issue one - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

of lyrical yearning; the third is a cheeky tune
with the flavour of a Russian folk dance. An
expansive and thunderous solo cadenza lies
at the core of the concerto.
Franz Liszt
b. Raiding, Hungary / October 22, 1811
d. Bayreuth, Germany / July 31, 1886
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major
Liszt was not only the foremost virtuoso
pianist of his era, but also a prime mover
behind many important innovations in
the field of composition. One of his most
influential creative achievements was the
development of the symphonic poem, a
free-form type of orchestral piece inspired
by such extramusical concepts as literature,
artwork and natural phenomena. To bind
the various and continuous sections of such
works together, he developed a compositional
method through which he based the entire
piece on the evolution and transformation
of a few short, simple themes. Liszt’s piano
concertos also make use of this technique.
They are, in effect, symphonic poems with the
piano soloist as the central character.
“One of his most influential
creative achievements was
the development of the
symphonic poem...”
Concertos 1 and 2 evolved over lengthy
periods, perhaps as much as 30 years. At
the premiere of the final version of No. 1
(Weimar, 1855), Liszt played the solo part,
with his friend and musical soul-mate, Hector
Berlioz, conducting. Much fuss was made
over his use of a triangle in the scherzo of the
concerto. Critics thought its silvery frivolity
out of place in a serious composition. Actually,
it sounds right at home in this brilliant music.
In addition to humour, the concerto contains
ample amounts of drama, tenderness, and
commanding energy. The heroic demands
of the solo part reflect the composer’s own
sovereign gifts.
Camille Saint-Saëns
b. Paris, France / October 9, 1835
d. Algiers, Algeria / December 16, 1921
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 2
Although this is the second in order of
composition among the five Saint-Saëns
symphonies, it was published as No. 1.
He composed it in 1853. He sent the
manuscript anonymously to a Parisian concert
organization, the Société Saint-Cécile of Paris,
which had been founded by an acclaimed
Belgian violinist, François Seghers. Wishing to
assist Saint-Saëns in his budding career, and
recognizing the artistic prejudices of the day
(Frenchmen didn’t compose symphonies, and
German instrumental music was superior to
French), Seghers led the society’s screening
committee to believe that the symphony was
the work of a mature German composer.
The ruse worked, and it was accepted for
performance.
The veteran composers Berlioz and Gounod
heard it during rehearsal and praised it
highly. They were astonished to find that the
creator of so skillful a work was just eighteen.
Gounod, who had met Saint-Saëns briefly ten
years before, said to him in a letter “You are
far in advance of your years.” Saint-Saëns
proudly held onto that letter for the remainder
of his life.
Symphony No. 1 is a delightful work, filled
with youthful high spirits, ample charm, and
skillful use of a large orchestra. Naturally
such an early piece shows the influence of
Saint-Saëns’ preferred masters – Schumann,
Berlioz and Mendelssohn, for example – but
there is much confident individuality on
display, as well. The first movement consists
of a brief, solemn introduction and a vivacious
Allegro. The second movement is a tuneful,
almost balletic creation for which Saint-Saëns
coined a new title: Marche-Scherzo.
A languid, coolly romantic Adagio follows.
It segues without a break into a stirring
finale, in which Saint-Saëns paid homage
to the baroque period by including a
vigorous fugue. ■
Programme Notes © 2010 Don Anderson
54 allegro