York Symphony Orchestra 2015-2016 Season Program Notes
Written and Prepared by Jeffrey Snedeker
Classical I
In Nature's Realm
Antonio Vivaldi
(March 4, 1678 - July 28, 1741)
Autumn, from The Four Seasons, from Il Cimento dell' armonia e dell' inventione, op. 8
(1725)
Born in Venice, Vivaldi was employed for most of his working life by the Ospedale della
Pietà. This “orphanage” was in fact a home for the female children of noblemen and their
mistresses. It was thus well endowed by the “anonymous” fathers with comfortable furnishings,
good supervision, and excellent musical training. Most of Vivaldi’s concertos were composed for
these talented students. The terms of his employment allowed him a great deal of freedom for
commissions and traveling, but he remained in the service of the Ospedale until very close to his
death.
The Four Seasons are part of a larger collection of 12 concertos, entitled Il Cimento dell'
Armenia e dell'invenzione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). Harmony, in this
case, is the rational side of music, Invention is the imagination, and this “battle” was a key
aesthetic issue for many composers in the transition from Baroque to Classical music in the 18th
century. Viewed as one of the earliest examples of true “program” music, there is an added twist:
Vivaldi wrote sonnets to go with each of concerto. The text was written into the score, and the
music depicts the events as described. Autumn is filled with sounds of harvest dancing and
hunting.
I. Allegro
The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in.
The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber.
II. Adagio molto
The singing and the dancing die away as cooling breezes fan the pleasant air,
inviting all to sleep without a care.
III. Allegro
The hunters emerge at dawn, ready for the chase, with horns and dogs and cries.
Their quarry flees while they give chase.
Terrified and wounded, the prey struggles on, but, harried, dies.
Antonin Leopold Dvořák
(September 8, 1841 - May 1, 1904)
In Nature's Realm, op. 91
(1891)
Born in rural Bohemia, Antonin Dvořák's upbringing included both folk and classical music.
After formal studies in Prague, he gained a position as a violinist in the National Opera orchestra,
where he would meet Bedrich Smetana, whose nationalistic efforts were to have a strong impact
on Dvořák. He continued to work incredibly hard and by the mid-1870s achieved some visibility
as a composer, catching the eye of Johannes Brahms who became instrumental in his future
success. As nationalistic music became popular throughout Europe, Dvořák’s knack for
combining folk elements with classical settings (especially with Brahms’ blessing) made him a
busy and rich person.
In the 1880s, Dvořák had saved enough money to buy a small country property in southern
Bohemia. He spent the summer months there with his family, enjoying the beauty of nature. He
wrote many of his most famous works there, including three concert overtures, In Nature’s
Realm, op. 91, Carnival, op.92, and Othello op.93. These three overtures were created as a
programmatic trilogy representing Nature, Life, and Love. Dvořák’s depiction of Nature (op.91)
is forthright and positive. There are restful sounds, as well as those of joy and movement.
Experts of his music have also found a close thematic connection with the Czech hymn Vesele
zpívejme, Boha Otce chvalme (Let us sing joyfully, praise God the Father). Thus Nature is
depicted as an aspect of the nature of God, very much in line with the composer’s own religious
thinking. One can even hear elements of the New World Symphony, which would appear less
than five years later.
Gustav Mahler
(July 7, 1860 - May 18, 1911)
Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)
(1909)
Gustav Mahler was a very pragmatic person, choosing to make his living as a conductor
rather than depend on commissions for compositions. He was very passionate about the music of
Richard Wagner, and, rather than worship him from a respectful distance as others did, he
plunged into Wagner’s music, giving it lavish performances. As Mahler wrote his symphonies,
Schoenberg and Bartok had begun their experiments in new music (with others not far behind),
extending harmonic and rhythmic complexities. This inevitably caused a crisis, not only for
audiences struggling to make sense of these developments, but also for composers like Mahler
and Richard Strauss who found more meaning in the music of the 19th century. In Mahler’s case,
this led to music that exhibited remarkable contradictions, seen most clearly in his symphonic
works. In the 1890s, Mahler experimented with all sorts of textural possibilities, including
expanding both orchestral and vocal/choral forces. What is particularly interesting, however, is
that rather than using them simply to increase the sheer volume, Mahler more often used the
larger forces for a wider palette of timbres.
The first decade of the twentieth century began with large-scale works, clearly split between
monumental symphonic pieces that abandoned any programmatic impulses (at least publicly),
and orchestral lieder, an extension of the inspiration to combine orchestra and voices. Three
personal disasters occurred for Mahler in 1907 that would change his life and effect his
remaining years: politics and anti-semitism forced him to resign his post as Director of the
Vienna Court Opera; his daughter, Maria, died from scarlet fever and diphtheria; he himself was
diagnosed with a heart ailment. The resulting works from the last three years of his life reflect
increasing concern and depression. Some time in the country and other inspirations helped him
write the first draft of Das Lied von der Erde in 1908. Mahler called the work a symphony when
it was published, but he chose not to number it, possibly because it was a song cycle or hybrid
work, or he may have been superstitious about ninth symphonies and dying. It consists of six
songs for two singers, tenor and alto, and large orchestra. The subject matter is reflected in the
movement titles and accompanying texts, from Hans Bethge’s Die chinesische Flöte (The
Chinese Flute), derived from old Chinese poems: “The Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery,” “The
Lonely One in Autumn,” “Of Youth,” “”Of Beauty,” “The Drunken Man in Spring,” and “The
Farewell.” The mix of text and sound, technique and expression, and profundity and intimacy
prompted composer and noted Mahler conductor Leonard Bernstein to describe Das Lied von der
Erde as Mahler’s “greatest symphony.”
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Classical II
A Stormy Night: Musical Depictions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest
John Knowles Paine
(January 9, 1839 - April 25, 1906)
The Tempest, op. 31
(1877)
John Knowles Paine was the first American-born composer to win mainstream acceptance,
and one of the first to be named professor of music at an American university. In the 1800s,
American musicians achieved “legitimacy” by studying overseas, so, after a thorough musical
grounding, Paine left for Europe in 1858 and absorbed the German Romantic musical world that
would pervade his own compositions. When he finally settled in Boston in 1861, Paine started a
series of organ recitals and public lectures on music that ultimately won him an appointment to
the faculty of Harvard University. Paine served the Harvard and Boston communities for the rest
of his life as a performer and advocate for music in education and in daily life.
The Tempest is a symphonic poem in four connected movements, based on Shakespeare’s
play. The opening “Storm” begins dramatically with a tympani roll, followed by swirling figures
in the strings and winds, with the sea’s power felt in the brass and percussion. In “Calm and
Happy Scene before Prospero’s Cell,” a lovely melody represents the island’s beauty, giving way
to the introduction of the spirit Ariel, with harp and winds. In “Prospero’s Tale,” strings
introduce an ardent theme that represents Prospero’s life. After a brief return of Ariel’s music,
the fourth movement opens with a passionate theme representing “The Happy Love of Ferdinand
and Miranda.” This is eventually interrupted by a playful interlude introducing Caliban. The
themes of love and then of Ariel return, followed by a triumphant ending. The piece is well
organized thematically and, despite the evocative imagery, is not the over-the-top programmatic
approach used by Liszt and a few decades later by Richard Strauss.
Franz Liszt
(October 22, 1811 - July 31, 1886)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major
(1855)
Franz Liszt was one of the most innovative composers and finest pianists in history. A child
prodigy at the piano, he traveled all over Europe in his formative years, and became heavily
influenced by opera’s extroverted expression and the extraordinary technique of Paganini, the
greatest violinist of the time. His music is forward-looking, occasionally experimental, and many
of his style traits anticipate and influenced future developments, including Impressionism in
music and 12-tone composition.
In 1842, Liszt took a court position in Weimar. Once settled there, he conducted, wrote
about music, and composed many of his most important works, including his “tempestuous”
Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, completed in 1855. He premiered the concerto there that year,
with Hector Berlioz conducting. In the first movement, the powerful opening motive goes
through numerous variations and moods, as the piano and orchestra are integrated throughout. A
tender contrasting section follows, where the pianist is asked to seek every possible sound the
piano can make. The third movement is playful and features an innovative triangle part. The
finale builds in bravura and momentum to a powerful ending. One interesting characteristic of
the piece as a whole is the clear dominance of the piano—the soloist and orchestra do not play
off each other as equals. In this piece, the orchestra has a few moments to shine, mostly
providing timbral bedding for the piano and additional resources for a remarkable variety of
expression.
Jean Sibelius
(December 8, 1865 - September 20, 1957)
Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, op. 109, Suite No. 1
(1926/1927)
Sibelius’ first recognition as a composer came in 1891 with his choral symphony Kullervo.
His early works show a strong influence of Tchaikovsky, but like other Scandanavian
composers, e.g., Grieg, he was encouraged to follow a nationalist vein that reflected building
desires for independence from Russia, which was finally completed in 1917. Music for The
Tempest was completed in 1926 for a production in Copenhagen, and turned out to be one of his
last great works. The complete score lasts for over an hour, consisting of 34 pieces. Later,
Sibelius arranged two concert suites, totalling 19 pieces. In the suites, however, the movements
seem to have been ordered based on musical flow, without any regard for the progression of the
original drama.
Suite No. 1 opens with The Oak Tree—Ariel plays the flute to put the shipwrecked sailors to
sleep. In Humoresque, Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban squabble. In Caliban's Song, the
grotesque Caliban gets his “heavenly drink” and thinks Stephano is a god and his new master.
Next, the Harvesters dance for prosperity and fruitfulness for the young couple. In Canon,
Stephano et al plan to kill Prospero, sing a canon, and march off, guided by Ariel’s music. In
Scena, an Interlude portrait of Caliban is combined with The Dogs where Caliban, Stephano and
Trinculo plot to kill Prospero until dog-shaped spirits drive them away. Intrada and Berceuse
combines an intrada during which Prospero commands Ariel to free those he has practiced his
magic on, with a berceuse representing Prospero telling Miranda about his past. The Entr’acte is
used in the drama for a feast in honor of goddess Iris. During Ariel’s Song, Ferdinand mourns his
supposedly dead father, and Ariel confirms it in his song. Finally, The Storm Overture is last—
the ship sinks in a tempest raised by Prospero, which actually begins the play—a curious ending
to the suite, but an expressive one nonetheless.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
(April 25/May 7, 1840 - October 25/November 6, 1893)
The Tempest Fantasy-Overture, op. 18
(1873)
Tchaikovsky’s first decade in Moscow (1866-1876) was amazingly successful because of
support he received from colleagues and impresarios. The Tempest (Burya) was premiered in
December, 1873, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein. It is a symphonic poem based on
Shakespeare’s play, similar in structure to the composer’s better-known Romeo and Juliet
fantasy-overture. A program appears in the score, written by Vladimir Stasov (1824-1906), noted
critic who promoted Russian nationalist music, and the music follows it, with all the opulence
and passion one would expect from Tchaikovsky:
The sea. Ariel, spirit of the air, servant to the will of wizard Prospero, raises a tempest.
A shipwreck leads Ferdinand. The enchanted island. First and shy feelings of love
between Miranda and Ferdinand. Ariel. Caliban. The loving couple surrenders to each
other as their passion triumphs. Prospero is stripped of his enchanted powers and leaves
the island. The sea.
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Classical III
Beethoven in Buenos Aires
Osvaldo Golijov
(born December 5, 1960)
Last Round
(1996)
Osvaldo Golijov grew up in an Eastern European Jewish household in La Plata, Argentina,
surrounded by classical chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, and the new tango
of Astor Piazzolla. He went on to study in Israel and in the U.S. Successful works for string
quartet in the 1990s led to an increasing number of commissions from major ensembles and
institutions in the U.S. and Europe. He is the recipient of numerous awards, and continues to
collaborate with world-renowned artists, ensembles, and film directors. Since 1991, Golijov has
been Loyola Professor of Music at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
About Last Round, the composer says “Astor Piazzolla, the last great Tango composer, was
at the peak of his creativity when a stroke killed him in 1992. He left us, in the words of the old
tango, ‘without saying good-bye,’ and that day the musical face of Buenos Aires was abruptly
frozen. The creation of that face had started a hundred years earlier from the unlikely
combination of African rhythms underlying gauchos’ couplets, sung in the style of Sicilian
canzonettas over an accompanying Andalucian guitar. As the years passed all converged towards
the bandoneón: a small accordion-like instrument without keyboard that was invented in
Germany in the 19th century to serve as a portable church organ and which, after finding its true
home in the bordellos of Buenos Aires’ slums in the 1920s, went back to Europe to conquer
Paris’ high society in the 1930s. Since then it reigned as the essential instrument for any Tango
ensemble…I composed Last Round in 1996…The title is borrowed from a short story on boxing
by Julio Cortázar, the metaphor for an imaginary chance for Piazzolla’s spirit to fight one more
time (he used to get into fistfights throughout his life). The piece is conceived as an idealized
bandoneón. The first movement represents the act of a violent compression of the instrument and
the second a final, seemingly endless opening sigh (it is actually a fantasy over the refrain of the
song ‘My Beloved Buenos Aires,’ composed by the legendary Carlos Gardel in the 1930s). But
Last Round is also a sublimated tango dance. Two quartets confront each other, separated by the
focal bass, with violins and violas standing up as in the traditional tango orchestras. The bows fly
in the air as inverted legs in crisscrossed choreography, always attracting and repelling each
other, always in danger of clashing, always avoiding it with the immutability that can only be
acquired by transforming hot passion into pure pattern.”
Ástor Piazzolla
(March 11, 1921 - July 4, 1992)
The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, arr. Desyatnikov for violin and orchestra
(1998)
Ástor Piazzola was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneón player, and arranger. He
revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements
from jazz and classical music. He had some training in musical composition with Alberto
Ginastera and Nadia Boulanger, and applied what he learned to the tango with great success. He
travelled the world, released recordings, composed film scores, worked with a range of renowned
artists, and achieved worldwide fame. By the time of his death he was considered the world’s
foremost composer of tango music.
Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas is a set of four tango compositions. Originally scored for his
quintet of violin, piano, electric guitar, double bass, and bandoneón, the pieces were conceived
as separate compositions rather than one suite, although Piazzolla did occasionally perform them
together. The adjective porteño refers to those born in Buenos Aires, and, as expected, the four
movements represent the four seasons in Argentina’s capital city: Verano Porteño (Buenos Aires
Summer, composed in 1965), Otoño Porteño (Buenos Aires Autumn, 1969), Primavera Porteña
(Buenos Aires Spring, 1970), and Invierno Porteño (Buenos Aires Winter, 1970). The music
contains a range of tango styles and compositional devices, including extended technical effects,
poignant dissonance, spicy rhythms, and soaring melodies.
In 1998, Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov created a new version of these four pieces,
demonstrating a more obvious link between Vivaldi and Piazzolla by converting each into a
three-section piece, and re-arranging them for solo violin and string orchestra. He also added
several quotations from Vivaldi’s original work but with the seasons inverted between northern
and southern hemispheres; thus, Verano Porteño has added elements of Vivaldi’s L'inverno
(Winter), etc.
Ludwig van Beethoven
(December 17, 1770 - March 26, 1827)
Symphony No. 6 in F major, op. 68
(1808)
The early 1800s were important years of activity for Beethoven, during which he created
some of his greatest works. At this time, composers depended on individual commissions and
concert ticket sales for income, so, when the Theater an der Wien was put at his disposal for
December 22, 1808, he arranged an enormous concert to benefit himself. The program lasted
four hours, including the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto with Beethoven
as soloist, portions of the Mass in C, Ah! Perfido, and the Choral Fantasy.
Beethoven was a lover of nature, and spent a great deal of time in the country. With this
inspiration, he composed Symphony No. 6, also known as the Pastoral Symphony or
“Recollections of Country Life.” One of Beethoven’s few programmatic works, the five
movements are subtitled as follows: “Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the
country,” “Scene at the brook,” “Happy gathering of country folk,” “Thunderstorm,”
“Shepherds’ song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm.” The symphony begins with a
placid, cheerful movement depicting the composer’s feelings as he arrives in the country. At the
opening of the second movement, the strings play a motif that clearly imitates flowing water.
The cadenza of birdcalls includes nightingale (flute), quail (oboe), and cuckoo (clarinet). The
third movement is a scherzo, depicting country folk dancing and reveling. The revelry is abruptly
cut short by a thunderstorm (the fourth movement). As the weather clears, everyone comes out to
celebrate the beauty and freshness of the world around them. After a plaintive shepherd song,
the music gradually builds to an exciting outpouring of happiness and goodwill. This symphony
was an important early catalyst for programmatic music in the 19th century.
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Classical IV
Lullaby of Birdland
Gioachino Rossini
(February 29, 1792 - November 13, 1868)
La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) Overture
(1817)
Rossini is generally regarded as the most important opera composer of his time. He began
composing opera in his teens, which led to a surprising number of commissions. By the time he
retired in 1829, he had created one of the most impressive and influential bodies of work in opera
history, literally working himself sick in the process. La gazza ladra was composed quickly and,
according to legend, the producer assured its completion by locking Rossini in a room. The
composer had to throw sheets of music out the window to the copyists who then wrote the
orchestral parts in time for the premiere, May 31, 1817, at La Scala in Milan. The opera is best
known for its overture, which captures the mischievous nature of a magpie who sets in motion a
strange sequence of events.
Jean Sibelius
(December 8, 1865 - September 20, 1957)
The Swan of Tuonela, op. 22
(1895)
Sibelius’ first recognition as a composer came in 1891 with his choral symphony Kullervo.
His early works show a strong influence of Tchaikovsky, and this is true for his tone poem The
Swan of Tuonela. This piece was originally composed as the prelude to a projected opera.
Sibelius revised it and included it in his Lemminkäinen Suite (1896), a set of four tone poems
based on the Kalevala epic of Finnish mythology. The Swan features the English horn as the
voice of the swan, perhaps the best-known solo for the instrument in the orchestral literature. The
music paints an image of a mystical swan swimming around Tuonela, the island of the dead.
Lemminkäinen, the hero of the epic, has been tasked with killing the sacred swan, but he is shot
with a poisoned arrow and dies. (In the next part of the story he is restored to life.) This work
resonated with the Finnish public, not to mention English horn players all over the world. It was
also seriously considered for a planned sequel to Walt Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia. Disney’s
staff did a fair amount of work on the storyboard but, in the end, the piece was never animated.
Dan Locklair
(born 1949)
Phoenix for Orchestra
(2007)
Dan Locklair is Composer-in-Residence and Professor of Music at Wake Forest University in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Phoenix for Orchestra began its life as a fanfare for brass,
organ, and percussion. The piece was re-arranged several times, including versions for brass
quartet and solo organ. In 2006, Locklair was approached by Robert Moody, conductor of the
Winston-Salem Symphony, about an orchestral version. The piece was premiered by Moody and
the symphony in the fall of 2007. Of the orchestral version, the composer says, “Whereas the
original Phoenix Fanfare had extensive antiphonal writing between the brass ensemble in the
rear and the organ and percussion in the front, in the new Phoenix for Orchestra the dialoguing is
now between the off-stage brass ensemble and an identical one contained within the on-stage
orchestra.” The piece begins with a gradually developing processional. After a delicate
contrasting section in the middle, the processional returns for a triumphant ending.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
(October 12, 1872 - August 26, 1958)
The Lark Ascending
(1921)
Young Ralph was encouraged to take an active interest in music, studying composition with
Parry, Wood, and Stanford in England, and later with Bruch in Germany, and Ravel in Paris. He
also studied folk songs, which would become a primary influence on his music. His 60-year
compositional career is generally seen as having five distinctive periods, yet there is a consistent
intuitive character to his music, especially in his orchestral writing. The Lark Ascending is a
poem about the song of the skylark, written in 1881 by English poet George Meredith. Its
pastoral, devotional feeling inspired Williams to write a musical work based on it, first for violin
and piano (1914) and later rescored for violin and orchestra. The piece is more widely known
than the poem, and has become one of the most popular pieces in the classical repertoire among
British audiences. The following lines from Meredith’s poem were inscribed in the score.
He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound,
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake.
For singing till his heaven fills,
‘Tis love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup
And he the wine which overflows
to lift us with him as he goes.
Till lost on his aerial rings
In light, and then the fancy sings.
Igor Stravinsky
(June 17, 1882 - April 6, 1971)
L'Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird) Suite
(1910/1919)
Born into a musical family in St. Petersburg, Stravinsky was exposed to musical styles
ranging from Tchaikovsky to Debussy, and met several Russian composers who influenced him,
including Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, and Glazunov. The Firebird is the first of three ballets
commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballet Russe in Paris. Interestingly, Stravinsky was
not the first choice of composer, but after hearing a concert of his works in St. Petersburg,
Diaghilev and choreographer Michel Fokine approached him with their idea of a ballet based on
the Russian fairy-tale of the Firebird, an enchanted creature that can bestow magical powers.
Nationalism pervaded Russia at the time, and Fokine and Diaghilev felt the tale was a natural for
the stage, both as folklore and as dramatic subject matter. Fokine combined several Firebird
stories into a ballet scenario that begins with the hero Ivan pursuing the magical creature, and
ends with the death of the evil king Katschei and Ivan saving the Princess of Unearthly Beauty.
The work’s popularity has been undeniable from its creation, and Stravinsky himself crafted
three concert suites from the original score. The second (1919) is the most popular. There are
five movements: Introduction—The Firebird and its dance—The Firebird’s variation; The
Princesses’ Khorovod (round dance); Infernal dance of King Kashchei; Berceuse; Finale. The
Firebird successfully combines several musical characteristics: a last look at Russian
Romanticism, an effective combining of visual, intellectual, and aural artforms, and a
foreshadowing of burgeoning modernism, using the latest harmonies, rhythms, and dramatic
elements, and launching Stravinsky’s remarkable career.
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Classical V
York Water Company's Bicentennial Celebration Concert
All Rivers Run to the Sea
Bedřich Smetana
(March 2, 1824 - May 12, 1884)
Vltava (The Moldau)
(1874)
Smetana began writing nationalistic music in his twenties, inspired by the 1848 Prague
uprising. In 1866, his first two operas, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia and The Bartered Bride,
were premiered at Prague’s new Provisional Theatre, the latter work achieving great popularity.
In that same year, Smetana became the theatre’s principal conductor, but the years of his
conductorship were marked by controversy that eventually affected his health. By the end of
1874, Smetana had become completely deaf and resigned from his theatre duties, beginning a
period of renewed, sustained composition that continued until his death.
Vltava (The Moldau) is a symphonic poem, part of Má vlast (My Homeland), a set of six
pieces composed between 1874 and 1879. Each depicts some aspect of the countryside, history,
or legends of Bohemia. They had their own separate premieres between 1875 and 1880, and the
complete set was presented on November 5, 1882 in Prague. Smetana dedicated Má vlast to the
city of Prague; after its first performance, it was acclaimed as the true representation of Czech
national style.
Individually, Vltava was premiered on April 4, 1875. In it, Smetana depicts the sounds and
sights along the river Moldau that runs through Prague towards its junction with the Elbe. In his
own words:
The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs,
the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current,
flowing through woods and meadows [including a hunting scene], through landscapes
where a peasant wedding is celebrated, and a round dance of the mermaids in the
moonlight. Above the nearby rocks, castles, palaces, and ruins loom proudly. The Vltava
swirls into the St John’s Rapids, then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the
Vyšehrad castle, and majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Elbe.
The Moldau is Smetana’s best-known and most internationally popular orchestral
composition. His reputation as the founding father of Czech music has endured, especially in his
native country.
Johann Strauss, Jr.
(October 25, 1825 - June 3, 1899)
The Blue Danube (An der schönen blauen Donau), op. 314
(1866)
The oldest and most prolific son of Johann Strauss Sr., Johann Jr. wrote his first waltz at age
six. Though his father was against a career in music, the younger Strauss received formal
musical training in violin and music theory. By 1844, he was already giving public concerts that
included some of his own compositions. In short order, he and his orchestra became his father’s
chief rival, but after Johann Sr.’s death in 1849, the son merged both groups to create the most
important dance orchestra in Vienna. Thus began one of the most prolific and distinguished
musical careers in the history of Western music, one that is usually looked down upon because of
the context in which the music was created and performed. In reality, however, Johann, Jr., can
be seen as a sort of pop icon, who traveled all over the world to conduct his own and many other
works. Of course, most of his huge output is dance music, but he expanded his work as public
taste called for it. When operettas became popular in the 1860s, he produced some of the most
famous in history, e.g., Die Fledermaus (1874), a stage work still popular today.
The Blue Danube was completed in 1866 and first performed on February 15, 1867 at a
concert of the Vienna Men’s Choral Association. After the original music was written, words
were added by the Choral Association’s poet, Joseph Weyl. Finally, Strauss adapted it into a
purely orchestral version for the World’s Fair in Paris (also in 1867), and this version is by far
the most commonly performed today. Consisting of an introduction and five waltzes plus a coda
that recalls some of them, it has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the
classical repertoire.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
(October 12, 1872-August 26, 1958)
Symphony No. 1 "A Sea Symphony"
(1903–9, last rev. 1923)
Vaughan Williams’s compositional voice fully emerged in the first decade of the 1900s. He
had worked as an organist, writer, editor and folk song collector, collecting over 800 songs and
variants, the vast majority before 1910. Folk music had a profound effect on his compositional
style, yet, in general, he did not quote many folksongs in orchestral and instrumental works—he
absorbed the folksong idiom in such a way that his melodic writing was profoundly effected.
The culmination of these formative years was his first symphony.
Symphony No. 1 “A Sea Symphony” is a piece for orchestra and chorus, his first and longest
symphonic work. Originally titled The Ocean, A Sea Symphony, it was first performed at the
Leeds Festival in 1910, with the composer conducting. It is one of the first symphonies in which
a choir is integrated into the musical texture throughout the work, setting the stage for a new era
of symphonic and choral music in Britain during the first half of the 20th century. That said, the
piece follows a fairly standard symphonic format: fast introductory movement, slow movement,
scherzo, and finale. The four movements have music and text combined to reflect descriptive
titles: “A Song for All Seas, All Ships,” “On the Beach at Night, Alone,” “Scherzo: The Waves,”
and “The Explorers.” The vocal texts were selected from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
Though Whitman’s poems were little known in England at the time, Williams was attracted to
them for their ability to transcend both metaphysical and humanist perspectives.
One can hear many influences from previous symphonic and large-scale choral composers in
the music, yet there is a uniqueness that is undeniable, most likely due to his study of folk music.
A Sea Symphony is among the best-known of several sea-related pieces written around the same
time in England. Williams was interested in every situation, however humble or profound, for
which music was needed, and his feeling for genuinely popular traditions amounted to a
reverence similar to that of Bartók and Kodály in Hungary. He was the most important English
composer of his generation, a key figure in the 20th-century revival of British music, and a leader
in symphonic composition.
1060
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Special Performance: Opera
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791)
Cosi fan Tutte (All Women Are Like That), K. 588
(1790)
At the end of his life, Mozart suffered from financial and health difficulties, and the two
combined to hasten his premature death. This period was also a significant time in terms of his
output—he worked constantly and feverishly, as if he knew the end was near. Yet, his late
works are some of the finest he ever crafted, belying this sense of desperation. Così fan tutte,
ossia La scuola degli amanti (All Women Are Like That, or The School for Lovers) is an Italian
comic opera, first performed in Vienna on January 26, 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo
Da Ponte, who also wrote Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. The title, Così fan tutte,
literally means “Thus do all [women],” usually adapted to “All women are like that,” and Mozart
and Da Ponte used the theme of “fiancée swapping,” which dates back to the 13th century. It was
performed only five times before the run was stopped by the death of the Emperor Joseph II and
the resulting period of mourning. It was later performed twice in June 1790, with the composer
conducting the second performance, and again in July and August. After that it was not played in
Vienna during Mozart’s lifetime.
The action takes place in 18th century Naples. The synopsis is as follows:
In a cafe, Ferrando and Guglielmo (two officers) assure each other that their fiancées
(Dorabella and Fiordiligi, respectively) will be eternally faithful. Don Alfonso expresses
skepticism and claims that there is no such thing as a faithful woman. He bets the two officers
that in one day he can prove that those two, like all women, are fickle. The wager is accepted: the
two officers will pretend to have been called off to war, then return in disguise and each attempt
to seduce the other’s love. The scene shifts to the two women, who are praising their men when
Alfonso arrives to announce the bad news that they have been called off to war. Ferrando and
Guglielmo arrive, brokenhearted, and bid farewell. As they sail off to sea, Alfonso and the
sisters wish them safe travels. Alfonso, left alone, predicts that the women will prove unfaithful.
Despina, the maid, arrives and asks what is wrong. Dorabella bemoans having been left
alone. Despina mocks them, advising them to take new lovers while they are away. After they
leave, Alfonso arrives. He fears Despina will recognize the men through their disguises, so he
bribes her into helping him to win the bet. The two men then arrive, dressed as Albanians. The
sisters enter and are alarmed by the presence of strange men in their home. The “Albanians” tell
the sisters that they were led by love to them (the sisters). However, the sisters refuse to give in.
Fiordiligi asks the “Albanians” to leave, pledging to remain faithful. The “Albanians” continue
the attempt to win over the sisters’ hearts, but to no avail. Ferrando, left alone and sensing
victory, praises his love.
In a garden, the sisters pine for their lovers. Feeling mischievous, Despina has asked Alfonso
to let her take over the seduction plan. Suddenly, the “Albanians” burst in and threaten to poison
themselves if they are not allowed the chance to woo the sisters. As Alfonso tries to calm them,
they drink the “poison” and pretend to pass out. Soon thereafter, a doctor (Despina in disguise)
arrives and, using magnet therapy, is able to revive them. The men, pretending to hallucinate,
demand a kiss from the goddesses who stand before them. The sisters refuse, while Alfonso and
the doctor (Despina) urge them to give in.
Later, in the sisters’ bedroom, Despina urges the women further to succumb to the
“Albanians’” advances. After she leaves, Dorabella confesses to Fiordiligi that she is tempted,
and the two agree that a flirtation will do no harm and help them pass the time while they wait
for their lovers to return. In the garden, Dorabella and the disguised Guglielmo pair up, as do the
other two. The conversation is uncomfortable at first, and then Ferrando departs with Fiordiligi.
Now alone, Guglielmo attempts to woo Dorabella. She does not resist strongly, and soon she has
given him a medallion (with Ferrando’s portrait inside) in exchange for a heart-shaped locket.
Ferrando is less successful with Fiordiligi, so he is angry when he later finds out from Guglielmo
that the medallion with his portrait has been so quickly given to a new lover. Guglielmo at first
sympathizes with Ferrando, then gloats, because his betrothed is faithful.
In their bedroom, Dorabella admits her indiscretion to Fiordiligi, who becomes upset and
decides to join the army to find her betrothed. Before she can leave, though, Ferrando arrives and
continues his attempted seduction. Fiordiligi finally succumbs and falls into his arms. Guglielmo
is now distraught while Ferrando turns Guglielmo’s earlier gloating back onto him. Alfonso,
winner of the wager, tells the men to forgive their fiancées. As he has proven, così fan tutte—“all
women are like that.”
The final scene begins as a double wedding for the sisters and their “Albanian” grooms.
Despina, now in disguise as a notary, presents the marriage contract, which the sisters sign.
Directly thereafter, military music is heard in the distance, indicating the return of the officers.
Alfonso confirms the sisters’ fears—Ferrando and Guglielmo have returned and are on their way
home. The “Albanians” hurry off to hide, i.e., change out of their disguises. They return as the
officers, professing their love. Alfonso shows the marriage contract to the officers, and, when
they read it, they become enraged. They then depart and return moments later, half in Albanian
disguise, half as officers. Despina is revealed as the notary, and the sisters realize they have been
fooled. Ultimately, all is forgiven, as the entire group praises the ability to accept life’s
unavoidable ups and downs.
Cosi fan tutte is generally considered one of the top 20-50 operas of all time, and is
frequently in or around the top 10 most-performed operas annually. Despite its awkward subject
matter, the mix of Mozart’s mature music and Da Ponte’s humorous plot remains a favorite of
audiences all over the world.
1049
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