Program Notes | Randall Goosby Returns

Jean Sibelius
Born: December 8, 1865 in Tavastehus, Finland
Died: September 20, 1957 in Järvenpää, Finland
Composed: 1899; revised in 1900
World Premiere: July 2, 1900 in Helsinki, Finland
Duration: 8 minutes
Instrumentation: woodwinds in pairs, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, and strings

Is there any expression of nationalist pride more beloved than Finlandia? This turn-of-the-century tone poem compressed centuries of Finnish folklore and fiercely independent spirit into eight minutes of music. Finlandia is as Finnish as Mussorgsky's Prelude to Khovanshchina is Russian, Ravel's Menuet antique is French, and Copland's Rodeo is American. None of them, however, is as famous as Finlandia, nor so closely entwined with the composer's homeland. This work could easily have deteriorated into something bombastic like Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Instead, Sibelius produced an exciting symphonic showpiece that provides superb opportunities to all four of the orchestra's instrumental groups.

A bit of historical background is in order. Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the Russian Czar Alexander annexed Finland as a grand duchy under the terms of the Vienna Congress. By about 1900, after nearly a century of Russian rule, nationalism had become a strong force in Finland. Finnish resentment of Russian overlords and culture was strong. The combination of Russia's forced conscription of Finnish youth into its military and censorship of the Finnish press made for a bitter populace. Today, Finland refers to this period in its history as the "years of passive resistance."

In this politically charged environment, Sibelius composed Finlandia in 1899 as one of six Scènes historiques ("Historic Scenes" or "Tableaux from the Past"). They were performed at a festival/concert in support of newspapers censored by the Russian authorities. The piece bore several titles, including Finland Awakes, Impromptu, and Suomi [Finland], before the inflammatory name Finlandia became permanent.

Nothing subtle compromises the raw emotionalism of this music. Sibelius's decisive musical gestures contribute greatly to Finlandia's dramatic impact. From the threatening low brass chords that open, through the rich hymn introduced by woodwinds and taken up by the strings, to the triumphant finale, Finlandia grabs both heart and gut, compelling the listener with its crisp fanfares and convincing musical rhetoric. Sibelius was still young in 1899, only 34. He went on to write seven splendid symphonies. His gifts as an orchestrator are already evident in this early work, which accords significant roles to timpani, bass drum, triangle, and cymbals.

Samuel Barber
Born: March 9, 1910 in West Chester, Pennsylvania
Died: January 23, 1981 in New York City
Composed: Summer 1939 to July 1940; revised 1948
World Premiere: February 7, 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Albert Spalding was the soloist and Eugene Ormandy conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Duration: 25 minutes
Instrumentation: woodwinds, horns and trumpets in pairs, timpani, piano, solo violin, and strings; the third movement adds military drum

During the first half of the 20th century, violin soloists appearing with orchestras favored a relatively small repertoire of concerti. The four 19th century German titans, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Bruch, and Brahms, accounted for a disproportionate number of violin concerto performances. Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski and Saint-Saëns were close runners-up, and the Lalo Symphonie espagnole had a number of champions attracted by its sparkle and Latin panache. In the second half of the twentieth century, tastes expanded and shifted. Mozart’s relatively early violin concerti became mainstream and Bach’s concerti found their way into the concert hall with some regularity. Contemporary composers whose music was cutting-edge before the Second World War—Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Bartók, even Sibelius—were less threatening to audiences that had become more acclimated to their musical language. With the exception of Sibelius, their violin concerti have not become audience favorites, but these works receive occasional performances and are accepted as important contributions to the literature.

If we consider that background, the astonishing success of Samuel Barber’s violin concerto is all the more remarkable. To begin with, Barber was American. The United States was an upstart country and its classical composers were slow to gain acceptance here or abroad.

Barber’s early successes were legion. By the time he completed the Violin Concerto in 1939, he had already established a solid reputation with his Overture to The School for Scandal (1931), Dover Beach (1931) Sonata for Cello and Piano (1932), Music for a Scene from Shelley (1933), the ubiquitous Adagio for Strings (1936; originally part of his String Quartet), his First Symphony (in one movement, 1936) and the First Essay for Orchestra (1937). The legendary Arturo Toscanini, who was not known for his interest in new music, let alone American music, became a proponent of Barber’s work. For a young man in his mid-twenties, these were impressive achievements.

Barber went on to fulfill his early promise. Among other works, he completed several important operas, most notably Vanessa (1956) and Antony and Cleopatra, with which the new Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center opened in 1966. But nothing in his oeuvre other than the Adagio has captured the popular imagination like the Violin Concerto. And no American violin concerto in this century has so entranced great violinists. What is it about this work that draws us back to it again and again?

To better understand his Violin Concerto, we must consider Barber himself. Born into a stable upper middle class family, he pursued his formal musical education at the newly-formed Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Barber was a renaissance man with a keen intellect. In addition to music, he cultivated interests in art and literature. He spoke French, German, Italian and Spanish with ease, and read voraciously in all his languages. With respect to music, his persona was influenced substantially by his aunt and uncle, Louise and Sidney Homer. Louise was an important contralto; Sidney a respected composer of art songs. Barber was one of the few modern composers to receive formal training as a singer, and his sensitivity to vocal line is a defining aspect of his music, even the instrumental works.

He certainly brought this gift to the Violin Concerto. Its first two movements combine Brahmsian eloquence with Mendelssohnian melody; its perpetual motion finale is a dazzlingly difficult tour de force for the soloist. The concerto was Barber’s first major commission. He undertook the work at the best of Samuel Fels, a member of the Curtis Institute board and the owner of the Fels Naptha soap fortune. Fels intended the concerto for his adopted son, Iso Briselli, a gifted young violinist. Barber spent the summer of 1939 in Sils-Maria, Switzerland, completing the first two movements. With war imminent, American citizens were advised to leave Europe. Barber completed the concerto the following summer in Pocono Lake Preserve, Pennsylvania. When he presented Briselli with the finale, the violinist was dissatisfied. According to Barber’s biographer Barbara Heyman:

Many years later, Briselli offered [an] explanation in which he professes that although he believed the first two movements of the concerto were beautiful and eagerly awaited the finale, he was disappointed with the third movement as ‘too lightweight’ compared to the rest of the concerto. He suggested that the middle section be expanded to develop the movement into a sonata-rondo form, but Barber would not consider it.

Barber’s commission, the proceeds of which he had already spent in Europe, was briefly in question. Eventually, he and Fels negotiated a compromise whereby Barber would retain his fee and Briselli would forego his right to premiere the work. That honor went to Albert Spalding in February 1941. The composer wrote the following description of the work for the first performances.

It is lyric and rather intimate in character and a moderate-sized orchestra is used . . . The first movement – Allegro molto moderato—begins with a lyrical first subject announced at once by the solo violin, without any orchestral introduction. This movement as a whole has perhaps more the character of a sonata than concerto form. The second movement—Andante sostenuto—is introduced by an extended oboe solo. The violin enters with a contrasting and rhapsodic theme, after which it repeats the oboe melody of the beginning. The last movement, a perpetual motion, exploits the more brilliant and virtuoso characteristics of the violin.

What he does not say is that his clear tonal language and unerring sense of drama make the Violin Concerto extraordinarily effective in performance. These are the factors that cause us to welcome its regular return to the concert hall.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Born: May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Viatka District, Russia
Died: November 6, 1893, in St. Petersburg, Russia
Composed: 1872; revised in 1880
World Premiere: February 7, 1873 in Moscow, Russia; Nikolai Rubinstein conducting. The revised version was premiered in St. Petersburg on 12 February 1881; Karl Zike conducted.
Duration: 32 minutes
Instrumentation: two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, and strings

Tchaikovsky is generally regarded as a Russian exponent of Western musical tradition, adopting conventional forms such as symphony, concerto, and string quartet. During the late 1860s, he actually flirted with both nationalism and the so-called "Mighty Handful." For a while, he was close to Mily Balakirev, the leader of the new group of composers. The Second Symphony, is the closest Tchaikovsky came to embracing the ideas and techniques of his Russian contemporaries. Compared to his own later, highly charged symphonic essays, it is almost cloudless.

The subtitle “Little Russian” is not the composer's, but was bestowed by the Moscow critic Nikolai Dmitrievich Kashkin because Tchaikovsky incorporated three Ukrainian folk tunes into its fabric. (Ukraine was called "Little Russia.") That is doubtless why the Second Symphony was greeted warmly not only by Balakirev and his group, but also by the Russian public. The very successful Moscow premiere in February 1873 was one of the sweetest triumphs Tchaikovsky was to know.

In 1879 and 1880, Tchaikovsky overhauled the symphony, rewriting nearly the entire first movement, and shortening the work significantly. Listeners familiar with Tchaikovsky’s later works may be surprised that such a large work as the "Little Russian" is free of the tortured self-questioning that so dominates the last three symphonies. In the Second Symphony, the composer shows us less torment and more charm.

A key aspect of Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony is the repetition of a relatively simple tune with a shifting background. Tchaikovsky turns this technique into a sophisticated variation method, challenging the listener to focus attention beyond the foreground theme. He does this with three different folk melodies, prominently showcased among its movements. His approach is particularly evident in the first movement and the finale.

The inner two movements reveal the fledgling Tchaikovsky hinting at what he was to achieve in the later symphonies. Hans Keller calls it "quoting from the future."

It seems significant that whereas the First [Symphony] quotes from the past, the Second quotes, as it were, from the future: the basic thought of the second movement, Andantino marziale, quasi moderato, was to grow, more than 20 years later, into the (not so called) march of the Sixth Symphony's third movement.

This third movement, a lively scherzo based on a single rhythmic idea, is indebted both to the scherzo of Alexander Borodin's First Symphony and to the Queen Mab scherzo from Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette. Tchaikovsky imbues it with his own personality by means of ingenious metrical shifts that help to maintain the interest level, and with irregular phrase lengths of three and six bars.

2025–26 marks the GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winning conductor Xian Zhang’s 10th season as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony, and her inaugural season as the Music Director of the Seattle Symphony with whom she has been a long-term collaborator since her debut in 2008. Zhang has also been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing, beginning this season. Following her tenure as Music Director of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano between 2009–16, she continues as their Conductor Emeritus.

With the New Jersey Symphony, Zhang has commissioned composers such as Wynton Marsalis, Jesse Montgomery, Qigang Chen, Chen Yi, Steven Mackey, Thomas Adès, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Christopher Rouse, Vivian Li, Gary Morgan, Christian McBride, Paquito D’Rivera, and Allison Loggins-Hull. She is also responsible for introducing their annual Lunar New Year celebration. Under her artistic leadership, the New Jersey Symphony won two awards at the mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards in 2022 for their concert films, including EMERGE which was conducted by Xian Zhang, directed by Yuri Alves and co-produced with DreamPlay Films.

As a guest conductor, Zhang appears regularly with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. Her Deutsche Grammophon recording with the latter (Letters for The Future with Time For Three, released 2022) won GRAMMY® awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition (Kevin Puts’ Contact) and Best Classical Instrumental Solo.

2025–26 highlights include returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, and National Arts Centre Ottawa. In Europe, she returns to Netherlands Radio Philharmonic with a performance at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and makes her debut at the Finnish National Opera conducting Tosca. This follows her huge success at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she recently conducted Madama Butterfly and Tosca to great acclaim:

“The success of Kurzak’s performance was due in no small part to Xian Zhang’s sensitivity as a conductor. Zhang has an exceptional ear for balance, as well as the ability to draw the softest, most transparent tones imaginable from the orchestra. […] With such skills and obvious audience appeal, Zhang should prove a valuable addition to the Met’s conducting staff.” – New York Classical Review

Other recent highlights include subscription programs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s (including Brahms Requiem at Carnegie Hall), and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.

Zhang previously served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales, the first female conductor to hold a titled role with a BBC orchestra. In 2002, she won first prize in the Maazel-Vilar Conductor's Competition. She was appointed New York Philharmonic’s Assistant Conductor in 2002, subsequently becoming their Associate Conductor and the first holder of the Arturo Toscanini Chair.

“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others.” Randall Goosby’s own words sum up perfectly his commitment to being an artist who makes a difference. Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light. Goosby was recently appointed to Juilliard School’s Preparatory Division and joins the Pre-College violin faculty beginning in Fall 2025.

Highlights of Goosby’s 2025-26 season include debut performances with the Atlanta Symphony/Leonard Slatkin, Orchestre National de France/Cristian Măcelaru, KBS Symphony/Peter Oundjian, and San Diego Symphony/Kahchun Wong. Goosby also returns to the San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and in these concerts with New Jersey Symphony. He appears in recital across North America and Europe with pianist Zhu Wang as well as with the Renaissance Quartet, and joins clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Joshua Mhoon in a program presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

As of 2024-25, Goosby is a member of Konzerthaus Dortmund’s series “Junge Wilde.” He was the inaugural recipient of the 2024 Harmony for Change Award presented by Midori & Friends and also named the Cincinnati Symphony’s 2024-25 MAC Music Innovator, a season-long residency in which he curated and led community engagement activities with young musicians, and at historic cultural sites throughout the city of Cincinnati. Goosby was First Prize Winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In 2019, he was named the inaugural Robey Artist by Young Classical Artists Trust in partnership with Music Masters in London; and in 2020, Goosby became an Ambassador for Music Masters, a role that sees him mentoring and inspiring students in schools around the United Kingdom.

A former student of Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho, he received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Artist Diploma degrees from the Juilliard School. He is an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program and studied previously with Philippe Quint. He plays the Antonio Stradivarius, Cremona, “ex-Strauss,” 1708 on generous loan from Samsung Foundation of Culture.