American Emigres [Afternoon Concert]

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

Part 1

20131125

The third of three weeks of Afternoon on 3 celebrating different sides of the music of America. This week's programmes centre on music written in exile, by the great number of twentieth-century European composers who fled persecution by moving to the USA. Louise Fryer introduces some of their music written far from home, explores their personal circumstances, and discusses how it affected the artistic process. Some found the move easier than others....

Bartok wrote his Concerto for Orchestra to a commission from the conductor Serge Koussevitzky, having initially found it hard to compose after his move to the US. The Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered the work under Koussevitzky's baton in 1944 to critical acclaim, and it quickly became Bartok's most popular work. Sadly he didn't live long enough to see its full impact.

Martinu fled Paris early in WW2 after the Nazis blacklisted his music. Life in America was difficult for him: lack of knowledge of English, lack of funds, and lack of opportunities caused frustration. Eventually he acclimatised and his six symphonies were written at a phenomenal rate in little more than a decade.

3.20pm

Bartok: Concerto for orchestra, Sz 116

BBC National Orchestra of Wales,

Thierry Fischer (conductor).

3.55pm

Martinu: Fantaisies symphoniques (Symphony No 6)

BBC Philharmonic,

Gunter Herbig (conductor).

Louise Fryer presents music from European emigres to America: Bartok and Martinu.

Part 2

20131126

Today, as part of this week's focus on European 退migr退 composers in the USA, we've the first of two live concerts: John Toal presents The Ulster Orchestra live from Ulster Hall in Belfast in a programme of music by Stravinsky, Bartok and Dohnanyi. All three pieces use folk melodies as their source: Stravinsky used Norwegian tunes to inspire the 'moods' of the title, Bartok used an original Hungarian folk dance theme in the first movement of the concerto he wrote as a surprise birthday present for his wife Ditta, and Dohnanyi, in his last orchestral work, included American folk material including Turkey in the Straw, On Top of Old Smokey and I am a poor wayfaring stranger.

Following the live concert, Louise Fryer continues our theme with major works by Schoenberg, Korngold and Stravinsky. Although the Schoenberg and Stravinsky are revisions of earlier works, Korngold's 1945 Violin Concerto was the first non-film piece he wrote after having vowed to give up composing anything other than film music until Hitler had been defeated.

LIVE from Ulster Hall, Belfast

Stravinsky: Four Norwegian Moods

Bartok: Piano Concerto No 3, Sz 119

Dohnanyi: American Rhapsody, Op 47

Zhang Zuo (piano),

Ulster Orchestra,

Jac van Steen (conductor).

3pm

Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op 16 (1949 revision)

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra,

Ilan Volkov (conductor).

3.15pm

Korngold: Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35

Matthew Trusler (violin),

BBC National Orchestra of Wales,

Rumon Gamba (conductor).

3.45pm

Stravinsky: The Firebird - Suite (1945)

BBC Philharmonic,

Dimitri Jurowski (conductor).

Louise Fryer presents music by Stravinsky, Bartok, Dohnanyi, Schoenberg and Korngold.

Part 3

20131127

Neither Prokofiev nor Rachmaninov found the move to the US easy, and neither stayed for long. Both needed to earn a living from concert performances, and their compositional output was much reduced during their time in America. Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto and Rachmaninov's Third Symphony are large-scale works which belie those difficulties, and remain among their most popular and enduring works.

Grainger: Colonial Song / Mock Morris / Country Gardens

BBC Philharmonic

Richard Hickox (conductor).

2.10pm

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 in C major, Op 26

John Lill (piano),

BBC National Orchestra of Wales,

Walter Weller (conductor).

2.40pm

Rachmaninov: Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op 44

Rumon Gamba (conductor).

Louise Fryer presents music by Grainger, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov written in the USA.

Part 4

20131129

Penny Gore presents the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale Studio 1 in London in the second live concert of this week celebrating the music composed by Europeans in exile in the United States of America. Pieces by 退migr退 composers Paul Hindemith and Kurt Weill are framed by two movements from the Holidays Symphony by American modernist Charles Ives.

Following the concert, Louise Fryer rounds off the week with two of the most famous works written by Europeans in the USA: Bloch's 'Hebrew Rhapsody' Schelomo, expressing emotion he felt stemming from his Jewish heritage, and Dvorak's nostalgic Ninth Symphony: From the New World.

LIVE from Maida Vale Studio 1, London

Ives: The Fourth of July (from Holidays Symphony)

Hindemith: Clarinet Concerto

Mark Simpson (clarinet)

Weill: 4 Songs of Walt Whitman

Robin Tritschler (tenor)

Ives: Decoration Day (from Holidays Symphony)

BBC Symphony Orchestra,

Sakari Oramo (conductor).

3.20pm

Bloch: Schelomo

Nicolas Altstaedt (cello),

BBC Philharmonic,

Paul Daniel (conductor).

3.40pm

Dvorak: Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 (From the New World)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales,

Nicholas Collon (conductor).

With the BBC SO performing music by Ives, Hindemith and Weill live. Plus Bloch and Dvorak.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
01	Part 1	20131125	The third of three weeks of Afternoon on 3 celebrating different sides of the music of America. This week's programmes centre on music written in exile, by the great number of twentieth-century European composers who fled persecution by moving to the USA. Louise Fryer introduces some of their music written far from home, explores their personal circumstances, and discusses how it affected the artistic process. Some found the move easier than others.... Bartok wrote his Concerto for Orchestra to a commission from the conductor Serge Koussevitzky, having initially found it hard to compose after his move to the US. The Boston Symphony Orchestra premiered the work under Koussevitzky's baton in 1944 to critical acclaim, and it quickly became Bartok's most popular work. Sadly he didn't live long enough to see its full impact. Martinu fled Paris early in WW2 after the Nazis blacklisted his music. Life in America was difficult for him: lack of knowledge of English, lack of funds, and lack of opportunities caused frustration. Eventually he acclimatised and his six symphonies were written at a phenomenal rate in little more than a decade. 3.20pm Bartok: Concerto for orchestra, Sz 116 BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer (conductor). 3.55pm Martinu: Fantaisies symphoniques (Symphony No 6) BBC Philharmonic, Gunter Herbig (conductor). Louise Fryer presents music from European emigres to America: Bartok and Martinu.
02	Part 2	20131126	Today, as part of this week's focus on European 退migr退 composers in the USA, we've the first of two live concerts: John Toal presents The Ulster Orchestra live from Ulster Hall in Belfast in a programme of music by Stravinsky, Bartok and Dohnanyi. All three pieces use folk melodies as their source: Stravinsky used Norwegian tunes to inspire the 'moods' of the title, Bartok used an original Hungarian folk dance theme in the first movement of the concerto he wrote as a surprise birthday present for his wife Ditta, and Dohnanyi, in his last orchestral work, included American folk material including Turkey in the Straw, On Top of Old Smokey and I am a poor wayfaring stranger. Following the live concert, Louise Fryer continues our theme with major works by Schoenberg, Korngold and Stravinsky. Although the Schoenberg and Stravinsky are revisions of earlier works, Korngold's 1945 Violin Concerto was the first non-film piece he wrote after having vowed to give up composing anything other than film music until Hitler had been defeated. LIVE from Ulster Hall, Belfast Stravinsky: Four Norwegian Moods Bartok: Piano Concerto No 3, Sz 119 Dohnanyi: American Rhapsody, Op 47 Zhang Zuo (piano), Ulster Orchestra, Jac van Steen (conductor). 3pm Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op 16 (1949 revision) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov (conductor). 3.15pm Korngold: Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35 Matthew Trusler (violin), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Rumon Gamba (conductor). 3.45pm Stravinsky: The Firebird - Suite (1945) BBC Philharmonic, Dimitri Jurowski (conductor). Louise Fryer presents music by Stravinsky, Bartok, Dohnanyi, Schoenberg and Korngold.
03	Part 3	20131127	Neither Prokofiev nor Rachmaninov found the move to the US easy, and neither stayed for long. Both needed to earn a living from concert performances, and their compositional output was much reduced during their time in America. Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto and Rachmaninov's Third Symphony are large-scale works which belie those difficulties, and remain among their most popular and enduring works. Grainger: Colonial Song / Mock Morris / Country Gardens BBC Philharmonic Richard Hickox (conductor). 2.10pm Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 in C major, Op 26 John Lill (piano), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Walter Weller (conductor). 2.40pm Rachmaninov: Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op 44 Rumon Gamba (conductor). Louise Fryer presents music by Grainger, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov written in the USA.
04	Part 4	20131129	Penny Gore presents the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Maida Vale Studio 1 in London in the second live concert of this week celebrating the music composed by Europeans in exile in the United States of America. Pieces by 退migr退 composers Paul Hindemith and Kurt Weill are framed by two movements from the Holidays Symphony by American modernist Charles Ives. Following the concert, Louise Fryer rounds off the week with two of the most famous works written by Europeans in the USA: Bloch's 'Hebrew Rhapsody' Schelomo, expressing emotion he felt stemming from his Jewish heritage, and Dvorak's nostalgic Ninth Symphony: From the New World. LIVE from Maida Vale Studio 1, London Ives: The Fourth of July (from Holidays Symphony) Hindemith: Clarinet Concerto Mark Simpson (clarinet) Weill: 4 Songs of Walt Whitman Robin Tritschler (tenor) Ives: Decoration Day (from Holidays Symphony) BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor). 3.20pm Bloch: Schelomo Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), BBC Philharmonic, Paul Daniel (conductor). 3.40pm Dvorak: Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op 95 (From the New World) BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Nicholas Collon (conductor). With the BBC SO performing music by Ives, Hindemith and Weill live. Plus Bloch and Dvorak.