Wind Symphony Erica Neidlinger, conductor

Transcription

1 Saturday, May 5, :00 p.m. Wind Symphony Erica Neidlinger, conductor DePaul Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue Chicago

2 Saturday, May 5, :00 p.m. DePaul Concert Hall Wind Symphony Erica Neidlinger, conductor Program Richard Strauss ( ); arr. Roland Barrett Königsmarsch (1905) Ingolf Dahl ( ) Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (1949) Recitative Adagio (Passacaglia) Rondo alla Marcia: Allegro Brioso Richard Brasseale, saxophone 2018 Wind Symphony Concerto Competition Winner Richard Wagner ( ); trans. Lucien Cailliet Elsa s Procession to the Cathedral ( ) Paul Hindemith ( ) Symphony in Bb (1951) Moderately Fast, with Vigor Andantino Grazioso Fugue

3 Program Notes Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 The program this evening consists entirely of music by German composers. While a relationship always exists amongst politics, society, and the arts, the intersection was particularly clear during the 1930s and 1940s. Music was used for propaganda or seen as a threat to societal norms. Some was embraced by the Nazis, some was banned. Each composer represented this evening was in some way affected by Nazi Germany. Richard Strauss ( ); arr. Roland Barrett Königsmarsch (1905) Duration: 6 minutes As a young composer, Richard Strauss was greatly influenced by the music of Wagner. Strauss became dissatisfied with the music he had previously written and began striving for the more poetic and expressive in music. Among his finest works are tone poems including Don Juan (1888), Till Eulenspiegel s Merry Pranks (1895), and Ein Heldenleben (1898). He also wrote some of the finest songs ever composed as well as successful operas including Salome (1905) and Der Rosenkavalier (1910). In 1933 the Nazi party rose to power in Germany. Although Strauss never joined the party he did cooperate in the early years, in hopes that Hitler (who admired the work of Wagner and had been impressed by Strauss after seeing Salome) would promote German art. Strauss also had a Jewish daughter-in-law and Jewish grandchildren that he sought to protect. From he held the position of President of the State Music Bureau. Strauss relationship with the Nazis drew harsh criticism from other musicians of the time however, his efforts kept his Jewish family members out of concentration camps. Throughout his lifetime, Strauss wrote a number of delightful marches and fanfares. Königsmarsch is characterized by the Romantic forces of rich scoring and bold harmonic power, while incorporating a lyrical trio and an unusual brass hymn. Originally for piano, the work was premiered in a military band setting on March 6, 1907 for a palace concert in Berlin with the composer conducting. The dedication reads, To His Majesty the Kaiser, King Wilhelm II in profound respect and honor given by the composer. Note by Erica Neidlinger.

4 Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 Ingolf Dahl ( ) Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble (1949) Duration: 21 minutes During the Nazi s rise to power, a number of musicians and composers took refuge in southern California, including Walter Marcus. He first fled his birthplace of Hamburg, Germany for Switzerland where he studied at the University of Zurich. When Switzerland became increasingly hostile towards Jewish people he escaped to America in It was there that he legally changed his name to Ingolf Dahl (Ingolf being his middle name, Dahl being his mother s maiden name) in attempt to hide his Germanic and Jewish heritage. It was also there that he composed his Saxophone Concerto - a unique piece that combines old baroque forms with more contemporary styles, and captures Dahl s own personality and sense of humor. Dahl established himself as an important polymath in the music world of California. He held teaching positions at USC, wrote arrangements for Tommy Dorsey s jazz orchestra, and even went on tour accompanying comedian Gracie Fields. His Music for Brass Instruments gave Dahl his first success as a classical composer. After hearing a performance of the piece, German virtuoso saxophonist Sigurd Rascher sent a letter to Dahl requesting that he write a concerto for his instrument and wind band. Mr. Rascher toured regularly with wind bands and felt that he needed a piece that held more dramatic weight and flair. Dahl, intrigued by the opportunity, accepted. The concerto for saxophone was well received. After listening to the piece, Stravinsky wiped a tear from his eye, gave Dahl a hug, and called it a fine piece of music, and Henry Cowell called it one of the most important works for the medium. However, Dahl was a very insecure man and continued to revise the piece until he died. He tightened the ensemble to only orchestral winds and took out almost 25% of the original material. This resulted in a much different piece than the premiere, but Dahl wished that the final version of his piece be played, as he liked it more. The concerto comes in three movements. The first movement, Recitative, meaning to recite or talk, begins with a loud and dramatic statement from the ensemble, and a literal and figurative drumroll that sends the saxophonist into a virtuosic, yet flamboyant arpeggio. The saxophonist freely engages in

5 Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 mood-shifting and often surprising dialogue. The answers from the ensemble carry notes of Dahl s quirky sense of humor. The movement somberly segues into the second movement, Passacaglia, beginning with a pensive horn solo. The saxophonist holds a descant over different solos from the ensemble before reaching the emotional climax of the piece - a loud and dramatic ensemble statement, followed by the quiet, lonely solo saxophone interval that began the movement. The saxophone ends by calmly reiterating the horn solo. The third movement, Rondo alla Marcia is more indicative of the style Dahl championed - very intricate counterpoint on accessible, often humorous content. This light-hearted movement acts almost as a concerto for the wind ensemble, containing long developmental sections with no soloist. He plays jokes on the listener, changing the mood and downbeat against expectations. After a short, angular cadenza, the piece is launched into a dizzying coda, and ends with one last joke on the rondo theme - the last note is delayed, as if the ensemble is late. Dahl s meticulous revisions and humorous detail fully encapsulate his work ethic and personality as seen through his Saxophone Concerto. Note by Richard Brasseale. Richard Wagner ( ); trans. Lucien Cailliet Elsa s Procession to the Cathedral ( ) Duration: 7 minutes Richard Wagner became obsessed with music as a teenager, inspired after hearing the works of Beethoven. His combined musical inspiration and fondness for theater led to a great deal of operatic output, for which he received much acclaim. Wagner s works are characterized by his use of the leitmotif, in addition to complex texture, rich harmonies, and powerful orchestrations. While his music has been highly praised, it also remains controversial mainly due to his antisemitism. Wagner s death occurred fifty years before the Nazis came into power, yet his influence on Hitler was undeniable. Wagner s music was often used as propaganda to rouse and inspire crowds and further spread the

6 Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 idea of German purity. Any divergence from this purity was viewed as a degeneration of music, and thus also a degeneration of the nation. This view led to interrupted performances and banning some music of the day. Elsa s Procession to the Cathedral is extracted from Wagner s opera Lohengrin. In the finale of Act II, Elsa processes down the aisle to marry a knight whose identity must remain a mystery. She later learns that he is Lohengrin, a knight of the Holy Grail. French-American musician Lucien Cailliet transcribed this scene for band in 1938, seemingly unrelated to the politics of Germany. The arrangement has become standard repertoire for wind bands, mostly due to its serious nature and delicate scoring. It remains an example of earlier days of the medium when most serious repertoire was transcribed from an orchestral work. Paul Hindemith ( ) Symphony in Bb (1951) Duration: 18 minutes Paul Hindemith sought an escape from the increasingly tight control of the Nazis in the years before World War II. When he refused to cease performing in ensembles with Jews (including his father-in-law), the Nazi government officially banned his music. Hindemith began to make frequent trips abroad that led to an appointment on the faculty of Yale University in In 1951, Lt. Col. Hugh Curry, leader of the U.S. Army Band, asked Hindemith to compose a work for the band. Hindemith agreed, and in the space of three weeks composed the Symphony in Bb. It was premiered in Washington D.C. on April 5, 1951 with the composer conducting. Leading Hindemith scholar, David Neumeyer, considers this piece one of Hindemith s masterworks. The surface simplicity of the form provides an opportunity to showcase his great contrapuntal skill and organization of thematic integration. The result is a world ripe with complex inter-relationships. The first movement is in sonata allegro form. A powerful opening theme is presented by the trumpets and then echoed by the woodwinds. After a brief transition, the second theme appears in solo oboe and is immediately transformed. After an extended development of the rhythmic motives of both

7 Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 themes, the recapitulation returns with a simultaneous statement of the first and second themes. The second movement opens with an imitative duet scored for alto saxophone and cornet. Thematic material from the first movement appears throughout as the movement develops. The latter half of the second movement is the traditional scherzo movement of a symphony, featuring virtuosic writing for the woodwinds and complex rhythmic activity. The movement peaks as the opening duet returns in combination with the scherzo theme. The final movement demonstrates great compositional craft, beginning with two fugues presented sequentially and then simultaneously. The structure of the movement reflects the scheme of the previous two (first theme, second theme, both themes simultaneously) until Hindemith dramatically re-introduces the heroic theme that began the piece. The Symphony leads to a close with a brilliant display of thematic material brought to a halt by a powerful final cadence. Notes by Erica Neidlinger.

8 Biography Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 Erica Neidlinger is Associate Professor and wind conductor at DePaul University in Chicago. Additional responsibilities include teaching courses in wind history and repertoire, conducting courses, and instrumental music education courses. Dr. Neidlinger s conducting experiences are broad, ranging from chamber ensembles, contemporary ensembles, symphonic bands, and wind ensembles. She has traveled to Singapore and Canada as an ensemble adjudicator and clinician and has been featured as a guest conductor and clinician in Riga, Latvia and Moscow, Russia. Presentations at international conferences include the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in Killarney, Ireland and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. She has conducted honor bands and presented at many conferences across the United States. She also maintains a highly active schedule as a clinician for ensembles visiting Chicago. Before her teaching at DePaul, Dr. Neidlinger served on the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she conducted university concert ensembles and directed the marching band. She has been a member of the band and music education faculty at The Ohio State University and has also served as conductor of the Nebraska Wind Symphony. Neidlinger completed her doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Professor Craig Kirchhoff. Her research applies Laban s Effort Shape Theory to the expressive development of conductors.

9 Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 Personnel Flute Jill DeGroot Eliza Fisher Breanna Vasquez Willord Simmons Jen Klimek Bethany Sorman Rebecca Murray Frejva Zackrison Javier Espindola Allison Roberts Oboe Matt Sampey Reed Cawley Allyson Johnson Meghan Andreachi English Horn Jacob Shapiro Clarinet Youngchuan Chen Alessandro Tenorio-Bucci Sachina Hobo Julia Janda Jesse Bruer Cullen Daniels Jenna Pizer Melissa Frisch Matthew Osuch Allison Marcella Joe Hands Geronimo Melendez Julia Miller Emily Singer Ashley Weichowski Mallory Pargulski Rachael Wilensky Bassoon Carlos Ruiz Elliot Cobb Rebecca Shepro Kevin Thurman Jenna Cole Saxophone Richard Brasseale James Wilder Peter Tearse Tassos Kirkos Kiante Turner-Walton Jacob Delgado Nathan Hatter Paul Wagner Trumpet Erin Marc-Aurele Mark Hale Valerie Kolb David Wagner Hailey Menkhus Aaron Wolf Katelyn Mason Adam Mead Eric Huels Horn Fernando Chapa Momo Hasselbring Barbara Dubravec Kyleen Villines Rebecca Hiigel Gabe Krauter Trombone Brian Mayo Matthew Jarosch Colin Towbin Brendan Whalen Frankie Dobyns Henry Linehan Michael Schober Bass Trombone Andy Chester Euphonium Brian Mayo Matthew Jarosch Andy Chester Tuba Aden Beery Riley Lindsey Bass Andrew French Davis Smith Timpani Tommy Farnsworth Harp Ellie Kirk* Percussion Stephen Giunta Dylan Green Miyu Morita Cristian Torres Jeremy Warren Librarian Emily Kerski *Guest

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11 Wind Symphony May 5, 2018 Upcoming Events Sunday, May 6 5:00 p.m. Concert Hall Faculty Artist Series: Janet Sung and Friends Monday, May 7 7:00 p.m. Recital Hall Wagner Campos Studio Recital Friday, May 18 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 20 2:00 p.m. Concert Hall DePaul Opera Theatre: The Judgment of Paris Saturday, May 19 3:00 p.m. Concert Hall Percussion Ensemble Saturday, May 19 8:00 p.m. Concert Hall African Drum Ensemble Sunday, May 20 2:00 p.m. Student Center 2250 North Sheffield Avenue Chicago Jazz Orchestra Monday, May 21 8:00 p.m. Concert Hall Composers Forum As a courtesy to those around you, please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. Flash photography is not permitted. Thank you. Sign up for DePaul E-Notes! Receive monthly updates in your inbox on performances taking place at the School of Music, as well as special offers and discounts to ticketed events! You can choose to unsubscribe from the list at any time. We have a strict privacy policy and will never sell or trade your address. You can sign up for E-Notes by visiting music.depaul.edu and clicking on Concerts and Events. DePaul University School of Music Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue Chicago Recital Hall 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago music.depaul.edu

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