17 Intermediate/Senior 18 Study Guide The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s School Concerts are generously supported by Mrs. Gert Wharton and an anonymous donor. Table of Contents Concert Overview Concert Preparation Program Notes 3 4 - 6 7 - 15 Lesson Plans Artist Biographies Musical Terms Glossary 16 - 23 24 - 25 26 - 27 Instruments in Musicians Teacher & Student the Orchestra of the TSO Evaluation Forms 28 - 39 40 - 43 44 - 45 The Toronto Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledge Doug Friesen for preparing the lesson plans included in this guide Concert Overview The Firebird Intermediate/Senior: Suitable for students in grades 7–12 Rob Kapilow, conductor & host Join the TSO for an in-depth exploration of Stravinsky’s famous work The Firebird. Conductor & host Rob Kapilow expertly dissects this masterpiece, exposing hidden meaning and delving deeper into the mind of this great composer. Students will have a chance to ask the Orchestra questions in a live Q&A. Immersive, engaging, and one of a kind, this concert is not to be missed! Program includes: Stravinsky Suite from The Firebird (1919 revision) 3 Concert Preparation Let's Get Ready! Your class is coming to Roy Thomson Hall to see and hear the Toronto Symphony Orchestra! Here are some suggestions of what to do before, during, and after the performance. Whether it’s your first symphony concert or you’re a seasoned audience member, there’s always something new to learn and experience! Before Listen and Read Listen to the pieces of music • Have you heard any of these pieces before? • Which one is your favourite and why? • Do you hear anything new or interesting? • Try out one of our listening journals and record your observations. Read the biographies and program notes • Were there any composers you had never heard of before? • Did you learn anything new or interesting about one of the pieces, composers, instruments or TSO musicians? During Look and Listen Look around the orchestra and the hall • Have you been to Roy Thomson Hall before? • Are there any instruments you haven’t seen before? • Do you notice anything interesting about the orchestra? Listen to the orchestra and conductor • Is it different listening to the live orchestra versus a recording? • Think about how the different pieces make you feel. • Is there a particular instrument or part of the piece that you like listening to the best? • What instruments are used to create different sound effects? 4 Concert Preparation After Discuss and Reflect Discuss and reflect with your classmates • Was there anything that surprised you during the concert? • What was your favourite/least favourite piece and why? • Was your experience different from your classmates? • Fill out our Student Feedback form and let us know what you think! Review Rules and Reminders Review these rules and reminders with your classmates • No outside food or drink allowed inside Roy Thomson Hall. • No flash photography or recordings. • Please visit the bathroom before the concert. Audience members walking in and out during the concert can be distracting. • We encourage you to applaud and show appreciation. The orchestra relies on your energy to perform. • If you’re unsure when the piece of music is over, look to the conductor and performers on stage. The conductor will turn and face the audience once the piece of music is over. Have fun and enjoy your experience! 5 Concert Preparation Listening Journals Name: ____________________________ Date: _________________________ Name of the piece ___________________________________ Composer ___________________________________ 1) What kind of instruments do you hear? What type of group or ensemble is playing? 2) What different dynamics do you hear? Do the dynamics stay the same or change? (pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, crescendo, diminuendo, etc.) 3) How would you describe the mood of the piece? Why? 4) What tempo marking would you give this piece? (ex. Largo, Adagio, Andante, Allegro, Presto) 5) What type of key is this piece in? Major Minor Both Other 6) How does the music make you feel? Why do you think the composer wrote this piece? 7) What two words would you use to describe this piece of music? 6 Program Notes Igor Stravinsky Biography Igor Stravinsky was raised in St. Petersburg by his father, a bass singer, and his mother, a talented pianist. Encouraged to follow another career path, Stravinsky enrolled in law school at the University of St Petersburg. While in school, Stravinsky befriended his classmate Vladimir—whose father was the celebrated composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Stravinsky showed some of his early pieces to Nikolai and soon after became Nikolai’s private composition student until the composer's death in 1908. Through encouragement from Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov, Stravinsky pursued a career as a composer. In 1909, Stravinsky was introduced to Sergei Diaghilev, the founder of Ballet Russes, who invited him to orchestrate some piano works by Chopin for the ballet Les Sylphides. His early commissions of the ballets The Firebird (1910), Petrouchka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913) established his place as a leading composer of the early twentieth century. Quick Facts Did you know? Born Stravinsky's original June 17, 1882 score for The Firebird is now over a 100 years old! Died April 6, 1971 Nationality Russian Full Name Igor Fyodorovich Watch & Listen Stravinsky Conversation with Igor Stravinsky from NBC's The Wisdom Series in 1957 7 Program Notes History of The Firebird Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes took Parisian audiences by storm with its début season in 1909. For the next year’s productions, Diaghilev envisioned a new ballet, its plot adapted from Russian folk tales. His chief choreographer, Mikhail Fokine, devised the scenario for the ballet drawing inspiration from the legend of the Firebird and Kastchei the Immortal, magical creatures from Russian folk tales. Diaghilev wanted completely new music for the ballet and commissioned a brand new score for The Firebird. When agreements fell through with other composers, Diaghilev offered the commission to the young relatively unknown composer, Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky had previously orchestrated a Chopin nocturne and waltz for Diaghilev’s ballet Les Sylphides. It’s hard to believe, but The Firebird was Igor Stravinsky’s first large-scale work for orchestra. Illustration for the Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, The Firebird and the Grey Wolf, 1899 Diaghilev also commissioned elaborate costumes designed by Léon Bakst and sets designed by Alexan- dre Golovine. The two leading roles, Prince Ivan & the Firebird, were danced by Tamara Karsavina and the main choreographer, Mikhail Fokine. The Firebird premièred on June 25, 1910 at the Paris Opera and was a spectacu- lar success. Stravinsky rose to fame overnight and was launched into the top rank of contemporary composers. Stravinsky returned to The Firebird throughout his career and created three different concert versions in 1911, 1919 and 1945. The 1919 suite is the best known version, and is what you’ll be hearing at the TSO School Concerts in November and May! The 1919 suite uses less than half of the original ballet score and simplifies some of the orchestration. Tamara Karsavina et Mikhaïl Fokine in The Firebird, 1910s 8 Program Notes Set Design by Alexander Golovine Costume by Léon Bakst for The Firebird, 1910 Watch & Listen The Museum of Modern Art's video about Léon Bakst costume design Sketch of King Kastchei by Alexander Golovine 9 Program Notes The Form A suite is a musical work consisting of several shorter pieces which are usually linked thematically and/or tonally. The Firebird is an orchestral suite in five movements using musical material from the original 1910 ballet score. Each movement is a complete work and can be played separately. The Five Movements 1. Introduction and Dance of the Firebird 2. Dance of the Princesses 3. Infernal Dance of King Kastchei 4. Berceuse (Lullaby) 5. Finale A brief history of the suite In the Baroque period, a suite was an important musical form and consisted mainly of a collection of dances, such as a minuet or a gavotte, written in the same key. During the Classical period, dance suites went out of style and symphonies, concertos and sonatas became the more popular forms. The Romantic period revived the term “suite” but in a slightly different form. Composers who had written works for ballets, operas, or incidental music for a play, would often make arrangements of their music for orchestra so that it could be played separately. For example, Tchaikovsky wrote The Nutcracker Suite using musical material from his score for the ballet The Nutcracker. Composers such as Ravel and Debussy composed suites for solo piano during the Impressionist period. Here are some examples of suites based on an opera, ballet, film, theme or incidental music from a play: Opera Film Georges Bizet - Carmen Suite No. 1 & No. 2 John Williams - Stars Wars Suite for Orchestra Sergei Prokofiev - Lieutenant Kijé Suite Ballet Theme or Incidental Music Igor Stravinsky - Pulcinella Suite Gustav Holst - The Planets Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring Suite Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 & No. 2 10 Program Notes Story of The Firebird The story of The Firebird is an epic journey based off the legends of the Firebird and Kastchei, the Immortal, magical creatures from Russian folk tales. The story and corresponding movements from the 1919 Suite are described below. Watch & Listen Orchestre philarmonique de Radio France perform Suite from The Firebird, (1919 Revision) 1. Introduction and Dance of the Firebird Prince Ivan, the hero of the story, is on a hunting trip when he catches a glimpse of the beautiful firebird. He chases after the bird and finds himself in an enchanted garden outside of a castle. The castle is owned by an immortal demon named King Kastchei, who has secretly hidden his soul inside a magic egg so that he can live forever.