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PROGRAM NOTES
Travel through time with us , from our period-instrument Messiah to the dream of flight and radio transmission

PROGRAM NOTES

MARIN CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN ’ S FIFTH violence within months of the Fifth Symphony ’ s premiere . On the home front , his brother Caspar Carl had gotten married in May 1806 , leaving Beethoven at sea in his affairs since the brother had essentially served as his secretary . At the end of 1807 , he was rejected in love , not for the first time . Whatever confusion these circumstances engendered in Beethoven ’ s personal life could only have been exacerbated by his habit of constantly moving from one lodging to another . In the course of 1808 alone — the year the Fifth Symphony was completed and premiered — he hung his hat at no fewer than four addresses .

This biographical turmoil did not , however , represent all of Beethoven ’ s life . It does no harm to imagine biographical overtones in this symphony , but we shouldn ’ t get too carried away seeking them , either . After the vehement first movement , respite arrives with the second , though it , too , includes some powerful moments . Here we may think of the Beethoven who liked to escape the hustle and bustle of Vienna to wander in the suburban parks and countryside . The third movement is a macabre scherzo that ends in a surprise , which is that it doesn ’ t really end . Instead , it simply peters out and elides , via a murky and mysterious passage , into the blazing , triumphant finale .
Consider the wise words of Helen Schlegel , in E . M . Forster ’ s novel Howard ’ s End ( 1910 ): “ It will be generally admitted that Beethoven ’ s Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated the ear of man .… You are bound to admit that such a noise is cheap at two shillings . It is cheap , even if you hear it in the Queen ’ s Hall , dreariest music-room in London , though not as dreary as the Free Trade Hall , Manchester .”
Instrumentation Two flutes and piccolo , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , contrabassoon , two horns , two trumpets , three trombones , timpani , and strings
Musical Terms Pit Orchestra : An orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals , operas , ballets , and other shows involving music , usually situated in a sunken area in front of the stage of the theatre or hall . Formalist : Not of or about anything ; representing no objects , tells no stories , gives no arguments , nor espouses any philosophies . Oratorio : A large-scale musical composition on a sacred subject for solo voices , chorus , and orchestra . Scherzo : Translates to a “ joke .” The scherzo is often the fast , third movement of a larger work , followed by a more gentle section called the trio . The scherzo is then repeated . Passacaglia : A music form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain , consisting of variations usually on a ground bass in moderately slow triple time . Cadenza : A technically brilliant sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a concerto . Canon : A piece of music where a melody is played and then imitated ( one or more times ) after a short delay .

Travel through time with us , from our period-instrument Messiah to the dream of flight and radio transmission

Season subscriptions $ 102 –$ 78 / student $ 24 Single and Livestream tickets from $ 25
Program details at handelchoir . org / concerts or call 667-206-4120

PERIOD-PERFECT MESSIAH

December 10 & 11 , 2022

VISIONS , DREAMS & FLYING MACHINES

March 11 , 2023

METALWORKS ! with brass choir

May 13 , 2023

NOV-DEC 2022 / OVERTURE 21