Francesco Milioto, Music Director and Conductor
Sunday, February 10, 2013 3:00 PM North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie Overture to La forza del destino (1861) Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Opus 63 (1935) Allegro moderato Andante assai Allegro, ben marcato
Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901) Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
Claire Bourg, Violin 2nd Place Winner of the 32nd Young Artist Competition INTERMISSION
Symphony No. 3, The Camp Meeting (1904) Old Folks Gatherin’ Children’s Day Communion New England Triptych (1956) Be Glad Then, America When Jesus Wept Chester
Charles Ives (1874 – 1954)
William Schuman (1910 - 1992)
This concert is supported in part by The Pauls Foundation. The Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the Village of Skokie, Niles Township, and The Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation. American Symphonists
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PROGR A M NOTES Giuseppe Verdi – Overture to La forza del destino In 1858, following the premier of his twenty-third opera, Un ballo in maschera, Giuseppe Verdi announced his withdrawal from active musical life. However, two years later he was coaxed out of retirement by a lucrative offer from the Imperial Theater of St. Petersburg and immediately set to work on La forza del destino. Based on a Spanish melodrama, it is the story of a man compelled to act against his conscience; the compulsion towards these actions being the force of destiny referred to in the opera’s title. Verdi’s intent was to show the folly of trying to find peace and happiness by retreating from the world, an interesting subject for a man who had only recently given up his own career. (Perhaps Verdi heeded the message, for he went on to compose four additional operas following La forza, including Aida, Othello, and Falstaff, as well as the celebrated Requiem.) La forza del destino premiered in 1862 to moderate success, though the work was not without problems. Many critics thought it too bloody, as destiny, represented by a curse on the protagonist, led to the eventual deaths of almost all the characters. Despite several quick fixes, the opera was eventually withdrawn. Verdi revisited the work in 1869 in an attempt to deal with “that damned ending.” The third act was changed to allow the hero, Don Alvaro, to live instead of throwing himself off a cliff. Additionally, the brief prelude that originally preceded the opera was replaced with the now-popular overture. In typical Verdi fashion, the overture foreshadows several of the themes heard in the opera itself, though in no way does it attempt to encapsulate or condense the action into an instrumental re-telling of the plot. Instead, Verdi has constructed a tightly cohesive form by binding together contrasting musical themes. He concentrates primarily on a rushing string melody sometimes known as the “fate” motive, and a more lyrical tune that is drawn from the doomed soprano’s prayer in Act II. These two themes, along with a dramatic brass fanfare, provide the main material for musical development and are seamlessly woven together with connecting passages. The resulting overture serves as a fitting introduction to the dramatic, passionate story about to unfold.
Prokofiev – Violin Concerto No. 2 Prokofiev’s life and career were inextricably linked to the Soviet Union. As a brash, young, avantgarde composer he left the increasingly confining atmosphere of his homeland behind in search of greater artistic freedom and self-fulfillment in the West. However, after moderate initial success, his European and American sojourns did not prove to be as lucrative or as gratifying as he had hoped, and by the mid 1930s, after several brief visits home, he longed to return permanently. His homecoming coincided with a critical period for Soviet music, as the Union of Soviet Composers, under government control, had just issued an edict advising composers to pay heed to the social content of their music and its appeal to the people at large. This was to be the beginning of Russia’s artistic isolation from the West. Prokofiev radically modified his individualistic, modernist style to meet this goal, turning to a simpler, more accessible approach. Yet, for all his desire to be simple, he voiced his concerns about pandering to popular tastes in a statement from 1937: “In our country, music has come to belong to the masses of people. Their artistic taste, the demands they place upon art, are growing with incredible speed, and the Soviet composer must take this into account in each new work. This is something like shooting at a moving target. Only by aiming at the future, at tomorrow, will you not be left behind at the level of yesterday’s demands. For this reason I consider it a mistake for a composer to strive for simplification. Any attempt to “play down” to the listener represents a subconscious underestimation of his cultural maturity and developing tastes. Such an attempt always has an element of insincerity. And music that is insincere cannot endure.” The Second Violin Concerto, composed in 1935 immediately prior to the composer’s final return to the Soviet Union, represents Prokofiev’s attempt to create a work of mass appeal that avoids 2
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“simplification.” It is a unique combination of romantic lyricism, aggressive peasant tunes, colorful harmonies, and the rhythmically charged intensity common to almost all of Prokofiev’s music. Less audacious and boisterous than the earlier First Violin Concerto, the work maintains an atmosphere of introspective intimacy somewhat unusual for the normally impetuous composer. The first movement begins with the soloist entering unaccompanied and continues with a subtle second theme that is, according to one biographer, “one of the mature Prokofiev’s most felicitous melodic revelations.” Throughout is a feeling of quiet solitude. This mood is continued in the slow movement as a pulsating, arpeggiated accompaniment underpins the initial song-like melody. A more animated, energetic series of passages briefly interrupts the subtle beauty of the opening section, only to be overtaken by a return to the original theme. The movement ends just as it began, with the stately pizzicato resolving to the subtle quietness of the low strings. The finale is a traditional rondo marked by the jagged rhythms, strident harmonies, and electric energy characteristic of the young Prokofiev, known to the world as an enfant terrible.
Charles Ives – Symphony No. 3 Charles Ives was perhaps the most original creative genius in the history of American music. Although virtually unknown until after he stopped composing in 1925, by the late 20th century he was viewed universally as the first great American composer of concert music and the most original and significant American figure of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ives was so far ahead of his time that it took nearly 50 years for the importance of his work to be fully recognized and evaluated. To fully understand Ives and his music it is necessary to look at the details of his life, for it is from his life’s experiences as an American that we find the impetus for much of his music. Born in Danbury, Connecticut, to a father who was a jack-of-all-trades musician, he was quickly exposed to all the types of music known in his native New England at that time: band marches, church hymns, folk and popular songs, dance tunes and the like, as well as the classics. He received his first musical instruction from his father, who held unique and unconventional views regarding music and acoustics, for example, advocating experimentation with microtones and polytonality. Charles recalled, “Father would have us sing a tune in the key of E-flat but play the accompaniment in C. He made us stick to the end and not stop when it got hard.” By the age of 14, Charles exhibited such talent that he was hired as the organist at a local Baptist church. It was also at this time that he began composing; his first works demonstrating a technique that he was to use throughout his life – musical quotation. He furthered his education at Yale where he studied with Horatio Parker but, after receiving his degree, decided that the type of music he wanted to write was not likely to earn him a living. He decided on a career as a businessman, founding an insurance firm which grew into the largest in the United States. Composition was relegated to his leisure hours. As a composer, Ives translated everything he heard around him, everything he saw, experienced, and felt, into sound. In translating the sights and sounds of his beloved New England into music he used the indigenous dance tunes, minstrel songs, patriotic tunes, and hymns that were so much a part of the fabric of American life. He also was drawn to and preserved the unconventional or crude aspects of this music. He knew all too well the sound of amateur town bands struggling through the latest dance music, hymns played on an out-of-tune church organ, community choirs singing off-key, certain players or singers out of sync with the rest of the ensemble. Rather than ignore or smooth over these idiosyncrasies, he embraced and celebrated the rough edges, attempting to capture them in his compositions. In his groundbreaking works Ives explored a whole new realm of sound. He drew on his love for the unconventional elements of music to find his way to conceptions such as polytonality, atonality, polyharmony, cluster chords, and polyrhythms years before these techniques were explored by such revolutionaries as Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Bartok. He delighted in the juxtaposition of sounds American Symphonists
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created through the use of as many as five different meters at the same time, and the concurrent use of contrasting tempos. Among his innovations, perhaps the most striking for the listener is his use of simultaneous musical occurrence, as when he depicts two bands marching towards one another, each playing a different tune in a different key. He combined the simplistic folk-like and popular songs of rural America with complex elements of sound to create an extremely sophisticated and intricate musical fabric. Ives’ unique approach is beautifully illustrated in his Symphony No. 3, subtitled “The Camp Meeting.” Written between 1901 and 1904 while the composer was living in New York, the work evokes a sentimental nostalgia for the simple, rural life of Ives’ youth in Connecticut and his attendance at the outdoor religious gatherings known to most New Englanders as camp meetings. These yearly events featured not only fervent preaching by an itinerant evangelist, but spirited, energetic singing by the assembled congregation. It is not surprising, then, that many of the melodies used by Ives in this symphony are drawn from hymn-tunes, the most prominent being “Azmon” (known to Protestants as “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”), which is quoted frequently in the first movement. Several other well-known hymns also appear, including “Just as I Am” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Near the end of the movement the tunes are heard simultaneously, a favorite Ivesian technique. The second movement introduces the folk-hymn “Cleansing Fountain” before turning into a quick march. The melody of the final movement is based freely on the popular hymn “Just as I Am” as sung to the tune “Woodworth.” Permeating the entire symphony is a spiritual overtone, and indeed, it is often viewed as Ives’ most spiritual work. It is also one of the composer’s most gentle, meditative compositions, which has led one commentator to describe it as “spiritual comfort food.” Missing are many of the harsh dissonances, crushing polytonalities, and jarring rhythmic irregularities so common in the composer’s other symphonies, although the second movement does demonstrate the quick juxtaposition of musical ideas in a stream-of-consciousness fashion for which the composer is well known. Though completed in 1904, the Symphony was not premiered until 1946. A year later it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Upon receiving the award, Ives, frustrated that his works had been neglected for so long, remarked, “Prizes are for boys. I am an adult.”
William Schuman – New England Triptych Like Ives, William Schuman was first and foremost an American composer. His music captured the American spirit and the American experience, and projects a uniquely American sound. Aaron Copland suggested, “In Schuman’s pieces you have the feeling that only an American could have written them. You hear it in his orchestration, which is full of snap and brilliance. You hear it in the kind of American optimism which is at the basis of his music.” Though Schuman studied violin from an early age and enjoyed music as a hobby, and even published a number of popular songs, he entered New York University to prepare for a career in business. However, after attending a concert given by the New York Philharmonic in 1930, he immediately changed his path. He wrote,“I was overwhelmed. I had never heard anything like it. The very next day, I decided to become a composer.” He dropped out of school and began to study music privately, eventually earning a degree in music education from Columbia University. Several teaching positions followed, including one at the Juilliard School. In 1962 he was named to the presidency of Lincoln Center and continued to guide its development until 1969 when he retired to concentrate on composition. Schuman’s impressive catalog of works is particularly rich in band, choral, and orchestral music, the latter category being most often represented by his New England Triptych from 1956. Like Ives before him, Schuman drew inspiration from hymn tunes, in this case those of the early American composer William Billings. Schuman prefaced his score with the following note: American Symphonists
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“William Billings (1746–1800) is a major figure in the history of American music. His works capture the spirit of sinewy ruggedness, deep religiosity, and patriotic fervor that we associate with the Revolutionary period in American history. I am not alone among American composers who feel a sense of identity with Billings, which accounts for my use of his music as a departure point.” Subtitled “Three Pieces for Orchestra after William Billings,” Triptych is based upon three of Billings’ most well-known hymns. The first movement, “Be Glad then America”, is not so much a re-working or variation of Billings’ original tune, but rather a colorful impression of his hearty, angular style. It is built on these lines from Billings’ text: Yea, the Lord will answer And say unto his people — behold I will send you corn and wine and oil And ye shall be satisfied therewith. Be glad then, America, Shout and rejoice. Fear not O land, Be glad and rejoice. Halleluyah! From a rather quiet, almost somber opening, the movement grows in momentum to reach a climax with a free adaptation of the “Halleluyah!” music. The second movement is a much more literal interpretation of “When Jesus Wept,” a sorrowful commentary on Jesus’ reaction to the death of his friend, Lazarus. When Jesus wept, the falling tear in mercy flowed beyond all bound; when Jesus mourned, a trembling fear seized all the guilty world around. The tune is heard first in its original form in the bassoon and is soon taken over by the oboe and other instruments which extend and embellish the original material to create a lovely, quiet elegy. For the final movement, Schuman turns to Billings’ most well-known tune, “Chester,” originally conceived as a hymn, but quickly taken over as a marching song by the Continental Army. Let tyrants shake their iron rod, And slavery clank her galling chains, We fear them not, we trust in God, New England’s God forever reigns. The foe comes on with haughty stride, Our troops advance with martial noise, Their vet’rans flee before our youth, And gen’rals yield to beardless boys. Again, his treatment of the source material is fairly straightforward, with the original tune given out in hymn-like fashion by a choir of winds. The pace quickens and the tune takes on a more martial quality, reflecting its transformation into one of the most popular, stirring songs of the Revolutionary period. By Michael Vaughn, PhD.* *If you use any of these program notes, please give attribution to Dr. Vaughn
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CLAIRE BOURG - VIOLINIST Claire Bourg, 17, is a senior at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois. She studies violin privately with Cyrus Forough. Claire began studying the violin at age five and has received many awards and accolades for her playing, including first prize winner of the 2012 Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, first prize winner of the 2012 Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition, second prize winner of the 2012 Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and third prize winner of the 2012 BlountSlawson Young Artist Competition. Claire has appeared on National Public Radio’s From the Top radio program and she
will be featured on an upcoming program of Chicago’s WFMT: Introductions. Claire has performed as a featured soloist with several orchestras including the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra and Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. On May 19, 2013, she will perform Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D Minor at Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Claire is an active chamber musician and has been a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Encore Chamber Orchestra for many years. In 2012, her Music Institute of Chicago string ensemble—Quartet al Dente—was a semifinalist at the Fischoff Competition. In 2011, Claire was selected to perform with the
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CLAIRE BOURG - VIOLINIST Chicago Youth in Music Festival orchestra under the direction of Riccardo Muti and her string ensemble—the Amati Quartet—was selected to perform onstage with Yo-Yo Ma at Orchestra Hall.
University Summer String Academy. She has participated in master classes led by Yo-Yo Ma, James Ehnes, Vadim Gluzman, Phillip Ying of the Ying Quartet and the Beethoven Project Trio.
Claire has performed as a featured soloist and chamber musician in many camps and festivals including the Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Indiana
In her spare time, Claire enjoys playing golf, traveling, teaching violin, and performing in community outreach concerts.
F R A N C E S C O M I L I O TO, M U S I C D I R E C TO R The Chicago Tribune names Francesco Milioto “one of the best young conductors working in the Chicago area.” Since his debut in the Chicago just over a decade ago he now balances a busy career conducting a wide range of orchestral and operatic repertoire while maintaining a full schedule as a pianist and vocal coach. He currently holds the positions of Music Director of the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, Co-founder/ Conductor of the New Millennium Orchestra, Principal Conductor of Highland Park Strings and Artistic Director/ Conductor of Access Contemporary Music. Mr. Milioto is also an assistant conductor/ pianist/prompter for the Ravinia Festival, where he works closely with Maestro James Conlon. This season Mr. Milioto will make his debut with Opera Santa Barbara conducting a production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. He also visits Portland Opera as Assistant Conductor/Chorus Master for Tosca. Mr. Milioto has guest conducted for Opera Southwest and Opera on the James, as well as working as an assistant conductor for
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both Los Angeles Opera and Chicago Opera Theater. Now in his sixth season as Music Director of the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Milioto is excited to open a new series exploring the music of both American and Russian symphonists over the next four seasons. The SVSO will tackle the music of Borodin and Ives, as well as a list of significant works that include the Enigma Variations and the Nutcracker Suite. The orchestra’s Young Artist Competition has garnered much praise and this season has produced two young artists that will perform the Brahms violin concerto and Prokofiev’s second violin concerto. This season also contains a pops concert called Space Cowboys, in which the SVSO will play both classical and popular pieces inspired by space and the wild west. In addition to building on the history of high quality performances, Mr. Milioto is proud to continue offering free concerts to school children in the Skokie area.
S K O K I E VA L L E Y S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A 1st Violin Tom Yang, Concertmaster Margarita Solomensky, Assistant Concertmaster Milan Miskovic Iris Seitz Violetta Todorova Wally Pok Hon Yu
English Horn
2nd Violin Michael Kleinerman, Principal Warren Grabner Alysa Isaacson David Ratner Fran Sherman Mary Stoltz Gwen Weiner
Eb Clarinet Christie Miller
Viola Rick Neff, Principal, Dr. Lee Malmed Chair, Mittenthal String Chair David Beytas Jason Rosen Desi Tanchev Cello Bryon Huey, Principal Lucy Colman Howard Miller Mike Taber Tess Van Wagner Bass Conner Hollingsworth, Principal Brett Benteler Hans Peterman Flute Karen Frost, Principal Barb Austin Jae Shin Piccolo Barb Austin
Clarinet Walter Grabner, Principal Irwin Heller Bass Clarinet
Bassoon Beth Heller, Principal Jennifer Speer Trumpet Jordan Olive, Principal Matt Bain French Horn Julia Filson, Principal Jack Shankman Chair Dafydd Bevil Erika Hollenback Laurel Lovestrom Trombone Adina Salmahnson, Principal Tom Park Bass Trombone John Alberts Tuba Beth Lodal Timpani Jay Renstrom Percussion Barry Grossman
Oboe Jennifer Stucki, Principal Ben Carithers
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C H A I R E N D OW M E N T A N D S P O N S O R S H I P S Kathryn J. Canny, Chair Endowment – Concertmaster Chair The Leo Krakow Community Endowment Fund – Concert Elizabeth and E. Harris Krawitz Endowment – Concert Harvey E. Mittenthal Scholarship Fund – Mittenthal String Chair Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation – Young Artist Competition Charles and Cyd Sandleman Chair Endowment – Assistant Concertmaster Chair
2 012 - 2 013 S V S O D O N AT I O N S Sustaining: $2500+ Kathryn J. Canny Dr. Lee & Bonnie Malmed Niles Township The Pauls Foundation Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation Rice Young People’s Endowment Fund/North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie Foundation Village of Skokie Benefactor: $1,000 - $2,499 Patron: $500 - $999 Steven Jay Blutza, Ph.D. Melissa F. & Allen S. Malmed Steve & Toni Rosen Jack Shankman, IHO the new restaurant Verde, owner Ed Bosco Mrs. Jason Sharps Dr. Cliff & Robin Wolf Sponsors: $250 - $499 John Alberts David Eccles Karen Frost and Walter Grabner Pamela Grad Heather Hill Carol & Roger Hirsch Ethel Mittenthal Mr. & Mrs. James K. O’Neal Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Rice Thomas D. Rosenwein Dr. & Mrs. William Schey
Delores Silverman Michael Vaughn Donors: $100 - $249 Mark Barats Louis & Loretta Becker Annette & Sidney Caron Dr. & Mrs. Richard Chessick Maurice & Ruth Ettleson Bernard & Marilyn Friedman Patricia Gottschalk Mr. & Mrs. Glenn R. Heyman Milton & Miriam Levin Edward S. & Phyllis E. Merkin Eleanor Parker Ronald & Shirley Pregozen Linda Ray Mr. & Mrs. Henry Rosenbaum Harold & Rita Selz Thelma Skaletsky Janet Thau, in honor of Barry Grossman Peter Thomas Mrs. Henry Wolf Friends: $25 - $99 Sharon Abelman Ruth Barrash Frank Boudart Sherwin Chapman Carol Ulrich Conrads Mr. & Mrs. Robert Echales, in memory of Edith Via Elizabeth Gomorczak, in memory of Edith Via Alysa Isaacson
Terese Klinger Jane Kornblith Joseph Kramer Rachel & David L. Melahn Sima Miller Sima Miller & Sidney Simons Arthur & Louis Mills Michael Modica Sheldon Mostovoy Joseph Ott Susan & Pat Pastin Saul Patt Judy Rosenbaum Michael Roth Milton Salmansohn Rhoda & Larry Schuman Harold C. Silverman Valerie Simosko & Robert B. Calvert Florence T. Stein Warner & Dolores Strauss Dr. Sylvia Stuart George Vass Sandra Lynn Weiss Char Wiss Janice Ross & Martin Zabin In Honor of Ethel Mittenthal’s 90th Birthday Ruth Buchanan Shirley Dorn Anne Forbes Norine Gerson Ellen Scully Carolyn R. Tecktiel
Supporting the Symphony The concert you hear today was made possible by the generous donors you see listed in our program. To find out how you can contribute, please contact the SVSO office or go to our website at www.svso.org
Did you know? We’re Social!! Check out our newly designed website at
www.svso.org. You can also like us on Facebook (Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra) AND follow us on Twitter (@SkokieSymphony). We can't wait to share pics and news with you, and to read your comments! Special thanks to board members David Eccles for designing our website and Karen Frost and John Alberts for creating our social presence.
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2 012 - 2 013 B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S Kathryn J. Canny, President Karen L. Frost, Artistic Vice President � David F. Eccles, Administrative Vice President � Steven Jay Blutza, Ph.D., Treasurer John Alberts, Secretary � George Hardwidge Heather Hill Roger Hirsch Bonnie Malmed �
Lee Malmed, M.D. � Ethel Mittenthal James K. O’Neal Michael Vaughn, Ph.D.
Honorary Board Members Barbara Brown Lucinda Kasperson Thomas Rosenwein, J.D. Jack Shankman, J.D. Francesco Milioto, Conductor and Music Director Valerie Simosko, Office Manager Office address: 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL 60077 Phone: 847-679-9501 x3014 SVSO Office E-mail: info@svso.org • Website: www.svso.org � Denotes member of the orchestra
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