First Concert of the 21st Season

I. Allegro energico
II. Adagio ma elastico
III. Allegro

I. Lebhaft, sehr markiert
II. Massig schnell, Gemachlich
III. Langsam
IV. Lebhafte Viertel
V. Massig Schnell

I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto con moto
III. Allegro non troppo

Vittorio Giannini was born in Philadelphia on October 19, 1903. He received his musical training at the conservatory in Milan and at the Juilliard Graduate School. After further study at the American Academy in Rome, he won the Grand Price in 1932. At present, he holds teaching positions at the Juilliard School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. Two important recent works of Giannini are his Canticle of Christmas and an opera, The Taming of the Shrew.

The Second Symphony is traditional in its form and structure, but the texture and sonority spring from contemporary practices. Harmonically, Giannini bases the work on the interplay between the intervals of a major and minor second. Rhythmically, the work has a lot of compulsion and the timpani play an important role in carrying this out. Characteristic of Giannini's drive for sonority, he follows the timpani motive with both string and wind families. In contrast to the energetic first and last movements, the second movement is lyric in nature and features solo passages for the oboe, clarinet and flute.

This work was first performed for the fiftieth anniversary of the Music Educators' National Convention held in St. Louis in 1956. It was dedicated to and premiered by Thor Johnson, former conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and now director of orchestral activities at Northwestern University.

Program notes will be given orally by Mr. Powers.

This concerto stands out as one of the few works written for the 'cello that can claim considerable merit. Many composers have made notable attempts to secure the correct balance between solo part and the full orchestra -- but with little success. This failure is due first to the low range of the instrument, and secondly to the limited technical display that the cello can produce in comparison to the violin or piano. This concerto is one that deals successfully with both problems. As Donald Francis Tovey has said: "Here, for once, is a violoncello concerto in which the solo instrument displays every register throughout its compass without the slightest difficulty in penetrating the orchestral accompaniment."

The composer has adopted a unique form for this work by omitting the usual orchestral tuttis, except as they appear in connecting links, and by placing the recapitulation of the first movement in the finale. The work is continuous, but the separation between movements is quite clear. The middle section is a unique blend between the qualities of a slow movement and the scherzo style. Another unusual feature of this work is the introduction of new thematic material by the solo cello at the conclusion -- giving way to the fast rhythmic coda which closes this masterful creation for cello and orchestra.

Profoundly interested in the native folk music of his country, Dvorak gladly accepted an assignment for a set of Slavonic dances from Simrock, a publisher and friend of Johannes Brahms who had just recently made famous a set of Hungarian dances. As his source material, Dvorak chose eight authentic Bohemian folk melodies which he adapted as Slavonic dances arranged for four hands. The original version was so successful that his publisher urged him to orchestra the dances. Eight years later, a second set of dances was written, Op. 72. It is from the first set that the number on today's program is taken.