FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
Symphony No. 4, “Italian” (1833)
For artists, poets, and composers, it was virtually de rigeur to make a grand tour at the conclusion of their studies, and for those from the colder climes of Northern Europe in particular, to search out the beauty of Italy’s sun-drenched landscapes and to experience the joie de vivre of its people. Mendelssohn was no exception. He undertook his coming-of-age travels as a 21-year old and fell in love with Italy—an inevitability. The result is this spirited symphony, one of the most beloved in the repertoire. “It will be the jolliest piece I have ever done, especially the last movement,” he wrote to his sisters. He gave it the nickname “Italian,” but also referred to it once as “blue sky in A major,” something that is obvious from the ebullience of the very first measures. Commentators have provided their interpretations of the various sections, yet these are scarcely important, given the appealing nature of the symphony—Italian or not. By the time you get to the last movement, it will be hard to sit still, and you’ll feel like joining in the saltarello, which he indicated should be played “presto.” The saltarello was a rapid 16th century Neapolitan dance that incorporated lively skips and jumps (from the Italian “saltare”—to jump or hop) in its choreography. An interesting sidelight is that musical impressions were not the only thing the young Mendelssohn brought back from Italy: he also created a number of watercolors and sketches on his sojourn. Fun fact: music from the fast-paced fourth movement made it onto the soundtrack of the 1979 film “Breaking Away.”

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique” (1893)
Tchaikovsky completed his powerful final work and conducted its premiere just nine days before his death (blamed at the time on a glass of unboiled water during Russia’s cholera epidemic, but more recently thought to have been a suicide). Though this time frame provides a plausible interpretation of the Sixth Symphony as a farewell to the world, it is shrouded in dolorous mystery. Tchaikovsky wrote: “The program will be left as an enigma—let people guess it for themselves. [It] is so intensely personal that as I was mentally composing it I frequently wept copiously.” The nickname “Pathétique” (meaning “emotional,” not “pathetic”) was suggested by Tchaikovsky’s brother Modest, and his publisher—keeping in mind the marketing possibilities of such a title—insisted on using it, even though the composer himself had rejected it. According to Walter Damrosch, Tchaikovsky demurred when asked about the “program” of the Sixth and added, “We parted with the expectation of meeting again, but, alas, in October came the cable announcing [Tchaikovsky’s] death from cholera, and a few days later arrived a package from Moscow containing the score and parts for the ‘Pathétique.’ It was like a message from the dead.” The music begins in the depths of the bassoon register—dark, gloomy, and melancholy; much tumult and anguish follow, but also a waltz with an unusual 5/4, rather than 3/4 rhythm. Resist the urge to applaud after the triumphant ending of the third movement. The finale, Adagio lamentoso, is yet to come, with the real ending announced by a foreboding stroke of the tam-tam, and then sinking into gloomy silence—a shattering final utterance. Some 60,000 people applied to attend Tchaikovsky’s funeral, but even the huge Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg could hold no more than 8,000 mourners. One of them was 11-year old Igor Stravinsky.

Lorin Maazel, who has led more than 150 orchestras in more than 5,000 opera and concert performances, became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2002. His appointment came 60 years after his debut with the Orchestra at Lewisohn Stadium, then the Orchestra’s summer venue. As Music Director he has conducted seven World Premiere–NewYork Philharmonic Commissions, including the Pulitzer Prize– and Grammy Award–winning On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams; Stephen Hartke’s Symphony No. 3; and Melinda Wagner’s Trombone Concerto. He has led cycles of works by Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky; and he conducted the Orchestra’s inaugural performances in the DG Concerts series — a groundbreaking initiative to offer downloadable New York Philharmonic concerts exclusively on iTunes.

Mr. Maazel has taken the Orchestra on numerous international tours, including the historic visit to Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in February 2008 — the first performance there by an American orchestra, and an event watched around the world. Other recent tours have included Asia 2008 — to Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing; the May 2007 Tour of Europe; the November 2006 visit to Japan and Korea; the Philharmonic Tour of Italy in June 2006, sponsored by Generali; the two-part 75th Anniversary European Tour to thirteen cities in five countries in the fall of 2005; and residencies in Cagliari, Sardinia, and at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado.

In addition to the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Maazel is music director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain. A frequent conductor on the world’s operatic stages, he returned to The Metropolitan Opera in January 2008 for the first time in 45 years to conduct Wagner’s Die Walküre.

Prior to his tenure as New York Philharmonic Music Director, Mr. Maazel led more than 100 performances of the Orchestra as a guest conductor. He served as music director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (1993–2002), and has held positions as music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1988–96); general manager and chief conductor of the Vienna Staatsoper (1982–84); music director of The Cleveland Orchestra (1972–82); and artistic director and chief conductor of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (1965–71). He is an honorary member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic. On February 17, 2009, he will be named a Commander of the Legion of Honor by the government of France.

A second-generation American, born in Paris, Mr. Maazel was raised and educated in the United States. He took his first violin lesson at age five, and first conducting lesson at seven. Between ages 9 and 15 he conducted most of the major American orchestras. In 1953 he made his European conducting debut in Catania, Italy.

Mr. Maazel is also an accomplished composer. His opera, 1984, received its world premiere on May 3, 2005, at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It was revived in the 2007–08 season at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and has been released on DVD by Decca.