Program Notes

Program Notes

by April L. Racana24

JunLeonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

Overture to "Candide"It has been said that Leonard Bernstein never approached any work thesame way twice, and his score for Candide may very well be the epitomeof the extent to which he would go to continually rework and revise hiscompositions. The opening for this show, which has been dubbed both
24Junmusical and operetta, came on December 1st, 1956 and was based on
Voltaire’s eighteenth-century satire, which had been adapted by author
Lillian Helman. The first run of the show only lasted 73 performances,
however it didn’t take long for the ‘Overture’ to become an orchestral pieceon its own, making its debut performance with the New York Philharmonicin January 1957.
Over the next thirty years Bernstein continually revised the entire
musical numerous times, with varying success in its many transformations.
The ‘Overture’ contains a mixture of tunes from the show, including The
Best of All Possible Worlds, Oh Happy We, and Glitter and Be Gay. So
closely associated with the New York Philharmonic was Bernstein, and sowell-loved was this work, that at a memorial concert following Bernstein’s
death in 1990, members of the orchestra performed the ‘Overture’ without
a conductor as a tribute to the symphony’s Laureate Conductor.
Work composed: 1956 World premiere: 26th January, 1957
Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, E-flat clarinet,bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets,3,trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (snare drum, tenor drum, bassdrum, triangle, cymbals, glockenspiel, xylophone）, harp, strings

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Rhapsody in BlueProgram Notes

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Originally titled American Rhapsody, George Gershwin wasapparently convinced by his lyricist brother, Ira, that the title neededsome re-thinking. Being an experienced wordsmith and a collaborator
on so many popular tunes with George, Ira purportedly was inspired byJames McNeil Whistler’s colour imagery in such paintings as “Nocturnein Black and Gold” and “Arrangement in Gray and Black”, when hesuggested the revised title Rhapsody in Blue. Ironic perhaps, that inrecent times, the main theme from this work has become associated withan airline, when initially the underlying rhythms were inspired by thoseof a train that Gershwin was riding on when he was pressed to complete
the work on very short notice for an upcoming performance.

24JunAs the story goes, Gershwin had told bandleader Paul Whitemanthat he was contemplating merging jazz influences with classical for
an upcoming composition.

Shortly afterward Whiteman decided toprogram a variety of works featuring his band for an event called ‘An
Experiment in Modern Music.’ The works were all intended to highlight‘American Music’ with an emphasis on jazz, and although he hadn’tgotten a firm commitment from Gershwin, Whiteman published in
the New York Tribune that George Gershwin was working on a ‘jazz
concerto’ for the occasion. That was news to Gershwin, but in spite ofinitial resistance due to previous commitments, Whiteman convinced
Gershwin to complete his proposed composition melding jazz withclassical styles.
In the meantime, Gershwin had to follow through on the final
rehearsals for Sweet Little Devil, which was due to open in New York,as well as accompany for soprano Eve Gauthier in a major recital, in theshort time before Whiteman’s big event. Later, Gershwin revealed that27

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the basic concept for the piece was inspired by the rhythmic patterns heheard on the train. Given the short time frame, Gershwin created a score
for two pianos and turned it over to Whiteman’s arranger, Ferde Grofé
who then orchestrated it for the band.
This first version, for a relatively smaller ensemble, was premiered
on February 12, 1924 at New York City’s Aeolian Hall. Gershwin had
not included in the score the solo passages for the piano, indicating onlythat Whitehead should wait for his nod to bring in the orchestra for thenext section. And although the critical reviews were mixed, the work
was for the most part well-received, spurring on a debate as to whether
the work is best classified as classical with a jazz influence, or along the24Junlines of a popular work arranged with classical stylings.
A revised version of Rhapsody in Blue was arranged for fullorchestra, also by Grofé. This version is the one most often presented
in modern day performances, and led Gershwin to further pursue otherclassical compositions, later writing his own orchestrations, whichquelled many questions by critics regarding his true musical abilities.
Gershwin would go on to compose some of his best work in the timeremaining in his short life, but Rhapsody in Blue would perhaps remain
his most popular work for audiences to this day.
Work composed: 1924(original version), 1942 (orchestral version)
World premiere: 12th February, 1924 (original version)
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2bassoons, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion(snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, tam-tam, glockenspiel), 2 alto
saxophones, tenor saxophone, strings, solo piano28

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Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 3
Ⅰ．Italiana / Ⅱ．Arie di corte /Program Notes

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)

Ⅲ．Siciliana / Ⅳ．Passacaglia

Interspersed between ‘The Roman Trilogy’ compositions, and showing
his great devotion to early Italian music, Respighi transcribed a number ofRenaissance and Baroque pieces for much smaller chamber orchestras. The
Ancient Airs and Dances for Lute were created in three suites beginning in
1917 and finishing in 1932.
Suite No. 1 is based primarily on Renaissance lute pieces written
originally by Simone Molinaro, Vincenzo Galilei, and other anonymous

24Juncomposers. Suite No. 2 was completed in 1924 and is transcribed frompieces for lute, archlute and viol by Fabrizio Caroso, Jean-Baptiste Besard,
Bernardo Gianoncelli, and another anonymous composer. There is also atranscription included of Antoine Boësset’s famous song “Divine Amaryllis.”
Suite No. 3 breaks from the previous two in that it is arranged for strings
only. The first movement, Italiana is an anonymous 16th century song.
Arie di Corte follows, in a mini-suite taken from several songs attributed
to Giovanni Battista Besard, although it is believed that he may have been
merely the compiler of these. The third of this suite, called Siciliana byRespighi is more commonly known as Spagnoletta in 17th century Spainand Italy. The finale, Passacaglia by Lodovico Roncalli is the only baroqueguitar work set by Respighi. The wide variety of strumming and plucking
techniques found in the original are wonderfully orchestrated by Respighi
to mirror their unique sounds.
These pieces show Respighi’s intense interest in and love of earlymusic, as well as his brilliant abilities as an orchestrator. He found a way29

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not only to give tribute to the legacies of great early composers throughthese transcriptions, but as stated by annotator Julia Bömers: “…earlymusic became a source of musical renewal and self-discovery for him.”
Work composed: 1931 World premiere: January 1932, Milan
Instrumentation: strings

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)

Symphonic Poem "Pines of Rome"Ⅰ．
Pines of the Villa Borghese / Ⅱ．
The Pines Near a Catacomb /Ⅲ．
The Pines of the Janiculum / Ⅳ．
The Pines of the Appian Way
24JunBorn in Bologna, Italy in the late 19th century, Respighi found himself
in the shadow of many great composers of his country, including the likes ofPuccini, Rossini and Verdi. He was not only a scholar, but also an admirerof early Italian music, and is perhaps most well known for combining the“old with the new.” After building his reputation composing in a varietyof genres, including opera, songs, quintets, a piano concerto, sonatas anda tribute to Bach (Suite in G major for Strings and Organ); and arranging
numerous orchestral transcriptions of works by Bach, Monteverdi, Tartini
Vivaldi, and Rossini, as well as editing many early chamber works, Respighi
turned his attention to symphonic poems.
The most popular of these tone poems are considered by many to be thethree that belong to what have been called ‘The Roman Trilogy.’ Withinthese, one can hear not only reminiscences of ancient Italian music, but
folk and children’s songs as well. All three are enhanced by the evocativeorchestral colourings he developed after studying in Russia with RimskyKorsakov, and being influenced by other 20th century composers of similar
romantic tendencies, including Ravel and Strauss.

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Rome which was completed in 1924. In his own words, and speaking ofProgram Notes

Fountains of Rome was composed first of the three (1916), and after
several years of contemplating a sequel, Respighi began work on Pines ofhimself in the third person, Respighi commented: “While in his preceding
work, Fountains of Rome, the composer sought to reproduce by means oftone an impression of Nature, in Pines of Rome he uses Nature as a pointof departure, in order to recall memories and vision. The centuries-oldtrees which so characteristically dominate the Roman landscape become
witnesses to the principal events in Roman life.”

In addition, giving

specific program notes about Pines of Rome, he wrote:
The Pines of Villa Borghese (Allegretto vivace)—Children are at playin the pine groves of the Villa Borghese, dancing the Italian equivalentof “Ring around a Rosy.” They mimic marching soldiers and battles.

24JunThey twitter and shriek like swallows at evening, coming and going inswarms. Suddenly the scene changes.
The Pines near a Catacomb (Lento)—We see the shadows of the pines,
which overhang the entrance of a catacomb. From the depths rises achant, which echoes solemnly, like a hymn, and is then mysteriouslysilenced.
The Pines of the Janiculum (Lento)—There is a thrill in the air. The fullmoon reveals the profile of the pines of Gianicolo’s Hill. A nightingalesings.
The Pines of the Appian Way (Tempo di Marcia)—Misty dawn on
the Appian Way. The tragic country is guarded by solitary pines.
Indistinctly, incessantly, the rhythm of unending steps. The poet has
a fantastic vision of past glories. Trumpets blare, and the army of theConsul bursts forth in the grandeur of a newly risen sun toward theSacred Way, mounting in triumph the Capitoline Hill.

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Roman Festival was the last of the trilogy to be composed, andcombines seemingly disparate images of the Circus, a Jubilee, OctoberFest, and the Epiphany. His wife, Elsa, noted the significance of thiswork: “…finally (‘Festivals’), in which all the composer’s characteristicsare powerfully displayed, admirably crowns the cycle…. The impressions
contained therein…reflect the multiform spirit of Rome just as (he) saw andsensed it…. This reminds me of what (he) told me as soon as the work wasfinished: ‘With the present constitution of the orchestra, it’s impossible toachieve more, and I don’t think I shall write any more scores of this kind.’”

24Jun

Work composed: 1923〜1924 World premiere: December 1924, RomeInstrumentation: 3 flutes (3rd doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, Englishhorn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns,
3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (tambourine,bass drum, triangle, two small cymbals, cymbals, tam-tam, ratchet,glockenspiel), harp, celesta, piano, organ, strings / banda: 4 trumpets, 2trombones, gramophone

April L. Racana / Music Specialist at Nishimachi International School where
she has taught since 1992. She completed her undergraduate studies at
the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (BS/Piano Pedagogy) and her
graduate studies at San Francisco State University (MA/Music), as well as
a post-graduate fellowship at Northwestern University, and the Japan
Studies Program at International Christian University.

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