Grammy Award-winning conductor Thomas Conlin will conduct the Vallejo Festival Orchestra in an all-Beethoven program on March 2 at the Empress Theater in downtown Vallejo, including a performance of the “Eroica” symphony. (Submitted photo/Thomas Conlin)
The Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7 continues, with thousands of deaths including women and children, and little hope for a ceasefire as the conflict roiled the Middle East.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has dragged on, with neither side showing any signs of making concessions.
Meanwhile, former President Trump faces numerous charges in four criminal indictments, and his first trial in a campaign hush money case involving an adult film actress is scheduled to begin on March 25 in New York City.
Enter Beethoven's music.
“I feel like the world needs Beethoven right now,” said Thomas Conlin, conductor and founder of the Vallejo Festival Orchestra. “If you look around the world, including our country, people are angry, frustrated and confused.
“We need a stable response, and that would be Beethoven.”
So the longtime Grammy Award-winning orchestra leader confirmed that belief by conducting the orchestra in an all-Beethoven program called “The Glory and Greatness of Beethoven.” The concert, featuring four of the German composer's greatest works, including one that changed the entire course of Western music, will take place on March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Empress Theater in downtown Vallejo. It begins.
The four works include three dramatic overtures (the latter a ballet): “Egmont,'' “Coriolan,'' and “The Creatures of Prometheus.'' These make up the first half of the concert. The second half is dedicated to the “Eroica” (Heroic) Symphony, which Conlin called “monumental” in a phone interview Tuesday.
Beethoven's Third Symphony, written in 1803 when his hearing loss had worsened almost completely, was twice as long as his previous symphonies. A magnificent opening movement, a funeral march with considerable depth and expressiveness in the second movement, a lively scherzo in the third movement, and a somewhat abandoned theme from the second half of “Prometheus'' taken and transformed. It features a finale. A theme and variations of great emotional intensity.
Also consider that the first movement was quite long, at 691 bars long, with an additional 151 bars of repetition in the presentation section.
“'Eroica' is rich in heroic, powerful and noble melodies, with moments of joy, drama and tension, all resolved in the end by a celebration of humanity's victory.” said Conlin, who has directed the production for many years. orchestra. “The Eroica was the first musical expression of the ideals of the Enlightenment.”
The first movement alone marked the beginning of the Romantic era in Western classical music and redefined the symphonic form.
“He really started it all,” Conlin said of Beethoven. “This symphony was very shocking.”
Running approximately 50 minutes, it's an early Beethoven striving for attention and thunder. This composer is well known to us, as heard in snippets and excerpts of popular culture, as well as advertisements on television and radio. From his Third Symphony onwards to his Ninth Symphony, he paved the way for Schubert, his contemporaries, Brahms and others. These include Mahler, Bruckner, and Wagner. Wagner was inspired by Beethoven's last symphony, the Chorus, and created the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, which in German means “all-encompassing work of art.”
Beethoven's works typically explore universal themes such as love, heroism, despair, and joy. They came during a period of nationalist upheaval in the early 19th century and the last gasps of Western Europe's old regimes, which included the fall of Napoleon, who declared himself emperor of France. Legend has it that when Beethoven heard that Napoleon had been elevated to a god-like status, he became so angry that he erased the dedication to the French leader from the cover of his sheet music.
“Many great works of art and literature were created during times of stress,” Conlin said. “It's easy to imagine Beethoven hiding in the attic, and that's what he did.”
The political and social woes of Europe in Beethoven's time are incomparable to those we experience today, he argues, noting that “his personal struggles, including his struggle with hearing loss, It adds depth to the story and makes his music even more powerful and moving.” ”
The Coriolan Overture (1807) is one of Beethoven's most frequently performed and recorded works, and was written for the play by Heinrich Joseph von Collins. It starts out dark, but lyrical themes emerge. The second section is short, and the third section, or summary, turns violently gruesome and finally quiets down, alluding to the death of the Roman general Coriolanus and his efforts to restore his honor.
The Egmont Overture (1809-1810) is based on Goethe's play Egmont, which depicts the persecution of the Dutch by Spain, and explores the theme of freedom that Beethoven explored in the composer's only opera, Fidelio. It suggests a struggle for.
For many years, this song has become a concert hall staple. It begins with a heavy, serious, and dark atmosphere, as if it represents the tyrant Duke Alva. But towards the end, the overture turns triumphant and celebratory.
Conlin described the Trio Overture as “a kind of mini-suite” that would “make a wonderful combination” with the Eroica symphony.
Conlin said many of the orchestra's musicians regularly perform with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera and Ballet orchestras. The rest are among the best music freelancers in the Bay Area, he added.
In Beethoven's program, Conlin will lead 52 musicians, “about 12 fewer than Beethoven.”
He notes that in the composer's time, from 1770 to 1827, orchestras used what today would be called “period instruments,” typically only in period instrument ensembles, rarely heard in modern concert halls. He acknowledged that he was creating an audible timbre, balance, and articulation.
But Conlin said that while many instruments were “significantly improved” in the mid-to-late 19th century, attempts to recreate the sounds written by early composers remained largely unresolved among conductor cadres. He acknowledged that it is “highly debated.” Achieve “authenticity”.
He described the 36-string orchestra as the “ideal size” to present Beethoven in a theater with first-class acoustics and “good visibility.”
According to Conlin's resume, in recent years he has been a frequent guest with opera, ballet, and symphony orchestras on five continents, including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Poland, and Russia. Participating as a conductor. He has traveled to Spain, Türkiye, and all over the United States.
Founded in 2020, the Vallejo Festival Orchestra made its debut with “Three Tenors!” — The Next Generation” is an evening of Italian opera music featuring three talented young tenors who have gone on to fulfilling careers. Each subsequent program has been built around a single composer: Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Sibelius, Johann Strauss, and now Beethoven.
Mr. Conlin said that for more than 200 years, Beethoven's music has continued to speak to the universal experience of humanity. You can see it for yourself,” he added.
if you go
what: vallejo festival orchestra
“The Glory and Greatness of Beethoven”
when: March 2nd 7:30pm
where: Empress Theater, 330 Virginia St., Vallejo
ticket: www.empresstheatre.org
or (707) 552-2400