The Planets Requiem
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CELEBRATING MUSIC Requiem The Planets JOHANNES MULLER-STOSCH, CONDUCTOR CHOIRS PREPARED BY JONATHAN TALBERG & ADAM JONATHAN CON SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014 8:00PM CARPENTER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC MOBILE DEVICES. PROGRAM PRESENTATION OF THE CELEBRATING MUSIC HONOREE Carolyn Bremer—Director, Bob Cole Conservatory Of Music Maurice Durufle (1902-1986) Requiem, Op. 9 I. Introït II. Kyrie III. Domine Jesu Christe IV. Sanctus V. Pie Jesu VI. Agnus Dei VII. Lux æterna VIII. Libera me IX. In Paradisum Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir CSULB University Choir Johannes Müller-Stosch—conductor INTERMISSION Gustav Holst (1874-1934) The Planets, Op. 32 I. Mars, the Bringer of War II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age VI. Uranus, the Magician VII. Neptune, the Mystic Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra Johannes Müller-Stosch, conductor 3 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Requiem I. Introit Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. And let perpetual light shine upon them. Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, A hymn becomes you, O God, in Zion, et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. And to you shall a vow be repaid in Jerusalem. Exaudi orationem meam, Hear my prayer; ad te omnis care veniet. To you shall all flesh come. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. And let perpetual light shine upon them II. Kyrie Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us. Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy on us. Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy on us. III. Domine Jesu Christe Domine Jesu Christe, rex gloriae, Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum Free the souls of all the faithful departed De poenis inferni et de profundo lacu. From infernal punishment and the deep pit. Libera eas de ore leonis, Free them from the mouth of the lion; Ne absorbeat eas tartarus, Do not let Tartarus swallow them, Ne cadant in obscurum; Nor let them fall into darkness; Sed signifer sanctus Michael But may the standard-bearer Saint Michael Eepraesentet eas in lucem sanctam, Lead them into the holy light Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus. Which you once promised to Abraham and his seed. Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, O Lord, we offer you sacrifices Aaudis offerimus. And prayers of praise. Tu suscipe pro animabus illis, Accept them on behalf of those souls Quarum hodie memoriam facimus; Whom we remember today; Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam Let them, O Lord, pass over from death to life, Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus. As you once promised to Abraham and his seed. IV. Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Holy, Holy, Holy, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; Lord God of Hosts; Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. V. Pie Jesu Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem; Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest; Dona eis requiem sempiternam. Grant them eternal rest. VI. Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Dona eis requiem sempiternam. Grant them eternal rest. 4 VII. Lux aeterna Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, With your Saints forever, Quia pius es. For you are kind. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, Et lux perpetua luceat eis, And may everlasting light shine upon them, Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, With your Saints forever, Quia pius es. For you are merciful VIII. Libera me Libera me, Domine,de morte aeterna, Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death in die illa tremenda, on that fearful day, Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra, When the heavens and the earth shall be moved, Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Tremens factus sum ego, I am made to tremble and I fear, et timeo, Waiting until the judgment be upon us, Dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira, and the coming wrath, Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra. When the heavens and the earth shall be moved. Dies illa, dies irae, calamitatis et miseriae, Day of mourning, day of wrath, calamity and misery, Dies magna et amara valde, Day of great and exceeding bitterness, Dum veneris judicare saeculum per ignem. When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, Et lux perpetua luceat eis. And let perpetual light shine upon them. IX. In Paradisum In Paradisum deducant Angeli; May Angels lead you into paradise; In tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres May the Martyrs receive you at your coming Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. And lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, May a choir of Angels receive you, Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere And with Lazarus, who once was poor, Aeternam habeas requiem. May you have eternal rest. PROGRAM NOTES Requiem, Op. 9 Born in the commune of Louviers, Eure in Northern France on January 11, 1902, Maurice Duruflé was a renowned French organist and composer whose beloved Requiem, Op. 9, has had a lasting legacy in the choral repertoire. He received his education in composition at the Paris Conservatoire and studied privately with notable French organists and composers Charles Tournemire and Louis Vierne, under whom he gained a deeply-routed appreciation for Gregorian chant. With only fourteen published works, Duruflé’s re-editing of his compositions revealed he was a perfectionist; he was a modest composer and master at setting plainchant as well as a virtuoso organist. This Requiem is based on the Gregorian chants from the Mass for the Dead, presenting the liturgical text for many of the movements. The voice holds a primary role, employing the subtle movements and fluid lines of plainchant, and the orchestra a secondary, supporting role, establishing the overall mood of each movement. 5 As if interrupting an on-going performance, the Introït starts with the rhythmic, calming motion of the violas, leading the melodic voices of the choir, as if in an ascent to the heavens, eliding into the Kyrie with its angelic polyphony eliciting a sense of serenity. Opening with the dark, ominous timbres of the low horns is the Domine Christe Jesu, which call for the dramatic decree of the baritones in the “Hostias”. The Sanctus follows, gracefully soaring to a climax at the “Hosana in excelsis.” In the haunting Pie Jesu, female voices chant in a melancholic lullaby in a duet with the cello before settling into the Agnus Dei, delicately floating above the tranquil harp accompaniment. The Lux aeterna begins with a consoling, melodic oboe solo in the style of chant introducing the choir’s soft praise before falling into the distress of the Libera me, largely expressed by the pleading baritones. In Paradisum closes the Requiem with the angelic harp and ethereal soprano sound, establishing the affirmation of belief in eternal life. Unlike the Requiem masses of Mozart, Berlioz and Verdi, Duruflé followed in Fauré’s footsteps by choosing not to compose a work high in drama but of a pastoral hue, representing, according to the composer, “the ideas of peace, of hope and of faith.” Duruflé models his work on Fauré’s setting of the Requiem by omitting the Dies irae sequence, except for the closing prayer, Pie Jesu; including the Libera me, a responsory said after the Mass before burial; and closing with the antiphon In Paradisum, also sung after the Mass as the body is taken out of the church. These distinct changes offer a mood of calm contemplation, quintessential to the French writing style. Like Fauré, Duruflé sets the Pie Jesu for female voices, like Fauré’s Pie Jesu soprano solo, and features the baritones in the Libera me, resembling Fauré’s Libera me baritone solo. The principal difference between the two is that Duruflé’s setting is entirely composed on Gregorian chant themes. Completed and premiered in 1947, Duruflé’s Requiem became a favorite in the concert repertory, singularly launching the composer to fame. The paradox of Duruflé’s renown, though, is that, while his organ and choral works are often performed, he is overlooked in favor of Fauré in the academic canon of Western music. This may be in part due to Duruflé’s critical attitude toward his compositions, resulting in his small output. Despite this absence, Duruflé’s contributions to Western music remain celebrated and distinguished as brilliant works —note by Tyff Hoeft The Planets, Op. 32 “Never compose anything unless the not composing of it becomes a positive nuisance to you.” —Gustav Holst Perhaps The Planets was a “positive nuisance” to Gustav Holst (1874-1934). The choice to attempt a work such as The Planets was deeply rooted in his youth: his mother was a passionate supporter of Theosophy, a philosophy concerning the presumed mysteries of nature and being, including an interest in astrology. Nothing about Holst’s early life revealed anything remotely that a major composer was in the making. Holst was born in England, to a family of English-Swedish origin. As a child, he was often sick and therefore had a relatively unpleasant childhood. Although he played the violin for a short time, he was intrigued by the piano and began to study the instrument as soon as he was tall enough to reach the keys.