Pacific Symphony Summer Festival Chorus –Robert Istad , Director
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presents SUMMER FESTIVAL 2010 AT VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATER SATURDAY , S EPEMBER 11, 2010, AT 8:00 P.M. BEETHOVEN ’S NINTH ROBERT MOODY , CONDUCTOR TRACY DAHL , SOPRANO • R ITA LITCHFIELD , MEZZO SOPRANO BRIAN CHENEY , TENOR • T ROY COOK , BARITONE PACIFIC SYMPHONY SUMMER FESTIVAL CHORUS –ROBERT ISTAD , DIRECTOR GOULD American Salute (1913 –1996) BARBER Adagio for Strings (1910 –1981) WARD America the Beautiful (1848 –1903) Arr. PRECHEL — INTERMISSION — BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, “Choral” (1770 –1827) Allegro ma non troppo; un poco maestoso Molto vivace Adagio molto e cantabile Presto - Allegro assai - Allegro assai vivace TRACY DAHL RITA LITCHFIELD BRIAN CHENEY TROY COOK PACIFIC SYMPHONY SUMMER FESTIVAL CHORUS This concert is generously sponsored by Supporting Series Sponsor Official Airline Official Hotel Official Classical Official Pops Official Television Station Official Media Partner Radio Station Radio Station September 11, 2010 • Pacific Symphony A- 1 ABOUT THE PROGRAM Program Notes by Michael Clive American Salute America the Beautiful MORTON GOULD SAMUEL A. WARD he popular 20th-century American com - e owe the hymn-like dignity and Tposer Morton Gould won the Kennedy Wsingability of the beloved patriotic Center Honors award for a long, distin - song “America the Beautiful” to composer guished career that included many serious Samuel A. Ward — who, not surprisingly, was compositions of large scope — including a church organist and choirmaster. His iconic chamber, symphonic, ballet and movie music song has been arranged from musicians from as well as scores for Broadway shows. But his high school bandmasters to Ray Charles, but most often-heard composition is the brief, tonight’s guest conductor Robert Moody has stirring “American Salute,” which takes only said of tonight’s version that “this is the most about five minutes to play but inspires the beautiful arrangement I know.” deepest feelings of patriotism and sacrifice. If you have ever thought “America the Composed in a burst of inspiration to ful - Beautiful” would make a good national fill a last-minute commission, “American anthem, you’re not alone. Every year, Congress Salute” is based on the familiar “When is petitioned by citizens who believe that Johnny Comes Marching Home,” a Civil War “America the Beautiful” should replace our song originally composed in 1863 by Patrick current national anthem, which they consider ed most consistently and most passionately. Gilmore, lending it a historic resonance. too difficult for most Americans to sing. By listening to his Symphony No. 9, the Already in march time, it sounds even more Among their opponents are the redoubtable “Choral,” you participate in one of the great - martial as recomposed by Gould. But in the Garrison Keillor, who says it just takes the est historical utterances in behalf of brother - slower variations on Gilmore’s theme that right attitude and the right key (he recom - hood and tolerance, and you join with audi - occur about two-thirds of the way through mends D). This may be one of the few sub - ences throughout the United States who are the Salute, Gould also addresses soldierly sac - jects on which he is simply incorrect; an including Beethoven’s Ninth in remem - rifice and the loss felt by loved ones left as octave and a fifth is simply too large a vocal brances of 9/11. well as triumph of a victorious return. range for most of us, regardless of key, and By now Beethoven’s Ninth is so widely choosing any — even D — leaves most played that every bar sounds familiar, yet it Adagio for Strings untrained voices out in the cold. “America continues to surprise us with each hearing. It SAMUEL BARBER the Beautiful” spans about half that much. is one of many works in which he associated the philosophical ideals of the Enlightenment lemental and beautiful, the Adagio for Symphony No. 9, “Choral” with a single heroic figure; in an earlier medi - EStrings by Samuel Barber brings stylistic LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN tation on freedom, his “Eroica,” Symphony elements that are rarely found together: a spa - (No. 3), wrote a dedication to Napoleon, cious, quintessentially American sound, but epublican or Democrat? Beethoven or then angrily removed it from the autograph also a melancholy, ruminative mood. It was RMozart? It’s possible to love the music of score. His sole opera, Fidelio , personifies the originally composed in 1936 as the second contrasting geniuses equally while feeling struggle for freedom in a heroic married cou - movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. It much more closely affiliated with one or the ple. We hear these same ideals boldly seems likely that his life partner, Gian Carlo other. Beethoven pondered the philosophical expressed in the Ninth even before they are Menotti, the successful Italian-born opera issues of the Enlightenment, and in the obses - articulated by Friedrich Schiller’s words in composer with a sure sense of drama and sive development sections of his symphonies the choral section. In the symphony’s first popular appeal, heard the movement and — in which he takes his melodies apart and movement solemn yet unpredictable state - knew that Barber had a potential hit on his puts them back together in astonishing ways ments suggest a longing for freedom; they hands. — you can hear him examining great ideas of sound tense and unresolved despite their In the years since its premiere in 1938 by his day, which shaped ours. Mozart, by con - loudness and drama. Yet the movement’s the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo trast, composed effortlessly; the Harvard psy - extended middle section, Beethoven’s devel - Toscanini, the Adagio has become an chologist Howard Gardner, in his writing on opment of these themes — normally a time American standard. It is revered not only for creativity, has likened him to Shakespeare, of tension and complexity — remains rela - its sensual appeal but also for the way it seems describing both men’s minds as lenses that tively calm until a thundering major chord to elicit a prayerful feeling of solemn contem - refracted the ideas and conditions around shocks us out of our relaxed listening mode. plation. It is Barber’s most popular work and them, penetrating to the heart of contradictory Breaking with symphonic tradition, frequently programmed work. human motivations. Compare that to Beethoven places a brisk scherzo in second Beethoven’s passionate advocacy: he took sides, movement position, rather than preceding the and he demanded the same of his listeners. finale. Listeners old enough to remember the Tonight, Beethoven cries out for you to NBC evening news with Chet Huntley and take his side in the struggle for human free - David Brinkley — for example, the author of dom — the single idea for which he advocat - these notes — may recall this scherzo as A- 2 September 11, 2010 • Pacific Symphony TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Ode to Joy NBC’s clever choice for theme music. Skittering and energetic, it eloquently sug - O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! O friends, not these sounds! gests the onward, unstoppable march of Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen, Let us sing more pleasant and more joy - human events (and, to some pietists, the und freudenvollere. ful ones instead! ceaseless dithering of human history in igno - rance of God’s plan). In an item of cultural Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Joy, beautiful divine spark, history that is fascinating to ponder, NBC Tochter aus Elysium, daughter from Paradise, replaced this theme with sleeker, more opti - Wir betreten feuertrunken, We enter, drunk with fire, mistic music by current American composer John Williams. Himmlische, dein Heiligtum. Heavenly One, into your sanctuary. The third movement, a tranquil adagio, Deine Zauber binden wieder Your magic reunites what daily life returns us to a calmly contemplative listening Was die Mode streng geteilt, Has rigorously kept apart, mode. But our serenity is emphatically halted Alle Menschen werden Brüder All men become brothers with the thundering series of chords that Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Wherever your gentle wings abide. introduces the fourth movement. These sound frightening to some ears — Wagner called Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen, Anyone who has been greatly fortunate them shrieks — but remember that Beethoven also woke us up with booming Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, To be a true friend to a friend, chords after the subdued development in the Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Each man who has found a gracious first movement. These chords serve also to wife, remind us that in the routine calmness of Mische seinen Jubel ein! Should rejoice with us! daily events, historically events that command Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Yes, anyone who can claim but a single our attention lie in wait. They are emphatic soul statements that alert us to the importance of Sein nennt auf der Erden rund! As his or her own in all the world! what is to follow. Indeed, emphasis is a matter of great Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle But anyone who has known none of importance in listening to the Ninth. After this, must steal away, the arresting chordal introduction and the - Weinend sich aus diesem Bund. Weeping, from our company. matic statement in the cellos and basses, notice how the famous choral section puts Freude trinken alle Wesen All beings drink of Joy forward this universally famous, anthem-like An den Brüsten der Natur, At Nature’s breasts, melody in a way that emphasizes every word Alle Guten, alle Bösen All good creatures, all evil creatures and every beat in every measure. Of course, there is much more to the movement than Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Follow her rosy path. this chorus and its vocal solos for soprano, Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, She has given us kisses and vines, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone: in a sym - Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod, A friend loyal unto death, phony acknowledged to be monumental, this Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Pleasure has been given to the worm, is the monumental movement.