Alexandre Glazounov (1865-1936)
Thème et Variations pour orchestre à cordes, op. 97
Concerto pour saxophone, op. 109

Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovski (1840-1893)
Elégie pour orchestre à cordes "A la mémoire d'Ivan Samarine"
Elégie de la Sérénade pour cordes en do majeur, op. 48

Alexandre Borodin (1833-1887)
Nocturne, extrait du "quatuor à cordes n° 2"

Jacopo Taddei, saxophone
Roma Tre Orchestra
Sieva Borzak, direction

Mélancolie et tristesse sont généralement associées à ce genre tant littéraire que musical qu’est l’élégie. Ainsi, le « Thème et variations pour orchestre à cordes » (1895) de Glazounov s’inscrit dans cet esprit empli de nostalgie tantôt rêveuse, plus sombre, tantôt dansante et lumineuse aux accents populaires et dynamiques employant les différentes ressources de l’orchestre, jouant sur la suave densité des cordes, de leurs basses profondes et de leurs plaintes soyeuses. De même, le début du « Concerto pour saxophone et orchestre à cordes » (1934) instaure un caractère rêveur et poétique. Le saxophone y déploie un lyrisme mélodieux et rayonnant se faisant au fur et à mesure de plus en plus brillant et virtuose au-dessus d’un enrobant orchestre à cordes. Les deux seules pièces de ce programme portant le nom d’élégie sont celles de Tchaikovski. Le caractère triste et mélancolique de la première (1884) en fait une œuvre poignante quand la suivante au lyrisme mouvant issue de la « Sérénade pour cordes » (1880) se fait gracieuse et aérienne. Pour conclure, le « Nocturne » (1882) issu du deuxième quatuor à cordes de Borodine est d’une finesse enjouée associant rêve, élégance et tendresse. De la triste mélancolie à l’espoir lumineux, ce programme nous fait voyager à travers de douces sensations musicales. (Laurent Mineau)

Hidden behind the late 19th century’s great symphonies, sumptuous ballets and concertos with moving climaxes is something much more thoughtful and contemplative. A delicate sonic world, where silence is as important as sound, marked by pianissimi and a veiled, almost restrained feeling of melancholy. This secret landscape comes courtesy of a few precious pieces for string orchestra by three Russian composers, all active at approximately the same time. Glazunov’s vast oeuvre for orchestra demonstrates his extraordinary talent for orchestration. However, his pieces for smaller ensembles are just as noteworthy. These include the Theme and Variations in G Minor Op.97 for string orchestra, which evolved from a string quintet he wrote in 1895. The extremely simple theme in 3/4 has the feel of a solemn, ancient dance, simultaneously nostalgic and sombre. In another example of Glazunov’s crystal-clear yet expressive writing, the string orchestra provides the backdrop and conversation partner for a solo instrument that was a rarity in concertos at the time: the saxophone. Overall, despite the explosive counterpoint in the work’s final movement, it is a dreamy composition, never overly dramatic, and subdued and melancholy in places: almost elegiac, in other words. The elegy, with its meditative tone, typically written to reflect sadness at a death, ill-fated love or similar, is not a genre one tends to associate with Tchaikovsky. However, the two elegies he composed for string orchestra – the Elegy in Memory of Ivan Vasil’evich Samarin and the third movement of the String Serenade in C major Op.48 – are highly refined works that reveal another side to the famous composer. In the same period that Tchaikovsky was writing his elegies, between 1880 and 1885, the composer and chemist Alexander Borodin was drafting his second Quartet, dedicated to his wife Ekaterina for their 20th anniversary. The third movement, a Nocturne, is one of Borodin’s finest works. It was therefore not only written at the same time as Tchaikovsky’s elegies, but also shares their gracefulness. Borodin’s night is clear, full of celestial visions and lofty tremolos. While the elegy provides the perfect space for reflection, memory and individual thoughts, these are also three elements that are intrinsically linked with the night, making Borodin’s Nocturne a fitting conclusion to a cycle of elegies and elegiac works.