Yale Philharmonia, Sep 15, 2017

the philharmonia orchestra of yale peter oundjian

Principal Conductor

September 15, 2017 • Friday at 7:30 pm Woolsey Hall

thomas tallis "Why Fum'th in Fight," from Nine Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter (1567) Yale Voxtet James Taylor, director r alph vaughan williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1919) wolfgang amadeus mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 I. Molto allegro II. Andante III. Menuetto IV. Allegro assai intermission igor str avinsk y The Rite of Spring (1913) Part I: The Adoration of the Earth Introduction

The Augurs of Spring (Dance of the Young Girls)

Ritual of Abduction

Spring Rounds

Ritual of the Rival Tribes

Procession of the Sage

Dance of the Earth Part II: The Sacrifice Introduction

Mystic Circles of the Young Girls

Glorification of the Chosen One

Evocation of the Ancestors

Ritual Action of the Ancestors

Sacrificial Dance

Robert Blocker, Dean

As a courtesy to others, please silence all cell phones and devices. Photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please do not leave the hall during musical selections. Thank you.

P ro g ra m N otes

Ralph Vaughan Williams » 1872–1958 Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart » 1756–1791 Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

Ralph Vaughan Williams spent the early days Mozart’s final hours have inspired painters, of his career riding his bicycle through the novelists, librettists, and screenwriters to English countryside collecting folk tunes from portray the romantic trope of artistic genius farmers and workers, as well as editing the extinguished prematurely by poor health and 1906 English Hymnal, a collection of English dire financial circumstance. Strewn across his hymns dating back centuries. During this bed in these depictions were the manuscripts stint as musical editor-cum-time-traveler and of his Requiem, usually begging the questions ethnographer, he collected materials and “Who commissioned the work?” or “Who musical ideas that would inspire many of his finished it?” “Did someone wish Mozart dead?” original works. The source material for the The Requiem was unfinished but it is not enFantasia heard tonight is a hymn by Thomas tirely unexplained. His final three symphonies Tallis written for the Psalter of 1567.

(Nos. 39-41), however, leave their own unanswered questions.

While today’s copyright laws discourage appropriating other artists’ creative property or ideas, He wrote them at a spectacularly quick pace borrowing a predecessor or colleague’s tune during the summer of 1788 despite his financial or piece during the Renaissance was the high- troubles, declining popularity, the illness of his est compliment. Vaughan Williams continued wife, the failure of his last opera, Don Giovanni, this tradition three and a half centuries later and the death of his daughter. A symphony in by incorporating Tallis’ vocal hymn into his the minor mode was rare; Symphony No. 40, work for two string orchestras (one full and the “the great,” is one of only two symphonies he other reduced) and four string soloists. Written wrote in a minor mode (the other, No. 25, is specifically for the Gloucester Cathedral, also in G minor, and is colloquially named Vaughan Williams scored the Fantasia for the “the little”). The minor mode was commonly three separate groups, intending them to reserved for music of stress, anxiety, and occupy the choir and transepts (several meters dark passions. Symphony No. 40, however, apart) in order to emphasize the antiphonal illuminates other emotional shades possible (responsorial) groupings of his score. in minor with unconventional dissonances, short motivic fragments, and its insistence Lower strings introduce fragments of the on minor-ness rather than a surrender to a phrygian theme beneath a cosmic haze of violin brighter and sunnier major mode. Just what tremolo. As more voices join in, the theme those shades are in Symphony No. 40 varies swells and recedes, intensifying over the roiling according to the listener: while Robert waves of the second violin line, a passage used Schumann lauded the work's “Grecian lightpoi0gnantly in the film Master and Commander ness and grace,” modern critic Charles Rosen to accompany a crew's decision to abandon a finds in the Symphony “something shockingly sailor thrown overboard in a powerful storm. voluptuous … the grief and the sensuality With the theme established after the first strengthen each other.” climax, Vaughan Williams begins to dissect it by placing the two orchestras in musical The first movement’s accompaniment in the dialogue. A solo viola then begins exploring violas precedes and cradles a breathless tune the tune’s third phrase, inviting the other in the violins. Like the development of the string soloists to finish the thought. last movement, the first movement’s simple building blocks, sighing adjacent notes, and The audience experiences not only a dialogue sinuous suspensions are developed in brilliant in which distant celestial bodies seem to be in counterpoint. The last movement’s fiery conversation, but a dialogue between centuries passion is brought to a fever pitch in a dein which two musical epochs meet face-to-face velopment in which Mozart refracts the theme by the altar. into distant and bizarre chromatic iterations, but like a great opera finale, order, albeit in tragic form, is restored.

—Julia Clancy

art ist p ro f i le s

Igor Stravinsky » 1882–1971 The Rite of Spring Stravinsky said that one day in 1910, “I saw in my imagination a solemn pagan rite — sage elders, seated in a circle, watched a young girl dance herself to death. They were sacrificing her to propitiate the god of spring.” Nicholas Roerich created a scenario for the ballet and Stravinsky wrote the music between 1911 and 1913. The Rite of Spring reccived its first performance, with choreography by Nijinsky, in 1913.

The premiere caused a near riot. Listeners were galvanized by the heretofore-unheard rhythmic power, brutally dissonant harmonies, and shocking orchestral effects. Two features are especially notable. The first is a lack of “symphonic” methods of composition: various cells and blocks of sounds are juxtaposed and overlaid, or lines are piled on top of one another to produce frenetic but logical crescendi of activity. The second is the work’s revolutionary use of rhythmic devices including ostinati, long sections of conflicting accents, and motives of varying meter.

“The Adoration of the Earth” begins with a quiet transformation of a Russian folk song in the bassoon. “The Augurs of Spring (Dance of the Young Girls)” opens with a thick chord in the strings, repeated in a motoric fashion. A pattern introduced by pizzicato strings then serves as an ostinato for a textural buildup that leads to the “Ritual of Abduction.”

The fourth scene, “Spring Rounds,” opens with a pentatonic clarinet melody and continues with a heavy choral song. After a “Ritual of the Rival Tribes,” a steadily building texture of several rhythmic ostinati heralds the “Procession of the Sage.” This reaches a thunderous pitch until the texture cuts off and a ghostly chord indicates the Sage. Part I concludes with the passionate “Dance of the Earth.”

Part II opens with quiet undulating chords in the winds. “Mystical Circles of the Young Girls” begins with a gentle chorale melody based on a Russian folk song. Strings and timpani introduce the “Glorification of the Chosen One,” a wild dance in irregular meters. The following scenes feature a fanfare first introduced by the winds and brass and a slower procession. The “Sacrificial Dance” depicts the chosen maiden dancing herself to death. Stravinsky said of this gripping finale that at first he knew how to play it, but not how to write it down.

— Edited from a note by David Heetderks

a rtt i st st Profi p rofiles Ar les

Peter Oundjian, principal conductor

Yale Voxtet

A dynamic presence in the conducting world, Toronto-born conductor Peter Oundjian is renowned for his probing musicality, collaborative spirit, and engaging personality.

Oundjian’s appointment as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) in 2004 reinvigorated the orchestra with numerous recordings, tours, and acclaimed innovative programming, as well as extensive audience growth, thereby significantly strengthening the ensemble’s presence in the world. He recently led the TSO on a tour of Europe that included a sold-out performance at Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw and the first performance by a North American orchestra at Reykjavik’s Harpa concert hall.

Members of the Yale Voxtet are current students of Professor James Taylor at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale School of Music, where they are candidates for graduate degrees in voice. The select group of eight singers specializes in oratorio, early music, and art song. In addition to performing a variety of chamber music programs each year, the group sings, tours, and records as part of the Yale Schola Cantorum.

Oundjian was appointed music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) in 2012. Under his baton, the orchestra has enjoyed several successful tours including one to China, and has continued its relationship with Chandos Records. In 2015, Oundjian and the RSNO opened the Edinburgh Festival with the innovative Harmonium Project to great critical and audience acclaim.

Few conductors bring such musicianship and engagement to the world’s great podiums —from Berlin, Amsterdam, and Tel Aviv to New York, Chicago, and Sydney. Oundjian has appeared at some of the great annual gatherings of musicians and music-lovers, from the BBC Proms and the Prague Spring Festival to the Edinburgh Festival and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Mozart Festival, where he was artistic director from 2003 to 2005.

Oundjian was principal guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2010 and artistic director of the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York between 1997 and 2007. Since 1981, he has been a visiting professor at the Yale School of Music, and in 2013 he was awarded the School’s Samuel Simons Sanford Award for distinguished service to music.

Yale Voxtet James Taylor, director Emilia Donato, soprano Addy Sterrett, soprano Ashley Mulcahy, mezzo-soprano Bradley Sharpe, countertenor Haitham Haidar, tenor James Reese, tenor Will Doreza, baritone Edward Vogel, baritone

A b o u t Ya l e Philharmo nia

The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale is one of America’s foremost music-school ensembles. The largest performing group at the Yale School of Music, the Philharmonia offers superb training in orchestral playing and repertoire.

Performances include an annual series of concerts in Woolsey Hall, as well as Yale Opera productions in the Schubert Theater.

The Yale Philharmonia has also performed on numerous occasions in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The orchestra undertook its first tour of Asia in 2008, with acclaimed performances in the Seoul Arts Center, the Forbidden City Concert Hall and National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

peter oundjian Principal Conductor philharmonia staff

jeffrey m. mistri Manager samuel bobinski Assistant Manager david yi Assistant Conductor

the philharmonia orchestra of yale violin i Sophia Mockler Laura Park Ariel Horowitz Jessy Kim Sirena Huang Elliot Lee Ethan Hoppe Nuri Lim Gaga Won Changhoon Bae Ye Jin Yoon Matthew Woodard Maura Shawn Scanlin Dhyani Heath violin ii Rachel Ostler Martin Peh Jung Eun Kang Alyssa Blackstone Katherine Arndt Bora Kim Gregory Lewis Lauren Bennett Yintong Liu Mevlan Mecid Emily Switzer Kevin Zheng viola Julia Clancy Rimbo Wong Florrie Marshall Marta Lambert Marlea Simpson Allie Simpson Thomas Duboski Ye In Son Hayaka Komatsu Rayna Chou cello Jenny Kwak Eric Adamshick Bitnalee Pong

Bo Bae Lee Anita Balazs Ji Young Choi Yiqiu Chen Valentina Crnjak Ssu-Yang Yu James Rosamilia bass Kohei Yamaguchi Eric Timperman Kaden Henderson Amy Nickler Jordan Calixto Mariya-Andoniya Andonova Russell Thompson Chin To Kelvin Ng flute Maria Luisk 1 Leo Sussman 2 Jungah Yoon Lucas Guedes Oliveira piccolo Amir Farsi alto flute Benjamin Morency oboe Shawn Hutchison 1 Elliot Lichtenberg 2 Lauren White Michelle Nguyen Leonardo Ziporyn english horn Lauren Williams 2 Shawn Hutchison clarinet Richard Adger 1 Ziqi Yue 2 Graeme Johnson Michael Moy

bass clarinet Giovanni Bertoni 2 Graeme Johnson e-flat clarinet Elisha Willinger bassoon Dillon Meacham 1 Patrick Broder Kristy Tucker 2 Dana Brink contrabassoon Dillon Meacham Ethan Lippert horn Luke Baker 1 Reese Farnell Stephen Newberry Steven Harmon 2 Josh Thompson Gabriel Mairson Scott Leger Esteban Garcia wagner tuba Luke Baker Antonia Chandler trumpet Jonathan Shadle 2 Ashley Hale Eric Rizzo Chloe Swindler piccolo trumpet Theo Van Dyck bass trumpet William Wortley trombone Grant Futch 2 Ingram Lee

bass trombone Daniel Vaitkus tuba Joseph Guimaraes 2 Jacob Fewx timpani Matt Keown 2 YoungKyong Lee percussion Sam Seyong Um Dmitrii Nilov Shiqi Zhong Jisu Jung 1 2

Principal on Mozart Principal on Stravinsky

music librarians Antonia Chandler Bora Kim Marta Lambert Gregory Lewis Laura Park Lauren Williams Leonardo Ziporyn stage crew Anteo Fabris Jisu Jung Matt Keown YoungKyong Lee Aaron Israel Levin Gabriel Mairson Dmitrii Nilov Lucas Oliveira Tanner Porter Hillary Simms Sam Seyong Um Daniel Vaitkus Rimbo Wong

Up co ming Event s SEP 19

SEP 27

SEP 28

BRENTANO STRING QUARTET Oneppo Chamber Music Series The Brentano String Quartet, YSM’s ensemblein-residence, performs quartets by Haydn and Brahms, along with a selection of German dances by Schubert and bagatelles by Webern.

Morse Recital Hall | Tuesday | 7:30 pm Tickets start at $26 • Students $13 BORIS BERMAN, piano Horowitz Piano Series School of Music faculty pianist and Horowitz Piano Series Artistic Director Boris Berman performs an all-Brahms program featuring the composer's late piano works, Opp. 116-119.

There will be a preconcert talk at 6:30 pm in the Blocker Room in Sprague Memorial Hall.

Morse Recital Hall | Wednesday | 7:30 pm Tickets start at $13 • Students $7 AARON JAY KERNIS AND CHRIS THEOFANIDIS, composition New Music New Haven A program of music by YSM faculty composers Aaron Jay Kernis and Chris Theofanidis, and by YSM graduate-student composers.

Morse Recital Hall | Thursday | 7:30 pm Free Admission

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