Ron Nelson: Savannah River Holiday Overture
The Savannah River, which forms most of the border between South Carolina and Georgia, is
both powerful and serene. These contrasting moods are apparent in Ron Nelson’s captivating
overture, Savannah River Holiday. Originally composed as an orchestral work and later
transcribed for wind ensemble, underlying tension pervades the mood of the overture as
boisterous energy alternates with quiet contemplation.
The first of a series of “Holidays” by Nelson, Savannah River Holiday features twentieth-century
sonorities with an underlying structure that dates back to Vivaldi’s three-movement Baroque
Italian overtures. In Nelson’s work, the movements proceed without a clear break, but the
segments remain distinct. The first movement, Allegro Vivace, begins energetically and
establishes a four-note motif. The wistful second movement, Adagio Plaintive, features a threenote motif. The Allegro Vivace returns in the third movement, which repeats the opening motif
in a chase-like fashion leading to a fast march finale.
Born in 1929 in Illinois, Nelson received all three of his degrees from the Eastman School of
Music, including the doctorate in 1957. He studied in Paris from 1954-55 under a Fulbright
Grant and then taught at Brown University from 1956 until his retirement in 1993. Although
best known for his compositions for wind bands, Nelson has composed for a variety of genres,
including orchestra, opera, film, choral, and chamber works. (KM)
Max Bruch: Concerto #1 for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 26
Although their births were only five years apart, the lives and legacies of Max Bruch and
Johannes Brahms varied significantly. Bruch, the son of a police official who received his first
musical training from his soprano mother, wrote his first symphony at 14, while Brahms
struggled with his for nearly a quarter of a century before finishing it at age 42. Bruch began his
first violin concerto in 1864, which was first performed to considerable acclaim in 1868, more
than a decade before Brahms’ own celebrated concerto. Although Bruch experienced some
success during his lifetime, his fame has not endured like Brahms’, perhaps because of a
staunchly derivative style.
Although Bruch composed extensively, he is primarily known for this violin concerto. Begun in
1864, Bruch planned to call the work a “fantasy” as a result of its unconventional prelude’s
integration with the second movement. However, legendary violinist Joseph Joachim (to whom
the work is dedicated) pointed out the substantial nature of the second and third movements, and
convinced Bruch that the work was not only a bona fide concerto, but also destined for
immortality. The first movement,(“Vorspiel” or prelude), is an extensive dialogue between
soloist and orchestra that softly sinks into the slow, second movement without pause. Here is the
heart of the concerto with rich, lyrical, and deeply expressive melodies. The finale begins in
quiet suspense, followed by hearty gypsy melodies that provide ample opportunities for virtuoso
solo passages over a sparkling, energetic accompaniment. (KM)
Gioacchino Rossini: Overture to “La Scala di Seta”
Born in 1792 in Pesaro, Italy, Gioacchino Rossini was recognized as the greatest Italian opera
composer of his time. Best known for his opera buffa (comic operas), Rossini remained in the
forefront of the operatic world until he was challenged by Giuseppe Verdi.
Rossini composed the one-act comic farce La Scala di Seta (The Silken Ladder) after he
experienced his first great operatic success with L’Inganno felice, which had premiered just two
months earlier. Even though the follow-up opera proved to be a disappointment to audiences,
the overture has survived as the jewel of the work and continues to receive frequent
performances. Composed in 1812 and premiered that same year in Venice, La Scala di Seta is
based on a libretto by Giuseppe Foppa, dealing with the complications of a secret marriage. The
“silken ladder” is the means by which the husband, Dorvil, climbs to the chamber of his wife,
Giulia.
Rossini’s attention to instrumental detail (although criticized in its day) makes his overtures a
delight for modern audiences. The overture for La Scala di Seta includes sophisticated contrasts
among wind and string sonorities. The slow introduction, played almost entirely by the
woodwinds and horns, is preceded by a flourish from the strings. A bubbling, scalar (perhaps
ladderlike?) main theme is announced by the strings, repeated by the winds, and then passed
around the full ensemble. The second theme, a lyrical offering by flute and clarinet, is answered
by a motive in the oboes. Rossini continues the overture with gathering intensity, and whirling
high spirits and festive brilliance close the miniature masterpiece. (KM)
Sir Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations
Sir Edward Elgar was an English composer born near Worcester in 1857, largely provincial in
fame, somewhat in demand for oratorios for choral festivals, but still needing to teach music
lessons to make ends meet.
The story of how his Enigma Variations came to be is one that starts with a bit of humor and
ends with a celebrated masterpiece propelling him from obscurity to fame, including an honorary
degree from Cambridge and knighthood. Upon returning home after a day of teaching, Elgar
began to improvise and created a tune that caught his wife’s ear. Her approving reaction led him
to playfully create variations on the tune to reflect the personalities or quirks of their friends.
The result then grew into a theme (whose source remains an “enigma”) and fourteen variations.
A few days later, he sent the theme to August Jaeger, explaining “I have sketched a set of
Variations…on an original theme: the Variations have amused me because I’ve labeled ‘em with
the nicknames of my particular friends – you are ‘Nimrod’ (the ninth variation)…I’ve liked to
imagine the ‘party’ writing the variation him (or her) self…if they were asses enough to
compose.”
Although Elgar cryptically labeled his variations with initials, they easily revealed his wife and
friends’ identities. Only Variation XIII is still unknown—three asterisks placed in the title have
been guessed at for over a century. Generally recognized as Elgar’s greatest work, the whimsical
nature of its conception hardly speaks to the large-scale beauty of this orchestral masterpiece.
(LB)
Program Notes by Kalli Murphy and Lauren Brandenburg, graduate students in music education,
North Dakota State University