Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man was composed in 1942 in response to a commission from Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conductor Eugene Goossens, who thought that fanfares by American composers could constitute “stirring and significant contributions to the war effort.” Copland considered titles such as “Fanfare for the Day of Victory” and “Fanfare for the Future Heroes” until settling on the ultimate, iconic title, inspired by a radio address given by Vice President Henry Wallace, in which he declared that the era following the war must be “the century of the common man.” Copland’s brief, spare, and noble score was premiered in March 1943, and went on to become his best known work, one of the most widely recognized (and imitated) compositions of the 20th century. The Fanfare was first performed by the New York Philharmonic in May 1959, led by Leonard Bernstein, and, most recently, by Musicians from the New York Philharmonic in May 2009 at the inauguration of the renovated Alice Tully Hall, led by Alan Gilbert.

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809)
Symphony No. 49, La Passione (1768)
There is no question that Franz Joseph Haydn’s symphonic output is an inexhaustible wellspring of ideas, full of imagination and sophistication. He composed 106 symphonies between 1757 and 1789—a remarkable achievement by any measure. Doing the math, when Haydn completed his 49th Symphony, it represented only 46% of what would be his lifetime output. With so many offspring, it’s no wonder that Joseph Haydn was called the “Father of the Symphony.” And in the process he transformed the genre from its early Italian 3-movement incarnation to the refined 4-movement form followed by most composers who came after him. This symphony stems from what is usually termed Haydn’s Sturm und Drang period (“Storm and Stress,” referring to a German literary movement). Like several others composed between 1768-1772, the 49th Symphony is in a minor key that lends a darkness to the deep emotions expressed. It was anonymously given the title “La Passione,” and it is generally assumed that the name refers to Christ’s passion and suffering, and that Haydn created it for performance on Good Friday. The progression of movements—slow-fast-slow-fast—is that of the Baroque sonata da chiesa (church sonata). The opening slow movement is particularly noteworthy for its seeming expression of deeply felt grief (Haydn authority H. C. Robbins Landon imagines a “winding line of penitents before the Cross.”) Though you’ll hear a brief detour to a major key in the Minuet, the rest of the symphony maintains a serious and noble mood.

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Symphony in B-minor, Unfinished (1822)
Schubert led a tragically short life, dying when he was just 31. But the lyric beauty of his works has made him immortal. The magnificent “torso” we know as the “Unfinished” Symphony is one such unforgettable work, composed when Schubert was just 25 years old. He completed only two movements and sketched a third, but set it aside to work on other projects. The music was not heard until 1865, when Johann Herbeck led the Society of Friends of Music at the Vienna premiere. The story about how such a beautiful work was lost for so long is intriguing. Schubert apparently gave the score to Anselm Hüttenbrenner, though the reason is unclear. Was it in payment of a private debt, or was it a gift to the Styrian Music Society as Schubert’s thank-you for his honorary membership? About 30 years later, Joseph Hüttenbrenner (brother of Anselm) wrote a letter about the score to Johann Herbeck, conductor of the Society, saying that he, Joseph, had “a treasure in Schubert’s B Minor Symphony, which we put on a level with the great Symphony in C [Schubert’s Ninth], his instrumental swan song, and any one of the symphonies of Beethoven.” This was high praise indeed. Another five years elapsed before Herbeck paid a visit to Hüttenbrenner, who presented the conductor with a pile of papers that included the present symphony. Herbeck, realizing what he held in his hand, asked if he might copy it, but Hüttenbrenner allowed him to take it away. The Symphony’s two movements show a beautifully imagined and brilliantly executed work, masterfully blending lyricism and drama. From a brooding beginning through stormy development to the final serene measures, this symphony—despite its nickname—feels gloriously “finished.”

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Egmont Overture (1810)
Beethoven was drawn to the nobility of the title character of Goethe’s play Egmont, for which he composed the incidental music, including this stirring overture. The music portrays the tragic Count Egmont (1522-1568), who, after a political trial, is executed for opposing the Spanish persecution of Protestants in Flanders. Having glimpsed freedom triumphant in a vision, Egmont dies a hero to his people. Composer and poet never drew close, though they respected each other “professionally.” Beethoven admired Goethe “with the greatest reverence and with an unutterably deep feeling for his glorious creations.” Goethe, in turn, wrote that Beethoven’s “talent astonished me prodigiously, but he is, unfortunately, a wholly untamed person….Yet he is to be excused and much pitied, for he has lost his hearing, which is, perhaps, of less injury to his art than to his social relations.”

In September 2009 Alan Gilbert began his tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, the first native New Yorker to hold the post.

For his inaugural season he introduced a number of new initiatives: the positions of The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence, held by Magnus Lindberg, and Artist-in-Residence, first held by Thomas Hampson; an annual three-week festival; and CONTACT!, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series. In the 2009–10 season he led the Orchestra on a major tour of Asia in October 2009, with debuts in Hanoi and Abu Dhabi. He also took the Philharmonic to nine cities on the EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour in January–February 2010, and is conducting world, U.S., and New York premieres. Also in the 2009–10 season, Mr. Gilbert became the first person to hold the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies at The Juilliard School, a position that includes coaching, conducting, and hosting performance master classes.

Highlights of Mr. Gilbert's 2008–09 season with the New York Philharmonic included the Bernstein anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall and a performance with the Juilliard Orchestra, presented by the Philharmonic. In May 2009 he conducted the World Premiere of Peter Lieberson's The World in Flower, a New York Philharmonic Commission, and in July 2009 he led the Philharmonic's Concerts in the Parks and Free Indoor Concerts, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, and performances at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado.

In June 2008 Mr. Gilbert was named conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, following his final concert as its chief conductor and artistic advisor. He has been principal guest conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra since 2004, and he has conducted other leading orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, including the Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco symphony orchestras; the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras; and the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich's Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Orchestre National de Lyon. In 2003 he was named the first music director of the Santa Fe Opera.

Alan Gilbert studied at Harvard University, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Juilliard School. From 1995 to 1997 he was the assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra. In November 2008 he made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams's Doctor Atomic. His recording of Prokofiev's Scythian Suite with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award, and his recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 9 received top honors from the Chicago Tribune and Gramophone magazine. On May 15, 2010, The Curtis Institute of Music awarded Mr. Gilbert an Honorary Doctor of Music degree.

Learn More about Alan Gilbert