Twentieth Century

Sibelius’ “The Bard”: Aftertones of the Skald

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Jean Sibelius’ 1913 tone poem, The Bard, Op. 64, inhabits a mysterious, desolate, and austere landscape which is reminiscent of the Fourth Symphony, composed two years earlier. In contrast with Sibelius’ other tone poems, which often relate to the Finnish folklore of the Kalevala, the brief, enigmatic work does not outline a narrative or scene. Instead, with its prominent use of the solo harp, the music evokes the poetry of the Skald, bards …

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Rachmaninov’s Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32, No. 10: Longing for the Return

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The 1887 painting, Die Heimkehr (“The Homecoming” or “The Return”), by Swiss Symbolist Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901), shows a solitary figure seated with his back to a square reflecting pool. His attention is focused on a shadowy house with a single lit window. The late autumnal landscape suggests the falling veil of mortality, greeted with a blend of quiet anxiety, detachment, and inevitability. It was this painting which inspired Sergei Rachmaninov to write the …

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Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony: The Majesty of Melody

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Sergei Rachmaninov’s First Symphony was nearly his last. During the work’s disastrous premiere in Saint Petersburg on March 28, 1897, the 23-year-old composer hid in a backstage fire escape with his ears plugged as an under-rehearsed orchestra, led by an inebriated and disinterested Alexander Glazunov, desecrated the score. Catcalls erupted throughout the hall, and César Cui colorfully derided the new Symphony as music that would “delight the inhabitants of Hell.” The confidence-shattering …

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David Oistrakh Plays a Prokofiev Transcription: “Death of Juliet”

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Sergei Prokofiev’s 1935 ballet, Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, is scored for an immense orchestra. As the tragic story unfolds, youthful innocence, foreboding, darkness, and shimmering light all emerge on a vast canvas set with rich tonal colors. In this violin and piano arrangement, made by the Soviet-Russian violist, Vadim Borisovsky (1900-1972), all of this drama is condensed into two voices. The music comes from the ballet’s final scene, Death of Juliet. In …

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David Diamond’s Music for Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”: Atmospheric Vignettes

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The music of American composer David Diamond (1915-2005) is distinct and recognizable. Built on tonal and modal harmony and wide open voicing, often it develops through fleeting motivic fragments which combine to form a landscape as expansive and majestic as the American frontier. Although a longtime member of the faculty of the Juilliard School, Diamond was a maverick who was out of step with prevailing musical trends. In 1949, when he approached …

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Ives’ “The Gong on the Hook and Ladder” (“Firemen’s Parade on Main Street”): An Experiment in Rhythm

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Born in Danbury, Connecticut in 1874, Charles Ives conceived of a brash, previously unimaginable kind of 20th century music. He experimented with collages of sound and rhythm in brief chamber music fragments which he called “sets” or “cartoons.” One such experimental work is The Gong on the Hook and Ladder, or Firemen’s Parade on Main Street. The music originated as a section of Ives’ Pre-Second String Quartet, composed between 1904 and 1906 and …

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Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto: A Musical Affirmation

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For three years, following the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony, Sergei Rachmaninov was unable to compose. “I believed I had opened up entirely new paths,” Rachmaninov later recalled. At the work’s premiere in St. Petersburg on March 28, 1897, the 23-year-old composer hid in a backstage fire escape with his ears plugged as a possibly drunk Alexander Glazunov led the underrehearsed orchestra through a passionless reading. The audience reacted with catcalls, …

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