Program Notes

Program Notes
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Mayby April L. Racana

1Jun

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)

Polovtsian Dances from Opera "Prince Igor"
Borodin's main vocation in life was dedicated to research in thesciences. He had studied medicine in school with continuing studies in both31
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chemistry and pathology, becoming a professor at the St. Petersburg MedicoSurgical Academy at the age of 31. Consequently, his work as a composer
was a side-job in many ways, and he himself commented: “I do not seek
recognition as a composer for I am somehow ashamed of admitting to mycompositional activities.... For me this is a relaxation, a pastime, an indulgencethat distracts me from my principal work.”
The composer began to work on this project in the fall of 1869, based on
the 12th century poem “The Epic of Igor’s Army”, which was sent to him by
the critic Vladimir Stasov as a suggestion for a subject for an opera. Working
on and off over the years, Borodin would leave the work unfinished by
the time of his sudden death in 1887, though the Polovtsian Dances had been
completed and presented at a concert in 1879, conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov.
The full opera was completed by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov with theworld premiere given in 1890 in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre.
The Polovtsian Dances are presented during a ballet sequence at the end of
Act II of the opera, which tells the story of a heroic 12-century Russian prince
as he defends against invading nomadic tribes. Prince Igor is taken prisoner
by the Polovtsian leader Khan Konchak who presents his slaves to dance for
their entertainment. The dances have become well-known outside of the opera,
especially when some of the themes were adapted for the 1953 Broadway musical“Kismet”. Most noteworthy is the tune from ‘Gliding Dance of the Maidens’

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Work composed: 1869～1870, 1874～1887
World premiere: 23rd October, 1890, Petersburg, Mariinsky Theatre
Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes (2nd doubling on English horn),
2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani,percussion (tambourine, snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals,glockenspiel), harp, strings

Program Notes

which was given lyrics and adapted to become the song “Stranger in Paradise.”Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No.1
in A minor, Op.77
It is known that Shostakovich encountered a great deal of pressure fromthe Stalinist regime during his lifetime as an artist in the former Soviet Union.
He was criticized early in his professional life, which caused him to delay

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performance of his Fourth Symphony and begin work on a more ‘appropriate’
Fifth Symphony (1937). In like kind, his first concerto for violin was kept ‘inthe drawer’ after it was composed in 1948, until the political climate made it
safe for him to present this work to the public, after Stalin’s death in 1953.
As had previously occurred in 1936, Shostakovich together with manyother artists and writers of the time, fell victim to the latest politburo policy
in 1948 which accused them of ‘formalism’ in their works as well as ‘leading
Soviet music astray’. And although the composer was obliged to create music
for a publicly acceptable face in order to survive this latest purge, he continued
to compose music privately that perhaps expressed more of his deeper heartfelt
emotions. At the same time that he was composing this concerto, for example,
he was also working on the song-cycle “From Jewish Folk Poetry”, which has
been said to represent his support for a group that was greatly oppressed.
Inspired by renowned violinist David Oistrakh, Shostakovich began
composing his first concerto for violin in 1947, and has been quoted as saying
both the concerto and the song-cycle were inspired by Yiddish fiddle music.

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So it is not surprising that the composer was hesitant to unveil these works dueto fear of reprisal for using such references to Jewish themes and styles.
The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 was created utilizing amore symphonic form – that of four movements rather than the traditional
three usually used for concertos. It seems that although he was exploringhis compositional techniques more in the chamber genres, Shostakovich
still felt pulled towards this four-movement frame of the symphony.
Each movement in this case, however, was given its own title: Nocturne,

31May
1JunScherzo, Passacaglia and Burlesque. These not only represented a contrast
in styles and tempos – slow, fast, slow, fast – but also allowed for an
extreme range of emotions, typical of his compositions.
The work was dedicated to David Oistrakh who apparently suggested
to the composer, following the extremely demanding cadenza of the third
movement, (which leads without pause into the fourth), that it might benice for the soloist to have a bit of a break before continuing into the final
movement. Hence the two opuses (77 and 99) that are associated with thiswork, the former with no break and the latter rearranged by Shostakovich
with the orchestra opening the fourth movement’s Burlesque theme.
The dedicatee premiered the concerto two years after the death ofStalin in 1955 and commented on the demands he felt this work put
on the soloist:“The performer plays a pithy ‘Shakespearean’ role

which demands complete emotional and intellectual involvement.” Andalthough the public had to wait for the cultural climate to thaw before
Shostakovich felt it was safe to present this work, it is a testament to thecreative genius of the composer that he was able to continue creatingsuch works in private through such immensely repressive times.
Work composed: 1947～1948 World premiere: 29th October, 1955, Leningrad
Instrumentation: 3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doublingon English horn), 3 clarinets (3rd doubling on bass clarinet), 3 bassoons

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Program Notes
Program Notes(3rd doubling on contrabassoon), 4 horns, tuba, timpani, percussion(tambourine, tam-tam, xylophone), 2 harps, celesta, strings

Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47“I saw man with all his experiences in the center of the composition… Inthe finale, the tragically tense impulses of the earlier movements are resolvedin optimism and joy of living.” Such were the words of Shostakovich indescribing his Fifth Symphony, shortly after it was composed. Under theStalinist regime of the time, however, it seems Shostakovich may have beencreating the music (and the description thereof) in order to meet both thepolitical and artistic expectations of those in power in the Soviet Union.

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Just the year prior, in 1936, Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth ofMtsensk, as well as his ballet, The Limpid Stream, had both been censured
by the Soviet politburo. And although the Fourth Symphony was alreadyin rehearsals, the composer determined it was in his best interest towithdraw it before it was to make its debut, since he felt it might also
offend officials. Both the stage works and the symphony apparently did
not convey the tone of ‘optimism’ that was expected of artists of the time.
Clearly the decision to delay the introduction of his Fourth Symphony
was not one of an artistic nature. In fact, it may well have been forhis own as well as his family’s well-being, as Shostakovich had been
witness to losing friends and relatives who chose not to follow the party
line and were not heard from again. Such was the atmosphere underwhich the composer created his Fifth Symphony in the summer of 1937.
The work was premiered on November 21st of the same year, amidst
celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the Revolution. It was a great
success, apparently pleasing not only those of the regime, but audiences

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alike both within and outside his native country, as it made its way into
concert halls first in Paris and then worldwide. Shostakovich had regained
his position of respect in Soviet political circles and established a growing
reputation as a composer of international stature.
In spite of the adjustments he made to fit the appropriate mold deemedby those in authority, Shostakovich still infiltrated this work with his unusual
melodic and harmonic effects, as well as his tendency to extend the ranges of
all the instruments to their extremes. So although many of the elements havebeen simplified, limiting use of dissonances more than he had previously and31
May1Junstaying within the traditional frame of a four-movement structure, theheart and soul of Shostakovich can’t help but to be heard throughout.
And although the composer referred to a quote by a Soviet critic following
the Moscow premiere in January of 1937, stating that this work was “thepractical creative answer of a Soviet artist to just criticism”, it became clear
after the fall of the Stalinist regime, that perhaps some of Shostakovich’s satire
did manage to be secreted past watchful eyes. Towards the end of his life hehas been quoted as saying: “I think that it is clear to everyone what happens in
the Fifth… it’s as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying ‘Your
business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing’, and you rise shakily, and go
off muttering ‘Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.’
Work composed: 1937 World premiere: 21st November, 1937, Leningrad
Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, E-flat clarinet,2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba,timpani, percussion (snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, tam-tam,glockenspiel, xylophone), 2 harps, piano, celesta, strings

April L. Racana / Music Specialist at Nishimachi International School where
she has taught since 1992. She completed her undergraduate studies at
the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (BS/Piano Pedagogy) and her
graduate studies at San Francisco State University (MA/Music), as well as
a post-graduate fellowship at Northwestern University, and the Japan
Studies Program at International Christian University.

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