Libby Larsen, born 1950
Deep Summer Music, premiered 1982 by the Minnesota Orchestra
Duration: 8 minutes

Libby Larsen describes the mood of Deep Summer Music as follows: “Panorama and horizon are part of the natural culture of the plains states…In the deep summer, winds create wave after wave of harvest ripeness which, when beheld by the human eye, creates a kind of emotional peace and awe: a feeling of abundance combined with the knowledge that this abundance is only as bountiful as nature will allow.”

The elegiac mood of the piece begins immediately, and continues with interesting orchestration using both the vibraphone and the marimba. There are large portions which sound like an homage to Aaron Copland, with a trumpet passage recalling A Quiet City (last performed by RS in 2024), flute solos reminiscent of Appalachian Spring (RS will perform in January 2026), and parallel fifths. The piece ends quietly, capturing the feeling of the end of a day.

Libby Larsen is a proliferative composer, with over 500 published works. She writes in all genres including operas, symphonies, and choral music. She has won a Grammy and was the founder, along with the late Stephen Paulus, of what is now the American Composers Forum. She earned her bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota and has several honorary doctoral degrees. She states that her scholarship continues from her curiosity: “The other way I really learn is by reading scores voraciously, from Chuck Berry to Witold Lutosławski.”

Program notes by Andrew Good

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1840-1893
Violin Concerto in D Major
Duration: 35 minutes

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is one of the most popular in the repertoire. It’s ironic, for it had one of the most tumultuous premiers. The concerto was written for Leopold Auer and Tchaikovsky had it printed before he showed Auer the score. Legend has it that Auer declared it “unplayable” and refused to champion it. Years later, Auer denied the characterization and explained, “some of the passages were not suited to the character of the instrument.” He later regretted not giving the first performance and said that he and Tchaikovsky had reconciled.

The critics were scathing, especially Edward Hanslick. He opined that the last movement was “odorously Russian,” that “the violin was not played but beaten black and blue” and that “music can exist which stinks to the ear.” Fortunately, despite its difficult start, the magnificence of the piece was eventually discovered; Tchaikovsky himself conducted a performance in 1891 in New York City to much acclaim.

The concerto is in the typical three movements, and opens with a rumbling in the orchestra which swells and sweeps excitedly to the soloist who gives the first theme. Eventually, this leads to the full orchestra, a moment that musicologist Raymond Knapp “ranked among the most satisfying ‘arrivals’ in literature.” According to writer Calvin Dotsey, the second movement is a “simple cantabile melody that is ‘sweet yet melancholy’” and flows without pause to the third. It is a dramatic change. William Steinberg, a noted 20^th-century conductor, writes that the music has, “a deep resonant and slightly gritty sound,” based on a trepak, a stamping Cossack dance. In his program notes about this composer, Jack Swanson writes, “Dance was never far from Tchaikovsky’s thoughts, and many of his most beautiful melodies are waltzes, whether in ballets, symphonies, or operas.”

The enduring popularity of Tchaikovsky’s music is evident across his many works. His ballets remain among the most frequently performed, and his symphonies are staples of the concert repertoire. For many, The Nutcracker in December and the 1812 Overture at summer pops concerts are annual traditions.

Tchaikovsky’s personal life was complex. Scholars have wondered if he was reticent about his sexuality due to the time and place that he lived. He briefly entered into a marriage that ended in separation after six weeks, and he reportedly struggled with periods of depression throughout his life.

He died of cholera in 1893, under circumstances that remain the subject of speculation. Regardless of the mysteries surrounding his life and death, Tchaikovsky’s gift for drama and lyrical beauty continues to resonate with audiences around the world.

Johannes Brahms, 1833-1897
Symphony No. 1, premiered November 1, 1876
Duration: 45 minutes

Brahms was born into a family of musicians, his father playing the double bass in beer halls. He was precocious, playing for money as a young man and later composing his own music. This eventually led to an introduction to Clara Schumann, a skilled pianist and composer and wife of Robert Schumann. Robert was so impressed with Brahms’ music that he advised him on his career and Clara played his works, increasing his reputation.

Brahms didn’t start composing orchestral music until the late 1850s. While he was writing during the same period as Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner, his romantic style was more in the traditional style of Haydn and Beethoven. This made him a figurehead in the “conflict” between traditional forms and the more avant-garde music of Liszt and Wagner and led to condemnation by the likes of Hugo Wolf and Friedrich Nietzsche. He was defended by Edward Hanslick, an influential critic, who “used Brahms as a stick with which to beat Richard Wagner." Brahms, a simple man, stayed above the fray, drinking his strong coffee and smoking cigars. 

For a time, these disputes caused Brahms to delay writing any major symphonic works. He was expected to follow Beethoven, a task he understandably found daunting. He wrote his First Symphony from 1855-1876; its first performance was in Karlsruhe, Germany. It found wide, appreciative audiences. Conductor Hans von Bulow called it “Beethoven’s Tenth” because in the fourth movement, Brahms introduces a theme which is reminiscent of the “Ode to Joy” melody in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. When the similarity was pointed out, Brahms said, “any [donkey] can see that.” The melody is heralded by the horns, playing what is known as the “Alpine Theme.” Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann, describing the inspiration for it as “thus blew the shepherd’s horn today.”

The symphony begins with a formal introduction, after which the woodwinds and strings get the theme. British author Malcolm MacDonald describes the mood as “savagely energetic.” He describes the second movement as “profound but essentially lyrical” in character. Another critic, David McConnell, comments on the “autumnal mood,” featuring “beautiful, finely spun silken melodies.”

The third movement has a solo violin float above the orchestra for long moments. This creates a spiritual effect of great serenity. Beethoven used the same idea several decades before in his Missa Solemnis, also capturing an ethereal tone.

The last movement starts with an energetic theme which eventually leads to the clarion call from the horns, announcing the Alpine Theme. Again, MacDonald waxes ecstatic, writing that this is “one of the classical orchestral movements of the 19th century.” The theme leads to the “Ode,” which is similar to a “Lutheran chorale.” Brahms develops this melody along with the Alpine Theme, ending the symphony in a triumphal mood. Indeed, the First Symphony is a triumph and worth its long gestation.