The New York Philharmonic’s rehearsal on November 19th included works from a variety of excellent composers. The pieces performed included Liszt’s Les Préludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3 after Lamartine; Elgar’s In the South (Alassio), Concerto-Overture for Orchestra, Op. 50; and selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
Franz Liszt, born in 1811, was a masterful Hungarian composer who was the first to champion the “symphonic poem,” a “large-scale but single-movement orchestral piece structured to convey a literary program.” Liszt himself coined the term in 1853 and composed 13 such pieces, Les Préludes being the third. This work, one of his most famous, was indeed a revision and expansion upon his previous work Les Quatre Éléments: La Terre, Les Aquilons, Les Flots, Les Astres. The work also loosely connects to Alphonse de Lamartine’s poem “Les Préludes,” although the order of the moods differs. In Liszt’s composition, the “sequence divides into four parts, which focus on love, war, the natural beauty of the countryside, and destiny.”
This piece stirred up a great many emotions in me and in the space of the time in which it was rehearsed by the Philharmonic, it became one of my favorite classical pieces. Throughout the course of the composition, I closed my eyes, allowing the music to envelope me in a story; the symphonic poem lived up to that title and inspired my imagination to match a plot to the music. In its entirety, my imaginary world seemed to be set in World War II era Europe, perhaps France. The first section opened with a light and airy feeling which invoked the spirit of springtime in my own interpretation. I saw the blossoming of a new infatuation, which later in the part developed into a full-blown romance. Starkly contrasting against the buoyant mood of the love section, the transition into the war section was quite effective. The beginning of this part of the sequence made me envision the lovers attempting to flee from an oncoming darkness, denoted by sinister tones in the music. As the section developed, the war motif was incredibly clear to the listener; the powerful music created images of a charging cavalry and marching forces. This section fades into a much softer section in which I saw a serene isolated landscape of rolling green hills and a small home. I pictured the woman alone, her lover having disappeared into the chaos of war, tending to her laundry with a slight wind blowing. The scene continues to emphasize the beauty of the area in which she lives. In the final section, representing destiny, the pomp and grandeur of the music formed a reunion between the lovers in my imaginary story. The triumphant feel of the music made me feel as if there could be no other end to the story.
Edward Elgar, Britain’s leading composer of the Edwardian Era, composed his In the South (Alassio) after vacationing in the south of Italy in 1904. Upon visiting the village of Andora, Elgar was inspired and filled his piece with “references to his Italian surroundings…a heroic buildup of chordal textures meant to evoke ancient Roman soldiers, and a canto popolare of the sort the shepard [a local] might sing.” For the most part, I enjoyed this piece and it was performed excellently, although the source composition did not speak to me as much as its predecessor in the program. I believe because I was so enthralled with Les Préludes, that I set myself up for disappointment for the rest of the show. However, I was rather fond of the part in Alassio when the music picks up and evoked a battle scene.
The final act of the rehearsal was selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. While I felt his music was a bit unusual at parts, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Prokofiev’s score was originally scorned by members of the Bolshoi Ballet as “undanceable.” Today, however, it is regarded as “one of the finest ballet scores of all times.” My favorite piece was the “Death of Tybalt,” because of it’s dramatic tones and dark feel. I also enjoyed “Montagues and the Capulets” and “Romeo at Juliet’s Grave.” I definitely favored the darker pieces than the lighter ones. I did think, however, that “Juliet, the Young Girl” was fitting for a youthful girl with it’s light and fast paced nature.
Overall, my main criticism is that I felt that there were too many pauses and interruptions; however, I digress because it was a rehearsal and the stops were typical and expected. I enjoyed most of Conductor Riccardo Muti’s commentary as well, although at points I could not understand him. In the end, I regretted not being able to attend the performance.
All quotes from the Playbill’s “Notes on the Program” by James M. Keller
