Aspects of America: Pulitzer Edition OREGON SYMPHONY CARLOS KALMAR PISTON · GOULD · HANSON

ASPECTS OF AMERICA: PULITZER EDITION Walter Piston (1894-1976) But Piston was as much a as a Symphony No. 7 teacher. He enjoyed considerable success Walter Piston (1894-1976) as a composer during his lifetime, garnering Symphony No. 7 (1960, Pulitzer Prize 1961) “The essential part of composition, the three Music Critic’s Circle Awards 1 Con moto 7. 00 creative part, cannot be taught. and two Pulitzer Prizes (for his Third and 2 Adagio pastorale 10. 19 A composer is answerable only to himself.” Seventh symphonies, respectively). Piston’s 3 Allegro festevole 6. 22 — Walter Piston music was frequently programmed by American , particularly the Boston Morton Gould (1913-1996) Any music theory or composition student Symphony, during the 1940s and ’50s. (1993, Pulitzer Prize 1995) knows the name Walter Piston. His 4 Prelude 5. 40 textbook, Harmony, written in 1941, is still 5 Tango 4. 10 used by students today. After serving as a 6 Dirge 6. 39 musician in U.S. Navy bands during World 7 Ballad 4. 02 War I, Piston attended Harvard, where he 8 Strum (perpetual motion) 5. 04 studied composition and music theory. In 1924, Piston traveled to Paris to work with Howard Hanson (1896-1981) renowned composition teacher Nadia Symphony No. 4, Op. 34, “Requiem” (1943, Pulitzer Prize 1944) Boulanger and composer Paul Dukas. 9 Andante inquieto (Kyrie) 7. 22 Piston’s students at Harvard, where he 10 Elegy: Largo (Requiescat) 4. 41 taught from 1926 until his retirement in 1960, 11 Presto (Dies irae) 2. 40 included Elliott Carter, , 12 Largo pastorale (Lux aeterna) 7. 07 John Harbison, and Daniel Pinkham, among Total playing time: 71. 08 others. Oregon Symphony Conducted by Carlos Kalmar Since his death in 1976, however, Piston’s Morton Gould (1913–1996) sounds and colors of a string . with its pronounced rhythm, there is a music makes only occasional appearances in Stringmusic In his program notes, Gould wrote, striking change to a languorous, voluptuous orchestra concerts. Piston’s music radiates “Stringmusic is a large-scale suite, or episode for four violins, in the old life, craft, drama, and sophisticated wit; his Composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, serenade, for string orchestra . . . I have Mitteleuropa cafe style — a sort of parody, fame as a teacher should not overshadow child prodigy: Morton Gould answered to been especially concerned with contrasts in but not quite.” his substantial talent as a composer. all of these. His life and career traced the terms of color and texture; there is a great eclectic course of 20th-century American deal of antiphonal writing — sometimes The Dirge reflects “not only the intensity Piston won his second , from and Tin Pan Alley to the extent of suggesting two separate but in particular the sense of sorrow, loss, Symphony No. 7 in 1961. Biographer Howard to Broadway and concert halls around the string orchestras. Frequently I have one and even anger that must be associated Pollack calls it Piston’s “pastoral” symphony, world. Gould made over 100 recordings, section playing entirely pizzicato (plucked with so much that Slava has experienced in particularly for the primary theme of the many of which became bestsellers, and strings) while the other plays arco (bowed). consequence of his ideals and his loyalties,” Adagio, and for its resemblance to Piston’s a number of his compositions, including Basically, Stringmusic is a lyrical work, built New England Sketches, which the composer Stringmusic, are now part of the standard entirely on original themes and reflecting, explained were inspired by — but not literal orchestral repertoire. in a way, the many moods and many descriptions of — nature. Rhythmic drive facets of a man and musician we have characterizes the dynamic Con moto, while In January 1995, Gould told his biographer all come to know for the intensity and Piston’s mastery of orchestral timbre shows Peter Goodman, “I would love the Pulitzer emotion of his commitment to music and to great effect in theAdagio pastorale, Prize, which I will never get, by the way.” life.” which features a plaintive solo for English Three months later, Stringmusic won the horn and later solo flute. TheAllegro prestigious composition award, much to “When Slava conducted my Latin American festevole combines the energy of the first Gould’s surprise and delight. Symphonette in 1990 . . . he told me he movement with the brilliant colors of the especially liked the second movement, a second, and concludes with a jubilant shout. Stringmusic, which Gould composed for Tango, because he is ‘a tango expert,’” his friend and colleague Mstislav “Slava” Gould recalled. “ . . . After a somewhat Rostropovich, showcases all the possible strident Argentine-style tango episode,

4 5 said Gould. “The cortege-like quality of this atonal and 12-tone music in his approach In 1921, after winning the Rome Prize for of trombones build towards a dissonant elegiac music, I feel, is in keeping with a to composition. (Hanson did, however, composition, Hanson moved to that city, climax, which Hanson marks in the score prominent part of his personality.” In the incorporate dissonance and explorations where he immersed himself in Palestrina’s with the words “Christ have mercy.” Ballad, which Gould describes as “a Lied of bitonality, or two key areas sounding music and studied with Requiescat (a prayer for the soul of the for string orchestra, a sort of love note,” simultaneously.) Hanson also credited Italian Ottorino Respighi. Hanson returned to dead) features a simple bassoon melody the emotional tension dissipates, and the Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi the United States in 1924 to head the with a walking bass line. The agitation of concluding Strum “starts very fast, with da Palestrina as a major influence on his Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. the Dies irae (Day of Wrath) comes from tremolo effects and double notes and lots style. “I learned an awful lot from Palestrina During Hanson’s 40 years at Eastman, he its pulsing undercurrent and dramatic, of contrast, and takes off as a real virtuoso about letting the lines flow through the taught composition, built Eastman into sometimes frenetic, exclamations from piece, unreservedly jubilant.” harmonies,” said Hanson in a 1978 interview. a prestigious and academically grounded the winds (especially piccolo), brasses, and music program with an international xylophone. The transfixing calm of the Lux Howard Hanson (1896–1981) reputation, and championed the works of aeterna (Eternal Light) offers solace as it Symphony No. 4, Op. 34, “Requiem” American . promises peace for both the dead and the living. Howard Hanson, born to Swedish immigrant Of his seven symphonies, No. 4, subtitled parents, fused American and Nordic “Requiem” and winner of the Pulitzer Prize “This is not merely a solemn, ecclesiastic identities in his compositions. Like his in 1944, was reportedly Hanson’s favorite. work of art,” wrote composer Hugo fellow Scandinavian Carl Nielsen, Hanson He gave its four movements titles from the Leichtentritt. “Opposing its religious is best known for his instrumental works, Catholic Requiem Mass for the Dead: Kyrie, emotions dealing with the mystery of particularly symphonies, as his primary Requiescat, Dies irae, and Lux aeterna. death are the joys and sorrows, doubts and means of musical expression. At just over 20 minutes, Symphony No. 4 turmoil of human life. And the composition is a taut, highly focused work. The notes gains its peculiar individual character by Hanson’s contemporaries regarded him as of the Kyrie (Lord Have Mercy) are first this very mixture, this intertwining of the a neo-Romantic composer, and Hanson sounded by four horns and later by cellos two fundamental conditions of the world of himself definitively rejected the austerity of in variation. Lilting winds and a chorale nature — life and death.”

6 7 8 Oregon Symphony9 The Oregon Symphony Carlos Kalmar, Jean Vollum music director chair

Violin Ron Blessinger Viola Sarah Kwak, Janet & Lisbeth Carreno Joël Belgique, Maybelle Richard Geary concertmaster Ruby Chen Clark Macdonald Fund chair Emily Cole principal viola chair Peter Frajola, Del M. Smith Julie Coleman^ Charles Noble, assistant and Maria Stanley Smith Eileen Deiss principal associate concertmaster Jonathan Dubay Jennifer Arnold chair Gregory Ewer Silu Fei Erin Furbee, Harold & Daniel Ge Feng Leah Ilem Jane Pollin assistant Lynne Finch Ningning Jin concertmaster chair Paloma Griffin Hébert* Kim Mai Nguyen* Chien Tan, Truman Collins, Hae-Jin Kim* Brian Quincey Sr. principal second violin Nelly Kovalev* Viorel Russo^ chair Shin-young Kwon Martha Warrington Inés Volgar Belgique, Ryan Lee assistant principal Andrea Oh* Cello second violin Samuel Park Nancy Ives, Mr. & Mrs. Fumino Ando Searmi Park Edmund Hayes, Jr. principal Keiko Araki Vali Phillips cello chair Clarisse Atcherson Deborah Singer Marilyn de Oliveira, Lucia Atkinson* assistant principal Blayne Barnes* Kenneth Finch

© Basile Vuillemin Carlos Kalmar 11 Trevor Fitzpatrick Piccolo Bassoon Trumpet Sergio Carreno, assistant Antoinette Gan Zachariah Galatis Carin Miller Packwood, Jeffrey Work, principal principal Kevin Kunkel Rachel Ordaz* principal David Bamonte, assistant Gayle Budd O’Grady Evan Kuhlmann, assistant principal, Musicians of the Percussion Oboe principal Oregon Symphony Richard Niel DePonte, principal Bass Martin Hébert, Harold J. Adam Trussell Thornburg trumpet chair Michael Roberts, assistant Colin Corner, principal Schnitzer principal oboe Steven Conrow* principal Nina DeCesare chair Contrabassoon Doug Reneau Sergio Carreno Don Hermanns Karen Wagner, assistant Evan Kuhlmann Brian Gardiner* Jeffrey Johnson principal Trombone Gordon Rencher* Christopher Kim* Kyle Mustain Horn Casey Jones, principal Christopher Whyte* David Parmeter* John Cox, principal Robert Taylor, associate Jason Schooler English Horn Joseph Berger, associate principal Harp Paul Unger* Kyle Mustain principal Charles Reneau Jennifer Craig, principal Graham Kingsbury, Maria Casale* Flute Clarinet assistant principal Bass Trombone Martha Long, Bruce & Judy James Shields, principal Mary Grant Charles Reneau * guest musician Thesenga principal flute Todd Kuhns, assistant Jennifer Harrison* Skyler Johnson* ^ not heard on this chair principal Alicia Waite recording Alicia DiDonato Paulsen, Mark Dubac Tuba assistant principal JáTtik Clark, principal Zachariah Galatis Bass Clarinet Rachel Ordaz* Todd Kuhns Timpani Jonathan Greeney^, principal

12 13 Acknowledgments Also available on PENTATONE PRODUCTION TEAM

Producer Blanton Alspaugh Recording engineer John Newton Mixing & Mastering engineer Mark Donahue

Liner notes Elizabeth Schwartz Orchestra photos Leah Nash Design Marjolein Coenrady Product management Kasper van Kooten

This album was recorded live at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon, in 2017 (Gould) and 2018 (Hanson and Piston).

PTC 5186 727 PTC 5186 481

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