York Symphony Orchestra 2015-2016 Season Program Notes Written and Prepared by Jeffrey Snedeker
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York Symphony Orchestra 2015-2016 Season Program Notes Written and Prepared by Jeffrey Snedeker Classical I In Nature's Realm Antonio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678 - July 28, 1741) Autumn, from The Four Seasons, from Il Cimento dell' armonia e dell' inventione, op. 8 (1725) Born in Venice, Vivaldi was employed for most of his working life by the Ospedale della Pietà. This “orphanage” was in fact a home for the female children of noblemen and their mistresses. It was thus well endowed by the “anonymous” fathers with comfortable furnishings, good supervision, and excellent musical training. Most of Vivaldi’s concertos were composed for these talented students. The terms of his employment allowed him a great deal of freedom for commissions and traveling, but he remained in the service of the Ospedale until very close to his death. The Four Seasons are part of a larger collection of 12 concertos, entitled Il Cimento dell' Armenia e dell'invenzione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). Harmony, in this case, is the rational side of music, Invention is the imagination, and this “battle” was a key aesthetic issue for many composers in the transition from Baroque to Classical music in the 18th century. Viewed as one of the earliest examples of true “program” music, there is an added twist: Vivaldi wrote sonnets to go with each of concerto. The text was written into the score, and the music depicts the events as described. Autumn is filled with sounds of harvest dancing and hunting. I. Allegro The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in. The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber. II. Adagio molto The singing and the dancing die away as cooling breezes fan the pleasant air, inviting all to sleep without a care. III. Allegro The hunters emerge at dawn, ready for the chase, with horns and dogs and cries. Their quarry flees while they give chase. Terrified and wounded, the prey struggles on, but, harried, dies. Antonin Leopold Dvořák (September 8, 1841 - May 1, 1904) In Nature's Realm, op. 91 (1891) Born in rural Bohemia, Antonin Dvořák's upbringing included both folk and classical music. After formal studies in Prague, he gained a position as a violinist in the National Opera orchestra, where he would meet Bedrich Smetana, whose nationalistic efforts were to have a strong impact on Dvořák. He continued to work incredibly hard and by the mid-1870s achieved some visibility as a composer, catching the eye of Johannes Brahms who became instrumental in his future success. As nationalistic music became popular throughout Europe, Dvořák’s knack for combining folk elements with classical settings (especially with Brahms’ blessing) made him a busy and rich person. In the 1880s, Dvořák had saved enough money to buy a small country property in southern Bohemia. He spent the summer months there with his family, enjoying the beauty of nature. He wrote many of his most famous works there, including three concert overtures, In Nature’s Realm, op. 91, Carnival, op.92, and Othello op.93. These three overtures were created as a programmatic trilogy representing Nature, Life, and Love. Dvořák’s depiction of Nature (op.91) is forthright and positive. There are restful sounds, as well as those of joy and movement. Experts of his music have also found a close thematic connection with the Czech hymn Vesele zpívejme, Boha Otce chvalme (Let us sing joyfully, praise God the Father). Thus Nature is depicted as an aspect of the nature of God, very much in line with the composer’s own religious thinking. One can even hear elements of the New World Symphony, which would appear less than five years later. Gustav Mahler (July 7, 1860 - May 18, 1911) Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) (1909) Gustav Mahler was a very pragmatic person, choosing to make his living as a conductor rather than depend on commissions for compositions. He was very passionate about the music of Richard Wagner, and, rather than worship him from a respectful distance as others did, he plunged into Wagner’s music, giving it lavish performances. As Mahler wrote his symphonies, Schoenberg and Bartok had begun their experiments in new music (with others not far behind), extending harmonic and rhythmic complexities. This inevitably caused a crisis, not only for audiences struggling to make sense of these developments, but also for composers like Mahler and Richard Strauss who found more meaning in the music of the 19th century. In Mahler’s case, this led to music that exhibited remarkable contradictions, seen most clearly in his symphonic works. In the 1890s, Mahler experimented with all sorts of textural possibilities, including expanding both orchestral and vocal/choral forces. What is particularly interesting, however, is that rather than using them simply to increase the sheer volume, Mahler more often used the larger forces for a wider palette of timbres. The first decade of the twentieth century began with large-scale works, clearly split between monumental symphonic pieces that abandoned any programmatic impulses (at least publicly), and orchestral lieder, an extension of the inspiration to combine orchestra and voices. Three personal disasters occurred for Mahler in 1907 that would change his life and effect his remaining years: politics and anti-semitism forced him to resign his post as Director of the Vienna Court Opera; his daughter, Maria, died from scarlet fever and diphtheria; he himself was diagnosed with a heart ailment. The resulting works from the last three years of his life reflect increasing concern and depression. Some time in the country and other inspirations helped him write the first draft of Das Lied von der Erde in 1908. Mahler called the work a symphony when it was published, but he chose not to number it, possibly because it was a song cycle or hybrid work, or he may have been superstitious about ninth symphonies and dying. It consists of six songs for two singers, tenor and alto, and large orchestra. The subject matter is reflected in the movement titles and accompanying texts, from Hans Bethge’s Die chinesische Flöte (The Chinese Flute), derived from old Chinese poems: “The Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery,” “The Lonely One in Autumn,” “Of Youth,” “”Of Beauty,” “The Drunken Man in Spring,” and “The Farewell.” The mix of text and sound, technique and expression, and profundity and intimacy prompted composer and noted Mahler conductor Leonard Bernstein to describe Das Lied von der Erde as Mahler’s “greatest symphony.” 1047 # # Classical II A Stormy Night: Musical Depictions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest John Knowles Paine (January 9, 1839 - April 25, 1906) The Tempest, op. 31 (1877) John Knowles Paine was the first American-born composer to win mainstream acceptance, and one of the first to be named professor of music at an American university. In the 1800s, American musicians achieved “legitimacy” by studying overseas, so, after a thorough musical grounding, Paine left for Europe in 1858 and absorbed the German Romantic musical world that would pervade his own compositions. When he finally settled in Boston in 1861, Paine started a series of organ recitals and public lectures on music that ultimately won him an appointment to the faculty of Harvard University. Paine served the Harvard and Boston communities for the rest of his life as a performer and advocate for music in education and in daily life. The Tempest is a symphonic poem in four connected movements, based on Shakespeare’s play. The opening “Storm” begins dramatically with a tympani roll, followed by swirling figures in the strings and winds, with the sea’s power felt in the brass and percussion. In “Calm and Happy Scene before Prospero’s Cell,” a lovely melody represents the island’s beauty, giving way to the introduction of the spirit Ariel, with harp and winds. In “Prospero’s Tale,” strings introduce an ardent theme that represents Prospero’s life. After a brief return of Ariel’s music, the fourth movement opens with a passionate theme representing “The Happy Love of Ferdinand and Miranda.” This is eventually interrupted by a playful interlude introducing Caliban. The themes of love and then of Ariel return, followed by a triumphant ending. The piece is well organized thematically and, despite the evocative imagery, is not the over-the-top programmatic approach used by Liszt and a few decades later by Richard Strauss. Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 - July 31, 1886) Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major (1855) Franz Liszt was one of the most innovative composers and finest pianists in history. A child prodigy at the piano, he traveled all over Europe in his formative years, and became heavily influenced by opera’s extroverted expression and the extraordinary technique of Paganini, the greatest violinist of the time. His music is forward-looking, occasionally experimental, and many of his style traits anticipate and influenced future developments, including Impressionism in music and 12-tone composition. In 1842, Liszt took a court position in Weimar. Once settled there, he conducted, wrote about music, and composed many of his most important works, including his “tempestuous” Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, completed in 1855. He premiered the concerto there that year, with Hector Berlioz conducting. In the first movement, the powerful opening motive goes through numerous variations and moods, as the piano and orchestra are integrated throughout. A tender contrasting section follows, where the pianist is asked to seek every possible sound the piano can make. The third movement is playful and features an innovative triangle part. The finale builds in bravura and momentum to a powerful ending.