A Far Cry: Opening Night Thursday, July 8, 2021 | 7:30 PM The Breakers Lawn
A Far Cry
Thank you to our generous concert sponsors: Kari and Craig Shapero ------GRIEG Holberg Suite, Op. 40 I. Praeludium II. Sarabande III. Gavotte IV. Air V. Rigaudon (Approximate duration 20 minutes)
JOSEPH BOLOGNE, CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGE Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 13, No. 1 in E-flat Major I. Allegro II. Rondeau (Approximate duration 6 minutes)
JESSIE MONTGOMERY Strum (Approximate duration 7 minutes)
ARVO PÄRT Silouan’s Song (Approximate duration 6 minutes)
TERESA CARREÑO Serenade for Strings in E-flat Major I. Introduction. Andante II. Allegro vivace III. Recitativo IV. Tempo di marcia (Approximate duration 20 minutes)
This program will conclude at approximately 8:30 PM. ------
PROGRAM NOTES
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907): Holberg Suite, Op. 40 In 1864, Norway celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of author, historian, and philosopher, Ludvig Holberg, the “father of Danish and Norwegian literature,” or the “Molière of the North.” For the festivities, they commissioned one of their bright young stars— Edvard Grieg. Having recently graduated from the Leipzig Conservatory and returned to Norway, Grieg was on the verge of discovering the native folk music of his country, which would give him a firm resolve to establish a national school of music and help him cement the sources of his own musical inspiration. But for now, he was to write two works, a cantata for male voices (to be performed outside in December, which Grieg found astonishing and very amusing), and a concert work that turned out to be the Holberg Suite.
Brilliantly, Grieg chose to write a work that tipped the hat to the musical era of Holberg’s lifetime—the Baroque. Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti were born the year after Holberg (1685 was a very big year for music), and the popular larger-scale format for compositions from that era was the suite. These were multi-movement works that pre-dated sonatas and symphonies. They always consist of a prelude or overture followed by a sequence of music for a variety of dance forms. For the Holberg Suite, Grieg chose a praeludium, sarabande, gavotte, air, and a rigaudon. This was a slight departure from the more standard selections of allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue.
Arguably one of his most popular works to date, the Holberg Suite from Grieg’s early twenties would soon be followed by his monumental Piano Concerto, the Peer Gynt Suite, and other works that would earn him a reputation as not only one of the foremost Scandinavian composers, but one of the most popular of the late 19th century.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799): Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major, Op. 13, No. 1 In January of 1786, the Concert de la Loge Olympique in Paris, one of the best orchestras of 18th century Europe, began premiering six newly commissioned symphonies by Franz Joseph Haydn. These “Paris” symphonies were commissioned by the ensemble’s 41-year- old music director and conductor, a young man that John Adams praised in his diary: “He is the most accomplished Man in Europe in Riding, Running, Shooting, Fencing, Dancing, Musick.” This was Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George, the son of plantation owner George Bologne and his Senegalese slave, Nanon, born on the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.
At the age of 8, the family left the Caribbean and returned to France, taking Joseph and his mother with them. The young Bologne soon displayed exceptional talent at many things, but his initial fame was as a champion fencer. It was said he never so much as harmed an opponent due to the immense control he displayed, and only one match loss was recorded. Little information has survived about the beginnings of his musical education, but he was so accomplished as a violinist that by age 24 he became a member of the renowned Concert des Amateurs orchestra, made his debut as a soloist, and assumed the role of their music director just four years later. Bologne had become a fixture in the brilliant musical scene of Paris (he and Mozart even lived under the same roof for a brief period of time—no record of interactions between the two survives), and some research suggests he became so closely associated with the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, that he gave her music lessons. He was also employed by members of the extended royal family, taking over as music director of the private theater of Madame de Montesson, wife of the Duke d'Orléans. If it were not for the complaints of four divas from the company about “taking orders from a mulatto,” Bologne might have assumed the role of music director of the Paris Opera.
A prolific composer, as well as performer, Bologne published the majority of his orchestral compositions within the span of six years between 1773 and 1779. These include over a dozen works for orchestra, and multiple sonatas, quartets, and other works for small ensemble. His six operas were amongst his last works, written and published right up to his death. The orchestral works include around nine sinfonia concertante, which were a kind of transitional genre between the baroque concerto grosso with its integral soloist parts, and the classical symphony that championed balance, form, melody, and disciplined uniformity of the performers.
Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981): Strum Jessie Montgomery was born into the thriving arts scene of 1980s Lower East Side, Manhattan to parents who were both artists (her mother in avant-garde theater, her father in jazz and film) and activists. She studied at the Juilliard School, and NYU, and has been associated with the Sphinx Organization in a variety of capacities since 1999. She is a recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and a dedicated chamber musician. Montgomery was previously a member of both the PUBLIQuartet and Catalyst Quartet. Montgomery’s note for her earliest work, Strum, is re-printed below.
“Strum is the culminating result of several versions of a string quintet I wrote in 2006. It was originally written for the Providence String Quartet and guests of Community MusicWorks Players, then arranged for string quartet in 2008 with several small revisions. In 2012 the piece underwent its final revisions with a rewrite of both the introduction and the ending for the Catalyst Quartet in a performance celebrating the 15th annual Sphinx Competition.
Originally conceived for the formation of a cello quintet, the voicing is often spread wide over the ensemble, giving the music an expansive quality of sound. Within Strum I utilized texture motives, layers of rhythmic or harmonic ostinati that string together to form a bed of sound for melodies to weave in and out. The strumming pizzicato serves as a texture motive and the primary driving rhythmic underpinning of the piece. Drawing on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement, the piece has a kind of narrative that begins with fleeting nostalgia and transforms into ecstatic celebration.”
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): Silouan’s Song The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt began his career writing in the styles of serialism and atonality, which earned him unwanted attention in the form of warnings from the Soviet government. The threat of politically motivated punishment, however, was not the catalyst for Pärt’s shift toward a new sound. After taking time to reevaluate his compositional methods in the late 1970s, along with studying Bach, Gregorian chant, and Russian Orthodox sacred music, Pärt arrived at a new compositional philosophy and technique that he called “tintinnabulation” (“bells”). He explained: “Tintinnabulation is like this. Here, I am alone in silence. I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played...I build with the most primitive materials – with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation.”
Tintinnabuli, the ringing/sound of bells, alludes to the mathematical division of a note’s sound wave into the overtone series, the basis of Western music theory and its harmonic progressions, which is heard in the chaotic timbre of a ringing bell. In brief, if you strike a single note, you are not just hearing that note but an entire sequence working together (the “fundamental” and its “partials,” to use the lingo). Thus, when you hear A-natural you also sympathetically hear other tones from the A scale in a sequence of 5ths, 4ths, 3rds, and so on: A, E, A, C-sharp, E, etc.—a musical universe orbiting a single note.
Silouan’s Song is named for the Russian monk St. Silouan, reflecting Pärt’s personal religious devotion to the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the music, you hear aspects of tintinnabulation, the simple revolution and contemplation of a select sequence of notes, buffered intermittently by silence, and a subtext of yearning for spiritual renewal.
Teresa Carreño (1853 - 1917): Serenade for Strings in E-flat Major The past is full of the stories of women who were famous performers, many of whom also composed multiple works for a variety of instrumental groups. Thinking of this category, the individual who probably comes to mind first is Clara Schuman. There was also Lucy Anderson, Louise Ferrenc, Ingeborg Bronsart von Schellendorf, and hundreds of others—including Teresa Carreño.
Known as the “Valkyrie of the Piano” for giving powerful performances, Carreño’s international career began in her early childhood. She was born into a musical family, both her grandfather and father were accomplished musicians, but it was her father’s profession in the Venezuelan government that forced the family to relocate to New York City in 1862 due to political unrest at home. The move provided a bright side, however, of a broader opportunity to nurture Carreño’s young talent. Louis Moreau Gottschalk became her mentor, and she quickly made her public concert debut in the city. Another highlight was performing for President Lincoln in the White House (ultimately, she would perform for two presidents during her lifetime, the other being Woodrow Wilson). Within a few years the family decided to relocate again to Europe where Carreño could continue to mature as a musician, and where more performance opportunities could be cultivated. A review of a concert she gave in Paris at age twelve describes her as “A little wonder, a real prodigy…plays the piano in a manner that would surprise Liszt himself. It is incredible.” (It is said that Liszt did actually offer her piano lessons while she was on tour, but she declined.)
Her star continued to climb into adulthood. As a performer, she worked with the likes of Gustav Mahler, Theodor Thomas, and countless others. At one point she decided to take up singing, turning to Gioachino Rossini for instruction. Her tours around the world included stops in Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Americas. She maintained a teaching studio (which included Edward MacDowell), and composed around 80 works. The Serenade for Strings is her primary work for large ensemble and was written around 1895 while she was spending a summer in the Tyrol region of Austria. Written in four movements, the Serenade’s moods move from effervesce to lyrical expansiveness, to splendid pomp. © Kathryn J Allwine Bacasmot
MUSICIAN BIOS
A FAR CRY Called a “world-wide phenomenon” by Boston’s WBUR, A Far Cry has nurtured a distinct approach to music-making since its founding in 2007. The self-conducted orchestra is a democracy in which decisions are made collectively and leadership rotates among the players (“Criers”). This structure has led to consistently thoughtful, innovative, and unpredictable programming — and impactful collaborations with celebrated performers and composers. A Far Cry has risen to the top of Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart, been named Boston’s best classical ensemble by The Improper Bostonian and celebrated two Grammy nominations for its Visions and Variations. Boston Musical Intelligencer sums up the group: “In its first decade, this conductor-free ensemble has earned and sustained a reputation for top-drawer playing, engrossing programming, and outstanding guest artists.” The group’s democratic spirit has been in overdrive as plans for the past season were planned and replanned. The Washington Post highlighted the group’s ‘virtual’ programming saying: " ... the launch of its Frequent Crier Program for online regulars suggests they’re meeting the trials of the moment with characteristically high spirits.” A Far Cry is thrilled to play in front of live outdoor audiences this summer at Newport Music Festival (RI), Stowe Performing Arts (VT), and in New York’s Central Park (presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts).
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