visions suggested by four of Rome’s fountains at the hour in which

...their beauty appears most suggestive to the observer.” He has an

additional comment for each fountain: at Valle Giulia, “Droves of cattle 

pass and disappear in the fresh, damp mists of a Roman dawn”; at the

Triton Fountain, “A sudden loud and insistent blast of horns above the

trills of the whole orchestra...is like a joyous call, summoning troops of

naiads and tritons, who come running up, pursuing each other and

mingling in a frenzied dance between the jets of water”; at the Trevi

Fountain, “Trumpets peal; across the radiant surface of the water there 

passes Neptune’s chariot, drawn by sea horses and followed by a train of

sirens and tritons. The procession then vanishes, while faint trumpet 

blasts resound in the distance”; finally, “The Villa Medici Fountain is

announced by a sad theme [that] rises above a subdued warbling.”

In retrospective articles and interviews, Igor Stravinsky referred 

several times to The Firebird as his first full-fledged work. It was

composed on a commission from Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe in Paris in

1910, the first of a long series of collaborations that were to change

forever the character of both the choreography and the music of Western 

ballet. The story on which the ballet is based is that of Prince Ivan, who,

while wandering in an enchanted forest, encounters a marvelous bird

whose wings are plumes of fire. He fails to catch the bird, but comes

away with one fiery feather. Wandering further into the forest, Prince 

Ivan encounters the demon Kastchei, the Deathless One, whose life spirit

resides in an egg that remains in his castle even as he roams the forest.

Protected by the flaming feather and assisted by the firebird itself, the

prince is able to defeat the demon in battle. He proceeds to the castle,

where he releases the princesses who had been dancing aimlessly under 

the demon’s spell, and marries the most beautiful of them to the tune of a

triumphant musical procession.

Selectionsfrom concerts at the Gallery

can be heard on the second Sunday ofeach month

at 9:00 pm. on WGMS, 103.5 FM.

The Sixtieth Season of

THE WILLIAM NELSON CROMWELL and

F. LAMMOT BELIN CONCERTS

National Gallery of Art

2391st Concert

NATIONAL GALLERY ORCHESTRA

GEORGE MANOS, conductor

Sunday Evening, 7 October 2001

Seven O'clock

West Building, West Garden Court

Admission free
PROGRAM

George Frideric Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks

(1685-1759) (1749)

Overture

Largo alia Siciliana

Bouree

Minuet

Ottorino Respighi The Fountains of Rome

(1879-1936) (1914-1916)

The Fountain of Valle Giulia at Dawn

The Triton Fountain in the Morning 

The Fountain of Trevi at Midday

The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset 

Movements played without pause

INTERMISSION

Igor Stravinsky 

(1882-1971)

Firebird Suite

(1910, revised 1919)

Introduction: The Firebird and Its Dance

Dance of the Enchanted Princesses 

Infernal Dance of King Kastchei 

Lullaby

Finale: Lento maestoso

The use of cameras or recording equipment during

the performance is not allowed. Please be sure that

all personal electronic devices are turned off.

For the convenience ofconcertgoers

the Garden Cafe remains open until 6:30 pm.

First convened in 1942 with members of the National Symphony, the

National Gallery Orchestra has presented concerts at the National

Gallery on a regular basis ever since. In addition to performing a large

repertoire of classical and contemporary works, the orchestra has

presented world premiere performances of significant works by

nationally known composers, among them the First Symphony of

Charles Ives. From 1943 until 1985 the National Gallery Orchestra was

conducted by Richard Bales.

Since 1985 the orchestra has been under the direction of conductor, 

composer, and pianist George Manos. Manos is also artistic director of

the American Music Festival and of the National Gallery vocal and

chamber ensembles, which he founded. His career as a performing 

pianist and teacher has included several years on the faculty of The

Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he taught 

piano, conducting, and chamber music. In addition, he held the

directorship of the Wilmington, Delaware, School of Music, presenting 

an annual jazz festival and clinic. Maestro Manos founded and directed 

for ten years the renowned Kilarney Bach Festival in Ireland and was the

music director of the 1992 Scandinavian Music Festival in Kolding,

Denmark.

Handel composed the Music for the Royal Fireworks for an outdoor 

festival celebrating the peace treaty of 1748 between France and

England, signed at Aix-la-Chapelle. The celebration took place in

London’s Green Park and culminated in a fireworks display.

Unfortunately, the fireworks went out of control and caused a fire that

burned the main building in the park and sent the crowd fleeing in panic.

Handel had assembled a band for the occasion that consisted of twentyfour oboes, twelve bassoons, nine trumpets, nine horns, one

contrabassoon, three pair of timpani, and a serpent. The musicians 

escaped injury, as they had already finished playing, packed up, and left

the scene.

In The Fountains ofRome, as in most of his works, Respighi luxuriates 

in the late romantic tradition of lavish descriptive orchestral coloration. 

The objects that are described are four of Rome’s most famous fountains. 

Respighi notes in the score that he wants to express “the sentiments and