10.02.24 Crane Symphony Orchestra

Page 1


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

PERSONNEL

Tuba

MasonWiedman

Percussion

ElizabethSkalski

DrewSpina

ElijahSutton

BaileyYerdon*

Harp

HarperFoley

Piano JohnOswald

Violin1

RJAhern-Stetson

MadisonBallou

StephenBorgia

KaitlynCaragiulo

VanessaCruz*

JohnDiSpaltro

HollandGoddard

EmmaKuegel

ElsaLumia

CarlosMartinez

OliviaMinarich

MaiaRegan

Violin2

GwendolynCaro

LauraChase

JuliaCohen

ShannonDarby

LinEngheben

NoelleGottfried

PaolinaIori

JessicaJaworski

AmeeraMian

EmmaOliveri

AmandaQuintanilla

AlyssaSpina

MorganStolz

MichaelWong*

Viola

JacquelineAlonso

EhrenAuer

RickyChui

SamDiGennaro

LolaGehman*

NathanRedlein

FinnSanders

DylanSlade

KierstenWazny

Cello

OliviaBrigham

EmilyBuliung

OliviaCharleston

MaggieChristie

GabrielCook

JoaquinFraga

AmyFrankovich*

OllieHernandez

MaggieKing

SerenityLaird

JaydenMiranda

LaurenPacholec

MirandaPaulino

NoahPinto

MirabelSasiela

RyanSeevers

HannahTufano

Bass

CharlieCenteno*

HoldenChamberlain

MollyMartellotta Orchestramanagers

VanessaCruz

AmyFrankovich

LolaGehman

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

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

“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.

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
10.02.24 Crane Symphony Orchestra by The Crane School of Music - Issuu