A RAVEL ANNIVERSARY
Eastern and Western traditions . As a concert composer , at least some of his musical DNA descends from Copland and Bernstein , recognizable in rhythmic vigor , “ great open spaces ” harmonies , and vibrant symphonic sound . He writes : “ Metropolis is a concert opener that teems with lyricism and rhythmic vitality , all within 10 minutes . Inspired by a poem from [ the ] Tang dynasty describing the sumptuous metropolitan city of Southern Yue ( Guangzhou today ), titled ‘ Remembering a Thousand Years of Yue ,’ the piece explores the intersection between cultures , reflecting my own upbringing .”
Instrumentation : Two flutes and piccolo , two oboes , two clarinets , three bassoons , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion ( xylophone , glockenspiel , chimes , snare drum , temple bowl , whip , suspended and crash cymbals , bass drum , tam-tam ), harp , piano ( doubling celesta ), and strings .
Sergei Prokofiev
Born on either April 11 ( old style )/ 23 ( new style ), as he claimed , or April 15 / 27 ( according to his birth certificate ), 1891 , in Sontsovka , Ekaterinoslav district , Ukraine Died on March 5 , 1953 , in Moscow , U . S . S . R .
VIOLIN CONCERTO NO . 1 IN D MAJOR [ 1917 ]
Sergei Prokofiev ’ s Violin Concerto No . 1 dates from the fateful moment when the composer was about to leave Russia for a decade and a half to be based in Western Europe and America . World War I was reaching its end , but while most of Europe would breathe a sigh of relief at the cessation of hostilities , Russia would descend into increasing anarchy , paving the way for the Russian Revolution . The Concerto traces its origins to a Concertino for Violin that Prokofiev had begun in 1915 but left incomplete . Some of his material for that earlier work ended up in the Concerto , which in any case adheres to modest proportions . ( It retained its deceptively “ early ” opus number from the projected Concertino .) The Concerto was supposed to be premiered by the famous Polish violinist Paweł Kochański , who was teaching in St . Petersburg ( by then re-named Petrograd ). But with the turmoil in Russia , not to mention Prokofiev ’ s departure for foreign soil , plans for the performance failed to progress . The premiere was delayed until 1923 , when Serge Koussevitzky ( by then a Russian expatriate in Paris , just like Prokofiev ) programmed it on his own concert series , with his orchestra ’ s concertmaster , Marcel Darrieux , as the adequate but hardly brilliant soloist . The Soviet premiere took place just three days later : an undoubtedly stellar performance with piano accompaniment ( rather than orchestra ) featuring two 19-year-old musicians just at the beginning of their careers , the violinist Nathan Milstein and the pianist Vladimir Horowitz .
The Paris critics rebuffed the Concerto at first — a special disappointment to Prokofiev since it was the first of his compositions he unveiled since settling in that city . The Parisians had proved receptive to Prokofiev ’ s extroverted “ bad-boy ” scores of the time , such as the Scythian Suite and the ballet The Buffoon ( or Chout ), and they expressed disappointment that this score was
considerably less confrontational . Just as Prokofiev ’ s Classical Symphony , composed about the same time , departed from the spirit of those pieces in its apparent simplicity and restrained wit , the Violin Concerto No . 1 stood apart with its inherent lyricism and sparkling virtuosity — an almost Romantic concerto arriving late on the scene .
Instrumentation : Two flutes ( second doubling piccolo ), two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , tuba , timpani , tambourine , military drum , harp , and strings , in addition to the solo violin .
Maurice Ravel
Born on March 7 , 1875 , in Ciboure , Basses- Pyrenées , France Died on December 28 , 1937 , in Paris , France
ALBORADA DEL GRACIOSO [ 1904-05 , ORCH . 1918 ] RAPSODIE ESPAGNOLE
[ 1907 – 08 ] PAVANE POUR UNE INFANTE DÉFUNTE
[ 1899 , ORCH . 1910 ] LA VALSE , POÈME CHORÉGRAPHIQUE POUR ORCHESTRE
[ 1919 – 20 ]
Next month marks the 150th birthday of Maurice Ravel . French to the core , he was born 11 miles from the Spanish border , which he never in his life crossed even though his mother was Basque and spoke fluent Spanish . He wrote a number of pieces on Spanish subjects . In 1904 – 05 he produced his five-movement piano suite Miroirs , of which the fourth movement was titled , in Spanish , Alborada del gracioso ( Dawn Song of the Jester ). The critic M . D . Calvocoressi , to whom this movement would be dedicated , reviewed it with great admiration , saying that “ the ‘ humor ,’ the frank and vivacious fantasy of ‘ Alborada ,’ merit the highest praise .”
The Rapsodie espagnole ( Spanish Rhapsody ) similarly reflects Ravel ’ s
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