Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Irvine Barclay Theatre Presents
Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Gautier Capuçon
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 | 8pm
Part of the Distinctive Experiences Series
This performance will include one 20-minute intermission.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet: piano
Gautier Capuçon: cello
Photographing or recording this performance without permission is prohibited. Kindly disable pagers, cellular phones and other audible devices.
SCHUMANN
Fantasiestücke, Opus 73
Zart und mit Ausdruck
Lebhaft, leicht
Rasch und mit Feuer
BRAHMS
Sonata for Cello and Piano in E Minor, Opus 38
Allegro non troppo
Allegretto quasi Menuetto
Allegro
INTERMISSION
DEBUSSY
Sonata in D Minor for Cello and Piano
Prologue: Lent
Sérénade:Modérément animé
Finale: Animé
SHOSTAKOVICH
Sonata in D Minor for Cello and Piano, Opus 40
Allegro non troppo
Allegro
Largo
Allegro
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Born June 8, 1810, Zwickau
Died July 29, 1856, Endenich
The Fantasiestücke (or Fantasy Pieces, a title denoting short and expressive pieces without specified form) were originally written for clarinet and piano; Schumann later made arrangements for cello and for violin. This music was composed with incredible speed, being completed in two days: February 11-12, 1849. This was the period of revolution throughout Germany and all of Europe, and Schumann was alternately fired with revolutionary passion and appalled by the breakdown in order–in May of 1849 he and his wife fled Dresden to escape the unrest. Perhaps some of the fervor of this period makes itself felt in the Fantasiestücke; perhaps not. In any case, one should be careful of taking the free-form aspect of fantasies too seriously here–as he often did in his chamber works, Schumann makes subtle links (in this case, rhythmic links) between the movements.
The first movement (“Tender and with expression”) features a soaring cello melody and comes to a quiet close. In the second (“Lively, happy”), the instruments take turns leading. In the outer sections, the piano leads and is joined in mid-phrase by the cello; in the center section the cello dominates. The final piece (“Quick and with fire”) opens with a violent outburst from the cello, which quickly turns lyric. The gentle middle section–haunting, dark, yearning–is Schumann at his finest.
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Born May 7, 1833, Hamburg
Died April 3, 1897, Vienna
Born in the slums of Hamburg, Brahms rose from that grim setting to become a brilliant success: the young man’s piano-playing and compositions were quickly hailed throughout the German-speaking countries. Brahms had always assumed that he would make his career in Hamburg, and one achievement in particular would crown his rise from so modest a past to shining success–he wanted to be named conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic.
But it was not to be, and several events combined to change the direction of Brahms’ life and career. The first came early in 1862, when the 29-year-old composer visited Vienna for the first time. He was enthralled to walk the streets where Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, and so many others had lived and worked, and he quickly extended what had been planned as a short visit to that fabled city. The second event was devastating–while in Vienna, Brahms learned that the post with the Hamburg Philharmonic had gone to someone else. He was crushed, and even as an old man the memory of that rejection would haunt him. It was also a life-changer: Brahms gave up any thought of making his career in Hamburg and decided to move to Vienna.
He would remain there for the final thirty-five years of his life and come to love that city, but his entry took place only gradually. A number of his new Viennese friends encouraged the move, and one of them in particular–the cellist Josef Gänsbacher–helped arrange his appointment as conductor of the Singakademie, a choral society in Vienna. Once established in this position in his new city, Brahms wrote several compositions that he hoped would help establish his reputation there.
The Cello Sonata in E Minor was one of these new works, and it comes as no surprise that he dedicated it to Gänsbacher, who would remain a lifelong friend. Brahms began this sonata in 1862, during his first months to Vienna, and quickly completed three movements. But he then set it aside for three years, and when he returned to it in 1865, he cut one of those movements (an Adagio) and composed a new finale. Doubtless Gänsbacher played the sonata privately in Vienna before its publication in 1866.
The Sonata in E Minor was the first of Brahms’ seven duo-sonatas, and it brought the eternal problem of trying to balance one stringed instrument against the massive tonal resources of the piano. Brahms compounds that problem in this sonata by keeping the cello for the most part in its lower register. This may challenge the performers, but it gives the music its wonderful dark, rich sound.
The cello sings the noble opening theme of the Allegro non troppo, rising quietly from the depths over steady chordal accompaniment. Brahms is quite explicit in his instructions to the performers, reminding them throughout this movement that their playing should be espressivo, legato, and dolce. A second subject, announced first by the cello, is passionate and surging, and a lovely chorale for piano serves as a closing theme for the exposition. The development and recapitulation in this massive movement are dramatic, and Brahms winds all this turbulence down beautifully by closing out the movement with the chorale theme.
The haunting Allegretto quasi Menuetto is poised and delicate music, with the melodic line moving easily between the two instruments. The piano’s first four notes, a sort of introductory tag, haunt the minuet and then–ingeniously–become the basis for the flowing trio section.
Many have felt the influence of Bach, one of Brahms’ favorite composers, on the finale. It opens with a powerful fugue, and the fugue subject appears to have been derived from the Contrapunctus XIII of Bach’s The Art of the Fugue. The piano has the first statement of this subject, which takes its energy from the powerful opening octave drop. But the structure in this movement is ingenious: that fugal beginning is only the exposition of the first theme, and the appearance of a second theme group–announced by the cello–sets the movement in a sort of modified sonata form. Much of the development, though, returns to the contrapuntal intricacies of the opening fugue, and this development is distinctive for its relentless logic and energy. A Più presto coda drives the sonata to its thunderous conclusion.
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Born August 22, 1862, Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Died March 25, 1918, Paris
Debussy’s final years were wretched. He developed colon cancer in 1909 and underwent a painful operation, radiation therapy, and drug treatment. It was all to no avail, and the disease took its steady course. The onslaught of World War I in 1914 further depressed him, but it also sparked a wave of nationalistic fervor, and he set about writing a set of six sonatas for different combinations of instruments. It may seem strange that the iconoclastic Debussy would return in his final years to so structured a form as the sonata, but he specified that his model was the French sonata of the eighteenth century and not the classical German sonata. To make his point–and his nationalistic sympathies–even more clear, Debussy signed the scores of these works “Claude Debussy, musicien français.”
Debussy lived to complete only three of the projected six sonatas: a Cello Sonata (1915); a Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1916); and the Violin Sonata (1917). The three sonatas that Debussy completed have never achieved the popularity of his earlier works, and the composer himself deprecated them with the self-irony that marked his painful final years. Of the Violin Sonata, he remarked: “This sonata will be interesting from a documentary viewpoint and as an example of what may be produced by a sick man in time of war.” But this music has a power all its own, and listeners who put aside their preconceptions about what Debussy should sound like (and about what a sonata should be) will find this spare music moving and–in its austere way–painfully beautiful.
One of the most impressive things about the Cello Sonata is its concentration: it lasts less than twelve minutes. Further intensifying this music’s severity is Debussy’s refusal to develop–or even to use–themes in a traditional sense: this is music not of fully-developed themes but of thematic fragments appearing in various forms and shapes. The opening movement, Prologue–Lent, is only 51 measures long, but Debussy alters the tempo every few measures: the score is saturated with tempo changes and performance instructions. The piano’s opening three-measure phrase recurs throughout, contrasting with the cello’s agitato passages in the center section. At the end, the cello winds gradually into its highest register and concludes hauntingly on the interval of a perfect fifth, played in harmonics.
The second and third movements are performed without pause. The second is marked Sérénade, but this is unlike any serenade one has heard before: there is nothing lyric about this song. The cello snaps out grumbling pizzicatos (Debussy considered calling this movement Pierrot Angry at the Moon), and when the cello is finally given a bowed passage, it is marked ironique. The finale–Animé–opens with three quick pizzicatos and then races ahead. As in the first movement, there are frequent changes of tempo, a continuing refusal to announce or develop themes in traditional senses, and sudden changes of mood: at one point the performer is instructed to play a brief lyric passage con morbidezza, which means “gently,” yet another passage is marked arraché, or “ripped out.” The sonata concludes on an abrupt pizzicato.
Such a description makes the sonata sound fierce, abstract, even mocking. But beneath the surface austerity of this sonata lies music of haunting emotional power.
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Born September 25, 1906, St. Petersburg
Died August 9, 1975, Moscow
Shostakovich began writing his Cello Sonata on August 15, 1934, and completed it on September 19, a week before his 28th birthday. This was an unusually calm interlude in the often-tormented life of this composer. Earlier that year he had scored a triumph with the premiere of his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, which was now headed for production in Buenos Aires, New York, Stockholm, Zurich, and other cities. The infamous Pravda attack on the opera–an assault that nearly destroyed Shostakovich’s career–would not occur for another sixteen months. Audiences normally think of Shostakovich’s music from this early period as brilliant, witty, and nose-thumbing, but already another of Shostakovich’s many styles had begun to appear: the neo-classical. In 1933 he had written Twenty-Four Preludes for piano (with the model of Bach’s sets of twenty-four preludes clearly in mind), and the Cello Sonata–with its romantic melodies, conservative harmonic language, and fairly strict classical forms–is very much in the manner of the cello sonatas of Beethoven and Brahms.
Frequently performed and recorded, the Cello Sonata remains one of Shostakovich’s most approachable works, particularly for its broad lyricism and generally untroubled spirit. Viktor Lubatsky was cellist and Shostakovich the pianist at the premiere, which took place on Christmas Day 1934. Shostakovich was a virtuoso pianist, and it is not surprising that the piano is given so prominent a role in this sonata: it introduces several themes, dominates textures, and is an extremely active participant.
The cello, however, has the lovely opening melody of the Allegro non troppo. The piano introduces the quiet second theme, and both are treated fully before the quiet close of this sonata-
form movement. Brisk cello arpeggios open the energetic Scherzo, with the piano singing the main idea high above; the piano also has the second subject over eerie, swooping swirls from the cello. The Largo begins with a recitative-like passage from the cello in its deepest register; soon the piano enters, and the movement’s central theme is heard: a lyric, flowing passage for cello over steady piano accompaniment. Dark and expressive, this Largo stands apart in its intensity from the other three movements of the sonata.
The concluding Allegro comes closest to the sardonic manner of Shostakovich’s early music. The piano has the abrupt main idea, and the cello’s restatement already brings a saucy variation. The theme goes through several episodes, some of them humorous. At times the humor is almost too broad: one of the instruments will have the theme, played fairly straight, while in the background the other is going crazy with the most athletic accompaniment imaginable. For all its humor, however, the music never turns to slapstick, and the final episode–for piano over pizzicato accompaniment–is lovely.
Those interested in this sonata should know that while it has had many fine recordings, the most interesting remains one made long ago (in monophonic sound), featuring the composer at the piano and a very young Mstislav Rostropovich as cellist. This performance has reappeared on compact disc and is well worth knowing, despite its inevitable limitations of sound.
Program notes by Eric Bromberger
PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY OF ORANGE COUNTY
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their generous support of the Fund for Music during the past twelve months. These contributions make up the difference between the income generated from ticket sales and the actual cost of bringing the world’s finest orchestras, soloists and chamber ensembles to Orange County and inspiring 160,000 K-12 students each year with quality music programs. Gifts range from $60 to more than $100,000, and each member of the Philharmonic Society plays a valuable role in furthering the mission of this organization.
Youth Music Education Program Sponsors
The Crean Foundation
Chapman University
The Davisson Family Fund for Youth Music Education
The William Gillespie Foundation
Thomas J. Madracki Memorial Endowment
Orange County Community Foundation
Pacific Life Foundation
Gail and Robert Sebring
U.S. Bank
Wells Fargo
Anonymous
Season Sponsors
Donna L. Kendall and the Donna L. Kendall Foundation
Anonymous
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Series Sponsors
Donna L. Kendall Foundation
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ESTERHAZY PATRONS
The Philharmonic Society is proud to recognize our dedicated patrons who have made a multi-year Esterhazy Patron pledge. We are grateful for their support, which has been largely responsible for enabling us to present the world’s most acclaimed symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles and soloists.
ESTERHAZY PATRONS
Mr. and Mrs. James Alexiou
Mr. and Mrs. Darrel Anderson
A. Gary Anderson Family Foundation
Mr. Gary N. Babick
Ms. Tricia Babick
Mrs. Alan Beimfohr
Mr. and Mrs. John Carson
Cheng Family Foundation
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Anonymous
LEGACY CIRCLE MEMBERS
Mr. and Mrs. James Alexiou
Dr. and Mrs. Julio Aljure
Diane and John Chimo Arnold
Estate of Edra E. Brophy*
Mr. James J. Brophy
Mr. Douglas T. Burch, Jr.*
Mr. William P. Conlin* and
Mrs. Laila Conlin
Pamela Courtial*
Mr. Warren G. Coy
Richard Cullen and Robert Finnerty
Mr. Ben Dolson*
Camille and Eric Durand Trust*
Karen and Don Evarts
Erika E. Faust*
James and Judy Freimuth
Ms. Carol Frobish*
The William Gillespie Foundation
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Mr. Edward Halvajian*
Ms. Joan Halvajian
Ms. Marie Hiebsch*
Mildred and James* Hill
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Mr. Leonard Jaffe
Judith* and Howard Jelinek
Dr. Burton L. Karson
Donna L. Kendall
Hank and Bonnie Landsberg
Mrs. Carla Liggett
Dr. William Lycette
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Michel
Mr. and Mrs. Bart Morrow
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Eva Cebulski Olivier
Mrs. Frank M. Posch*
Marcia Kay Radelet
Marjorie Rawlins*
Mrs. Ladislaw Reday*
Elaine M. Redfield*
Mr. Richard M. Reinsch*
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Salyer
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sebring
Mr. H. Russell Smith*
Ms. Dea Stanuszek
Diane and Michael Stephens
Vas Nunes Family Trust*
Betty M. Williams*
Anonymous
*Deceased
Bold type indicates gifts of $50,000 or more.
THE FUND FOR MUSIC: PHILHARMONIC FORWARD CAMPAIGN
The Philharmonic Forward Campaign was introduced prior to the 2015-2016 season with a goal of raising $10 million to bolster the Philharmonic Society’s endowment. Thanks to several transformational gifts and commitments, we surpassed $16 million.
As a reminder, the campaign has three components:
- An endowment for artistic excellence and innovation will support the presentation of the world’s leading orchestras, classical soloists, and chamber ensembles while also allowing the Society to expand its eclectic programming, interdisciplinary projects, and new work offerings.
- An endowment for education and community programs will strengthen youth music education and family programs, community engagement, and the Society’s on-campus presence at schools.
- A current needs capital funds program for organizational sustainability will provide working capital to secure the finest artists well in advance of upcoming seasons.
These funds will bolster the Society’s broad mission of supporting the tradition of Western classical music while allowing us to present diverse music from emerging artists. It will also allow us to expand music education programs for K-12 and college students, creating a new generation of people who value great music.
Campaign leadership has been provided by Co-Chairs Donna Kendall and Douglas Smith, joined by a deeply committed Executive Committee. With their energetic guidance, we are well-positioned to engage the entire Philharmonic family in support of this transformational initiative. For more information, contact Ron Dufault, VP of Development, at (949) 553-2422, ext. 202, or email Ron@PhilharmonicSociety.org.
SECURING THE FUTURE
The Philharmonic Society’s campaign is the first of its kind in the organization’s history. It will grow the Society’s endowment—providing greater opportunities for the presentation of the world’s leading orchestras and other musical per formances while expanding our educational and community outreach—and also establish a current needs fund for organizational sustainability and flexibility. We are proud to recognize those who are helping secure the Society’s future with a gift to the Philharmonic Forward Campaign. We are grateful for their support, which will help fuel the Society’s growth and provide a legacy of incomparable music and superb music education programs in perpetuity.
Donna L. Kendall and Douglas H. Smith
Co-Chairs
DONORS TO THE PHILHARMONIC FORWARD CAMPAIGN
$1,000,000+
Mr. James J. Brophy
Donna L. Kendall and the Donna L. Kendall Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sebring
Anonymous
$500,000+
Richard Cullen and Robert Finnerty
James and Judy Freimuth
$250,000+
The Davisson Family Fund for
Youth Music Education
Margaret M. Gates—In memory
of family
Mr. and Mrs. Milton S. Grier, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas H. Smith
$100,000+
Pete and Sabra Bordas
David and Suzanne Chonette
Karen and Don Evarts
Milli and Jim Hill
Marlene and Chris Nielsen
Richard and Deborah Polonsky
Diane and Michael Stephens
Anonymous
$50,000+
Mr. Douglas T. Burch, Jr.*
Dr. and Mrs. Richard D. Campbell
Erika E. Faust*
Mrs. Joanne C. Fernbach
Joan Halvajian
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Marcia Kay Radelet
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Ms. Dea Stanuszek
Dr. Daniel and Jeule Stein
$25,000+
Mr. William P. Conlin* and Mrs. Laila Conlin
Mr. and Mrs. Donald French
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fuerbringer
Mr. and Mrs. Noel Hamilton
Dr. and Mrs. Chase Roh
Up to $24,999
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First American Trust
Kimberly Dwan Bernatz
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Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee - Marina Windjammer Group
Judith and Kevin Ivey
Ms. Lula Belle Jenkins
Doris and Jim Kollias
Mrs. Elizabeth C. Kramer
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Charles Mosmann
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Gayle Widyolar, M.D.
Sandi Wright-Cordes
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Anonymous
*Deceased
Please call the Philharmonic Society Development Department if you have included either the Philharmonic Society or the separate Philharmonic Foundation in your will or trust so that we may honor you as a member of the Legacy Circle. For more information, call (949) 553-2422, ext. 202 or visit: www.PhilharmonicSociety.org/SupportUs and click on Planned Giving.
OFFICERS
John Flemming, Chairman, CEO
Sabra Bordas, Vice Chair
Donna L. Kendall, Deputy Board Chair
Stephen Amendt, Secretary / Treasurer
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
John W. Benecke, Development
Sabra Bordas, Nominating
Hung Fan, Laguna Beach Music Festival
JoAnn Fuerbringer, Orange County Youth Symphony
Jane K. Grier, Member at Large
Elaine P. Neuss, Artistic and Marketing
Douglas H. Smith, Member at Large
Jean Felder, President, The Committees
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jim Brophy
Gary Capata
Margaret M. Gates
Barbara Roberts
Dr. Steven Sorenson
Kim Weddon
Kathryn Wopschall
PRESIDENT & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Tommy Phillips
DEVELOPMENT
Susan Totten, Interim Vice President of Development
Halim Kim, Senior Director of Development
Okairy Calderon, Patron Stewardship and Special Events Manager
Paige Frank, Development Associate
MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Jean Hsu, COO / Vice President of Communications
Marie Songco-Torres, Senior Marketing & Public Relations Manager
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
Drew Cady, Production Coordinator
Kathy Smith, Piano Technician
EDUCATION
Sarah Little, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement
Courtney McKinnon, Manager of Volunteer and Education Services
Jennifer Niedringhaus, Education and Operations Associate
FINANCE
Roan Alombro, Vice President of Finance
Jessica Cho, Finance Associate / HR Administrator
PATRON SERVICES
Jonathan Mariott, Director of Patron Services
Angelica Nicolas, Marketing & Patron Services Associate / Board Liaison
Randy Polevoi, Musical Concierge
Founded in 1954 as Orange County’s first music organization, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents national and international performances of the highest quality and provides dynamic and innovative music education programs for individuals of all ages to enhance the lives of Orange County audiences through music.
For more than 65 years the Philharmonic Society has evolved and grown with the county’s changing landscape, presenting artists and orchestras who set the standard for artistic achievement from Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming to the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others. In addition, the Philharmonic Society celebrates multi-disciplinary performances under its Eclectic Orange brand and embraces music from a wide range of countries with its World Music performances. Its celebrated family concerts introduce children to classical music with creative and inspiring performances, instilling music appreciation for future generations.
The Philharmonic Society’s nationally recognized Youth Music Education Programs, offered free of charge, engage more than 100,000 students annually through curriculum-based music education programs that aim to inspire, expand imaginations, and encourage learning at all levels. These programs are made possible by the Committees of the Philharmonic Society comprised of 700 volunteer members who provide more than 90,000 hours of in-kind service each year.
As a key youth program, the exceptional Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble provide top-tier training to the area’s most talented young musicians through multi-level ensemble instruction, leadership training, touring opportunities, challenging professional repertoire, and performances in world-class venues. The Philharmonic Society also promotes life-long learning by connecting with colleges and universities to conduct masterclasses and workshops and providing pre-concert lectures to introduce audiences to program selections.
949.553.2422 | PHILHARMONICSOCIETY.ORG
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