PROGRAM NOTES
STRAVINSKY THE FIREBIRD
two works expressly for the BSO — a brief score called The Game in 2017 , and now Drum Circles , a BSO co-commission that Theofanidis drafted in 2019 to feature four soloists from The Percussion Collective . He provided the following program note .
One of the things that a composer worries about in doing any concerto for multiple instruments is the problem of how to maintain focus on several soloists and to keep the interest over a larger time frame in doing so . Any concerto in some ways has to be about a kind of ‘ lighting design ’ focused on the soloist , so that at any given moment the listener / viewer is aware of their importance and necessity in the big picture . This is actually surprisingly hard to do and maintain in a piece . Having many players potentially seriously decentralizes that focus , and this was something that also can be even more pronounced with a percussion quartet concerto with orchestra , where many of the sounds of the soloists are not pitch oriented , but the sounds of the orchestra all around them are .
I kept coming back to the idea of dialogue and a sense of delight in terms of my approach to Drum Circles . There are wonderful spatial possibilities with the four percussionists and three orchestral percussionists , and that figured prominently into the concept of the work , and hence the title .
Watching great percussionists play is kind of like watching great dancers — everything is in the body , and it all has to be so beautifully choreographed to make it work . The players each have ‘ stations ’ and are moving around from time to time in their various set ups . There are also just so many different kinds of instruments and ways of playing to observe . I think it is ultimately a visceral experience to watch them , but with surprising moments of balletic grace .
Each of the five movements of Drum Circles focuses on different sound worlds in the quartet . The first , second , and last movements are mostly “ keyboard ” oriented — with the focus being around pitched percussion like vibraphones , chimes , bells , and marimbas . The third is kind of an “ office scene ” centered around a typewriter . The fourth is a real drumming movement , where the quartet engages with the orchestral percussion players to form a ring around the orchestra of drumming instruments .
Instrumentation Two flutes including piccolo , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons including contrabassoon , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , and harp .
Igor Stravinsky
Born June 5 , 1882 near Saint Petersburg , Russia Died April 6 , 1971 in New York , NY
THE FIREBIRD [ 1910 ]
For the 1910 Paris season of Les Ballets Russes , the impresario Serge Diaghilev wanted to present something spectacular and distinctly Russian . He already had a vivid concept drawn from Russian folklore , a brilliant choreographer ( Michael Fokine ), and a dream team of Russian dancers and other contributors — but no composer , after his first choice fell through on short notice . So Diaghilev took a chance on an unknown 27-year-old , Igor Stravinsky , whose only credentials to that point were a few years of lessons with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov , a couple of short orchestral pieces , and some orchestrations contributed to an earlier Diaghilev ballet .
Stravinsky dove into the project in the spring of 1910 , writing most of the music in Saint Petersburg before he traveled to Paris for the June 25 premiere — the first performance of his music outside of Russia . The Firebird was a huge success , paving the way for Stravinsky ’ s even more radical follow-ups with the Ballets Russes : Petrushka and The Rite of Spring .
The ballet begins with a mysterious and brooding introduction , emerging from a murky theme in the lower strings . A bassoon links the introduction to the first scene , set at night in the “ Enchanted Garden of Kastchei ,” the realm of an evil sorcerer . The music is halting and tremulous , until flecks of celeste and harps and a violin trill herald “ The Arrival of the Firebird , Pursued by Prince Ivan .” Piccolo and E-flat clarinet contribute to the sparkling tone of “ The Firebird ’ s Dance ,” and then a short , frantic number depicts the “ Capture of the Firebird by Prince Ivan ,” ending with a doleful viola solo . In “ The Firebird ’ s Supplications ,” the creature begs to be released and agrees to help the Prince in exchange for her freedom .
The “ Appearance of the Thirteen Enchanted Princesses ,” set to languid music that reaches a coy flute cadenza , attracts Prince Ivan ’ s attention . From a hidden spot , he watches “ The Princesses ’ Game with the Golden Apples ”— a lively section labeled a scherzo — until an apple rolls into the bush where the prince is hiding . In a section with a solo horn , he returns the apple to the Princess of Unearthly Beauty , with whom he becomes smitten . In the elegant “ Khorovod ( Round Dance ) of the Princesses ,” the sweet melodies present an alluring contrast to the chromatic strains associated with the ballet ’ s supernatural elements .
Dissonant bursts of trumpets herald “ Daybreak ” and a return to the swooping , mystical tone of Kastchei ’ s realm . The scene becomes even more agitated as “ Prince Ivan Penetrates Kastchei ’ s Palace ,” and tangled layers of brittle gestures represent the “ Magic Carillon , Appearance of Kastchei ’ s Monster Guardians ,” and “ Capture of Prince Ivan .” Heavy , sustained chords mark the “ Arrival of Kastchei the Immortal ,” and then a brutal exchange conveys the “ Dialogue of Kastchei and Prince Ivan .” Sweet solo voices , including violin and woodwinds , represent the “ Intercession of the Princesses .” A flurry builds until the “ Appearance of the Firebird ” in swooping , chromatic figures . There is an edgy “ Dance of Kastchei ’ s Retinue ,” “ Enchanted by the Firebird ,” and then the “ Infernal Dance of All Kastchei ’ s Subjects ,” featuring the score ’ s most violent ( and memorable ) passages . Having exhausted Kastchei and his demons , the firebird lulls them to sleep in a mesmerizing “ Lullaby .”
The scene becomes tense again with “ Kastchei ’ s Awakening ,” but the firebird has revealed to Prince Ivan the secret of the sorcerer ’ s immortality : an egg that contains his soul . The prince squeezes and tosses the egg until he finally destroys it , spelling “ Kastchei ’ s Death ” and bringing the calm of “ Profound Darkness .”
A short second scene serves as an epilogue to the ballet , in which Kastchei ’ s evil kingdom disappears , and Prince Ivan marries the Princess of Unearthly Beauty . This finale builds a simple folk-theme into a thunderous affirmation , capping the first masterpiece of Stravinsky ’ s long and illustrious career .
Instrumentation Three flutes including two piccolos , three oboes , English horn , three clarinets , bass clarinet , three bassoons including two contrabassoons , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , three harps , piano , celeste , and strings .
Musical Terms 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 . Chromatic : In Western music , notes in a composition that are outside the primary scale upon which the composition is based ( probably a surprise to your ear !).
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