Name: Subscription concert no. 1970
Start: 2022-11-23T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-11-24T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Suntory Hall

Organization

Conductor

Leonard Slatkin

Instrumentalist

Violinist

Ray Chen

Violin

Orchestra

NHK Symphony Orchestra

Suntory Hall

Subscription concert no. 1970

Tokyo

Japan

Main Hall

No. 1970 Subscription (Program B): Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus Ralph Vaughan Williams (+2 More)

Public

Private

Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus

Violin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64

Symphony No. 5 in D major

Approved

Born in South England, Vaughan Williams (hereafter VW) had a distinctive "English" style firstly because he collected/edited English folksongs and carols of which he used many in his own compositions.
The uniqueness of Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus (1939) resides in its concept, as this is a series of "variants" but not "variations". In the oral tradition, one single folksong has diverse variants (versions) with slightly different music and/or words. Here VW joined a folksong and its variants to freely orchestrate them. The melody of Dives and Lazarus has been known in England since the 16th century at least. The lyrics are based on the parable of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke about a rich man who refuses to give alms to a beggar.
Despite a small ensemble for strings and harp, the work sounds thick (for each section is often subdivided) but also transparent thanks to VW’s exceptional orchestration inherited from his teacher Ravel. The introduction where the original tune is given and the five variants are played seamlessly, but the start of each is noticeable with the change of atmospheres and times. The most recognizable is the Variant III as it's opened by the violin solo over harp accompaniment. The Variant V in 4/4 time evokes a solemn chorale. After the powerful climax, a tranquil moment comes to end this beautiful piece which was unsurprisingly played at the composer's funeral.
Born in Germany, Mendelssohn wore many hats: as a gifted composer, an excellent pianist, an inspirational conductor—he led the prestigious Gewandhausorchester Leipzig—and an indefatigable educator who founded the Leipzig Conservatory. He was also a leader of the “revival” of J. S. Bach’s works.
It is no exaggeration to say that Op. 64 is the most popular violin concerto. Mendelssohn wrote it for Ferdinand David, a violinist who was then concertmaster of the Gewandhausorchester, taking advice from him. The premiere took place in 1845, two years earlier than the composer’s demise at age 38.
All the three movements are played without pause, which was exceptional during the time. Mendelssohn fills the concerto with Romantic virtuosity while following Classical concerto format in a free manner. The opening sonata movement has an introduction less than two bars before the violin solo enters singing the—world-famous—flowing, fervent first theme. The G-major second theme introduced by woodwinds has a calmer character. Here the composer wrote down the soloist’s cadenza (virtuosic improvisatory section) in full, which was, again, an atypical thing in those days. Following a sustained note by bassoon as a bridge, the next slow movement in C major starts. It has a symmetric A–B–A form with the unquiet central section. The final movement has a minor short prelude by strings before a bright trumpet fanfare announces the beginning of the E-major Allegro section in sonata rondo form. Then the solo violin gives immediately the bouncing main theme. The soloist and the orchestra both dash for the feverish, festive ending.
Trained in London and later by Bruch and Ravel on the continent, VW was a prolific composer who pursued a wide range of genres. However, his role as a great symphonist was particularly essential for 20th century music history, as most of his contemporaries turned their back on the tradition of symphony anchored by Bruckner and Mahler.
VW left us nine symphonies premiered between 1910 and 1958. Interestingly enough, the Fifth is "dedicated without permission to Jean Sibelius" (VW's own expression), another great symphonist of the century whom VW esteemed. Of all nine, the Fifth is the most serene symphony. This character is somewhat unexpected considering its historical backdrop, as it was composed mostly during World War II. Conceivably, an undertone of darkness in this idyllic music might be tied to this unpeaceful time. We should also consider that numbers of this symphony’s main materials are quoted from his then-uncompleted opera The Pilgrim’s Progress based on a Christian allegory written by the Puritan preacher John Bunyan. VW had been working on this opera since the pre-war period.
The Fifth consists of four movements. VW first brings the home key into question, as the opening movement in flexible sonata form begins dissonantly with a horn dotted call in D major against a C note sustained by low strings. Then the violins doubled by flutes introduce the folksy, slightly dark main tune in D major, before the radiant second theme is given by violins in E major. The next movement is a rhythmically inventive scherzo. The third movement begins with strings utilizing mutes, a devise to make a softer sound, and a lone cor anglais (English horn) solo. Soon after, violas lead a contrapuntal string ensemble followed by an extensive, intense musical meditation. In the last movement, VW modernizes the past passacaglia form, a series of variations over a repetitive bass melody. This luxuriant finale reminds us of how deeply VW is rooted in the 16th–17th century's polyphonic tradition of England. The symphony has a celestial conclusion in D major as though it answered the opening question.

English

Subscription concert no. 1970 by Vaughan Williams, Mendelssohn, From (2022/2022), Conductor Leonard Slatkin, Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Japan

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