Download February 2007 - New York Philharmonic Kidzone

TuneUp!
New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concert®
Saturday, February 3, 2007
elcome to the Young People’s Concerts! In the 19th century, a new generation of composers
began taking music in exciting new directions. Unlike their predecessors in the 18th century,
when elegance and refinement were all the rage, these ROMANTIC era composers were free,
imaginative, passionate, and inspired by the natural and supernatural worlds. To intensify
emotions in their music, Romantic musicians broke many of the Classical rules of composition.
Melodies grew longer, dissonances became harsher, and the symphony swelled in size. So, what does Romantic
music sound like? Well, since musical style was now determined freely by each composer, it could be brave,
boisterous, mellow, or moody—developing an original, personal sound was the new craze! Read on to find out more.
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ROMANTIC
The Ages of Music
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:
HECTOR BERLIOZ “March to the Scaffold,” from Symphonie fantastique
MODEST MUSORGSKY/RAVEL “Limoges: The Marketplace,”
from Pictures at an Exhibition
RICHARD STRAUSS Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier Suite
JOHANNES BRAHMS “Un poco sostenuto – Allegro,” from Symphony No. 1
JEAN SIBELIUS Finlandia
Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Roy Abramsohn, host
Thomas Baird, dancer
Tomiko Magario, dancer
Tom Dulack, scriptwriter and director
funfact
A NEW WAY OF SEEING: WHAT WERE
THEY PAINTING IN THE 19TH CENTURY?
ust as 19th century composers eagerly explored new possibilities
in sound with the expansion of the orchestra, painters discovered
new visual possibilities with their brushes and palettes. Romantic
artists used a wide variety of pigments, made their brushstrokes visible,
and emphasized color over structure—all to create more expressive
works of art. Inspired by nature, many artists of this period painted
landscapes. New technologies in painting equipment made it possible
for artists to paint outdoors, leading to new representations of light and
atmosphere. Look at this painting by the English artist J. M. W. Turner.
Do you see how dramatically he depicts the sky? The formlessness of
the clouds and intensity of the sunset aren’t very Classical, are they?
What is the main subject of the painting? Is it “classically” balanced in
the center? What other features of this painting make it Romantic?
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The fighting “Temeraire” tugged to her last berth to be
broken up, 1838.
about the composers and their music…
Hector Berlioz
“March to the Scaffold,”
from Symphonie fantastique
(1803-1869)
he first great French Romantic composer,
Berlioz astonished people with his ability
to tell stories and depict images through
music. He developed his very own musical
language with an unusual talent for orchestration
(choosing instruments to create unique sounds).
Berlioz fell madly in love with a popular
Shakespearean actress, Harriet Smithson, after
seeing her on stage in Hamlet. His obsession with Harriet, and her
initial rejection of him, became the inspiration for his composition
Symphonie fantastique. Three years after the premiere of the
symphony, which Harriet attended, the two married!
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n excellent example of a musician’s selfexpression, Symphonie fantastique (here
“fantastic” means bizarre or out-of-thisworld) depicts an episode in the life of an artist.
The artist (Berlioz himself) imagines seeing a
woman (Harriet) with whom he falls in love; then
he sees himself at a festive ball, then in the
countryside. Thoughts of his beloved trouble him
greatly—he is lonely and angry. Finally he envisions
himself being marched to the scaffold, whereupon his death is celebrated
by witches. Expansive melodies, heavy textures, and irregular phrasing
evoke these wild images.
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“Limoges: The Marketplace,”
from Pictures at an Exhibition
Modest Musorgsky (1839-1881)
usorgsky was one of the
“Mighty Five,” a group of
Russian composers who
sought to develop a distinctly
Russian musical style. In addition
to using elements of Russian folk songs to
create his own sound, Musorgsky broke all
the rules of composition: his music is rough
and rugged and completely disregards
formality. Often suffering from bad health
and financial hardship, he believed that art should mimic the harsh
realities of life and the human experience.
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ictures at an Exhibition was inspired by a memorial
exhibition of paintings and designs by Victor Hartmann,
a close friend of Musorgsky. The movements of this
piece each illustrate a different artwork or depict Musorgsky’s
mood as he strolled from picture to picture at the exhibition. In
“Limoges: The Marketplace,” Hartmann’s painting portrayed a busy French
marketplace. Although the painting has been lost, we can practically see the
hustle and bustle of the marketplace that Musorgsky recreates. Many of
Musorgsky’s works are mostly known in versions that were revised or completed
by other composers, and Pictures at an Exhibition is no exception. The version
performed in this concert was orchestrated by the French composer Maurice
Ravel; it was originally written for solo piano.
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
ichard Strauss is considered the last
great Romantic composer. Not to be
confused with the great waltz composer
Johann Strauss, Jr., Richard Strauss revolutionized
melody and harmony. His musical language
included expressive leaps in melody, and light
textures contrasting with heavy dissonances and
chromaticism. While some critics believe Strauss’s
music was overly sentimental in style, his range of
orchestral effects and his dramatic instincts were
exceptional.
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Johannes Brahms
P
Waltzes from
Der Rosenkavalier Suite
ichard Strauss’s most popular opera, Der
Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose),
was also the composer’s favorite. In this
comic opera, Strauss demonstrates his total
mastery of the Viennese waltz. Strauss indulges the
listener with glorious melody. The score for Der
Rosenkavalier features well over 100 instruments—
almost twice as many as Mozart required in The
Marriage of Figaro! Strauss’s ingenious use of so
many instruments produced a stunning range of
color and a luxuriousness of sound that was, and
still is, cherished by many.
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(1833-1897)
n contrast to many other Romantic composers,
Brahms nurtured an appreciation of Classical
form and balance.While his contemporaries
were experimenting, he studied the music of his
predecessors and brought new life to old forms. Brahms may
have looked back in time for inspiration, but he achieved new
heights of expression and complexity and has even been
referred to as the “father of modernism.” As a perfectionist, he
burned many of his early compositions and drafts because he
feared they were inferior. Like one of his idols, Beethoven, Brahms was fond of nature
and often walked in the woods outside of Vienna.
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“Un poco sostenuto – Allegro,”
from Symphony No. 1
rahms was so worried that his first symphony
would not measure up to the great nine
symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven that he
spent nearly 14 years composing the work. The opening
of the work is one of the most amazing and wellrecognized in all symphonic literature. Listen for the
pulsating timpani strokes from the first beat. While this
steady beat sounds simple, Brahms goes on to create
very complex rhythmic variety and excitement. After the
symphony's premiere, it received wide acclaim and one
conductor referred to it as “Beethoven's Tenth.”
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Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Finlandia
ean Sibelius, Finland’s leading composer,
received worldwide acclaim for his works,
which were inspired by Finnish myths and
folklore. He composed mostly symphonic music which
is richly varied—each work approached matters of
orchestration and form in extraordinarily original ways.
Sibelius felt so much pressure to produce more
masterpieces after his celebrated Seventh Symphony
that for the last 30 years of his life he stopped
composing and would not even talk about his music.
The New York Philharmonic
YK
PHOTO: CR AIG KOSH
he New York Philharmonic is by far the oldest
symphony orchestra in the United States, and
one of the oldest in the world. It was founded in
1842 by a group of local musicians, and currently
plays about 180 concerts every year. On December 18,
2004, the Philharmonic gave its 14,000th concert — a
record that no other symphony orchestra in the world
has ever reached. The Orchestra currently has 106
members. It performs mostly at Avery Fisher Hall, at
Lincoln Center, but also tours around the world. The
Orchestra’s first concerts specifically for a younger
audience were organized by Theodore Thomas for the
1885–86 season, with a series of 24 “Young People’s
Matinees.” The programs were developed further by
conductor Josef Stransky, who led the first Young
People’s Concert in January of 1914. The Young
People’s Concerts were brought to national attention in
1924 by “Uncle Ernest” Schelling, and were made
famous by Leonard Bernstein in the 1960s with live
television broadcasts.
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Thomas Baird
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Alexander Mickelthwate
ecognized as one of the most exciting,
emerging talents on the musical stage today,
Alexander Mickelthwate begins his tenure as
Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
this season. Mr. Mickelthwate is Associate Conductor of
the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he has served as
Assistant Conductor for the past two years, appearing regularly at Walt
Disney Concert Hall and at the Hollywood Bowl. Always striving to engage
young people in music, he conducted more than 60 Young People’s Concerts
with the Atlanta Symphony and organized an exchange between the Atlanta
Youth Symphony and Berlin Youth Orchestra during the summer of 2003,
hosting concerts in both cities. After winning a Peabody merit scholarship,
Mr. Mickelthwate came to America from Germany to study at Baltimore’s
Peabody Institute of Music with Frederik Prausnitz and Gustav Meier. Further
studies took place with Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano, and André Previn as a
fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center and with Leonard Slatkin at the
National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C.
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DIVEER
Roy Abramsohn
PHOTO: JOHN VAN
meet the artists
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omposers of the Romantic era began
to draw inspiration from folk music,
folk dances, poetry, art, and
language. They created entirely new musical
styles based on their own backgrounds and countries. This
musical trend became known as Nationalism. Sibelius was a
part of this nationalist movement in Finland. His work
Finlandia was composed during a time when Finland was
under Russian control. The impassioned patriotism of
Finlandia defined, and also encouraged, the Finnish people's
pursuit of independence.
oy Abramsohn has been a pianist since the
age of six and a professional actor for 20
years. As a music student in New York City,
Mr. Abramsohn once had a job as an usher at Avery
Fisher Hall so he could hear the Philharmonic for free!
A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he originated the
role of the concert pianist “Stephen” in the Pulitzer-nominated Old Wicked
Songs at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, where he also played the
dual roles of Harpo and Chico Marx in Groucho: a Life in Revue, taped live
and airing on PBS. His stage credits include the Oregon Shakespearean
Festival, Dirty Blond (Portland Center Stage), Lebensraum (Fountain Theatre,
Los Angeles), Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates (Mark Taper Forum),
Gunmetal Blues and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (San Jose Stage).
Television/film credits include Strong Medicine, Without a Trace, Medium,
Zooey 101, The Dukes, and a lead in Creepshow 3.
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homas Baird is a period dance specialist who performs and teaches throughout the United States, Canada,
Mexico, Germany, and Japan. He is the co-director of Apollo’s Banquet, a New York City–based performance
ensemble of period dancers and musicians. Mr. Baird is a regular guest lecturer at The Juilliard School and the
Manhattan School of Music and is on the faculties of the Opera Division at SUNY–Purchase and the Mannes College
of Music. He was the period-movement coach for the Broadway production of O’Neill’s A Touch of the Poet, and Lincoln Center Theater’s
presentation of Sheridan’s The Rivals. In 2005 he made his choreographic debut at The Metropolitan Opera, providing period dances for
the U.S. premiere of Franco Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac.
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What’s coming
up this season?
Romantic music is certainly
expressive! How does music change
in the next Age of Music?
The 20th century was music’s most explosive
period of development ever!
funfact
Modern
composers from Stravinsky, Debussy, and
Bartók, right up to our own contemporaries,
have created thrilling new worlds of sound.
Come on MARCH 24 and find out where
music is heading today!
MUSICAL INVENTION
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he 19th century was a thrilling time in music! Everything became BIGGER: the sound, the orchestra, the
melodies, the emotions. Part of this was due to improvements in instrument technology and new methods of
playing. Better instruments and technique meant more sonic possibilities!
THE FLUTE
n 1832, flutist and
inventor Theobald Boehm
created a brand new flute
and continued to make
improvements to it over the
next four decades. The number
of keys doubled from the time
of Mozart and Haydn, and a
new fingering system and
"open holes" were introduced.
These increased the volume
and tone of the flute and
made it easier to play in tune.
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THE TROMBONE
riginally called the "sackbut," the
trombone was not introduced
into the symphony until the
beginning of the 19th century. During this
time, the bell became wider, creating a
larger and rounder sound. Romantic
composers liked to use the trombone
since its volume could depict a great
range of emotion, including heroism and
power. The size of the bore (the inner tube
of the slide) was made larger to enhance
performances of music by Brahms and
Richard Strauss, in particular.
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THE OCTOBASS
nvented in Paris around 1850, the octobass was
an extremely large double bass. It was so tall
that it took two musicians to be played—
one to bow and one to control the fingering
of the instrument. The lowest note on the
octobass was so low, it was below the range
of human hearing! Hector Berlioz was a
fan of the octobass and insisted
that at least two of them be
included in an orchestra for
maximum effect. But, don't
look for an octobass on the stage
with any modern orchestra—the
size and low range make them
too difficult, and impractical,
to play!
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The Young People’s Concerts® and Kidzone Live! are made possible with generous support from the
Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, and The Theodore H. Barth Foundation.
Tune Up! is made possible by an endowment in the name of Lillian Butler Davey.