BERGEN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

36 PLAYBILL
T HE R AYMOND F. K RAVIS C ENTER
FOR THE P ERFORMING A RTS
presents in
Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall
on the Bernard and Chris Marden Stage
November 13, 2007 • 8 pm
BERGEN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
ANDREW LITTON, CONDUCTOR
ANDRÉ WATTS, PIANO
PROGRAM
SAEVERUD . . . . . . . . . .Ballad of Revolt, Op. 22a, No. 5
. . . . . . . . . . .Andante un poco sostenuto – Marcia agitate,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .impercettibile stringendo poco a poco sino al fine
GRIEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegro moderato
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adagio
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegro moderato molto e marcato
INTERVAL
TCHAIKOVSKY . . . . . . .Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andante Sostenuto
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andantino in modo di canzona
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegro con fuoco
As a courtesy to the artists, please remain seated until they have left the stage.
Steinway Piano • David Balko, Technician
Natural Herb Cough Drops provided in our lobby - Courtesy of Ricola USA, Inc.
*PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
The Bergen Philharmonic's 2007 US Tour has been generously sponsored by DnB NOR, Yvonne & Bjarne Rieber,
Grieg Foundation, Sparebanken Vest (Visjon Vest), Westfal-Larsen Management, Kaffehuset Friele, Rieber & Søn,
Hansa Borg Bryggerier, Mette Mohn, Musikselskabet Harmoniens Fondsforvaltning, Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the City of Bergen and Hordaland County.
Tour Direction: COLUMBIA ARTISTS MANAGEMENT LLC
Tim Fox / Sara Overgaard • 1790 Broadway • New York, NY 10019 • www.cami.com
Regional Arts Concert Series sponsored by
Leonard and Sophie Davis
The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited.

P R O G R A M N O T E S
HARALD SAEVERUD
Born April 17, 1897 in Bergen
Died March 27, 1992 in Bergen
Ballad of Revolt
Returning from Oslo, the composer Harald
Saeverud was determined to avoid sharing
a railway compartment with members of the
German occupation force. He therefore
took the circuitous route by bus and boat.
The trip took him through beautiful
Norwegian scenery, and nothing reminded
him of the war until the bus arrived in
Laerdal, where the mountain slopes were
thick with German barracks. The truth of the
situation dawned on him in full measure,
and his emotions exploded. By upbringing
he was not inclined to use bad language,
but he later related that the theme of what
was to become the Ballad of Revolt burst
from him like an oath.
After liberation in 1945 it was this
composition that became the symbol of the
Norwegian resistance fighters. It is the fifth
and last piece in the second suite of Tunes
and Dances from Siljustøl, written for piano
in 1943. Saeverud orchestrated the work
later that year, adding an introduction
describing the heavy yoke of occupation.
We hear a hesitant, cautious version of the
resistance theme, and the timpani twice
play the BBC wartime signal – V for Victory.
The orchestral score carries the subtitle
Canto Rivoltoso per orchestra (Song of
Revolt for Orchestra). The Norwegian title is
Kjempeviseslåtten, which evokes images of
Norse mythology and Viking warfare.
Understandably the work could not be
performed until after the German forces
had capitulated, and the orchestral version
was premiered by the Philharmonic
Society Orchestra (now Oslo Philharmonic
Orchestra) in October 1945, conducted by
the composer. The work, dedicated “to the
fighters of the Home Front, great and
small!” aroused considerable attention, and
one critic declared that “the sun has risen
over Norwegian music.” The theme that
struck Saeverud in Laerdal was the source
of a single, massive crescendo, and
its inner spirit encapsulates not only
the composer’s bitterness but also his
conviction that the struggle would finally be
crowned with victory.
EDVARD GRIEG
Born June 15, 1843 in Bergen
Died September 4, 1907 in Bergen
Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra,
Op. 16
During his student years at Leipzig
and later in Copenhagen, Grieg became
intimately acquainted with the music of the
early Romantics, especially Schumann.
His early works reflect this influence. The year
1865, however, saw a change in his approach
to composition, already apparent in the
Humoresker, Op. 6 the Sonata in E minor
for Piano, Op. 7, and the Sonata in F, Op. 8.
This change in style was initiated by his
association with Rikard Nordraak, who turned
Grieg's attention toward folk music as a
source of inspiration. Nordraak, composer of
the Norwegian national anthem, devoted
himself to the establishment of a distinctly
Norwegian musical school. He imparted
this ideal to Grieg, who became the most
important Norwegian composer of the
Romantic-nationalist period.
The Concerto in A minor for Piano and
Orchestra, Op. 16 was written during the
idyllic summer of 1868 when Grieg, his wife
Nina and their baby daughter vacationed in
the Danish village of Sölleröd. The Concerto
was first performed in Copenhagen on
April 3, 1869.
In the autumn of 1869, Grieg journeyed to
Italy and called on Franz Liszt, bringing with
him various scores, including the Piano
Concerto, the Second Violin Sonata, a March
by Nordraak and the Humoresker. Grieg, in a
letter from Rome to his parents, describes
this encounter with the brilliant virtuoso: “I had
fortunately just received the manuscript of my
pianoforte concerto from Leipzig and I took it
with me.... Besides myself there were present
Winding, Sgambati and some young ladies of
the kind that would like to eat Liszt, skin, hair
and all; their adulation is simply comical.
Winding and I were anxious to see if he would
really play my concerto at sight. I, for my part,
considered it impossible; not so Liszt. ‘Will
you play?’ he asked, and I made haste to
reply, ‘No, I cannot’ (you know I have never
practiced it). Then Liszt took the manuscript,
went to the piano, and said to the assembled
guests, with his characteristic smile, ‘Very
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 37

P R O G R A M N O T E S
well, then, I will show you that I also cannot'
with which he began.... His demeanor is
worth any price to see. Not content with playing,
he, at the same time, converses and makes
comments, addressing a bright remark now
to one, now to another of the assembled
guests, nodding significantly to the right or
left, particularly when something pleases
him. In the Adagio, and still more in
the Finale, he reached a climax, both as to
his playing and praise he had to bestow.... In
conclusion, he handed me the manuscript,
and said in a peculiarly cordial tone: ‘Keep
steadily on; I tell you, you have the capability,
and do not let them intimidate you.’” In
addition to honoring Grieg with a sightreading
of the work, Liszt also made some
suggestions in terms of revisions which Grieg
incorporated into the published score of
1872. Grieg continued to further revise and
touch up the score until late in life.
Meanwhile, the Concerto became, and has
long remained, one of the most popular in the
piano repertoire.
The Concerto in A minor for Piano and
Orchestra is cast in the traditional three
movements, the two outer movements in fast
tempos framing a contrasting slow middle
movement. In terms of the harmonies, graceful
rhythms and beautiful melodies with which
Grieg imbued the work, the influence of
Norwegian folk music is obvious.
The first movement, Allegro moderato,
commences with the soloist presenting a
brief but impetuous cadenza-like statement
consisting of brilliant, crashing chords and
octave passages built of a descending step
followed by descending thirds, the whole
motif being immediately repeated on the
lower octave. This melodic motif, which
recurs throughout many of Grieg’s works, is
characteristic of Norwegian folk music. The
march-like main theme is first heard in the
woodwinds and horns; it is soon thereafter
taken up by the piano, accompanied by
the strings. After the piano toys with two
subsidiary subjects, the graceful second
theme is next presented by the cellos. (In the
score of 1872, on Liszt's advice, the second
theme was given to the trumpet.) This theme
is impetuously developed by the soloist and
then the orchestra takes over. Toward the
38 PLAYBILL
close of the first movement, an exciting
cadenza is presented by the soloist.
The tender sound of muted strings opens
the second movement, which is marked
Adagio. The strings are promptly joined by
the woodwinds and horns to announce the
movement’s main theme. The piano then
enters and offers ornamental elaboration,
sustained by gentle string chords. High trills
for the piano and a languorous arpeggio
signal the approach of the brilliant Finale,
which follows without a pause.
The Finale, Allegro moderato molto e
marcato, is cast in rondo form. The principal
theme, based on the rhythm of a popular
Norwegian dance, the halling, serves as the
rondo refrain. Bravura writing for the piano
distinguishes the second theme, which ends
in lyrical chromatics. A brisk march-like theme
is then introduced by the piano followed by a
fourth theme given to the piano and full
orchestra in combination. Flute and clarinet
announce the last flowing theme, which is
then taken up by the piano accompanied
by the cellos. After this songful section, the
halling returns and is transformed into another
Norwegian dance rhythm, the springdans,
surging up maestoso from trumpet and
trombones against the piano and the rest of
the orchestra, thus bringing the concerto to
its majestic conclusion.
© 1994 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Born May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk
Died November 6, 1893 in St. Petersburg
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Tchaikovsky composed his Fourth Symphony
between May 1877 and January 1878.
This period in the composer's life was a
particularly poignant, paradoxical and
turbulent time. It was poignant in that
Tchaikovsky would enter into an extraordinary
relationship with the wealthy widow
Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck that would
prove to be most beneficial to him. Hearing
The Tempest, his first orchestral work,
performed, piqued Mme. von Meck’s interest
in Tchaikovsky. The two entered into a 14
year relationship maintained entirely by
correspondence. Remarkably, although they

P R O G R A M N O T E S
exchanged in excess of 1,000 letters, they
never met each other. Furthermore, Mme. von
Meck became Tchaikovsky's patron and
benefactor, supporting him at first through
commissions, then loans (the repayment of
which was never expected) and finally
through a regular monthly allowance. It was
Mme. von Meck to whom Tchaikovsky would
dedicate his Fourth Symphony.The paradoxical
aspect of Tchaikovsky's life at this time stems
from the fact that, despite self-awareness of
his sexual orientation, he allowed himself to
be connived into a marriage with a beautiful
young woman named Antonina Milyukova
who had recently graduated from the Moscow
Conservatory where he taught. In early May
1877, while working on the sketches for his
Fourth Symphony, Tchaikovsky received a
passionate declaration of love from Antonina.
Although the composer did nothing to further
encourage her, more letters followed including
one in which she threatened suicide lest
Tchaikovsky meet her. He capitulated and
met Antonina at her family's home on June 1.
For reasons not totally clear, within
a week of their first meeting Tchaikovsky
proposed to Antonina.
The two were married on July 18
and a nightmarish turbulence overtook
Tchaikovsky's life. By this point in time, he
had fully sketched all four movements of the
Fourth Symphony. Because of the strain
created by the marriage, Tchaikovsky made a
pathetic, unsuccessful attempt at suicide.
After reaching total nervous collapse, he was
advised by a specialist to completely sever
his ties with his wife. Tchaikovsky's brother,
Anatoly, left immediately for Moscow in order
to arrange a separation from Antonina.
Both the Fourth Symphony and the
opera Eugene Onegin, which was composed
at the same time as the Symphony, bear
unmistakable marks of the events in
Tchaikovsky's private life at the time of their
composition. In a letter to Mme. von Meck in
December 1877, Tchaikovsky wrote: “I have
not only worked steadily at the orchestration
of our symphony, but I am engulfed by it.
Never before has any orchestral composition
entailed so much labor, but never before have
I loved my labor so much. At first I wrote
simply for the sake of finishing the symphony,
plowing through all difficulties, but bit by bit I
was agreeably surprised to feel enthusiasm
taking possession of me, and now it is hard to
stop working. Possibly I may be mistaken, but
I believe that this symphony is something out
of the ordinary, the best thing I have done up
to now. I am very happy that it is yours, and
that, hearing it you'll know how in every bar I
thought of you.”
Upon completion of the score, Mme. von
Meck inquired about the work. The composer
responded to her query with a complete
literary “programmatic analysis” of the
symphony. The extent to which this program
governed Tchaikovsky's actual creation of the
work is debatable. Nevertheless, the analysis
is an interesting “inside” view to the
expressive intent of the symphony. As the
composer wrote: “You ask if the symphony
has a definite program. Ordinarily, when
asked that question concerning a symphonic
work, I answer, ‘No, none whatsoever.’ And
in truth it is not an easy question. How can
one express those vague feelings which
pass through one during the writing of an
instrumental work which in itself has no
definite subject? It is a purely lyrical process,
a musical confession of the soul that, filled
with the experiences of a life-time, pours itself
through sound, just as the lyric poet pours
himself out in verse. The difference is that
music is an incomparably more delicate and
powerful language in which to express the
thousand vari-colored moments of spiritual
life . . . .
“Our symphony has a program. That is to
say, it is possible to express its contents in
words, and I will tell you – and you alone – the
meaning of the entire work and its separate
movements. Naturally, I can only do so as
regards its general features.... The introduction
is the germ, the leading idea of the work. This
is Fate, that inevitable force which checks our
aspirations toward happiness ere they reach
that goal, which watches jealously lest our
peace and bliss should be complete and
cloudless – a force which, like the sword of
Damocles, hangs perpetually over and
invincible. There is not any other course but to
submit and inwardly lament. This sense of
hopeless despair grows stronger and more
poignant. Is it not better to turn from reality
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 39

P R O G R A M N O T E S
and lose ourselves in dreams?
“Oh, joy! A sweet and tender dream
enfolds me. A bright and serene presence
leads me on. How fair! How remotely now is
heard the first theme of the Allegro. Deeper
and deeper the soul is sunk in dreams.
All that was dark and joyless is forgotten.
Here is happiness!
“It is but a dream; Fate awakens us roughly.
So all life is but a continual alternation
between grim truth and fleeting dreams of
happiness. There is no haven. The waves
drive us hither and thither until the sea
engulfs us. This is approximately the program
of the first movement.
“The second movement expresses another
phase of suffering. Now it is the melancholy
which steals over us when at evening we sit
indoors alone, weary of work, while the book
we have picked up for relaxation slips
unheeded from our fingers. A long procession
of old memories goes by. How sad to think
how much is already past and gone! And yet
these recollections of youth are sweet. We
regret the past, although we have neither
courage nor desire to start a new life. We are
rather weary of existence. We would fain rest
awhile and look back, recalling many things.
There were moments when young blood
pulsed warm through our veins, and life gave
us all we asked. There were also moments of
sorrow, irreparable loss. All this has receded
so far into the past. How sad, yet how sweet,
to ourselves therein!
“In the third movement no definite feelings
find expression. Here we have only capricious
arabesques, intangible forms, which come
40 PLAYBILL
into a man's head when he has been drinking
wine and his nerves are rather excited. His
mood is neither joyful nor sad. He thinks of
nothing in particular. His fancy is free to follow
its own flight, and it designs the strangest
patterns. Suddenly memory calls up the
picture of a tipsy peasant and a street song.
From afar comes the sound of a military band.
These are the kind of confused images which
pass through our brain as we fall asleep. They
have no connection with actuality, but are
simply wild, strange, bizarre.
“The fourth movement: if you can find no
reason for happiness in yourself, look at
others. So to the people. See how they can
enjoy life and give themselves up entirely to
festivity. A rustic holiday is depicted. Hardly
have we had time to forget ourselves in other
people's pleasures when indefatigable Fate
reminds us once more of its presence. Others
pay no heed to us. They do not spare us a
glance nor stop to observe that we are lonely
and sad. How merry and glad they all are!
All their feelings are so inconsequential, so
simple. And will you still say all the world
is immersed in sorrow? Happiness does
exist. Simple and unspoilt. Be glad in others'
gladness. This makes life possible.
“I can tell you no more, my dear friend,
about the symphony. Naturally my description
is not very clear or satisfactory. But therein
lies the peculiarity of instrumental music; we
cannot analyze it. ‘Where words leave off,
music begins,’ as Heine has said.”
© 1990 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
- Kent Peterson

Established in 1765, the BERGEN
PHILHARMONIC is one of the oldest
orchestral institutions in the world. It shares the
designation of Norwegian National Symphony
Orchestra with the Oslo Philharmonic. The
orchestra employs 97 musicians and gives
more than 100 concerts a year. Most of the
concerts are held in the Grieg Hall in Bergen,
but the orchestra is also touring Norway as
well as abroad (see below). A new sponsor
agreement with the biggest financial company
in Norway, DnB NOR, was signed in 2006.
This deal, together with substantial support
from a wide range of sponsors, makes
increased international touring possible.
Edvard Grieg had close ties to the
Orchestra and was artistic director during the
years 1880-1882. Artistic directors and chief
conductors who over the past century have
contributed to the international success of the
Bergen Philharmonic have been Harald Heide
(1908-1948), Karsten Andersen (1964-1985),
Aldo Ceccato (1985-1990), Dmitri Kitajenko
(1990-1998) and Simone Young (1998-2002).
Since fall 2003, American Andrew Litton
has been the Orchestra's Principal Conductor.
Litton’s contract was renewed spring 2005 and
he is now Music Director. He was Music
Director for the Dallas Symphony Ochestra for
12 years and is now Artistic Director for the
Minnesota Orchestra Summerfest.
THE BERGEN PHILHARMONIC ON TOUR
The Orchestra has an active recording and
touring schedule, and has in recent years
performed in Japan, Austria, Switzerland,
France, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands,
Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and
major cities throughout Scandinavia. The
Bergen Philharmonic toured the United
States in 1966 and was the first Norwegian
orchestra to perform in Carnegie Hall.
2008 Musikverein, Vienna, the Baltic
states and Russia
H I S T O R Y
2007 Touring the Netherlands
(Concertgebouw, Amsterdam), United
Kingdom (including a concert at the
PROMS) and the United States
2006 Five concert tour of Germany and
Denmark
2005 An eight concert tour of Italy,
Croatia, Slovenia and Austria with three
concerts in Vienna as Orchestra in
Residence at Wien Konzerthaus. Soloists on
the tour were Iris Vermillion, mezzosoprano;
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; and
Christoph Berner, piano.
2004 The Bergen Philharmonic and
Maestro Litton performed a French and
Nordic program for Radio France’s Paris
festival “Présences 2004.”
2003 Andrew Litton conducted the Bergen
Philharmonic in a seven city concert tour of
Spain. Piano soloist: Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
2002 A seven concert tour of Austria and
Croatia under the direction of Rafael
Frühbeck de Burgos.
THE BERGEN PHILHARMONIC ON CD
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra has
recorded the complete orchestral works of
Edvard Grieg under the baton of the
Norwegian conductor Ole Kristian Ruud. This
landmark first recording of the entire opus by
a Norwegian orchestra is in collaboration with
the cutting-edge Swedish label BIS.
All seven CDs have been released to
extraordinary critical acclaim. The orchestra,
together with Ole Kristian Ruud, was awarded
the Grieg Prize for the series.
Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic
record for Sweden’s BIS label and Britain’s
Hyperion label. Andrew Litton’s first recording
with the Bergen Philharmonic, Sergei
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet was released
spring 2007. In February 2006 Andrew Litton
conducted the world premiere of Finnish
composer Kalevi Aho’s Concerto for
Contrabassoon and Orchestra with Lewis
Lipnick as soloist. The concerto was recorded
live by BIS and is already released to great
critical acclaim.
On Hyperion, the Bergen Philharmonic
with Andrew Litton as conductor and Piers
Lane as soloist, has released two piano
concertos by the Norwegian composers
Christian Sinding and Eivind Alnæs. A BIS
complete Mendelssohn Symphony cycle
will follow.
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 41

ANDREW LITTON this summer brought the
Bergen Philharmonic to Amsterdam's
Concertgebouw, made the Norwegian
orchestra's long awaited
debut at the London BBC
Proms, returned for his
fifth season as Artistic
Director of the Minnesota
Orchestra Sommerfest,
and appeared again with
the Chicago Symphony
at the Ravinia Festival,
before launching into
an intensive fall guest
conducting schedule throughout North
America, Europe and Japan. In November,
Litton takes the Bergen Philharmonic on an 18
day, 12 concert American tour commemorating
the Centenary of Grieg's death (Grieg was one
of Litton's predecessors as head of the 242year-old
orchestra). The orchestra's first return
to America in 41 years is highlighted by a
Carnegie Hall appearance on November 6.
An orchestra builder, Litton in 2005 concluded
an acclaimed 12-year tenure as Music Director
of the Dallas Symphony, during which he
produced 27 new recordings (one of the largest
outputs of any American orchestra in the
period), six nationally televised concerts
(including an "Amazing Music" series in use in
American schools), made four Carnegie Hall
appearances and three major European tours,
and raised the orchestra endowment from $17
million to $100 million. Now Dallas Music
Director Emeritus, Litton returns regularly to
conduct his former orchestra. At Minnesota's
Sommerfest, where Litton performs
as conductor, piano soloist and chamber
musician, he enjoys a close collegial relationship
with musicians and staff, with ever increasing
audiences.
In 2006 Litton spearheaded Norwegian
initiatives to create the New Bergen Opera
company, premiering with a triumphant
Tosca. This season, Litton and the Opera
will perform the David McVicar / Glyndebourne
production of Bizet's Carmen.
Recent additions to Litton's discography of
over 75 CD's include a Deutsche Grammophon
CD of new works for Violin and Orchestra by
John Tavener featuring Nicola Benedetti and
the London Philharmonic, and a complete
opera recording of Ambroise Thomas's
La Cour de Célimène with the Philharmonia
Orchestra for Opera Rara. Litton and the
Bergen Philharmonic record for Sweden’s BIS
label and Britain’s Hyperion label. BIS releases
42 PLAYBILL
W H O ’ S W H O
of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and unusual
contemporary works by Aho are garnering
rave reviews. A BIS complete Mendelssohn
Symphony cycle shortly will follow. A disc of
the piano concerti by Sinding and Alnaes for
Hyperion was number 2 on the Gramophone
Magazine best seller list.
Last season Litton made debuts with
Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Vienna
Tonkunstler at the Musikverein and with
Finland’s Lahti Symphony. Highlights of the
current season include return appearances
with the London Philharmonic (Elgar's
150th Birthday celebrations), the English
Chamber Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the
Indianapolis Symphony, the Bournemouth
Symphony (where he continues as
Conductor Laureate), the BBC Symphony,
the Minnesota Orchestra (regular season),
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and
the NHK Symphony, Japan. Litton makes
debuts with the MDR Radio Symphony,
Leipzig and the Orchestre National de Lille.
Long devoted to the development of
young talent, Litton the past season conducted
the Juilliard Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall,
led a glorious Berlioz Requiem with Boston
University students at Boston's Symphony
Hall and worked with students of the Royal
College of Music in London.
In recognition of Litton's advocacy of
Elgar's work, Britain's Elgar Society presented
him its 2007 Award. Yale University previously
awarded Litton its Sanford Medal on
the occasion of his Walton Centennial
performance of Walton's Belshazzar's Feast,
a work that had earned Litton a Grammy
Award for a performance with Bryn Terfel and
the Bournemouth Symphony.
Litton received an Honorary Doctorate
from the University of Bournemouth and
many civic awards from the city of Dallas,
including keys to the city, presented for his
devotion to his adopted city during his Dallas
Symphony tenure. He is a graduate of the
Fieldston School, New York, and holds
Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from The
Juilliard School. Litton, born in New York,
began piano studies at age five and
at ten decided to become a conductor.
The youngest-ever winner of the BBC
International Conductors' Competition, he
served as assistant conductor at La Scala
and Exxon/Arts Endowment Assistant
Conductor for the Washington, DC National
Symphony Orchestra under Mstislav
Rostropovich.

W H O ’ S W H O
ANDRÉ WATTS burst upon the music world at
the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose
him to make his debut with the New York
Philharmonic in their Young People's Concerts,
broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. Only two
weeks later, Bernstein asked him to substitute
at the last minute for the ailing Glenn Gould in
performances of Liszt's E-flat Concerto with the
New York Philharmonic, thus launching his
career in storybook fashion. More than 45
years later, André Watts remains one of today's
most celebrated and beloved superstars. His
performances each year with the world's great
orchestras and conductors and his sold-out
recitals and appearances at the most
prestigious international festivals bring him to
every corner of the globe.
During the 2006/2007 season, Mr. Watts
celebrated his 60th birthday and the 50th
anniversary of his debut (with the Philadelphia
Orchestra). In honor of this milestone and his
numerous achievements and contributions to
the world of classical music, he was inducted
into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in June,
2006. During that special season, Mr. Watts
performed with many of the American
orchestras with which he has had close
relationships for many years including the
Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia and
Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles Philharmonic and
the Atlanta, St. Louis, National, Indianapolis,
Seattle and Milwaukee symphonies. During the
2007/2008 season, he makes an 11 city tour of
the East Coast with the Bergen Philharmonic,
which includes a concert at Carnegie Hall, and
a recital tour to Japan.
In addition to his regular visits to the major
summer music festivals including Ravinia,
Tanglewood, Saratoga, the Mann Music
Center, Mostly Mozart and the Hollywood Bowl,
André Watts’s recent engagements include
appearances with the New York Philharmonic,
Minnesota Orchestra and the Chicago,
Pittsburgh, Detroit, Houston, Dallas and
Cincinnati symphonies; a tour with the Israel
Philharmonic with performances in Boston,
Chicago and Atlanta; a Carnegie Hall
appearance with the Orpheus Chamber
Orchestra; and a European tour with the
Baltimore Symphony.
Mr. Watts has had a long and frequent
association with television, having appeared on
numerous programs produced by PBS, the
BBC and the Arts and Entertainment Network,
performing with the New York Philharmonic,
Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra,
Mostly Mozart Festival
Orchestra and the
Chamber Music Society
of Lincoln Center among
others. His 1976 New
York recital, aired on the
program Live From
Lincoln Center, was the
first full length recital
broadcast in the history
of television and his
performance at the 38th Casals Festival
in Puerto Rico was nominated for an Emmy
Award in the category of Outstanding
Individual Achievement in Cultural
Programming. Mr. Watts’s most recent
television appearances are with the
Philadelphia Orchestra on the occasion of
the orchestra's 100th Anniversary Gala and a
performance of the Brahms Concerto No.2
with the Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz
conducting, for PBS.
Mr. Watts's extensive discography includes
recordings of works by Gershwin, Chopin, Liszt
and Tchaikovsky for CBS Masterworks; recital
CDs of works by Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt
and Chopin for Angel/EMI; and recordings
featuring the concertos of Liszt, MacDowell,
Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns on the Telarc
label. He is also included in the Great Pianists
of the 20th Century series for Philips.
A much-honored artist who has played
before royalty in Europe and heads of
government in nations all over the world, André
Watts was selected to receive the Avery Fisher
Prize in 1988. At age 26 he was the youngest
person ever to receive an Honorary Doctorate
from Yale University, and he has since received
numerous such honors from highly respected
schools including the University of
Pennsylvania, Brandeis University, Trinity
College and The Juilliard School of Music. In
1984 his Alma Mater, the Peabody
Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University,
honored Mr.Watts with its Distinguished Alumni
Award, and in May, 1997 Peabody again
recognized his accomplishments by presenting
him with an Honorary Doctorate degree.
Previously Artist-in-Residence at the University
of Maryland, Mr. Watts was appointed to the
newly created Jack I. and Dora B. Hamlin
Endowed Chair in Music at Indiana University
in May, 2004.
Mr. Watts appears by arrangements with
C/M Artists New York.
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 43

US TOUR 2007 ROSTER
FIRST VIOLIN
Espen Lilleslåtten,
Concertmaster
Melina Mandozzi,
Concertmaster
Åsta Jørgensen,
Associate Concertmaster
Annelies Mast,
Assistant Concertmaster
Dag A. Eriksen
Gunvor Holtlien
Frode Sævik
Tove Bekken
Olav Stordal
Geir A. Stangenes
Elzbieta Stordal
Harald Blø
Ellisiv Sollesnes
Elisabeth Svanes
Nora Farkas
Julia Dibley
Hilary Foster
Bethan Richards
SECOND VIOLIN
Jutta Morgenstern,
Principal
Alex Robson,
Associate Principal
Liv Elise Nordskog
Dagfinn Rohde
Hayato Naka
Tone M. Birkeland
Anne Helga Martinsen
Teresa Tamborska
Doreen Berning
Tom Bratlie
Annette Myking
Judith Starr
Chiori Suzuki
44 PLAYBILL
Andrew Litton, Music Director
André Watts, Piano
Carl Anders Sponberg
Lisa Werhahn
VIOLA
Ilze Klava,
Principal
Mikhail Iakovlev,
Associate Principal
Kristin Jaeger
Hans Gunnar Hagen
Helga Steen
Mette Nome Bye
Thomas Müller-Grud
Torunn Holtlien
Michiel Westhof
Christine Schneider
Kim Hellgren
Berend Mulder
Torodd Wigum
CELLO
Sebastian Dörfler,
Principal
Agnese Rugevica,
Co-Principal
Walter Heim
Bodil Erdal
Siri Hilmen
Tjark Nieuweling
Ingrid Stensland
Karen Tvedegaard
Ben Nation
Inga Byrkjeland
Sally Guenther
DOUBLE-BASS
Janne Johansson,
Principal
Peter Palotai,
Associate Principal
Steinar Børmer
Adam Kieszek
Greg Koeller
Walter McTigert
Thomas Holmsgaard
Ingvild Pettersen
Patrick Wilder
FLUTE
Cecilie Løken,
Principal
Ingela Øien,
Associate Principal
Inger Johanne Berg
Trond Magne Brekka
PICCOLO
Trond Magne Brekka
OBOE
Steinar Hannevold,
Principal
Mårten Larsson,
Co-Principal
Steffen Blindheim,
Associate Principal
Sveinung Birkeland
ENGLISH HORN
Mårten Larsson
CLARINET
Olli Leppäniemi,
Principal
Håkon Nilsen,
Associate Principal

US TOUR 2007 ROSTER
Tone Hagerup
Diego Lucchesi
BASS CLARINET
Diego Lucchesi
TENOR
SAXOPHONE
René Wiik
BASSOON
Per Hannevold,
Principal
James Lassen,
Associate Principal
Oddmund Økland
Erkki Suomalainen
CONTRABASSOON
Erkki Suomalainen
HORN
Ilene Chanon,
Principal
Ragnhild Lothe,
Associate Principal
Nina Severinsen
Fred Johannesen
Alexander Aluf
Erlend Tynning Larsen
TRUMPET
Gary Peterson,
Principal
Martin Winter,
Associate Principal
Allan Withington
Jon Behncke
TROMBONE
Kevin Thompson,
Principal
John Arild Suther,
Associate Principal
Øyvind Hage
Torè B. Berg
TUBA
Knut Riser,
Principal
TIMPANI
Tom Vissgren,
Principal
Tom Hunter,
Associate Principal
PERCUSSION
Peter Kates,
Principal
Trond Madsen,
Associate Principal
I. Ben. Nordby
Bjørn Løken
HARP
Eluned Pierce,
Principal
PIANO
Jarle Rotevatn
BERGEN
PHILHARMONIC
STAFF
CEO
Sten Cranner
DIRECTOR
OF INFORMATION
Henning Målsnes
DIRECTOR
OF PRODUCTION
Tarjei Flotve
ORCHESTRA
MANAGER
Gunnstein Stavang
ARTIST AND
PERSONNEL
ADMINISTRATOR
Ingeborg Steffensen
PERSONNEL
MANAGER
Vidar Olsen
ORCHESTRA
PERSONNEL
ASSISTANT
Torill Nesøen
STAGE MANAGER
Rune Hole
ASSISTANT
STAGE MANAGER
Per Rye Ravnestad
PRINCIPAL
LIBRARIAN
Johan N. Due
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 45

T HE R AYMOND F. K RAVIS C ENTER
FOR THE P ERFORMING A RTS
presents in
Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr. Concert Hall
on the Bernard and Chris Marden Stage
November 14, 2007 • 2 pm
BERGEN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
ANDREW LITTON, CONDUCTOR
ANDRÉ WATTS, PIANO
PROGRAM
PROKOFIEV . . . . . . . . .Selections from Romeo and Juliet
. . . . . . . . . . .Morning Dance
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Montagues and Capulets
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Romeo and Juliet (Balcony scene)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Death of Tybalt
GRIEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegro moderato
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adagio
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegro moderato molto e marcato
INTERVAL
SHOSTAKOVICH . . . . . .Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Moderato
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegretto
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Largo
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allegro non troppo
As a courtesy to the artists, please remain seated until they have left the stage.
Steinway Piano • David Balko, Technician
Natural Herb Cough Drops provided in our lobby - Courtesy of Ricola USA, Inc.
*PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
The Bergen Philharmonic's 2007 US Tour has been generously sponsored by DnB NOR, Yvonne & Bjarne Rieber,
Grieg Foundation, Sparebanken Vest (Visjon Vest), Westfal-Larsen Management, Kaffehuset Friele, Rieber & Søn,
Hansa Borg Bryggerier, Mette Mohn, Musikselskabet Harmoniens Fondsforvaltning, Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the City of Bergen and Hordaland County.
Tour Direction: COLUMBIA ARTISTS MANAGEMENT LLC
Tim Fox / Sara Overgaard • 1790 Broadway • New York, NY 10019 • www.cami.com
Regional Arts Concert Series sponsored by
Leonard and Sophie Davis
The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited.
46 PLAYBILL

P R O G R A M N O T E S
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Born April 23, 1891 in Sontsovka, Ukraine
Died March 5, 1953 in Moscow
Selections from Romeo and Juliet
After spending 15 years in various
western European countries and in the
USA, Sergei Prokofiev chose to return to his
native country, and since he entertained
considerable renown as a pianist and
composer, the authorities regarded this
decision as a prestigious victory and
welcomed him and his family.
Prokofiev had demonstrated his flair for
ballet in Paris, where the impresario Sergei
Diaghalev had staged his Chout (The
Buffoon) with the Ballets Russes in 1921.
While still living in Paris, Prokofiev was
approached by the choreographer Sergei
Radlov, the principal of the State Academy
of Opera and Ballet in Leningrad, for music
to a full-length ballet of Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet. However, in December
1934 the secretary general of the Leningrad
communist party, Sergei Kirov, was
murdered. In the process that ensued the
academy was named after Kirov and Radlov’s
projects were abandoned.
Consequently Prokofiev presented the
idea of a Romeo and Juliet ballet to the rival
of the Leningrad Academy, the Bolshoi Ballet
in Moscow, where it was accepted. As usual
he composed quickly, and after a period of
intense effort in a converted sauna at the
Bolshoi’s summer premises near Poleveno,
he completed the music in the autumn
of 1935. Back in Moscow he set to work
orchestrating it with the same impressive
celerity. The premiere was planned for the
spring of 1936.
The plans were foiled by politics, however.
While Prokofiev was on a concert tour
of western Europe, Stalin and his cultural
advisor, Andrei Zhdanov, unleashed an
offensive against the composers of the
country. The Bolshoi rejected Romeo and
Juliet, probably because they anticipated that
Prokofiev, returned from exile, was likely to
employ experimental modernism. What they
wanted was simple music for the masses.
However, Prokofiev had written his music
with Soviet ballet audiences in mind. “He felt
no need to provoke, as he had done so in the
1920s with varying success,” as Andrew Huth
writes. Instead of being treated as one of the
country’s foremost composers, Prokofiev
experienced difficulties having his major
works performed. So while the score of
Romeo and Juliet lay unused in Moscow, he
arranged parts of the ballet for piano and
compiled two orchestral suites (followed by a
third in 1946).
Ironically, the first suite was performed by
the Bolshoi Ballet orchestra in November
1936, and was a huge success. A concert
in Prague resulted in such enthusiasm that
a stage premiere took place in Brno in
December 1938, with the Yugoslavian
National Ballet, Zagreb. This was embarrassing
for both the Bolshoi and Kirov companies,
and the Kirov ballet put it on its programme
for the following season.
This was not the end of the problems
however. The choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky
complained that there was “not a single
dance in the first act,” and Galina Ulanova,
who was to dance Juliet, admitted that
because of the intricate rhythms both she
and other dancers had to “pretend they
heard different music” to make the ballet
work. To start with Prokofiev refused to
change anything at all, but Lavrovsky’s
patience and tact finally paid off. With some
adjustments and additions, Romeo and Juliet
received its Russian premiere in January
1940 – in a city blacked out because of the
war against Finland.
Audiences loved the ballet from the
outset, and Ulanova revised her opinion
completely: “If I were to dance this part to
any other music than Prokofiev’s, I would be
unable to interpret it at all!” Lavrovsky paved
the way for choreographers all over the
world, including Frederic Ashton, John
Cranko, Kenneth MacMilland and Rudolf
Nureyev. Each has created his own version
of a work which, with its combination of
lyricism and drama, powerful, colourful
music and clearly defined characters,
is among the most appealing ballets ever
composed.
The material required a certain amount
of editing for the orchestral suites to
function successfully in concert. While
the second suite corresponds closely to
the action on stage, the first consists of
selected episodes unrelated to the plot.
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 47

P R O G R A M N O T E S
The third suite, which contains some of the
most beautiful music, does not reflect the
atmosphere of the ballet to any great extent.
Objections have been raised to Prokofiev’s
choice of movements for the three suites,
claiming that they do not reflect the great
breadth and variation in the ballet score.
Many conductors, including Andrew Litton,
therefore present a compilation of music
from all three suites as excerpts from
Romeo and Juliet.
EDVARD GRIEG
Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra,
Op. 16
SEE PROGRAM NOTES FOR
NOVEMBER 13 CONCERT
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Born September 25, 1906 in St. Petersburg
Died August 9, 1975 in Moscow
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was the first
major Russian composer to receive his entire
musical education under the Soviet regime.
He first achieved international recognition,
and governmental approval, with his First
Symphony; written as a graduation piece, it was
acclaimed at its premiere in May of 1926 in
Leningrad, as well as in its first Western
performance in May of 1927 in Berlin (conducted
by Bruno Walter) and its American premiere
in November of 1928 in Philadelphia (led by
Leopold Stokowski). Throughout his lifetime,
however, Shostakovich went in and out of
favor with the authorities, even if his loyalties
were unquestioned. Even after his opera Lady
Macbeth of the Mtsensk District had been
internationally recognized as a masterpiece,
in a 1936 editorial entitled “Chaos Instead of
Music,” Pravda denounced the score as
“fidgety, screaming, neurotic,” and as “coarse,
primitive and vulgar;” this assault – to which
many fellow composers contributed – was
meant as a warning against “modernism,”
“formalism” (or music which seemingly was
comprehensible only to the composer's inner
vision) and other perceived transgressions
against “socialist realism.” One year later he
was declared “rehabilitated” upon the
premiere of the Symphony No. 5 in D minor,
Op. 47, which was deservedly hailed as a
48 PLAYBILL
masterpiece and described by Shostakvich
himself as “the creative reply of a Soviet artist
to justified criticism.” In 1948 he was named a
People's Artist of the Republic of Russia, only
to be again denounced that same year. He
was eventually named Composer Laureate of
the Soviet Union.
Shostakovich was quite a prolific
composer, as his catalogue includes concertos
(two each for piano, violin and for cello), nine
operas and ballets, chamber works (including
15 magisterial string quartets) and numerous
vocal and choral compositions. His fame,
however, rests largely upon a number of his
15 symphonies; he completed his first at
19, creating musical history with the
unprecedented success and acclaim it
received, and he wrote his Fifteenth – and
last – four years before his death. It must be
noted that not all of his symphonies were
warmly received in the Soviet Union. If his
First (1924-25) and Fifth (1936) Symphonies
were tremendously successful with the
authorities, critics and audiences alike, the
composer's detractors grew so vituperative
that his Fourth Symphony (1935-36) was
dropped after one rehearsal and not
performed until 1962! While his Seventh
Symphony (1941) had a warm reception and
practically made him a national hero in the
Soviet Union, earning the composer one of
the three Stalin Prizes that he was to receive
in his life, in glaring contrast, his Eighth
Symphony (1943) and Ninth Symphony
(1945) only earned him further ignominy. The
latter was denounced in the Soviet publication
Culture and Life for its “ideological weakness”
and its failure to “reflect the spirit of the
people.” These “ups and downs” were to
continue throughout his symphonic career.
The Fifth Symphony of Dmitri
Shostakovich may well be viewed as the
composer's musical response to official
Soviet criticism of his compositional style. He
was not alone in receiving the stinging barbs
of Soviet censure, as Prokofiev and many of
the major Soviet composers of the time
shared in the same fate. They were being
attacked for their failures to conform to
prescribed state guidelines established for
Soviet artists. It is interesting to note that
Shostakovich originally labeled his Fifth
Symphony “a Soviet Artist's Practical,
Creative Reply to Just Criticism.” At a later
time, however, he omitted this reference and

P R O G R A M N O T E S
replaced it with the following statement: “The
theme of my symphony is the stabilization of
a personality. In the center of this composition
– conceived lyrically from beginning to end –
I saw a man, with all his experiences.”
The Symphony No. 5 in D minor was
composed between April 18 and July 20,
1937. It received its premiere performance in
Leningrad on November 21, 1937, in the
midst of a celebration of the 20th anniversary
of the Revolution. The work was a tremendous
success and moved many in the audience to
weep openly. This, in Shostakovich's own
estimation, because “...they understood, they
understood what was happening around
them and they understood what the Fifth was
about.” After the work's premiere, many
articles appeared, written by poets, authors,
war heroes and others outside the musical
domain, lauding the symphony. Shostakovich,
no longer labeled an “enemy of the people,”
achieved the stature of a cultural hero. This,
no doubt, must have been a great consolation
to him; after all, Shostakovich took great care
to remain in touch with the life pulse of the
people. As he once stated, “I consider that
every artist who isolates himself from the
world is doomed.”
The Symphony No. 5 in D minor is a work
of expansive, spacious proportions and is
governed by traditional Classical design. Its
four movements contain a vast range of
moods projected by a rich and colorful
symphonic mass. Most ingenious is the
manner in which the composer creatively
incorporates piano, celesta and other
percussion instruments into the texture of
the music. The first movement, Moderato,
presents an expansive, heroic first theme.
The violins initiate the theme with a motto of
four thrusting bars of an angry, assertive
mood, the overall character being one of a
menacing march. The first violins proceed
from this motto to spin out a long melody,
truncated at times with stinging fragments
of the motto. The second theme begins in
a slow and reflective fashion and gains
impetus as the movement proceeds; this
is accompanied by a three-beat rhythmic
figure. The movement ends in a quiet
passage with the piccolo and celesta in
interesting scalar passages.
The second movement, Allegretto, was
written in just a few days. Although not
specified as a Scherzo by the composer, it is
fraught with dance themes of a raucous
nature and is a brilliant distillation of the
Scherzo genre. In it, one can hear the foot
stomping of peasant dances.
The third movement, Largo, demonstrates
the essential greatness of Shostakovich. In
large part elegiac, the movement is a
brooding, probing interlude, expressively
exploring the loftiest ideas of the symphony.
The reflective lyricism gives way to an
urgency and intensity. The solos for oboe and
flute against the stark octaves in the harp
combine to paint a picture of bleakness. The
intensity increases to a climactic moment, but
it subsides on a note of resignation at the end
of the movement.
The final movement, Allegro non troppo,
is a powerful Rondo with intimations of
military marches. The timpani thunders forth
and the brass blazes in a victorious tone.
Following one last outburst, the symphony
finishes in a reflective mood.
In a tribute to his friend, Mstislav
Rostropovich has remarked of Shostakovich:
“Only those who have suffered very deeply
can totally understand Dmitri Shostakovich's
music. He gave to the world not only a sense
of great beauty, but also a feeling for the great
difficulties and contradictions of the epoch in
which we live.”
© 1998 Columbia Artists Management Inc.
KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 49