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CoverJanet Sobel, Milky Way (detail), 

1945, The Museum ofModern Art, New

York, Gift of the artist’s family, 1968,

Digital Image © The Museum of

Modern Art/ Licensed by SCALA/Art

Resource, NY

nga.gov/music

76TH SEASON OF CONCERTS

JANUARY 7, 2018 / NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

’ • M
Program

Harlem Symphony Orchestra

Amadi Azikiwe, conductor

JANUARY 7, 2018/3:30

WEST BUILDING, WEST GARDEN COURT

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Overture to Egmont, op. 84

Dr.James Lee III (b. 1975)

Symphony no. 1, “In this Generation”*

Preamble

Tarantella

The Eternally Present

Fugue

“...and then the probation closed!”

Intermission

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)

Strum

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat for Violin and Viola, K. 364

Allegro maestoso

Andante

Presto

Orlando Wells, violin

Aundrey Mitchell, viola

*World premiere

2

The Musicians

AMADI AZIKIWE

Amadi Azikiwe, violist, violinist, and conductor, has been heard in recital in major

cities throughout the United States and has been a guest at the Kennedy Center

and with the Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society. Abroad, he has performed

throughout Israel, South America, Central America, Nigeria, India, and Japan. As a

soloist, he has appeared with the Delaware Symphony, the Fort Collins Symphony, 

the National Symphony of Ecuador, and at the Costa Rica International Music

Festival. As an orchestral musician, he has played with the New York Philharmonic

and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as with Canada’s National Arts

Centre Orchestra as guest principal violist.

A native of New York City, Azikiwe studied first with his mother and then

trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts as a student of Sally Peck. His

studies continued at the New England Conservatory with xMarcus Thompson and

at Indiana University with Atar Arad. Currently, Azikiwe is the music director of the

Harlem Symphony Orchestra, as well as a member of the Harlem Chamber Players.

ORLANDO WELLS

Orlando Wells, violin, attended the State University of New York at Purchase,

studying with Yuval Waldman and Emanuel Vardi and graduating with a double

major in violin and viola. Wells continued his studies at the xMason Gross School

of the Arts at Rutgers in the studio of Michael Free.

Wells has played with numerous ensembles, including the Northeastern

Pennsylvania Philharmonic, St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra, the Bronx Opera, and

the Ritz Chamber Players. Fie has appeared as soloist with Manhattan Virtuosi,

the Harlem Symphony Orchestra, and Antara Chamber Orchestra and has performed and recorded with Mariah Carey,John Legend, Rihanna, and Elvis Costello.

A frequent performer in Broadway musicals, Wells currently serves as assistant

concertmaster of the Porgy and Bess revival.

3
AUNDREY MITCHELL

Aundrey Mitchell, viola, has performed throughout the United States, South

America, and Europe as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician. She has appeared

at Carnegie Hall, Alice d ully Hall, Merkin Hall, and the Kimmel Center.

Mitchell attended the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, and the

Taos School of Music festivals. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music

with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. Her post-graduate studies were at 

the Manhattan School ofMusic. Mitchell earned her doctorate in musical arts from

Rutgers, studying under Michael Tree, Karen Ritscher, and Lucian Joel. Mitchell

has taught at Moravian College, the Eastern Music Festival, the Westminster Choir

College, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. She is an active chamber musician

in New York and Philadelphia.

4

OVERTURE TO EGMONT, OP. 84

In keeping with Beethoven’s interest in the kinds of people—real or fictitious—who 

dedicated their lives to opposing injustice and oppression, he was commissioned in 

1809 to compose incidental music for Goethe’s play Egmont. The play is based on

the Dutch people’s struggle for liberation from Spain, a movement led by Count

Egmont (1522-1568). During the time of Beethoven’s work on Egmont, Vienna

was under siege by the French, not only isolating Beethoven, but also giving him 

a firsthand view of war.

Egmont’s passionate speech before his execution and martyrdom provided a

powerful impetus for the Dutch people’s ultimate victory over Spain. Beginning

slowly and ominously, with chords that suggest a sinister version of a Spanish 

sarabande, the overture transforms into a restless, quick-paced account, full of

tension, and punctuated with faster versions ofthe opening chords. The finale of

the overture, which is also heard in the play’s final act, is heroic and triumphant, and

guides the listener through victory over tragedy.

SYMPHONY NO. 1, “IN THIS GENERATION”

Symphony no. 1 is part of a collection of orchestral pieces, and the only one composed for strings by Dr.James Lee III. Lee provides an ideal mixture of technical

demands and lyricism, often suggesting the influence ofscripture, as seen in the titles

and character of the third and fifth movements. Throughout the symphony, deft

changes in tempo, textures, and tension can be heard, including a meditative quality.

Always expressive, Symphony no. 1 is a high point for the Harlem Symphony

Orchestra to explore, with the additional honor of premiering it at the National

Gallery ofArt.

STRUM

Originally written for the Catalyst Quartet as an orchestral piece, Strum is a

particularly delightful vehicle for the principal solo players. Beginning modestly, 

in a swaying manner, the orchestra provides a backdrop for the sometimes

lyrical, solo quartet dialogue. An ostinato rhythm evokes a dance quality similar

to Caribbean or African music, as the piece draws to a rousing conclusion.

Program Notes

5
SINFONIA CONCERTANTE IN E-FLAT FOR VIOLIN AND VIOLA, K. 364

Beloved by violinists and violists, the Sinfonia Concertante is one ofthe few concerti

from the classical period that allows the viola to shine equally with the violin. Written

by Mozart in 1779—after returning from a tour and before being dismissed by the

Archbishop of Salzburg—the Sinfonia Concertante was one ofthe new musical forms 

Mozart discovered after visiting Mannheim and Paris. In Paris, Mozart would have

heard the music of the African-French composer and violinistJoseph Bologne de

St. George, who is widely credited with creating the form ofthe Sinfonia Concertante

for violin and viola.

In Mozart’s work, the viola is instructed to tune the instrument one-halfstep

higher than normal, and to play the viola part in D major (sounding in E-flat major)

to better match the brightness of the violin. Most modern-day violists play the work

with the solo part written in E-flat, partly because of the greater projection ability

of modern instruments.

Operatic beauty, drama, and even humor are present throughout the concerto,

with the cadenzas provided by Mozart himself. The orchestral viola part is divided in 

two, creating an unusually rich orchestral sonority. The slow middle movement is in 

a minor key, and its melodies are so sorrowful that listeners might wonder ifMozart

was thinking of his recently deceased mother. The outer movements are full ofjoy,

virtuosity, and a celebration of inspired creativity.

6

Upcoming Events ofthe SeventySixth Season of The William

Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot

Belin Concerts

Unless otherwise noted, all programs 

take place in the West Building,

West Garden Court.

Juho Pohjonen, piano

Music by Bach and Mozart

January 14, 3:30

Piffaro, The Renaissance Band

Celebrating Vermeer and the Masters of

Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

January 21, 3:30

Sybarite5

Outliers

Celebrating Outliers andAmerican

VanguardArt

January 28, 3:30

Daniel Bernard Roumain, violin

Yayoi Ikawa, piano

Redemption Songs and Sonatas

February 4, 3:30

Curtis on Tour

A Celebration of Leonard Bernstein

February 11, 3:30

Trio con Brio Copenhagen 

To Travel Is to Live

Music by Grieg, Gade, Mendelssohn, 

and Tchaikovsky

February 18, 3:30

Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello

Noreen Polera, piano

Music by Albeniz, Brahms,

Schumann, and others 

February 25, 3:30

ETHEL

Blue Dressfor String Quartet

March 4, 3:30

Janoska Ensemble

Classical music with jazz, gypsy, tango,

Latin, and a dash of pop

March 11, 3:30

The Canales Project 

This I Choose...

A celebration of the choices of

extraordinary women

March 18, 3:30

Benedetto Lupo, piano

Featuring solo piano works by Debussy

Celebrating Cezanne Portraits

March 25, 3:30

Richard Stoltzman, clarinet 

Mika Stoltzman, marimba

Duo Cantando

April 1, 3:30

Music by Bill Douglas, Chick Corea, Torn 

Takemitsu, and John Zorn

Heinavanker Ensemble

Featuring ancient Estonian songs

and folk hymns

Celebrating Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter

at the Courts ofRenaissance Europe

April 8, 3:30