PROGRAM NOTES
TCHAIKOVSKY MANFRED SYMPHONY
Saint Petersburg and Moscow in 1868 , Russian composers rushed to follow Berlioz into the realm of programmatic music — i . e . instrumental music that tells a particular story . One of the pieces that Berlioz brought to Russia was Harold in Italy , based on a work by the British Romantic poet Lord Byron , and it gave the music critic Vladimir Stasov an idea for an adaptation of a different Byron classic titled Manfred .
Combining elements of Goethe ’ s Faust with shades of autobiography , Manfred follows the tortured wanderings of the title character , a nobleman with supernatural powers who exiled himself to the Alps out of an unexplained guilt stemming from the death of his beloved Astarte . ( Many scholars have interpreted a confessional streak in the poem related to Byron ’ s alleged affair with his half-sister Augusta .) Not being a composer himself , Stasov passed the Manfred idea on to Mily Balakirev , an influential composer and conductor best known now as the ringleader of the “ Russian Five ,” a group of semi-pro composers with Nationalist leanings that he took under his wing .
Balakirev ended up not writing the Manfred piece himself , and his first idea for what to do with it — pitching it to the great Berlioz himself — went nowhere . Years later , Balakirev offered it to another of his mentees , Tchaikovsky , who had already proved receptive to being guided after Balakirev gifted him with a plan for a Romeo and Juliet tone poem . Tchaikovsky balked at first , worried that there were too many parallels with Berlioz ’ structure and Robert Schumann ’ s 1848 adaptation of Manfred , but Balakirev persisted , and in 1885 Tchaikovsky began work on this score , his largest symphonic effort since the Fourth Symphony of 1878 . On the day he finished , Tchaikovsky wrote to Balakirev , “ I set about Manfred rather reluctantly and , if I may be frank , felt that I was obliged to write it , because I promised you , and I made a firm promise … but very soon I became terribly infatuated with Manfred , and cannot remember ever having felt such pleasure in working , which stayed with me until the end .”
Manfred follows the scenario created by Stasov and finessed by Balakirev , although Tchaikovsky mostly ignored the proscribed key signatures and also switched the order of the inner movements . In the first movement , “ Manfred wanders over the Alps . His life is ruined ; many burning questions remain unanswered ; nothing remains to him but memory .” The music builds from a despondent introduction to tense and accusatory orchestral blasts , and adds
a gentler strain associated with Astarte , Manfred ’ s lost love .
In the scherzo , “ The alpine fairy appears to Manfred in the rainbow of the waterfall .” The energy is lively and capricious , but the continuing minor-key harmonies and darting themes preserve the overall air of tragedy , interrupted only by an innocent central section .
The third movement makes a more complete departure from Manfred ’ s drama , introducing “ the life of Alpine hunters , full of simplicity , good nature , and a patriarchal character .” The opening oboe solo conveys a pastoral mood , and later passages featuring horns and bells reinforce the outdoor ambience .
The finale conforms to the design of “ a wild , unbridled Allegro , representing the subterranean halls of the infernal Arimanes .” A fugal passage links to the contrasting “ summons and appearance of Astarte ,” bringing a new look at music from the first movement . A final chorale , colored by the religious overtones of an organ , marks Manfred ’ s death .
Carmina Burana
Anthony Blake Clark , music director Children ’ s Chorus of Maryland , Susan Bialek , artistic director Peabody Preparatory School , Debra Robinson Deckelbaum , leader and choreographer Leo Wanenchak and Michael Sheppard , piano Coleen Daly , soprano Andrew Brown , tenor Edmund Milly , bass-baritone Passing of the Year Choral Dances from Gloriana Carmina Burana
Instrumentation Three flutes including piccolo , two oboes , English horn , two clarinets , bass clarinet , three bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , two cornets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , two harps , harmonium , and strings .
Musical Terms Classical period : An era of classical music from c . 1730 to 1820 . There is typically one melody above a subordinate chordal accompaniment , creating a light and clear texture . Coda : A concluding section , typically extensions of the main themes . Russian Five : Prominent 19-century Russian composers : Mily Balakirev , César Cui , Modest Mussorgsky , Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov , and Alexander Borodin . Fugal passage : A composition technique that contains a melody introduced by one voice and then imitated by others .
SUNDAY , FEBRUARY 27 , 2022 | 3 PM | Shriver Hall Auditorium
Jonathan Dove Benjamin Britten Carl Orff
ANTHONY BLAKE CLARK Music Director
The synergy between voice and dance will be spotlighted in Carmina Burana as we collaborate with dancers and the Children ’ s Chorus of Maryland to bring Carl Orff ’ s masterpiece to life in the two-piano and percussion edition .
Proof of vaccination and masks required . Tickets starting at $ 20 . www . BaltimoreChoralArts . org
Notice : Baltimore Choral Arts Society , Inc . has leased or rented facilities from the Johns Hopkins University . However , Baltimore Choral Arts Society , Inc . and any programs operated by Baltimore Choral Arts Society , Inc . are not related to or affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University in any way . Baltimore Choral Arts Society , Inc . is an entirely separate legal entity with no connection to the Johns Hopkins University aside from the temporary use of facilities for the specified program .
JAN-FEB 2022 / OVERTURE 23