FOUNTAINS OF ROME & LA MER
surface in a triumphal procession . The final movement reflects the nostalgic serenity of the Villa Medici Fountain as sunset bathes the sky in golden hues .
Conductor Arturo Toscanini ’ s inclusion of Fountains in a Milanese concert series catapulted Respighi to international fame . Yet his legacy soon became entangled with politics as the infamous dictator Benito Mussolini seized upon Respighi ’ s reverence for Italian cultural heritage . The dangers of fascism soon became painfully clear to Italy ’ s cultural elite : in 1931 , when Toscanini refused to conduct a fascist anthem , he was attacked by a fascist mob and rescued by Respighi , who secured his friend ’ s safe passage . In the years that followed , Respighi suffered unfairly from association with the regime ’ s legacy . The continued celebration of Respighi ’ s immense artistry thus serves to transcend the political shadows and preserve his rightful place in the musical canon .
Instrumentation : Three flutes , three oboes , three clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , percussion , two harps , celeste , piano , and strings .
Claude Debussy
Born August 22 , 1862 in Saint-Germain -en-Laye , France Died March 25 , 1918 in Paris , France
LA MER [ 1903 – 05 ]
When Claude Debussy began composing his great paean to the sea , La Mer , in the summer of 1903 , he was more than a hundred miles from the nearest shore , staying in the quiet countryside of Bichaine with his in-laws . Little did proximity matter , though , to the composer , who once confessed that , were he not himself , he ’ d pursue “ the noble career ” of a sailor . “ I have innumerable memories ,” Debussy expounded his
creative process , “ and those , in my view , are worth more than a reality which , charming as it may be , tends to weigh too heavily on the imagination .”
La Mer comprises three “ symphonic sketches ” that evoke the sea ’ s majesty . The first movement unfurls like morning itself , a glorious awakening . In the second , effervescent rhythms and shimmering timbres flutter , breathlessly , in a spirited dance of the sea before settling into the tender calm that precedes a storm . The third movement surges with tempestuous intensity .
As Debussy once observed in a letter , “ if [ the sea ’ s ] caresses are rough , they are at least sincere .” Between 1903 – 05 , as Debussy composed La Mer , he was mired in a personal tempest of his own making . Despite the successes of Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Pelléas et Mélisande , he was in a precarious financial situation . He also had a daughter ( conceived out of wedlock ) on the way , and although Emma Bardac , the mother , came from money , she was soon disinherited . ( The manuscript of La Mer includes a dedication to Debussy ’ s “ petite mienne ”— Bardac — though this was ultimately omitted .) Debussy needed a hit , but the premiere of La Mer in 1905 was disastrous . The music was different from what audiences expected of the composer of Pelléas , and the performance was poorly prepared . More significantly , Parisian society was still seething over Debussy ’ s affair with Bardac . Debussy found temporary reprieve when his publisher offered an annual stipend in exchange for the rights to La Mer and future works . By 1908 , a second Parisian performance , conducted by Debussy himself , was well received , and La Mer finally took its place as the masterpiece that we hear this present evening .
TUESDAY , DECEMBER 3 , 2024 | 7:30 PM
BALTIMORE BASILICA OF THE ASSUMPTION BaltimoreChoralArts . org 410-523-7070 Tickets starting at $ 32 ; kids under 12 are free !
Instrumentation : Three flutes , three oboes , two clarinets , four bassoons , four horns , five trumpets , three trombones , tuba , percussion , two harps , and strings .
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