PROGRAM NOTES
JOSHUA BELL PLAYS MENDELSSOHN
Maximilian Franz
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
BY CATHERINE CASE
Ellen Reid
Born March 23 , 1983 , in Oak Ridge , Tennessee
WHEN THE WORLD AS YOU ’ VE KNOWN IT DOESN ’ T EXIST [ 2019 ]
Ellen Reid is an innovative composer and sound artist who works in a variety of mediums , from opera , ensemble and choral writing to film scoring and site-specific art . She began composing after her freshman year at Columbia University and quickly gained prominence when she was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera p r i s m . Reid ’ s When the World As You ’ ve Known It Doesn ’ t Exist was written as part of the New York Philharmonic ’ s Project 19 commissioning initiative to celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment , which gave women the right to vote . In her notes for the premiere performance , Reid writes that her piece is “ not directly about the 19 th Amendment , but it is about unabashedly presenting my artistic voice . This , at time , feels like my most political action .” She goes on to describe her work as beginning “ In a musical landscape of exhausted and disembodied questioning . The piece then moves through waves of blazing anger and strength toward something close to acceptance . Its musical vocabulary consists of clouds of sound , exaggerated contrasts , large drop-offs , and surprise .”
Instrumentation Three flutes ( third doubling piccolo ), three oboes , three clarinets , two bassoons and contrabassoon , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , percussion ( vibraphone , suspended cymbal , crash cymbals , tam-tam , snare drum , tom-toms , bass drum ), three soprano vocalists , piano , and strings ( first and second violins , violas , cellos , and double basses ).
Felix Mendelssohn
Born February 3 , 1809 in Hamburg , Germany Died November 4 in Leipzig . Germany
VIOLIN CONCERTO [ 1838 – 44 ]
Felix Mendelssohn was born into a prominent German Jewish family ; his grandfather was a renowned philosopher , and his father was a banker and philanthropist . Felix and his sister Fanny exhibited musical talent early on and both became well known soloists and composers in Berlin society . Restricted by proprieties of the era , Fanny remained a non-professional musician while Felix enjoyed great international success .
At age 26 , Mendelssohn became conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra , where he appointed his childhood friend Ferdinand David to be the concertmaster . Several years later he wrote to David , saying “ I would like to write a concerto for you , with an E-minor theme that keeps running through my head .” Work on the concerto was pushed back many times due to other projects and was finally completed in 1844 . Today , it is hard to imagine the classical violin repertoire without this concerto that set a new standard of romantic lyricism and expressive showmanship .
After the first hushed moment of the orchestral opening , the violin launches without preamble into a soaring and fully exposed melody before rushing into sweeping passages full of virtuosity . The three movements are played without a break , creating a sense of unity that evolves throughout the entire work . The second movement begins gently and continues with an achingly beautiful melody that unfolds effortlessly with the soloist clearly leading the way . A solemn exchange serves as a transition to the final movement , which erupts into fiery bursts of technical prowess in a ceaseless race to the finish .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , two horns , two trumpets , timpani , and strings .
Edward Elgar
Born June 2 , 1857 in Lower Broadheath , Worcestershire , England Died February 23 , 1934 in Little Malvern , Worcestershire , England
VARIATIONS ON AN ORIGINAL THEME , “ ENIGMA ” [ 1899 ]
Long after the Enigma Variations had established Elgar as a household name and changed the course of his career , he remarked that the work began “ in a spirit of humor and continued in deep seriousness .” The story goes that in October 1898 , after a long day of teaching , Elgar came home and started to improvise on the piano . His wife was struck by a melody and asked him what it was . “ Nothing ,” Elgar replied , “ but something might be made of it .” As a bit of fun , he continued to improvise , turning the melody into a series of musical sketches , each one representing a different friend , as his wife tried to guess the identity of
32 OVERTURE / BSOmusic . org