PROGRAM NOTES
BEETHOVEN NINTH
FROM THE PODIUM
Music has the power to transform . by Marin Alsop
Music is a narrative ; an opportunity to tell a story and bring joy and comfort to people . The stories may differ , and people ’ s interpretations will vary widely , but music can inspire , challenge , and move us in powerful ways . The centerpiece of this concert has had such an impact on me , and whether it is your first or 50 th time hearing it , I hope it will move you too .
Beethoven ’ s Symphony No . 9 is exactly this kind of masterpiece : a piece of its time as well as a piece for the future . It is a piece with an important message about the power of freedom , unity , humanity , tolerance , peace , and joy .
It is a piece from 1827 and a piece that expresses today .
I wanted to bring Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony to a 21 st -century audience with its important messages updated to reflect today ’ s values and language .
First and foremost , Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony is a journey , and my goal is to amplify that journey by interspersing and referencing music and language of today .
Experience the Performance Again A livestream of this program is available for a limited time .
This project is part of my Global Ode to Joy Project , which was originally scheduled to take place over one year and traverse 6 continents . Due to the pandemic , many performances were postponed , but the project went viral and ended up engaging thousands more than ever expected .
Our journey will begin with the choir alone singing a new piece by Reena Esmail called See Me , which was composed to lead directly into Beethoven ’ s Symphony No . 9 . The text references Hindu ceremonial chanting with the words “ See me . See my light ,” evoking the fruitful , fluid darkness at the beginning of creation .
Beethoven ’ s Ninth and Esmail ’ s See Me communicate some of the most basic needs : optimism in the face of hardship ; the beautiful dark space of reflection and creation ; and joy through unity . Through their specific narratives , Beethoven and Esmail express some of the most beautiful and aspirational facets of the human spirit .
Maximilian Franz
NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
NOTES BY JANET E . BEDELL
Reena Esmail
Born February 11 , 1983 in Chicago , IL Now living in Los Angeles , CA
SEE ME [ 2020 ]
See Me , the new work commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from composer Reena Esmail , is designed to prepare us for and lead us directly into a unique performance of Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony . Written for multiple choral ensembles — Voices Rise ( a chorus of people who have experienced homelessness ), the Peabody Community Chorus , the Morgan State University Choir , and The Carter Legacy Singers — without instruments , it joins the two sides of Esmail ’ s ethnic and cultural backgrounds : India and the United States . It also capitalizes on her extensive focus on choral music in her musical studies and the fact she is a singer herself .
The holder of four degrees from New York ’ s Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music , Esmail also received a Fulbright-Nehru grant to study Hindustani music in India . Today , as Artistic Director of Shastra , she devotes her creative work to uniting the worlds of Indian and Western classical music and to bringing communities together .
See Me is built around sentences in two languages . The title comes from the one in English : “ See Me . See My Light .” The other text is in Sanskrit from the Hindu Rig Veda ; describing the void before Creation , it translates as “ At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness .” As Esmail explains , “ It talks about darkness — but not in the Western sense of darkness — it feels like the cool , fluid darkness that might have existed before the world began . This piece is designed to precede Beethoven ’ s Ninth Symphony , one of the most iconic pieces in the Western classical canon . So , it felt right to set a text that talks about the moment before the beginning of such a massive , momentous work .”
Esmail adds that the opening of See Me “ will reference Sanskrit chanting you might hear in a Hindu ceremony .” The Hindu creation text will be juxtaposed against a new message as the choirs sing to one another ‘ See me . See my light .’”
The choirs are positioned both onstage and in the hall , “ so it will be an immersive
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