Overture Magazine: 2017-2018 Season September-October 2017 | Page 33

SYMPHONIC STORIES
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the
National Philharmonic.
Skoraczewski’s repertoire includes works
from the Baroque era to the present. His
debut CD, Cello Populus, is a collection of
contemporary solo pieces with works by
Hindemith, Ligeti, Crumb, Penderecki,
Saariaho and Lutosławski. Praised as “a
truly exceptional album that leaves listeners
eagerly waiting for another installment,”
the recording earned attention that led to
Skoraczewski’s winning Baltimore’s presti-
gious Baker Artist Award in 2013.
His second recording with pianist
Michael Sheppard, Cello Phantasia,
features music by Schumann, Franck and
Rachmaninoff. Together with violinist
Igor Yuzefovich, they’ve recorded pieces by
Brahms, Shostakovich and Schoenfield as
the Monument Piano Trio.
As a recitalist and chamber musician,
Skoraczewski has appeared in series includ-
ing Chamber Music by Candlelight, Music
in the Valley and Music in the Great Hall.
He has also appeared at Weill Hall, Barge
Music Festival and Merkin Hall in New
York City. He is currently artist-in-residence
at An Die Musik.
Skoraczewski began his musical education
at the age of six in Warsaw, Poland, studying
with Zbigniew Liebig and Andrzej Zieliński.
As a scholarship recipient at the Peabody
Conservatory, he studied with world-
renowned cellist Stephen Kates.
Skoraczewski plays a 1702 Carlo
Giuseppe Testore cello, generously on
loan from Marin Alsop in memory of her
mother, Ruth Alsop.
Dariusz Skoraczewski last appeared
with the BSO in June 2017, performing
Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Lisa
Steltenpohl, leader.
About the Concert
DANSE MACABRE
Camille Saint-Saëns
Born in Paris, France, October 9, 1835;
and inspired such spine-tingling works
as Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique and
Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain.
The French composer Camille Saint-Saëns
was not immune to this temptation, and
in 1874, he produced the amusing version
we’ll hear tonight, Danse macabre.
Usually, Saint-Saëns was a thoroughly
serious composer devoted to classically
constructed symphonies, church music
and operas. But there was also an antic
entertainer in his psychological makeup,
which inspired his popular musical
spoof Carnival of the Animals, and Danse
macabre definitely belongs to this world.
During the 1870s, the composer was
writing a number of descriptive tone
poems —Phaéton, Omphale’s Spinning
Wheel, La Jeunesse d’Hercule —that used
to be very popular on concert programs,
but are now largely forgotten. The shortest
and lightest of them, Danse macabre
proved to be the hardy survivor.
A crazy little poem by Henri Cazalis pro-
vided the scenario; Saint-Saëns quoted it in
his score. “Zig and zig and zag, Death sets
the rhythm / Striking a tombstone with his
heel / Death at midnight plays a dance / Zig
and zig and zag, on his violin / One hears
the rattling bones of the dancers / But psitt!
Suddenly the dance ceases / They push each
other, they flee, the cock has crowed.”
The harp strikes midnight, and Death
tunes up his violin. However, its E string
has been lowered a half step, producing
a raucous sound: the uncomfortable
interval traditionally known as “the devil
in music.” We then hear two themes, a
whirling waltz melody and a creepy tune
that descends by half steps; near the end
of the piece, Saint-Saëns cleverly has them
played simultaneously. At the end, the oboe
portrays the crowing cock.
To represent the rattling bones of
the dancing skeletons, Danse macabre
introduced the xylophone to symphonic
music. It was so new to European musicians
that the composer actually wrote into the
score where it could be purchased!
died in Algiers, Algeria, December 16, 1921
SUNDAYS @7:30PM
CHAMBER MUSIC BY CANDLELIGHT
Featuring members of the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
SEPT 17, 2017
OCT 15, 2017
NOV 5, 2017
JAN 28, 2018
SUNDAYS @3:30PM
SEPT 24, 2017
Felix Hell, Organ
OCT 8, 2017
Amadi Azikiwe, Viola
NOV 12, 2017
Robert Cantrell, Bass-Baritone
JAN 14, 2018
Philadelphia Brass
For more inf ormation call 443.759.3309 or visit
CommunityConcertsAtSecond.org
Marlow Guitar International presents
JOHN E. MARLOW GUITAR SERIES
SEASON 2017-2018
OCT 2, 2017
Richard Miller - BRAZIL
Guests: João Figueirôa (guitar)
& Débora Watts (voice)
NOV 18, 2017
Meng Su - CHINA
JAN 20, 2018
Ana Vidovic - CROATIA
FEB 24, 2018
Lukasz Kuropaczewski - POLAND
MAR 24, 2018
Rhythm Future Quartet - USA
APR 21, 2018
Pepe Romero - SPAIN
RESERVE YOUR SEATS
Visit MarlowGuitar.org
& choose your seats today!
Or call 301-799-4028
Membership available.
Instrumentation: Two flutes, piccolo, two
The ghoulish theme of the midnight
Witches’ Sabbath was especially alluring
to many 19 th -century Romantic artists
FREE TO ALL
oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns,
two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani,
percussion, harp and strings.

S E P – O C T 2017 / OV E R T U R E
31