Overture Magazine - 2015-2016 Season September-October 2015

moments in the orchestral repertoire. But Strauss is not a conventional composer who only gives us exaltation; he also expresses the climbers’ awe, even fear, in the face of this tremendous panorama with a frail, stammering oboe solo. The horns toll out the rocking theme. This sublime feeling continues into the next section, “Vision,” which movingly explores the mountaineers’ inner response to their achievement. The glory fades, and in a superbly veiled and eerie passage, Strauss describes the approach of a mountain storm. Here is some of An Alpine Symphony’s finest and most imaginative music. A counterpart to “Vision,” the “Elegy” section tellingly captures the apprehensive mood as we hear the rumbles of distant thunder. Then the winds rise, the raindrops very audibly begin to fall, and we are swept into the greatest “Storm” sequence in symphonic literature, complete with wind and thunder machines and a pealing organ to further inflate the din. While the storm still rages, the climbers begin their descent, with the shape of their climbing theme now reversed. The music subsides into a prolonged and intensely beautiful coda as the storm passes and the sun reappears then slowly sets. The organ leads the gentle, elegiac “Ausklang” (“After Tones”) in which the weary climbers absorb and reflect on the emotions they have experienced on this remarkable day. As the last light fades, the dark, minormode “Night” music returns, much as we heard it at the beginning. But the final murmurs of the violins reveal the exalted, new emotions now attached to the great mountain in the hearts of those privileged to bestride her peak. Instrumentation: Four flutes, two piccolos, three oboes, English horn, Heckelphone, three clarinets, bass clarinet, piccolo clarinet, four bassoons, contrabassoon, eight horns, four Wagner Tuben, four trumpets, four trombones, two tubas, timpani, percussion, two harps, organ, celesta and strings. Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright ©2015 Photo by Broadmead resident: Erroll Hay ™ proudly supports the arts and the BSO. • 94 acre beautifully landscaped campus • Stimulating social activities • Single story garden homes • Exceptional dining venues • Fitness, aquatic, and wellness programs • Pet friendly campus To request a free information kit please call 443.578.8008 or visit www.Broadmead.org 13801 York Rd. Cockeysville, MD 21030 TTY/Voice - Maryland Relay Service 1.800.201.7165 Johns Hopkins University’s Odyssey Program A pre-eminent program of noncredit arts and sciences lectures and mini-courses designed for anyone with a burning curiosity and an undying thirst for learning. 0VS'BMM0GGFSJOHTJODMVEF t+POBUIBO1BMFWTLZPOUIF1JBOPBOEJUT1SBDUJUJPOFS 0DU QFSGPSNBODFCZ)40 XJUIQJBOJTU#SJBO(BO[0DU Explore a world of ideas. t+BNFT)BSQPODie Fledermaus /PW QFSGPSNBODFCZ#$0/PW t+POBUIBO1BMFWTLZPO)BOEFMTMessiah Messiah Messiah /PW%FD QF

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