Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique | Program Notes

MASTERWORKS • 2015-2016 BERLIOZ SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE COLORADO SYMPHONY ANDREW LITTON, conductor PHILIPPE QUINT, violin COLORADO SYMPHONY CHORUS, DUAIN WOLFE, director This weekend of concerts is gratefully dedicated to Virginia Hill Foundation Friday’s concert is gratefully dedicated to Sherman & Howard Saturday’s concert is gratefully dedicated to Bette MacDonald - (her 92nd birthday)

Friday, November 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 7:30 pm Boettcher Concert Hall

STRAVINSKY Symphony of Psalms for Chorus and Orchestra Psalm 38:13-14 Psalm 39:2-4 Psalm 150 STRAVINSKY Violin Concerto in D major Toccata Aria I Aria II Capriccio — INTERMISSION —

BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 Reveries and Passions: Largo — Allegro agitato e appassionato assai A Ball: Waltz - Allegro non troppo Scene in the Country: Adagio March to the Scaffold: Allegretto non troppo Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath: Larghetto — Allegro

SOUNDINGS 2015-2016 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 1

MASTERWORKS BIOGRAPHIES

JEFF WHEELER

ANDREW LITTON, conductor Colorado Symphony Music Director Andrew Litton is the newly appointed Music Director of the New York City Ballet. Mr. Litton also serves as Bergen Philharmonic Music Director Laureate, Artistic Director of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest, and Conductor Laureate of Britain’s Bournemouth.

He guest conducts the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies, and has a discography of over 120 recordings with awards including America’s Grammy, France’s Diapason d’Or, and many other honors.

Besides his Grammy®-winning Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with Bryn Terfel and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, he also recorded the complete symphonies by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, a Dallas Mahler cycle, and many Gershwin recordings as both conductor and pianist. Mr. Litton is a graduate of the Fieldston School, New York, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard in piano and conducting. The youngest-ever winner of the BBC International Conductors Competition, he served as Assistant Conductor at Teatro alla Scala and Exxon/Arts Endowment Assistant Conductor for the National Symphony under Rostropovich. His many honors in addition to Norway’s Order of Merit include an honorary Doctorate from the University of Bournemouth, Yale University’s Sanford Medal, and the Elgar Society Medal. An accomplished pianist, Litton often conducts from the keyboard and enjoys performing chamber music with his orchestra colleagues. For further information, visit www.andrewlitton.com.

JEFF GEREW

PHILIPPE QUINT, violin Award-winning American violinist Philippe Quint is a multifaceted artist whose wide range of interests has led to several Grammy® nominations for his albums, performances with major orchestras throughout the world, a leading role in a major independent film called Downtown Express, and explorations of tango with his band The Quint Quintet. Highlights of Quint’s 2015-2016 season include debuts with Colorado Symphony with Andrew Litton, North Carolina Symphony with Grant Llewellyn in performances and recording of Brahms Double and Beethoven Triple Concertos, Teatro Real in Madrid, and at the Lucerne Symphony’s “Russian Festival” with pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin among others. At the invitation of Maestro Vladimir Spivakov, Philippe will make appearances at the opening of the Colmar Festival in France with Tugan Sokhiev in a performance of Korngold Violin Concerto as well as the opening of the Mary B. Galvin’s new hall in Chicago alongside soprano Renée Fleming. Philippe Quint’s formidable discography includes a large variety of rediscovered treasures along with popular works from standard repertoire. In November 2013, he released to critical acclaim Opera Breve CD with pianist Lily Maisky, a unique collection of opera transcriptions for violin and piano featuring both popular and rare songs, on Avanticlassic. In May 2014, Quint recorded the Khachaturian and Glazunov Violin Concertos with the Bochumer Sinfoniker and Steven Sloane. Born in Russia, Philippe Quint studied at Moscow’s Special Music School for the Gifted and made his orchestral debut at the age of nine. After moving to the United States, he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Juilliard. For more information, visit www.philippequint.com

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MASTERWORKS BIOGRAPHIES

CAROL FRIEDMAN

DUAIN WOLFE, director, Colorado Symphony Chorus Recently awarded two Grammys® for Best Choral Performance and Best Classical Recording, Duain Wolfe is founder and Director of the Colorado Symphony Chorus and Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

This year marks Wolfe’s 31st season with the Colorado Symphony Chorus.

The Chorus has been featured at the Aspen Music Festival for over two decades. Wolfe, who is in his 21st season with the Chicago Symphony Chorus has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti, and the late Sir George Solti on numerous recordings including Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, which won the 1998 Grammy® for Best Opera Recording.

Wolfe’s extensive musical accomplishments have resulted in numerous awards, including an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Denver, the Bonfils Stanton Award in the Arts and Humanities, the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in an Artistic Discipline and the Michael Korn Award for the Development of the Professional Choral Art. Wolfe is also founder of the Colorado Children’s Chorale, from which he retired in 1999 after 25 years; the Chorale celebrated its 40th anniversary last season. For 20 years, Wolfe also worked with the Central City Opera Festival as chorus director and conductor, founding and directing the company’s young artist residence program, as well as its education and outreach programs. Wolfe’s additional accomplishments include directing and preparing choruses for Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, the Bravo!Vail Festival, the Berkshire Choral Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Grand Teton Music Festival. He has worked with Pinchas Zuckerman as Chorus Director for the Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra for the past 13 years.

COLORADO SYMPHONY CHORUS The 2015/16 Colorado Symphony season marks the 32nd year of the Colorado Symphony Chorus. Founded in 1984 by Duain Wolfe at the request of Gaetano Delogu, then the Music Director of the Colorado Symphony, the chorus has grown over the past three decades into a nationally respected ensemble. This outstanding chorus of 180 volunteers joins the Colorado Symphony for numerous performances (more than 25 this year alone), and radio and television broadcasts. The Chorus has performed at noted music festivals in the Rocky Mountain region, including the Colorado Music Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, where it has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony. For over two decades, the Chorus has been featured at the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival, performing many great masterworks under the baton of notable conductors Lawrence Foster, James Levine, Murry Sidlin, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano and David Zinman. The Colorado Symphony Chorus is featured on a recent Hyperion release of the Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem and Hough’s Missa Mirabilis. In 2009, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the chorus, Duain Wolfe conducted the chorus on a three-country, twoweek concert tour of Europe, presenting the Verdi Requiem in Budapest, Vienna, Litomysl and Prague. The Chorus will return to Europe in 2016 for concerts in Paris, Strasbourg and Munich.

The Colorado Symphony continues to be grateful for the excellence and dedication of this remarkable all-volunteer ensemble. For an audition appointment, call 303.308.2483.

MASTERWORKS BIOGRAPHIES Duain Wolfe, Founding Director and Conductor; Mary Louise Burke, Associate Conductor; Travis Branam, Assistant Conductor; Taylor Martin, Staff Conductor; Eric Israelson, Chorus Manager; Barbara Porter, Associate Manager Brian Dukeshier, Joshua Sawicki, Danni Snyder, Accompanists Soprano I Jamie Brown Lauren Cage Lindsay R. Campbell Denelda Causey LeEtta H. Choi Kaylin E. Daniels Sarah Dirksen Laura Dukeshier Kate A. Emerich Jenifer D. Gile Lori C. Gill Susan Graber Jennifer Harpel Elizabeth Hedrick Lynnae C. Hinkley Angela M. Hupp Erika Jensen Shelley E. Joy Mary E. Kirschner Krista Kuhn Marina Kushnir Cathy Look Anne Maupin Stephanie Medema Wendy L. Moraskie Barbara A. Porter Lori A. Ropa Kelly G. Ross Roberta A. Sladovnik Stephanie A. Solich Kelly Sowell Nicole J. Stegink Judy Tate Courtney Williams Cara Young Soprano II Jude Blum Alex S. Bowen Margot L. Brauchli Athanasia Christus Ruth A. Coberly Gretchen Colbert Kerry H. Cote Claudia Dakkouri Esther J. Gross Lisa D. Kraft Ilene L. Nova Christine M. Nyholm

Jeannette R. O’Nan Donneve S. Rae Rebecca E. Rattray Shirley J. Rider Nancy C. Saddler Camille S. Smith Lynne M. Snyer Stacey L. Travis Susan K. Von Roedern Marcia L. Walker Sherry L. Weinstein Kirsten Wells Sandy Woodrow Alto I Priscilla P. Adams Lois F. Brady Emily M. Branam Kimberly Brown Amy Buesing Allison Carlisle Clair T. Clauson Jayne M. Conrad Jane A. Costain Sheri L. Daniel Aubri K. Dunkin Dana Edwards Kirsten D. Franz Sharon R. Gayley Gabriella D. Groom Pat Guittar Emily Haller Melissa J. Holst Kaia M. Hoopes Carol E. Horle Annie Kolstad Deanna Kraft Susan McWaters Leah Meromy Ginny Passoth Mary B. Thayer Pat Virtue Sara Wise Heather Wood Judith Wyatt Alto II Kay A. Boothe Cass Chatfield Martha E. Cox

Barbara Deck Joyce Dominguez Carol A. Eslick Daniela Golden Hansi Hoskins Olivia Isaac Brandy H. Jackson Ellen D. Janasko Janice Kibler Carole A. London Joanna Maltzahn Barbara Marchbank Kelly T. McNulty Beverly D. Mendicello Jane B. Moore Cassandra Murray Leslie M. Nittoli Deborah R. Norris Kali Paguirigan Pamela R. Scooros Lisa Townsend Ginny Trierweiler Tenor I Andrew K. Banks James DeMarco Dustin Dougan Brian Dukeshier Joel C. Gewecke Frank Gordon, Jr. Forrest Guittar, Jr. David K. Hodel Richard A. Moraskie Garvis J. Muesing Timothy W. Nicholas William J. O’Donnell William G. Reiley Ryan Waller Kenneth A. Zimmerman Tenor II Gary E. Babcock Mac Bradley Dusty R. Davies Stephen C. Dixon Roger Fuehrer John H. Gale Kenneth E. Kolm Taylor S. Martin Brandt J. Mason

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Stephen J. Meswarb Tom A. Milligan Ronald L. Ruth Jerry E. Sims Jeffrey P. Wolf Daniel L. Wyatt Bass I John G. Adams Travis D. Branam Grant H. Carlton George Cowen Robert E. Drickey Benjamin Eickhoff Matthew Gray Douglas D. Hesse Donald Hume Thomas J. Jirak Nalin J. Mehta Kenneth Quarles Trevor B. Rutkowski Benjamin A. Smith David R. Struthers Duane White Benjamin Williams Brian W. Wood Bass II Bob Friedlander John A. Gallagher Dan Gibbons Chris Grossman Eric W. Israelson Terry L. Jackson Roy A. Kent Mike A. Kraft Robert F. Millar, Jr. Kenneth Moncrieff Greg A. Morrison Eugene J. Nuccio John R. Phillips Russell R. Skillings Wil W. Swanson Chad J. Thofson Tom G. Virtue

MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971): Symphony of Psalms for Chorus and Orchestra Igor Stravinsky was born on June 17, 1882 in Oranienbaum, Russia, and died on April 6, 1971 in New York City. He composed the Symphony of Psalms in 1930 on a commission celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Boston premiere of the work was delayed because of the illness of the Orchestra’s conductor, Sergei Koussevitzky, so the first performance was given by Ernest Ansermet and the Brussels Philharmonic Society on December 13, 1930. A performance in Boston followed six days later. The score calls for piccolo, five flutes (fifth doubling piccolo), four oboes, English horn, three bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, five trumpets (fifth on piccolo trumpet), three trombones, tuba, harp, two pianos, bass drum, cellos and double basses.

Duration is about 22 minutes. Last performed by the orchestra on January 29-31, 1987, with Philippe Entremont conducting.

Igor Stravinsky was raised in the Orthodox Church in the best traditions of Old Russia, but he left the religion as a young man with some harsh remarks about the rites and feasts of the ancient dogma. Several years later, however (in 1926 at the age of 44), he returned to the faith and became a regular communicant in the Church. To celebrate the revitalization of his belief he composed the Pater noster (“Our Father”) in the ancient Slavonic tongue for unaccompanied choir.

(Mass; Abraham and Isaac; Babel; Canticum Sacrum; Credo; The Flood; Requiem Canticles; A Sermon, a Narrative, and a Prayer; Threni [Lamentations of Jeremiah]; and Ave Maria followed in later years.)

It seems likely that the conception of a symphonic work based on Psalm texts also was born at that time. In 1929, when he was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to write a work celebrating its 50th anniversary, he admitted that a symphony with Biblical texts had been on his mind “for a long time. I therefore gladly accepted a proposal so thoroughly in accord with my wishes.... I sought for my words among those that had been written for singing. And quite naturally my first idea was to have recourse to the Psalms.”

For the work, Stravinsky chose three Psalms from the Vulgate version of the Bible, and retained them in the original Latin. This is one of a number of techniques that he employed to raise the Symphony of Psalms to an elevated, almost mystical plain, as free as possible from any Romantic passion. To reinforce the emotional distancing indicated by the Latin text, Stravinsky chose not to use any solo voices, preferring instead to call on the implied universality of the chorus. The orchestra complementing the vocal forces is one of the few in the repertory not to include violins or violas. Stravinsky felt the bright sound of those instruments was not in keeping with the dark, burnished orchestral sonority he sought as backdrop to the sacred words.

To further encourage objectivity on the executant’s part, even the performance indications at the beginning of the movements are given only as simple metronome markings without other descriptive amplification. The British conductor Sir Eugene Goossens wrote, “There is much scope for real expression in a performance of the Symphony of Psalms, but there is absolutely no room for sentimentality.”

The three movements of the work, directed to be played without pause, do not follow traditional symphonic forms but rather employ a formal technique similar to the episodic construction seen in many of Stravinsky’s other compositions. These episodes are usually defined by a single rhythmic ostinato, and there are several such in the opening movement.

The second movement is a weaving of two separate, interlocking fugues, one for instruments, one for voices. The opening instrumental fugue, scored for high woodwinds, seems to hover in some unimagined, transcendent universe. The mundane world is introduced with the vocal fugue, which expands, for the first time in this movement, into the bass register. The two fugues co-exist until the beginning of a section for choir alone, after which various melodic bits and harmonic constructions derived from them are used first to build a strong climax and then to provide a quiet ending.

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MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES The finale opens with a subdued but expressive setting of “Alleluia.” The extended Allegro that forms the middle of this movement was inspired, in the composer’s words, “by a vision of Elijah’s chariot climbing into the Heavens; never before had I written anything quite so literal as the triplets to suggest the horses and chariot.” A sudden calm comes over this propulsive music as the chorus again intones the “Alleluia” of the beginning. Once more, the whirling chariot rides with boundless energy before a calming rallentando leads to the closing section of quiet but surpassingly intense praise.

Exaudi orationem meam, Domine, Hear my prayer, O Lord, et deprecationem meam. and give ear to my cry.

Auribus percipe lacrimas meas.

Hold not thy peace at my tears.

Ne sileas, quoniam advena ego sum apud te Do not remain silent, for a stranger am I to you et peregrinus, sicut omnes patres mei. and a pilgrim, as were my fathers.

Remite mihi, ut refrigerer O spare me, that I may be refreshed Priusquam abeam et amplius non ero. before I go hence, and am no more.

Psalm 38:13-14 (King James Ps. 39:12-13) Expectans expectavi Dominum I waited patiently for the Lord, Et intendit mihi, and he reached out to me, Et exaudivit preces meas; and he heard my cry; Et eduxit me de lacu miseriae, And he led me out of the lake of misery, et de luto faecis. and out of the mire.

Et statuit super petram pedes meos: And he set my feet upon a rock, et direxit gressus meos. and directed my steps.

Et immisit in os meum canticum novum, And he has put a new song in my mouth, carmen Deo nostro. a hymn to our God. Videbunt multi et timebunt, Many will see and will fear, et sperabunt in Domino. and will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 39:2-4 (King James Ps. 40:1-3) Alleluia. Alleluia.

Laudate Dominum in sanctis ojus.

Praise the Lord in his sanctuary.

Laudate eum in firmamento virtutis ejus.

Praise him in the firmament of his power.

Laudate eum in virtutibus ejus.

Praise him for his mighty acts.

Laudate eum secundum multitudinem Praise him according to his excellent greatness. magnitudinis ejus.

Laudate eum in sono tubae.

Praise him with the sound of trumpets.

Laudate eum in timpano et choro.

Praise him with the timbrel and the dance.

Laudate eum in cordis et organo.

Praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Laudate eum in cymbalis benesonantibus.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals.

Laudate eum in cymbalis jubilantionibus.

Praise him upon the jubilant cymbals.

Omnis spiritus laudet Dominum.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150 (King James Ps. 150)

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MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES IGOR STRAVINSKY: Violin Concerto in D major Stravinsky composed his Violin Concerto composed in 1931, and conducted the premiere on October 23, 1931 in Berlin, with Samuel Dushkin as soloist. The score calls for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, E-flat and two B-flat clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani and strings. Duration is about 21 minutes. Last performed by the orchestra on April 25 and 26, 2008 with JoAnn Falletta conducting and Rachel Lee on violin.

Late in 1930, Willy Strecker, co-owner and director of Schott, the prestigious German publishing house, suggested to Igor Stravinsky that a violin concerto might make a welcome addition to the catalog of his music, and that the violinist Samuel Dushkin was willing to offer technical advice for the project. The composer was, however, reluctant to accept the proposal. On the one hand, he still lacked full confidence in writing for the violin as a solo instrument, despite the challenging part he had included for it in The Soldier’s Tale. On the other, he was worried that Dushkin might be interested only in a virtuoso showpiece, with little concern for the musical niceties inherent in the form. It was the composer Paul Hindemith who reassured him on the first point. He told Stravinsky that his unfamiliarity with the violin might actually be a benefit since he could apply fresh ideas to the use of the instrument rather than just composing what Hindemith said would be “suggested by the familiar movements of the fingers.” Stravinsky listened to this argument with some attention because Hindemith, in addition to being a master composer and teacher, was also one of the finest string players of his day. Stravinsky’s second concern was allayed by Dushkin himself. Before they met, Stravinsky thought that Dushkin might be one of those performers interested only in “immediate triumphs ... [through] special effects, whose preoccupation naturally influences their taste, their choice of music, and their manner of treating the piece selected.” Their first meeting, however, proved to be warm and friendly. Their initial contact blossomed into sincere friendship; the Violin Concerto is the offspring of that mutual admiration.

The Concerto opens with a “motto” gesture, a widely spaced chord that Stravinsky called “a passport to the music,” and which returns at important structural junctures throughout the work, most notably at the beginning of each subsequent movement. The body of the first movement (titled Toccata) commences with a jaunty main theme in precise rhythm delivered by the trumpets.

Contrasting ideas are presented, all wedded together in a pellucid texture by the motoric rhythm.

The two Arias (both in three-part, A-B-A form) follow: the first uses an angular melody in its outer sections but turns scherzo-ish for its central portion; the second is slower in tempo and doleful in expression. The concluding Capriccio, a dazzling showpiece for the soloist despite Stravinsky’s disavowal of virtuoso pyrotechnics, returns the dancing motion of the opening movement.

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HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 Hector Berlioz was born on December 11, 1803 in Côte-Saint-André, France, and died on March 8, 1869 in Paris. The Symphonie fantastique was composed in 1830 and revised the following year.

The first performance was given on December 5, 1830 at the Paris Conservatoire, conducted by François Habeneck. The score calls for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, four bassoons, four horns, two cornets, two trumpets, three trombones, tenor and bass tubas, timpani, percussion, two harps and strings. Duration is about 50 minutes. Last performed by the orchestra on February 26 and 27, 2011, with Douglas Boyd conducting.

By 1830, when he turned 27, Hector Berlioz had won the Prix de Rome and gained a certain notoriety among the fickle Parisian public for his perplexingly original compositions. Hector SOUNDINGS 2015-2016 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 7

MASTERWORKS PROGRAM NOTES Berlioz was also madly in love. The object of his amorous passion was an English actress of middling ability, one Harriet Smithson, whom the composer first saw when a touring English theatrical company performed Shakespeare in Paris in 1827. During the ensuing three years, this romance was entirely one-sided, since the young composer never met Harriet, but only knew her across the footlights as Juliet and Ophelia. He sent her such frantic love letters that she never responded to any of them, fearful of encouraging a madman. Berlioz, distraught and unable to work or sleep or eat, wandered the countryside around Paris until he dropped from exhaustion and had to be retrieved by friends.

Berlioz was still nursing his unrequited love for Harriet in 1830 when, full-blown Romantic that he was, his emotional state served as the germ for a composition based on a musical “Episode from the Life of an Artist,” as he subtitled the Symphonie fantastique. In this work, the artist visualizes his beloved through an opium-induced trance, first in his dreams, then at a ball, in the country, at his execution and, finally, as a participant in a witches’ sabbath. She is represented by a musical theme that appears in each of the five movements, an idée fixe (a term Berlioz borrowed from the just-emerging field of psychology to denote an unhealthy obsession) that is transformed to suit its imaginary musical surroundings. The idée fixe is treated kindly through the first three movements, but after the artist has lost his head for love (literally — the string pizzicati followed by drum rolls and brass fanfares at the very end of the March to the Scaffold graphically represent the fall of the guillotine blade and the ceremony of the formal execution), the idée fixe is transmogrified into a jeering, strident parody of itself in the finale in music that is still original and disturbing almost two centuries after its creation. The sweet-to-sour changes in the idée fixe (heard first in the opening movement on unison violins and flute at the beginning of the fast tempo after a slow introduction) reflect Berlioz’s future relationship with his beloved, though, of course, he had no way to know it in 1830. Berlioz did in fact marry his Harriet–Ophelia–Juliet in 1833, but their happiness faded quickly, and he was virtually estranged from her within a decade.

Berlioz wrote of the Symphonie fantastique, “PART I: Reveries and Passions. The young musician first recalls that uneasiness of soul he experienced before seeing her whom he loves; then the volcanic love with which she suddenly inspired him, his moments of delirious anguish, of jealous fury, his returns to loving tenderness, and his religious consolations. PART II: A Ball. He sees his beloved at a ball, in the midst of the tumult of a brilliant fête. PART III: Scene in the Country. One summer evening in the country he hears two shepherds playing a ranz-des-vaches in alternate dialogue; this pastoral duet, some hopes he has recently conceived, combine to restore calm to his heart; but she appears once more, he is agitated with painful presentiments; if she were to betray him! ... One of the shepherds resumes his artless melody, the other no longer answers him. The sun sets ... the sound of distant thunder ... solitude ... silence ... PART IV: March to the Scaffold. He dreams that he has killed his beloved, that he is condemned to death, and led to execution. The procession advances to a march which is now somber and wild, now brilliant and solemn. At the end, the idée fixe reappears for an instant, like a last love-thought interrupted by the fatal stroke. PART V: Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath. He sees himself at the Witches’ Sabbath, amid ghosts, magicians and monsters of all sorts, who have come together for his obsequies. He hears strange noises, groans, ringing laughter, shrieks. The beloved melody reappears, but it has become an ignoble, trivial and grotesque dance-tune; it is she who comes to the Witches’ Sabbath.... She takes part in the diabolic orgy ... Funeral knells, burlesque parody on the Dies Irae [the ancient ‘Day of Wrath’ chant from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass for the Dead]. Witches’ Dance. The Witches’ Dance and the Dies Irae together.” ©2015 Dr. Richard E. Rodda

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