PROGRAM NOTES
RAY CHEN PERFORMS SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTO driving rhythm in a 3 / 4 meter associated with the polonaise dance , although it is hard to imagine any polar bear that could be as lithe as the acrobatic solo violin .
Instrumentation Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , four horns , two trumpets , three trombones , timpani , and strings .
Franz Schreker
Born March 23 , 1878 in Monaco Died March 21 , 1934 in Berlin , Germany
CHAMBER SYMPHONY [ 1916 ]
Franz Schreker , the son of a Jewish photographer , was one of the leading opera composers in the German-speaking world during his lifetime . Just like his contemporary Walter Braunfels in Cologne , Schreker was ousted from his powerful teaching post in Berlin amid the Nazi rise to power , and after his death in 1934 , his scores were suppressed and forgotten .
With Schreker ’ s operas still mostly absent from the world ’ s theaters , the Chamber Symphony from 1916 has become his calling card . Structured in a single movement and scored for an ensemble of soloists , this
Chamber Symphony has much in common with Schoenberg ’ s from a decade earlier . Schreker wrote it to celebrate the centenary of the school where he taught , and the particular array of 23 musicians must have been dictated by the makeup of his faculty peers who performed it . ( Why else would there be three keyboard parts , except to make use of all the piano teachers ?) He also noted in the score that the individual string instruments could be augmented with sections .
The dreamy tone in the Chamber Symphony ’ s introduction owes much to the confluence of harp , celeste , piano , and harmonium ( a small reed organ ), supporting a flute motive that returns at multiple points . The interconnected structure passes through sections that reflect classic symphonic architecture , including a slow introduction that releases into an Allegro vivace continuation . A quick recap of the opening material ushers in a lush Adagio , followed by a Scherzo , and finally a conclusion based on earlier themes .
Instrumentation Flute , oboe , clarinet , bassoon , horn , trumpet , trombone , timpani , percussion , harp , piano , celeste , harmonium , and strings .
Maurice Ravel
Born March 7 , 1875 in Ciboure , France Died December 28 , 1937 in Paris , France
LA VALSE [ 1920 ]
To honor Johann Strauss II , the “ Waltz King ” who died in 1899 , Maurice Ravel began a work entitled Wien (“ Vienna ”) in 1906 . He shelved it at the time , but he revisited the concept in 1919 to fulfill a commission from the dance impresario Serge Diaghilev . Ravel completed the orchestral score , recast as La valse , in 1920 , and he also arranged versions for solo piano and two pianos . He played the two-piano version for Diaghilev , who rejected it , declaring , “ It is not a ballet ; it is a portrait of a ballet ,” a comment Ravel never forgave .
The single-movement composition follows a basic scenario outlined by Ravel in the score : “ Swirling clouds afford glimpses , through rifts , of waltzing couples . The clouds scatter little by little ; one can distinguish an immense hall with a whirling crowd . The scene grows progressively brighter . The light of the chandeliers bursts forth at the fortissimo . An imperial court , about 1855 .” The one undeniable constant is the waltz , ceaselessly pulsing its three measured beats through lovely melodies and grotesque disturbances .
Instrumentation Three flutes including piccolo , three oboes including English horn , two clarinets , bass clarinet , two bassoons , contrabassoon , four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , percussion , two harps , and strings .
Musical Terms Contralto : A range of singing voice that is considered the lowest of the female voice type . Allegro vivace : A musical tempo : very fast ! Adagio : A musical tempo : in a leisurely manner , slowly . Serge Diaghilev : The founder of Ballets Russes and notable collaborator of Igor Stravinsky ( The Firebird , Petrushka , and The Rite of Spring ). Learn more on page 24 .
Maximilian Franz
MAR-APR 2022 / OVERTURE 15