Brahms.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tragic Overture                   

Haydn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Cello Concerto in C        

Tchaikovsky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Souvenir de Florence  

Duncan Riddell.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director

Natalie Clein.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cello

Brahms composed his Tragic Overture in the same season that produced his Academic Festival Overture. The simultaneous appearance of these very different works - one humorous, the other dark and brooding - prompts the question as to whether one called the other into being. It opens with a pair of shattering chords, a terse hammerblow gesture, and then builds with full symphonic drama. The recently rediscovered C major concerto consists of sturdy, confident music, written with a wonderfully developed sense for what the cello can do.

It shows that Haydn’s pleasure in odd phrase lengths and other rhythmic surprises was part of his musical personality from the beginning. The music is delightful in detail and masterful in design.

Tchaikovsky loved Italy and especially Florence, where he spent extended periods of time on several occasions. His “souvenirs” from that beautiful city were not necessarily all musical ones. This work is far from being just a medley of Italian melodies and some dark passions lurk behind the ingratiating tunefulness of the music.

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