notes on the program

NOTES ON THE PROGRAM
Homer’s Odyssey endures as one of the best-loved adventure tales of our time. The famous epic follows its hero Ulysses on a ten-year
adventure as he returns home to Ithaca in the wake of the Trojan War. Along the way, he and his crew encounter lethargic Lotus Eaters, and
the monstrous Cyclops, Polyphemus. Ulysses must also resist the not-so friendly feminine wiles of the witch Circe, the deadly Sirens, and
the nymph Calypso, who keeps him and his men captive for seven years. All the while, the goddess Minerva (also known as Pallas) serves
as Ulysses’ guide and protector, helping him to avert disaster and overcome the many obstacles that separate Ulysses from his long-faithful
wife, Penelope. The Odyssey’s central theme – and the source of its universal appeal - is the enduring strength of love, hope, and fidelity,
and their ability to withstand tests of time and tribulation.
Scholars believe that Homer’s epic was a song sung to a rapt audience before it was ever written down, so it is fitting that we return his
story to music by creating a program featuring French baroque re-tellings.
Jean-Féry Rebel (1666-1747) studied both composition and violin with Lully, and steadily climbed the professional ladder at Versailles: by
the turn of the eighteenth century he was performing in the opera orchestra, becoming its conductor (batteur de mesure) by 1705. In 1718,
he assumed the post of chamber composer to the King.
Despite its beautiful music and attractive subject, Rebel’s Ulysse suffered the same fate as virtually every other opera written between the
time of Lully and Rameau. That is, it saw only a few performances and was never revived (though excerpts from Ulysse did get recycled
into a later operatic pastiche). The libretto for Ulysse loosely adapts Homer’s text, creating a tangled love triangle between Circe, Ulysses,
and Penelope. We present two airs from the Act 1: Souffriray-je (in which Penelope pleads with her long-absent husband to return) and the
lilting Beaux lieux, where Penelope explains that beautiful gardens and other pleasant distractions will fail to distract her from her longing.
By the end, however – with the help of the goddess Minerva – Penelope is happily reunited with Ulysses in Ithaca (which we witness with
two airs from Act 5 of Ulysse: C’est vous, mon cher Ulysse, and Que c’est un plaisir extreme). We’re happy to present these excerpts from
Ulysse for the first time, which we’ve edited from the surviving short score.
Rebel’s earliest works are his violin sonatas and trios, which date from the last decade of the seventeenth century. Many of his sonatas bear
evocative titles, such as the trio L’Immortelle (the Immortal one) and La Fidelle (Faithful one), which in the context of this program, is meant
to evoke the enduring hope and faith of Penelope. La Fidelle’s searching, improvisatory opening over a bass pedal note sets the stage for a
series of contrasting sections that range from a brilliant, fast-paced fugue, to a simple elegant air that devolves into heart-wrenching suspensions, to a regal lentement consisting entirely of double-stops on the violin, and finally a virtuosic fantasy that recalls the musical sighs and
chromaticism of the sonata’s opening.
Though François Chauvon’s Cinquième Suite contains no direct reference to the Homerian tale, we might imagine the different movements – from the dreamy Sicilienne (La Rêveuse) to the final, hypnotic Chaconne en rondeau as evocative of Odysseus’s seven years on the
island of Ogygia under the spell of the goddess Calypso. The pervasive use of rondeau form in this suite enhances its bewitching quality,
while traces of the pastoral (heard in the Sicilienne, the pesante Gavotte, and even in the lilting rhythms of the Chaconne) echo Homer’s
own description of this entrancing island: “Thickets of alder, black poplar, and cypress, with horned owls, falcons, and garrulous sea-crows
roosting in their branches, sheltered Calypso’s great cavern. A grapevine twisted across the entrance. Parsley and irises grew thick in an
adjoining meadow, which was fed by four clear streams.” A student of François Couperin, Chauvon (c.1690-1740) had a rich imagination
and a distinctive, witty voice that shines through each of his few, extant works.
Thomas-Louis Bourgeois (1676-1750) is hardly a household name, but he made a major contribution to the genre of the French cantata. At
the time of Les Sirènes’ publication, Bourgeois could regularly be heard singing countertenor at Paris’s Opéra. Following six years as surintendant de musique in the service of the Duke of Bourbon, he appears to have struggled to hold onto professional appointments in various
provincial cities (Lyons, Poitiers, Dijon), ending his career in obscurity and poverty. Les Sirènes (1708) dates from the beginnings of his
success as a composer. The music is concise and strong, effectively conveying the tantalizing allure of the sirens (L’Amour par nos voix vous
appelle) and the dangerous peril should Ulysses and his crew fall prey to them.
In the course of the Odyssey, Ulysses and his men also encounter the dreaded Cyclops, Polyphemus. (Alas, Rameau’s harpsichord solo–
with its repeated “hammering” figures probably refers to a different group of Cyclops who forged lightening bolts for Zeus). Ulysses escapes
Polyphemus’ clutches by blinding him with a wooden stake, though he makes the terrible mistake of boastfully revealing his identity. As a
result, Ulysses and his crew are forced to confront the wrath of Neptune (Polyphemus’s father), God of the Seas.
In vain, Ulysses attempts to conceal his fleet of ships from Neptune, which is where Le Sommeil d’Ulisse by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
(1665-1729) picks up the story. Neptune whips up a terrifyingly dangerous storm, complete with thunder and lightening in the violin’s
swirling Tempête. Minerva sweeps in to protect Ulysses, offering him refuge and respite by way of a deep, magical sleep (this sommeil is
evoked with lilting dotted rhythms, slow-moving harmonies, and the unreal, fused sound of muted violin and recorder). La Guerre rose to
prominence as a child prodigy, when, at the age of five, she was already performing on the harpsichord and singing at the court of Louis
XIV. She was the first woman to compose an opera in France, and one of the very few to publish her own compelling, creative compositions. Le Sommeil d’Ulisse is included in her final collection of Cantates françoises (1715), published fifteen years before her death.
The cantata became enormously popular in early eighteenth-century France. Borrowing both form and function from Opera, French cantatas include Italianate da capo arias, extravagant and dramatic instrumental interludes adapted from the stage (such as the tempest scene in
La Guerre’s Sommeil d’Ulisse), and metrically-flexible French recitatives. As in most Tragédie Lyrique (the French operatic form pioneered
by Jean-Baptiste Lully), allusions honoring King Louis XIV frequently appear in the cantata repertory (in tonight’s program, the story of the
benevolent King Alcinous is a clear reference), and a Deus ex machina frequently sweeps in at the end to save the day (cue: Minerva/Pallas). Sometimes, the final aria in a cantata may offer a moral to the audience. In the case of Les Sirènes, the temptation of Beauty cannot
and will be denied – i.e. resistance to Love is futile!
– Debra Nagy
PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES
A native of Seattle, the soprano Clara Rottsolk has been lauded by The New York Times for her “clear, appealing voice and expressive
conviction” and by The Philadelphia Inquirer for the “opulent tone [with which] every phrase has such a communicative emotional presence.” In a repertoire extending from the Renaissance to the contemporary, she has appeared as soloist with ensembles such as Tempesta
di Mare, St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Philadelphia Bach Collegium, Trinity Wall Street Choir, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Bach
Sinfonia, Handel Choir of Baltimore, and Ensemble Florilège under conductors including Joshua Rifkin, Bruno Weill, John Scott, David
Effron, and Andrew Megill. As a recitalist, she has performed throughout the US, in venues including the Goethe-Institut Boston, St. Mark’s
Church Philadelphia and Swarthmore College, and at the Carmel Bach Festival, Whidbey Island Music Festival, and the Brevard Music
Center. Among her stage roles are Micaëla (Carmen), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Arminda (La finta giardiniera) and Laetitia (The Old Maid
and the Thief). Her upcoming season includes performances with Handel Choir of Baltimore, Piffaro—The Renaissance Wind Band, and
appearances at the Carmel Bach Festival and Indianapolis Early Music Festival. She can also be heard on recording with Tempesta di Mare
Chamber Players on the Chandos label.
Debra Nagy has been called “a baroque oboist of consummate taste and expressivity” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) and “a musical poly-
math” for her accomplished performances on oboe and recorder. One of the nation’s most sought after early double-reed specialists, Debra
performs frequently with baroque ensembles and orchestras in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, and
New York, in addition to Cleveland’s Apollo’s Fire. She has also been heard at the international Early Music Festivals of Boston, Berkeley,
Regensburg, and Antwerp. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, Debra was the first-prize winner in the 2002 American Bach Soloists
Young Artist Competition, spent 2002-2003 in Brussels and Amsterdam as the recipient of a Belgian American Educational Foundation
Grant, received a 2009 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was awarded a 2010 Creative Workforce Fellowship
from Cleveland’s Community Partnership for Arts & Culture. She received her doctorate in Early Music at Case Western Reserve University,
where she currently directs the Collegium Musicum. Debra can be heard on the Capstone, Bright Angel, Naxos, Avie, Delos, CPO, and
ATMA labels and has had live performances featured on CBC Radio Canada, Klara (Belgium), NPR’s Performance Today, WQXR (New York
City), WCLV (Cleveland), WKSU (Kent), and WGBH Boston. Debra is an unabashed foodie and loves commuting by bike from her home in
the heart of Cleveland’s historic Ohio City neighborhood.
Lauded for her “invigorating verve and imagination” by the Washington Post, Julie Andrijeski is among the leading baroque violinists
in the U.S. Her unique musical performance style is greatly influenced by her knowledge and skilled performance of baroque dance, and
she often combines these two mediums in the classroom, on stage, and at workshops. Ms. Andrijeski is a Senior Instructor in the Music
Department at Case Western Reserve University where she teaches early music performance practices and directs the Baroque Dance and
Music Ensembles. Before joining the Case faculty, Ms. Andrijeski was a full-time member of the early-music trio Chatham Baroque. Now,
in addition to her teaching, Ms. Andrijeski regularly appears with many baroque groups including, among others, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra (Artistic Director), Quicksilver (Co-Director), the New York State Baroque Orchestra (Concertmaster), Apollo’s Fire (Principal Player),
and the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra. During the summers she teaches and performs at the Oberlin Conservatory’s Baroque
Performance Institute, the Madison Early Music Festival, and the Vancouver Early Music Festival. Ms. Andrijeski received her Doctorate of
Musical Arts degree in Early Music from Case Western Reserve University in May 2006. Previous degrees include a B.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Denver and an M.M. in Violin Performance from Northwestern University.
Emily Walhout grew up playing the cello, but discovered her love for baroque bass lines at Oberlin Conservatory, where she took up
the baroque cello and the viola da gamba, thus launching an active career in early music. Ms. Walhout was a founding member of La Luna,
and was a member of The King’s Noyse from 1987 through 2004. Ms. Walhout has played viola da gamba or principal cello for the Boston
Early Music Festival Orchestra, Seattle Baroque, Portland Baroque, Les Boréades, Les Violons Du Roy, New York Collegium, and Trinity Consort (Portland, OR). She has toured as a chamber musician throughout North America and Europe, and she has recorded extensively with
the Boston Camerata, La Luna and The King’s Noyse. A resident of Waterown, MA, Ms. Walhout maintains a small studio of private students
and coaches several devoted viol consorts.
Michael Sponseller , harpsichord, has appeared throughout Europe and North America with critical acclaim as a soloist, conductor,
and chamber musician. Winner of the American Bach Soloists Competition (1998) and the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition
(2002), he holds the distinction of being a two-time prizewinner at the Festival of Flanders International Harpsichord Competition (Bruges),
as well as taking prizes in Montréal and Kalamazoo. Mr. Sponseller has performed and recorded frequently with the Handel and Haydn Society, Smithsonian Chamber Players, American Bach Soloists, New York Collegium, Apollo’s Fire and recently, the Carmel Bach Festival. In
addition to holding degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, Mr. Sponseller was
a teacher of harpsichord at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. To continue to explore his interest in vocal and chamber music on
period instruments, he founded Ensemble Florilege in 2007. Mr. Sponseller can also be heard on several recordings from Electra, Vanguard
Classics, Naxos, Delos and Centaur.
MYTHS & ALLEGORIES
Texts & Translations
Ai r s fr om U l y s s e
A i rs f ro m U l y sse
Souffriray-je toujours les riguers de l’absence?
Ulysse, revenez! Hâtez vôtre retour.
Abandonnez la gloire, en faveur de l’Amour,
Venez de mes ennuis calmer la violence,
Penelope vous doit posseder à son tour;
Mille amans empressez attaquent ma constance,
De leurs soins importuns Je me plains chaque jour,
Et vous me laissez sans deffence,
Dans ce triste sejour
Telemaque vous cherche avec impatience,
Vos etats en danger veulent vôtre présence,
Ulysse, revenez! Hâter vôtre retour!
Shall I forever suffer the hardship of your absence?
Ulysses, come back! Hasten your return!
Give up on glory in favor of Love,
Come to calm my troubled heart.
Penelope must have you in her turn.
A thousand lovers challenge my fidelity –
Surrounded by their unwelcome proposals, I cry every day.
And you leave me without defenses
In this sad place.
Telemacus seeks you with impatience,
Your troubled dominion wishes you were here.
Ulysse, come back! Hasten your return!
Beaux lieux, vous ne sçauriez me plaire,
Vous aviez pour moy des appas;
Quand Ulysse suivoit mes pas,
Vous étiez les temoins de nôtre ardure sincere;
Mais Ulysse est absent, vous ne me l’offrez pas;
Beaux Lieux, vous ne sçauriez me plaire.
Lovely place, you could not please me
If you had more appeal.
When Ulysses should follow my footsteps,
You could bear witness to our true love;
But Ulysse is gone, you can not replace him.
Lovely place, you could not please me.
LES SIRENES
Récit
Après avoir vaincu les peoples de Phrigie
Et vengé Menelas d’un lâche ravisseur
Ulisse triumphant se flatoit du Bonheur
De revoir dans Itaque une epouse cherie.
Pour hater son retour Eole dans les airs
Conduisoit ses vaisseaux sur les humides plaines
Quand les dangereuses Syrenes l’arresterent par ces concerts.
Air
L’amour par nos voix vous apelle
Rendés vous a nos chants cedes fameux heros
Après avoir aquis une gloire immortelle
Sur ces bords fortunes goustés un doux repos
Voyés voler sur ces heureux rivages
Les aimables zephirs et les tendres amours
Les aquilons et les orages
N’en chassent jamais les beaux jours
Recit
La flotte d’Ulisse charmée par le secret pouvoir de ces tendres accords
S’empresse d’aprocher de ces funestes bords
Quand la sage Pallas pour Ulisse allarmée
Degage sa raison de ce charme trompeur
Honteux du trouble de son Coeur
De Venus irritee il reconnoît l’ouvrage
Fuyons amis dit-il aux siens
Les Dieux protecteurs des Troyens
Nous attirent sur ce rivage
Air
Fuyés, fuyés éloignés vous d’un peril dangereux
qui vous paroit aimable.
Il est cent fois plus redoubtable que les vents et les flots
irritee contre nous
C’est un trespas inevitable Qui s’offre a nos regards
sous les traits les plus doux. Et nos
malheurs n’ont pas epuisé le couroux de la fortune impitoyable.
Recit
Par ces sages conseils a sa flotte seduite Ulisse rendit la raison et sçut par
une prompte suite Sauver son Coeur d’un funeste poison.
Air
Belles dans vos yeux l’Amour met ses armes
Qui craint les allarmes Des coeurs amoureux Doit fuir de vos charmes
L’ecüeil dangereux
En vain le plus sage vous a resisté
L’Amour irrité punit cet outrage par le prompt naufrage de sa liberté
THE SIRENS
Recit
After having vanquished the people of Phrigia
And avenged Meneleas of a dastardly kidnapper,
Triumphant Ulysses – urged on by his success – yearns to see his beloved
wife again in Ithaca.
Hastening his return, Aeolus’ winds drive Ulysses’ vessels across the seas
When the dangerous Sirens stop him with their songs.
Air
Love, by our voices, calls to you.
Surrender yourself to our songs – Stop! – famous hero!
After having acquired immortal glory,
Succumb to sweet rest on these happy shores.
Come and see, on our happy beaches,
The kind zephyrs, and tender loves.
The north winds and the storms
Can never drive away these lovely times.
Recit
Ulysses’ crew, charmed by the secret power
Of these tender strains, was eager to approach these deadly shores.
When wise Pallas, alarmed on Ulysses’ behalf,
Restored his senses from the deceitful charm.
Ashamed of the trouble in his heart, he recognized there the work of Venus,
who is not on his side.
“Let’s flee, friends,” he told his crew,
“The gods – Troy’s protectors – lure us by
trickery to these shores!”
Air
Flee! Flee! Escape from this dangerous peril
That appears friendly.
It is a hundred times worse than the winds and waves
Unleashed against us.
Inevitable death offers itself to us
In the guise of sweetness. And our
Misfortunes have not exhausted the wrath of merciless fortune.
Recit
By this sage advice, Ulysses restored reason to his seduced crew.
By swift action, he was able to save his heart from deadly poison.
Air
Beauties, in your eyes, Love sets her weapons.
He who fears the cries of amorous hearts
should flee from the dangerous temptations of your charms.
In vain, the most wise have resisted you.
Provoked Love punishes this insult by the swift
storming of her liberty.
MYTHS & ALLEGORIES
Texts & Translations
LE S O M M E I L D ’ U L I S S E
Recit
Apres mille travaux, L’infatigable Ulisse a Neptune irrité, croit cacher son
vaisseau. Mais, ses efforts sont vains, ce Dieu veut qu’il périsse, et qu’un
gouffre soit son tombeau.
U LY S S E S ’ S S L U MB E R
Recit
Following a thousand trials, the tireless hero, Ulysses believed he could
conceal his ships from irritated Neptune. But his efforts were in vain – the
God wished that he should die engulfed in an abyss.
Air
Sur une mer orageuse et profonde, Il l’apercoit guidé par les zephirs voguer
au gré de ses desirs; et regner comme lui sur l’onde.
Air
On a deep and stormy sea, Neptune perceived Ulysses being steered by the
zephyrs – as though Ulysses reigned over the sea.
Recit
Il en frémit, une injuste fureur s’empare de ses sens, et les remplit d’horreur
Recit
He shuddered – an unjust fury took hold of his senses, filling them with
horror.
La Tempeste (Recit)
Pour perdre ce guerrier, Il se livre a sa rage
De tonnerres bruiants de foudroyants éclairs; Il foit briller, Gronder les Airs;
L’univers allarmé craint un nouveau naufrage, Tous les vents déchaînés
lutent contre les flots; Le vaisseau renversé, cede a l’affreux orage, disparoît,
et la Mer engloutit ce Heros
Air
Venés Minerve bien faisante,
Vous qui prenés soin de ses jours;
Hatez-vous Déese puissante, volez a son secours.
Quand il vit la troupe immortelle sur Ilion se partager, a vos leçons toujours
fidele sous vos loix il sçut se ranger.
Recit
Nos voeux sont éxaucez; une si chere tête échape en fin à la tempête; Un
azile delicieux du Dieu qui le poursuit rend la colere vaine; par un sommeil
misterieux, la Déese adoucit sa peine.
Air
Dormés, dormés.
Ne vous deffendés par d’un Sommeil si rempli de charmes; Ah! Que le
repos à d’appas; quand il succède, à tant d’allarmes.
The Tempest (Recit)
To destroy this warrior, Neptune releases his rage of clamorous thunder
and terrifying lightening. He sets ablaze, rumbles the airs; the universe–
allarmed¬–believes there’s a new shipwreck. All the winds unleashed
against the waves, the vessel capsized, ceding itself to the ferocious storm,
disappeared, and the sea engulfs our Hero.
Air
Come, beneficent Minerva,
You who take care of his days.
Hurry, powerful goddess, fly to his aid.
When he saw the immortal crew on Ilion divided, he was ever faithful to
your lessons; by your direction, he was able to retreat.
Recit
Our wishes are granted: a very dear head finally escaped the storm. Providing a charming refuge, the Goddess assuaged Ulysses’ pain with a mysterious slumber, rendering Neptune’s anger vain.
Aux plus laborieux expoits, il est beau qu’un Heros s’expose. Mais, il faut
aussi quelque fois, que ce même Heros repose.
Air
Sleep, sleep.
Don’t defend yourself from a slumber so full of charms. Ah! How enticing is
rest, when it follows so many alarms.
It’s good that a hero exposes himself to the most laborious feats/challenges,
but sometimes, a hero must also rest.
Recit
Mais, quel songe se mêle à cet enchantement? Minerve à son esprit
presente du Destin qui l’attend une image riante, et lui tient ce discours
charmant
Alcinoüs ce Roy que l’univers admire, en ces heureux climates exerce son
empire, en vain mille ennemis, dans leurs jaloux transports, ont fait contre
lui seul, les plus puissants efforts, contraint d’armer son bras, il n’a pris son
tonnerre, que pour mieux affermir le repos de la terre. Ce monarque atentif
au Bonheur des humains, se plait à proteger les droits des souverains, Il
est des affligés la plus ferme espérance, vos voeux seront comblés par sa
magnificence; et malgré les destins à vous perdre animés, Il vous rendra
vainqueur a des peuples aimés.
Recit
But, what dreams together with this enchantment? Minerva presents to
Ulysses imagination a happy image of the fate that awaits him, and speaks
to him in this charming fashion:
Alcinous, the universally-admired king, reigns in these happy climes. In
vain, a thousand enemies – carried away by their jealousy – ganged up
against him. Forced to defend himself, he only used thunder to better
maintain peace on earth. For this monarch was sensitive to the well-being
of mankind and wished to protect the rights of sovereigns. Alcinous is the
most solid hope of the afflicted; your wishes will be fulfilled by his magnanimousness, and despite fates which are animated to destroy you, he will
returns you triumphant to your beloved people.
Air
Ulisse que la gloire appelle triomphe en ces aimables lieux. Il y voit finir la
querelle qui troubla si longtems les Dieux.
Lorsqu’un Heros suit la sagesse, et qu’il la prend pour son appui a son parti
tout s’interesse, tout agit, tout combat pour lui.
Air
Ulysses, who glory calls, triumphs in these pleasant places. He sees there
the end of the quarrel that has for so long troubled the Gods.
For when a hero follows wisdom and takes it for his support, his course
becomes of interest to all – all act, all fight for him.
C’est vous, mon cher Ulysse, et le Ciel vous rameine; Je vous revois victorieux; Nous devons la victoire aux Dieus, Ils ont vangé vôtre gloire et la
mienne. Je sens un feu nouveau qui revient m’animer, ma bouche ny mes
yeux ne peuvent l’exprimer.
It’s you, my dear Ulysses, and the Heavens brings you back to me; I see
you again, victorious. We owe victory to the Gods. They have avenged your
glory and mine. I sense a spirit is newly rekindled in me; neither my eyes
nor words can express it.
Que c’est un plaisir extreme, de revoir ce que l’on ayme? Tout comble
aujourd’huy nos voeux, Les Dieux nous offrent des jours heureux. Ranimons nôtre tendresse, L’Amour regne dans ces lieux; D’Ulysse sans cesse,
vantez les exploits glorieux, Qu’a chanter son nom tout s’empresse, qu’il
vole jusqu’aux Cieux.
What an extreme pleasure it is to see the one I love again! Today, our
wishes have been granted; the Gods have offered us happy days. Let us rekindle our affections. Love reigns in these places. Extol the glorious exploits
of Ulysses unceasingly; Let everything be compelled to sing his name. Let
him fly up to the Heavens.