“Sounds of Hope & Harmony”
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Classical Movements Presents Live Chamber Concerts: “Sounds of Hope & Harmony” Three one-hour concerts for standing, socially distant audiences MIDSUMMER EVENING PROGRAM June 20, 2020 | 5:00 PM Selections from Fancies, Toyes and Dreames Giles Farnaby, arr. Howarth 1. The Old Spagnoletta 2. Tell mee Daphne 3. A Toye 4. His Dreame 5. The New Sa-Hoo Interlude from Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Elam Sprenkle Musicians from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra: Matt Harding, Trumpet | Gil Hoffer, Trumpet Max Cripe, Horn | Bryan Bourne, Trombone | Willie Clark, Tuba Umoja Valerie Coleman Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra: Carole Bean, Flute | Kathryn Meany, Oboe | Paul Cigan, Clarinet Robert Rearden, Horn | Steven Wilson, Bassoon Sonata for Horn, Trumpet, and Trombone Francis Poulenc I. Allegro moderato II. Andante III. Rondeau Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra: Robert Rearden, Horn | Amy McCabe, Guest Trumpet David Murray, Trombone Divertimento #1 in D major, K 136 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart I. Allegro II. Andante Polka from The Golden Age Dmitri Shostakovich Musicians from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra: Claudia Chudacoff, Violin | Peter Haase, Violin Cathy Amoury, Viola | Barbara Brown, Cello | Aaron Clay, Bass Alla Hornpipe from Water Music, Suite No. 2 George Frederick Handel Java from Al Hirt’s album Honey in the Horn Allen Toussaint Toreador Song from Carmen Georges Bizet The above pieces were arranged by David J. Miller Barclay Brass Quintet Nathan Clark, Trumpet | Brad Weil, Trumpet Alex Kovling, Horn | David Miller, Trombone | Willie Clark, Tuba Performers Alexandria Symphony Orchestra Musicians Matt Harding, Principal Trumpet Gil Hoffer Trumpet, Sergeant Major (Ret.), US Army Band Max Cripe 3rd Horn Bryan Bourne, Principal Trombone Willie Clark, Principal Tuba Claudia Chudacoff, Concertmaster Peter Haase, Assistant Principal Second Violin Cathy Amoury, Assistant Principal Viola Barbara Brown, Principal Cello Aaron Clay, Principal Bass National Symphony Orchestra Musicians Carole Bean, Flute/Piccolo Kathryn Meany, Oboe/English Horn Paul Cigan, Clarinet Robert Rearden, Horn Steven Wilson, Acting Assistant Principal Bassoon Amy McCabe, Trumpet/Cornet, President’s Own United States Marine Band David Murray, Trombone Barclay Brass Quintet Nathan Clark, Principal Trumpet, Maryland Symphony Orchestra Brad Weil, Trumpet Alex Kovling, Principal Horn, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra David Miller, Principal Trombone, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra Willie Clark, Principal Tuba, National Philharmonic Introduction and Program Notes Classical Movements welcomes you to Old Town Alexandria, and specifically, to our very own “secret garden” here at the Rectory. This evening, we are delighted to present “Sounds of Hope & Harmony,” featuring our friends and colleagues from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the New Orchestra of Washington, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, and more. We’ve taken great care to bring you a diverse program of live music while ensuring appropriate social distancing measures for our audience and professional musicians alike. So, we hope you feel safe, comfortable, and ready to experience some incredible music in our beautiful space. Musicians from the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra begin our performance this evening, starting with five selections from Fancies, Toyes and Dreames by 17th-century English composer Giles Farnaby, arranged for brass quintet. Known as a great master of the English virginal, an early plucked keyboard instrument similar to the harpsichord, Farnaby also worked as a cabinet-maker for most of hs life. This whimsical work portrays lighthearted moments in everyday life, a significant departure from the devout religious music that so dominated English compositional practice in the turbulent Elizabethan era. Elam Sprenkle’s Interlude from Crossing Brooklyn Ferry follows, a rich, emotive reference to Walt Whitman’s beloved poem of the same name. Whitman’s writing is expansive – nine sections – describing a working man taking the Brooklyn ferry home. In his poem, Whitman offers his sense that all humans share a common experience of life. In the end Whitman assesses and resolves a series of dualities – “light and dark, reader and writer, past and future, life and death—all becom[ing] momentarily the same as the ferry approaches the shore.” We next welcome a woodwind ensemble from the National Symphony Orchestra, beginning their set this evening with Valerie Coleman’s Umoja, meaning “unity” in Swahili – a celebration of the first day of Kwanzaa. Peter Dobrin of the Philadelphia Inquirer praises the orchestral setting of the work, saying, “Let’s start off by calling Umoja, Anthem for Unity exactly what it is … a terrific work.” He describes Coleman’s composition as “arc[ing] from serene peace to racing tension before emerging in sunlit joy” and credits the composer for her “emotional directness and bold orchestration.” Next on our program is one of Scott Joplin’s earlier works, the Maple Leaf Rag, performed by a woodwind quintet from the National Symphony Orchestra. Joplin, known as the King of Ragtime, became amazingly popular in his day, with historians noting Joplin sold upwards of one million copies of the sheet music during his lifetime. Ragtime, an essentially Black American art form, was named for its distinctive syncopated, or “ragged,” rhythms, and is an indicative example of the rhythmic and harmonic complexity that infused 20th-century American music as Black artists gained popularity, exposure, and long-denied legitimacy. Each of “Maple Leaf’s” four “strains” presents a recurring theme that develops in increasingly intricate permutations. This archetypal rag is now in the public domain and remains very popular among ragtime pianists (and woodwind ensembles) even today. The next ensemble to perform this evening also comes to us from the National Symphony Orchestra, a brass trio performing 20th-century French composer Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Horn, Trumpet, and Trombone. Born in 1899 to a middle-class Parisian family, Poulenc was largely self-taught. His music is relatively melodious and accessible compared to many of his contemporaries like Messiaen and Milhaud, and his compositional style is often referred to as a dichotomy between serious and playful, exploratory and comfortable. Poulenc’s reputation as a melodist has perhaps been cemented through his extraordinary contribution to the vocal repertoire, both solo and choral. In the charming piece you’ll hear today, the only composition Poulenc ever wrote for brass ensemble, the composer effectively uses contrast between the ranges and timbres of the three instruments to create a lovely interplay of harmonic colors. The three movements cover a wide stylistic range, and the easy and elegant melodies, with the air of lilting folksongs, are infused throughout with Poulenc’s signature fleeting moments of thorny dissonance. Next on the program this evening are members of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra strings, performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Divertimento #1 in D major. This delightful work has remained widely popular since Mozart wrote it. Written at the age of 16, the piece, not to mention today’s performance, features typical Mozartian violin virtuosity, delicate and crystalline, throughout the first and second movements featured on the program. The Alexandria strings continue with the Polka, from The Golden Age, the first ballet by famously political 20th- century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, written at the composer’s age of 23 in the height of turbulent and exciting 1920s Europe. Like many (or most) of Shostakovich’s works, The Golden Age takes a broad, satirical look at the political landscape of the age. While the ballet has had a tempestuous life, being performed only eighteen times when it was premiered and having gone through three librettos since the time of composition, the Polka remains well-loved and often-performed. The composer himself adapted it for string quartet as well as piano. With its spiky and dissonant yet almost twee interpretation of the famous folk dance form, it is a perfect miniature example of Shostakovich’s distinctive dark sense of humor. Closing out this evening’s performance is the Barclay Brass Quintet. None of the three pieces they will present need any introduction, as they will be instantly recognizable. The Barclay Quintet will present arrangements of the famous Hornpipe from Handel’s Water Music and Java, a rollicking song by New Orleans R&B producer Allain Toussaint and originally recorded by trumpeter Al Hirt. Finally the group closes with the rousing Toreador Song, from Carmen, by Georges Bizet. All the arrangements are by the Barclay Brass’s brilliant arranger and trombonist, David Miller. We sincerely hope that you enjoyed this evening’s program! We wish you good health and hope to see you back at the Rectory – perhaps for more live music – very soon. Take care! --Classical Movements .