PROGRAM NOTES for Music at the Mission, May 9, 2010
Mozart - Concert for Flute & Harp
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's well-known Concerto
for Flute & Harp is a beautiful and masterfully written
combination of two instruments that require extreme delicacy in
combination and against an orchestral backdrop. Mozart composed
it in Paris in 1778 for the Duke de Guines, a flautist, and his
daughter who played the harp. It has a distinctly French style,
with a magically interwoven fabric of sound which utilizes both
instruments to their fullest.
Brahms, Johannes- Symphony #1
Brahms took 21 years to write Symphony No. 1 which first premiered in Germany in 1876. The length of time taken can probably be attributed to Brahms self-critical nature causing him to re-write much of the music over the years. When the Symphony was first performed many critics called it Beethoven’s Tenth owing to the similarity in style. Brahms however, felt that any similarity was due to his reverence of Beethoven’s work rather than plagiarism.
PROGRAM NOTES for Music for the Young at Heart, Mar. 13, 2010
Mendelssohn, Felix - Violin Concerto
in E minor, Op. 64
Mendelssohn wrote this violin concerto for Ferdinand David,
who was a close friend of his and a well-known violinist. It has
become one of the most popular of all of Mendelssohn's compositions.
The Concerto was one of the first violin concertos of the Romantic
era and was influential to the compositions of many other composers.
Although the concerto consists of three movements, only the first
movement will be played.
Prokofiev, Sergei - Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf was written
and first performed in the Soviet Unionin 1936. Specifically
written for children, it initially failed to attract
much attention. Since 1936 however, the symphony has delighted
and inspired scores of children and adults around the world.
The symphony tells the story of a young boy - Peter, his cat and Peter's grandfather who live in the forest. An unfortunate duck gets eaten by the wolf who in turn is caught by Peter with the aid of a bird. Peter saves the wolf from being shot by hunters and instead takes it to the zoo. Instruments in the orchestra give voice to Peter (strings), his grandfather (bassoon) Peter's cat (clarinet), the bird (flute) the duck (oboe), the hunters (woodwind) and the wolf (french horns).
Kling, Henri - The Elelphant and the Fly
Kling was born in Paris in 1842. He was raised in Carlsruhe, Germany
where he studied horn under Jacob Dorn. At age twenty he received
an appointment in Geneva as first solo horn-player at the Opera
and in the Pepin Orchestra. In 1866 he was elected Professor
of Musical Theory and Horn-Playing at theGeneva Conservatoire.
Although Kling remained at the Conservatoire until his death
in 1918, he was a man of wide and varied musical interests and
a prolific composer and writer. His work included operas, a symphony,
solos for wind instruments, piano accompaniments for Mozart's
horn concertos and a number of overtures and light pieces. The
Elephant and Fly was written as a Comic Intermezzo for piccolo
flute and bassoon.
Bizet, Georges - L'Arlesienne Suite
Bizet was a French composer and pianist best known for his opera
Carmen. Originally the music known today as L'Arlesienne Suite
was composed as incidental music for a play by Alphonse Daudet
called L'Arlesienne which translates as The Girl from Arles.
First performed in 1872 in this form, the music received poor
reviews. Subsequently Bizet arranged the music into four movements
for full symphony orchestra without the chorus. This is now known
as L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1. L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 was arranged
four years after Bizet's death by Ernest Guiraud using Bizet's
original themes.
PROGRAM NOTES for Sounds of Season - Dec. 13, 2009
Tchaikovsky - Music from the Nutcracker
An adaptation of the fairy story The
Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T. A. Hoffmann was set
to music by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky in 1891-1892. Although written
as a ballet, Tchaikovsky selected eight of the numbers to form
The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, which he intended for
concert performance. The suite was first performed under the
composer's direction in St. Petersburg, Russia on March 1892
and became instantly popular. The ballet did not begin to achieve
its great popularity until the mid 1950's. In Western countries
The Nutcracker is perhaps the most popular of ballets, performed
primarily around Christmas time.
Strauss - Tales from the Vienna Woods
Composed by Johann Straus II in 1868, Tales
from the Vienna Woods is a waltz, a type of dance which
became very popular in Viennese society despite it's humble
beginnings as a folk dance. The Viennese waltz has a fast tempo
and is very upbeat and lively. Tales from
the Vienna Woods will
make you want to take your partners and dance around the theatre!
Schubert - Symphony No. 8 in B minor
'Unfinished'
Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer
born in 1797. He wrote lieder, liturgical music, opera, chamber
and solo piano music as well as nine symphonies. He started writing
Symphony No. 8 in B minor in 1822 but apparently never completed
it. The reasons for this are unclear as Schubert did not die until
1828. As a result this symphony is commonly referred to as the 'Unfinished
Symphony'. It appears that in 1823 Schubert gave what he had written
to a friend who kept it hidden from society until 1865 when two
movements comprising the symphony were shown to a leading conductor
of the time. The symphony was performed in
Vienna in December 1865 and the score was published in 1867. Since
then several musicians have endeavored to 'complete' this symphony
with additional movements based on other works and musical sketches
by Schubert. Nevertheless only the original two movements: Allegro
moderato in B minor and Andante con moto in E major are commonly
performed as Symphony No. 8.
Anderson - Sleigh Ride
"Sleigh Ride" is a popular light
orchestral piece, composed by Leroy
Anderson, about a person who would like to ride in a
sleigh on a winter's day with another person. The composer had
the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946;
he finished the work in February 1948. It was first recorded in
1946 by Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra. Although
"Sleigh Ride" is often associated with Christmas, the songs lyrics
never specifically mention any holiday or religion. According
to author Steve Metcalf in the book Leroy Anderson: A Bio-Bibliography [Praeger
2004], "Sleigh Ride"... has been performed and recorded
by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the
history of Western music."