The Tucson Symphony Orchestra closes its four-event Viennese Festival with a program that richly bridges the gap between the First Viennese School and the Second Viennese School.
The centerpiece of "Old Vienna" is a toss-up between the choral masterpiece of Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes — first school — and Alban Berg's striking, emotive Violin Concerto, featuring TSO Concertmaster Steven Moeckel — second school. It's bookended by Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony and Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" suite from his opera of the same name.
Moeckel learned Berg's concerto when he was 17 years old and first performed it with a piano accompaniment. A year later while studying in Salzburg, Austria, he played it with an orchestra.
"It was very, very gut-wrenching. It's such a private piece in a way, it's so personal," he recalled.
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A few things about Berg's Violin Concerto.
History: Russian-born American violinist Louis Krasne commissioned the work in 1935 and played its premiere in Barcelona on April 19, 1936, four months after Berg's death. Berg dedicated the piece to Manon Gropius, the 19-year-old daughter of Alma Mahler who died of polio.
What to listen for: The concerto sounds at times jagged and strident, followed by bouts of lyricism that soar with an ever-present sense of sorrow and sadness. The two-movement work is atonal at its core, but it exudes a warmth and at times fits of anger that sum up the composer's emotional state at the time he wrote it. Berg wrote an inscription on the score that has become somewhat of a second title for the concerto: "To the memory of an angel."
Moeckel earlier this week talked about the concerto and his experiences performing it.
What mood does it evoke?
"To preface, it is written as a requiem for Alma Mahler's daughter who died of polio. This saddened Alban Berg very, very much. That's why he titles the violin concerto 'To the memory of an angel.' It goes through so many emotions. It's a good way to approach it. Obviously the Berg is not a piece people are going to be humming at home. You have to listen emotionally. There are a lot of Viennese elements, but the overall feeling is of extreme sadness and loss, and maybe anger over someone's death. It puts you through those emotions of death, especially when someone is very young and you really question why."
What role does the violin play?
"The orchestra's role is a tremendous one in this piece. In this type of composition, composers of that genre used the orchestra very specifically for colors.There's so much clarinet and a lot of horn. You look behind you and there's this huge orchestra. He uses the deep colors and all of them very specifically. The violin a lot of times is very soloistic. . . . He uses it very specifically. He opens the piece with a simple arpeggio of open strings. . . . There's actually a time near the end of the piece where the violin joins the (violin) section. It says in my part to make it audible and visual that you're joining the orchestra. It is very integrated into the orchestra. In fact, that's the difficult part about the piece, the balance, getting it so that the orchestra doesn't overpower the violin too much."
What does this piece mean for you?
"For me it is such a window into both a time and a place in Europe. It's very exposing of his soul, and I think the emotional tie is just that. Obviously, we've all had sad experiences, but this piece of music is so profound. I remember going through the teenage angst and this piece being such a huge part of my life. I'm so excited to get to do this again."
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being "this is hard as heck to play," how would you rate the Berg?
"That's a tricky question, one because each concerto has its difficulties. I think Sibelius is technically difficult, but then there's Beethoven, which is extremely difficult. Berg is up there. I would say maybe a 7 or 8. But I feel really comfortable with his music."
Preview
Tucson Symphony Orchestra "Old Vienna"
• Featuring: Concertmaster Steven Moeckel and the TSO Chorus.
• When: 8 p.m. Thursday and next Friday, 2 p.m. Feb. 10.
• Where: Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave., Downtown.
• Tickets: $19-$66 through the TSO box office, 882-8585.
• Et cetera: The performance closes out the orchestra's Viennese Festival.
• Program:
Schubert's Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished."
Berg's Violin Concerto.
Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes.
R. Strauss's Suite from "Der Rosenkavalier."
