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Chicago, and a celebration of the 100th birthday | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
of one of the great conductors of the 20th century - | 0:00:25 | 0:00:29 | |
the Hungarian maestro, Sir Georg Solti. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:31 | |
ORCHESTRA PLAYS | 0:00:31 | 0:00:35 | |
Solti, who died in 1997, was one of the great orchestral magicians. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:40 | |
His extraordinary energy, the rhythmic vitality | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
and his attention to detail, created exceptional virtuoso performances | 0:00:43 | 0:00:47 | |
in concert halls and opera houses all over the world. | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
His most important relationships | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
were at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London | 0:00:56 | 0:00:59 | |
where he was music director for 10 years from 1961. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
And during that tenure, | 0:01:02 | 0:01:03 | |
he took the company to the highest international level. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:08 | |
And in Chicago, | 0:01:08 | 0:01:10 | |
he was music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 22 years. | 0:01:10 | 0:01:14 | |
On television, through touring and recording, | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
he turned it into one of the best-known orchestras in the world. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
In 1995, Solti founded the World Orchestra For Peace | 0:01:24 | 0:01:28 | |
which Valery Gergiev conducts tonight. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
He was a man with a character with a lot of fire. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:34 | |
And this fire was immediately... | 0:01:35 | 0:01:39 | |
Everyone was set on fire around him. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
So he was, in a way, the keeper of the fire. | 0:01:42 | 0:01:45 | |
All my life I've grown up in wars, in revolution, | 0:01:50 | 0:01:56 | |
both fascist and communist, | 0:01:56 | 0:02:00 | |
it's taught me passionately to believe in peace. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
Our concert takes place in Orchestra Hall, | 0:02:07 | 0:02:10 | |
part of Symphony Center in Downtown Chicago. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:13 | |
On stage - the World Orchestra For Peace. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:02:16 | 0:02:19 | |
Here to introduce the concert | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
and explain how this extraordinary orchestra came into being, | 0:02:21 | 0:02:24 | |
is Sir Georg Solti's widow, Valerie. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:28 | |
Dear ladies and gentlemen, | 0:02:28 | 0:02:31 | |
dearest friends. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
For 22 years my husband was musical director | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, | 0:02:36 | 0:02:39 | |
years he referred to as "the happiest in my life | 0:02:39 | 0:02:43 | |
"and the most artistically fulfilling. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:46 | |
Today, October the 21st, he would have been 100 years old. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:51 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
He loved birthdays and so we're having a celebration - | 0:03:00 | 0:03:04 | |
a musical journey through his life | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
assisted by some of the great artists he worked with | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
and the only orchestra he ever created - | 0:03:09 | 0:03:12 | |
the World Orchestra For Peace. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:14 | |
The idea of a world orchestra started here in Chicago | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
one of the CSO orchestra members said, | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
"You know there's an organisation called Physicians For Peace, | 0:03:22 | 0:03:25 | |
"why can't we have Musicians For Peace?" | 0:03:25 | 0:03:28 | |
And the opportunity came when Boutros Boutros-Ghali, | 0:03:28 | 0:03:31 | |
the then secretary general of the United Nations, | 0:03:31 | 0:03:34 | |
invited Solti to give a concert | 0:03:34 | 0:03:36 | |
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organisation in Geneva. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:41 | |
He gathered together leading players | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
from over 40 of the finest leading world orchestras | 0:03:44 | 0:03:48 | |
and created the World Orchestra For Peace. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:51 | |
This orchestra is a living testament to Solti's belief | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
in the strength of music as an ambassador for peace. | 0:03:56 | 0:04:00 | |
Since my husband's death, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:02 | |
the orchestra has been conducted | 0:04:02 | 0:04:05 | |
by his friend and colleague Valery Gergiev, | 0:04:05 | 0:04:07 | |
to whom I am so grateful. | 0:04:07 | 0:04:10 | |
We begin the concert | 0:04:10 | 0:04:11 | |
with the Overture to Mozart's Marriage Of Figaro. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:15 | |
In 1938, Solti, aged 25, was given one performance | 0:04:15 | 0:04:21 | |
at the Budapest Opera. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:24 | |
The date was the 11th of March, | 0:04:24 | 0:04:27 | |
the 11th of March, 1938, was the day when Hitler's troops | 0:04:27 | 0:04:31 | |
marched into Vienna, just down the road from Budapest. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:36 | |
Solti wrote in his memoirs, | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
"As it turned out my conducting debut at the Budapest Opera | 0:04:38 | 0:04:42 | |
"was my last performance of an opera there. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:46 | |
"I felt all my hopes had been dashed. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:49 | |
"That evening left a permanent scar on my heart." | 0:04:49 | 0:04:54 | |
Please welcome Maestro Valery Gergiev | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
to conduct the World Orchestra For Peace | 0:04:58 | 0:05:02 | |
in Mozart's Overture to the Marriage Of Figaro. | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:05:05 | 0:05:08 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:09:41 | 0:09:43 | |
Mozart's sparkling Overture to the Marriage Of Figaro. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
The World Orchestra For Peace conducted by Valery Gergiev. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:52 | |
Now, here is Valerie Solti to pick up the narrative | 0:09:55 | 0:09:57 | |
of tonight's musical journey through Solti's life. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:01 | |
Solti spent the Second World War as a refugee in Switzerland. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:07 | |
He had no opportunity to work, | 0:10:07 | 0:10:10 | |
he was only allowed to give three piano lessons a week. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:14 | |
After the war ended, | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
he became the music director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich - | 0:10:17 | 0:10:23 | |
a contentious move at the time for a Jew. | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
But he was starved for work. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:29 | |
And he wrote, "The desire to conduct was an irresistible force in me, | 0:10:29 | 0:10:36 | |
"for more than eight years my music-making | 0:10:36 | 0:10:39 | |
"had been confined to the piano, | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
"the prime of my life had been wasted." | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
"Despite the horrors that had been perpetrated, | 0:10:45 | 0:10:48 | |
"reflection could alter nothing. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
"We had to look forwards and make a new Europe." | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
Whilst in Munich he met some of the greatest musicians | 0:10:55 | 0:10:59 | |
and composers of the 20th century, | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
including Richard Strauss. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
Here is Strauss' youthful and passionate tone poem, Don Juan. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:10 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:29:05 | 0:29:08 | |
Valery Gergiev and the World Orchestra For Peace | 0:29:11 | 0:29:13 | |
capturing the doomed energy of Strauss' hero | 0:29:13 | 0:29:16 | |
in the tone poem Don Juan, which was a favourite of Solti's, | 0:29:16 | 0:29:20 | |
requiring all the passion, precision and virtuosity | 0:29:20 | 0:29:24 | |
which were his trademarks. | 0:29:24 | 0:29:26 | |
One of the unique characteristics of the World Orchestra For Peace | 0:29:27 | 0:29:30 | |
is the way in which players rotate between works. | 0:29:30 | 0:29:34 | |
So during the course of a single concert, | 0:29:34 | 0:29:37 | |
several players will take turns to lead or to play solo parts. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:41 | |
For 25 years from 1946 until 1971, | 0:29:51 | 0:29:56 | |
Solti's principal focus was on opera. | 0:29:56 | 0:30:01 | |
He was music director of three great European opera houses - | 0:30:01 | 0:30:04 | |
Munich, Frankfurt and London's Covent Garden. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
Not only did he give memorable performances, | 0:30:08 | 0:30:12 | |
but he also helped develop the careers | 0:30:12 | 0:30:14 | |
of some of the greatest singers in the world. | 0:30:14 | 0:30:17 | |
And we're now going to hear from four of them | 0:30:17 | 0:30:19 | |
who received early encouragement from Solti. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:23 | |
Two unfortunately can't be with us in person today - | 0:30:23 | 0:30:26 | |
Placido Domingo and Renee Fleming - | 0:30:26 | 0:30:29 | |
but there are two who are here - Rene Pape and Angela Gheorghiu. | 0:30:29 | 0:30:35 | |
Ladies and gentlemen, I know that everyone is celebrating | 0:30:36 | 0:30:40 | |
the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maestro Georg Solti. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:45 | |
And, um, what a great day, you know? | 0:30:45 | 0:30:48 | |
How many memories, how much music we did together... | 0:30:49 | 0:30:53 | |
I am really, really sorry | 0:30:53 | 0:30:55 | |
not to be able to with everybody celebrating him, | 0:30:55 | 0:30:58 | |
but we all celebrate the great musician and the great, great friend | 0:30:58 | 0:31:04 | |
and...remember him as one of the greatest. | 0:31:04 | 0:31:10 | |
For those who had the chance and who were lucky to meet him, | 0:31:10 | 0:31:16 | |
even to make music with him, to work with him, | 0:31:16 | 0:31:19 | |
of course he will never go, | 0:31:19 | 0:31:22 | |
you will always carry these kinds of people in your mind | 0:31:22 | 0:31:27 | |
and in your heart. | 0:31:27 | 0:31:28 | |
I would certainly thank him for the influence he had on me, | 0:31:28 | 0:31:31 | |
the experiences I had and the care, | 0:31:31 | 0:31:35 | |
that was a real boost. | 0:31:35 | 0:31:37 | |
When Solti unexpectedly passed, I was still really starting out, | 0:31:37 | 0:31:41 | |
so in a way I lost the opportunity to have more experience with him. | 0:31:41 | 0:31:47 | |
So it was a big disappointment for me and a loss for everybody | 0:31:47 | 0:31:50 | |
cos he just had that charisma and energy | 0:31:50 | 0:31:52 | |
that one thought, "Oh, this is going to go on for ever." | 0:31:52 | 0:31:56 | |
We all hope that Georg Solti can hear or feel | 0:31:56 | 0:32:02 | |
what we feel. | 0:32:02 | 0:32:04 | |
We all have wonderful memories | 0:32:04 | 0:32:07 | |
and we admire and we love Georg Solti. | 0:32:07 | 0:32:11 | |
And...hope that his spirit is with us today. | 0:32:11 | 0:32:18 | |
He was one of the most important people in my life - | 0:32:18 | 0:32:23 | |
artistic and also personal life. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:26 | |
Georg, I... | 0:32:26 | 0:32:28 | |
admire you, I love you | 0:32:28 | 0:32:31 | |
and I hope, um, we can see each other later. | 0:32:31 | 0:32:38 | |
For sure. | 0:32:38 | 0:32:40 | |
And we can make our big concert all together | 0:32:40 | 0:32:44 | |
somewhere in our spirit. APPLAUSE | 0:32:44 | 0:32:47 | |
Angela Gheorghiu's tribute to Solti. | 0:32:47 | 0:32:49 | |
We'll be hearing her in a few minutes. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
But first, here is Rene Pape to sing an aria from the opera | 0:32:51 | 0:32:55 | |
in which he made his debut with Solti at the Salzburg Festival in 1991. | 0:32:55 | 0:33:00 | |
Sarastro's aria In Diesen Heil'gen Hallen | 0:33:00 | 0:33:03 | |
from Mozart's The Magic Flute. | 0:33:03 | 0:33:06 | |
REPEATS | 0:34:08 | 0:34:11 | |
REPEATS | 0:34:26 | 0:34:30 | |
REPEATS | 0:36:01 | 0:36:04 | |
REPEATS | 0:36:20 | 0:36:23 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:37:09 | 0:37:11 | |
Rene Pape - majestic and sonorous as the high priest Sarastro | 0:37:13 | 0:37:18 | |
in that aria from The Magic Flute by Mozart. | 0:37:18 | 0:37:21 | |
Next - Angela Gheorghiu is going to sing Verdi. | 0:37:21 | 0:37:25 | |
Her 1994 performance as Violetta in La Traviata by Verdi | 0:37:25 | 0:37:29 | |
at the Royal Opera House catapulted this young Romanian soprano | 0:37:29 | 0:37:33 | |
to international stardom. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:35 | |
In Chicago, she is going to sing the dying Violetta's final aria - | 0:37:35 | 0:37:39 | |
Addio Del Passato. | 0:37:39 | 0:37:41 | |
The scene begins with Violetta reading a letter | 0:37:41 | 0:37:43 | |
from Georgio Gormont, her estranged lover's father. | 0:37:43 | 0:37:47 | |
# Conforto! | 0:41:06 | 0:41:10 | |
# Sostegno! | 0:41:14 | 0:41:21 | |
# Ooh! | 0:41:57 | 0:42:01 | |
# Ah, tutto | 0:42:13 | 0:42:16 | |
# Tutto | 0:42:16 | 0:42:19 | |
# Tutto fini! # | 0:42:19 | 0:42:32 | |
MUSIC ENDS | 0:42:43 | 0:42:46 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:42:46 | 0:42:51 | |
Angela Gheorghiu as the tragic heroine, Violetta, | 0:42:55 | 0:42:58 | |
in that aria from Verdi's La Traviata. | 0:42:58 | 0:43:01 | |
APPLAUSE CONTINUES | 0:43:01 | 0:43:03 | |
Next, Angela's going to be joined by Rene Pape for more music by Mozart. | 0:43:10 | 0:43:16 | |
We've already heard an orchestral portrait of the great seducer Don Juan. | 0:43:16 | 0:43:20 | |
Now hear his music from Mozart's earlier take on that classic story. | 0:43:20 | 0:43:25 | |
Don Giovanni, the famous duet, "La ci darem la mano" in which Giovanni wins the heart | 0:43:25 | 0:43:30 | |
of the peasant girl Zerlina immediately after her wedding. | 0:43:30 | 0:43:34 | |
MUSIC STARTS | 0:43:37 | 0:43:40 | |
# La ci darem la mano | 0:45:03 | 0:45:08 | |
# Vorrei e non vorrei | 0:45:08 | 0:45:15 | |
# La mi dirai di si | 0:45:15 | 0:45:20 | |
# Mi trema un poco il cor | 0:45:20 | 0:45:24 | |
# Partiam, ben mio, da qui | 0:45:24 | 0:45:26 | |
# Ma puo burlarmi ancor | 0:45:26 | 0:45:32 | |
-# Vieni, mio bel diletto! -Mi fa pieta Masetto | 0:45:32 | 0:45:37 | |
-# Io cangiero tua sorte -Presto... non son piu forte | 0:45:37 | 0:45:42 | |
# Non son piu forte Non son piu forte | 0:45:42 | 0:45:49 | |
# Andiam! | 0:45:49 | 0:45:52 | |
# Andiam! | 0:45:52 | 0:45:54 | |
# Andiam! | 0:45:54 | 0:46:03 | |
-BOTH: -# Andiam, andiam, mio bene | 0:46:17 | 0:46:21 | |
# A ristorar le pene | 0:46:21 | 0:46:24 | |
# D'un innocente amor | 0:46:24 | 0:46:30 | |
# Andiam! | 0:46:30 | 0:46:33 | |
# Andiam! | 0:46:34 | 0:46:36 | |
# Andiam! | 0:46:37 | 0:46:40 | |
# Andiam! | 0:46:40 | 0:46:43 | |
# Andiam, mio bene, andiam | 0:46:43 | 0:46:46 | |
# Le pene a ristorar | 0:46:46 | 0:46:50 | |
# D'un innocente amor. # | 0:46:50 | 0:46:54 | |
GENTLE LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE | 0:47:01 | 0:47:04 | |
Two great singers enjoying themselves in music by Mozart. | 0:47:14 | 0:47:18 | |
Angela Gheroghiu was Zerlina. | 0:47:18 | 0:47:20 | |
Rene Pape as Don Giovanni in the duet "La ci darem la mano". | 0:47:20 | 0:47:25 | |
Now here is Valerie Solti, once again, to introduce | 0:47:26 | 0:47:29 | |
some young artists in the early stages of their international careers. | 0:47:29 | 0:47:33 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:47:33 | 0:47:35 | |
My husband never forgot how he'd been helped by others | 0:47:35 | 0:47:37 | |
at crucial times in his career. | 0:47:37 | 0:47:40 | |
He loved young musicians | 0:47:40 | 0:47:42 | |
and he was always very sensitive to their needs and he also handed | 0:47:42 | 0:47:46 | |
onto them his famous motto, his own motto, "Never give up." | 0:47:46 | 0:47:51 | |
He set up the Solti Foundation | 0:47:53 | 0:47:55 | |
to assist young professional musicians at the start of their career. | 0:47:55 | 0:48:00 | |
Musicians from all over the world. | 0:48:00 | 0:48:02 | |
There is a Masterclass in Italy - | 0:48:02 | 0:48:06 | |
the Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto. | 0:48:06 | 0:48:11 | |
And four of the singers are here to sing for us | 0:48:11 | 0:48:16 | |
the quartet from Verdi's Rigoletto. | 0:48:16 | 0:48:19 | |
And they will be conducted by Cristian Macelaru | 0:48:19 | 0:48:22 | |
who is this year's recipient | 0:48:22 | 0:48:25 | |
of the Solti Foundation US Young Conductor's Award. | 0:48:25 | 0:48:30 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:48:30 | 0:48:33 | |
REPEATS | 0:49:20 | 0:49:23 | |
REPEATING | 0:51:20 | 0:51:24 | |
REPEATING | 0:51:39 | 0:51:42 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:53:11 | 0:53:14 | |
The quartet from Rigoletto featuring | 0:53:16 | 0:53:18 | |
Matilda Paulsson as Maddalena, Roberto Otiz as the Duke of Mantua. | 0:53:18 | 0:53:23 | |
Theresa Gevorgyan as his daughter Gilda | 0:53:23 | 0:53:25 | |
and Ross Ramgobin as Rigoletto. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:28 | |
The conductor was Cristian Macelaru. | 0:53:28 | 0:53:31 | |
APPLAUSE CONTINUES | 0:53:31 | 0:53:32 | |
Now Valery Gergiev is going to return to the podium | 0:53:38 | 0:53:41 | |
to conduct music by Mahler. | 0:53:41 | 0:53:42 | |
Mahler was central to Solti's repertoire. | 0:53:42 | 0:53:45 | |
He felt a strong connection with this music, | 0:53:45 | 0:53:48 | |
born in the melting pot of Central Europe, where he had his own roots. | 0:53:48 | 0:53:52 | |
The drama stark contrasts the Jewish melancholy | 0:53:52 | 0:53:56 | |
and profound feeling of Mahler's music drew the very best from Solti. | 0:53:56 | 0:54:01 | |
And his recordings of Mahler symphonies - | 0:54:01 | 0:54:03 | |
many made in this very hall in Chicago - still rank among the best. | 0:54:03 | 0:54:07 | |
Gergiev is going to conduct | 0:54:07 | 0:54:09 | |
the heartfelt Adagietto for Strings and Harp | 0:54:09 | 0:54:12 | |
from Mahler's Fifth Symphony. | 0:54:12 | 0:54:13 | |
MUSIC STARTS | 0:54:25 | 0:54:28 | |
MUSIC ENDS | 1:04:15 | 1:04:19 | |
APPLAUSE | 1:04:21 | 1:04:26 | |
Powerful emotions and superb string playing | 1:04:34 | 1:04:36 | |
from the World Orchestra for Peace and Valery Gergiev. | 1:04:36 | 1:04:39 | |
A fitting Mahlerian memorial to George Solti, | 1:04:39 | 1:04:42 | |
the Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony. | 1:04:42 | 1:04:46 | |
APPLAUSE CONTINUES | 1:04:46 | 1:04:49 | |
Now we're approaching the climax of | 1:04:51 | 1:04:53 | |
the centenary concert for Georg Solti in Orchestra Hall, Chicago. | 1:04:53 | 1:04:57 | |
Here, once again, is Valerie Solti, the conductor's widow. | 1:04:57 | 1:05:01 | |
To conclude the concert, | 1:05:03 | 1:05:05 | |
a masterpiece by Solti's lifelong hero, Bela Bartok. | 1:05:05 | 1:05:09 | |
He admired him, not only as a genius of composition, | 1:05:09 | 1:05:14 | |
but also as a human being for his integrity. | 1:05:14 | 1:05:17 | |
Bartok's major orchestral work, which was composed | 1:05:17 | 1:05:21 | |
here in the United States, is the Concerto for Orchestra | 1:05:21 | 1:05:24 | |
which he wrote here in self-imposed exile | 1:05:24 | 1:05:27 | |
as a protest against the fascist regime in Hungary. | 1:05:27 | 1:05:31 | |
In a moment, it will be performed | 1:05:33 | 1:05:36 | |
by Valery Gergiev and the World Orchestra for Peace, | 1:05:36 | 1:05:38 | |
whose members come from 60 world orchestras. | 1:05:38 | 1:05:44 | |
APPLAUSE | 1:05:44 | 1:05:45 | |
The Herculean task of assembling this extraordinary ensemble | 1:05:52 | 1:05:57 | |
has been undertaken from the beginning | 1:05:57 | 1:05:59 | |
by Solti's former assistant Charles Kaye. | 1:05:59 | 1:06:03 | |
Before we hear the Concerto for Orchestra and hear the virtuosity | 1:06:03 | 1:06:08 | |
of these players, we're going to hear from four great musicians, | 1:06:08 | 1:06:14 | |
all of whom were close friends and colleagues of my husband. | 1:06:14 | 1:06:18 | |
What remains really in the forefront of my memory of Sir Georg | 1:06:21 | 1:06:27 | |
is his relentless energy and finding new talents, | 1:06:27 | 1:06:33 | |
in shaping the orchestra and enthusing us with the passion. | 1:06:33 | 1:06:37 | |
He just had this inner fire | 1:06:37 | 1:06:39 | |
and that is a great quality in a musician, to keep that fire burning. | 1:06:39 | 1:06:43 | |
And even, you know, his death was kind of typical for him - | 1:06:43 | 1:06:47 | |
very sudden and very kind of unfussy, unexpected. | 1:06:47 | 1:06:51 | |
And much of what he has done as a musician really stems from his burning intensity which you can hear | 1:06:51 | 1:07:01 | |
even in recordings, you know, 50-60 years old. | 1:07:01 | 1:07:04 | |
I find that an outstanding quality in him. | 1:07:04 | 1:07:06 | |
I mean, he was really one of the very few | 1:07:06 | 1:07:09 | |
great conductors of the last century. | 1:07:09 | 1:07:12 | |
Sir Georg just allowed us to know what live music is all about | 1:07:12 | 1:07:18 | |
and, er, you know, | 1:07:18 | 1:07:20 | |
the fact that you have this physical presence, | 1:07:20 | 1:07:24 | |
you have this incredible feeling of having this personal journey | 1:07:24 | 1:07:29 | |
with a piece of music, and that journey was always going to continue. | 1:07:29 | 1:07:33 | |
So even after our concerts, we always felt that, now, | 1:07:33 | 1:07:37 | |
this is going to elevate us to something else, | 1:07:37 | 1:07:41 | |
or to another question with the piece of music, you know? | 1:07:41 | 1:07:45 | |
And I just feel very thankful that he was able to inject | 1:07:45 | 1:07:50 | |
the real meaning of live music. | 1:07:50 | 1:07:53 | |
We both come from Hungary and both are Jewish | 1:07:53 | 1:07:58 | |
and both settled somewhere else. | 1:07:58 | 1:08:02 | |
I think very often of him and very, very lovingly. | 1:08:03 | 1:08:09 | |
He was very charismatic, quite irresistible, | 1:08:09 | 1:08:16 | |
and full of relentless energy. He worked very hard. | 1:08:16 | 1:08:22 | |
He was incredibly active, almost overactive! | 1:08:22 | 1:08:26 | |
So I really thought that he would go on for ever. | 1:08:26 | 1:08:31 | |
I thought that this energy would take him over 100. | 1:08:31 | 1:08:34 | |
Away from conducting, away from piano-playing, as a musician, | 1:08:34 | 1:08:37 | |
I saw him once... | 1:08:37 | 1:08:39 | |
I saw him once play, from score, a Haydn - I think it was The Creation. | 1:08:40 | 1:08:47 | |
And he sang all the parts, he played it - from an orchestral score - | 1:08:47 | 1:08:51 | |
he played it as if it was a piano piece | 1:08:51 | 1:08:53 | |
and it was one of the most amazing musical experiences that I've had. | 1:08:53 | 1:08:59 | |
I miss him. I really miss him. | 1:08:59 | 1:09:01 | |
He was a wonderful musical personality who gave | 1:09:01 | 1:09:04 | |
a lot of light around, and I miss him. | 1:09:04 | 1:09:08 | |
-APPLAUSE -The pianist Murray Perahia concluding that tribute | 1:09:08 | 1:09:12 | |
from instrumentalists who worked with Solti. | 1:09:12 | 1:09:15 | |
Now here is Valery Gergiev to conduct the World Orchestra for Peace | 1:09:15 | 1:09:19 | |
in music by Solti's great Hungarian compatriot and teacher, Bela Bartok - | 1:09:19 | 1:09:24 | |
The Concerto for Orchestra. | 1:09:24 | 1:09:26 | |
APPLAUSE | 1:47:01 | 1:47:02 | |
A terrific orchestral dash to the tape in the presto including | 1:47:05 | 1:47:10 | |
the final movement of Bella Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. | 1:47:10 | 1:47:12 | |
Valery Gergiev from the World Orchestra For Peace in dazzling form. | 1:47:12 | 1:47:20 | |
That performance was a particularly fitting tribute to Solti, | 1:47:27 | 1:47:31 | |
not just because he studied with Bartok | 1:47:31 | 1:47:35 | |
and was a great champion of his music and this piece in particular, but because, in 1995, | 1:47:35 | 1:47:40 | |
the Concerto for Orchestra was the final work in the first concert | 1:47:40 | 1:47:43 | |
given by the World Orchestra For Peace in Geneva and it was | 1:47:43 | 1:47:47 | |
the only time that Solti conducted the orchestra that he founded. | 1:47:47 | 1:47:50 | |
Since Solti's death, all the World Orchestra for Peace concerts | 1:48:00 | 1:48:04 | |
have been conducted by Valery Gergiev. | 1:48:04 | 1:48:06 | |
And maybe he and the orchestra have something else in store for us. | 1:48:06 | 1:48:11 | |
There's going to be an encore because it couldn't be | 1:48:18 | 1:48:20 | |
a celebratory concert without an encore | 1:48:20 | 1:48:23 | |
could it? | 1:48:23 | 1:48:25 | |
It will be Sousa's famous march - The Stars And Stripes Forever which Solti conducted on this stage | 1:48:25 | 1:48:32 | |
in January 1986 when Chicago Bears won the Superbowl. | 1:48:32 | 1:48:38 | |
APPLAUSE | 1:48:38 | 1:48:41 | |
We're thrilled cos we're being joined by this by past and present | 1:48:41 | 1:48:46 | |
principal players who Solti engaged during his tenure as music director. | 1:48:46 | 1:48:51 | |
APPLAUSE | 1:52:15 | 1:52:18 | |
The swagger and bravado of a classic Sousa march. | 1:52:23 | 1:52:27 | |
The Stars And Stripes Forever raising the roof | 1:52:27 | 1:52:30 | |
in Orchestra Hall Chicago with retired players from | 1:52:30 | 1:52:33 | |
the Chicago Symphony joining the World Orchestra For Peace in that encore. | 1:52:33 | 1:52:36 | |
As all the artists come back on stage to take a final bow, | 1:52:38 | 1:52:41 | |
and salute the memory of the great Sir Georg Solti, | 1:52:41 | 1:52:44 | |
we take our leave of Orchestra Hall. | 1:52:44 | 1:52:48 | |
Solti loved birthdays and the atmosphere of this 100th birthday celebration in Chicago | 1:52:48 | 1:52:53 | |
has been very special. | 1:52:53 | 1:52:56 | |
From all of us, goodbye. | 1:52:56 | 1:52:58 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 1:53:18 | 1:53:22 |