattle Symphony’s archives."
— Raff Wilson, Vice President of Artistic Planning (2020–2026)
Fallout from the Napoleonic Wars had left Europe in a fragile state at the start of the 19th century. In an attempt to hammer out a path of peace and unity across the continent, various heads of state met in Vienna for months of political strategizing. Extravagant balls were held for the city’s wealthy elite and visiting aristocrats as a diversion from these daily negotiations, setting off a dance craze that quickly expanded to the emerging middle class.
The most famous bandleader and composer of the waltzes and polkas that filled the dance halls at the time was Johann Strauss. His eldest son, Johann Strauss, Jr., grew up in this exhilarating environment and although his father urged him to become a banker, Strauss Jr. pursued the family business, forming his own orchestra at the age of 19 to perform his own compositions. His popularity and fame eventually surpassed that of his father, and he became known throughout the world as the “Waltz King.” His mass appeal did not diminish the admiration he received from the more “serious” composers of the day such as Johannes Brahms and Hector Berlioz. Gustav Mahler, who conducted a production of Strauss Jr.’s operetta Die Fledermaus in Hamburg, praised his waltzes for “their uniqueness and delightful inventiveness.”
Apart from hundreds of dances, including the beloved Blue Danube and Tales from the Vienna Woods, Strauss Jr. wrote many operettas, Die Fledermaus (The Bat) being the most successful. The main character, Eisenstein, is on his way to jail after insulting an official, but decides to attend a costumed ball before turning himself in. The operetta’s title comes from a prank Eisenstein pulled years before, where he abandoned his drunk friend, Falke, who was dressed as a bat, in the center of town, letting him wake the next morning to great ridicule. The ball taking place in the operetta is fuel for Falke’s revenge and fodder for numerous antics, including mistaken identities, love triangles and general champagne-induced mayhem. The Overture presents many tunes heard throughout the operetta, showcasing Strauss Jr.’s talent for spinning out one beautiful melody after another. The centerpiece is a raucous waltz whose melody begins with violins in their lowest register before the infectious melody is swept up by the whole orchestra. (Catherine Case)
Salome: “Dance of the Seven Veils”
BORN: June 11, 1864, Munich, Germany
DIED: September 8, 1949, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
WORK COMPOSED: 1902–1905
WORLD PREMIERE: Salome was first performed at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden, Germany, on December 9, 1905.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNIVERSARY LP RECORDING: March 31 & May 13, 1987, conducted by Gerard Schwarz at the Opera House, Seattle
"Gerard Schwarz’s legendary tenure with the Seattle Symphony produced many fine recordings. This track comes from an acclaimed period of focus on the works of Richard Strauss."
— Raff Wilson, Vice President of Artistic Planning (2020–2026)
Richard Strauss is credited with taking the symphonic tone poem to new heights in the last decade of the 19th century, elevating the form with his imaginative orchestrations and daring virtuosity. His father played principal horn for the court orchestra in Munich and supported Strauss’ early ambitions as a composer and conductor by providing opportunities to showcase his music and educating him on the works of Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart. By his early 30s, Strauss had composed six of his 10 tone poems, including Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, and Also Sprach Zarathustra, which were all considered thoroughly modern works in the way they represented both abstract and very real extramusical subjects.
Strauss turned toward opera at the onset of the 20th century, writing two works that failed to gain traction before composing his massively successful Salome in 1905. Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play Salomé, the source of Strauss’ opera, had been banned in Britain because of its seductive depiction of biblical characters. But Strauss first saw the play in Berlin and immediately latched on to the musical possibilities of such a bizarre and shocking storyline.
Salome is the stepdaughter of King Herod and is obsessed with John the Baptist, who is imprisoned by the King. Herod, infatuated with Salome, promises her anything she wishes if she agrees to dance for him. She performs the Dance of the Seven Veils, slowly removing one veil at a time until she is naked. Her sole wish is to have John the Baptist’s head on a platter, which Herod reluctantly delivers. She kisses the disembodied head with passion and Herod, disgusted, orders his soldiers to kill her.
The Dance of the Seven Veils was composed after the rest of the opera was finished and bears resemblance to Strauss’ famous tone poems in its musical depiction of Salome’s increasingly frenzied mental state. A languid oboe and flute begin the dance with halting rhythms. A waltz appears but is off kilter and tinged with a demonic edge. The dissonance ramps up as the tempo accelerates into a frothy cacophony until Salome collapses in exhaustion. (Catherine Case)
Gerard Schwarz’s position is generously underwritten as the Rebecca & Jack Benaroya Conductor Laureate.
Reproduced with thanks to the Naxos Label.
An American in Paris
BORN: September 26, 1898, Brooklyn, New York City
DIED: July 11, 1937, Los Angeles, California
COMPOSED: Spring 1928
WORLD PREMIERE: December 13, 1928, at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, with conductor Walter Damrosch and the New York Philharmonic
SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNIVERSARY LP RECORDING: September 27, 29 & October 1, 2011, conducted by Ludovic Morlot at Benaroya Hall, Seattle
"Drawn from the beginning of Ludovic Morlot’s Music Directorship, this recording captures the spirit of collaboration in live performances heard at the orchestra’s home, Benaroya Hall."
— Raff Wilson, Vice President of Artistic Planning (2020–2026)
If there was one place that loomed larger than life in the consciousness of early- to mid-20th century America, it was Paris, a city of culture; of love; of magic; of possibility; of inspiration. Whether they were authors like James Baldwin looking for a place to write and live a little more freely, or performers like Josephine Baker who took the Parisian dance and film scenes by storm, Paris was a place to hone one’s craft, and for several major American cultural figures of the time, to make a career and thus a home.
Brooklyn-born George Gershwin didn’t make Paris his home. But he did visit it in 1926 and 1928; and the sights, sounds, smells and experiences inspired one of his best known and most performed works for orchestra (and saxophones, and celesta, and automobile horns): An American in Paris. It would go on to inspire (in theme, in soundtrack, and in content) the 1951 film of the same name starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, and the imaginations of many listeners, whether Paris was home, a former vacation spot or a place to visit one day.
An American in Paris is melodically distinct and episodic. A tone poem of stunning evocation, it opens with a jaunty theme interspersed with car horns and tinkling percussion. The excitement and organized chaos of the busy street builds and builds until it reaches its apex and has only one place to go: down. Maybe the American has found a quiet alley, a section of the city that doesn’t attract too many tourists, represented by a solo oboe that leads the lyricism back to the excitement and verve of the city, segueing into arguably the most famous episode of the entire work: a romantic, sensuous melody growing in intensity and texture, moving from solo trumpet to a full orchestral texture. More episodes follow, adventurous, mischievous and eager to see more of what makes Paris so special. The final segment is a mad dash to the return of the work’s main theme and its emotional heart: the romantic theme of the middle section. And so the piece ends, an expression of one man’s wonderful, enchanting experience in a city that is part magic and myth and all creative inspiration. (A. Kori Hill)
Ludovic Morlot’s position is generously underwritten as the Judith Fong Conductor Emeritus.
Poster for Seattle Symphony (Echo), 1999 (detail)
Offset lithograph
36 x 19 1/8 inches (91.4 x 48.7 cm)
© Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
BORN: October 22, 1925, Port Arthur, Texas
DIED: May 12, 2008, Captiva, Florida
A native Texan, Robert Rauschenberg served in the U.S. Navy before studying art at the Kansas City Art Institute, Academie Julian in Paris, and Black Mountain College in North Carolina. In 1949 he moved to New York City and soon challenged the status quo with his Combines (1954–1964). Rauschenberg continued to break the mold throughout his career.
Robert Rauschenberg’s art has always been one of thoughtful inclusion. Working in a wide range of subjects, styles, materials, and techniques, Rauschenberg has been called a forerunner of essentially every postwar movement since Abstract Expressionism. He remained, however, independent of any particular affiliation. At the time that he began making art in the late 1940s and early 1950s, his belief that “painting relates to both art and life” presented a direct challenge to the prevalent modernist aesthetic.
The celebrated Combines, begun in the mid-1950s, brought real-world images and objects into the realm of abstract painting and countered sanctioned divisions between painting and sculpture. These works established the artist’s ongoing dialogue between mediums, between the handmade and the readymade, and between the gestural brushstroke and the mechanically reproduced image. Rauschenberg’s lifelong commitment to collaboration — with performers, printmakers, engineers, writers, artists, and artisans from around the world — is a further manifestation of his expansive artistic philosophy.
© Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Echo [Anagram (A Pun)], 1998
Inkjet pigment transfer on polylaminate
145 1/2 x 537 inches (369.6 x 1364 cm)
Gift of the Bagley and Virginia Wright Foundation to the Seattle Symphony for Benaroya Hall.
On September 12, 1998, Seattle celebrated the grand opening of Benaroya Hall with a gala concert by the Seattle Symphony and the unveiling of Echo, a major artwork by American modernist Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008).
Internationally acclaimed artist Robert Rauschenberg created this nine-panel, 12-foot-high mural for Benaroya Hall using the medium of vegetable dye transfer on poly laminate. The work was commissioned by longtime Seattle arts patrons Virginia and Bagley Wright, and was originally installed above the entrance to the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium. In 2026, Echo was relocated to the Bill Gates Sr. Recital Hall Lobby, allowing guests to view the work in its entirely for the first time.
A master of diversity, Rauschenberg worked in nearly every medium, including paintings, silk screens, sculptures and prints. He was best known for his unique style of incorporating paintings with various objects, which he called “Combines.” This interplay of activity in different media is at the core of Rauschenberg’s work, which was marked throughout his career by a sense of experimentation and play.
© Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Echo, as seen in Robert Rauschenberg's studio before installation at Benaroya Hall.
