Carneval Overture Op. 92
Antonín Leopold Dvořák
Born 8 September 1841 in Nelahozeves, Bohemia, Austrian Empire
Died 1 May 1904 in Prague
Antonín Dvořák is best loved for his New World Symphony, Cello Concerto in B minor, and for his exquisite chamber music. Among his orchestral works is his popular and frequently played Carneval Overture.
Carneval is the center of a triptych of overtures composed on the themes of “Nature, Life, and Love.” In the summer of 1891, Dvořák dedicated Carneval to the University of Prague, which had conferred upon him an honorary doctorate of Philosophy in March of that year. Dvořák’s original intent was for the three works to be presented as a trilogy, but the pieces are rarely performed together. Prior to writing Carneval, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University in England. This he added to a growing shelf of honors that reflected his fame throughout Europe. Dvořák conducted the overtures at their premiere in Prague on 20 April 1892. This concert was considered his farewell performance before he took the directorship of the new National Conservatory of Music in New York. While serving as director in New York, Dvořák composed his famous New World Symphony in 1893 and his Cello Concerto in 1894. These were his two prominent works of his American period.
The themes of his triptych, “Nature, Life, and Love,” were meant to portray the human soul’s experiences –joys and sorrows, peaks and valleys. Carneval is the most popular of the three works because of the overture’s energy and excitement. He composed the first piece, In Nature’s Realm, in March 1891. Carneval then followed, depicting life, and last Othello, representing love, was completed in January 1892. Each work has a recurring melody embedded in the scores that unify the three works.
Carneval bubbles with energy and exuberance. Like much of Dvořák's music, it abounds with dance rhythms and folk-music influences from his native Bohemia- the rich heartland now known as the Czech Republic. Carneval is filled with the elevated feelings of solitude as man finds himself, all at once, caught up in the high-spirited carousel of life. With its rapid tempos and explosive percussion, the opening section portrays a jubilant festival. The poetic charm of this piece is heightened when the solo violin repeats the melody. The slower Andantino section follows which features an English horn solo. The flutes later join in to represent, as Dvořák wrote, “a pair of straying lovers.” The festive motifs return and the overture ends with an exhilarating coda.
Dvořák stated in his own program note that the Carneval Overture was meant to depict:
… a lonely, contemplative wanderer reaching at twilight a city where a festival is in full swing. On every side is heard the clangor of instruments, mingled with shouts of joy and the unrestrained hilarity of the people giving vent to their feelings in songs and dances.
This work was written for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bassoon, three horns, two trombones, bass trombone, tuba, harp, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, and strings.
Allison Beck
Violin
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
This is the final piece on the May 22 program. Lee Cullum will narrate the work.
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten
Born November 22, 1913 in Lowestoft, England
Died December 4, 1976 in Aldeburgh, England
Benjamin Britten, a prolific British composer, conductor, and pianist, began his musical career at an early age. At only fourteen, he composed his Quatre Chansons françaises for soprano and orchestra, garnering him much acclaim. Britten’s potential for musical brilliance was later recognized as he eventually came to compose one of the most beloved works in all of symphonic literature, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Britten was a gifted adolescent who enjoyed exploring the many facets of classical music. He eventually enrolled in the Royal College of Music where he received superb training and also developed into a first-rate pianist. His disappointment with the traditional methods of instruction, however, caused him to leave without completing his musical education. Britten decided to depart from England as a conscientious objector to the political turmoil resulting from World War II. After traveling between the United States and England for several years, he ultimately decided to return in order to focus on his music. Britten’s efforts finally came to fruition with the composition of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945. This work became a landmark in the history of English opera, propelling him to the forefront of British composers during his time.
In the same year as the premiere of Peter Grimes, the British Ministry of Education asked Britten to compose a piece that was to be featured in a film entitled Instruments of the Orchestra, designed to educate students about instruments that are common to a modern symphony orchestra. It was to feature a narration written by Eric Crozier, a British theatrical director and Opera librettist who later co-founded the Aldeburgh Festival with him. Britten had always wanted to extend his passion for music with young people. Consequently, he viewed this offer as an opportunity. He began to compose the piece during the following year, basing it on Rondeau from Henry Purcell’s 1965 tragedy Abdelazer, or The Moor’s Revenge. This is the reason that The Young Person’s Guide is often referred to by its alternate title, Variations and a Fugue on a Theme of Henry Purcell. The alternate title is used when no narration is included, since the score functions as an independent musical composition.
The Young Person’s Guide opens boldly with full orchestra playing the original Purcell theme. Britten provides each full section of the orchestra with an individual variation, followed by shorter variations for each specific instrument. He then reunites the fragmented orchestra, concluding with a grand and triumphant finale.
Benjamin Britten believed that music was the key to understanding and communication, an embodiment of the entire spectrum of human emotion. The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra exemplifies Britten’s appreciation and love for every instrument in the orchestra. Perhaps the greatest virtue of the piece is that it provides younger audiences with an understanding of how symphonic music comes together. This, however, does not detract from the value it brings to older audiences as well. The Young Person’s Guide is an enduring musical work that has been enjoyed by all. Tonight’s performance features a new narration written by Dr. Laurie Shulman.
Britten scored The Young Person’s Guide for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat and A, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, Tuba, percussion (timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, snare drum, wood block, xylophone, castanets, tam-tam and whip), harp and strings.
-Saad Daniari, viola
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten
Born November 22, 1913 in Lowestoft, England
Died December 4, 1976 in Aldeburgh, England
Benjamin Britten, a prolific British composer, conductor, and pianist, began his musical career at an early age. At only fourteen, he composed his Quatre Chansons françaises for soprano and orchestra, garnering him much acclaim. Britten’s potential for musical brilliance was later recognized as he eventually came to compose one of the most beloved works in all of symphonic literature, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Britten was a gifted adolescent who enjoyed exploring the many facets of classical music. He eventually enrolled in the Royal College of Music where he received superb training and also developed into a first-rate pianist. His disappointment with the traditional methods of instruction, however, caused him to leave without completing his musical education. Britten decided to depart from England as a conscientious objector to the political turmoil resulting from World War II. After traveling between the United States and England for several years, he ultimately decided to return in order to focus on his music. Britten’s efforts finally came to fruition with the composition of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945. This work became a landmark in the history of English opera, propelling him to the forefront of British composers during his time.
In the same year as the premiere of Peter Grimes, the British Ministry of Education asked Britten to compose a piece that was to be featured in a film entitled Instruments of the Orchestra, designed to educate students about instruments that are common to a modern symphony orchestra. It was to feature a narration written by Eric Crozier, a British theatrical director and Opera librettist who later co-founded the Aldeburgh Festival with him. Britten had always wanted to extend his passion for music with young people. Consequently, he viewed this offer as an opportunity. He began to compose the piece during the following year, basing it on Rondeau from Henry Purcell’s 1965 tragedy Abdelazer, or The Moor’s Revenge. This is the reason that The Young Person’s Guide is often referred to by its alternate title, Variations and a Fugue on a Theme of Henry Purcell. The alternate title is used when no narration is included, since the score functions as an independent musical composition.
The Young Person’s Guide opens boldly with full orchestra playing the original Purcell theme. Britten provides each full section of the orchestra with an individual variation, followed by shorter variations for each specific instrument. He then reunites the fragmented orchestra, concluding with a grand and triumphant finale.
Benjamin Britten believed that music was the key to understanding and communication, an embodiment of the entire spectrum of human emotion. The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra exemplifies Britten’s appreciation and love for every instrument in the orchestra. Perhaps the greatest virtue of the piece is that it provides younger audiences with an understanding of how symphonic music comes together. This, however, does not detract from the value it brings to older audiences as well. The Young Person’s Guide is an enduring musical work that has been enjoyed by all. Tonight’s performance features a new narration written by Dr. Laurie Shulman.
Britten scored The Young Person’s Guide for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B flat and A, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, Tuba, percussion (timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, snare drum, wood block, xylophone, castanets, tam-tam and whip), harp and strings.
-Saad Daniari, viola
Monday, May 16, 2011
An American in Paris - Gershwin
This is one of three pieces that will be performed on the May 22 GDYO Season Finale concert.
An American in Paris
George Gershwin
Born on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York
Died on July 11, 1937 in Hollywood, California
In 1951, one film stole the show with 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Musical Score, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film was An American in Paris, a groundbreaking MGM musical film inspired by the orchestral composition of the same name written by George Gershwin more than two decades earlier. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant, and scored entirely with Gershwin’s music, the film followed an American World War II veteran-turned-expatriate and his friend, a struggling concert pianist, around the streets of Paris as they embarked on various escapades and became entangled in different love triangles. The movie’s success echoed that of Gershwin’s original composition, which the composer had written in 1928: the piece quickly became a favorite in the classical repertoire. Today, as a classical trademark for Gershwin, An American in Paris comes second in popularity only to Rhapsody in Blue.
Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, An American in Paris is based on the sights, sounds, and moods of the French capital, which Gershwin had visited in early 1928. Deems Taylor, the 1920s composer and critic, stated Gershwin’s intention in his program notes for the premiere of the piece:
You are to imagine an American visiting Paris, swinging down the Champs-Elysées on a mild sunny morning in May or June. …Our American’s ears being open as well as his eyes, he notes with pleasure the sounds of the city. French taxicabs seem to amuse him particularly.
Gershwin was so amused by those “French taxicabs” that he brought back Parisian taxi horns for the December 13, 1928 premiere, which was played in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Walter Damrosch. Gershwin had already enjoyed considerable success as a celebrated Broadway songwriter and composer of many hit Broadway shows. His concert works Rhapsody in Blue and his Piano Concerto in F had enhanced his reputation. An American in Paris was groundbreaking in that it combined jazz—the use of saxophone and unconventional instruments like the taxi horns to evoke the feeling of the bustling La Ville-Lumiére (“The City of Light”)—and “serious music”—those unconventional elements embedded into a traditional symphony orchestra—into one symphonic piece.
Reviews were mixed. While many critics acclaimed Gershwin for bringing the vitality and dynamism of jazz onto the serious classical-music stage, others were not so thrilled with the composer’s avant-garde style. Regardless, An American in Paris proved a great success with the public and helped cement Gershwin’s position as one of the greatest composers of the day. Tonight, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra will take you on an animated jaunt through the streets of the French Capital. As Taylor noted, “It will be great to get home; but meanwhile, this is Paris!”
Instrumentation: An American in Paris is scored for 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets in B flat, bass clarinet in B flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B flat, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, triangle, wood block, cymbals, low and high tom-toms, xylophone, glockenspiel, celesta, 4 taxi horns, alto saxophone and soprano saxophone/alto saxophone, tenor saxophone/alto saxophone, baritone saxophone/alto saxophone, and strings.
Vivian Ludford, Cello
An American in Paris
George Gershwin
Born on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York
Died on July 11, 1937 in Hollywood, California
In 1951, one film stole the show with 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Musical Score, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film was An American in Paris, a groundbreaking MGM musical film inspired by the orchestral composition of the same name written by George Gershwin more than two decades earlier. Starring Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and Oscar Levant, and scored entirely with Gershwin’s music, the film followed an American World War II veteran-turned-expatriate and his friend, a struggling concert pianist, around the streets of Paris as they embarked on various escapades and became entangled in different love triangles. The movie’s success echoed that of Gershwin’s original composition, which the composer had written in 1928: the piece quickly became a favorite in the classical repertoire. Today, as a classical trademark for Gershwin, An American in Paris comes second in popularity only to Rhapsody in Blue.
Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, An American in Paris is based on the sights, sounds, and moods of the French capital, which Gershwin had visited in early 1928. Deems Taylor, the 1920s composer and critic, stated Gershwin’s intention in his program notes for the premiere of the piece:
You are to imagine an American visiting Paris, swinging down the Champs-Elysées on a mild sunny morning in May or June. …Our American’s ears being open as well as his eyes, he notes with pleasure the sounds of the city. French taxicabs seem to amuse him particularly.
Gershwin was so amused by those “French taxicabs” that he brought back Parisian taxi horns for the December 13, 1928 premiere, which was played in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Walter Damrosch. Gershwin had already enjoyed considerable success as a celebrated Broadway songwriter and composer of many hit Broadway shows. His concert works Rhapsody in Blue and his Piano Concerto in F had enhanced his reputation. An American in Paris was groundbreaking in that it combined jazz—the use of saxophone and unconventional instruments like the taxi horns to evoke the feeling of the bustling La Ville-Lumiére (“The City of Light”)—and “serious music”—those unconventional elements embedded into a traditional symphony orchestra—into one symphonic piece.
Reviews were mixed. While many critics acclaimed Gershwin for bringing the vitality and dynamism of jazz onto the serious classical-music stage, others were not so thrilled with the composer’s avant-garde style. Regardless, An American in Paris proved a great success with the public and helped cement Gershwin’s position as one of the greatest composers of the day. Tonight, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra will take you on an animated jaunt through the streets of the French Capital. As Taylor noted, “It will be great to get home; but meanwhile, this is Paris!”
Instrumentation: An American in Paris is scored for 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets in B flat, bass clarinet in B flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B flat, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, triangle, wood block, cymbals, low and high tom-toms, xylophone, glockenspiel, celesta, 4 taxi horns, alto saxophone and soprano saxophone/alto saxophone, tenor saxophone/alto saxophone, baritone saxophone/alto saxophone, and strings.
Vivian Ludford, Cello
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Beethoven violin concerto in D
This piece will be played on the GDYO Season Finale on May 22, 2011 at the Meyerson Symphony Center. This program note is written by Brendan Kim, who is in the first violin section of the GDYO.
Violin Concerto and Orchestra in D major Opus 61
Ludwig van Beethoven
Born December 17, 1770 in Bonn, Germany
Died March 26, 1827 in Vienna, Austria
Ludwig van Beethoven is justly heralded as perhaps the greatest composer of all time. His immensely acclaimed concerto for violin serves as a paradigm of his musical genius, and many violinists consider the concerto as the grandfather of all pieces composed for the violin. This immense 44-minute work features pastoral elegance, dignified drama, and a symphonic part that sets itself apart from the solo accompaniment with its own heroic themes.
The Heroic Period
Beethoven’s works are generally divided into three periods of composition. This Violin Concerto dates from his second period, widely referred to as his “heroic” period. Violence and war in Europe during this time deeply influenced Beethoven’s music. Specifically, the Napoleonic Wars caused a traumatic episode in his life. Because of the deafening blasts that ensued as Napoleon was bombing Vienna, Beethoven’s home since the early 1790s, he was overwrought with the fear of hearing loss, forcing him to stay at the basement of his brother’s home with pillows covering his ears. These emotional experiences of intensity and absolute fear helped characterize this period as one boasting gripping drama, noble melodies, and musical heroism that produced unparalleled music at the time: notably the “Eroica” Symphony, the Egmont Overture, and the Fifth Piano Concerto.
The heroic period also yielded a more sensitive, halcyon side of Beethoven, referred to by many as his “pastoral” side. This style of Beethoven’s expressed his desire for peace amongst the ravages of war-torn Europe and may also have been his musical response to violence. These works have calm melodies and themes that pay tribute to the beauties of unadulterated nature. Examples of such works include the “Pastoral” Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Beethoven completed the concerto in only five weeks in 1806, a very short amount of time for the completion of a full concerto. He was commissioned by Franz Clement to compose the work for an annual benefit concert for charity. Clement, one of Europe’s most talented violinists at the time, also premiered the work as the violin soloist in December 23, 1806 under the baton of Beethoven himself. It wasn’t until after Beethoven’s death, however, when the celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim performed the concerto with Felix Mendelssohn conducting in 1844, that the work gained recognition. Joachim, then only twelve years old, kept the concerto firmly in his repertoire and immortalized it as the iconic masterwork it remains to this day.
About the Concerto
What comes to mind with this concerto is the figure of Beethoven as a master storyteller, revealing every detail, every emotion of his story with patience, dignity, and respect, and with a touching intimacy that reaches out to the hearts of the audience. Maria Schleuning, the violin soloist for the concerto, provides personal insight to the work, describing it as “a masterpiece that requires intense concentration and study,” which although “demanding both musically and technically,” is “fulfilling, pure, and soaring.” She has studied it while in London under Yfrah Neaman, who was very knowledgeable with the work. There, Ms. Schleuning developed her basics and style for it and, while studying with other musicians, formed new ideas regarding its interpretations. Ms. Schleuning adds, “this concerto is at the top of my list of favorite works, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play it with the GDYO.”
The first movement of the Beethoven concerto is marked Allegro ma non troppo, which indicates a moderately fast tempo. The opening of the work starts with five lone beats from the timpani, low and resonant, which mark the beginning of the orchestral tutti that follows. The tutti, which is a term denoting that the entire orchestra plays, is repeated in different keys throughout the movement. This work possesses an interesting pattern that shifts from a series of dramatic orchestral parts to the more peaceful melodies of the solo violin, which elegantly embellish the orchestral parts and present diverse shades to the melodies. These transitions from heroic to calm, orchestra to solo violin, bring refreshing perspectives to the work. There are several different cadenzas written for this movement, but Ms. Schleuning has chosen to play the cadenza written by Fritz Kreisler, which is the most famous cadenza because of its structural beauty.
The second movement is a serene movement that continues the pastoral quality with beautiful melodies, tranquil themes, and soft dynamics. The movement starts very softly with muted strings playing shades of sound, setting the tone for the solo violin that eventually enters with a bright solo line. The pure lyricism continues throughout the movement as the winds and strings play the melody while the solo violin elaborates it. Towards the finish of the movement, the orchestra plays a striking passage that breaks the stillness the solo violin had maintained; the soloist comes in on a trill, dramatically ending the movement with bold notes on the G-string.
The second movement elides into the third movement, meaning that there is no pause between the two movements; the solo violin bursts in with a jolly, robust melody in 6/8 time. This movement brings life and gaiety to the concerto, as if the soloist is humoring us with a jovial anecdote, and the orchestra delightfully joins in on it from time to time. The movement also boasts an energetic cadenza towards the end of the movement, again written by Fritz Kreisler, upon the preference of Ms. Schleuning, which features an exciting sequence of chords. Finally, after all of the manifold emotions portrayed throughout the monumental concerto, the solo violin builds to the ending with anticipation and gracefully concludes the concerto.
Beethoven’s violin concerto is a true treasure to the violin literature that comes to mind a gem in all of its multifaceted and flawless beauty. With all of the melodies, instruments, and harmonies in perfect equilibrium, the music is truly sublime in every sense. Instrumentation for the concerto includes flute, oboe, clarinet in A, bassoon, horns in D, trombone in D, Timpani in D-A, solo violin, violin, viola, cello, and bass.
Brendan Kim, First Violin
Violin Concerto and Orchestra in D major Opus 61
Ludwig van Beethoven
Born December 17, 1770 in Bonn, Germany
Died March 26, 1827 in Vienna, Austria
Ludwig van Beethoven is justly heralded as perhaps the greatest composer of all time. His immensely acclaimed concerto for violin serves as a paradigm of his musical genius, and many violinists consider the concerto as the grandfather of all pieces composed for the violin. This immense 44-minute work features pastoral elegance, dignified drama, and a symphonic part that sets itself apart from the solo accompaniment with its own heroic themes.
The Heroic Period
Beethoven’s works are generally divided into three periods of composition. This Violin Concerto dates from his second period, widely referred to as his “heroic” period. Violence and war in Europe during this time deeply influenced Beethoven’s music. Specifically, the Napoleonic Wars caused a traumatic episode in his life. Because of the deafening blasts that ensued as Napoleon was bombing Vienna, Beethoven’s home since the early 1790s, he was overwrought with the fear of hearing loss, forcing him to stay at the basement of his brother’s home with pillows covering his ears. These emotional experiences of intensity and absolute fear helped characterize this period as one boasting gripping drama, noble melodies, and musical heroism that produced unparalleled music at the time: notably the “Eroica” Symphony, the Egmont Overture, and the Fifth Piano Concerto.
The heroic period also yielded a more sensitive, halcyon side of Beethoven, referred to by many as his “pastoral” side. This style of Beethoven’s expressed his desire for peace amongst the ravages of war-torn Europe and may also have been his musical response to violence. These works have calm melodies and themes that pay tribute to the beauties of unadulterated nature. Examples of such works include the “Pastoral” Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Beethoven completed the concerto in only five weeks in 1806, a very short amount of time for the completion of a full concerto. He was commissioned by Franz Clement to compose the work for an annual benefit concert for charity. Clement, one of Europe’s most talented violinists at the time, also premiered the work as the violin soloist in December 23, 1806 under the baton of Beethoven himself. It wasn’t until after Beethoven’s death, however, when the celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim performed the concerto with Felix Mendelssohn conducting in 1844, that the work gained recognition. Joachim, then only twelve years old, kept the concerto firmly in his repertoire and immortalized it as the iconic masterwork it remains to this day.
About the Concerto
What comes to mind with this concerto is the figure of Beethoven as a master storyteller, revealing every detail, every emotion of his story with patience, dignity, and respect, and with a touching intimacy that reaches out to the hearts of the audience. Maria Schleuning, the violin soloist for the concerto, provides personal insight to the work, describing it as “a masterpiece that requires intense concentration and study,” which although “demanding both musically and technically,” is “fulfilling, pure, and soaring.” She has studied it while in London under Yfrah Neaman, who was very knowledgeable with the work. There, Ms. Schleuning developed her basics and style for it and, while studying with other musicians, formed new ideas regarding its interpretations. Ms. Schleuning adds, “this concerto is at the top of my list of favorite works, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play it with the GDYO.”
The first movement of the Beethoven concerto is marked Allegro ma non troppo, which indicates a moderately fast tempo. The opening of the work starts with five lone beats from the timpani, low and resonant, which mark the beginning of the orchestral tutti that follows. The tutti, which is a term denoting that the entire orchestra plays, is repeated in different keys throughout the movement. This work possesses an interesting pattern that shifts from a series of dramatic orchestral parts to the more peaceful melodies of the solo violin, which elegantly embellish the orchestral parts and present diverse shades to the melodies. These transitions from heroic to calm, orchestra to solo violin, bring refreshing perspectives to the work. There are several different cadenzas written for this movement, but Ms. Schleuning has chosen to play the cadenza written by Fritz Kreisler, which is the most famous cadenza because of its structural beauty.
The second movement is a serene movement that continues the pastoral quality with beautiful melodies, tranquil themes, and soft dynamics. The movement starts very softly with muted strings playing shades of sound, setting the tone for the solo violin that eventually enters with a bright solo line. The pure lyricism continues throughout the movement as the winds and strings play the melody while the solo violin elaborates it. Towards the finish of the movement, the orchestra plays a striking passage that breaks the stillness the solo violin had maintained; the soloist comes in on a trill, dramatically ending the movement with bold notes on the G-string.
The second movement elides into the third movement, meaning that there is no pause between the two movements; the solo violin bursts in with a jolly, robust melody in 6/8 time. This movement brings life and gaiety to the concerto, as if the soloist is humoring us with a jovial anecdote, and the orchestra delightfully joins in on it from time to time. The movement also boasts an energetic cadenza towards the end of the movement, again written by Fritz Kreisler, upon the preference of Ms. Schleuning, which features an exciting sequence of chords. Finally, after all of the manifold emotions portrayed throughout the monumental concerto, the solo violin builds to the ending with anticipation and gracefully concludes the concerto.
Beethoven’s violin concerto is a true treasure to the violin literature that comes to mind a gem in all of its multifaceted and flawless beauty. With all of the melodies, instruments, and harmonies in perfect equilibrium, the music is truly sublime in every sense. Instrumentation for the concerto includes flute, oboe, clarinet in A, bassoon, horns in D, trombone in D, Timpani in D-A, solo violin, violin, viola, cello, and bass.
Brendan Kim, First Violin
Monday, April 25, 2011
Composer Bradley Kerr Green talks about his work Departures
The GDYO Wind Symphony will perform this piece on the May 1 concert at SMU Caruth Auditorium at 2:30 pm.
Departures –
Explaining This Symphonic Poem For Wind Ensemble
By Bradley Kerr Green
http://bradkerrgreen.com/
Departures for Winds and Percussion is a symphonic poem – a piece of music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another non-musical source is illustrated or evoked. For me, poetry is a very efficient art form. As the reader uncovers the layers, a single word can bring to life a multitude of images and emotions. Departures is a “rite of passage” piece – a musical allegory of leaving the nest (the world that has been created for you) to start your own life (the world as you make it).
The piece consists of five sections – mirroring the stanzas below.
My Home, The Nest –
The Best Of All Possible Worlds**
Contemplative And Introspective –
I Perch.
Above Me, A Bird In Flight
Effortless And Free –
Singing Like Whales Cry
Engulfed In Fear
Brutish And Paralyzing –
I Rise.
Now, On The Dawn Of My Great Departure
I Take Flight –
Crying Like Whales Sing
And With Free Will –
I Reflect.
With poetry, reading is believing. If one believes that everything written and implied was done so on purpose, then the reader becomes engaged in finding little clues to big meanings. This is why I appreciate poetry – it’s efficient and without boundaries. To give an example:
My Home, The Nest –
The Best Of All Possible Worlds**
Contemplative And Introspective –
I Perch.
The first layer of details: The bird-like scenario of the nest being the home and the act of perching. Of all the places to be, it is the best. “The Best Of All Possible Worlds” is italicized. “Nest” and “Best” rhyme. It’s in first person/bird. That person/bird is engaged in deep thinking and soul searching.
Now investigate a little further. Take a look at the second line. **German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz coined the phrase, “The best of all possible worlds.” It summarizes the idea that of all the possible worlds God could have made, this one is the best. Thus, even as glorious and good as it is, our world is predetermined – no free will. Voltaire – a French philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment – wrote a novella satirizing Leibniz and his “best of all possible worlds” philosophy; the novella is entitled Candide.
This is important because “The Nest” is a symbol of our pre-determined lives – the lives we were born into – where our choices have been made for us. Just as Leibniz thought the world was predetermined by his almighty maker, so is the world you were born into by your maker – “The Best Of All Possible Worlds.” This is what the protagonist of the poem is being “Contemplative And Introspective” about as it perches – the time of it’s “Great Departure” (which is also italicized) draws near.
In order to truly convince the reader of this purposeful detail, I orchestrated the beginning of Departures to sound similar to Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide – a musical quote to reference a written philosophy. Celebratory in sound, the introduction fades away to reveal the true feelings of the protagonist of the poem. The written poem and composed music are now merged in meaning – the symphonic poem. The rest I leave to the reader/listener to see and to hear.
Departures –
Explaining This Symphonic Poem For Wind Ensemble
By Bradley Kerr Green
http://bradkerrgreen.com/
Departures for Winds and Percussion is a symphonic poem – a piece of music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another non-musical source is illustrated or evoked. For me, poetry is a very efficient art form. As the reader uncovers the layers, a single word can bring to life a multitude of images and emotions. Departures is a “rite of passage” piece – a musical allegory of leaving the nest (the world that has been created for you) to start your own life (the world as you make it).
The piece consists of five sections – mirroring the stanzas below.
My Home, The Nest –
The Best Of All Possible Worlds**
Contemplative And Introspective –
I Perch.
Above Me, A Bird In Flight
Effortless And Free –
Singing Like Whales Cry
Engulfed In Fear
Brutish And Paralyzing –
I Rise.
Now, On The Dawn Of My Great Departure
I Take Flight –
Crying Like Whales Sing
And With Free Will –
I Reflect.
With poetry, reading is believing. If one believes that everything written and implied was done so on purpose, then the reader becomes engaged in finding little clues to big meanings. This is why I appreciate poetry – it’s efficient and without boundaries. To give an example:
My Home, The Nest –
The Best Of All Possible Worlds**
Contemplative And Introspective –
I Perch.
The first layer of details: The bird-like scenario of the nest being the home and the act of perching. Of all the places to be, it is the best. “The Best Of All Possible Worlds” is italicized. “Nest” and “Best” rhyme. It’s in first person/bird. That person/bird is engaged in deep thinking and soul searching.
Now investigate a little further. Take a look at the second line. **German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz coined the phrase, “The best of all possible worlds.” It summarizes the idea that of all the possible worlds God could have made, this one is the best. Thus, even as glorious and good as it is, our world is predetermined – no free will. Voltaire – a French philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment – wrote a novella satirizing Leibniz and his “best of all possible worlds” philosophy; the novella is entitled Candide.
This is important because “The Nest” is a symbol of our pre-determined lives – the lives we were born into – where our choices have been made for us. Just as Leibniz thought the world was predetermined by his almighty maker, so is the world you were born into by your maker – “The Best Of All Possible Worlds.” This is what the protagonist of the poem is being “Contemplative And Introspective” about as it perches – the time of it’s “Great Departure” (which is also italicized) draws near.
In order to truly convince the reader of this purposeful detail, I orchestrated the beginning of Departures to sound similar to Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide – a musical quote to reference a written philosophy. Celebratory in sound, the introduction fades away to reveal the true feelings of the protagonist of the poem. The written poem and composed music are now merged in meaning – the symphonic poem. The rest I leave to the reader/listener to see and to hear.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Mahler 6: Through A Musician's Ears and Eyes
Mahler 6: Through A Musician's Ears and Eyes
By Ellen Ritscher Sackett
This is a Jaap van Zweden week at the Dallas Symphony, and the orchestra has been in heavy-duty rehearsal mode, preparing Mahler’s Sixth Symphony since Monday afternoon. The piece is of epic proportions, 71 minutes in four movements. It is the one-and-only piece on this week’s program. The first of three concerts is tonight.
I am the second harpist. I’m what’s called an “extra” – not a contract player who is on salary, but a freelancer who is hired to play with the symphony as needed. I’ve been playing harp with the orchestra since 1988. My name has never been on the program, but when you look up at the harps from the audience, I’m the one sitting on the outside.
There are quite a few extras for this Mahler Symphony. While it’s visually impressive from the audience’s perspective, it’s pretty crowded from ours. Imagine well over 100 people sitting side by side for several hours a day, six days a week. We try to be considerate of each other. No heavy perfumes, hairsprays or colognes. No garlic at lunch. A pack of gum or breath mints handy.
The primary order of business for the musicians just before our first rehearsal is to jockey for space. We each need just enough to do our jobs well. String players, for example, have to have room to move their bows, and obviously, the larger instruments, like the harp and percussion, take up a fair amount of space. Once we’ve staked out our territory, then the next order of business is to make sure we each have an unobstructed view of the conductor.
Rehearsals always start on time. I have to be there plenty early to tune my harp. The other musicians also roll in ahead of time to warm up and practice the tricky spots. We have to be prepared because once Jaap takes the podium, our attention is on him and his every demand.
And demanding he is. If I had one and only one word to describe a rehearsal with Jaap, it would be “intense.” He immediately gets down to business, and every eyeball is focused upon him for the duration. Jaap’s goal is to push us into achieving his musical goals, beyond our comfort zones at times while stretching our technical abilities to the max.
We are, after all, the conductor’s instrument. The conductor is boss, and it’s our job to follow his instructions. We do our best to serve him and his intentions. This is true for all orchestras, not just the DSO. It helps when the orchestra respects its conductor, and certainly the DSO thinks highly of Maestro van Zweden.
As the second harpist, I don’t play as much as, say, the violinists who are busy almost all of the time, but that doesn’t mean I can relax. In between my “licks” I have many empty measures to count. I keep a watchful eye for changes in tempo. Sometimes the maestro conducts in two; sometimes, he switches to four, and sometimes there are meter changes.
Since there are a lot of stops and starts in a rehearsal, I listen to the conductor’s comments, even if it’s directed to the violas or the flutes or the French horns. That way, I can anticipate where he will begin next. He doesn’t give us a lot of extra time to find that next starting spot. Sure enough, the other day I leaned over to say something to my colleague, and that slight distraction caused us both to miss an entrance. My bad.
We got the glare. That’s the maestro’s very effective way of letting us know that HE knew we’d dropped the ball. The longer his stare, the worse the sin. Avoiding the glare is a high priority. Jaap doesn’t have to yell or jump up and down on the podium to get his point across.
Most of the time, however, Jaap is very polite. He shakes his head and says, “This isn’t working,” or “I’m sorry to have to tell you. You are rushing. Just a bit.”
“Do it this way,” he says. “It’s so very important.” And my favorite: “That was close to pretty good.” He explains what he wants through a combination of words and by singing how he wants the music to sound. Then he asks, “Can we do it once more?”
We do it once more. At least. He has us repeat the section until we get it right, however long that takes. He talks a lot about the dynamics – the louds and softs and everything in between. He fixes intonation. He works on articulation. He listens carefully and doesn’t miss a thing. Every correction is made with the music’s intent in mind. The orchestra rarely rides the wave of emotion for long before Jaap interrupts us to make a correction. That’s what rehearsing is all about. Making good music is all in the details.
By the time we get to the performance, the finer points will have all been addressed. It’ll be time to play. When the Maestro gives the downbeat tonight, we’ll be ready.
In addition to playing the harp, Ellen Ritscher Sackett is a features writer at the Denton Record-Chronicle. She can be contacted at ellen.sackett@gmail.com.
By Ellen Ritscher Sackett
This is a Jaap van Zweden week at the Dallas Symphony, and the orchestra has been in heavy-duty rehearsal mode, preparing Mahler’s Sixth Symphony since Monday afternoon. The piece is of epic proportions, 71 minutes in four movements. It is the one-and-only piece on this week’s program. The first of three concerts is tonight.
I am the second harpist. I’m what’s called an “extra” – not a contract player who is on salary, but a freelancer who is hired to play with the symphony as needed. I’ve been playing harp with the orchestra since 1988. My name has never been on the program, but when you look up at the harps from the audience, I’m the one sitting on the outside.
There are quite a few extras for this Mahler Symphony. While it’s visually impressive from the audience’s perspective, it’s pretty crowded from ours. Imagine well over 100 people sitting side by side for several hours a day, six days a week. We try to be considerate of each other. No heavy perfumes, hairsprays or colognes. No garlic at lunch. A pack of gum or breath mints handy.
The primary order of business for the musicians just before our first rehearsal is to jockey for space. We each need just enough to do our jobs well. String players, for example, have to have room to move their bows, and obviously, the larger instruments, like the harp and percussion, take up a fair amount of space. Once we’ve staked out our territory, then the next order of business is to make sure we each have an unobstructed view of the conductor.
Rehearsals always start on time. I have to be there plenty early to tune my harp. The other musicians also roll in ahead of time to warm up and practice the tricky spots. We have to be prepared because once Jaap takes the podium, our attention is on him and his every demand.
And demanding he is. If I had one and only one word to describe a rehearsal with Jaap, it would be “intense.” He immediately gets down to business, and every eyeball is focused upon him for the duration. Jaap’s goal is to push us into achieving his musical goals, beyond our comfort zones at times while stretching our technical abilities to the max.
We are, after all, the conductor’s instrument. The conductor is boss, and it’s our job to follow his instructions. We do our best to serve him and his intentions. This is true for all orchestras, not just the DSO. It helps when the orchestra respects its conductor, and certainly the DSO thinks highly of Maestro van Zweden.
As the second harpist, I don’t play as much as, say, the violinists who are busy almost all of the time, but that doesn’t mean I can relax. In between my “licks” I have many empty measures to count. I keep a watchful eye for changes in tempo. Sometimes the maestro conducts in two; sometimes, he switches to four, and sometimes there are meter changes.
Since there are a lot of stops and starts in a rehearsal, I listen to the conductor’s comments, even if it’s directed to the violas or the flutes or the French horns. That way, I can anticipate where he will begin next. He doesn’t give us a lot of extra time to find that next starting spot. Sure enough, the other day I leaned over to say something to my colleague, and that slight distraction caused us both to miss an entrance. My bad.
We got the glare. That’s the maestro’s very effective way of letting us know that HE knew we’d dropped the ball. The longer his stare, the worse the sin. Avoiding the glare is a high priority. Jaap doesn’t have to yell or jump up and down on the podium to get his point across.
Most of the time, however, Jaap is very polite. He shakes his head and says, “This isn’t working,” or “I’m sorry to have to tell you. You are rushing. Just a bit.”
“Do it this way,” he says. “It’s so very important.” And my favorite: “That was close to pretty good.” He explains what he wants through a combination of words and by singing how he wants the music to sound. Then he asks, “Can we do it once more?”
We do it once more. At least. He has us repeat the section until we get it right, however long that takes. He talks a lot about the dynamics – the louds and softs and everything in between. He fixes intonation. He works on articulation. He listens carefully and doesn’t miss a thing. Every correction is made with the music’s intent in mind. The orchestra rarely rides the wave of emotion for long before Jaap interrupts us to make a correction. That’s what rehearsing is all about. Making good music is all in the details.
By the time we get to the performance, the finer points will have all been addressed. It’ll be time to play. When the Maestro gives the downbeat tonight, we’ll be ready.
In addition to playing the harp, Ellen Ritscher Sackett is a features writer at the Denton Record-Chronicle. She can be contacted at ellen.sackett@gmail.com.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
An interview with GDYO percussion - why you should audition
Calling all percussionists!
It is once again time for auditions at GDYO. And we are in need of percussionists! 14 spots will need to be filled for the 2011-2012 season and if you are going to be a high school senior or younger and play percussion – than you need to audition.
We recently interviewed three current members who are percussionists. Here is what they had to say about performing with GDYO:
Austin Allen – Senior – Member of GDYO for the past five seasons
“GDYO is a high quality orchestra which many of us do not get to experience in our schools. It is an orchestra that is constantly pushing its limits and Mr. G always tries to find a piece that is both challenging and enjoyable for the percussion. We have awesome instruments we get to play. I auditioned because I want to be an orchestral percussionist. I realized this in 7th grade which is the year I auditioned and entered into the Philharmonic. At the time, it was a great inspiration because the other percussionists were all in high school so i guess I looked up to them a little.”
“Its great experience and I am really glad I got to do it for as long as i did. I really got to experience a wide selection of rep before even entering college. If you are truly serious about this, then it’s a good way to make connections cause there are a few other musicians as well that you will meet later on down the road.”
Adam Holmes – Junior – Member of the GDYO for one season
“ I like being in GDYO because it gives me a year-round opportunity to play with a full orchestra. In school, full orchestra is only done towards the end of the school year, while the rest of the year is only marching band and wind symphony. People who play in any of GDYO's ensembles are there because they want to be, not because they need to get credits. It's relieving being able to play with people who are musicians for the sake of making music.”
“At GDYO, Percussionists get to have sectionals with extremely respected professors and performers, such as Mr. Doug Howard from the Dallas Symphony. Oh, and we get to leave early/come late every now and then, which comes in handy whenever the schoolwork piles up. One of my private teachers first informed me about the GDYO at the beginning of my sophomore year, so it was too late to audition. I kept it in mind, and grew to love orchestral music more and more throughout that year, leading to my decision that I wanted to play in an orchestra as much as possible. Not to mention it's brilliant to have on a college resume.”
“I'm always excited to go to rehearsal, and playing at the Meyerson makes every second of rehearsal worth the time. I've become acquainted with people who have a scary amount of potential. Austin getting accepted into NEC, Brett being the first chair trombonist in the state (I don't think that was the first time), Cesar trying for the Columbia-Juilliard and NEC-Harvard exchanges, and the cellist, Amy Chayo developing a treatment for cancer at the age of 16. I feel confident that GDYO will let me look at somebody's name on the front page or on TV and say ‘Hey, we were in orchestra together!’”
Andrew Morreira – Senior – has been a member of GDYO for two seasons
“I like working with percussionists from other schools, and the level of musicians in the Wind Symphony. Playing with the Dallas Wind symphony was great and learning from the different directors is a good opportunity. Having a solo on the gembe was cool. I wanted to experience the music environment outside of high school, which is pretty intense. I am able to play timpani, mallets and snare in GDYO; at the school I go to we usually have to play the same instrument.”
It is once again time for auditions at GDYO. And we are in need of percussionists! 14 spots will need to be filled for the 2011-2012 season and if you are going to be a high school senior or younger and play percussion – than you need to audition.
We recently interviewed three current members who are percussionists. Here is what they had to say about performing with GDYO:
Austin Allen – Senior – Member of GDYO for the past five seasons
“GDYO is a high quality orchestra which many of us do not get to experience in our schools. It is an orchestra that is constantly pushing its limits and Mr. G always tries to find a piece that is both challenging and enjoyable for the percussion. We have awesome instruments we get to play. I auditioned because I want to be an orchestral percussionist. I realized this in 7th grade which is the year I auditioned and entered into the Philharmonic. At the time, it was a great inspiration because the other percussionists were all in high school so i guess I looked up to them a little.”
“Its great experience and I am really glad I got to do it for as long as i did. I really got to experience a wide selection of rep before even entering college. If you are truly serious about this, then it’s a good way to make connections cause there are a few other musicians as well that you will meet later on down the road.”
Adam Holmes – Junior – Member of the GDYO for one season
“ I like being in GDYO because it gives me a year-round opportunity to play with a full orchestra. In school, full orchestra is only done towards the end of the school year, while the rest of the year is only marching band and wind symphony. People who play in any of GDYO's ensembles are there because they want to be, not because they need to get credits. It's relieving being able to play with people who are musicians for the sake of making music.”
“At GDYO, Percussionists get to have sectionals with extremely respected professors and performers, such as Mr. Doug Howard from the Dallas Symphony. Oh, and we get to leave early/come late every now and then, which comes in handy whenever the schoolwork piles up. One of my private teachers first informed me about the GDYO at the beginning of my sophomore year, so it was too late to audition. I kept it in mind, and grew to love orchestral music more and more throughout that year, leading to my decision that I wanted to play in an orchestra as much as possible. Not to mention it's brilliant to have on a college resume.”
“I'm always excited to go to rehearsal, and playing at the Meyerson makes every second of rehearsal worth the time. I've become acquainted with people who have a scary amount of potential. Austin getting accepted into NEC, Brett being the first chair trombonist in the state (I don't think that was the first time), Cesar trying for the Columbia-Juilliard and NEC-Harvard exchanges, and the cellist, Amy Chayo developing a treatment for cancer at the age of 16. I feel confident that GDYO will let me look at somebody's name on the front page or on TV and say ‘Hey, we were in orchestra together!’”
Andrew Morreira – Senior – has been a member of GDYO for two seasons
“I like working with percussionists from other schools, and the level of musicians in the Wind Symphony. Playing with the Dallas Wind symphony was great and learning from the different directors is a good opportunity. Having a solo on the gembe was cool. I wanted to experience the music environment outside of high school, which is pretty intense. I am able to play timpani, mallets and snare in GDYO; at the school I go to we usually have to play the same instrument.”
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