Tonight’s concert centers on music by two important composers, the German Early-Romantic Robert Schumann (1810-1856); and the Italian 20th Century “Impressionist” Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936).

As a concert opener, we offer the 1st movement of Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in Bb Major, “Spring” (1841), his very first published composition for symphony orchestra. The legendary Midori then joins Glacier Symphony on stage to share her supreme artistry in the rarely performed Violin Concerto in d minor by Schumann (1853), the composer’s final work written for orchestra.

Robert Schumann, an important composer of the Early-Romantic period and an influential music journalist, composed a large amount of solo piano music, several influential song cycles for voice and piano, string quartets and other chamber music, four symphonies, and three concertos including the neglected Violin Concerto in d minor. He also composed an opera called Genoveva, music for chorus and other works. Throughout his life, Schumann was plagued by psychological issues that caused severe disruption to his creative work and relationships.

Schumann composed the “Spring” Symphony at the urging of his wife, Clara. The first movement begins with a slow opening noble fanfare motive that includes a hidden “Clara motive” heard as a descending line in the upper woodwinds. Also listen for this “Clara motive” laced throughout the Violin Concerto in d minor. The movement is structured in a somewhat expanded Sonata-Allegro form containing: a slow fanfare Introduction, a rigorous Exposition featuring two main themes, a Development section where themes and ideas are explored, the Recapitulation (repeat of the Exposition,) and a final Coda section with a new lyrical/hymnlike theme introduced in the strings before the final rush towards an exciting trumpet led ending.

The Violin Concerto, completed near the end of his creative life, was Schumann’s final work for orchestra and was composed for the then 22-year-old violinist sensation, Joseph Joachim. Sadly, Joachim never performed the piece for an audience. Following Schumann’s death, the concerto was withheld from being included in the collected works of the composer. It finally premiered in Berlin in 1937, 80 years after its composition.

The concerto is written in traditional three movement form. The 1st movement is strident, but somewhat rhythmically ponderous. The orchestra begins playing an extended Exposition with two themes (active/outward and passive/inward) before the solo violinist enters and proceeds with variants of the first theme. The second lyrical theme is built on the “Clara motive” and is emotionally tender and inward. The movement then continues with the virtuoso violin variations subtly building to the final rather unexpected ending. The 2nd Langsam (slow) movement contains beautifully lyrical song-like music with dialogue between solo violin and mostly string orchestra. The potential depth of expression is palpable in this short movement that finishes with a subtle accelerando in the music, connecting and serving as the bridge to the final movement. This thematic accelerando is a signature device of Schumann and is also heard in the Spring Symphony when the slow introduction transforms via an accelerando into the Allegro proper. The 3rd movement uses a slow Polish court dance rhythm in 3/4 time popular with 18th-19th century composers. It is set in Rondo-like form with solo violin variations becoming increasingly demanding and elaborate as the music progresses.

Although the musical and technical material is both challenging and impressive, there are momentum issues as well as structural and harmonic shortcomings resulting in an unorthodox concerto finale, sounding merely routine, rather than a dramatic event of musical completion or cadence. Nonetheless, Schumann’s sadly neglected Violin Concerto in D minor remains an interesting work as the composers last completed major work and as an important and unusual statement in the violin concerto genre.

In the early 20th century when instrumental music from Italy was largely overshadowed by the world of opera and internationally famous composers such as Verdi and Puccini, composer Ottorino Respighi rose to prominence. Respighi was born in Bologna, embarking on a career as a musicologist and professional violinist. He moved to Rome in 1913 and in 1917 began work on the first of his “Roman Trilogy” tone poems, Fountains of Rome, that was premiered to great acclaim in Milan by conducting star Arturo Toscanini. In 1924 the premiere of Pines of Rome took place in Rome. This work became a smashing success and remains Respighi’s most popular symphonic work. Both tone poems explore the impressions and inner experiences of the poetic subject or program.

Respighi was a brilliant orchestrator, master of orchestra color/timbre. All his music has a pictorial and programmatic quality. His grand orchestral style blends Late-Romantic Russian school (Rimsky-Korsakov) with French “Impressionism” exemplified by Debussy and Ravel and with his innate sense of Italian Bel-Canto style. To this mix he ads thematic historically sourced material: Gregorian chant, church modes, and 17th-18th century court music.

Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome musically depict specific landscapes/objects and the personal sensory experience being in those environments. In the Fountains, the composer portrays the fountains and the essence of dawn, morning, noon, and night (complete with church bell) at each fountain. It succeeds on all musical levels: brilliant exploitation of the orchestra by use of a large inventive sound pallet, the “travelogue” programmatic and pictorial experience, a natural and satisfying dramatic flow, the elements of a sense nostalgia, and the high virtuosic and technical level demanded by the music itself.

Written 7 years later, Pines of Rome amplifies these qualities into a dynamic showpiece. From the opening, we are catapulted into the realm of bizarre, pine trees dancing to an extroverted sassy nursery-rhyme tune taken though rhythmically charged orchestral variations until the tension rises and we are brought to an entirely different world of ancient catacombs. And so, the piece proceeds, one delightful surprise leading to another. The final movement of Pines is one of the most exciting orchestra finales in the repertoire with the composer evoking images of ancient Roman Legions marching the Appian Way, the military road towards Rome.