JOURNEY THROUGH MUSIC

Saturday 19 November, 7.30pm

Musical Myths

Magnus Lindberg Vivo (5 mins) UK premiere Stravinsky The Rite of Spring (32 mins)

Interval: 20 mins

Ravel Daphnis and Chloe (54 mins)

BBC Philharmonic Hallé Choir Juanjo Mena conductor ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY?

Our Journey Through Music scheme at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall is an affordable and enjoyable introduction to the world of concert-going and classical music. For young people and children from the age of 8, our special scheme is aimed at making our concerts easily accessible for families and anybody who wants to discover orchestral music or to explore it further.

Ready to begin? Join us on this musical journey and discover the unforgettable world of classical music. Three performances will feature a pre-concert session suitable for all ages – but every concert in the 2016/17 season is available at a special family-ticket price. Plus – choose your seat anywhere in the house for the same price: • £7 for children aged 16 and under • £12 for accompanying adults • £35 family ticket, for 4 people (maximum of 2 adults) These prices include a £2 booking fee so you know there’s no extra costs when you book – just be sure to book in advance as these are not available on the day.

Share your experience

using the hashtag #MyJTM illustrations:All Wright/Nucco Brain Ben AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ORCHESTRA

WHAT IS AN THE CONDUCTOR ORCHESTRA? The person in charge is usually the But there’s more to it than this. The An orchestra is a group of instrumental conductor, who stands at the front and conductor can also help to reveal the players who perform together, usually led directs the orchestra from a podium, changing moods of the music. If they can by a conductor. keeping time either by waving a short create a strong musical image for the stick, called a baton, or sometimes just listener, the effect can make us feel all The modern symphony orchestra usually with his or her hands. One of the earliest sorts of emotions: happiness, sadness, has somewhere between 60 and 90 conductors, the Italian-born Frenchman fear, pride and everything in between. players: around 30 , 12 violas, Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–87), kept his The music might energise you, or it might 10 cellos, eight double basses; two or orchestra together by banging a big stick make you feel you’ve fallen into a dream. three each of flutes, oboes, and on the floor, but one day he accidentally bassoons; four horns, three , stabbed his foot and soon afterwards died three , a , a harp and an of gangrene. It’s not as dangerous these assortment of percussion instruments. days! You can find out more about the instruments, and where they sit, on Part of the conductor’s job is to show the next two pages after this. the beat (or pulse) of the music so that all the musicians play together in time. He or she also signals when individual musicians or groups have to start or stop playing. All the time conductors are listening to the overall sound- balance, and altering it, to make sure that the important instruments don’t get drowned out by less important ones. Otherwise, like lots of people talking loudly at the same time, the result would be chaos!

1 All illustrations:All Wright/Nucco Brain Ben THE ORCHESTRA O N STAGE

Most orchestras have a similar seating plan, with the strings at the front, the woodwind behind them and the brass and percussion further back still.

PERCUSSION The percussion section sits at the back of the orchestra and centres around the timpani, or kettledrums – between two and four copper drums. They have pedals, which alter BRASS their pitch (or notes). The bass drum is hit with just one Like the strings and woodwind, the brass family has stick; while the metal cymbals are clashed together, often four groups. There are French horns (usually four), when the music gets very loud. The side-drum is a small instruments once associated with hunting, while military drum that can play very quietly or very loudly the trumpets came from military bands, and often indeed. Sometimes composers ask for a variety of other have fanfare-like parts. Trombones are played with percussion instruments, such as the xylophone, the a movable slide but, in spite of their size, they can marimba or even whistles, whips and sirens. play amazingly fast notes; and finally the enormous tuba makes the deepest notes of all.

STRINGS WOODWIND String players sit at the front in a semi-circle, The woodwind section sits behind the strings, often in two rows. usually with the violins on the left and the There are four different instruments, usually in pairs, but in bigger cellos on the right. Each of the string sections orchestras there can be up to three or four players of each (and also the woodwind, brass and . The metal flutes produce a high, bright, silvery sound. sections) has a principal, who leads the The piccolo is like a small flute and plays very high up.Oboes are section. The strings divide into four sections: black wooden instruments with a detachable reed, which gives them violins, violas, cellos and double basses. The a distinctive sharp-edged sound. Before a concert starts, the whole violins are subdivided into first violins and orchestra tunes up to the note ‘A’ sounded by the Principal Oboe. second violins, with the Firsts generally having A bigger, lower version of the oboe is the cor anglais, or ‘English horn’. a slightly more difficult and brilliant part. Clarinets have a more hollow, woody sound. The lowest-sounding Violas are bigger than violins, with a deeper, member of its family is the bass . The lowest woodwind mellower sound. The cellos have a rounded, instrument is the bassoon, which is long and heavy and has to be bass sound. The huge double basses (which supported by a sling round the player’s neck. The contra-bassoon are played standing up, or perched on a high is so long that it’s bent double. Occasionally a piece will need extra stool) add depth to the string sound. The instruments, such as the saxophone, which is more usually found in harp is played with fingers instead of a bow, a jazz band. and it has a series of complicated pedals that change its pitch (or notes). BRASS

TRUMPETS HORNS TROM NCH BON FRE ES T UB AS

WOODWIND

I N PA IM T

OES C S OB LARIN S UTE ETS L FL B PERCUSSION A AS B SO M O N Y S C

D ON EC S VIOLA S LIN S IO V C E L L HARPS T S O S S IN R I L F O I

DOUBLE

STRINGS V BASSES TONIGHT'S MUSIC

Magnus Lindberg (born 1958) What to listen for Vivo (2015) UK premiere • Beginnings and endings: Magnus begins loudly – with bright, shining notes from the trumpets and horns (you can find pictures of these instruments on the previous You don’t have to be dead to write classical music! We’re page). But ending is a bit trickier. Keep listening: what’s he glad to say that Magnus Lindberg is alive and well and writing going to do? wonderful music – when he’s not night-fishing in the Finnish • The percussion section: things are often quite lively lakes near his home or going to rock concerts. around here! Magnus uses everything from crashing cymbals to the chiming metal glockenspiel. Keep an eye on He wrote this piece just last year, in October 2015, for a them and see if you can guess what you’ll hear next! concert in New York that (just like this one) finished with Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe, so he has made his piece sound a little bit like it. The piece’s name – Vivo – is Italian for ‘lively’. What else could I listen to? And guess what: you’re helping make history tonight as this is All of Magnus’s music sounds amazing. Try his Clarinet Concerto the very first time it has ever been played in the UK! or Feria, another brilliant, lively piece for a big orchestra. TONIGHT'S MUSIC

Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) What to listen for The Rite of Spring (1913) Part 1: Worshipping the Earth Introduction • We’re in Russia; thousands of years ago. Quietly, a If you like a piece of music, you applaud (we hope!). But what bassoon (the deepest sounding of the woodwind do you do if you don’t like it? Hopefully not react as strongly instruments) sings a straining, snaking tune unnaturally as the audience in Paris in May 1913, who rioted after hearing high up: spring is spreading through the frozen land. the first performance ofThe Rite of Spring. Stravinsky’s music Signs of Spring was for a ballet put on by the famous Russian showman Sergey • Suddenly, the strings of the orchestra begin playing a Diaghilev. Diaghilev had his own ballet company, the Ballets pounding rhythm, as the tribesmen gather to celebrate Russes (which is French for ‘Russian Ballet’). His dancers were the coming of spring. They call to each other with all young, gorgeous and super-fit. He hired the world’s most songs and shouts – listen to how the wind and brass brilliant artists to create stunning costumes and stage designs. instruments pass their tunes to each other. The music And he asked the most exciting composers to write the music. sweeps into the … If they could create unbelievable sounds, he wanted them on Game of Abduction the team! • The whole orchestra seems to bristle and shimmer with excitement at what is to come. Suddenly, the music slams So there were no pretty white tutus that night. The dancers to a stop. wore weird red and black make-up and stamped and jumped Spring Round-dance in time to Stravinsky’s music. No-one knew what to make of it, • A clarinet quietly sings a strange chant. The brass so the audience yelled and booed (some of them even hit each instruments snarl and shout – everyone knows this is not other). Nowadays, we’re used to music that’s loud and raw going to end well. Quietly, the chant returns, and then … and rhythmic. And after all, The Rite of Spring tells a tale from Games of the Rival Tribes ancient Russia – where savage tribespeople worshipped the •  The tribes break into two and dance wildly; the brass seasons, and celebrated the coming of spring by forcing a young instruments yell taunts and challenges. girl to dance herself to death. If that sounds strange and a bit Procession of the Wise Man scary, so does Stravinsky’s music. With a story like that, it would • There’s a sudden hush. The string instruments whirl, and have been completely wrong if it sounded light and airy. Music the tribal Wise Man makes his entrance, ready for the has never been the same again! sacrifice to come. Dance of the Earth • With a pounding of drums and the shimmer of the gong (the huge metal disc in the percussion section), everyone joins in a dance in praise of the Earth: it gets faster and faster, and then - gone. TONIGHT'S MUSIC

Part 2: The Sacrifice Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) Introduction Daphnis and Chloe (1909–12) • It’s quiet … too quiet! The string instruments play with ‘mutes’ – little black devices that make the sound misty and quiet – and the wind instruments rock nervously back Hallé Choir and forward, as if unsure where to go next. Mysterious Circles of the Young Girls Diaghilev didn’t just work with Stravinsky. In 1912 he and the • The girls walk slowly in circles; the music is quiet and French composer Maurice Ravel had an idea for a ballet set in gentle (Stravinsky uses just a few of the string players in Ancient Greece – a world of green fields, powerful gods and order to make a more delicate sound – see if you can a shepherd boy and girl who fall in love. Ravel wasn’t at all like spot which ones). The drums thunder, and one of the Stravinsky: he was a neat, elegant man who wanted his music girls is chosen. She’s about to pay a terrible price for the to sound both precise and magical. It took him three years to coming of spring. write Daphnis and Chloe but you’d never guess from its rich, Celebration of the Chosen One fabulous sound. • First, though, everyone cheers for her in another brutal, driving dance. The brilliant sound of the piccolo makes it As with The Rite of Spring, we’ve got a lot of musicians on sound as if the orchestra is squealing. stage, and we’ve also got the Hallé Choir. Ravel doesn’t give Summoning of the Ancestors them any words to sing – they just sing sounds like ‘Aaaah’ or • Ritual of the Ancestors. After a quick dance of celebration ‘Mmmm’. The ancient Greeks believed that even trees and (or relief) by the other girls, the Chosen One is handed rocks had living spirits, and it’s as if Ravel’s whole world is full of over to the tribe’s Wise Men. Chanting, they summon mysterious, invisible voices. So, if you’re sitting comfortably … the spirits of the tribe’s ancestors. The music is quiet and eerie. Finally the chosen one is pushed into the centre and forced to begin her … What to listen for Dance of Sacrifice Part 1 • Unable to escape, the Chosen One dances for the spirit Introduction and Religious Dance of spring. First slowly, then steadily faster and more brutal, • A woodland glade in ancient Greece – everything’s very the final dance gathers speed. The drums and strings quiet and still, apart from the birds (the flutes of the hammer out the rhythm; the brass bark and snap, until, orchestra) and some mysterious, distant voices. Gradually with a final gasp, the girl falls dead. young boys and girls enter to offer gifts to the god Pan – among them the beautiful Chloe. They dance slowly. Chloe sees her beloved Daphnis and rushes to join him – What else could I listen to? it sounds romantic! There’s nothing in the history of music quite like The Rite of Dance of the Young Girls; General Dance; Dorcon’s Dance; Spring – but if you like your music seriously savage, you should Daphnis’s Dance hear the Scythian Suite by Stravinsky’s great rival Prokofiev. • The next two dances are flirtatious and aimed to make both Daphnis and Chloe a bit jealous. A playing solo (on its own) shows how Chloe is feeling. Then the clumsy cowherd Interval: 20 minutes (time for an ice-cream!) Dorcon tries to flirt with Chloe and there’s a contest between him (represented by three gawky bassoons) and Daphnis (three graceful flutes). Then Daphnis and Chloe are left alone (listen out for the theme on strings). TONIGHT'S MUSIC

Entry of Lycéion General Dance • Lyceion fancies Daphnis herself, and flirts with him a bit. • A sudden call and a wild swirl of music begins The clarinets of the orchestra swoon and shimmy and a huge, jubilant dance for everyone – shepherds, girls, a solo (single) cello sounds a bit unsure. Daphnis breaks wordless spirits and both Daphnis and Chloe. It’s in a away to look for Chloe – but with a sudden crash, a jagged, uneven rhythm (parties in ancient Greece could band of pirates charge in and carry her away. Daphnis is be wild, wine-fuelled affairs). But don’t worry: this is very horrified and prays to Pan for help. definitely a happy ever after! Nocturne • The violins rustle quietly as mysterious figures emerge from the shadows to help Daphnis. Listen for those voices What else could I listen to? again – and the distant sound of the wind, created by a If you enjoyed Daphnis and Chloe, you’re sure to like Ravel’s ‘wind machine’ in the orchestra (it’s really just the sound colourful Rapsodie espagnole – or his sumptuous La valse. of cloth rubbing against wood). Notes © Richard Bratby Part 2 Interlude and War Dance • It’s gloomy. The voices echo in the distance again. Suddenly a trumpet sounds and with a crash we’re in the pirates’ camp, by a rocky seashore. The whole orchestra flies into a wild, crazy dance. Chloe’s Pleading Dance • Now it’s quiet, and Chloe dances slowly as she begs to be set free. The string instruments have got mutes on again, and the harps play glittering sweeps of sound. Suddenly weird noises start, the wind howls and, to jagged sounds from the trumpets and a huge crash of the shimmering gong, the god Pan appears. The pirates run off – and Chloe is free! The music carries on, very quietly, and the scene changes …

Part 3 Daybreak • Daphnis wakes as the sun rises. Ravel uses the orchestra to show rippling streams (the flutes of the orchestra playing very quietly), birdsong (the woodwind instruments and a single violin) and finally daylight spreading across the land. Chloe returns and they run into each other’s arms. Pantomime • An old shepherd explains that Pan has saved Chloe, and tells the story of Pan’s own great love for the flute-player Syrinx. The flute of the orchestra (of course!) plays bright, nimble music. The lovers embrace again, full of emotion. JOURNEY THROUGH MUSIC PRE-CONCERT SESSIONS

We have special pre-concert introductions at two upcoming concerts. Join us a bit earlier on the concert night to discover more about the orchestra and the music being performed.

Saturday 4 February 2017 Relishing in Revolution Music by Beethoven, Saint-Saëns & Debussy Pre-concert session, 6.30pm

Friday 26 May 2017 Concert Fantastique Music by Arvo Pärt, Berlioz & Mark Simpson Pre-concert session, 6.30pm

bbc.co.uk/journeythroughmusic #MyJTM