DOCSLIB.ORG

Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 94, 1974-1975

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 94, 1974-1975 Saturday Evening March 15, 1975 at 8:00 Carneqie Hall J 974 1975 SEASON \*J NEW YORK The Carnegie Hall Corporation presents the Boston Symphony Orchestra NINETY-FOURTH SEASON 1974-7 5 SEIJI OZAWA, Music Director and Conductor COLIN DAVIS, Principal Guest Conductor OLIVIER MESSIAEN Turangalila-Syntphonie for Piano, Ondes Martenot and Orchestra I. Introduction Modere, un peu vif II. Chant d ' amour 1 Modere, lourd III. Turangalila 1 Presque lent, reveur IV. Chant d'amour 2 Bien modere V. Joie du sang des etoiles Un peu vif, joyeux et passione INTERMISSION VI. Jardin du sommeil d' Amour Tres modere, tres tendre VII. Turangalila 2 Piano solo un peu vif; orchestre modere VIII. Developpement de 1 ' amour Bien modere IX. Turangalila 3 Modere X. Final Modere, avec une grande joie YVONNE LORIOD Piano JEANNE LORIOD Ondes Martenot The Boston Symphony Orchestra records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon Baldwin Piano Deutsche Grammophon and RCA Records Turangalila-Symphonie for Piano, Ondes Martenot and Orchestra/Olivier Messiaen The Turangalila-Symphonie was commissioned from me by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I wrote and orches- trated it between 17th July, 1946, and 29th November, 1948. The world first performance was given on 2nd December, 1949, in Boston (U.S.A.) Symphony Hall by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. The piano solo part was played by Yvonne Loriod, who has played it in nearly every performance of the work, whoever the conductor or wherever it was given. Turangalila (pronounced with an accent and prolongation of sound on the last two syllables) is a Sanscrit word. Like all words belong- ing to the ancient oriental languages, it is very rich in meaning. Lila literally signifies "play", but "play" in the sense of divine action in the cosmos, the "play" of creation, the "play" of destruc- tion, of reconstruction, the "play" of life and death. Lila also means love. Turanga is time that runs, like a galloping horse, time that flows like the sand in an hour-glass. Turanga is movement and rhythm, so Turangalila means all this at once: a song of love, hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, life and death. The Turangalila-Symphonie is a song of love. The Turangalila- Symphonie is a hymn of joy, joy as conceived by one who has only glimpsed it in the midst of misfortune, that is to say, a superhuman joy - overflowing, dazzling and unbounded. Love is presented here in a similar aspect: a love that is fatal, irresistible, transcending all, suppressing all that lies outside it, as symbolized by the love- philtre of Tristan and Isolde. The Turangalila-Symphonie is a song of love, and a hymn to joy. It is also a vast counterpoint of rhythms. In particular it uses two rhythmic devices which were innovations at the time of its first per- formance: "non-retrograde rhythms" and "rhythmic identities". Over and above numerous themes pertaining to each of its ten movements, the Turangalila-Symphonie involves four cyclic themes to be found fairly generally throughout the work. The first cyclic theme, in ponderous thirds and nearly always played by the trombones fortissimo, has the heavy and frightening bru- tality of ancient Mexican monuments. It has always evoked for me some terrible and fatal statue. I call it the "statue-theme". The second cyclic theme, entrusted to the caressing clarinets pianissimo, is in two voices, like two eyes that duplicate each other. The mental picture of a flower is here the nearest: the tender orchid, the decor- ative fuchsia, the red gladiolus, the all too lithe convolvulus. The third cyclic theme is the most important of all: the "theme of love". The fourth cyclic theme is a simple succession of chords. More than a theme, it is an excuse for various sonorous backgrounds. The orchestral composition of Turangalila is monumental and also of the greatest variety. As well as the traditional woodwinds and strings, there must be mentioned the brass, keyboard and percussion instruments. The brass are numerous and are much used. The themes are often entrusted to the trombones, horns and trumpets - the upper register of the small trumpet in D gives brilliance to the orchestra- tion and adds a further notch to the fortissimo. The keyboard instru- ments - glockenspiel, celesta and vibraphone, combined with the piano . solo and metallic percussion, form a small orchestra in the heart of the large one; its sonority and the part it plays are reminiscent of the Balinese gamelan. The percussion, fourteen in number, emerge from their usual role of seasoning the music: they perform counterpoints of durations and true rhythmic themes. Finally, two solo instruments are superimposed on the rest: the solo piano and the Ondes Martenot. The piano solo part is of such importance and its performance requires such extraordinary virtuosity that it might be said that the Turangalila-Symphonie is almost a concerto for piano and orchestra. Long and brilliant cadenzas inserted in the different movements link together elements of the development and form part of the work's construction The Ondes Martenot also plays a big part. It is noticed by everyone when, at climactic points, its expressive and high-pitched voice dominates the fortissimo. But it is also used in the lower register and quietly. I have made use of three special diffusers: l'Espace (giving a distant effect), la Palme (sympathetic vibrations) and le Metallique (each sound has the corresponding metallic resonance of a gong placed in the diffuser) The Turangalila-Symphonie has passed its hundredth performance. The composer wishes to draw attention to some memorable interpreta- tions which he had the luck to hear: the fourth performance, at Aix- en-Provence under Roger Desormiere. Several performances in Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy by Hans Rosbaud and Rudolf Albert. The seventy-second performance, in Tokyo (Japan) by Seiji Ozawa. Two per- formances in Sofia (Bulgaria) by Constantin Iliev. A recent perform- ance in Zagreb (Yugoslavia) by Zivojin Zdravkovic. And, finally, a magnificent performance in the Theatre des Champs-Ely sees in Paris on 20th January, 1959, under Manuel Rosenthal. Olivier Messiaen (translated by Felix Aprahamian ) Program notes copyright 1975 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc. SEIJI OZAWA Upon his appointment as Music Director in the fall of 1973, Seiji Ozawa became the thirteenth person to head the Boston Symphony Orches- tra since its founding in 1881. He succeeds such historic figures as Pierre Monteux, Serge Koussevitzky and Charles Munch. Prior to his appointment he was for one year the Orchestra's Music Adviser, and had appeared on numerous occasions as guest conductor of the Orchestra. Born in Hoten, Manchuria, in 1935, he graduated from the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, winning first prizes in composition and conducting. He then went to Europe, where he won first prize at the International Competition of Conducting at Besancon, France. One of the judges was the late Charles Munch, then Music Director of the Boston Symphony, whose invitation to Tanglewood was the beginning of Mr. Ozawa* s assoc- iation with the Orchestra. Appointed one of the New York Philharmon- ic's assistant conductors at the beginning of the 1961-62 season, he directed that orchestra several times, though it was with the San Francisco Symphony, during the same season, that he made his first full-length professional concert appearance in North America. Begin- ning in the summer of 1964, he was for five seasons Music Director of the Ravinia Festival, and at the start of the 1965-66 season, he . became Music Director of the Toronto Symphony, a post he relinquished after four seasons in order to devote his time to guest conducting. During the summer of 1969, he conducted opera for the first time, Cosi fan tutte at Salzburg, and served also as principal guest conductor of the Ravinia Festival. That fall he opened the New York Philharmonic season and later appeared as guest conductor with L'Orchestre de Paris, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1970, Mr. Ozawa was made Artistic Director of the Berkshire Music Festival, and in December of that year he began his inaugural season as Conductor and Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He holds the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra concurrently with his posts at Tangle- wood and in San Francisco. He has made several recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Deutsche Grammophon label, among them Berlioz" Symphonie fantastique and La Damnation de Faust, and (with Christoph Eschenbach) Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. He and the Boston Symphony Orchestra are currently recording Ravel's complete orchestral works YVONNE LORIOD Yvonne Loriod, born in Houilles, near Paris, is a graduate of the Paris Conservatory, where she studied piano with Lazare Levy and com- position with Olivier Messiaen. As a student at the Conservatory, she was awarded seven first prizes, and the recordings she has made since that time have earned her the Grand Prix du Disque eight times . Mme Loriod has concertized extensively in Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Africa and the United States. She last appeared with the Boston Symphony as the piano soloist in the world premiere of the Turangalila-Symphonie Particularly well known as an interpreter of contemporary music, Mme. Loriod has appeared as piano soloist in nearly all of the performances of the Symphonie that have been given since 1949. JEANNE LORIOD Jeanne Loriod began her musical studies at an early age, as was the case with her sister and co-soloist in this performance, Yvonne Loriod. At 18 she became a pupil of Maurice Martenot, creator of the Ondes Martenot.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Recollections on Singing Messiaen's Saint Francois D'assise
    Recollections on Singing Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise robert grenier na record store I recently saw a newly released recording of Olivier Mes- Isiaen’s opera, Saint François d’Assise. This brought to mind a variety of recol- lections associated with the first production of the opera, in which I was priv- ileged to participate. With this new recording comes the fact that the work has a life independent of any association I had with it, just as it should be. Finding it released in me a host of memories whose character is mostly anecdotal, com- ing, as it does, some fifteen years after the events themselves. For four years (1980–84), I was a member of the Troupe de l’Opéra de Paris—who were the house singers called upon to sing roles not given to the luminaries that graced the stage of the Opéra. In the case of Saint François, it was decided that many of the roles would be sung by house singers, with three central roles being given to great artists: St. Francis was sung by José van Dam, the Angel by Christiane Eda-Pierre, and the Leper by Kenneth Riegel. Jean- Phillipe Courtis and I were cast to sing the role of Frère Bernard, which I per- formed twice in the Palais Garnier. Of the eight scenes in the opera, Frère Bernard appears in four, the most important being that of act 2, scene 4, where the Angel and Frère Bernard share the stage. Once cast, we were given vocal scores to begin studying our parts.
    [Show full text]
  • We Are Proud to Offer to You the Largest Catalog of Vocal Music in The
    Dear Reader: We are proud to offer to you the largest catalog of vocal music in the world. It includes several thousand publications: classical,musical theatre, popular music, jazz,instructional publications, books,videos and DVDs. We feel sure that anyone who sings,no matter what the style of music, will find plenty of interesting and intriguing choices. Hal Leonard is distributor of several important publishers. The following have publications in the vocal catalog: Applause Books Associated Music Publishers Berklee Press Publications Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company Cherry Lane Music Company Creative Concepts DSCH Editions Durand E.B. Marks Music Editions Max Eschig Ricordi Editions Salabert G. Schirmer Sikorski Please take note on the contents page of some special features of the catalog: • Recent Vocal Publications – complete list of all titles released in 2001 and 2002, conveniently categorized for easy access • Index of Publications with Companion CDs – our ever expanding list of titles with recorded accompaniments • Copyright Guidelines for Music Teachers – get the facts about the laws in place that impact your life as a teacher and musician. We encourage you to visit our website: www.halleonard.com. From the main page,you can navigate to several other areas,including the Vocal page, which has updates about vocal publications. Searches for publications by title or composer are possible at the website. Complete table of contents can be found for many publications on the website. You may order any of the publications in this catalog from any music retailer. Our aim is always to serve the singers and teachers of the world in the very best way possible.
    [Show full text]
  • SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA a JACOBS MASTERWORKS CONCERT Fabien Gabel, Conductor
    SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA A JACOBS MASTERWORKS CONCERT Fabien Gabel, conductor May 4 and 6, 2018 LEONARD BERNSTEIN Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free Galop Waltz Danzon LEONARD BERNSTEIN Serenade (After Plato’s “Symposium”) Phaedrus—Pausanias: Lento – Allegro Aristophanes: Allegretto Erixymachus: Presto Agathon: Adagio Socrates—Alcibiades: Molto tenuto – Allegro molto Simone Lamsma, violin INTERMISSION RICHARD STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 JACQUES OFFENBACH Selections from Gaîté parisienne Arr. Manuel Rosenthal Ouverture No. 1: Allegro brillante No. 2: Polka No. 6: Allegro No. 8: Valse Lente No. 10: Valse Moderato No. 13: Allegro molto No. 15: Allegro No. 16: Cancan No. 22: Vivo Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free LEONARD BERNSTEIN Born August 25, 1918, Lawrence, MA Died October 14, 1990, New York City Some musical geography is necessary here, because the situation can be confusing. In the fall of 1943, the 25-year-old Leonard Bernstein became an overnight sensation when he replaced an ailing Bruno Walter and led a nationally-broadcast concert by the New York Philharmonic. At exactly the same moment, choreographer Jerome Robbins approached Bernstein and proposed that he write a ballet about three sailors on leave in New York City. This became Fancy Free, Bernstein’s first ballet, and it was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera on April 18, 1944. That summer, Bernstein’s friend, the lyricist Adolph Green, suggested to the young composer that the situation of the ballet – three sailors on leave in New York City – could be made into a musical. Bernstein quickly composed the music, and On the Town opened on Broadway in December 1944 and ran for 463 performances.
    [Show full text]
  • THE BALDWIN PIANO COMPANY * Singing Boys of Norway Springfield (Mo.) Civic Symphony Orchestra St
    Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org Each artist has his own reason for choosing Baldwin as the piano which most nearly approaches the ever-elusive goal of perfection. As new names appear on the musical horizon, an ever-increasing number of them are joining their distinguished colleagues in their use of the Baldwin. Kurt Adler Cloe Elmo Robert Lawrence Joseph Rosenstock Albuquerque Civic Symphony Orchestra Victor Alessandro Daniel Ericourt Theodore Lettvin Aaron Rosand Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Ernest Ansermet Arthur Fiedler Ray Lev Manuel Rosenthal Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Claudio Arrau Kirsten Flagstad Rosina Lhevinne Jesus Maria Sanroma Beaumont Symphony Orchestra Wilhelm Bachaus Lukas Foss Arthur Bennett Lipkin Maxim Schapiro Berkshire Music Center and Festival Vladimir Bakaleinikoff Pierre Fournier Joan Lloyd George Schick Birmingham Civic Symphony Stefan Bardas Zino Francescatti Luboshutz and Nemenoff Hans Schwieger Boston "Pops" Orchestra Joseph Battista Samson Francois Ruby Mercer Rafael Sebastia Boston Symphony Orchestra Sir Thomas Beecham Walter Gieseking Oian Marsh Leonard Seeber Brevard Music Foundation Patricia Benkman Boris Goldovsky Nino Martini Harry Shub Burbank Symphony Orchestra Erna Berger Robert Goldsand Edwin McArthur Leo Sirota Central Florida Symphony Orchestra Mervin Berger Eugene Goossens Josefina Megret Leonard Shure Chicago Symphony Orchestra Ralph Berkowitz William Haaker Darius Milhaud David Smith Pierre Bernac Cincinnati May Festival Theodor Haig
    [Show full text]
  • Dec 08 Pp. 24-25.Indd
    Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) 100th Year Anniversary David Palmer “He connects with me in the same way that Bach does.” So said Jack Bruce, the British singer-composer and bassist with the rock group Cream, when asked about the effect of Messiaen’s music on him, after one of the concerts of the big Southbank Festival in London ear- lier this year. “I’m not religious, but the spirituality touches me,” he continued. “There is a spirituality about it that you recognize.”1 So grows the impact of Mes- siaen in this centennial year of his birth, as his unique voice from the last century delivers a message that resonates more and more in the 21st century. Musicians love to use anniversary ob- servances to generate performances and study of composers’ works. Often, these commemorations serve to bring forward less familiar music: last year, we heard Buxtehude’s music far more than usual. Messiaen in the 1930s (photo © Malcolm On the other hand, Bach has received Ball, www.oliviermessiaen.org) three major outpourings in my lifetime: 1950, 1985 and 2000, commemorating either his birth or his death. These festi- vals simply gave us Bach lovers an excuse to play his music more than we usually do (or did)—which was already a lot. Messiaen in our time Coming only 16 years after his death, Messiaen’s 100th anniversary celebra- tions embrace both outcomes. In one way, performances and studies of his out- put have never slackened since his death, unlike many composers who go into eclipse. Great Britain has led the way for some time, and now North America is beginning to take Messiaen into the mainstream.
    [Show full text]
  • Wwciguide January 2019.Pdf
    From the President & CEO The Guide The Member Magazine for WTTW and WFMT Renée Crown Public Media Center Dear Member, 5400 North Saint Louis Avenue Happy New Year! This month, we are excited to premiere the highly anticipated Chicago, Illinois 60625 third season of the period drama Victoria from MASTERPIECE. Continuing the story of Victoria’s rule over the largest empire the world has ever known, you will Main Switchboard (773) 583-5000 meet fascinating new historical characters, including Laurence Fox (Inspector Member and Viewer Services Lewis) as the vainglorious Lord Palmerston, who crosses swords with the Queen (773) 509-1111 x 6 over British foreign policy. Websites Also on WTTW11, wttw.com/watch, and our video app this month, we know wttw.com you have been waiting for the return of Doc Martin. He’s back and the talk of wfmt.com the town is the wedding of the Portwenn police officer Joe Penhale and Janice Bone. On wttw.com, learn how the new season of Finding Your Roots uncovers Publisher Anne Gleason the ancestry of its subjects, and go behind the curtain for the first collaboration Art Director between Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet on their Orphée et Eurydice. Tom Peth WTTW Contributors On 98.7WFMT, wfmt.com/listen, and the WFMT app, the Metropolitan Opera Julia Maish on Saturday afternoons features Verdi’s Otello conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Dan Soles WFMT Contributors Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur starring Anna Netrebko, Debussy’s enigmatic Pelléas Andrea Lamoreaux et Mélisande, and a new work by Nico Muhly based on Hitchcock’s filmMarnie .
    [Show full text]
  • FRENCH SYMPHONIES from the Nineteenth Century to the Present
    FRENCH SYMPHONIES From the Nineteenth Century To The Present A Discography Of CDs And LPs Prepared by Michael Herman NICOLAS BACRI (b. 1961) Born in Paris. He began piano lessons at the age of seven and continued with the study of harmony, counterpoint, analysis and composition as a teenager with Françoise Gangloff-Levéchin, Christian Manen and Louis Saguer. He then entered the Paris Conservatory where he studied with a number of composers including Claude Ballif, Marius Constant, Serge Nigg, and Michel Philippot. He attended the French Academy in Rome and after returning to Paris, he worked as head of chamber music for Radio France. He has since concentrated on composing. He has composed orchestral, chamber, instrumental, vocal and choral works. His unrecorded Symphonies are: Nos. 1, Op. 11 (1983-4), 2, Op. 22 (1986-8), 3, Op. 33 "Sinfonia da Requiem" (1988-94) and 5 , Op. 55 "Concerto for Orchestra" (1996-7).There is also a Sinfonietta for String Orchestra, Op. 72 (2001) and a Sinfonia Concertante for Orchestra, Op. 83a (1995-96/rév.2006) . Symphony No. 4, Op. 49 "Symphonie Classique - Sturm und Drang" (1995-6) Jean-Jacques Kantorow/Tapiola Sinfonietta ( + Flute Concerto, Concerto Amoroso, Concerto Nostalgico and Nocturne for Cello and Strings) BIS CD-1579 (2009) Symphony No. 6, Op. 60 (1998) Leonard Slatkin/Orchestre National de France ( + Henderson: Einstein's Violin, El Khoury: Les Fleuves Engloutis, Maskats: Tango, Plate: You Must Finish Your Journey Alone, and Theofanidis: Rainbow Body) GRAMOPHONE MASTE (2003) (issued by Gramophone Magazine) CLAUDE BALLIF (1924-2004) Born in Paris. His musical training began at the Bordeaux Conservatory but he went on to the Paris Conservatory where he was taught by Tony Aubin, Noël Gallon and Olivier Messiaen.
    [Show full text]
  • MUSIC and POLITICS-Darius Milhaud
    MUSIC AND POUTICS But considering the low mental and moral standard of artists 1ll general, 1 would say: Treat them like immature children CalI them fools and let them escape. MUSIC AND POLITICS-Darius Milhaud l HATEbest andto polisee ticsthesewhattwo 1wordsdisliketogether,the most.as music is what 1 love the First of aIl 1 think that we must never forget that this war is a kind of international civil war with the forces of fascism and oppression against the forces of democraey and freedom. ln occupied countries there has been a small minority of collabo• rators. ln countries which have had the luck not to fee! enemy oppres• sion there is a minority of fascist minded people which probably would decrease if an enemy occupation should occur. 1 don't see why artists should not be treated as ordinary citizens. Jacques Benoist-Mechin is a composer who nas written a few works in which you may find a certain gift. He was a minister in the Laval cabinet. Now he is arrested, accused as a traitor, a German spy. 1 hope he will be shot. That he may be a Nazi does not change his music, of course. 1 would not recommend that his works be performed right now. But the life of a work is independent of the composer ... Being so far away we can have nothing to say about aIl that. The people who have suffered and fought in the Underground and who have been cold and hungry, who have helped the persecuted and risked their lives at any time are the only ones who can act and have the right to do so.
    [Show full text]
  • Numerical Listing
    SEQ DISC NO LABEL CDN PRICE PERFORMER DESCRIPTION a a THREE FOR TWO! ON ALL ITEMS PRICED AT £5.00, ONE- THIRD (1/3) OFF ALL ORDERS FOR 3 OR MORE a a 23776 0 10 1441-3 Supraphon, blue m A1 £10.00 Talich, Vaclav Vol. 1. Suk: Serenade for Strings; Asrael; Ripening. Czech PO c 22047 1 11 1106 Supraphon s A1 £5.00 Vlach SQ Beethoven: Quartets, Opp.18-1; 18-6 bb 22524 1 11 1755 Supraphon s A1 £5.00 Prague SQ Lubomir Zelezny: Clt. Quintet; Wind Quintet; Piano Trio. Prague Wind Quintet, Smetana Trio bb 23786 10 Penzance, USA m A1 £8.00 Callas, Maria, s Wagner: Parsifal, Act 2. Baldelli, Modesti, Pagliughi, -Gui. Live, 20.xi.50. In Italian a 22789 1007831 VdsM, References m A1 £7.00 Kreisler, Fritz, vn Beethoven; Sonatas 5, "Spring"; 9, "Kreutzer". F. Rupp, pf bb 23610 101 Rara Avis, lacquer m A-1- £10.00 Ginsburg, Grigory, pf Liszt: Bells of Geneva, Campanella, Rigoletto, Spanish Rhapsody / Weber: Rondo brillante / Chopin: Etudes, Op.25, 1-3. From 78s, semi-private issue b 22800 12T 160 Topic m A1 £7.00 Folk Songs of Britain, 1 Child Ballads 1. Various artists (field recordings) e 22707 13029 AP DGG, Archiv, Ger., m A1 £40.00 Schneiderhan, Wolfgang, vn Bach: Partita 2, D minor, for solo violin. Sleeve: buff, gatefold 10" bb 22928 133 004 SLPE DGG, Ger., tulip, 10" s A1 £12.00 Bolechowska, Alina, s Chopin: Lieder. S. Nadgrizowski, pf a 22724 133 122 SLP DGG, Ger., red, tulip, s A1 £12.00 Markevitch, Igor, dir Mozart: Coronation Mass.
    [Show full text]
  • MESSIAEN Visions De L’Amen
    MESSIAEN Visions de l’Amen DEBUSSY En blanc et noir Ralph van Raat, Piano Håkon Austbø, Piano Claude Debussy (1862-1918): En blanc et noir (1915) Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992): Visions de l’Amen (1943) colouring, Messiaen carried out bold renewals in the Bird-song, at that time, played an increasingly Both works on this recording, milestones in the repertoire dancing quality of the first and by the witty, albeit realm of musical time. As he often said, “rhythm is important rôle in Messiaen’s music. He transcribed this as for two pianos, were composed in wartime at crucial somewhat sarcastic, elegance of the third. colouring of time”, and, correspon dingly, the blue-violet heard in nature, adapting the intervals to the instruments. points in the composers’ lives. Messiaen, in another war, returned to Paris in 1941 theme played by the second piano in the opening as well In No. 5 they are preceded by the pure unison of the Debussy passed the summer of 1915 at Pourville on from war imprisonment, where he had written the Quatuor as in the closing piece, is framed by a rhythmic pedal, Angels and the Saints. Finally, No. 6 expresses the the Normandy coast. He was struggling with his health pour la Fin du Temps (Quartet for the End of Time). played in the extreme registers by the first piano. In the harshness of the Judgement of the damned, before the and suffering from the horrors of the war and from the Having taken on a job as harmony professor at the first piece, the rhythm is a combination of five rhythmical joy of the last piece breaks out.
    [Show full text]
  • Songs of Faith and Love: a Study of Olivier Messiaen's
    SONGS OF FAITH AND LOVE: A STUDY OF OLIVIER MESSIAEN’S POÈMES POUR MI By Emily M. Bennett Submitted to the graduate degree program in Music and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Julia Broxholm ________________________________ Co-Chairperson University Distinguished Professor Joyce Castle ________________________________ Dr. Paul Laird ________________________________ Dr. John Stephens ________________________________ Dr. Michelle Hayes Date Defended: April 1, 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Emily M. Bennett certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: SONGS OF FAITH AND LOVE: A STUDY OF OLIVIER MESSIAEN’S POÈMES POUR MI ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Julia Broxholm ________________________________ Co-Chairperson University Distinguished Professor Joyce Castle Date approved: April 1, 2016 ii ABSTRACT It is my determination that Oliver Messiaen’s first song cycle, Poèmes pour Mi (1936), exhibits nearly all of the representative musical and literary devices of the composer’s arsenal: musical and poetic symbols and symmetry, asymmetric and exotic rhythms, color and harmony, and is inspired by his Catholic faith, and must therefore be regarded as among the composer’s most significant early vocal works. After outlining a brief biography and an overview of the work and its premiere, the subsequent analysis covers the compositional techniques and thematic devices are presented, including specific discussion of spirituality, numerical symbols, modal vocabulary, musical colors, and the “Boris motif.” A description of the cycle follows, highlighting important aspects of each piece as they relate to Messiaen’s style. Musical examples appear where relevant iii BIOGRAPHY Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen, born 10 December 1908 in Avignon, France, was pre-destined to be a creative force in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Turangalîla-Symphonie
    with the Nashville Symphony CLASSICAL SERIES FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAY 17 & 18, AT 8 PM NASHVILLE SYMPHONY GIANCARLO GUERRERO, conductor JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, piano CYNTHIA MILLAR, ondes Martenot Introduction to Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie with musical demonstrations – INTERMISSION – OLIVIER MESSIAEN Turangalîla-Symphonie for Piano, Ondes Martenot and Orchestra Introduction: Modéré, un peu vif Chant d'amour 1: Modéré, lourd Turangalîla 1: Presque lent, rêveur Chant d'amour 2: Bien modéré Joie du sang des étoiles: Un peu vif, joyeux et passioné Jardin du sommeil d'amour: Très modéré, très tendre Turangalîla 2: Piano solo un peu vif: orchestre modéré Développement de l'amour: Bien modéré Turangalîla 3: Modéré Final: Modéré, avec une grande joie Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano Cynthia Millar, ondes Martenot This concert will last 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission. INCONCERT 39 TONIGHT’S CONCERT AT A GLANCE OLIVIER MESSIAEN Turangalîla-Symphonie • French composer Messiaen occupies a singular role as a trailblazer for the avant-garde who was at the same time profoundly respectful of Western musical tradition. He created a wholly original body of work, of which Turangalîla-Symphonie and The Quartet for the End of Time are his best-known compositions. The latter work was written while he was held in a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. • Messiaen’s influence has been profound, extending not only to his students Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen, who would go on to revolutionize modern music, but also to popular artists including Rufus Wainwright and Radiohead, whose music owes a particular debt to the composer.
    [Show full text]