Join us on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. on WRTI 90.1 and Monday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. on WRTI HD-2 as The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert brings you Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, a new organ concerto by French composer Guillaume Connesson, and Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Guest conductor Paavo Järvi, chief conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, is on the podium.
The concert opens with Debussy’s famous symphonic poem, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, which the composer called a “very free illustration” of a poem by his friend Stéphane Mallarmé. In Debussy’s scenario, a mythical faun, part man and part goat, plays his pipes one warm afternoon in the woods, hoping to attract nearby nymphs. He doesn’t succeed, but his melodies, represented by a solo flute in the orchestra, seem to lure the faun to sleep, and he dreams of the encounter that didn’t actually take place. This sylvan music has inspired several choreographers to stage the work as a ballet.
A new French work follows, by Guillaume Connesson, a composer who draws direct inspiration from the sound world of Debussy and his generation. Scored for solo organ and orchestra, the Concerto da Requiem is also inspired by elements of the Roman Catholic Requiem liturgy, a mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. The soloist is Christian Schmitt, principal organist of the Bamberg Symphony.
The concert concludes with a work Paavo Järvi calls “one of the most successful, if not the best, original symphonies written in the 20th century”: the Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major by Sergei Prokofiev. The work dates from the waning months of the Second World War, when the tide was turning in favor of the allies. In January 1945, the composer conducted its premiere, which coincided with news of a major military advance. The music seemed to fit the moment. That performance was nothing short of triumphant, and made international news, with Prokofiev landing on the cover of Time magazine. Western orchestras clamored to perform the Fifth, and their audiences embraced it with enthusiasm.
If the circumstances of the war had been different, Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony would likely still have made its mark – just with a little less of a splash. It contains all the most characteristic elements of Prokofiev’s style: soaring lyricism alternating with compelling passages of perpetual motion; piquant harmonies; incisive orchestration; and flashes of humor. Paavo Järvi notes its close kinship with the composer’s famous ballet score, Romeo and Juliet.
The broadcast includes interviews with Paavo Järvi and organist Christian Schmitt.
PROGRAM:
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Connesson: Concerto da Requiem for organ and orchestra
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Paavo Järvi, conductor
Christian Schmitt, organ
WRTI PRODUCTION TEAM:
Melinda Whiting: Host
Alex Ariff: Senior Producer
Joseph Patti: Broadcast Engineer
Listen to The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcasts every Sunday at 1 p.m. on WRTI 90.1, streaming at WRTI.org, on the WRTI mobile app, and on your smart speaker. Listen again on Mondays at 7 p.m. on WRTI HD-2. Listen for up to two weeks after broadcast on WRTI Replay, accessible from the WRTI homepage (look for Listen to The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert On Demand).
