SIR JAMES GALWAY & Lady Jeanne Galway
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SIR JAMES GALWAY & Lady Jeanne Galway SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019 7:00PM Renée Fleming Returning LIVE to The Paramount’s Stage March 3, 2020 Tickets On Sale Now! www.theparamount.net Sir James Galway & Lady Jeanne Galway with Michael McHale on Piano 2019 Recital Program Sunday, October 13, 2019 Francis Poulenc: Sonata Allegro malinconico Cantilena Presto giocoso Gabriel Fauré: Fantaisie Op. 79 Andantino Allegro Cécile Chaminade: Concertino, Op. 107 Franz Doppler: Andante and Rondo Op. 25 – with Lady Galway Intermission F. J. Gossec: Tambourin Marin Marais: “Le Basque” Hamilton Harty: “In Ireland” Fantasy D. Overton: Irish Folk Songs Spinning Wheel She Moved Through the Fair The Star of the County Down P. Morlacchi: “Il Pastore Svizzero” Franz & Karl Doppler: “Rigoletto Fantasie” for Two Flutes & Pia- no, Op. 38 - with Lady Galway THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS: ELIZABETH & JOE LEVACA ANNE & EUGENE FIFE PROGRAM NOTES The first part of tonight’s concert offers three fine works of French chamber music from the late Romantic and modern periods. Each of these composers is thoroughly individual, but the pieces share exquisite craftsmanship and a love of gracious melody. Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was a prolific composer in many genres. Living in a time of modernist musical innovation, he admired Stravinsky and Schoenberg, but had little personal interest in using new harmonies. In 1942 he wrote: “I know perfectly well that I’m not one of those composers who have made harmonic innovations like Igor [Stravinsky], Ravel or Debussy, but I think there’s room for new music which doesn’t mind using other people’s chords. Wasn’t that the case with Mozart– Schubert?” Tonight’s Sonata, written in 1956-7, is one of three superb sonatas for wind instruments from Poulenc’s last years. In general, in Poulenc’s music his harmonies are close to those of 18th- and 19th-century European style, but sometimes with surprising “wrong notes.” Successive phrases often slip from one key to an unexpected new key. His characteristic flexible rhythm sometimes uses different numbers of beats in successive measures. In all his music, he draws on many different musical styles, often in surprising juxtapositions—beautiful melody with simple accompaniment, dramatic or contemplative music of deep feeling, jaunty bursts of popular style. The first movement (its title translates as “Melancholy Allegro”) combines contrasting elements—its plaintive opening melody, a section with cheerful little jumps, a grander, more assured melody. The “Cantilena” (the title means “a lyrical melody in vocal style”) is pensive, even grave. The final “Playful Presto,” a kind of rustic dance, draws in ideas from the first movement. Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), a composer of delicately complex, refined music, was known for seductive, imaginative harmonic innovation. Early in his career, his unusual sounds limited his audiences to private salons; but acceptance grew, and from 1905 he was head of the Conservatoire de Paris. The Fantaisie, Op. 79 (1898) begins with an Andantino, rocking gently, showing Fauré’s unique gift for melody and for subtle, surprising harmony. The key (E minor) is clear, but the music turns away and returns, again and again, and makes a long, long line by delaying its first its first conclusive cadence to the end of the movement, somewhat like a lyric poem that consists of one beautifully-crafted sentence. In the sweetly playful second movement Fauré, like Poulenc, draws melody from his first movement into a new context. Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) was a successful composer, remarkable for a woman at that time. Early in her career she wrote large-scale works. After 1890, she wrote brief character pieces for piano and songs, which were very popular, and only two larger works, one of them tonight’s Concertino, Op. 107 (1902), commissioned by the Paris Conservatory as a competition piece. The Concertino sustains a flow of exuberant melody, warm and affirmative, decorated with virtuosic flourishes and, near the end, a concerto-style solo cadenza. With the music of Franz Doppler (1821-1882), we enter the world of 19th century flute virtuosity. Doppler was a composer and conductor, and an outstanding flautist. He toured as a performer with his brother Karl, also a flautist. Born in Lviv (now in Ukraine), he played flute in opera orchestras in Pest (now part of Budapest) and Vienna, where he also conducted for opera performances. He was a successful composer of operas and ballets, and collaborated with Franz Liszt on the orchestration of Liszt’s Hungarian Dances. The Andante and Rondo, Op. 25 shows Doppler to be a skilled melodist. The piece opens with a soulful operatic flute solo, later joined by the other flute, the two combining sometimes in dialogue, sometimes in matched parallel lines, sometimes in glittering coordinated passagework. The piece moves through a variety of moods, enjoyable to follow. The next group of pieces takes us on a musical tour of European regions. The “Tambourin” is a Provençal dance style, with evocation of drumming. François-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829) was a musician from the South Netherlands whose career was in France. He played violin and bass, conducted, and composed opera, ballet, and vocal and instrumental music. After the French Revolution he wrote grand pieces to celebrate the new national identity, with great success. (Continued) Marin Marais (1656-1728) was a French viol virtuoso and composer of chamber music, almost all for viol, along with four operas and a few other pieces. His five books of music for viol comprise 596 pieces in 39 suites. “Le Basque” is from the 5th Suite in Marais’s 4th Book of Pieces for viol. Hamilton Harty (1879-1941), born in Ireland, was a successful composer, pianist, and conductor whose professional life was in England. During thirteen years as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, he was credited with raising the orchestra to the highest level in Europe. “In Ireland” (1915) comes with this brief description: “In a Dublin street at dusk, two wandering street musicians are playing.” It begins with a rhythmically free passage, the flute very high, the piano seemingly imitating a harp, and then falls into the style of a reel, a Scottish dance also popular in Ireland and the United States. Several Irish folk songs follow, arranged by David Overton, a contemporary British musician. With “The Swiss Shepherd” by Pietro Morlacchi (1828-1868), we continue to another European location and also return to the world of 19th century flute virtuosity. Italian flautist Morlacchi is remembered primarily for this well-liked composition. A wistful flute melody, with glum dance-like piano interludes, is heard twice, the second time an octave higher. The mood brightens as piano and flute share a folk-like song, and this leads to a set of virtuosic variations. Karl Doppler (1825-1900) was, like his brother, a flautist and conductor, and also a composer, though less productive than Franz. The brothers’ “Rigoletto Fantasie” draws on Verdi’s famous opera. It begins eerily with the two flutes in octaves, but moves quickly to parallel intervals and dialogue exchanges. There is lots of sparkling passagework as the piece moves through several ideas from the opera, with particular attention to Gilda’s aria “Caro nome.” Fred Everett Maus Department of Music, University of Virginia AT THE PARAMOUNT Met Opera 2019-20 Live Performance Broadcasts Turandot Oct. 12 Puccini 12:55PM Manon* Nov. 2 Massenet 12:55PM Madama Butterfly Nov. 9 Puccini 12:55PM Akhnaten Nov. 23 Glass 12:55PM Wozzeck Jan. 11 Berg 12:55PM Porgy & Bess Feb. 1 The Gershwins’ 12:55PM Agrippina Feb. 29 Handel 12:55PM Der Fliegende Mar. 28 Holländer* 12:55PM Wagner Tosca Apr. 11 Puccini 12:55PM Maria Stuarda May 9 Donizetti 12:55PM SIR JAMES GALWAY “THE LIVING LEGEND OF THE FLUTE” The living legend of the flute, Sir James Galway is regarded as both the supreme interpreter of the classical flute repertoire and a consummate entertainer whose appeal crosses all musical boundaries. Sir James has made himself a modern musical master, whose virtuosity on the flute is equaled only by his limitless ambitions and vision. Through his extensive touring, over 30 million albums sold and his frequent international television appearances, Sir James has endeared himself to millions worldwide and is a tireless promoter of the arts. The 2017/18 season saw Galway with appearances spanning the globe, including tours throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia. Gala events include a special James Galway Tribute Gala at The Waterfront Hall, Belfast, together with the Ulster Orchestra, celebrating their 50th year and honoring Sir James, their first Artist Laureate. Other highlights include a special tribute to his friend, Henry Mancini with the Chicago Symphony at The Ravinia Festival and the BBC Proms in the Park at Castle Coole, Northern Ireland. The BBC commissioned the documentary “BEING JAMES GALWAY” commentated by Jeremy Irons. It is already in international circulation, highlighting the magnitude this great artist continues to bring to his fans around the world. Belfast born, Sir James studied in London and Paris before embarking on his orchestral career in such prestigious orchestras such as the Sadlers Wells & Royal Covent Garden Operas, The BBC, Royal Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, before taking up the coveted position of solo flautist with the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan. * Enocre Broadcast Since launching his successful career as a soloist in 1975, his busy touring schedule sees him performing with the world’s leading orchestras and most prestigious conductors. From Galway’s lips have come definitive treatments of classical repertoire and masterworks by Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart. He also features contemporary music in his programs, including new flute works commissioned by him and for him by composers such as Adamo, Amram, Bolcom, Corigliano, Heath, Lieberman, and Maazel.