l (b~{ ozoog

BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC The Little Orchestra Society THOMAS SCHERMAN, Music Director

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION SERIES-SEASON 1968-69 Second Concert Sunday Afternoon, December 15, 1968 at 2:30P.M. HERBERT BARRETT, Manager ALVARO CASSUTO, Guest Conductor RUGGIERO RICCI, Violinist

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 34 inC major, K. 338 I Allegro vivace II Andante di molto III Allegro vivace Kammermusik No. 4 for and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 36, No.3 I Signal. Breite majestatische Halbe- 11 Sehr lebhaft III Nachtstiick. Massig schnelle Achtel IV Lebhafte Viertel- V So Schnell, wie moglich RUGGIERO RICCI, Soloist

INTERMISSION JOSEF ALEXANDER Duo Concertante for Trombone, String Orchestra, and Percussion (World premiere) JOHN GRAMM, Trombone WALLACE DEYERLE, Percussion JOLY BRAGA SANTOS Sinfonietta for String Orchestra (American premiere) I Adagi~Allegro II Adagio III Allegro ben marcato, rna non tropp~ Larg~Tempo I Overture, Scherzo, and Finale Op. 52 I Overture: Andante con mot~Allegro II Scherzo: Vivo Ill Finale: Allegro molto vivace

NOTES ON THE PROGRAM by BERNARD JACOBSON

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 34 in C maJor, K. 338 (17 5 6-1791 ) I Allegro Vlvace II Andante di molto III A /legro vivace Mozart's 34th Symphony was the last one he wrote m Salzburg. It was composed in August, 1780, and like its predecessor by a year-No. 33 m B flat major, K. 319-was ongmally performed v.1th only three movements. In the case of No 34, however, the composer's autograph core contams, between the first two movements, the beginning of a mmuet Th1s was subsequently deleted. But two years later, m VIenna, Mozart added newly composed minuets to both works. The one he inserted in No 34 IS believed to be the C maJOr minuet, K. 409 Nowadays the worh. is given in both forms The four­ movement "ers1on has the advantage of representing the composer's final thoughts. The three-movement versiOn, which will be heard tonight, has the complementary advantage of showing the symphony as it wa ongmally completed, v.ithout distraction from the appreciably richer style of the later mmuet. The manner of the music IS both spirited and gracious The use of the apparently "simple'' h.ey of C major IS deceptive, for frequent turns toward such darker tonalities as C minor and F minor provide not only emotional enrichment but also a unifymg factor from one movement to the next. Though the first mo"ement reflects m most es entials what was subsequently codified as "sonata form" (it should be remembered that the great composers never knew the) v. ere writing accordmg to the rules of that highly respectable medium, which were only a convenient ex post facto generalization latd down by 19th-century theori ts), It resembles the corresponding movements of the 31st (''Pans"), 33rd, and 35th ("Haffner") Sym­ phomcs m abandoning the traditional repeat of the exposition. Part of the purpose of this repeat v.as to dnve home in the listener's mind matenal that v.as to be developed later Smcc the de\>elopment section of the 34th· first movement doc not use material from the exposition, the device is not needed here. Indeed, the movement as a whole typifies Mozart's tendency towdrd clearly differentiated three-part structures m his first movements-a surprisingly large number of his development sections are concerned exclusively with new material. The Andante d1 motto (which means "moving at a flowing pace·· rather than specifically "slow") IS a graceful, song-hke movement, and the Finale a brilliant tarantella. The S} mphon} IS scored for pa1r of oboes, bassoons, horns, and trumpets; tympam: and stnngs Paul Hindem1th Kammermtolk o 4 for VIolin and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 36, No.3 (1895-1963) I SiRna/. Brette majestiitische Ha/be­ II Sehr lebhaft III Nacht.'itiick. Miissig schnelle Achtel lV Lebha/te Viertel- V So schne/1, wie moglich Hmdemith's six variously scored works entitled "Chamber Music" (as well as one called ''Little Chamber Music") exemplify his healthily practical, anti-ivory-tower atti­ tude to the function of the composer. Though the term "Gebrauchsmusik" applied to such compositions has lent itself to translations of varying degrees of unsatisfactoriness­ ranging from "practical music" and "music for u e" to, more unsympathetically, "utility music" Hindemith himself pOinted out that the word was used m Germany "only as a name for a tendency to av01d the highly individuali tic, superexpressive kind of writing we were so much acquainted with." For this supremely professional composer typified the 20th century's trend away from the previous era's romantic view of the Artist's role, back to the I 8th century concept of the creator-executant fulfilhng specific social needs "It is to be regretted," he said, "that in general so little relationship ex1sts between the producers and consumers of music A composer should write today onl~ 1f he knows for what purpose he is writmg. The days of composmg for the sake of composmg are perhaps gone fore¥er. On the other hand, the demand for mus1c IS so great that composer and consumer ought most em­ phatically to come at last to an understanding ...

Hindemith's mus1cal versatility, which embraced the ability to pia~ e¥ery Instrument in the orchestra, fitted h1m emmently for this role. He contributed sonatas to the repertoire of almost all the Instruments, and wrote a good man~ concerted works too In both categories, he concentrated on the Instrument's natural st~ le of expression, rather than attempting to extend Its scope by making extreme techmcal demands. Opus 36, which dates from 1925, contains four separate works, each entitled Kammer­ musik, but each wntten for different forces No I Is a concerto for piano and 12 solo instruments. 1'-:o. 2 for and I 0 solo Instruments. ~o 3 for violin and chamber orchestra, and 1'-:o. 4 for \iola (the instrument closest to Hmdemith's heart) and chamber orchestra. The reason for the slight discrepc:.nc~ bet\\-een the serial numbers of the ''Chamber Musics·· and their numbers within the opus lies in the prior existence of Kammermusik No. 1 for small orchestra, which Is No I of Opus 24. The Kammermtn-ik No. 4, Op. 36, No. 3, is scored for two piccolos. three cl five mo\ements, but o,mcc the first two are played without a break, and the last two hJ..ewisc. the whole fall<. mto three sections corresponding roughly, if only superficial!~, with the three movement'> of the classical concerto. Thus the first pair of movements contains a mctin Allegro preceded b; an Introduction in fanfare style; the middle movement IS a slow1sh nocturne. v.hose atmosphere 1s deftly set by the usc of the widely spaced. resonant chords charactcn.,tlc of Hmdem1th\ har­ monic style; and the closing pair of mo\cmcnts rna~ be regarded .ts a normal hvcl~ finale topped off by a faster coda, which latter excrci">es the soloist's agility without pause till just before the end. Josef Alexander Duo C oncertante for 1 rom bone, Stnng Orchestra, and PercussiOn (b. 1910) (World premiere) In spite of a long and distinguished htstory, going back to the days more than 500 years ago when 1ts forerunner the sackbut was a ma1nstay of mstrumental mus1c both indoors and out, the trombone has been shabbily tn.. ated in the m.ttter of c;olo worJ..s Apart from the inevitable Hindemith sonata, another one b; Alec Wilder, a ball.tde w1th piano by Frank Martm, a symphony for trombone and orchestra by Bloch, a rather humdrum concertina by Mdhaud, and a few other pieces, its chances m the limel1ght have largely been restricted to such brief moment'> of glor; as the m1ddle movement of Berlioz' Symphonie funebre et triomphale (itself hard! ; a repertOire work) and the mam theme of Sibelius' Seventh Symphony As With other neglected mstrumcnts, the emergence of a player of exceptional artistry was needed to st1mulate composers mto bnsker actiVIty. D av1s Shuman was such a pla;er, and his untimely death two years ago robbed the world of a fine musician and the trombone of a devoted c hampion. It was for Shuman that Josef Alexander wrote both his Trombone Sonata and the present Duo Concertante, wh1ch is receivmg its first performance this evemng. The composer has kmdly provided the followmg comments: "The work is in one movement with three sections (of a sort) marked by slight changes in tempo and mood. Despite these, however, the Duo Concertante was conceived as a whole wherein the musical ideas are continuously expanded and developed. To this expansion and development new ideas are added. 'The 'concertante' is really between the trombone and string orchestra which is com­ bined with the percussion (one performer). Although the latter has at times a complex and soloistic part it is integrated into the fabric of the strings. "I have long been fascinated by the color of the combination of brass and strings, and in this work have exploited the individual and combined characteristics of the trombone and string orchestra, blended with and heightened by the percussion." The composer, it may be added, has clearly felt the challenge of a solo instrument usuall1 thought of as somewhat d1gnified, even statuesque, in nature. Slow tempos are conspicuous here by the1r absence, except for five measures of Adagio at the very end. Moreover, the prevailing Allegro con sp1rito, Molto allegro, and Allegro deciso speeds of the three main sections are further enltvened by the frequent use of rapidly changing time-signatures, which create a light-footed, mercurial effect consistent with the crisp, neo-classical harmonic style of the music. The percussion instruments employed are snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, tom­ tom, triangle, wood block, cymbals and glockenspiel. Josef Alexander was born in Boston on May 15, 1910. He was graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with special honors and from Harvard University cum laude. His musical studies included work with Frederick Shepherd Converse at the Conservatory, with Edward Burlingame Hill and Walter Piston at Harvard, with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood, and with Nadia Boulanger in France. Mr. Alexander has held Harvard University, John Knowles Paine, and Elkan Naumburg fellowships, was Ful­ bnght Composer to Finland in 1955-56, and has received the Bernard Ravitch Music FoundatiOn Prize and the ASCAP Composer Prestige Award ( 1960-61). Composer, conductor, and pianist, he has taught and lectured at Boston College and Hunter College, and is now Professor of Music at Brooklyn College. Joly Braga-Santos Sinfonietta for String Orchestra (American premiere) (b. 1924) I Adagio-Allegro II Adagio III Allegro ben marcato, ma non troppo-Largo-Tempo I A leading figure in contemporary Portuguese music, Joly Braga-Santos, who was born in L1sbon in 1924, pursued his studies principally in Italy-he studied conducting with Herman Scherchen and Antonino Votto and composition with Mortari and Pasqualini. Nevertheless, according to information kindly supplied by Maestro Cassuto, the works of his earliest period down to 1959 (which include four symphonies, three overtures, two operas, and chamber music) display Portuguese influence in two respects: the use of modal shapes reminiscent of the country's folk music, and consciousness of the poly­ phonic heritage of Portuguese mu ic in its golden age, the 16th and 17th centuries. These stylistic elements have not disappeared from Braga-Santos' later music. But since 1961, he has moved toward an idiom of clearer cosmopolitan awareness, with an increasing use of chromaticism resulting at times in the complete dissolution of tonality. I am once again indebted to Maestro Cassuto for the listing, in this latter category, of the Three Symphonic Sketches, the Requiem, the Ode to Music, the Fifth Symphony, and the Sinfonietta which is tonight receiving its American premiere. Composed in 1963, the Smfonietta is dedicated to Alvaro Cassuto and the Gulbenkian Chamber Orchestra. who gave it Its first performance during the Gulbenkian Festival of the same year. \\'ntten in the first plctce for four first \iolins, three second , two violas, two celli, and one double bass. the score contams a note to the effect that these parts may be increased proportionall: for performance b)' huger ensembles Formally. the work is fairly traditional in layout. The frequent contrasts of passage'> for soli and tutti grow d1rectlv out of the symphonic development of the material-the)' are not used for the dram .. tic..tlly oriented purposes of the concerto gros~o form. Along with its disposition in familiar three-movement shape, with slow introduction, the music breathes an expressive atmosphere that is powerfully individual. A prcci'iC and imagina­ tive ear is revealed by the carefully balanced instrumental writing, and particular!) bv the subtle use of muted and pizzicato effects, frequently in extreme regi<,ters. It 1s mter­ esting to compare the rhythmic procedures w1th those of the Alexander Duo Com ertante In the Alexander. shifting time-signat re arc used constantly to achie\e a kind of rhythmic mosaic pattern: Braga-Santos employs them more sparing!) O\er broader para­ graphs. which aim more at a cumulative, wide-spanned effect This squares with the more romc..ntic cast of hi music, and with the greater dcnsit\ of 1ts chromatic harmoniC'> Robert Schumann Overtltr£ Scher~o. and Finale Op. 52 (1810-1856) I Overture: Andante con moro-A llegro II Scher~o: Vivo III Finale: A /IeRro molro vivace For all its modest title and its comparative brevity. this work stands firm!\ in the canon of Schumann's S) mphonic output Schum ... nn originally concei\Cd It as "S\ mphom No. 2." The absence of a slow movement dissuaded him from th1s, and for a while he thought of calling it "S) mphonette." As To\ey remarks. "It is a pit)' that he did not finc1ll~ decide on that title, for it precisely describes both the character and range of the work: whereas its present title implies something much less coherent, besides bringing in the quite irrelevant idea of an overture."

Ltke his four full-scale symphonies, the Ol errure, Scherzo. and Finale gi\es the lie to the old notion that .Schumann was equipped cope only with miniature form., His gift for lyricism and epigram certainly predisposed him in that direction. But artistll. earnest­ ness, clear-headed self-criticism, and devoted study ot Beethoven enabled h1m to turn with more than average success to larger schemes. The tonal scheme of the present work may be '>Omewhat two-dimensional in com­ parison with the infinitely varied perspectives of such grander classics a ... Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann's own protege Brahms. Nevertheless it makes perfect!) good sense on its own level. And the formal structure ot ec1ch mo..,cment is quite strong enough to support the expressive, stimulatingly dramatic, but never portentous cast of the music. The material of the opening slow introducion, for instance, is neatly worked into the mam body of the succeeding Allegro, and the well-proportioned concluding climax of I the Finale is built from an augmentation (or restatement in longer notes) of the move­ ment's main theme. The central Scherzo (originally ent;tled intermezzo) is typical of Schumann in its use of a contrasting rhythm for the recurring Tr10 section-the tempo remains the same, but the time-signature changes from 6 I R to 2 4 The home key of the entire work is E major (with E minor for the introduction)· the Scherzo is 1n the related key of C sharp minor, and the Trio is in that key's tome major, wnttcn at D flat. Originally composed in 1861 and extensively rev1scd four years later, the score calls f<>r two each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets, tympani; and strings. The Finale includes optional parts for three trombones-these will be included in this evening's performance. ALVARO CASSUTO Tomght's conductor, Alvaro Cassuto, IS the assistant to the Little Orchestra Society's Music Director, Thomas Scherman. He was born in Oporto, Portugal, of German-Italian parents and began stud_ymg the piano at the age of five. Several years later he turned to compositiOn. In 1947 he enrolled at the Ecole Franca1se de Lisbonne and after harmony and counterpoint ~tud1es at the l1sbon 'l'.ational Conservator) of Music he worked with Professor I:. G klus mann at the Hochschule fur Mus1k in Hamburg. A scholarshtp from the Gulbenk1an Foundation made It poss1ble for h1m to continue his conducting studies With Herbert von Karajan at the Stadt Konsen.atonum in Berlin. In Vienna, in 1965- under the tutelage of Professor Dr Gustav Koslik-he obtamed h1s diploma as Kappel­ meister with Dt~ttnction from the Conservator) in that city. The followmg year he was selected from 38 candidates to be one of the five act1ve participants m the InternatiOnal course for conductors In Hilversum. Holland. He has conducted orchestras in Mumch and Vienna and tS now the regular conductor for the National Broadcasting Orchestras of Lisbon and Oporto and serves tn the same capaCit) for the Gulbenk1an Orchestra of L1sbon. In .tddttJOn to his professiOnal appearances, Cassuto ts a composer of note: his Smfonw Breve Vo. 1 (the first Portuguese 12 tone work) has had ten performance throughout Europe. Hts In \1emvrwm Pedro de freaas Branco, for large orchestra was commtss1oned by the Nattonal Broadcasting to commemorate the I st anniversary of the death of de Freitas Branco-with whom Mr Cassuto had studied for three years. Added to h1s season wtth The ltttle Orchestra Soctety will be lectures on Portuguese music at New York l.Jmverstty, the Universtty of Los Angeles and also in Boston, Newark and M1am1

RUGGIERO RICCI Viollmst Over three decades have passed smce Ruggiero Rtcci successfull)' eros ed the treacher­ ous seas of a spectacular prodtgy career. He IS now an internatiOnal arttst m hts prime wah well over 2,000 concert triumphs behmd htm. He is, in the recent opinion of . "an undtsputcd master." In each of hts sold-out seasons, Mr. RICCI appears cl' guest soloist w1th .1n tmpo~mg list of major Symphony orchestras and m re­ Cital m concert halls from Bo,ton to Buenos Atrcs and from Hong Kong to Helsinki. Within the space of a few months. ~1r R1cct recent!\ pl.ryed 46 concerts m Australia and filled Buenos Atn~' · famed Te,ttro Colon to SRO capactt) ten ttmes m a row. recent return engagements m West German) found the scheduled 20 concerts in cities there sold out a ve·tr m advance In countries behind the Iron Curt,tin. he \\-On such devoted admirers that the SO\iet Government invited him for three tours of Russta that proved fantasttc successes As a mus1cal ambass,tdor under U .S State Department sponsorship to remote p 1rts of the world, Mr Rtcci was bnl\oed m Bengali and carried through the streets of Accra. In the course of hts st.tggering number of engagements m the United States, en­ thusi.tsm is equ,tll\ overwhelmmg. The current season finds Mr. RtCCI on another cross­ countr) tour which will include engagements wtth the Amencan S) mphon) Orchestra. Leopold Stok.owskt, Mustc D1rector, and the I os Angeles Philharmomc, under the baton of Iubin Mehta, and lookmg forward to another extended tour of Europe. Mr Ricct may be heMd on a large number of recordings on the London and Decca labels. THOMAS SCHERMAN Thomas Scherman and The Little Orchestra Society are celebrating their 21st season of concerts. The programs for 1968-69 cover a wide range-from the gentle reverence of BenJamm Britten's Curlew River to the bnl11ant satire of Richard Strauss' Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Both of these will be unusual events. Although written by one of the out­ standmg modern composers, Curlew River has overtones of the ancient Gregorian. Through the mingling of old and new, of Britten's striking instrumentation and the deep voices of the monks, runs a strong dramatic story. Britten has designated that his parable be sung m a church and this season's production will be in the beautiful spaces of St. James Ep1scopal Church on Madison Avenue. It will be a benefit performance for the Interfaith Neighbors and The Little Orchestra Society Matchmg Fund. For two seasons, Mr. Scherman has taken Curlew River on tour throughout the country, mainly m uni­ versity towns. Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme 1s to have an mgemous production entire!) new to today's audiences. It will be given as ongmally done m 1912-the version that includes Strauss' and von Hofmannsthal's Ariadne auf Naxos. In addition to Curlew River and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme The Little Orchestra Society will continue its Young People's Concert series. FORTHCOMING CONCERTS IN THIS SERIES Tuesdm L1 entnt:. Jantwrr 21, 1969- 8:00p.m. The fir t Ne-w York. appc.trancc of the <;cnsational Russ1.1n p1amo;t Grigor~ Sokolov

Tuesdm E1·et1inr:. Fehruary 25. 1969-8:00 p.n:. Maunce Ravel's L 'E ~FAJ\.T LIlE-S SORTil EGLS C1eorgc Kleiminger·., ,md Joe Danon·s ARCHY & Ml HITABEL \\ 1th Jo<1nn,1 S1mon ,md Henr~ Morgan

Tuesd(/\ f 1 ening. \larch 11 . 196 9 ~ 8 00 p 111 Carlo., Ch

Tuesday £:.1 emnr:. Apu/ 22, 1969-8:00 p.m. A new adaptation for C onccrt Performance ot Mollcrc- Hofmann'>th,d-Str,luss U :. BOLRCJrOIS c,rNTIL HOMMr with the ongmal '-'Cf'i!On of ARIADNE AUF NAXOS 'hlth Glad}s Kucht,l

..

ALVARO CASSUTO, Assistant Conductor WILLARD STRAIGHT, Vocal preparation PETER DIMITRIADES, Concert Master GEORGE KOUTZEN, Personnel BERNARD JOY, Stage Manager RICHARD CASLER, Lighting HERBERT BARRETT, Manager THOMAS MATTHEWS, Associate Manager MARKS LEVfNE, Consultant The Little Orchestra Society 1860 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10023 PL 7-3460