Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra (1986)
| Performer | Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra |
|---|---|
| Venue | The Priory Church |
| Date(s) | Sunday 8th June 1986 |
| Time | 7.30pm |
| Cost | £3.00 £2.00 OAP and Children |
Conductor: ALISTAIR JONES
Trumpet: MARK DAVID
- Overture “Ruy Bias” - Mendelssohn
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice - Dukas
- Trumpet Concerto - Haydn
- Symphony No. 3. (Eroica) - Beethoven
The concert opens with an overture by Mendelssohn. This was composed in 1839 as part of incidental music for Victor Hugo’s play “Ruy Bias”.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is based on a ballad by Goethe ‘Der Zauberlehrling”. In his master’s absence the apprentice does not wish to carry out his tasks so remembering one of the Sorcerer’s spells, he orders the broom to carry water from the river. Soon every vessel in the house is filled and water is flooding everywhere. Unfortunately the boy cannot remember the magic to stop the broom. He attacks the broom with an axe chopping it in two but each half brings in more water. At last the Sorcerer comes home and by magic returns the restored broom to its cupboard and the water to the river.
The Trumpet Concerto
1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Allegro
Haydn composed this concerto in 1796 for the Viennese court trumpeter Anton Weidinger who had invented an instrument capable of playing all the chromatic notes of the trumpet’s range. Haydn used a large orchestra and the work is laid out in the customary three movements — a broad opening movement followed by a romantic rather wistful slow movement in which the trumpet shows its poetic side. The finale is a brilliant rondo which displays the entire virtuoso range of the solo trumpet.
Symphony No.3
1. Allegro con brio
2. Marcia Funebre (Adagio assai)
3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) and Trio
4. Finale (Allegro molto — Poco andante — Presto)
In 1803 Beethoven said to a friend 'I am not at all satisfied with my work so far and I mean to make a fresh start from today’. The first result of this intention was the ‘Eroica’ Symphony. This symphony was initially dedicated to Napoleon as the revolutionary champion of liberty. Later when Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoveft tore up his dedication in disgust at the betrayal of his ideals.
The Eroica Symphony was not only revolutionary in thought but also in content — in that it extended the scope of symphonic form and introduced a new variety and complexity of material. The whole symphony was unified by a single passionate idea that so overwhelmed it’s first hearers, that they did not know what to make of it.
The subtitle of the Symphony is said to celebrate “the memory of a great man”. Today on listening to the Symphony we celebrate the memory of a great man — Ludwig van Beethoven.
Notes
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