September 12-14, 2014 Michael Stern, Music Director
Transcription
September 12-14, 2014 Michael Stern, Music Director
September 12-14, 2014 Michael Stern, Music Director Joyce DiDonato, Soprano Griffes Bacchanale (1913, rev. 1915) Ravel Shéhérazade (1903) I. Asie (Asia) II. La Flûte enchantée (The Enchanted Flute) III. L’Indifférent (The Indifferent One) Strauss Morgen! (Tomorrow!), Op. 27, No. 4 (1894) Joyce DiDonato, Soprano Intermission Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (1888) I. Andante; Allegro con anima II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza III. Valse. Allegro moderato IV. Finale. Andante maestoso; Allegro vivace Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Concert Overview Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920) Bacchanale (1913, rev. 1915) 5 minutes —Bacchanale, by American composer Charles Tomlinson Griffes, originated as a Scherzo for solo piano. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra performed the world premiere of the orchestral version in December of 1919. In April of the following year, Griffes was dead at the age of 35, a victim of lung disease. —Griffes described Bacchanale as “music now weird and mysterious, now wild and joyous.” Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Shéhérazade (1903) 17 minutes —Maurice Ravel’s song cycle, Shéhérazade, is a setting for solo voice and orchestra of three poems by the composer’s friend, Tristan Klingsor: Asia, The Enchanted Flute, and The Indifferent One. —Ravel’s exotic, delicate music provides the ideal complement to Klingsor’s evocative poetry. Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Morgen! (Tomorrow!), Op. 27, No. 4 (1894) 2 minutes Strauss’s setting of this song for voice and orchestra includes a beautiful solo violin part. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Opus 64 (1888) 50 minutes —Tchaikovsky conducted the world premiere of his Fifth Symphony in St. Petersburg on November 17, 1888. —Tchaikovsky, always a harsh self-critic, initially pronounced the work a “failure.” But over time, Tchaikovsky grew fond of the work, and it has remained one of his most beloved Symphonies. —The Fifth Symphony opens with an ominous motif that returns in each of the work’s four movements, finally resolving to a triumphant march in the closing measures. From start to finish, the Tchaikovsky Fifth is a gripping and unforgettable symphonic journey. Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920) Bacchanale (1913, rev. 1915) 5 minutes Piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, tam-tam, bass drum, celesta, two harps, and strings. Toward the close of his tragically brief life, Charles Tomlinson Griffes had emerged as one of America’s finest composers. In the span of just over four weeks in November and December of 1919, Griffes’s compositions were performed by Walter Damrosch and the New York Symphony, Pierre Monteux and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Griffes was too ill to attend the Philadelphia performance. In April of the following year, Griffes died of lung disease. He was 35, and at the height of his career and powers. Griffes is best remembered for such compositions as The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Kahn (1912), Bacchanale (1913, rev. 1915), and The White Peacock (1915). The influence of such French Impressionist composers as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel is unmistakable. But Griffes was, in his own right, a master of orchestration. As with many of Griffes’ orchestral compositions, Bacchanale originated as a work for solo piano. It first appeared as Scherzo, No. 3 of the composer’s Fantasy Pieces, Op. 6. Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra performed the world premiere on December 19, 1919. Also on the program were Griffes’ Clouds (1917), The White Peacock, and Notturno für Orchester (1918). The following is an excerpt from the program notes for the Philadelphia world premiere of Bacchanale: The composer’s own note to the published piano version of this piece is the following: “From the palace of Enchantment there issued into the night sounds of unearthly revelry. Troops of genii and other fantastic spirits danced grotesquely to a music now weird and mysterious, now wild and joyous.” This piece is wholly fantastic as a fairy tale, with a wild climax at the end. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Shéhérazade (1903) 17 minutes Soprano solo, piccolo, 2 flutes, two oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tam-tam, tambourine, triangle, celeste, and strings. The fantastic collection of tales known as The Arabian Nights, or A Thousand and One Nights, has captivated readers for centuries. The ancient stories, mostly of Arabic, Indian, or Persian origin, were first presented to European readers in an early 18th-century French translation by Antoine Galland. In the late 19th century, British explorer Sir Richard Burton created a popular English-language version. To this day, such stories as “The History of Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp,” “The History of Sinbad the Sailor,” and “The History of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” continue to weave their magical spell. The most famous musical adaptation of these tales is Russian composer Nikolai RimskyKorsakov’s grand orchestral work, Scheherazade, Op. 35 (1888). Ten years later, Maurice Ravel, then a student of Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatoire, composed his own Shéhérazade Overture. The premiere was a failure, and the work remained unpublished until 1975. In 1903, Ravel achieved much greater success with his song-cycle, Shéhérazade. Ravel set three poems by his friend Tristan Klingsor—the pen name of Léon Leclère (18741966)—for soprano and orchestra. Ravel’s exotic, delicately scored music provides the ideal complement to Klingsor’s evocative poetry. Shéhérazade Trois Poèmes de Tristan Klingsor (1874-1966) I. Asie Asie, Asie. Asie Vieux pays merveilleux des contes de nourrice Où dort la fantaisie comme une impératrice, En sa forêt emplie de mystère… Asie, je voudrais m’en aller avec la goëlette Qui se berce ce soir dans le port Mystérieuse et solitaire, Et qui déploie enfin ses voiles violettes Comme un immense oiseau de nuit dans le ciel d’or. Je voudrais m’en aller vers des îles de fleurs, En écoutant chanter la mer perverse Sur un vieux rythme ensorceleur. Je voudrais voir Damas et les villes de Perse Avec les minarets légers dans l’air. Je voudrais voir de beaux turbans de soie Sur des visages noirs aux dents claires; Je voudrais voir des yeux sombres d’amour Et des prunelles brillantes de joie, Et des paux jaunes comme des oranges; Je voudrais voir des vêtements de velours Et des habits à longues franges. Je voudrais voir des calumets entre des bouches Tout entourées de barbe blanche; Je voudrais voir de vraix marchands aux regards louches, Et des cadis, et des vizirs Qui du seul mouvement de leur doigt qui se penche Accordent vie ou mort au gré de leur désir. Je voudrais voir la Perse, et l’Inde, et puis la Chine, Les mandarins ventrus sous les ombrelles, Et les princesses aux mains fines, Et les lettrés qui se querrellent Sur la poésie et sur la beauté; Je voudrais m’attarder au palais enchanté Et comme un voyageur étranger Contempler à loisir des paysages peints Sur des étoffes en des cadres du sapin Avec un personnage au milieu d’un verger; Je voudrais voir des assassins souriants Du bourreau qui coupe un cou d’innocent Avec son grand sabre courbé d’Orient. Je voudrais voir des pauvres et des reines; Je voudrais voir des roses et du sang; Je voudrais voir mourir d’amour ou bien de haine… Et puis m’en revenir plus tard Narrer mon aventure aux curieux de rêves En élevant comme Sinbad ma vieille tasse arabe De temps en temps jusqu'à mes lèvres Pour interrompre le conte avec art. . . . I. Asia Asia, Asia, Asia Wonderful ancient country of fairy tales Where fantasy sleeps like an empress, In her forest filled with mystery… Asia, I would like to go away in the schooner That rocks this evening in the port Mysterious and alone, And that at last unfurls its violet sails Like an immense bird of the night in the golden sky. I would like to go away toward the island of flowers, And listen to the depraved sea singing The rhyme of an old sorcerer. I would like to see Damascus and the cities of Persia With their slender minarets in the sky. I would like to see the beautiful silk turbans Crowning dark faces with gleaming teeth; I would like to see the dark eyes of love And pupils sparkling with joy, And skin yellow as oranges; I would like to see velvet garments And clothes with long fringes. I would like to see calumets between lips Completely surrounded by a white beard; I would like to see merchants with suspicious glances, And cadis, and viziers Who with a single movement of their bent finger Grant life or death according to their desire. I would like to see Persia, India, and then China, Portly mandarins under parasols, And princesses with delicate hands, And scholars that quarrel Over poetry and beauty; I would like to linger in the enchanted palace And like a foreign traveler Contemplate at his pleasure the landscapes painted On fabric framed in pine With a person in the middle of an orchard; I would like to see the smiling assassins The executioner who chops off the innocent’s head With his large curved Oriental sword. I would like to see the poor and the queens; I would like to see the roses and the blood; I would like to see those dying of love or of hate… And then to return home much later Recounting my adventure to those curious about dreams Like Sinbad, raising my old Arab cup From time to time to my lips To interrupt the story in artful fashion… II. La Flûte enchantée L’ombre est douce et mon maître dort Coiffé d’un bonnet conique de soie, Et son long nez jaune en sa barbe blanche. Mais moi, je suis éveillée encor Et j’écoute au dehors Une chanson de flûte où s’épanche Tour à tour la tristesse ou la joie… Un air tour à tour langoureux ou frivole, Que mon amoureux chéri joue. Et quand je m’approche de la croisée Il me semble que chaque note s’envole De la flûte vers ma joue Comme un mystérieux baiser. II. The Enchanted Flute The shade is sweet and my master sleeps, Wearing a silk conical night-cap, With his long yellow nose in his white beard. But I am still awake And from outside I hear The song of a flute that pours out By turns sadness or joy… An air by turns languorous or frivolous, That my dear beloved plays. And when I approach the casement-window It seems to me that each note flies From the flute toward my cheek Like a mysterious kiss. III. L’Indifférent Tes yeux sont doux comme ceux d’une fille, Jeune étranger, Et la courbe fine De ton beau visage de duvet ombragé Est plus séduisante encor de ligne. Ta lèvre chante sur le pas de ma porte Une langue inconnue et charmante Comme une musique fausse. Entre! Et que mon vin te réconforte . . . Mais non, tu passes Et de mon seuil je te vois t’éloigner Me faisant un dernier geste avec grâce Et la hanche légèrement ployée Par ta démarche féminine et lasse. . . . III. The Indifferent One Your eyes are as sweet as a girl’s, Young stranger, And the delicate curve Of your beautiful face shadowed by down Is even more seductive in profile. On my doorstep, your lips sing A language unknown and charming Like music out of tune. Enter! And may my wine comfort you… But no, you pass And from my doorstep I watch you move away Giving me a final gracious gesture With lightly swinging hips And your feminine, languid gait… Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Morgen! (Tomorrow!), Op. 27, No. 4 (1894) 2 minutes Solo voice, solo violin, 3 horns, harp, and strings. Morgen Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen, Und auf dem Wege, den ich gehen werde, Wird uns, die Glücklichen, sie wieder einen Inmitten dieser sonnenatmenden Erde . . . Und zu dem Strand, dem weiten, wogenblauen, Werden wir still und langsam niedersteigen, Stumm werden wir uns in die Augen schauen, Und auf uns sinkt des Glückes stummes Schweigen. . . John Henry Mackay (1864-1933) Tomorrow And tomorrow the sun will shine again, And the path I travel, Will unite us again, the fortunate ones In the midst of the earth which breathes the sun… And to the broad shore and blue waves, We walk down, slowly and quietly, Silently, we look into each other’s eyes, And a silent happiness descends over us… Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Opus 64 (1888) 50 minutes Piccolo, 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 5 during the summer of 1885. During this period, Tchaikovsky also worked on a “Fantasy-Overture,” based upon William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Tchaikovsky completed his Fifth Symphony on August 26. He put the finishing touches on the Hamlet “Fantasy-Overture” on October 19. Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of his Symphony No. 5 in St. Petersburg on November 17, 1888. In many ways, it was a grand triumph for the composer. At the concert, the orchestra saluted Tchaikovsky with a triple fanfare. He also received an honorary membership in the St. Petersburg Society. The audience greeted the new work with a rousing ovation. By Tchaikovsky’s own admission, both the Fourth and his final Symphony, the Sixth, feature programmatic elements. Tchaikovsky insisted that his Fifth Symphony did not contain a program. However, the progression of the Symphony No. 5—with its presentation, frequent reappearance, and dramatic metamorphosis of a central leitmotif— certainly seems to hint at some extra-musical significance. And among Tchaikovsky’s sketches for the Fifth are words from the composer suggesting the Symphony depicted a confrontation with Fate. If it is true that Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 portrays a struggle with Fate, the outcome seems far more positive than depicted in the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies. But such considerations are, in the final analysis, secondary to the glorious music of this gripping and unforgettable symphonic journey. The Symphony No. 5 opens with a slow introduction (Andante). The clarinets present an ominous theme that will appear as the central leitmotif in each of the Symphony’s four movements. The theme soon becomes the basis for the opening melody of the ensuing Allegro con anima. The slow second movement (Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza) features a radiant outpouring of melody, twice interrupted by savage outbursts of the central leitmotif. The third movement Waltz (Valse. Allegro moderato), in A—B—A form, concludes with a rather insinuating repetition of the central leitmotif, capped by six fortissimo chords. The Finale opens with a slow-tempo introduction (Andante maestoso), with the central leitmotif transformed to the major key. After a protracted struggle and dramatic pause, the leitmotif returns for the last time—now cast as a triumphal march (Moderato assai e molto maestoso).