Podcast available at kcsymphony.org KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY 23

2015/16 Season CLASSICAL SERIES

Additional support provided by

The 2015/16 season is generously sponsored by

SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR.The Classical Series is sponsored by

Concert weekend sponsored by

MARY DAVIDSON

Special underwriting by

HARRY PORTMAN CHARITABLE TRUSTFriday’s concert sponsored by

BILL and AILEEN POLLOCKSaturday’s concert sponsored by

JOHN and TRUDY JACOBSON

The commission of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 3 was generously underwritten by

MARY DAVIDSONSpecial underwriting for this concert provided by the

NATIONAL EDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

TCHAIKOVSKY’S THIRD SYMPHONYFriday, Saturday and Sunday, May 20-22, 2016

MICHAEL STERN, conductorSTEPHEN POWELL, baritone

MAGNARD Hymne à la justice, op. 14

JONATHAN LESHNOFF Symphony No. 3I. SlowII. Gevurah, fast and with burning intensityIII. Slow

Kansas City Symphony commission and world premiereStephen Powell, baritone

INTERMISSION

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 3 in D Major, op. 29, “Polish” 1875I. Introduzione ed allegro - Moderato assai

(Tempo di marcia funebre)II. Alla tedesca: Allegro moderato e sempliceIII. Andante elegiacoIV. Scherzo: Allegro vivoV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di polacca)

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Kansas City SymphonyPROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer

ALBÉRIC MAGNARD (1865-1914)Hymne à la justice (1902) 15 minutesPiccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet,

2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones,

timpani, harp and strings.

For a dozen years (1894-1906), the Dreyfus Affair sharply divided France. In December 1894, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, was convicted of treason for allegedly selling military secrets to Germany. On January 13, 1898, the newspaper L’Aurore published a letter written by Émile Zola to the president of the French Republic. In that letter, “J’accuse,” Zola railed against the French army for attempting to cover up Dreyfus’ wrongful conviction — the following month, Zola was convicted of libel. On the day of the letter’s publication, French composer Albéric Magnard wrote to Zola, congratulating him and

offering support. Magnard joined many others in pressuring the French government to clear Dreyfus of the charges against him. However, it was not until 1906 that Dreyfus was fully exonerated.

In 1902, Magnard, inspired by the Dreyfus Affair, composed his orchestral work Hymne à la justice. Magnard dedicated the composition to his friend Emile Gallé, another artist who publicly supported Dreyfus. The premiere of Hymne à la justice took place in Nancy, France, on January 4, 1903. The following day, a writer for Le Libéral de l’Est offered

French composer

Albéric Magnard’s Hymn

to Justice was his fervent

protest against the wrongful

conviction and imprisonment

of Alfred Dreyfus.

this lovely appreciation of the music and its significance:The Hymn to Justice is a powerful work, and one of

undeniable originality. It is divided between two quite different themes; the first very violent, very brutal, symbolizing the revolt of the oppressed, the second very simple and sweet, in the manner of a prayer and invocation for justice. By turns, these two themes appear individually, and at times combine. A rare grandeur and musical power emerges from this superb work. The final portion of the poem is very beautiful: the strings climb higher and higher, expressing the supplications of the weak, the call for justice…

JONATHAN LESHNOFF (1973)Symphony No. 3 (2015) 28 minutesSolo baritone, 3 flutes, 3 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, bass clarinet, 3

bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, piccolo trumpet, 3 trombones,

tuba, timpani, 2 anvils, bass drum, harp and strings.

During the 2014-15 season, the Kansas City Symphony observed the centennial of the start of World War I, performing several works related to the “The War to End All Wars.” Although World War I began in the summer of 1914, the United States did not join until April 1917. The isolationist posture of the United States began to fracture in May 1915, with the sinking of the Lusitania. Jonathan Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 3, commissioned by the Kansas City Symphony and dedicated to Michael Stern, commemorates the upcoming centenary of America’s involvement in this global conflict.

Leshnoff’s work depicts both the horrors of World War I and the humanity of those whose lives were forever changed by the conflict. Though the symphony is scored for solo baritone and orchestra, the orchestra alone performs the first two movements, with a mood of unresolved tension and anguish.

The second movement is associated with the sixth letter of the

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Kansas City SymphonyPROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer

Hebrew alphabet, , “vav,” which refers to the attribute of Gevurah in Jewish mystical thought. Gevurah, loosely translated as “strength,” denotes a giver’s withholding of expansive kindness in exchange for perceived difficulties. It is an appropriate association with this inner movement, which is restless and extended, continually eschewing resolution and exploring dense harmonies and orchestral timbres. The mood changes to one of tenderness in the final movement, as the baritone recites portions of letters written by U.S. soldiers involved in World War I.

The originals of these letters reside in Kansas City’s National World War I Museum, which shared the documents with the composer. The work concludes in hushed tones with Charles Irons’ letter to his wife, informing her that if he should perish in the conflict, “know that I died with your name upon my lips…”

See the text on the next page >>

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The Kansas City Symphony commissioned American composer Jonathan Leshnoff’s Third Symphony to commemorate the upcoming centennial of the United States’ involvement in World War I.

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TEXTS for MOVEMENT III

Dear Mother, … There is so much to tell … I don’t know where to start…I am now over here, somewhere in England is all I can say. I had always hoped tocome abroad sometime, but this has happened all so suddenly…

I was on guard that night and I nearly drowned trying to inspect the submarine lookouts. It was a sight I shall never forget. Every now and then a bright full moon would come out from behind the clouds and throw its beams upon the white caps. …Back in the distance, you could see other ships tossing in the waves. It did not seem possible that the same moon was shining down on you all way back there in Missouri.

— Lifelong Kansas City resident, James Kellogg Burnham “Burnie” Hockaday, letter to his mother, June 23, 1918.Courtesy of the National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Mo.

My Darling Wife … Oh, what a joy it will be to have you near again. If I could havemy greatest wish granted it would be to ask to be with you and Ginger this night.I would not care where we were, if only I could be by your side…Should the God of all call upon me … and I never see you again, knowthat I died with your name upon my lips…

— Charles Irons, letter to his wife, January 2, 1919.Courtesy of the National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Mo.

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G . KENNE TH and ANN BAUM

CONCERT COMMENTSEnjoy a lively conversation about our Classical Series programs, frequently featuring the conductor and guest artist, beginning one hour prior to most classical concerts. Concert Comments are not presented in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts prior to concerts featuring the Kansas City Symphony Chorus.

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)Symphony No. 3 in D Major, op. 29, “Polish” (1875) 45 minutesPiccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets,

2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones,

tuba, timpani and strings.

In June 1875, Tchaikovsky accepted an invitation from the manager of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater to compose a new ballet. Before starting this ballet — eventually known to the world as Swan Lake — Tchaikovsky decided to compose a new symphony. He began the work during his summer vacation, completing the symphony by mid-August. Nikolay Rubinstein, head of the Moscow Conservatory where Tchaikovsky taught, conducted the premiere of the Third Symphony in Moscow on November 19, 1875, as part of a Russian Musical Society concert.

The Symphony’s nickname, “Polish,” refers to the final movement, which is based upon the polonaise, a vibrant dance in triple meter. The nickname seems to have originated in 1899 when conductor Sir August Manns led the work in England as part of the Crystal Palace concerts.

The Symphony, in five movements, concludes with a bold polonaise, the source of the work’s “Polish” nickname.

KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY 29

Recommended RecordingTCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 3London Symphony / Valery Gergiev, conductorLabel: LSO Live Catalog #710

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The first of five movements opens with a slow introduction in the character of an extended and somber funeral march (Moderato assai [Tempo di marcia funebre]). The music accelerates into the vibrant major-key Allegro brillante, in traditional sonata form featuring the exposition, development and recapitulation of central themes. The second movement (Alla tedesca. Allegro moderato e semplice) is based upon a German folk dance, the ländler, a precursor to the waltz. The beguiling dance rhythms and elegant scoring anticipate Tchaikovsky’s great ballet scores. The heartfelt slow third movement (Andante elegiaco) is the structural and emotional centerpiece of the Symphony. The fourth movement is a quicksilver, elfin scherzo (Allegro vivo). The finale (Allegro con fuoco [Tempo di polacca]), based upon a bold polonaise, brings the “Polish” Symphony to a rousing close.

Kansas City SymphonyPROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer

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THE DYNAMIC AMERICAN BARITONE STEPHEN POWELL BRINGS HIS “rich, lyric baritone, commanding presence, and thoughtful musicianship” (Wall Street Journal) to a wide range of music. Opera magazine has hailed him, writing “the big news was Stephen Powell’s gorgeously-sung Onegin: rock solid, with creamy legato from top to bottom and dynamics smoothly tapered but never exaggerated.”

In the summer of 2016, Powell returns to Tanglewood as soloist in Carmina burana with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and to the Minnesota Orchestra singing Iago in Otello. Powell’s engagements in the 2016-17 season will include his debut with Seattle Opera as Germont in La traviata as well as returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra as soloist in Carmina burana, the San Francisco Opera as Prus in The Makropulos Case, and the Kansas City and North Carolina symphonies in Britten’s War Requiem.

In the 2015-16 season, Powell appeared with the Opera Company of Philadelphia as Germont in La traviata, the New Jersey Symphony as soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Detroit Symphony

Orchestra in Messiah, the Minnesota Opera as Scarpia in Tosca, the Houston Symphony in Fauré’s Requiem, and the Michigan Opera Theatre for his debut performances in the title role of Macbeth. He also debuted with the National Symphony Orchestra in Messiah.

Powell has sung under the batons of such distinguished conductors as David Robertson, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, Andrew Litton, Charles Dutoit, Grant Llewellyn, Antony Walker, David Zinman and Michael Tilson Thomas. His recent concert highlights include appearances with Cleveland Orchestra in Carmina burana, Tonhaller Orchester Zürich in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (recorded for RCA Red Seal), Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Fauré’s Requiem, St. Louis Symphony in Brahms’ Requiem, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in Britten’s War Requiem, and Houston Symphony in Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. Recent opera engagements include the title role in Rigoletto for a return to Caramoor Festival, Enrico in Lucia di Lammmermoor with Los Angeles Opera, the title role in Simon Boccanegra (1857 version) with Warsaw’s Ludwig van Beethoven Association, Tonio in I Pagliacci with San Diego Opera, and Miller in Luisa Miller at the Cincinnati May Festival.

Kansas City SymphonyAbout STEPHEN POWELL, baritone

KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY 33

Kansas City SymphonyAbout JONATHAN LESHNOFF, composer

JONATHAN LESHNOFF’S COMPOSITIONS HAVE EARNED INTERNATIONAL acclaim for their accessible melodies, structural complexity and weighty themes. Commissioned by Carnegie Hall as well as the Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville and Kansas City symphony orchestras, his compositions have been performed by more than 45 orchestras worldwide. He has written for Gil Shaham, Manuel Barrueco, Ricardo Morales and Jessica Rivera. His catalog has more than 50 works, including three symphonies, 10 concerti, four string quartets and three oratorios. Born in 1973, Leshnoff currently resides in Baltimore where he is a music professor at Towson University.

Leshnoff’s 2015-16 season has been his busiest yet. In November, the Atlanta Symphony, led by music director Robert Spano, premiered Leshnoff’s Second Symphony. In April, Atlanta Symphony and Spano also premiered his oratorio Zohar and took it on tour to Carnegie Hall, which co-commissioned the work. Gil Shaham and the Knights Orchestra gave the first performances of Leshnoff’s Chamber Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in February. Most recently, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin premiered his Clarinet Concerto.

Leshnoff has released three albums to date, all on the Naxos American Classics label. The recording of his Violin Concerto, performed by Charles Wetherbee and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra with Markand Thakar conducting, was selected among Naxos’ Top 40 CDs of 2009. Other Naxos releases include his Symphony No. 1, conducted by Michael Stern with the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, and a chamber music disc.

Named by Fanfare magazine as “the real thing,” Leshnoff’s music has been lauded by Strings magazine as “distinct from anything else that’s out there,” and by the Memphis Commercial Appeal as “f luid, thoughtful work, superbly textured and unafraid to be intellectual.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution claimed that Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 2 will “surely become a lasting, heralded work” and the New York Times concluded in a concert review that “the afternoon’s keenest discovery was Mr. Leshnoff.”

Photo by Erica Ham

ilton.

Read program notes or listen to podcasts at kcsymphony.org.