UW Symphony with Rachel Lee Priday, violin

David Alexander Rahbee conducts the University of Washington Symphony in a program of music by Kurt Atterberg, Jean Sibelius, and Johannes Brahms. With faculty violinist Rachel Lee Priday, performing Sibelius' Violin Concerto with the orchestra. 

Program

A Värmland Rhapsody: Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974) 

Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47: Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio di molto
III. Allegro, ma non tanto

Rachel Lee Priday, violin 

INTERMISSION 

Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 73: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio non troppo
III. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andantino)
IV. Allegro con spirito

Program Notes

By Micah Weiland

Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974)
A Värmland Rhapsodie, op. 36 (1932)

Kurt Atterberg was a Swedish composer and conductor. He grew up in Gothenburg; and studied the cello as a child before moving to study at the Stockholm Institute of Technology. He gained an education in civil engineering and worked in a patent office for much of his life. Even though he worked in an office, he still dedicated large amounts of time to composition. He composed nine symphonies, ten orchestral suites, numerous concerti, and many other concert works. His music often incorporates Swedish folk melodies as is showcased throughout this work. Thepiece uses such folk melodies to inspire thoughts of the vast meadows and landscapes in the Varmländ province of Sweden.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Violin Concerto in D minor op. 47 (1904-05)

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer often credited with creating a national sound of Finland through his symphonic works. A violinist himself, he was educated in violin performance at the Helsinki institute of music beforemoving to Vienna to study composition and orchestration. It was there that he had decided to forge a modern Finnish sound. In order to do this, he began to embrace Finnish folk melodies and use them as inspiration for his own compositions. He found success in creating a distinctly Scandinavian atmosphere for his violin concerto which premiered in Helsinki in 1904. Sibelius’ Violin Concerto is one of the most important violin concertos not only of the 20th century, but one of the most important ever composed. Part of the reason the concerto became famous is that itwas championed by a number of revered violinists including but not limited to; Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, IssacStern, Ida Haendel, Camilla Wicks, and Ginette Neveu.

The first movement opens with a shimmering texture in the violins before the soloist enters with a haunting melody. A unique aspect of this movement in particular is how Sibelius expanded the first-movement cadenza toserve as part of the development of the movement. The second movement begins with the theme in the woodwinds, the strings then enter with pizzicati before the solo violin plays one of the most beautiful and heartfelt melodies ever written. The Third movement is bursting with energy, and the lively violin solo is supported by sudden bursts of orchestral accompaniment. 

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony no. 2 in D major op. 73 (1877

Over the course of the summer of 1877, Johannes Brahms completed his second symphony in D major. Sometimes referred to as the composer’s “pastoral symphony” as he wrote it while traveling through the Austrian Alps and Bavaria. It evokes a strong sense of lightheartedness and natural beauty, although it still has its moments of darkness. Originally, Brahms did not want to use trombones in this symphony but he felt as though they were necessary to complete the sound. Even though the opening of the symphony begins in a bright D major, Brahms had always felt that he was a melancholic person with “Dark wings flapping above [him]” which iswhy he chose to darken the sound by adding the trombones and timpani. The first movement is in sonata form and it opens with a three note motif that works its way through the piece in various forms and inversions. Also in theopening movement is a recurring lullaby theme in the low strings. The various characters included in this movement make for a complex opening to a monumental symphony.

The second movement is an Adagio with rich thematic content in the cellos with accompaniment in thewoodwinds. A stormy section then emerges within the low strings before continuing to a hopeful ending. Movement three is not the typical scherzo, but is replaced with something more gentle. The oboe solo in the beginning of the movement resembles the Astro German, Swiss dance known as a Ländler and is characterized by an accent on the thirdand last beat of each measure.

This Finale was written using the traditional classical form of which other contemporaries of Brahms were trying to replace with something more innovative. Even though it takes the standard form, this finale is very effective. It starts with a whispering melody in the strings and quickly explodes with excitement as the winds and brass restate the opening theme. The coda sets a dark and moody atmosphere before ending the piece in triumph.

Biographies