THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA OF YALE o cto b e r 17, 2 0 1 4 · f rid ay 7:30 pm · wools e y h all John Adams, guest conductor Brentano String Quartet: Mark Steinberg, violin · Serena Canin, violin · Misha Amory, viola · Nina Lee, cello
igor stravinsky Orpheus (1947)
first scene: Orpheus weeps for Eurydice. Some friends pass offering him sympathy. Air de Danse Dance of the Angel of Death: The Angel leads Orpheus to Hades. Interlude: The Angel and Orpheus appear in the gloom of Tartarus. second scene: Pas des Furies: Their agitations and their threats Air de Danse: Orpheus Interlude: The tormented souls of Tartarus stretch out their fettered arms and implore Orpheus to continue his song of consolation. Air de Danse (conclusion) Pas d’Action: Hades, moved by the song of Orpheus, grows calm. The Furies surround him, bind his eyes, and return Eurydice to him. Pas-de-Deux: Orpheus and Eurydice before the veiled curtain; Orpheus tears the bandage from his eyes. Eurydice falls dead. Interlude Pas d’Action: The Bacchantes attack Orpheus, seize him, and tear him to pieces. third scene: Orpheus’ Apotheosis: Apollo appears. He wrests the lyre from Orpheus and raises his song heavenwards.
john adams
Absolute Jest (2012) with The Brentano String Quartet Intermission
ludwig van beethoven
Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60 I. II. III. IV.
Adagio – Allegro vivace Adagio Allegro vivace Allegro ma non troppo
Robert Blocker, Dean
pro g ram no tes Igor Stravinsky » 1882–1971 Orpheus (1947) The hero of Orpheus is portrayed from the very opening bars of the work in the strumming of his lyre. This musical accompaniment to a neoclassical piece of lyric theater is admirably suited to the clean lines and organic natural curves of Japanese sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s minimalist costumes and sets. The great American choreographer George Balanchine’s clean lines, angles, and curves in motion likewise complement the score. The music is marked by a distinct clarity and transparency, as well a classical sense of proportion, balance and symmetry among its three scenes with a traditional “exposition–conflict– resolution” scheme. There is undulating, yet unhurried, rhythmic motion beneath the surface, yet there are marked interruptions in which the musical action comes to a halt, like a freeze frame in the editing of a silent film. Blocks of sound, wind chorales, and sudden bursts of vibrant color interrupt the flow of the music. Stravinsky called the ballet a “long, sustained, slow chant, composed independently of any folkloristic elements.” This theatrical work is by no means historically accurate to the hellenistic period, but is rather a pure imagining and evocation of the myth. After all, part of what defines classicism is this universality.Orpheus has been portrayed countless times in art over millennia—whether musical, visual, terpsichorean, or literary—from Monteverdi and Gluck to Rubens, Cocteau, and even the contemporary indie rock group Arcade Fire. After the tragic loss of Eurydice in the underworld, from which the hero attempts to rescue his love by calmly persuading the spirits of the dead—furies and multi-headed beasts among them—to subside with his strumming lyre, Orpheus does indeed return to the land of the living at the end, and his own music endures through the end of his life. Ultimately, the myth, as well as Stravinsky’s setting, is an allegory for the immortality of music and art.
John Adams » b. 1947 Absolute Jest
John Adams’s Absolute Jest is framed tonight by the work of the masters who inspired its creation: Igor Stravinsky and Ludwig van Beethoven. Adams describes hearing, in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, the composer’s capacity
to take both “material and vitality” of the music of a much earlier composer—the 18th-century Italian musician Giovanni Pergolesi—and “weave it into his own musical style and language.” Adams has done the very same, but the predecessor from whom he draws inspiration is Beethoven. The composer’s catalysts in the creation of this work are the vibrant pockets of life found in the scherzo movements of Beethoven’s late string quartets: brilliant, vibrant spans of music among what is often, in Adams’ words, “full of gravitas.” Adams weaves in fragments of Beethoven’s scherzos throughout Absolute Jest, transplanting a string quartet—the ensemble as well as the genre—into a large-scale orchestral work. The orchestra both accompanies the string quartet and engages in dialogue with it. The music is continuously modulating, morphing, and meandering through harmonic and rhythmic shifts, as though one were hearing, as Adams describes it, “Beethoven passed through a hall of mirrors.” Over the duration of this rapid-fire work, the listener encounters “tropes” on Beethoven’s String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131; snatches of the Eighth and Ninth symphonies; the Waldstein piano sonata; the String Quartet in F major, Op. 135; and the Grosse Fuge, among other subtle references. Though Absolute Jest is energetic and often playful, the composer does not, despite the title, mean for the piece to be some sort of musical joke. Rather, he uses the word “jest” to refer to its Latin origin, gesta, meaning acts or deeds. The musical “jest” in this case is highly active, as is the music. Adams writes that he likes to “think of ‘jest’ as indicating an exercising of one’s wit by means of imagination and invention.” This imaginative work challenges our perception of music that we believe we know quite well, allowing us to hear the familiar in a new light, through the eyes of a contemporary creative artist.
Ludwig van Beethoven » 1770–1827
Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60 Between the confident opening hammer blows of Beethoven’s Third Symphony, “Eroica,” and the dramatic (and now almost cliché) gesture that opens the Fifth, the spare, pianissimo Bflat that begins Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony sounds more like a mysterious ringing in the ears than the start of a symphony. It seizes one’s attention just as surely, but through its minimalism more than by force. A master of subversion, Beethoven was acutely aware of the psychological effects of musical expectation, fulfillment, and defiance. In toying with our presumptions of
“conventional” music, Beethoven likewise toys with our emotions. For his Symphony No. 4, the composer returns to the classical model of the slow introduction but imbues it with ambiguity and misleading chromaticism. We have very little sense of where any of the delicate, detached pitches meandering through the strings might take us; Beethoven gives little conventional harmonic underpinning to help us find our footing, nor a metrical grounding apart from a pulse a little quicker than a heartbeat. The orchestra suddenly settles on a new unison—a B-natural, suspended uncomfortably above the tonic of B-flat to elevate the tension—before the orchestra tests a variety of other keys, changing its mind every measure. By the time the “proper” sonata-allegro form begins, with an upbeat call to B-flat, it seems reluctant. Can we settle into an ebullient B-flat major after spending so much time in the mysterious darkness of B-flat minor? Not necessarily. Throughout the opening movement, brief glimpses of the minor mode emerge with no foreshadowing or follow-through. In the development, Beethoven reworks the gesture that begins the allegro section into a variety of tonalities, before the melodious second theme, with its descending scale gesture, has unexpectedly brought us back to the discomforting B-natural/C-flat that hovered above the tonic in the introduction. Then, almost as quickly, Beethoven leads us once more into B-flat major; but first, he has the strings test the waters, trading off wisps of the key, before at last moving together as one, bringing the full orchestra back to “home” for the recapitulation. But Beethoven seldom leaves well enough alone, and the “return” of the opening material is as filled with surprise and ambiguity as ever before. The subversion continues through the ensuing movements. In the cantabile slow movement, a beautiful song-like theme is suspended over a nervously pulsating accompaniment that doesn’t seem to fit in with the graceful melody. It is frequently interrupted by jarring trumpet signals, sudden dilations into forte, and, of course, brief glimpses of the minor mode. At times Beethoven completely submerges the “melody” in the awkward rhythmic gestures of the accompaniment. In the scherzo, Beethoven continues to playfully manipulate formal convention. Rather than a typical three-part scherzo structure, the composer expands the form: he brings back the
first section twice rather than only once, and the trio section (usually heard just once) comes back a second time. The famous horn swells that draw the movement to the close likewise interrupt the flow of expectation and fulfillment. Only a composer of considerable wit and confidence would hush the entire orchestra at the climactic moment of closure, drawing our ears to the two devious “devil’s horns” that round out the scherzo. The shotgun finale is a dynamic movement filled with the shrewdness of Haydn, Beethoven’s one-time mentor. Beethoven’s keen awareness of what we expect as listeners, and his willingness to dispense with it, are fully on display. It makes this symphony, though perhaps less heavy than those which bookend it, certainly no less exciting. — Patrick Campbell Jankowski
John Adams, guest conductor Composer, conductor and creative thinker John Adams was born and raised in New England. He learned the clarinet from his father and played in marching bands and community orchestras during his formative years. He began composing at age ten and heard his first orchestral pieces performed while still a teenager. After graduating from Harvard, he moved in 1971 to the San Francisco Bay area, where he has lived ever since. Adams’ orchestral scores are among the most frequently performed and influential compositions by an American since the era of Copland and Bernstein. Works such as Shaker Loops, Harmonielehre, Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and his Violin Concerto are by now staples of the symphonic repertoire. Adams’ numerous theatrical works, all done in collaboration with stage director Peter Sellars, include Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic. These operas, with themes drawn from recent American history, have made a significant impact on the course of contemporary opera. Among his recent works are the Passion oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary, Absolute Jest (for string quartet and orchestra, based on fragments of Beethoven) and the new Saxophone Concerto, written for soloist Tim McAllister. Adams is currently composing a new violin concerto for the virtuoso Leila Josefowicz.
art i st profiles
Adams has received honorary doctorates from Yale and Harvard, as well as from Cambridge University in England and from the Juilliard School. On the Transmigration of Souls, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to commemorate the first anniversary of 9/11, received the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Music. John Adams is a much sought-after conductor, appearing with the world’s major orchestras in programs combining his own works with a wide variety of repertoire ranging from Beethoven and Mozart to Ives, Carter, Zappa, Glass and Ellington. He has been guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the orchestras of Cleveland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Seattle, London and Philadelphia. He is currently Creative Chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. John Adams is also a highly esteemed and provocative writer. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and has written for The New Yorker and The London Times. Hallelujah Junction, his muchpraised volume of memoirs and commentary on American musical life, was named one of “the most notable books of 2008” by the New York Times. The official John Adams website is www.earbox.com.
Brentano String Quartet Since its inception in 1992, the Brentano String Quartet has appeared throughout the world to popular and critical acclaim. Beginning this past July, the Brentano Quartet succeeds the Tokyo Quartet as artists-in-residence at Yale University, departing from their 14-year residency at Princeton University. The Quartet also serves as the collaborative ensemble for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In 2012 the Brentano Quartet provided the central music (Beethoven Op. 131) for the critically acclaimed independent film A Late Quartet. In addition to performing the entire twocentury range of the standard quartet repertoire, the Brentano Quartet has a strong interest in both very old and very new music. It has performed many musical works predating the string quartet as a medium. The quartet has also worked closely with some of the most important composers of our time, including Elliott Carter, Charles Wuorinen, Chou Wen-chung, Steven Mackey, Bruce Adolphe, and György Kurtág. The Quartet has
commissioned works from Wuorinen, Adolphe, Mackey, David Horne, and Gabriela Frank. The quartet has been privileged to collaborate with such artists as soprano Jessye Norman, pianist Richard Goode, and pianist Mitsuko Uchida. In spring 2013 the second of three recordings featuring the late Beethoven Quartets was released on Aeon Records. Previous recordings include a disc of Mozart (Aeon) and the Opus 71 quartets of Haydn. The quartet has released a disc of the music of Steven Mackey on Albany and has recorded the music of Bruce Adolphe, Chou Wen-chung and Charles Wuorinen. Within a few years of its formation, the Quartet garnered the first Cleveland Quartet Award and the Naumburg Chamber Music Award. In 1998 cellist Nina Lee joined the Quartet, succeeding founding member Michael Kannen. The Quartet is named for Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars consider to be Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” the intended recipient of his famous love confession. The Brentano String Quartet records for AEON (distributed by Allegro Media Group) » www.brentanoquartet.com
a b o u t yale p h ilharmonia
The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale is one of America’s foremost music school ensembles. The largest performing group at the Yale School of Music, the Philharmonia offers superb training in orchestral playing and repertoire. Performances include an annual series of concerts in Woolsey Hall, as well as Yale Opera productions in the Shubert Performing Arts Center. The Yale Philharmonia has also performed on numerous occasions in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 2008, the orchestra undertook its first tour of Asia with acclaimed performances in the Seoul Arts Center, the Forbidden City Concert Hall and National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), and the Shanghai Grand Theatre.
shinik hahm Conductor philharmonia staff andrew w. parker Manager roberta senatore Music Librarian brent laflam Production Assistant louis lohraseb Assistant Conductor heejung park Assistant Conductor
The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale violin i Benjamin Hoffman Ruda Lee Shuaili Du Bora Kim Jiazhi Wang Yena Lee Jing Yang Diana Do Hyung Kim Jinyou Lee Suliman Tekalli Jessica Oddie Marie Oka violin ii Marina Aikawa Sarah Arnold Dae Hee Ahn Yuri Mitsuhashi Yite Xu Michael Duffett Yefim Romanov Melanie Clapies Adelya Nartadjieva Julia Ghica viola Xinyi Xi David Mason Batmyagmar Erdenebat Catherine Gray Julia Clancy Ryan Davis Hee-Sun Yang Daniel Stone
cello Alan Ohkubo Kimberly Miyoung Jeong Nayeon Kim Yoonha Yi Yifan Wu Sohyang Yu Allan Hon Bora Kim
horn Sarah Boxmeyer Chuta Chulavalaivong Reese Farnell Sarah Ford Cody Halquist Craig Hubbard 3 Patrick Jankowski 1 Thomas Park 2
bass Samuel Bobinski Samuel Suggs Luke Stence Andrea Beyer William Robbins
trumpet Patrick Durbin 2 Aaron Krumsieg 3 Mikio Sasaki 1 Daniel Venora
flute Jacob Mende-Fridkis 3 Andrew Robson Jonathan Slade 1, 2 Joanna Wu oboe Ron Cohen Mann Ross Garton Timothy Gocklin Kemp Jernigan 2 Fiona Last 1 Sol Jee Park 3 clarinet Joshua Anderson 1 Chi Hang Fung 2 William Kennedy Kevin Schaffter 3 bassoon Carl Gardner 3 Marissa Olegario Cornelia Sommer 1, 2
trombone Richard Liverano 2 Elisabeth Shafer 1 Johnathan Weisgerber timpani Yifei Fu 2 Jeffrey Stern 1 Georgi Videnov 3 Percussion Milan Kramer Georgi Videnov harp Noel Wan piano/celeste Wenbin Jin Anton Smirnov 1 Principal on Stravinsky 2 Principal on Adams 3 Principal on Beethoven
student assistant Timothy Gocklin music librarians Nicholas DeBerardino Allan Hon Matthew Keown Fiona Last Michael Laurello Richard Liverano David Mason Marie Oka Yefim Romanov stage crew Samuel Bobinski John Caughman Patrick Durbin Batmyagmar Erdenebat Yifei Fu Julia Ghica Matthew Keown John Kossler Fiona Last Christopher Lettie Thomas Park Elisabeth Shafer Terrence Sweeney Georgi Videnov Johnathan Weisgerber
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