The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra John Hsu, Artistic Director & Conductor. Descriptive Music. Italian Composers

Transcription

1 The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra John Hsu, Artistic Director & Conductor Descriptive Music By Italian Composers Sunday 17 February :00 p.m. Peachtree Road United Methodist Church 3180 Peachtree Road NW Atlanta, Georgia

2 Descriptive Music by Italian Composers made possible by the sponsorship of Lois Z. Pyle Concerto Grosso Op. 5, No. 6, Christmas Giuseppe Sammartini for strings and continuo ( ) Spiritoso-Allegro-Spiritoso Rondo: Allegro moderato e grazioso Pastorale: Andante sostenuto Concerto a quattro in E-flat Major, Pietro Locatelli Op. 7, No. 6, Lament of Arianna ( ) for 2 violins, viola, cello, and strings Andante-Allegro-Adagio-Andante-Allegro Largo-Largo andante-grave Allegro-Largo intermission The Inchanted Forest Francesco Geminiani for 2 violins, viola, cello, 2 flutes, ( ) trumpet, 2 horns, strings and continuo PART I Andante Allegro moderato Andante Allegro moderato-andante-adagio Allegro moderato Andante spiritoso Allegro Grave-Allegro PART II Andante affetuoso [Allegro vivace] Allegro moderato Andante-Allegro-Andante-Allegro Allegro molto Andante Allegro-Affetuoso-Allegro

3 THE ATLANTA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA John Hsu, Artistic Director & Conductor Violin Violoncello Flute Karen Clarke Stephanie Vial Catherine Bull Gesa Kordes Eckhart richter Janice Joyce Shawn Pagliarini Martha Perry Violone Horn Valerie Arsenault Melanie Punter Richard Seraphinoff Ruth Johnsen Ute Marks Viola Melissa Brewer Elena Kraineva Harpsichord Daniel Pyle Russell Williamson Trumpet Barry Bauguess The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra was founded under the leadership of Lyle Nordstrom, along with founding-members Catherine Bull, Jeanne Johnson, Daniel Pyle, and Eckhart Richter, who felt the need for a permanent, professional, historical-instrument orchestra in the Southeast. The unique, transparent sheen of early instruments, coupled with their capability of a delightful variety of articulations, allows voices and instruments to blend into a unified, yet clear, sound that is very difficult to achieve with modern instruments. Since its founding in 1997, the ABO has been applauded for its freshness and verve, and for its delightful, convincing performances of a wide range of earlier works. The Orchestra received initial generous support from the Atlanta Early Music Alliance and a variety of individuals, and has also depended on donations of time and money from the musicians themselves. The ABO is a not-for-profit corporation based in Atlanta, and is 501(c)3 (tax-exempt). Contributions, which are tax-deductible, are greatly appreciated and are central to the survival of a venture such as this. If you would like to support the ABO and its future programming, please send checks made out to The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, 303 Augusta Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA There is also a great opportunity for friends of the arts in the community to serve on the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra board. Please visit our website at for more information on the ABO. John Hsu is the Old Dominion Foundation Professor of Music Emeritus at Cornell University, where he taught for 50 years ( ). He was the founder and conductor of the erstwhile Apollo Ensemble (a period instrument chamber orchestra) and a renowned virtuoso player of the viola da gamba and baryton. As both a conductor and an instrumentalist, he has been awarded grants by The Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals and Exhibitions, a public/private partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States Information Agency, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. He has performed throughout North America and Europe, and made awardwinning recordings. Among them are his CD of Haydn Baryton Trios (with violist David Miller and cellist Fortunato Arico), which was chosen Winner in the Music Retailers Association's Annual Award for Excellence in London, 1989; and his CD Symphonies for the Esterhazy Court by Joseph Haydn (with the Apollo Ensemble), which was nominated for the 1996 International Cannes Classical Music Award. In recognition of his edition of the complete instrumental works of Marin Marais ( ), the most important composer of music for the viola da gamba, and for his performances and recordings of French baroque music for the viola da gamba, the French government conferred on him the knighthood Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres in May of He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, which awarded him the Honorary Doctor of Music degree in 1971, and the Outstanding Alumni Award in He is also Artistic Director Emeritus of the Aston Magna Foundation for Music and the Humanities, the pioneering musical organization in the historical performance movement in this country, founded by Albert Fuller in 1972.

4 Program Notes by John Hsu The three composers on this program were all Italians who spent their professional lives elsewhere. Giuseppe Sammartini ( ) and Francesco Geminiani ( ) went to England, and Pietro Antonio Locatelli ( ) to Amsterdam. Giuseppe Sammartini was born in Milan in He and his younger brother Giovanni Battista studied the oboe with their father, and both became oboists of the ducal theatre orchestra in Milan. He immigrated to London in 1729, and soon became oboist in the King s Theatre and Music Master in the household of Frederick, Prince of Wales. He was considered the leading oboist of his time, and many of Handel s works for the oboe were intended for him. As a composer, he composed mostly sonatas and concertos, and is best known for his 24 concerti grossi for two violins, cello, and orchestra of strings, to which the Christmas Concerto belongs. In the history of program music, Christmas was certainly among the most popular occasions for which music was specifically composed. Sammartini s Christmas Concerto shares a common trait with similar works by his contemporaries in having a pastorale movement (here the last movement) that evokes scenes of shepherds, integral to the story of the Nativity. The common musical devices used in such a movement are the dotted rhythm of the siciliana and the presence of the drone. The first two movements of this concerto both contain unusual features. The first movement, in the form of a French overture (usually a fast fugal section enclosed by two similar slow sections) has a closing section that is totally different in musical content and character from the introductory section. The second movement is a minuet in Rondo form, in which the final couplet is itself a theme with variations. Both movements are in the key of G minor, which makes the Pastorale in G major especially peaceful and soothing. Pietro Locatelli was born in Bergamo in 1695, and went to Rome for his violin training in He became a frequent performer at distinguished musical events in Rome between 1716 and Thereafter, he sojourned in Mantua and Venice during , and concertized in Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden, and other German cities in , before settling in Amsterdam in Locatelli may well be considered the first virtuoso of modern violin playing. His 12 concertos for the violin introduced innovative technical demands that explored and broadened every aspect of violin playing of the time, many of which remain challenging for players today. In spite of his stature as a virtuoso violinist, he seldom performed during his 35 years in Amsterdam, preferring the life of a composer instead. His works were published by the well-known Dutch publisher Roger & Le Cène, and were widely circulated. Locatelli s Arianna s Lament is a deeply moving and emotionally powerful work that depicts a specific dramatic scene from a legend, in this instance, Arianna s sorrow and suffering after being abandoned by her lover Theseus on the island of Naxos. It is a concerto grosso with an unusual concertino that adds a viola to the usual solo group of two violins and cello, and an unusual formal structure of ten sections instead of the usual three or four movements. Although the composer gave no titles to each of the ten sections, I see this work as divided into three parts: the depiction of the Isle of Naxos, the Lament, and the depiction of Arianna agony and submission to fate. I hope that the imagined titles that I offer below will help both listeners and performers to appreciate the composer's masterful tone painting in this sensitive work of pathos.

5 Part I, Naxos Andante: Starkness of the Isle of Naxos Allegro: Turbulance of the sea Adagio: Arianna wailing Andante: Starkness of the Isle of Naxos Allegro: Turbulance of the sea Part II, Lament Largo Largo andante Grave Part III, Arianna Allegro: Arianna s agony Largo: Her submission to fate Francesco Geminiani was born in Lucca in 1687, studied with Corelli in Rome, but lived mostly in England from 1714 until his death in In his lifetime, he was highly regarded not only as a composer, often considered as an equal of Handel and Corelli, but also as a virtuoso player, influential teacher, and author of musical treatises. As both a performer and composer, his propagation of Corelli s musical styles in England was enthusiastically received. The King was said to be among those who heard Geminiani perform Italian violin sonatas accompanied by Handel. Geminiani composed The Enchanted Forest for a stage production by the famous French Baroque theater director Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, based on selected events drawn from the thirteenth canto of Torquato Tasso s heroic poem La Gerusalemme Liberata (Jerusalem Delivered), which took place on March 31, 1754, in the theater of the Tuileries Palace in Paris. This was neither an opera nor a ballet, but a pantomime. According to a review of the event, it was a spectacular show that made use of the best available stagecraft of the time. Structurally, this composition is in two parts. The first part, beginning and ending in D minor, is divided into eight sections of different lengths; the second part, beginning and ending in D major, is divided into seven. The longer sections are complete movements in various forms, while the shorter ones are transitional in character. It is in style a concerto grosso, featuring a concertino of two violins, viola, and cello, with an orchestra consisting of strings, two flutes, two horns, trumpet, and basso continuo. When the music was published in London in 1755, it was introduced as The Inchanted Forrest, an instrumental composition expressive of the same ideas as the poem of Tasso of that title by F. Geminiani. However, no programmatic notes were given for any part of this work to indicate the various events, scenic effects, or action of the mimes that the music was accompanying. Thus, it behooves performers of this music today to imagine the possible portrayal and action on stage in order to recapture the essence of each section of music in this lengthy work. The imagined titles that I provide below are drawn from those accounts in the canto of Tasso s poem that deals with the struggles of the Crusaders who encamped near the ghostly forest of the demons and witches outside Jerusalem. I hope that my attempted matching of music to the narrative helps to enhance our enjoyment of this series of vignettes.

6 PART I Andante: Crusaders encampment, stark but peaceful Allegro moderato: Crusaders dance Andante: Crusaders song Allegro moderato: Appearance of belligerent demons - Andante: Demons threats - Adagio: Crusaders fear Allegro moderato: Attempt to resume the dance Andante spiritoso: Appearance of heroic leaders Allegro: Battle between Crusaders and demons Grave - Allegro: Demons defeat - Crusaders high spirits PART II Andante affetuoso: A love scene [Allegro vivace]: Children at play Allegro moderato: Fortification of the encampment Andante: Moment of peace curtailed by the following inflictions imposed by the King of Demons - Allegro: noisy disturbance - Andante: ghostly visions - Allegro: raging fire Allegro molto: drought Andante: Suffering of the Crusaders and their prayer to God Allegro: God s answer symbolized by the appearance of rain - Affetuoso: Crusaders' expression of gratitude - Allegro

7 Embellish A Melody! Bach Club ($ ) Vivaldi Club ($ ) An anonymous donor Anne P. Halliwell An anonymous donor Dr. & Mrs. Ephraim R. McLean An anonymous donor Cathy Callaway Adams Dr. & Mrs. David Bright Peter & Patricia DeWitt Telemann Club ($ ) Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Joan Althouse Janie R. Hicks John & Linda Austin Martha J. R. Hsu Mr. & Mrs. Roger S. Austin Douglas A. Leonard Beth Bell & Stephen Morris William E. Pearson III Mr. & Mrs. Roy B. Bogue Lois Z. Pyle Stratton H. Bull Dr. & Mrs. Eckhart Richter Susan K. Card Donald E. Snyder Moncure and Sandy Crowder Larry Thorpe & Dr. Barbara Williams Jeffrey & Martha Freeman Susan Wagner Dr. Alan Goodman Dymples E. Hammer Handel Club ($ ) Mr. & Mrs. Allan R. Jones Donald N. Broughton & Susan L. Olson Virginia Ware Killorin Dr. & Mrs. William P. Marks, Jr. Hans & Christa Krause Dr. George Riordan & Karen Clarke Rich & Caroline Nuckolls Rebeccas M. Pyle Hans & JoAnn Schwantje Season Sponsors ($2,500 or more) Anonymous Donor Anonymous Donor Peter & Patricia DeWitt Janie R. Hicks William E. Pearson III Lois Z. Pyle Donald Snyder Larry Thorpe & Dr. Barbara Williams The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra would like to thank the following persons and establishments For contributing their time, talents, and energy in regard to the details of ABO concerts. Atlanta Early Music Alliance (AEMA) Janice Joyce & Chris Robinson Janie Hicks Peter and Patricia DeWitt Martha Bishop Peachtree Road United Methodist Church: Scott Atchison And Camilla Cruikshank Eckhart & Rosemary Richter Russell Williamson Valerie Prebys Arsenault Sid & Linda Stapleton Susan Wagner Linda Bernard & RyeType Design Cathy Adams & The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta The ABO would also like to acknowledge the several thousand dollars worth of rehearsal time that has been graciously given to the orchestra by its members. These concerts could not be given without their enthusiasm and support. President: Eckhart Richter Vice President: William E. Pearson III Vice President for Development: Janie Hicks Secretary: Susan Wagner Treasurer: Peter DeWitt Resident Director: Daniel Pyle ABO Board of Directors Cathy Adams Dr. Alan Goodman Janice Joyce Ephraim McLean Melanie Punter Larry Thorpe

8 Come Hear our other Concerts! 30 March 2008, 3:00 pm Bach s Cantata 82 Ich habe genug plus concerto For Two Violins & Brandenburg Concerti nos. 3 & 5 sponsored by an anonymous donor 11 May 2008, 3:00 pm Classical Chamber Music for Strings and Winds Haydn: String Quartet op. 77 no. 2; Feld-Parthie in F Mozart: Divertimenti nos. 12 & 13 for Wind Sextet sponsored by Peter & Patricia DeWitt Visit our new web-site at These concerts are made possible in part by a gif rom Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta Presents Jennifer Stumm, viola Sunday 6 April 2008, 7:00 pm Northside Drive Baptist Church (chapel) 3600 Northside Drive NW