STRAVINSKY ’ S THE FIREBIRD
Lera Auerbach
Born October 21 , 1973 ) in Chelyabinsk , Soviet Union
ICARUS [ 2006 ]
The story of Icarus and his father Daedalus has become a cautionary tale . Don ’ t reach too high too fast . Don ’ t bite off more than you can chew . Don ’ t assume youth protects you from mortality . It is a story that supports many readings , and Lera Auerbach ’ s is a sobering one , sitting with the tensions between the desire to live and a desire to be free that ends in death .
Born on the outskirts of Siberia , Auerbach began her musical studies with her mother . Her musical ideas and skill took her to the Juilliard School and Hannover University in Germany , where she earned degrees and honed her craft under the tutelage of Milton Babbitt , Einar Steen-Nøkleberg , Rosalyn Tureck , and Joseph Kalichstein . Auerbach has collaborated with major performers and ensembles of our time such as Hilary Hahn , the New York Philharmonic and Daniel Hope , making her a core contributor to the musical landscape of the twentieth century .
Icarus was born from two movements of Auerbach ’ s Symphony No . 1 , “ Chimera ” ( 2006 ), completed and premiered in 2011 . While titled Icarus after the work was completed , Auerbach had a special relationship with the Greek myth for many years . As she shared in an essay for the Boston Philharmonic :
“ I ’ ve been fascinated by the myth of Icarus . As a child , I lived in ancient Greece . The book of myths was my favorite and the world of jealous gods and god-like humans was more real to me than the world outside my windows … What makes this myth so touching is Icarus ’ s impatience of the heart , his wish to reach the unreachable , the intensity of the ecstatic brevity of his flight and inevitability of his fall . If Icarus were to fly safely – there would be no myth .”
Icarus is angry , reflexive , and tumultuous . There are episodic shifts in contrast , creating a soundscape that is too active yet aspirational ; introspective and a premonition of the tragedy to come . The harsh and crystalline timbres are sorrowful and mesmerizing ; an elegy for a boy who represents a desire , a wish , a fight to meet and grasp the ineffable .
Instrumentation Three flutes , three oboes , three clarinets , three bassoons , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , one tuba , one thermin , one timpani , two harps , one piano , one celesta , crystal glasses , bass drum , glockenspiel , tam-tam , vibraphone , cymbals , chimes , and theramin .
Igor Stravinsky
Born June 17 , 1882 in Lomonosov , Russia Died April 6 , 1971 in New York City , New York
THE FIREBIRD SUITE [ 1919 ]
Igor Stravinsky ’ s The Firebird Suite is so popular it ’ s easy to forget it started as a ballet score . The Firebird ( 1910 ) was one of Stravinsky ’ s earliest collaborations with Sergei Diaghilev , founder of the Ballet Russes and a major figure in early twentieth century ballet . Diaghilev ’ s germ of an idea , a ballet rooted in a Russian character and design , considered and incorporate a variety of sources : the Firebird of Slavic folklore and myth ; Yakov Polonsky ’ s evocation of the Firebird in his poem , “ A Winter ’ s Journey ” ( 1844 ); and other Russian fairy tales . The final story follows the evil magician Koschei ; Prince Ivan ’ s capture of the Firebird and use of her magic ; and the magician ’ s defeat by the prince , leading to the freeing of Koschei ’ s enemies .
Stravinsky would arrange his Firebird score for orchestra three times : 1911 ; 1919 ; and 1945 . The 1919 suite is the most popular of the three . A five-movement work , it illustrates Stravinsky ’ s weaving of neo-classical restraint , modernist tonalities , and programmatic intensity . “ Introduction – The Firebird and its dance – The Firebird ’ s variation ” shifts between creeping dread and eerie whimsy . “ The Princesses ’ Khorovod ” is elegant and tender , a stark contrast to the wrath of “ Infernal Dance of King Koschei .” “ Berceuse ( Lullaby )” begins at a low point , unsure where to proceed , before leading immediately into the slowly blossoming hope of the “ Finale .” The prisoners are freed ; the evil defeated . Now , anything is possible .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , one tuba , one timpani , harp , bass drum , tambourine , xylophone , triangle , cymbal , piano , and celesta .
Maximilian Franz
NOV-DEC 2023 / OVERTURE 31