46Th SEASON PROGRAM NOTES Week 1 July 15-July 21, 2018
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th SEASON PROGRAM NOTES 46 Week 1 July 15-July 21, 2018 Sunday, July 15, 6 pm or the interplay of the two instruments in done in eight days “and three sleepless Monday, July 16, 6 pm L’aube enchantée. The flute and harp have nights” of work. And then there was the distinctive roles here. The harp introduces matter of proper clothing. Ravel was the RAVI SHANKAR (1920 – 2012) the piece and often functions as a drone as most fastidiously dressed composer who L’aube enchantée (The Enchanted Dawn) it accompanies the melodic instrument, the ever lived (for his American tour of 1928, (1976) flute. But it would be a mistake to regard he would take along 20 pairs of pajamas the harp purely as an “accompanying” and 50 pastel shirts); now he hurried to his Ravi Shankar had a profound impact on instrument—it introduces a series of complex tailor to order the proper clothes for a yacht Western music in the 1960s, and musicians rhythmic patterns, often plays by itself, and trip. In his haste, Ravel left the manuscript as diverse as Philip Glass and George is an equal partner in the musical enterprise. of the new harp piece sitting on the tailor’s Harrison have expressed how greatly The flute, the “melodic” instrument, may counter. Fearing the worst, he returned from Shankar impacted their own music. But have a simple melody at first, but its part the trip several weeks later to find that the Shankar was, in turn, just as interested in takes on a complexity of its own as the tailor had carefully saved it for him. Western music. He composed two concertos tempo increases and the evolution of the The harp piece was the Introduction & for sitar and orchestra, collaborated with raga theme grows more sophisticated. Allegro: a brief (10-minute) work for harp Yehudi Menuhin and Jean-Pierre Rampal, That fundamental theme-shape may be, in and a chamber ensemble of flute, clarinet, and sought to create a fusion of Indian and Shankar’s words, “sad,” but L’aube enchantée and string quartet, first performed in Paris Western music. One of the results of this concludes in a great flourish of happy on February 22, 1907. As one might expect, was his L’aube enchantée (The Enchanted energy. given the source of the commission, it Dawn), which Shankar composed in 1976. This music has also been arranged for features the harp prominently, but the L’aube enchantée is scored for two Western flute and guitar, and listeners interested in Introduction & Allegro is not, despite instruments—flute and harp—yet it makes L’aube enchantée should know that Jean- what some have claimed, a miniature harp use of some of the techniques of Indian Pierre Rampal has recorded this version concerto, though it has a cadenza for that music, specifically its use of a raga as its with guitarist Alexandre Lagoya. Today’s instrument near the close. Rather, it is a fundamental theme. A raga is one of the concert, however, offers L’aube enchantée in genuine chamber work that contrasts three ancient melodic patterns of Indian music. Shankar’s original version for flute and harp. quite different sonorities: the smooth sound There are hundreds and hundreds of ragas —Eric Bromberger of woodwinds, the percussive sound of and each has a name, but they are not harp, and the warm resonance of strings. melodies. Instead, they are simply sequences MAURICE RAVEL (1875 – 1937) In fact, one of the most impressive things of notes—they may be 4, 5, 6, 7 notes long, Introduction & Allegro for Harp, Flute, about the Introduction & Allegro is the and they may be as simple as a fragment of Clarinet & String Quartet (1905) range of different sounds Ravel achieves a scale. But those notes—the raga—are just with this small ensemble—the music seems the starting point: they are the framework In the spring of 1905, Ravel—then 30 years to shimmer and glow throughout. Ravel for the performers to improvise and turn old—was invited to go on a yacht trip. The asks the strings for tremolos, pizzicatos, them into expressive and beautiful music of composer had just come through a bruising harmonics, and sul tasto bowing (over the their own. scandal. He had been denied the Prix de fingerboard to produce an especially soft Shankar based L’aube enchantée on the Rome for the third consecutive year, and the sound). The winds are given rapidly repeated six-note raga Todi. Todi has been described resulting outcry had forced the resignation staccatos and swirling arpeggios, while the as a “mourning melody,” and Shankar of the director of the Paris Conservatory. writing for harp is thoroughly idiomatic, himself described it as “sad and devotional.” Now he was anxious to put this strain making imaginative use of pedaling and The musical progress of L’aube enchantée is behind him and go sailing to Amsterdam, harmonics. straightforward. The mood may be somber then up the Rhine as far as Frankfurt, and The very opening makes clear Ravel’s and subdued at the beginning, but over back to Le Havre. intention to contrast these sounds. the music’s 12-minute span the tempo But complications stood in the way of Woodwinds introduce the haunting opening gradually eases ahead until the music Ravel’s yachting holiday. First, the Érard theme (Ravel marks it expressif), strings reaches a spirited and upbeat conclusion. Company, maker of harps and pianos, had answer them, and the harp, in turn, responds Such a description, while generally accurate, commissioned a work for harp that he had to the strings. The Introduction is quite does little to suggest the evolution of the to finish before he could go. Usually a slow brief, and, at the Allegro, the music surges raga, the growing rhythmic complexity, and meticulous worker, Ravel got this piece ahead as the harp alone introduces the Program notes for Music at Noon Concerts are sponsored by Barbara & Ronald Balser with thanks to the gifted Festival musicians who inspire us all. playful main theme. The music builds to an string quartet in history). Apparently a the sketches of this movement that we can animated climax and suddenly breaks off fine amateur violinist himself, his greatest glimpse Beethoven’s ongoing battle with for the harp’s cadenza, which is beautifully contributions to Western civilization were how to deal with his growing deafness: he written for the instrument. Especially certainly in the realm of patronage, scrawls at one point: “Make no secret of your effective are its closing moments, where the not diplomacy. deafness, even in art.” Thank heavens he did left hand has the main theme in harmonics Schupanzigh and his Quartet premiered that and so much more. while the right hand accompanies with the majority of Beethoven’s middle and late —Greg Hettmansberger high and very faint glissandos. The other quartets, and there were certainly bumps instruments rejoin the harp for the rush to in the road: Schupanzigh would complain the colorful cadence. to the composer about certain difficulties, —Eric Bromberger and Beethoven would reply something to the effect that he did not take into account MAGNUS LINDBERG (b. 1958) Schupanzigh’s trials when he, Beethoven, String Trio (2018) was inspired—“when the spirit speaks to me.” (Commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber When Razumovsky commissioned the Music Festival) (world premiere) Opus 59 set, he stipulated that Beethoven incorporate a Russian or Ukrainian tune into (Magnus Lindberg will discuss his new String each work. Beethoven duly notes a “thème Trio at the pre-concert talk taking place at russe” in each of the first two but not in the 5 pm in the Women’s Board Room of the third. There is some evidence that the second New Mexico Museum of Art) movement does draw on a Russian folk influence, admitted by Beethoven or not. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770 – 1827) Overall, the work is one of heroic power String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, to the point where many commentators “Razumovsky” (1805) make the connection between Beethoven’s continuing struggles with his worsening Beethoven may have taken his sweet time in deafness and the tensions in this Opus 59, getting around to writing string quartets—he No. 3. The first movement opens in was 30 years old before he published his first mystery, the notes seemingly hanging six as Opus 18—but once the ice was broken, suspended despite the introduction’s there was plenty more to come. What the marking of Andante con moto. The bulk of first listeners of those early quartets in the movement is built upon a short note 1801 could not have foreseen was how jump to a sustained note motif, which also quickly, and how far, Beethoven would begin dominates the development while each stretching the boundaries of Classical player gets plenty of virtuosic work to do. form, while setting the early markers of The recap skips the opening theme Romantic style. entirely, but Beethoven caps it all with a Of course, there were plenty of clues in dazzling coda. the four short years between Opus 18 and The second movement has led some of the Opus 59: the first two symphonies, already best-known Beethoven musicologists to wax pushing the envelope before the mighty rather intense: Joseph Kerman describes it “Eroica” Symphony exploded on the scene as “the mystery of the primitive,” and J.W.N. (Op. 55); the Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4 Sullivan finds in it “some forgotten and (Opp. 37 and 58), which, likewise, say a final alien despair.” Certainly the violin’s opening farewell to Mozart and then point toward a melody is dreary enough, intoned over an new direction; and the turbulent “Waldstein” insistent cello pizzicato.