ERIC HARRISON, HOST:
Good afternoon and thanks for tuning in to Little Rock Public Radio and Classical KLRE-FM, 90.5. I'm Eric Harrison, I write about arts and culture at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and I’ll be your host for the next two hours.
You're listening to ‘Major and Minor Masterpieces,’ where we will focus each week on a broad range of classical music, from chamber music to choral works to full symphonies and maybe even a touch or two of opera.
Today’s show focuses on the life, career and music-making by Eugene Ormandy, who conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra for more than four decades.
Ormandy, born Nov. 18, 1899, in Budapest, Hungary, was a prodigy, identifying symphonies at age 3 and playing the violin at age 4. At 5, he became the youngest pupil in the history of the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest; by the time he was 10, he was performing for the Austro-Hungarian royal family.
In 1924, while on a concert tour of the United States as a violinist, he accepted an offer to conduct a theater orchestra in New York, where he caught the attention of what was probably the U.S.’ most prominent conductor, Arturo Toscanini, who at the time was on the podium of the New York Philharmonic.
The turning point in Ormandy's career came in 1931. Toscanini, who had been scheduled to guest-conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra, had suddenly become ill, And Ormandy replaced him — and became an overnight sensation.
In 1936, he became associate conductor of that Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski; in 1938, he was promoted to permanent conductor, thus earning the sobriquet “The guest conductor who stayed 44 years.”
He molded the orchestra over those 44 years, creating what critics and audiences alike recognized as that warm, romantic “Philadelphia Sound.” I grew up in Philadelphia and attended many concerts at the Academy of Music, the orchestra’s former home, and got to hear that sound at first hand. (I confess I don’t miss many other Philadelphia sounds, including the local accent.)
Ormandy retired from full-time music-making in 1980, gave his final concert — with the Philadelphia Orchestra — at New York’s Carnegie Hall on Jan. 10, 1984, and died in 1985.
Ormandy recorded prodigiously; his catalog includes, among hundreds of discs, all 7 symphonies by Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky.
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in e minor, written 10 years after his Fourth, was an instant success with audiences. However, it was not necessarily a hit with critics. Nor was it initially a success for the composer, who throughout his life was frequently hampered, if not crippled, by periods of crushing self-doubt. (A glowing expression of admiration from German composer Johannes Brahms helped Tchaikovsky improve his attitude toward the work.)
As with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a leitmotif, or recurrent theme, representing fate, surfaces in all four movements, sometimes violently, sometimes almost sweetly.
Merriam-Webster defines a “motif,” in music as in literature, as “a recurring thematic element.”
(The term “Leitmotif” — deriving from the German “leit” (“leading”) and “Motif” ("motive") originated from opera, where it is used to refer to a recurring melody or theme connected to a character whenever he or she appeared on stage. Contemporary example: John Williams’ “Imperial March” shows up every time Darth Vader does in the “Star Wars” movies.) Back to the symphony: The second movement, Andante cantabile (Italian for slow and song-like), features a gorgeous melody in the solo horn; the third movement is a waltz. And the finale, which also refers to themes from the inner movements…
Let’s hear the Philadelphia Orchestra and its long-time conductor Eugene Ormandy in this 1974 recording — Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in e minor.
(PYOTR LLYICH TCHAIKOVSKY’S “SYMPHONY NO. 5” )
ERIC: You’ve heard the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Eugene Ormandy in a 1974 recording of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in e minor on Major and Minor Masterpieces, here on Little Rock Public Radio and Classical KLRE-FM 90.5. I’m your host, Eric Harrison.
(SOUNDBITE OF WOJCIECH “BOITEG” CIESLINKSKI’S “FIRST VIOLIN”)
—PROGRAM BREAK—
[EDUCATIONAL SEGMENT]
SARAH BUFORD, PRODUCER:
Hey listeners, welcome back to Major and Minor Masterpieces. I’m your producer, Sarah Buford, and it's time for our show’s little educational session, in which we break down some of the terminology we use when describing classical music and its history.
Eric, let's say, after listening devoutly to the first season of Major and Minor Masterpieces and the first couple of episodes of this season, I've decided it's official time for me to attend some live music for once. Perhaps the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra has a concert this weekend. What should I know before attending a classical music concert? Can I wear jeans? How early should I arrive? When do you clap? That’s probably my biggest question. When I lived in Spain, I went to a few live cello performances and orchestra performances but I was really unsure about what the standard was (especially on a global scale).
ERIC HARRISON, HOST:
Well, Sarah, nowadays the formality of classical concerts has gone the way of the dodo, in part because orchestras are trying to bring in younger and hipper audiences. Yes, you can wear jeans. (The dress code is probably a lot closer to the one my high school substituted for the one it abandoned in the early 1970s: “You must wear something.”
As for when to arrive, at least get there before the music starts. And speaking of Eugene Ormandy, he was, among his many virtues or faults, a stickler for proper concert etiquette, especially when it came to latecomers.
Whenever he was on the podium at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, concerts started promptly at 8:30 p.m. and the ushers *locked the doors to the hall*. If you showed up at 8:31 or later, you waited in the lobby until the end of the overture or, if the concert started with a multi-movement piece like a suite or a symphony, the end of the first movement. Then the doors opened to let those latecomers in, and then, when the music resumed, they were locked again. Anybody who showed up after that would have to wait until intermission. Nobody strolled down the aisles to disrupt the listening experience while the orchestra was playing.
Ormandy also once requested that a rundown of "Concert Etiquette" be printed opposite the program page for a series of performances, and once commented that the public simply had no idea how disturbing something like a jangling bracelet or the rustle of program pages is to a performing musician.
SARAH: I personally would love that idea if we had the “concert etiquette” printed next to the program notes. It would certainly make the concerts seem more approachable to someone whose never been before. So just for example, what might these rules include?
ERIC: Well, I found something from music critic and commentator Byron Belt that may have said it best called it his “10 Commandments for Audience Etiquette”:
1.Thou shalt not talk.
2. Thou shalt not hum, sing or tap your fingers or your feet.
3. Thou shalt not rustle thy program.
4. Thou shalt not crack thy gum in thy neighbor's ears.
5. Thou shalt not wear loud-ticking watches or jangle thy jewelry.
6. Thou shalt not open cellophane-wrapped candies.
7. Thou shalt not open and close thy purse.
8. Thou shalt not sigh with boredom.
9. Thou shalt not read.
10. Thou shalt not arrive late or leave early.And this was, of course, before the invention of cell phones. So I’d like to add an 11th commandment: “Turn thy cell phone OFF.”
SARAH: Yes of course. I would just assume standard movie theater etiquette but just a bit more strict. Okay, one last question — I’m not sure if this happens but do they sometimes also include the texts (in the original language or the English translation) in concert programs? I mean you did mention no reading and humming but I would be curious what the lyrics are when it's relevant.
ERIC: Including the text of a choral piece or one with a solo singer is good policy and helps an audience understand what is being performed and even, in a hopefully discreet fashion, follow along. I approve.
SARAH: Thanks, Eric. That’s been an eye opener, or should I say “ear opener.” Now let’s get back to the music.
[END OF EDUCATIONAL SEGMENT]
(SOUNDBITE OF WOJCIECH “BOITEG” CIESLINKSKI’S “FIRST VIOLIN”)
ERIC: Eugene Ormandy enjoyed a particular rapport with Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, whose music he championed and recorded, some of it for the first time, and to whose secluded villa at Järvenpää, Finland, he brought the entire orchestra, on tour in June 1955, to pay tribute to the great composer.
Sibelius was and remains, by all accounts, Finland’s greatest composer, and, long before his death in 1957 at age 91, he was treated by his countrymen as a national hero. (His image even appeared for awhile on Finnish money.)
While Sibelius’ early symphonies still contained recognizable influences of Tchaikovsky and Brahms, he strove to establish a Finnish nationalism in his music, after centuries of first the Swedes, and then the Russians, dominating his country.
Sibelius composed the first version of the Fifth Symphony in time to conduct it for his 50th birthday, Dec. 8, 1915. He revised it a year later, and then again, completing the final version in 1919.
In reworking the symphony, he condensed its original four movements into three. Sibelius wrote the opening of the final movement after being captured by the beauty of the sight of a flight of 16 swans; his “swan theme” first appears played by four horns and gradually swells into an exultant, if lengthy, conclusion.
And by the way, the Philadelphia Orchestra gave the piece, with Leopold Stokowski on the podium, its U.S. premiere in 1921.
Let’s hear Eugene Ormandy conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra again in this 1954 recording of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 in E-flat.
(JEAN SIBELIUS’ “SYMPHONY NO. 5” )
ERIC: That was the Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Symphony No. 5 in E-flat by Jean Sibelius.
(SOUNDBITE OF WOJCIECH “BOITEG” CIESLINKSKI’S “FIRST VIOLIN”)
—PROGRAM BREAK—
[EDUCATIONAL SEGMENT 2]
SARAH BUFORD, PRODUCER:
Surprise! It's your producer again and today you get not one but two parts of the educational segment. Just continuing the conversation from earlier on how to behave at a classical concert, we've decided to share a little "bit" that Eric wrote back a while ago on how NOT to behave at a concert. Can we hear it?
ERIC HARRISON, HOST:
Yes, the piece, which I wrote for in 1980 for what was then Arkansas Democrat, was headlined, “You don’t want anyone to miss your performance, right?” Here’s an edited version:
It always really bothers me to see some people at orchestra concerts who aren’t REALLY enjoying themselves. I’ve always wanted to lean over to them and give them a few pointers on how to get more out of a concert. Of course, most of these things can annoy fellow concertgoers, so you should practice them with restraint.
To begin, of course, you need tickets. Try to arrange to get seats as close to the center of a row as possible and I’ll explain why later.
Stock your purse or pocket with lots of jingly items — keys, coins, small bells, ball-bearings and the like — and with several pieces of hard candy, wrapped in cellophane, not plastic or foil.
Make sure you leave in plenty of time to arrive five minutes or so late; they don’t always start on time anyway.
Come in out of breath and run down the aisle, but wait until after the music has started — you don’t want anyone to miss your performance, do you? Liven things up by passing the row in which you have seats and have to go back.
Start into the row, tripping over feet as you go (the closer to the center of the row you have seats, the more feet you can trip over; if by ill fortune your seats are too close to an aisle, start from the other side).
Whisper “pardon me” and “excuse me” as loudly as you can as you trip. Cheerfully offer excuses — if your car broke down, for example, give details.
Read your program from cover to cover and turn the pages noisily; drop it occasionally to make sure your neighbors are awake, since nothing disrupts a concert worse than somebody snoring.
At the first quiet spot, start searching through purse or pocket for a piece of candy. Don’t miss any of the jingly things inside while you hunt. Wait for another quiet spot— preferably one in which the soloist is exposed and everybody’s attention ought to be on the stage; or if that’s not possible, wait for the most dramatic part of the piece. Then start to unwrap the candy.
Don’t do it quickly; draw it out. If you rush it, it will create a sharp, nasty noise and will be audible from the stage. If you do it slowly, it allows everybody a chance to hear the notes over the crackle.
Crumble the wrapper up into as tight a ball as you can. Put the candy in your mouth and suck loudly, making sure you get all the flavor you can out of it (gum is almost as good, but it comes in a foil wrapper, which doesn’t make nearly as much noise).
After all the candy is gone, you can really get into the spirit of the concert. To show that you are feeling what’s going on, try conducting from your seat while humming, or even better, whistling along with the orchestra.
Show your appreciation for what the musicians are doing: Applaud between movements.
At the end of the piece, really show everybody that you’re “with it.” Rise to your feet and shout “bravo” just as the last note sounds.
Follow these instructions carefully and you can get a lot more life out of dull old concerts. Of course, you can get THROWN out of a lot of dull old concerts, too.
SARAH: Well Eric, that’s not exactly on my bucket list but thank you for basically giving me all of the things I should not do. I like a good satirical piece every now and again. Alright listeners, now let’s get back to more major and minor masterpieces.
[END OF EDUCATIONAL SEGMENT]
(SOUNDBITE OF WOJCIECH “BOITEG” CIESLINKSKI’S “FIRST VIOLIN”)
ERIC: Tchaikovsky, like Sibelius, occasionally used some of his works to express nationalism, as with the “1812 Overture.” He wrote the concert piece in 1880 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Czar Alexander II, as well as the completion of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which was built to commemorate Russia’s repelling of Napoleon’s invading army in 1812.
Another such piece is the “Marche slave” (“Slavonic March”), for which he received a commission in 1876 to be played at a benefit concert for the people of Serbia. The Serbs, like the Russians, are a Slavic people; Serbia was involved in seemingly endless wars between the Balkans and Turkey. Tchaikovsky used parts of several Serbian folk songs for his "Marche Slave" and for the climax, just as he did in the “1812 Overture,” he employs the grand hymn “God Save the Tsar.”
Eugene Ormandy leads the Philadelphia Orchestra in this 1972 recording on Sony Classical.
(PYOTR LLYICH TCHAIKOVSKY’S “MARCHE SLAVE” )
ERIC: You’ve heard Eugene Ormany lead the Philadelphia Orchestra in “Marche Slave” by Tchaikovsky here on Major and Minor Masterpieces on Little Rock Public Radio and Classical 90.5 KLRE.
One of the most nationalistic pieces in the repertoire was Sibelius’ “Finlandia,” composed in 1899 as the finale to a patriotic tableau called “Finland Awakens” and revised into a tone poem a year later. Despite Sibelius’ disapproval, its main theme was also turned into a patriotic hymn. And the piece has sort of become Finland’s not-quite-national anthem.
The Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Eugene Ormandy made this 1950 recording for Columbia Records.
(JEAN SIBELIUS’ “FINLANDIA” )
ERIC: You’ve heard the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Eugene Ormandy in a 1950 recording of Jean Sibelius’ “Finlandia” on Major and Minor Masterpieces on Little Rock Public Radio and classical KLRE-FM, 90.5.
(SOUNDBITE OF WOJCIECH “BOITEG” CIESLINKSKI’S “FIRST VIOLIN”)
ERIC: Thanks for tuning in this week to Major and Minor Masterpieces. I've been your host, Eric Harrison, of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Our producer is Sarah Buford of Little Rock Public Radio. And a big thank you to our friend Wojciech Chiselinski for our transition and credit music.
Tune in again next week for Major and Minor Masterpieces on Little Rock Public Radio and classical KLRE-FM, 90.5.