Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

BENNETTGORDONHALL 1:30 PM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 , 2026 OLGA KERN , piano BEETHOVEN Ten Variations in B- at major on “La stessa, la stessissima” from Salieri’s Falsta , * SCHUMANN Carnaval (Scènes mignonnes sur quatre notes) , op. DEBUSSY Feux d’arti ce (Fireworks) from Préludes , Book II SCRIABIN Two selections from Eight Etudes, op. No. in F-sharp major No. in C-sharp minor TCHAIKOVSKY Méditation , op. , no. RACHMANINOFF ree pieces Moment musical in E minor, op. , no. Étude-tableau in G minor, op. , no. Polichinelle in F-sharp minor, op. , no. * GERSHWIN ree Preludes Allegro ben ritmato e deciso in B- at major Andante con moto e poco rubato in C-sharp minor (“Blues Lullaby”) Allegro ben ritmato e deciso in E- at minor (“Spanish Prelude”) WILD Virtuoso Etude No. a er Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm” . * First performance at Ravinia LUDWIGVANBEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Ten Variations in B- at major on “La stessa, la stessissima” from Salieri’s Falsta , Sensationalized and o en inaccurate represen- tations in popular culture should not obscure the importance of Italian composer, conductor, and teacher Antonio Salieri ( – ) to late- th- and early- th-century Viennese musical life. Having received an exceptional musical ed- ucation as a violinist, keyboardist, and compos- er in Italy, Salieri arrived in Vienna at age for advanced studies with Florian Gassmann. His rst opera for Vienna, the comic Le donne letter- ate , premiered on February , , at the Burgtheater. Salieri produced eight more operas before Emperor Joseph II appointed the -year- old musician Kammerkomponist (Court Com- poser), succeeding Gassmann, who had died on January , . Fourteen years later, Joseph II elevated Salieri to Ho apellmeister (Court Chapel Master), a position he retained until his retirement in . Salieri composed Falsta , ossia Le tre burle (Falsta , or the ree Jokes), a two-act dramma giocosa , for Vienna’s Kärntnertortheater, where it opened on January , . William Shake- speare’s plays enjoyed widespread popularity on late- th-century Viennese theatrical stages, but Salieri’s was only the second operatic adaptation. Librettist Carlo Prospero Defranceschi faced an enormous challenge in streamlining e Mer- ry Wives of Windsor and reducing the number of characters while maintaining its comic plot and pacing. e story follows Falsta ’s misguid- ed pursuit of two married women, Alice Ford and Meg Page, and their three tricks devised to humble him: Falsta is captured in a laundry basket and dumped in the River ames, lured to a secret rendezvous and beaten by Mr. Ford, and coaxed to Windsor Part to meet the Queen of the Fairies, only to su er endless torment from townspeople dressed as witches, fair- ies, and elves. e opera ends in good humor: Falsta admits he has been thoroughly—and justly—outwitted. Antonio Salieri by Friedrich Rehberg (1821) RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 6 , 2026 82