Program Notes: Romance, Mystery, Marsalis

PROGRAM GEORGES BIZET Arr. Fritz Hoffmann Suite No. 1 from Carmen Prélude & Aragonaise Intermezzo Seguedille Les Dragons d'Alcala Les Toréadors

CRISTIAN MĂCELARU

Friday, October 27, 2017 | 8:00PM Sunday, October 29, 2017 | 2:00PM

ROMANCE, MYSTERY, MARSALIS

Jacobs Masterworks Series

WYNTON MARSALIS Violin Concerto in D Major Rhapsody Rondo Burlesque Blues Hootenanny Nicola Benedetti, violin

INTERMISSION NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade, Op. 35 The Sea and Sindbad's Ship The Tale of Prince Kalendar The Young Prince and the Princess The Festival at Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock

conductor Cristian Măcelaru violin Nicola Benedetti This concert is made possible, in part, through the generosity of Alan Benaroya.

Performances at The Jacobs Music Center Copley Symphony Hall

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ROMANCE, MYSTERY, MARSALIS – OCTOBER 27 & 29 | PROGRAM NOTES

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

and Anne-Sophie Mutter. A keen opera conductor, in June 2015

Newly appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Cabrillo

Houston Grand Opera in Madama Butterfly and conducted

Festival of Contemporary Music, CRISTIAN MĂCELARU

the U.S. premiere of Colin Matthews’s Turning Point with the

he led the Cincinnati Opera in highly acclaimed performances of Il Trovatore. In 2010 he made his operatic debut with the

has established himself as one of the fast-rising stars of the

Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra as part of the Tanglewood

conducting world. With every concert he displays an exciting

Contemporary Music Festival. In 2019 he returns to the Houston

and highly regarded presence, thoughtful interpretations and

Grand Opera on a Kasper Holten production of Don Giovanni.

energetic conviction on the podium. Mr. Măcelaru came to public attention in February 2012 when he conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a replacement for Pierre Boulez in performances met with critical acclaim. Conductor-in-Residence of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he made his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut in April 2013 and continues to conduct them annually on subscription programs and other special concerts. In September 2016 he was announced Music Director of Cabrillo Festival, America’s longest running festival dedicated to new music for orchestra, to succeed Marin Alsop with immediate effect. In August 2017 Mr. Măcelaru led his inaugural season at the Cabrillo Festival in premiere-filled programs of new works and fresh re-orchestrations by an esteemed group of composers.

Among the 2017 season’s highlights were seven world premieres, 11 composers-in-residence, a stunning roster of international guest artists and two special tributes – one to commemorate Lou Harrison’s centenary and another honoring John Adams’ 70th

Winner of the 2014 Solti Conducting Award, Mr. Măcelaru previously received the Sir Georg Solti Emerging Conductor Award in 2012. Previously, he received his master’s degree in conducting and violin performance from Rice University. He completed undergraduate studies in violin performance at the University of Miami.

Cristian Măcelaru resides in Philadelphia with his wife Cheryl and children Beniamin and Maria. n

NICOLA BENEDETTI is one of the most sought after violinists of her generation.

Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate

birthday.

musicianship and dynamic

The 2017-18 season sees Mr. Măcelaru opening the National

wide appeal as a high profile

Symphony Orchestra’s season in Washington D.C. and returning to the Philadelphia Orchestra on three subscription programs plus Messiah concerts. He guest-conducts the symphony orchestras of Dallas, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Atlanta, Seattle, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, San Diego and Vancouver. Internationally he leads the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Swedish Radio Symphony, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Halle Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In Summer 2017 Mr. Măcelaru made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival and returned to the Grand Teton and Interlochen Festivals.

Additionally he led the Philadelphia Orchestra in two programs at the Mann Center.

Mr. Măcelaru made his Carnegie Hall debut in February 2015

presence, coupled with her advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today.

With concerto performances at the heart of her career, Ms. Benedetti is in much demand with major orchestras and conductors across the globe. Conductors with whom Ms. Benedetti has worked include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jiří Bělohlávek, Stéphane Denève, Christoph Eschenbach, James Gaffigan, Hans Graf, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, Jakub Hrusa, Kirill Karabits, Andrew Litton, Kristjan Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Cristian Măcelaru, Zubin Mehta, Andrea Marcon, Peter Oundjian, Vasily Petrenko, Donald Runnicles, Thomas Søndergård, Krzysztof Urbanski, Juraj Valcua, Edo de Waart, Pinchas Zukerman and Jaap van Zweden.

on a program with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra

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ROMANCE, MYSTERY, MARSALIS – OCTOBER 27 & 29 | PROGRAM NOTES

Ms. Benedetti enjoys working with the highest level of

(Universal Music). Her most recent recording of Shostakovich

orchestras including collaborations with the London

and Glazunov Violin Concertos has been met with critical

Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra,

acclaim. Richard Morrison of The Times maintains that “This

New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of

riveting performance of Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto

Washington D.C., Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Leipzig

is Nicola Benedetti’s best recording to date.” Her past seven

Gewandhausorchester, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Camerata

recordings on Universal/Deutsche Grammophon include a

Salzburg, Czech Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony

varied catalogue of works from Szymanowski Concerto (London

Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony

Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Harding) to Homecoming: A

and the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival.

Scottish Fantasy, which made Ms. Benedetti the first solo British

The summer of 2017 saw Ms. Benedetti make her debut at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival with Antonio Pappano and the

violinist since the 1990s to enter the Top 20 of the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She

Ms. Benedetti was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in

returns to the BBC Proms with Thomas Søndergård and

2017, the youngest ever recipient, and was appointed as a

the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and to the Edinburgh

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

International Festival with Iván Fischer and the Budapest

(MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours, in recognition of her

Festival Orchestra. This 2017-18 season, Ms. Benedetti makes

international music career and work with musical charities

her debut with the Orchestre de Paris and collaborates with

throughout the United Kingdom. In addition, Ms. Benedetti has

the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Philadelphia

received eight honorary degrees to date.

Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, New World Symphony and Baltimore Symphony with Marin Alsop. She will also undertake a U.K. and North American tour with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

With her regular duo partner pianist Alexei Grynyuk, Ms. Benedetti frequently performs recitals in the world’s leading concert halls and festivals with most recent highlights including

Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Ms. Benedetti began violin lessons at the age of five with Brenda Smith. In 1997, she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. Upon leaving, she continued her studies with Maciej Rakowski and then Pavel Vernikov, and continues to work with multiple acclaimed teachers and performers.

Nicola Benedetti plays the Gariel Stradivarius (1717), courtesy of Jonathan Moulds. n

Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rome, Copenhagen, Dortmund, Ludwigshafen, Bielefeld and Kiel. Ms. Benedetti is also a devoted chamber musician and collaborates with cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk, who have been performing as a trio since 2008. Recent performances include London’s Cadogan Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Edinburgh Festival, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Ravinia Festival, New York’s 92nd Street Y and Hong Kong City Hall. In summer 2017, the trio returned for the third time to extensively tour South America. Spring 2018 will see the trio’s welcome return to North America with performances in Boston and Vancouver.

Winner of Best Female Artist at both 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards, Ms. Benedetti records exclusively for Decca

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

virtuoso Nicola Benedetti. I have loved the violin since the age of 14, when I first played with a string orchestra. The instrument is capable of expressing deep pathos, varying states of psychological complexity, delicate tenderness and passionate love, and it is also

Suite No. 1 from Carmen

happy to provide thrilling virtuosic flights of fancy, the biting whine

GEORGES BIZET Born October 25, 1838, Paris Died June 3, 1875, Bougival

and cry of the blues and that good ole dancing stomp of a fiddler's reel. I set out to combine the profound elements of our American vernacular languages with an orchestral syntax by utilizing the

Carmen – Bizet’s opera of passion, jealousy and murder – was a failure at its first performance in Paris in March 1875. The audience seemed outraged at the idea of a loose woman and murder onstage at the Opéra-Comique. Bizet died three months later at age 37, never knowing that he had written what would become one of the most popular operas ever composed. After Bizet’s death, his publisher Choudens felt that the music of the opera was too good

chorus format form that characterizes most jazz improvisation and composition. Because Anglo-Celtic mythology, process, dance and music are all up in the roots of most forms of American folk expression, Nicky and I were able to mine our natural ancestry and mutual heritage. She gave me a first class course on violin. n

to lose, so he commissioned the French composer Ernest Guiraud to arrange excerpts from Carmen into two orchestral suites of six movements each. The music from Carmen has everything going for it – excitement, color and (best of all) instantly recognizable tunes.

From today’s vantage point, it seems impossible that this opera could have been anything but a smash success from the first instant.

The Suite No. 1 from Carmen contains some of the most famous music from the opera, and it also offers some wonderful writing for solo woodwinds. The opening Prelude presents the ominous “fate motif” that will return throughout the opera, while the Aragonaise (which functions as the Prelude to Act IV) is based on an old Andalusian folksong and features the sound of castanets and a haunting oboe solo. The graceful Intermezzo, with its limpid flute solo over harp accompaniment, is the Prelude to Act III; Seguedille, which offers another solo opportunity for the oboe, has its roots in flamenco music. Les Dragons d’Alcala (which is also the Prelude to Act II) depicts a well-disciplined regiment of dragoons; Bizet’s musical portrait offers prominent parts to snare drum, bassoon and clarinet. Most famous of all is Les Toréadors, which serves as the Introduction to Act I. The opening introduces the toreadors as they march across the square in Seville; Bizet’s music – with its energy and bristling rhythms – catches some of their swagger. In the center section, violins sing the famous Toreador Song, and the movement concludes with the return of its opening music. n

Violin Concerto in D Major WYNTON MARSALIS Born October 18, 1961, New Orleans A note from the composer: I was blessed with the opportunity to write a piece for one of my favorite artists and people, Scottish

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Scheherazade, Op. 35 NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Born March 18, 1844, Tikhvin Died June 21, 1908, Lyubensk In the summer of 1888, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, then 44 years old, went to his summer estate on the shores of Lake Cheryemenyetskoye and set to work on a new orchestral composition. He called it Scheherazade and added a subtitle – “Symphonic Suite on 1001 Nights” – that made clear its inspiration.

Each movement had a title that suggested a definite program: The Sea and Sindbad’s Ship, The Tale of Prince Kalendar, The Young Prince and the Princess, and the concluding The Festival at Bagdad, which ends with a shipwreck (The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock). And the composer included an introductory note in the score: “The Sultan Schahriar, persuaded of the falseness and faithfulness of all women, had sworn to put to death each of his wives after the first night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by arousing his interest in tales which she told him during a thousand and one nights. Driven by curiosity, the Sultan put off his wife’s execution from day to day and at last gave up his bloody plan altogether.” Scheherazade, composed within the month of July 1888, quickly became one of the most popular works in symphonic literature, played (and over-played) around the world, where audiences could revel in the stories with which the wily Scheherazade entranced her dangerous husband.

But does this music tell a story? Each of the movements has a descriptive title, and certain themes are obviously musical portraits: the menacing opening is clearly the ferocious Sultan, while the solo violin is just as clearly the sly and sensual Sultana, spinning her tales.

And along the way we hear the swaying sea, the sighs of the young lovers, the festival in Baghdad and the crash of the ship against the rock.

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ROMANCE, MYSTERY, MARSALIS – OCTOBER 27 & 29 | PROGRAM NOTES Or do we? Despite what seems obvious musical portraiture,

which return in an exotic array of new shapes and colors. Or they

Rimsky-Korsakov discouraged any talk of this music’s telling a

can listen for the opulence of the sound he is able to draw from the

specific story and suggested that his intentions were much more

orchestra, for Scheherazade remains – more than a century after

general: “In composing Scheherazade, I meant these hints to direct

its creation – one of the most sumptuous scores ever composed.

but slightly the hearer’s fancy on the path which my own fancy

Perhaps some of the charm of this music is that it simply cannot be

had traveled, and to leave more minute and particular conceptions

pinned down but remains as elusive, evocative and mysterious as

to the will and mood of each listener. All I had desired was that

the Sultana’s tales.

the hearer, if he liked my piece as symphonic music, should carry away the impression that it is beyond doubt an Oriental narrative of some numerous and varied fairy-tale wonders…” The composer even went so far as to temporarily withdraw the descriptive titles of the four movements.

There was a time, a generation or two ago, when Scheherazade was considered the stereotype of the warhorse, music so overplayed and so overfamiliar that the mere mention of its name produced smiles and a certain condescension. But this music appears much less often in concert halls today, and one of the particular charms

And so listeners are free to approach this music in any way

of a concert like this is the pleasure of hearing this distantly-

they wish. They can experience it as the Sultana’s depiction of a

remembered music burst to vibrant life in front of us one

thousand exotic tales and even imagine the specific events the

more time. n

music and movement titles seem to evoke. Or they can listen for Rimsky-Korsakov’s endless transformation of just a few themes,

Performance History

by Dr. Melvin G. Goldzband, Symphony Archivist Although a suite of selections from Bizet's Carmen was led by Nino Marcelli during the summer season of 1935 (incidentally, chosen then by popular vote), Charles Ketcham first led a performance of the Carmen Suites Numbers 1 and 2 with the

-Program notes by Eric Bromberger

played by the San Diego Symphony for the first time in the summer of 1962, when Earl Murray conducted. Murray also programmed it in the 1965-66 season but he was injured, and Carlos Chavez led it in his place. Jahja Ling led it most recently during the 2012-13 season. The performance at these concerts is the sixteenth time the piece has been programmed here.

contemporary San Diego Symphony in the 1980-81 season.

These concerts mark the first performances here of Winton

Several performances of varied music from that favorite

Marsalis's Violin Concerto. n

opera followed, mainly during the summer seasons. RimskyKorsakov's very popular symphonic suite, Scheherazade, was

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