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These pages contain program notes written for Redwood
Symphony. You are free to use the information in your own program
notes. If you quote me directly, please attribute it. Thanks!
These notes were edited, amended, and otherwise
improved by Eric Kujawsky, Peter Stahl, and Doug Wyatt.
Barbara Heninger
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Richard Strauss
Fanfare for the Vienna Philharmonic
Born into a musical family, Richard Strauss proved early that he was a
composer to watch out for. Conductor Hans von Bülow called the composer's
Serenade for Thirteen Winds (1881), written when Strauss was just 17, evidence
that the young man was "by far the most striking personality since
Brahms."
Strauss is perhaps best known for popularizing and refining the form of the
tone poem, with works such as Don Juan (1888--89), Till Eulenspiegel (1894--95),
and Also sprach Zarathustra (1895--96), as well for operas such as Salome
(1903--05) or Der Rosenkavalier (1909--10). However, Strauss also had a long and
fruitful career as a conductor, leading the Berlin Royal Opera, the Berlin
Philharmonic, the Vienna State Opera, and the Vienna Philharmonic. Strauss even
took the Vienna Philharmonic on a tour of South America in 1920, and
collaborated on several works for the group, including the fanfare heard in
today's concert.
The Fanfare für die Wiener Philharmoniker was written in 1924 for the
organization's first benefit ball, which raised money for the musician's pension
fund. Held on March 4 of that year, the ball took place during the holiday
called Fasching in German-speaking countries and known as Carnival or Mardi Gras
in other countries. The piece was played while honored guests, such as the
Matron of the Ball, arrived at the event. The work has been played every year
since at the Philharmonic's annual balls.
Being the son of the principal horn player for the Munich Court Orchestra may
have had something to do with the composer's ability to write for brass, but
whatever his influences, this brief fanfare certainly demonstrates his affinity
for striking brass textures. The piece is scored for a large brass ensemble and
two sets of timpani. It opens simply, with a single note on the trumpets
repeated in the characteristic fanfare rhythm. This expands to a triad, and then
the other sections enter one at a time: trombones, horns, timpani, each adding
rhythmic and textural complexity. The main theme arrives, marked by the entrance
of the tuba. A brief development leads to an even briefer second subject, played
more softly and without the triplet motor propelling it. After just a few
measures the main theme returns, soon reaching a climax featuring a riff in the
horns climbing three octaves. Short but stirring, one can easily understand why
any Matron of the Ball would ensure that this piece has remained in the
Philharmonic's active repertory for 80 years.
April 10, 2005
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