DOCSLIB.ORG

Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Summer, 1965-1966

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Summer, 1965-1966 /9 Theatre - Concert Hall Tanglewood SEVEN CONCERTS OF CHAMBER MUSIC Tuesday Evenings at 8:00 July 13 Boston Symphony Chamber Players BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ERICH LEINSDORF Music Director *&& BERKSHIRE FESTIVAL 1965 BALDWIN PIANO RCA VICTOR RECORDS QUARTET FOR OBOE AND STRINGS, IN F MAJOR, K. 370 By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Mozart wrote his Oboe Quartet in 1781 for his friend Friedrich Ramm, the famous virtuoso of the Electoral Orchestra in Munich, while Idomeneo was in course of preparation (the Oboe Concerto which he wrote for Ramm and which was thought lost has recently been confirmed as a version of the Flute Concerto in D, (K.314). The Oboe Quartet shows that Mozart ex- pected a first rate performance and valued Ramm's regard for his own abilities. The score puts the soloist through his paces, as in the last movement where the oboe plays rapid runs to four beats in six-eight measures. The string writing shows that Mozart had not forgotten how to write string quartets although he had long left them untouched. The string trio has no mere accompanying function with an occasional echo of the soloist—it is a concertante partner throughout, but especially in the short Adagio. The theme of the "Rondeau," in six-eight beat, was plainly conceived for the bright, clipped style of the reed instrument. FANTASIA FOR STRING TRIO By Irving Fine (1914-1963) This trio was composed in 1959 by commission of the Fromm Founda- tion and the University of Illinois. It is dedicated to Paul Fromm. The career of Irving Fine has been closely connected with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which has performed his "Serious Song," his "Toccata Concertante," his "Notturno for Strings and Harp" and his Symphony of 1962, which was performed in Boston and repeated at a Berkshire Festival concert in that year under the composer's direction. (This was eleven days before his death.) Irving Fine was one of the composers who studied with Mile. Nadia Boulanger in France. His music won numerous awards. The following para- graphs were written for "The Justice," a publication of Brandeis University by his friend and colleague, Aaron Copland, shortly after his death: "Every musical culture depends, above all else, upon men and women whose instinctive musicality is of the first order. Irving Fine was that kind of musician. His outstanding quality was his musical sensitivity—he had an ear that one could trust. His students and his fellow composers depended upon him to tell the truth about their music and, in general, about the music of our time. In the sureness and Tightness of his judgment we rec- ognized ourselves. The loss of that kind of instinctive musicianship cannot be replaced. "This sureness of musical instinct informed his every activity, as com- poser and teacher and performer. He worried considerably about each new work in process of composition. And yet, when we came to know them, they had elegance, style, finish and a naturalness of flow. His problems as com- poser—of which he had his share—concerned matters of aesthetics, of eclecticism, of influence. These limitations he recognized; they made him modest to a fault. But all his compositions, from the lightest to the most serious, 'sound'; they have bounce and thrust and finesse; they are always a musical pleasure to hear. The future will decide as to their originality and their staying power. But for us, his friends and colleagues, they have imbedded in them one of the most cherishable musical natures of our time." SECOND CONCERT OF THE CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES Boston Symphony Chamber Players JOSEPH SILVERSTEIN, Violin RALPH GOMBERG, Oboe BURTON FINE, Viola GINO CIOFFI, Clarinet JULES ESKIN, Cello SHERMAN WALT, Bassoon GEORGES MOLEUX,* Bass JAMES STAGLIANO, Horn PROGRAM MOZART Quartet for Oboe and Strings, in F major, K. 370 I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Rondeau: Allegro FINE Fantasia for String Trio I. ( Adagio, ma non troppo II. I Scherzo: Allegro molto ritmico III. Lento assai, tranquillo INTERMISSION BEETHOVEN Septet for Violin, Viola, Horn, Clarinet, Bassoon, Cello and Bass, in B flat major, Op. 20 I. Adagio II. Allegro con brio III. Adagio cantabile IV. Tempo di Menuetto V. Andante con Variazione VI. Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace VII. Andante con moto alia marcia VIII. Presto * Henry Freeman will take this part in the present performance on account of the illness of Mr. Moleux. < SEPTET IN Eb MAJOR FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA, HORN, CLARINET, BASSOON, CELLO AND BASS, Op. 20 By Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) There are several recorded instances of Beethoven's impatience with the persisting popularity of his Septet which, first performed in 1800 and dedicated to the Empress Maria Theresa, follows the old tradition of a cham- ber suite. When Neate in 1815 told him that it was a great favorite in Eng- land, Beethoven swore, and wished it could be destroyed. Cipriano Potter, making a similar remark two years later, had a similar answer. He did "not know how to compose" when he wrote the Septet, said Beethoven. He was "writing something better now." That something was the "Hammer- Klavier" Sonata. Beethoven's annoyance is quite understandable. A suite composed in a mood of light effervescence, gratifying popular expectancy by amiably con- forming to eighteenth-century custom, is well enough if taken in kind. But when it is taken solemnly to heart and held up as if in reproach as the ultimate model, then the artist who had lived to probe fresh possibilities chafed at being expected to return to a past century and remain there. What Beethoven may not have remembered when he made his impatient expostulations was a gratifying quality in the Septet over and above its harmonic or stylistic complacence. A true master of the distinguishing charm of wind voices matches the clarinet, bassoon and horn, and sets them in the reciprocal company of the string quartet. Each group has an illus- trious and pleasantly voluble leader: the clarinet for the one, the first violin for the other. In alternate phrases the wind and string groups offset each other with a charm exceeded only by the solos for each wind instrument in the Adagio, or the viola solo in the trio of the Scherzo, or the still recurring color discoveries in the set of variations in miniature. Beethoven also failed 1 to figure the gratefulness of the sheer melodic exuberance, which never once lags. The Septet had a full right to stand on its own direct charm, com- parisons aside and apart from considerations of progress. The music is quite unclouded until the last movement, when an introductory Andante in march time brings in an almost funereal E-flat minor. The Presto following is more serious than what has gone before, with shadows of the minor several times crossing its bright surface. CONCERTS TO FOLLOW: July 20 Joseph Silverstein, Violin Igor Kipnis, Harpsichord Alfred Zighera, Viola da gamba July 27 Lenox Quartet August 3 Lillian Kallir and Claude Frank, Pianists (with vocal ensemble) August 10 Boston Symphony Chamber Players (with Claude Frank) August 17 Music of Aaron Copland (Part of a Festival of Contemporary American Music, in cooperation with the Fromm Music Foundation)..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Music Library Association's 70Th Annual Meeting
    MMLLAA NEWSLETTER Music Library Association’s 70th Annual Meeting Coverage begins on page three A bunch of happy music librarians having just exited the backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera. Photo taken by Bob Kosovsky. No. 125 May–June 2001 ISSN 0580-289-X President’s Report MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS James P. Cassaro, MLA President successful University of Pittsburgh relation- Officers ship with JAMES P. CASSARO, President As I prepare to chair my first our new University of Pittsburgh Board of Directors meeting as manage- PAULA MATTHEWS, Past President President of the Association, I am ment Princeton University struck by the tremendous support and services LAURA GAYLE GREEN, respect the membership has afforded provider! The transition to the Treasurer /Executive Secretary me in my new role. It is indeed combined Treasurer/Executive Secre- University of Missouri — Kansas City gratifying to see how much you all do tary position, where two positions LYNN GULLICKSON, on a volunteer basis for the once were, is moving forward, as well. Recording Secretary organization. When I read through the I am incredibly grateful to Michael Northwestern University various reports submitted by our Colby, who has agreed to act in the special officers, editors, and committee capacity of administrative support for Members-at-Large 2000-2002 chairs, it is abundantly apparent that Laura Gayle Green. His willingness to the Association is bubbling with do this for the Association is matched ALLIE GOUDY Western Illinois University activity. Solid ideas for projects and as well by his generosity. He has programs are coming to the surface refused any compensation in the form LESLIE TROUTMAN and are being thoroughly discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • SAAKE, GARRETT. D.M.A. the Elements of Neoclassical Style in the Women‟S Choir Compositions of Irving Fine
    SAAKE, GARRETT. D.M.A. The Elements of Neoclassical Style in the Women‟s Choir Compositions of Irving Fine. (2011) Directed by Dr. Welborn Young. 65 pp. The composer Irving Fine died in 1962 at the age of forty-seven cutting short the life of an important figure in twentieth-century American music. Since Fine‟s life was relatively short, his musical output is proportionally small and often goes unstudied. Fine‟s contribution to the choral genre is particularly small but offers a unique perspective of composing for choir. Fine‟s complete oeuvre includes music in many genres that can stylistically be divided into two categories; tonal-neoclassical and atonal- neoclassical. Fine‟s early instrumental compositions are decidedly tonal-neoclassical and ultimately become serially based, a style that characterizes most of his later works. While Fine‟s instrumental music developed towards atonality, his works for women‟s choir did not. The choral music for women‟s choir remained rooted in the tonal- neoclassical style of his early period. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Irving Fine composed choral music for women‟s choir in an operative and nuanced style of choral writing that remained effectively tonally based and in the neoclassical style as understood and applied by Fine and his colleagues. This document places the selected choral works in context through a brief biography and discussion of neoclassicism as the term was understood during Fine‟s compositional period. The biography “Irving Fine: A Composer in His Time” by Phillip Ramey and information from the Irving Fine Collection at the Library of Congress are the primary sources of biographical information.
    [Show full text]
  • Sccopland on The
    THE UNITED STATES ARMY FIELD BAND SOLDIERS’ CHORUS The Legacy of AARON COPLAND Washington, D.C. “The Musical Ambassadors of the Army” he Soldiers’ Chorus, founded in 1957, is the vocal complement of the T United States Army Field Band of Washington, DC. The 29-member mixed choral ensemble travels throughout the nation and abroad, performing as a separate component and in joint concerts with the Concert Band of the “Musical Ambassadors of the Army.” The chorus has performed in all fifty states, Canada, Mexico, India, the Far East, and throughout Europe, entertaining audiences of all ages. The musical backgrounds of Soldiers’ Chorus personnel range from opera and musical theatre to music education and vocal coaching; this diversity provides unique programming flexibility. In addition to pre- senting selections from the vast choral repertoire, Soldiers’ Chorus performances often include the music of Broadway, opera, barbershop quartet, and Americana. This versatility has earned the Soldiers’ Chorus an international reputation for presenting musical excellence and inspiring patriotism. Critics have acclaimed recent appearances with the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, and the Detroit, Dallas, and National symphony orchestras. Other no- table performances include four world fairs, American Choral Directors Association confer- ences, music educator conven- tions, Kennedy Center Honors Programs, the 750th anniversary of Berlin, and the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. The Legacy of AARON COPLAND About this Recording The Soldiers’ Chorus of the United States Army Field Band proudly presents the second in a series of recordings honoring the lives and music of individuals who have made significant contributions to the choral reper- toire and to music education.
    [Show full text]
  • Harold Shapero Was Born on April 29, 1920, in Lynn, Massachusetts
    Harold Shapero was born on April 29, 1920, in Lynn, Massachusetts. Raised there and in Newton, another Boston-area suburb, he was already playing the piano at age seven. By the time he reached college, he had achieved a good bit more musically than most teenagers. This included theory and composition lessons with Nicolas Slonimsky and Ernst Kenek, piano studies with Eleanor Kerr and Manfred Malkin, and a small but promising portfolio of concert music written for string trio and solo piano, even extensive experience as a jazz pianist and arranger. Shapero’s undergraduate years at Harvard University (1937–1941) saw the young man’s muse fall strongly under the spell of his teacher, Walter Piston, and the middle-period oeuvre of Igor Stravinsky, who had delivered the Charles Eliot Norton lectures at the school during the 1939–1940 academic year. Further studies with Paul Hindemith at Tanglewood (summers, 1940 and 1941) and Nadia Boulanger at the Longy School of Music (1942–1943) reinforced his stylistic inclinations within the then-dominant Neoclassic camp. Even at this time, Shapero was producing pieces far superior to those of the average music student. The sonatas for trumpet/piano duo and for piano four hands, the wind trio 3 Pieces for 3 Pieces, the String Quartet, and the Nine Minute Overture for Orchestra in fact compare favorably to the finest works of the era. The 1940s saw Shapero and his music gain much favorable attention. During this decade, he won nearly every major award a composer could hope for: the Rome Prize (1941—residency cancelled because of World War II), fellowships from the Naumburg (1942), Guggenheim (1947, 1948), and Fulbright (1948) foundations, the Joseph H.
    [Show full text]
  • Irving Fine Collection
    Irving Fine Collection Processed by the Music Division of the Library of Congress Music Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2005 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/ perform.contact Finding Aid encoded by Library of Congress Music Division, 2005 Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/ eadmus.mu001001 Latest revision: 2011 January Collection Summary Title: Irving Fine Collection Span Dates: 1930-1993 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1950-1962) Call No.: ML31.F5 Creator: Fine, Irving, 1914-1962 Extent: around 4,350 items; 21 boxes; 7 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Repository: Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Abstract: The bulk of the materials in the collection are musical scores and sketches which represent virtually the entire musical output of the composer, some of which have been cataloged individually and classified and shelved in ML96.F47, ML96.5.F47, ML30.3C.F55, and ML29c.F527. In addition there are photographs, clippings, programs, scrapbooks, as well as correspondence from 20th century musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, Alberto Ginastera, Ned Rorem, and William Schuman. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990--Correspondence. Copland, Aaron, 1900-1990--Correspondence. Fine, Irving, 1914-1962--Autographs. Fine, Irving, 1914-1962--Correspondence. Fine, Irving, 1914-1962. Fine, Irving, 1914-1962. Foss, Lukas, 1922-2009--Correspondence. Ginastera, Alberto, 1916-1983--Correspondence.
    [Show full text]
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 82, 1962-1963
    BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA EIGHTY-SECOND SEASON 1962-1963 STRADIVARI created for all time a perfect marriage of precision and beauty for both the eye and the ear. He had the unique genius to combine a thorough knowledge of the acoustical values of wood with a fine artist's sense of the good and the beautiful. Unexcelled by anything before or after, his violins have such purity of tone, they are said to speak with the voice of a lovely soul within. In business, as in the arts, experience and ability are invaluable. We suggest you take advantage of our extensive insurance background by letting us review your needs either business or personal and counsel you to an intelligent program. We respectfully invite your inquiry. CHARLES H. WATKINS & CO. Richard P. Nyquist — Charles G. Carleton — Robert G. Jennings 147 MILK STREET BOSTON 9, MASSACHUSETTS LIBERTY 2-1250 Associated With OBRION, RUSSELL & CO. Insurance of Every Description EIGHTY-SECOND SEASON, [962-1963 Boston Symphony Orchestra ERICH LEINSDORF, Music Director Richard Burgin, Associate Conductor CONCERT BULLETIN with historical and descriptive notes by John N. Burk The TRUSTEES of the BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. Henry B. Cabot President Talcott M. Banks Vice-President Richard C. Paine Treasurer Abram Berkowitz John T. Noonan Theodore P. Ferris Mrs. James H. Perkins Francis W. Hatch Sidney R. Rabb Harold D. Hodgkinson Charles H. Stockton C. D. Jackson John L. Thorndike E. Morton Jennings, Jr. Raymond S. Wilkins Henry A. Laughlin Oliver Wolcott TRUSTEES EMERITUS Palfrey Perkins Lewis Perry Edward A. Taft Thomas D. Perry, Jr., Manager Norman S.
    [Show full text]
  • PROGRAM NOTES 5 by Nicholas Alexander Brown
    A Fine Centennial FRIDAY MAY 16, 2014 8:00 A Fine Centennial FRIDAY MAY 16, 2014 8:00 JORDAN HALL AT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY Pre-concert talk with Nicholas Alexander Brown, Music Director & Founder, The Irving Fine Society – 7:00 IRVING FINE Blue Towers (1959) Remarks by Eric Chasalow, Irving G. Fine Professor of Music, Brandeis University and Emily and Claudia Fine IRVING FINE Diversions for Orchestra (1959) I. Little Toccata II. Flamingo Polka III. Koko’s Lullaby IV. The Red Queen’s Gavotte HAROLD SHAPERO Serenade in D for string orchestra (1945) I. Adagio—Allegro II. Menuetto (scherzando): Allegretto III. Larghetto, poco adagio IV. Intermezzo: Andantino con moto V. Finale: Allegro assai, poco presto INTERMISSION ARTHUR BERGER Prelude, Aria, and Waltz for string orchestra (1945, rev. 1982) I. Prelude II. Aria III. Waltz IRVING FINE Symphony (1962) I. Intrada: Andante quasi allegretto II. Capriccio: Allegro con spirito III. Ode: Grave GIL ROSE, Conductor Presented in collaboration with the Fine Family, The Irving Fine Society, and Brandeis University. PROGRAM NOTES 5 by Nicholas Alexander Brown This evening’s concert commemorates the Irving Fine centennial TINA TALLON with works by Fine and two of his most revered friends and colleagues, Harold Shapero and Arthur Berger. These three composers, along with Leonard Bernstein and Lukas Foss, are known collectively as the Boston School or Boston Group. Influenced greatly by Aaron TONIGHT’S PERFORMERS Copland, Serge Koussevitzky, Igor Stravinsky, and Nadia Boulanger (with whom several of them studied), these composers carved a place at the forefront of American music. Fine, Shapero, and Berger all spent time as students at at Harvard before making FLUTE TROMBONE VIOLIN II Brandeis University their musical home.
    [Show full text]
  • The Piano Sonatas by Harold Shapero: a Stylistic Synthesis
    THE PIANO SONATAS BY HAROLD SHAPERO: A STYLISTIC SYNTHESIS BY CHIA-YING CHAN DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Music with a concentration in Performance and Literature in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Timothy Ehlen, Chair and Director of Research Professor William Kinderman Professor Charlotte Mattax Moersch Associate Professor Reynold Tharp ABSTRACT This research project offers an investigation into the stylistic language of the piano sonatas of Harold Shapero (1920-2013)—a twentieth-century American composer who is recognized as a member of the “Stravinsky School,” particularly for his emulation of Stravinsky’s Neoclassical style. Within its consideration of Neoclassical elements in Shapero’s work, this project looks at Shapero’s synthesis of elements and features from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries, including compositional features connected with Stravinsky, Beethoven, J. S. Bach and others. All of Shapero’s piano sonatas are considered in this study, including the Sonata for Piano Four Hands (1941), the Three Amateur Sonatas (1944), and the Piano Sonata in F Minor (1948). These piano sonatas allow for an investigation of Shapero’s stylistic features and illustrate the composer’s overall stylistic evolution. Some attention is given to connections between the piano sonatas. Shapero’s final Piano Sonata in F Minor represents a compositional culmination
    [Show full text]
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Summer, 1961-1962
    ancjlewood ^ BOSTON SYMPHONY I ORCHESTRA <%& Berkshire Festival 1962 Pierre ^Monteux Conducts the ^Boston Symphony Always an advocate of Russian music, Pierre Monteux returns to the first orchestra with which he held a permanent position in the U.S., to record a pene- trating performance of Tchaikovsky's "Fourth" and "Petrouchka" by his friend and collaborator, Stravinsky. The Boston Symphony records exclusively on RCA Victor Red Seal. Hear Pierre Monteux in Living Stereo or Monaural Hi-Fi. Tchaikovsky SYMPHONY No. 4 MONTEUX /BOSTON SYMPHONY RCA VICTOR THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN SOUND Boston Symphony Orchestra CHARLES MUNCH, Music Director Richard Burgin, Associate Conductor Berkshire Festival> Season 1962 TWENTY-FIFTH SEASON MUSIC SHED AT TANGLEWOOD, LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS SIXTH WEEK Concert Bulletin, with historical and descriptive notes by John N. Burk Copyright, 1962 by Boston Symphony Orchestra, inc. The Trustees of The BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Inc. President Vice-President Treasurer Henry B. Cabot Talcott M. Banks Richard C. Paine Abeam Berkowitz E. Morton Jennings, Jr. Sidney R. Rabb Theodore P. Ferris Henry A. Laughlin Charles H. Stockton Francis W. Hatch John T. Noonan John L. Thorndike Harold D. Hodgkinson Mrs. James H. Perkins Raymond S. Wilkins C. D. Jackson Oliver Wolcott Trustees Emeritus Palfrey Perkins Lewis Perry Edward A. Taft Tanglewood Advisory Committee Alan J. Blau Henry W. Dwight George E. Mole Robert K. Wheeler Lenges Bull George W. Edman Whitney S. Stoddard H. George Wilde Lawrence K. Miller Jesse L. Thomason Chairmen of the Boards of Selectmen (Ex Officio): Stockbridge, Samuel H. Sprott Lenox, William T. McCormack Lee, C. Marcel Brunell Thomas D.
    [Show full text]
  • Harold Shapero
    HAROLD SHAPERO: ORCHESTRAL WORKS [1] SINFONIA IN C MINOR (1948) 10:48 HAROLD SHAPERO 1920-2013 [2] CREDO FOR ORCHESTRA (1955) 7:36 PARTITA IN C FOR PIANO SINFONIA IN C MINOR AND SMALL ORCHESTRA (1960) [3] I. Sinfonia 1:48 [4] II. Ciaccona 3:54 CREDO FOR ORCHESTRA [5] III. Pastorale 2:32 [6] IV. Scherzo 1:20 PARTITA IN C FOR PIANO [7] V. Aria 5:27 AND SMALL ORCHESTRA [8] VI. Burlesca 1:13 [9] VII. Cadenza 2:10 ON GREEN MOUNTAIN [10] VIII. Esercizio 2:11 For Jazz Ensemble Vivian Choi, piano [11] ON GREEN MOUNTAIN SERENADE IN D FOR STRING ORCHESTRA FOR JAZZ ENSEMBLE (1957) 10:01 SERENADE IN D FOR STRING ORCHESTRA (1945) BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT Gil Rose, conductor [12] I. Adagio – Allegretto 9:49 VIVIAN CHOI piano [13] II. Menuetto 3:19 [14] III. Larghetto, poco adagio 10:19 [15] IV. Intermezzo 4:32 [16] V. Finale 6:26 TOTAL 83:30 COMMENT By Harold Shapero I want to say a few words about music, the musical mind, and that delicate and dangerous subject, the creative process. I have been interested in these matters since my student days, but it is now 1959, and things seem to me really different. The musical world has altered vastly in the space of a very few years. Copland, working in 1928, was stimulated by the new audience made available to the composer by radio. But he could not have foreseen the degree of change which was to result from the rapid expansion of mechanical reproduction, what we now call, incessantly, the media of mass communication.
    [Show full text]
  • Soldiers' Chorus
    THE UNITED STATES ARMY FIELD BAND SOLDIERS’ CHORUS The Legacy of NADIA BOULANGER Washington, D.C. “The Musical Ambassadors of the Army” The Soldiers’ Chorus, founded in 1957, is the vocal complement of The United States Army Field Band of Washington, DC. The 29-member mixed choral ensemble travels throughout the nation and abroad, perform- ing as a separate component and in joint concerts with the Concert Band of the “Mu- sical Ambassadors of the Army.” The chorus has performed in all fifty states, Canada, Mexico, India, the Far East, and through- out Europe, entertaining audiences of all ages. The musical backgrounds of Soldiers’ Chorus personnel range from opera and musical theatre to music education and vocal coaching; this diversity pro- vides unique programming flexibility. In addition to presenting selections from the vast choral repertoire, Soldiers’ Chorus performances often include the music of Broadway, opera, barbershop quartet, and Americana. This versatility has earned the Soldiers’ Chorus an international reputation for presenting musical excellence and inspiring patriotism. Critics have acclaimed recent appearances with the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, and the Detroit, Dallas, and National symphony orchestras. Other notable performances include four world fairs, American Choral Directors Association conferences, music educator conventions, Kennedy Center Honors Programs, the 750th anniversary of Berlin, and the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. Cover photo: Nadia Boulanger, class of 1926, Fontainebleau Palace The Legacy of Nadia Boulanger About This Recording The United States Army Field Band proudly presents the third in a series of Soldiers’ Chorus recordings honoring the lives and music of individuals who have made significant contributions to the choral repertoire and to music education.
    [Show full text]
  • (1920-2013) Harold Shapero, an American Composer, Pian
    Statement from the Shapero Family regarding the passing of Harold Shapero (1920-2013) Harold Shapero, an American composer, pianist and longtime Professor of Music at Brandeis University, passed peacefully in his sleep on Friday, May 17, 2013 at the age of 93, following complications with pneumonia. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts on April 29, 1920, Shapero maintained a bold presence on the music scene in greater-Boston for the last 73 years. His friend Aaron Copland identified him with the American “Stravinsky school” of neo-classical composers that included lifelong friends and colleagues Arthur Berger, Leonard Bernstein and Irving Fine. A graduate of Harvard, his teachers included Walter Piston, Paul Hindemith and Nadia Boulanger. Shapero was a mainstay at the MacDowell Colony during the 1940s, where he completed his Serenade in D. He was an early student at Tanglewood, where Copland presented a performance of Shapero’s Nine-Minute Overture. His music was recognized with accolades such as the Prix de Rome, a Naumburg Fellowship, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Fulbright Fellowship and a Koussevitzky Foundation Commission. Leonard Bernstein, who conducted the premiere of Shapero’s Symphony for Classical Orchestra with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1947 called the work “a marvel” in a letter to Serge Koussevitsky. In his thirty-seven years of teaching at Brandeis, Shapero was instrumental in the development of the university’s renowned electronic music studio and taught music theory and composition. He mentored countless students and was a key figure in shaping the Brandeis University Department of Music in its early decades, serving as the department’s chair in the 1960s.
    [Show full text]