Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony's Centennial Celebration

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The Boston Symphonyörtre Centeno Concert is made possible by a grant from National Endowment for the Arts and by a grant from polarization Instant Photographic Products From Symphony Hall in Boston this is William Pierce, welcoming you to a Gala concert in celebration of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 100th Birthday Year With host Itzak Perlman, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Seijio Zawa, music director and conductor, guest artist Itzak Perlman, Leontine Price, Misha Slofers-Pavitch, Rudolf Serkin, Isaac Stern, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver Conductor, and Vocal Soloist, John Ailer, Dennis Bailey, John Cheek, Lily Chocasian, Benito Valente, and Susan DeVenni Weiner. The works in our special centennial program are Beethoven's overture to the consecration of the house, Vivaldi's Contrato and D for two violins, Haydn's Contrato and C for cello,

the Arya d'Amore Solali Rosa from Verdesil Trovatore, the awakening scene from Richard Strauss, the Egyptian Helen, and Beethoven's fantasy and sea minor for piano, chorus and orchestra. And now to the stage of Symphony Hall and our host Itzak Perlman. Thank you so much. It is indeed a great privilege for me to be associated with this special event, the orchestra's 100th anniversary. I feel particularly happy being here because the Boston Symphony Orchestra was the first great orchestra I played with in the United States, and I made my first recording with it. In addition to being your host, I'll participate in the festivities by playing a Vivaldi Double Violin Contrato with my dear friend and colleague Isaac Stern. For all of us, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is not just an orchestra. It's a great American cultural tradition. For me, performing with the orchestra is always one of the highlights of the season.

Soon you'll hear why we have so much to celebrate. And during the course of our broadcast, you'll also get a chance to see some of the orchestra's past and how it has taken its music around the world. Before the first piece, let's take a look at what music in Boston was like before the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Bostonians have always loved music, but the city's Puritan fathers sang strictly to glorify God. By the early 1800s, the Handel & Hyden Society was founded to perform sacred oratorios. When the Boston Music Hall was built in 1852, visiting artists such as the Singer Jenny Lind no longer had to perform in a railroad station. Though Boston had many musical organizations, it still did not have a professional orchestra. Audiences attended performances by traveling and amateur ensembles. One of Boston's most ardent music lovers was Henry Lee Higginson.

Europe was still the center of musical culture and Higginson left Harvard to study and Vienna. 20 years after he came home, he combined philanthropy with his knowledge of music to found an orchestra. The new Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert on October 22, 1881 of the music hall. Its program opened with Beethoven's Consecration of the House Overture. Seizio Zauer, a music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will also open our Centennial Concert with the Overture, Consecration of the House, Opus 124 by Ludwig von Beethoven. And here is Mr. O'Zauer. Thank you. Thank you.

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to have you here. You know, I was just wondering to listen to an orchestra such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra on record or to watch them at concert, so on, is I suppose one experience, it's always a wonderful experience. What did you feel the first time you actually conducted this orchestra? I mean, what went through your mind? That was a long time ago. I was a happy experience, you know, that I had a big dream about this orchestra because, you know, okay, imagine 21 years ago I

came to America, I arrived from Paris, first time for my life to come to United States, Boston Airport, and I took a, I then I went from Boston to Tanglewood festival for music school. So this was the Boston, was then your first musical experience in the States? That's right. Absolutely, first time I landed the Boston Airport, it came right in then, I went to school, Tanglewood Boston Symphony School, Summer School Music, Tanglewood Baxter Music Center, and I heard every weekend the Boston Symphony rehearsal and the concert, the mince, child mince time, so I had a big dream about this orchestra, so when I conducted, you have a great point, I was asking this question, it was in Tanglewood, I don't know, 1960, three or four, a long time ago, I had a great time. When Sergei Witsky first brought the Boston Symphony Orchestra to Tanglewood in 1936,

he saw it not only as a place where the orchestra could perform during the summer, he saw a community and a school, a place full of the sound and spirit of music. Ancient trees shade its wide lawns, overlooking the Berkshire Hills and Western Massachusetts. Tanglewood is informal, the audience is always picnic before concerts. At first a tent sheltered the musicians and the listeners sat outside, but in 1937 the tent blew down in a storm during a performance. Now the orchestra plays in a permanent pavilion known to millions as the shed, but the heart of Tanglewood is the Berkshire Music Center, the summer school staffed largely by the BSO. Many of this country's finest orchestra musicians studied here and the conductor's program is one of the most prestigious in the world. Kuzavitsky personally taught many of these students until his death in 1951.

Leonard Bernstein and the composer Lucas Faust starred in the first class, other conductors who summered at Tanglewood include Claudia Obado, Zubin Mater, who now conducts the New York Philharmonic, and of course, Sergio Zawa. All musicians at the Berkshire Music Center are working musicians, students and professionals, and everyone plays and ensembles with one another. Apprentice conductors have an orchestra to work with, but the student instrumentalists also have a chance to play under established conductors. And during summers in the Berkshire's, the musicians become not only colleagues, but friends. For us Tanglewood is not only another stage, it's another total environment. The whole experience of Tanglewood adds a certain dimension to the relationships within the orchestra, which is, I think, a very positive one. Concert Master Joseph Silverstein. As Concert Master of the Orchestra, I would imagine my most visible function

is that of shaking hands with a conductor prior to the concert. Other than that, it is a rather subtle leadership role in which the directions of the bowels that people see. I'm sure that they noticed that for the most part, the bows go up and come down together. And it's up to me to mark in our music the directions in which the bows are supposed to go. I've got nine notes. I'll make a small example for the last hint. The style of the string section is something that is unified by the cooperation of the principal string players. And that's, I think, a very important effect that our activities as Boston Symphony Chamber players

has had on the orchestra. The fact that Burton Fine and Jules Eskin and I play together in a chamber music group, a great deal of the time, means that in terms of unifying musical ideas, those things come now almost in an automatic way. The Boston Symphony Chamber players are the first cheer musicians. For three months every year, the rest of the orchestra becomes the Boston Park. When the pop season begins in the spring, the serious mood of symphony hall brightens. The rows of seats in the auditorium come out and the audience sits at round tables and drink champagne. The music becomes lighter, classics mix with popular and show tunes and occasionally surprise visitors appear on the stage. Arthur Fiedler conducted the pop's concerts for 50 years.

He had his guest famous artist ranging from Chetacans to Richard Tucker. And he also gave many young musicians a chance to play with the Boston Pop Orchestra. In 1976, more than 500,000 people came to hear the pop's outdoor concert celebrating America's bicentennial. After Mr. Fiedler, John Williams brought the pop's into the space age and updated the mixture of good music and high spirits that has endeared the pop's to the entire world. People want music that they can sing, that they can hum, music and melody. Harry Ellis Dixon, associate conductor of the pop, is one of the senior members of the orchestra. I think in Boston we have a sophisticated audience that accepts modern music but not with the same enthusiasm I think that they used to. And it's been funny as far as the critics are concerned, years ago critics blasted new works.

Today, and the audience has loved those pieces, but the critics didn't. Today is just the opposite. Critics love the modern music, can say it's marvelous, and the audience is don't. Now, there's been a great change in the orchestra when I joined the orchestra. And I don't say this out of chauvinistic reasons, but the Boston Symphony was composed of at least 85% foreign-born and foreign-trained musicians. We were a young country musically, we still are. Today, just the opposite is true. About 85% of our Boston Symphony is American-born and American-trained. And if I'm honest with you, I must say that our players today are far superior to the ones in the orchestra when I joined. Generally, I would say it's a steady improvement. Every year better and better players are joined the Symphony.

The oldest Eugene Lainer joined the orchestra one year after Mr. Dixon. Because if you now look around in the Boston Symphony, you will see that every newcomer, every violinist, just an extraordinary, any given moment that can play any concert too. Principal Flute is Dorio Anthony Dwyer, remembers her first day with the orchestra. My teacher had told me that the better orchestra you play with, the easier it is, the easier the whole thing becomes. And I was looking forward to that. And I remember as I came in the building to hear these wonderful musicians practicing. And if they sounded that good when they were practicing, I was thinking, what will it be, the orchestra? I really, you know, it was very, very thrilling. Of course, I'll never forget that. This orchestra has a character of proudness for our work, making music, and sensitivity, color, and musicianship. That musicianship comes from those proud or training, tradition of knowledge.

I think we should be proud of this orchestra. I've had opportunities to go elsewhere, but I just can't. This is my life, and whatever life I have left will be spent here, I hope. Well, that is the great fortune in the life of a musician that we are able to make our living with that which would be our hobby, if it would not be our profession. So, how can Mandri be better life than that? I'm here with Leantine Price, who after intermission will sing two Arias with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Welcome. Thank you, Ed Sox, the joy to be here. It's, I'm so excited to be talking to you. I really am. You know, I'm just very nervous because I've been, I don't want to go gagga, but I've been a fan of yours before I don't know when, for such a long time. The great experience that I had was when we were rehearsing in a small little room backstage at the studio, and you were singing, and it was obviously the room was not built for your voice.

It was, it was too tiny, it was too small, and which brings you to a question, do you either consciously or subconsciously adjust to different sizes of concert hall or concert halls or opera houses? Or, I mean, do you sort of feel that there is a smallness there that you can give a bit less, or do you feel that, you know, when a grandiose looking place you sort of adjust the volume? I find generally that the voice carries, you know, on general, and if, for instance, it's the same approach. Fortunately, I have a soaring instrument, so usually in your house, thank you guys. In most of the halls, it's, as with recitals, it works very well. What do you think of Symphony Hall? I don't have any words, it's half your job is done for you, don't you believe that? It's wonderful.

I really should come out if you, you could feel dreadful and say one thing in this hall and go totally bananas. I feel what comes out, there's such a wonderful thing coming back at you. I like that, that's what I, that's to me is what for speaking personally is a singer. The feet of a perfect acoustics represent is the enjoyment of your, to hear your own sound come back in a loving way to you. You see, that's not a tall intellectual, but it's a way I feel about it. I actually am a weird singer in that I prefer the, the taught approach. And I like the, the singular of orange as you as an instrumentalist, a more involved in. Do you know what I mean? I like very much recitals and solo orchestra performances of different literature. Even, I feel more, it's a strange phenomenon because it's usually the other way around. In opera, for instance, I feel, one does have to fit into a more grand deal. All of them are constricting.

It's like constricting. To me, I find that more constricting than doing things on my own. So basically maybe I am a chamber music person. Yeah, well that's very interesting. I really truly believe that. I just sincerely feel that. Any, any comments about the Boston Symphony when you first, do you remember first experience with the orchestra? I still be here as a, it's really a joy. All of my nearby days were very early. First at Tanglewood and I'm, I'm very, very honest about dates. In 1951, and my first performance of the Beethoven Symphony, one of the first performances of the Beethoven Symphony was Vistras Munch. And the premier performance of the prayers of Kierkegaard with dear beloved Samuel Barber was here. And one of my first recordings and performances of Innistras, which is why I chose one particular area. Tonight that I first did with the Boston Symphony with my stoatic line stuff, the Financing of Salome. And this area, it's played a blunt knock from Hellenian Egypt.

So it's a very nostalgic feeling for me. That's wonderful. Thank you very, very much for talking with me. Thank you. Isaac, this was really wonderful. Thank you. Be with you. I'm here with my friend, my partner, my colleague, Isaac Stern. Welcome. Thank you, Scott. What? We are now celebrating the 100th anniversary. What was your first experience with the Boston Symphony Orchestra? Oh, Lord. I think it was 1948, if I'm not mistaken, with Kusavitsky. In this hall, going out of that door, per coffee of D Major Concerto. Now, I'll never forget that the end of the concerto is how you played it so often, so well yourself. The end of the concerto, really, we are, we, the soloists, are accompanying the orchestra. It's the orchestra in the house. And we were rehearsing here in this wonderful house. The symphony hall has a great sound.

I had a curtain in front, so it shouldn't have. So the sound should be absorbed a little bit. And they were playing it absolutely, so gloriously. And he stopped. And he said, gentlemen, here, this sound, here, the whole effect must be fantastical. Now, what does that mean, fantastical? But the whole orchestra, Kusavitsky, everyone, absolutely. Once more. And, you know, how did you were playing it? But your arms dropping off by that time. They played, and it was quite beautiful. And then out of nowhere. No, it is not fantastical. You know, at the concert, it was fantastical. And don't ask me what it was. That was Kusavitsky. That's something he did. Something that emanated from the inside of the man that said something must happen. Every time you play music, it must be really an event, a happening. And with him, it largely was. It was always a sense of excitement, because he himself felt it. So did you feel that during a performance there was a certain spontaneity that was not present at the rehearsal always?

Always, always. And I felt that, well, it was this orchestra. I felt that with Munch great, who was a wonderfully spontaneous conductor. Steinberg, who was the most knowledgeable man in music, one could imagine. And yet, at the performance, he would start to smile as he would rarely do. And then just out of the sheer pleasure of the happiness of being a musician. And Eric Lancer, who has always been one of the great masters of music, there is something here that makes things happen. And now, of course, with our sagey, was the most delicious of colleagues and an instrument who seems to be totally made of music, that when he conducts his whole body goes with his score, you know what it is to play with it. Fantastic musicians sitting in this chair. You know, that's for me, that's one of the great things. So when they want to play, and we are together rehearsing,

something we are making it, and everybody agreed to do this way, and that way, fantastic moment. All the different musicians, or how you say, the different school came, right? Even though one orchestra. And this is the marvelous thing about orchestra. It's a great musician, but all the different idea or school, or even some kind of approach to technique, but they are sitting all together here, and play music together. That makes orchestra music very interesting to me. And then this orchestra, especially, great musicians are sitting here. This orchestra has an esprit de corps, a respect for not only the traditions of music, but their traditions, the Boston Symphony tradition. And of course, we've been speaking about all the great conductors who have been here over the years, but the continuing thread have been the musicians. The musicians have changed in the orchestra too over the years.

But in every generation there has been this feeling, we are the Boston. And give it a special glow. I've only one more thing to say. Happy birthday, Boston Symphony Orchestra. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service.

This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This program is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by a grant from Polaroid Corporation, Instant Photographic Products. Thank you very much.