Memphis Symphony Orchestra Masterworks Two: Ride of the Valkyries Program Notes

Richard Strauss (1864-1949): Don Juan, Opus 20 Duration: 19 minutes

Richard Strauss, the son of the great horn virtuoso Franz Strauss, was born and raised in Munich, Germany. His father‟s pre-eminence as Principal Hornist of the Munich Court Orchestra enabled Richard to meet and associate with some of the most important musicians of the day, most notably the conductor Hans Von Bulow. His composition style was most strongly influenced by the music of Richard Wagner, with earlier influences being provided by the music of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann. In addition to his tone poems for orchestra, he composed several concertos, operas, lieder, and chamber works.

The Spanish legend of Don Juan, the licentious ladies‟ man, has been well known for nearly four centuries, with the first written account appearing in 1630. Various retellings of his fictitious doings spread throughout Europe, including Mozart‟s very popular opera, Don Giovanni (which, coincidentally, was performed by Opera Memphis, accompanied by the MSO, last month). Strauss‟s version is an instrumental tone poem which was premiered in Weimar, and written when the composer was only twenty-four years of age. It was very well received, becoming an international success, and it firmly established his reputation and career both as composer and conductor. The source that Strauss used is Nikolaus Lenau‟s “Don Juans Ende,” and references to this play may be found in Strauss‟ original score. In this version, Don Juan attempts to find the ideal woman--over and over again, as it turns out--but never succeeds. Despairing of ever doing so, he succumbs to the inevitable at the end of the tone poem.

[Don Juan is one of the great virtuoso showpieces for orchestra, and a real joy to perform whenever it is programmed. Auditions are another matter entirely. I‟ve been playing professional level orchestra auditions for over thirty years, and I‟ve had both good days and bad days with this particular piece of music!!]

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Tzigane for Violin and Orchestra Duration: 9 minutes

Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, France, a coastal Pyrenees town in the Pays de Basque region near the Spanish border. The rich heritage provided by his Basque mother and his Swiss father shows itself in much of his music, both in regards to Spanish influence as well as attention to craftsmanship and detail. He studied composition at the Paris Conservatory under the tutelage of Gabriel Faure, and was an associate of Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, also collaborating on a number of

projects with the Ballets Russes‟ famed impresario, Sergey Diaghilev. Known for his lavish and gorgeous orchestrations, he is perhaps best known in the United States for Bolero, a fifteen minute orchestral showpiece made famous by its use in the 1979 movie, 10.

Tzigane (a generic European term meaning “gypsy”) is a virtuoso showpiece that was originally written for violin and piano. It was commissioned by Jelly d‟Aranyi (the great- niece of the well-known Hungarian violin virtuoso, Joseph Joachim), and premiered in London by her, along with pianist Henri Gil-Marchex, in the spring of 1924. Ravel orchestrated the piano part later that summer, and the new version was given its premiere in the fall of 1924 in Amsterdam, performed by Samuel Dushkin and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. It is a wild ride, beginning with an extended violin cadenza, continuing as the orchestra joins the soloist, and culminating in a set of variations that shows off various Paganiniesque fireworks (both left and right hand) as the work progresses.

Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825-1899): Thunder and Lightning Polka, Opus 324 Duration: 3 minutes

Best known as “The Waltz King,” it was Johann Strauss, Jr. (or II, or the Son, or the Younger--whichever you prefer to call him!!) that enshrined the waltz as the most popular dance of 19th century Europe. He specialised in writing dance music, and also wrote several well-known operettas and ballets. One of his most famous works, “The Blue Danube,” became famous the world over due to its inclusion in Stanley Kubrick‟s 1968 blockbuster movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The polka featured on this program lives up to its name by making effective use of the percussion section to mimic the storm elements included in the title (timpani and bass drum for thunder, cymbals for lightning). It‟s worth a smile to also note that its original Austrian title, “Unter Donner und Blitz,” recalls two of Santa‟s reindeer, made famous in Clement Clarke Moore‟s “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” perhaps better known as “ „Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Capriccio Italien, Opus 45 Duration: 16 minutes

19th century Russia‟s most famous composer was arguably Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Many American concertgoers first become acquainted with his music thanks to early exposure as children to his Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. [That was certainly true for me!!] Happily, there is much more to be considered when approaching

Tchaikovsky‟s music. Unlike the “Mighty Five,” who focused almost entirely on a Russian nationalistic sound base, Tchaikovsky‟s works are decidedly western in form whilst still maintaining a Russian flavour.

Capriccio Italien was inspired by an 1880 trip to Rome, Italy, which saw the Italian Carnevale (the festive season between Advent and Lent) in full swing during his time there. The inspiration for the work is a series of themes from folk melodies, some gleaned from collections along with others heard in the streets of Rome. Notable sections include the opening fanfare, the long central build-up in A major on the popular Italian song “La Veneranda,” and the tarantella which occurs later in the work. Tchaikovsky completed his orchestration by the middle of May, after which he made an arrangement for piano duet (four hands), which was finished by the end of the month. The orchestral version was given its premiere by the Russian Musical Society in Moscow on December 18th.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883): “The Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walkure Duration: 5 minutes

No other figure in the history of music has proven more controversial than Richard Wagner, but there‟s no need to enumerate his many shortcomings here. His musical genius is absolutely without question, and few composers have had more impact on their period in history, much less the ones that followed. His use of leitmotifs to provide thematic unity in his operas is a technique used by soundtrack and film score composers to this day; notable examples include Bernard Herrmann, John Williams, James Horner, and Jerry Goldsmith. Wagner was a native of Leipzig, Germany. He fell in love with the music of Beethoven as a teenager, and taught himself composition by studying orchestral scores. Though he was located during his lifetime in many of Europe‟s great musical centers, he is probably most famously connected with Bayreuth, a small town in Bavaria, where a festival theatre was constructed to his specifications with the financial assistance of King Ludwig II. Bayreuth hosts an annual festival of Wagner‟s operas every summer. The famous cycle of four Norse mythology-based operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is produced every five to seven years.

“The Ride of the Valkyries” occurs in Die Walkure, the second opera in the Ring cycle. Ask the uninitiated what opera is all about, and this is the image that will inevitably be returned to you: Teutonic blonde women with braids wearing winged helmets and metal breastplates, carrying spears, riding winged steeds, and “ho-jo-to-ho-ing” at the top of their lungs. To add insult to injury (though given Wagner‟s character, one might think this was more a case of “turnaround is fair play”), there‟s also Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd exploring at least six of Wagner‟s leitmotifs in “Kill the Wabbit!!!” of Looney Tunes fame!! No matter: At least in the United States, the primary leitmotif from this number is probably Wagner‟s Greatest Hit, and many of us heard it first watching those Saturday morning cartoons. This is a tour de force for the brass section; they carry the day with the exhilarating theme whilst the woodwinds and strings valiantly try to keep up with the arpeggiated figures that represent the flying Valkyries on their winged steeds,

transporting the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla. It is a true masterpiece that gives the listener a stunning sonic recreation of some of the most compelling visual imagery ever conceived.

by Michelle Pellay-Walker