Written for the opening of the Bayreuth Festival Theater, the opera Parsifal was completed and premiered in 1882. Wagner's libretto, based primarily on medieval legends as set down by Wolfram von Eschenbach, develops a number of themes and symbols, including many Christian ones: redemption, baptism, the chalice of the Lord's Supper, the spear that pierced Christ's side, etc... Because of the religious tone of the drama, this piece has often been performed around Easter, particularly on Good Friday. The section called Good Friday Music is the orchestral portion of a scene from Act III that was arranged and published by Wagner for performance as a separate concert piece. The regal music with which this piece begins signifies that Parsifal is anointed King of the Knights of the Holy Grail. The tenderest of music accompanies the repentance and baptism of Kundry, a type of Mary Magdalene figure. Parsifal, enraptured with the indescribable beauty of the flowery meadow around him, is told by the knight Gurnemanz that he is experiencing the wonder of Good Friday. Parsifal misunderstands, saying that Good Friday is a day of grief, and nature should only mourn and weep. Gurnemanz responds by saying that on the contrary, repentant sinners water the fields with their tears, and creation rejoices at the Savior's love in redeeming it from sin and fear through His sacrifice on the cross.

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Aleksandr Glazunov was the leading figure of the Russian composers from the late 19th century. He was not an innovator, but in his works he represents the best of Russian romanticism. A student of Rimsky-Korsakov, a master of orchestration, Glazunov followed in his master's footsteps. When only 19, he was taken on a trip to Western Europe and Africa. On the way back to St. Petersburg, Glazunov met Liszt in Weimar and heard a performance of Parsifal at Bayreuth. Both Liszt's and Wagner's works were to have a great impression on Glazunov's style and method. In 1899 he was appointed professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, but in 1905 he resigned in protest over Rimsky-Korsakov's dismissal. Later that year, differences were worked out, and Glazunov was invited back to the conservatory and was elected director two weeks later. During his twenty-five year tenure as director, he developed considerable administrative skills, not only in cultivating high standards for Russian conservatory training, but also in forging a workable relationship with the various governments that took power in that tumultuous time in Russian history. The administrative role of Glazunov's life, as well as the political turmoil around him, took a toll on his creative output. After 1905, the number of his compositions dropped off dramatically, and after 1917, he produced very little. The Violin Concerto, Op. 82, written in 1904-5, came at the height of his creative activity. It was composed in St. Petersburg and at the composer's summer home in Oserki where, according to his son-in-law, "the pastoral setting near forest and lake contributed to the piece's tranquil mood." Beloved in the violin concerto repertoire, the piece is admired for its balance of romantic lyricism with virtuosic elements and its splendid palate of orchestral color. As with the composer's other concertos, three traditional movements are designated, but in reality the work flows in one continuous movement played without pause. It begins with the soloist's immediate entry in a rhapsodic mood. The entry of the harp signals the beginning of the lyrical second movement which culminates with the major cadenza of the work. The last part of the cadenza is lightly accompanied by basses and winds. A trumpet call introduces the brilliant themes and even more colorful orchestration of the final Allegro movement.

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Beethoven, a man tortured by the political tragedies of his world and the personal tragedies of his deafness, finances, and difficult personal relationships, found a profound solace and creative energy in nature. Even today, one may walk the "Beethovengang" of Vienna and experience the same woods, fields, and streams that the composer found so peaceful 200 years ago. After the relentless, pounding intensity of Symphony No. 5, the nature-inspired Symphony No. 6, written in 1808, effectively communicates a peace that is overflowing with the life found in nature. Beethoven takes a cautious approach to creating a too-literal interpretation of the movement descriptions provided, saying, "it is left to the listener to discover the situation." Another clue of Beethoven's attitude towards program music is found on the back of the original first violin part of this symphony, "Pastoral Symphony or a recollection of Country Life (more an expression of feeling than a painting)." Rather than hearing a beautiful painted landscape, perhaps the sounds of this symphony can conjure up the woods, fields, and ponds teeming with the life that we only see close up. From the first four measures, the drone bass and simple melody of the violins, we discern peace, joy and country life. Through innumerable repetitions and permutations of that one simple theme, we are carried through the first movement, just as nature peacefully hands us countless repetitions through flowers with identical petals, trees full of identical leaves, and stone-filled streams. The Andante movement, with its languidly moving lines, slow harmonic changes, and birds trilling here and there, requires little imagination to picture a lazy summer afternoon dozing by a stream. Near the end of the movement, a moment of silence calls attention to a trio of birds: a nightingale (flute) sings, then is joined by a quail (oboe) and cuckoos (clarinets). The festive Scherzo movement reminds us that there are people living in and enjoying the countryside. The trio introduces the village band, which accompanies the rambunctious dance at the country inn. Suddenly, we hear distant rolls of thunder, a pattering of raindrops, and the summer storm sends the country folk scurrying for shelter. In the only movement of the work in a minor key, the wind shrieks (piccolo) and roars (brass), but as with summer storms, it soon passes and with an ascending scale on the flute, the sun reappears. The clarinet and horn in turn introduce a shepherd's "yodeling" tune which grows into the "hymn," the main theme of the final movement, which is a masterful combination of rondo and theme and variations. Listen particularly for variations where the theme seems as if it were there but is really not. Also listen for Beethoven's seeming reluctance to leave the country for the city and the work's gentle conclusion.

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Program notes by Linda Mack. Copyright 2003.
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