This week's symphony concerts feature a unique opportunity to compare a gem of Richard Strauss' relatively early period (”;Till Eulenspiegel,”; 1895) with his more mature Oboe Concerto, published in 1947.

In Strauss' earlier years, he strove to reinvent the tone poem, from his earliest depictions of a swashbuckling hero in “;Don Juan,”; followed by the focus on the last moments of life in “;Death and Transfiguration,”; to the work we will feature, “;Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks.”;

The subject of this piece is a legendary trickster—Till—supposedly based on a real person whose goal in life was to “;hold up a mirror against the hypocrites, aristocracy, and society in general.”; The work begins with a “;Once Upon a Time ...”; theme in the strings, moving on to a depiction of Till in the horn call, followed by the puckish trickster motive in the clarinet, all of which are repeated throughout.

The tone poem describes a romp through a market on horseback, as well as a love theme played by the violin. It culminates with Till arrested by the authorities, all the while trying to talk his way out of the situation—to no avail; a trip to the gallows results. Nonetheless, the piece ends optimistically with the “;trickster”; theme played by the whole orchestra in the last few bars. Till had the last laugh, even in death!

  Many years later, during World War II, Strauss had moved his family to Garmisch, Germany. Stationed nearby was a U.S. Army soldier and oboist named John deLancie. He arranged to meet the composer shortly after the war ended.

DeLancie remarked to Strauss on the beauty of the oboe writing in his tone poems and asked if he had ever considered writing a concerto for the oboe. A stern “;No!”; was Strauss' reply.

But a seed must have been planted. Strauss finished an oboe concerto by the fall of 1945. It premiered in Zurich and the right to perform the U.S. premiere was given to deLancie.

By the time the work was officially published in 1947, deLancie was assistant principal oboe in the Philadelphia Orchestra, under his teacher, principal oboist Marcel Tabuteau. Ironically, placing a U.S. premiere in the hands of an assistant player was deemed inappropriate, so deLancie wasn't given the option and Tabuteau wasn't interested in performing the piece.

The actual premiere went to another talented student of Tabuteau's—Mitch Miller. Yes, the Miller of the “;Sing Along With Mitch”; radio program was a very fine oboist, and he was honored with the performance.

Strauss' concerto places extraordinary demands upon the soloist, with phrases of exhausting length. DeLancie, when he finally performed the work, received permission from Strauss' estate to modify the piece, having the orchestra winds “;spell”; the soloist frequently to catch his breath.

Most performers, including myself, have opted to perform the work as it was originally composed. It will be an honor to perform it for you this weekend.