Evening ConcertSeries 2024–2025Season
HelenM.HosmerConcertHall
Wednesda y,October2nd at7:30PM
CraneSymphony Orchestra
JonathanGóvias,conductor
EfterklängeafOssian,Op.1 (“EchoesofOssian”)
NielsGade (1817–1910)
SongoftheEnchanter TheaMusgrave (b.1928)
ConcertOverture:DieHebriden,Op.26 (“TheHebrides”)
FelixMendelssohn (1809-1847)
SuiteofScottishDances WilliamAlwyn
1. TheIndianQueen
2. ATriptoItaly
3. ColonelThornton’sStrathspey
4. Reel-ThePerthshireHunt
5. Reel-LochEarn
6. CarletonHouse
7. MissAnnCarnegie’sHornpipe (1905-1985)
Flute
EmmaFusco
SimoneMcPartling
DavidMorelli
ElsieMunsterteiger
Oboe
AnneliseHerschbein
AmaraLeitner
MarianaMorales
Clarinet
NicholasDerderian
PaigeKrebs
BrandonMcLaughlin
LibbySheldon
Bassoon
MaddieGarcia
LiamHill*
Horn
MoriahClendenin
RyanEckl*
SophiaRandazzo
HaleySullivan
Trumpet
MollyCollins*
EthanCobey
DillonNiles
Trombone
ElliotBorden
VictorMainetti*
VivianRedmond
PROGRAMNOTES
EfterklängeafOssian NielsGade
In1760ScottishauthorJamesMacPhersonpublishedthefirstvolumeofacycle ofepicpoetry,ostensiblytranslatedfromtheGaelicbardOssian,torapturous publicreception–andpuzzlementoverhowsuchamajorancientauthorhad remainedunknownforsomanycenturies.WhetherMacPhersonwastheauthor ofthetextsultimatelybecameirrelevant:theywerewidelylaudedfortheir dramaticandliteraryqualityandsparkedahugeamountofinternationalinterest inallthingsScottish.FelixMendelssohn’scontributiontothistrendwashis concertoverture TheHebrides ,occasionallypublishedunderthename Fingal’s Cave, withFingalananglicizationofthenameFionnmacCumhaill,a protagonistinoneoftheOssianepics.
TheDanishconductor,violinistandcomposerNielsGadedrewinspirationfrom MendelssohnandMacPhersoninequalmeasurewhenwritinghisOpusNo.1, EfterklängeafOssian or EchoesofOssian. Withitsextendedflowingmelodies interspersedbymomentsofdarkfuriousenergyandstaccatorefrains,Gade’s overturepayshomagetoMendelssohn’smorefamousworkinsubtleways withoutresortingtoovertcopying.Thestructuralsimilaritieswerealmost certainlydeliberate,sinceGadewrotethepieceforacompetitionthat Mendelssohnhimselfwasscheduledtojudge.AlthoughMendelssohnwas ultimatelyforcedtowithdrawbeforetheevent,Gadehadchosenhismodelwell, and EfterklängeafOssian stillwonfirstprize.Despitethisauspiciousstartasa composer,Gadewroteverylittlemusicafter,preferringtofocushiscareeronhis conductingactivities.Inthishewasalsohighlysuccessful,firstservingas Mendelssohn’sassistantatLeipzig’sdistinguishedGewandhausOrchester,and thenultimatelyhissuccessor.
Song oftheEnchanter TheaMusgrave
Thisshortwork,writteninthewinterandspringof1990,wascommissionedby theHelsinkiPhilharmonicOrchestratohonourthe125thanniversaryofSibelius' birth.
Itisbasedonane pisodefromtheKalevala,the greatFinnishepic,where
Väinämäinen,thehero-God,hasfashionedamagicalfive-stringedinstrument fromthebonesofagiantpike.Orpheus-like,heplaysuponitandenchantsthe people.Alllistenandallweep,theirheartsmelted.EvenVäinämäinenweeps andhistears'biggerthancranberries'fallintotheclearwatersofthedeepblue sea.Aseabirddivesdowntoretrievehistears-theyhaveripenedintopearls.
SongoftheEnchanter wasfirstperformedonthe14thFebruary1991bythe HelsinkiPhilharmonic,conductedb y JamesLoughran.
Notesby thecomposer
Overture: DieHebriden
FelixMendelssohn
InalettertohissisterFanny,dated1August1829,FelixMendelssohnenclosed ahand-drawnimagefromhisongoingtravelsinScotland.Inthebackgroundof thesimplesketch,ancientslopingcragsemergefromwater:totheireastliesa town,churchsteeplespiercingthesky.Inthemidground,thestraitispopulated byawidearrayofshipping,inwhichfishingbrigs,schooners,andsailboatsare allidentifiable.Intheforeground,Mendelssohnplacestheveryimageof modernity:asteamboatbelchinginkyblacksmokeintothesky.Therough pictureisararecandidglimpseintoaworldonthevergeofatechnological revolution;withinayearAmericaninventorPeterCooperwouldprovethe viabilityofsteamtopowertraveloverland,andwithinadecadethefirst continentalrailwaywouldbeestablishedinBelgium.Theworld,longclosed excepttothoseofsignificantmeans,wasabouttoopen,andtravelwouldnever bethesame.Butin1830,forthosewithoutthemeansortheopportunity,travel wasstillenjoyedvicariouslythroughliteratureandmusic.Itwasinthisspirit thatMendelssohnsenthisdrawingtoFanny,andlessthanaweeklateranother, thistimeenclosingasketchofaverydifferentandfarmoreevocativenature.In amuchmorepracticedhand,Mendelssohnannotatedthefirstfewmeasuresofa themethat,withminimalalteration,wouldbecometheopeningofoneofthe mostfamousconcertoverturesintherepertoire, TheHebrides .
AllthingsScottish,orGaelic,hadbeeninvoguesinceJamesMacphersonhad publishedhisfirsttranslationsofepicpoemsbythebardOssian.By1800the EnglisheditionshadbeenrenderedintomultipleEuropeanlanguages,achieving astatusclosetopopculturefortheera.Readersrespondedstronglytothe powerfulimageryandnarratives:thecombinationofthepassionate,thewildand theheroicwereamarkedde parturefromthetraditionalaustereClassicalGreek
andRomanepics,worksmorereminiscentofschoolhousemiserythangripping adventure.
Thereisnoknownstoryto TheHebrides,buttodenytheexistenceofanarrative istodenythefundamentaldramaticcharacterofMendelssohn’scomposition. Fromitsopeningnotes,settingthestageoveravast,undulatingseascape,there areelementsofpassionandheroismintertwinedwithturmoiland strife. Resolutionishard-won,comingonlyintheclosingsecondsofthe overture.Butlikeallgreatepics,evenifvictoryisachieved,itbearsatouchof thePyrrhic,thetragic.
SuiteofScottishDances
WilliamAlwyn
“Everythingoldisnewagain,”sangPeterAlleninthe1970s,andfarfrom offeringastartlingnewinsight,Allenwassimplystatingtheobvious:waitlong enough,andalmostanythingoncederidedasantiquatedandoutdatedwill becomepopularoncemore.TheRussiancomposerIgorStravinskymadeanear u-turnafterhiscacophonic RiteofSpring andstartedwritinginastylemore reminiscentofanupdatedHaydnthantheultra-modernistinnovationsofhis contemporariesSchönbergorWebern.Wellintothe20 th CenturyPaulHindemith channeledJ.S.Bachinhiscollectionof Kammermusik,andRichardStrauss turnedtoMozartforhislastopera DerRosenkavalier. BritishcomposerWilliam Alwynfoundhisowninspirationforhis SuiteofScottishFolkSongs fromtwo volumesofairsanddancespublishedaround1790.Accordingtothetitlepages ofthesourcematerial,thecollectionswerebilledas“Favouritenewcountry dancesasdancedattheAssembly”and“NielGow’smostfashionabledancesas dancedatEdinburghin1787and1788.”Alwynrecognizedqualitymaterial whenhesawit:NielGowwastheundisputeddeanofScottishfiddlersinthe late1700s,andAlwyn’swritingfortheviolinsinthesuitereflectsthisheritage. Gowalsorecognizedqualitymaterialwhenhesawit:althoughmanyofhis worksareoriginalcompositions,morethanafewhavebeenrecognizedastrue Scottishfolktunesofgreaterantiquity.Alwynwroteasubstantialamountof seriousconcertandfilmmusicthroughouthiscareer,butthe SuiteofScottish FolkSongs standsasararelightheartedindulgenceincatchytunesanddancelikerhythms.
