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Contents
Igor Stravinsky
Symphony of Psalms
Oedipus Rex
The Conductor
NZSO
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The Woodwind Section
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The Brass Section
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The Percussion Section
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The String Section
NBR New Zealand Opera Chorus
Resources/further reading
New Zealand International Arts Festival
IGOR STRAVINSKY
Igor Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum, near St.
Petersburg, June 17, 1882. While pursuing law studies
in 1902, Stravinsky met Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who
advised the young man to study music. Stravinsky
began studying with the famous Russian composer in
1903, and after Rimsky's death in 1908, never had
another teacher. His early works caught the
imagination of ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev
(1872-1929), impresario of the famed Ballets Russes,
who invited Stravinsky to compose a ballet. The result
was The Firebird in 1910 followed by Petrushka in
1911. His 1913 ballet The Rite of Spring represented
prehistoric pagan rituals and sacrifice, and started one
of the most famous riots in music history.
The onset of WWI meant that grant-scale ballets were
no longer financially feasible, so Stravinsky focussed
on restricted instrument and vocal scores during this
time. In 1920 he moved to Paris, and entered into a
neo-classical period. Oedipus Rex and the Symphony of the Psalms came from this period. He
became a French citizen in 1934.
When WWII broke out, Stravinsky fled to the USA, where he settled in Hollywood. He became an
American citizen in 1945. AT this point, he shocked the musical world by turning to serialism and
produced the twelve-tone ballet Agon and the choral work Canticum Sacrum, among others.
(Serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate
different musical elements).
By this time Stravinsky had become honoured as the western world's greatest living composer. He
was named by Time Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people of the century.
Stravinsky died in New York, April 6, 1971
New Zealand International Arts Festival
SYMPHONY OF PSALMS
The Symphony of Psalms is a three-movement choral symphony, composed by Straninsky in 1930. It
was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony
Orchestra. The three movements are performed without a break, and the texts sung by the chorus
are drawn from the Vulgate versions in Latin. Unlike many pieces composed for chorus and
orchestra, Stravinsky said that “it is not a symphony in which I have included Psalms to be sung. On
the contrary, it is the singing of the Psalms that I am symphonizing.”
The world premiere was actually given in Brussels by the Société Philharmonique de Bruxelles on
December 13, 1930, under the direction of Ernest Ansermet. The American premiere of the piece
was given soon afterwards by Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with the chorus of
the Cecilia Society on December 19, 1930. The first recording was made by Stravinsky himself with
the Orchestre des Concerts Straram and the Alexis Vlassay Choir at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
in Paris on February 17 and 18, 1931.
The work is scored for:
5 flutes (5th doubling piccolo)
4 oboes
cor anglais
3 bassoons
contrabassoon
4 horns in F
piccolo trumpet
4 trumpets in C
3 trombones
tuba
timpani
bass drum
2 pianos
harp
cellos
contrabasses
a four-part chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, bass).
In the score preface, Stravinsky stated a preference for children's voices for the upper two choral
parts. Notably, the score omits clarinets, violins, and violas.
First movement: marked "Tempo ♩ = 92” and uses the text from Psalm 39, verses 13 and 14
Second movement: a double fugue in C minor, and uses as text Psalm 40, verses 2, 3, and 4.
Third movement: alternates "Tempo ♩= 48" and "Tempo ♩= 80", and uses nearly the complete text
of Psalm 150.
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OEDIPUS REX
Oedipus Rex was first performed in the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt in Paris on May 30, 1927, and at its
American premiere the following year given by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Harvard
Glee Club. It scored for orchestra, speaker, soloists, and male chorus. The libretto, based on
Sophocles's tragedy, was written by Jean Cocteau in French and then translated by Abbé Jean
Daniélou into Latin (the narration, however, is performed in the language of the audience)
Al though often performed in a concert hall as an oratorio; it has also been presented on stage as an
opera, the first such performance being at the Vienna State Opera on February 23, 1928.
The work is scored for:
3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo)
2 oboes
English horn
3 clarinets in B-flat and A (3rd doubling clarinet in E-flat)
2 bassoons
contrabassoon
4 horns in F
4 trumpets in C
3 trombones
tuba
timpani
tambourine
"military" snare drum
bass drum
cymbals
piano
harp
strings
The roles:
Oedipus, King of Thebes (tenor) - Stuart Skelton
Jocasta, his wife & mother (mezzo-soprano) – Margaret Medlyn
Creon, Jocasta's brother (bass-baritone) - Daniel Sumegi
Tiresias, soothsayer (basso) – Martin Snell
Shepherd (tenor)
Messenger (bass-baritone)
Narrator speaking role
Men's chorus
New Zealand International Arts Festival
The Conductor - Joana Carneiro
Noted for her vibrant performances in a wide diversity of musical styles, Joana Carneiro has
attracted considerable attention as one of the most outstanding young conductors working today. In
January 2009 she was named Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony, becoming only the third
music director in the 40-year history of the orchestra. She currently serves as official guest
conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, working with the orchestra at least four weeks every year.
International highlights of previous seasons included appearances with the Ensemble Orchestral de
Paris, Norkopping Symphony, Prague Philharmonia and the Orchestra Sinfonica del Teatro la Fenice
at the Venice Biennale, as well as the Macau Chamber Orchestra and Beijing Orchestra at the
International Music Festival of Macau. In the Americas, she has led the Sao Paulo State Symphony,
Puerto Rico Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New World
Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival and Manhattan School of Music, among others.
In addition to her Cincinnati Opera debut, Ms. Carneiro conducted with the Chicago Opera Theatre
and at La Cité de la Musique in Paris. In 2010, she led performances of Peter Sellars’s stagings of
Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms at the Sydney Festival, which won Australia's
Helpmann Award for Best Symphony Orchestra Concert in 2010. In the 2008/09 season, she served
as assistant conductor at the Paris Opera's premiere of Adriana Mater by Kaija Saariaho and led
critically-acclaimed performances of Philippe Boesmans's Julie in Bolzano, Italy.
Ms Carneiro was a finalist of the prestigious 2002 Maazel-Vilar Conductor's Competition at Carnegie
Hall. In 2003/04, she conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as one of three conductors
chosen for London’s Allianz Cultural Foundation International Conductors Academy. From 2002 to
2005, she served as Assistant Conductor of the L.A. Chamber Orchestra and as Music Director of the
Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles. From 2005 through 2008, she was an
American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where
she worked closely with Esa-Pekka Salonen and led performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall and
the Hollywood Bowl.
A native of Lisbon, she began her musical studies as a violist before receiving her conducting degree
from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon. Ms. Carneiro received her Masters
degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, and pursued doctoral studies at the
University of Michigan. She has participated in master classes with Gustav Meier, Michael Tilson
Thomas, Larry Rachleff, Jean Sebastian Bereau, Roberto Benzi and
Pascal Rophe.
Ms. Carneiro is the 2010 recipient of the Helen M. Thompson Award,
conferred by the League of American Orchestras to recognize and honor
music directors of exceptional promise. In March 2004, Ms. Carneiro
was decorated by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Jorge
Sampaio, with the Commendation of the Order of the Infante Dom
Henrique.
Image: Gulbenkian-Rodrigo Souza
New Zealand International Arts Festival
NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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Chapman Tripp opera chorus/Nbr New Zealand opera
The Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus is the chorus of The NBR New Zealand Opera. There are two
choruses each based in Auckland and Wellington, and numbering around sixty-five singers in each
city.
For opera productions, principal cast and creative teams work between both cities, while each
Chorus rehearses and performs only in its home base. Sometimes additional Chorus members are
recruited when large opera productions or concert works require an extended number of singers.
The Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus performs for NZO's main stage opera productions as well as a
number of other major concert events annually.
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms and Oedipus Rex:
Five members of the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus performing this work are current or past
‘Emerging Artists’ with the New Zealand Opera Company. Find more information about this
internship programme.
The Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus is selected on the basis of an annual audition. If successful,
singers are selected for concerts and mainstage opera productions depending on the requirements
of each of the various works performed. The chorus is comprised of a rich variety of professionals
from all walks of life with occupations ranging from students, teachers, doctors, lawyers to coroners!
Chorus at St Matthews
New Zealand International Arts Festival
Resources used & further reading
Links to teacher guides and information about the works and the composer:
http://www.musicteachers.co.uk/journal/2001-05_edexcelstravinsky_1.html
http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~tan/Stravinsky/sop.html
http://www.guitarmessenger.com/lessons/the-octatonic-scale-symphony-of-psalmsstravinsky/
http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/twen/stravinsky.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_of_Psalms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Stravinsky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_rex_%28opera%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_rex
http://www.answers.com/topic/igor-stravinsky
http://www.answers.com/topic/symphony-of-psalms
http://www.answers.com/topic/oedipus-rex-opera
The production:
http://www.margaretmedlyn.com/index.html
http://stuartskelton.com/
http://www.danielsumegi.com/
http://www.kiwibasso.com/kiwibasso/welcome.html
http://imgartists.com/artist/joana_carneiro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joana_Carneiro
http://www.nzopera.com/behind-the-scenes/chorus
http://www.nzopera.com/behind-the-scenes/internships
http://www.nzso.co.nz/
From The Metropolitan Opera – ‘Using Stravinsky to Teach Music’:
http://archive.operainfo.org/broadcast/operaTeaching.cgi?id=&language=1&material_id=40
7#Rex
And just in case anyone would like to learn the piece and have a sing-a-long at home!
http://www.choraline.com/learn-to-sing-stravinsky-symphony-of-psalms
And a pronunciation guide to help you achieve this!
http://www.choral.org/grou/hsc/gen/image/sop_pronunciation_guide.pdf
New Zealand International Arts Festival