On Thursday, October 15 at 10:30am and Saturday, October 17 at 8pm, the Louisville Orchestra brings two show stoppers to Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall under the artful hand of guest conductor Daniel Hege.
Haydn’s Symphony No. 82 in C Major, also known as “The Bear,” begins the program. This particular symphony is the first in number of Haydn’s so-called “Paris Symphonies,” but actually the last to be written. These symphonies were commissioned for a popular summer concert series in France, hence their name and grouping. The curious nickname of “The Bear” originates from the theme found in the first and fourth movements, consisting of a low drone and grace notes on downbeats.
The style was reminiscent of music that accompanied dancing bears, which were popular street performers at the time. The bright, buoyant symphony provides a stark contrast to the next symphony on the program.
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, op. 93, was the first piece Shostakovich composed in its entirety after Stalin’s death. During his lifetime, Stalin was clear about his dislike for Shostakovich and his compositions, considering them too different from the Soviet style, and the political pressure Shostakovich felt caused him to cease releasing his compositions in 1948. But with Stalin’s death in 1953 came a release of unheard compositions of the composer’s, as well as a new symphony in response to the death. The symphony, however, is quite tragic in its mood, a strange response to the death of Stalin.
Also, the last movement suddenly becomes positive and reassuring, a stark contrast to the preceding movements, which caused many Soviet scholars at the time to berate the piece. In its entirety, the work has many direct quotations to Shostokovich’s earlier works: namely, the Pushkin Monologues, as well as references to Mahler, and themes relating to the composer himself and themes he had created for his friends. The idea of finding identity is deeply rooted in the names of the movements of this, Shostokovich’s first symphony free of Stalin.
Guest conductor Daniel Hege leads the Orchestra through the contrasting program. Mr. Hege, now the ten-year director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, has previously held the positions of Music Director of the Haddonfield (NJ) Symphony, Associate Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, Music Director of the Encore Chamber.
Orchestra in Chicago and Music Director of the Chicago Youth Symphony where he was twice honored by the American Symphony Orchestra League for innovative programming. He has guest conducted across the country, as well as in Singapore and Russia. Born in Colorado, Mr. Hege currently resides in Syracuse with his wife, Katarina Oladottir Hege, a violinist, and their three daughters. -- www.louisvilleorchestra.org
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