Sunday, October 31st, 2010
Cordier Auditorium
Scott Humphries, Conductor
Concert Suite from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Patrick Doyle John Williams arr. Jerry Brubaker |
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Zoo Song | Gregory Smith | |||
Hamilton Sadler, narrator made possible by a generous gift from Julie Garber |
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Funeral March of a Marionette | Charles Gounod | |||
Kids costume parade | ||||
Intermission | ||||
Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp Minor ("Farewell") | Franz Joseph Haydn | |||
I. Allegro assai |
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Tico-Tico |
Zequinha Arbeau arr. Dragon/Barker |
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Program Notes by James R. C. Adams |
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Concert Suite from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Patrick Doyle (b. 1953) John Williams (b. 1932) arr. Jerry Brubaker (b. 1946) |
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John Williams is a very popular film-score composer, has won more Academy Award nominations than any living composer, and ties Alfred Newman for the all-time record. He is best-known for his richly-orchestrated scores for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. He scored the first three Harry Potter films, and his principle theme, Hedwig's Theme, appears in the subsequent films. There have been two other composers used in the series when Williams had other commitments, Nicholas Hooper scored Order of the Phoenix, and Patrick Doyle was chosen to do Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Both of these composers, though having characteristics of their own, were able to produce music which combines well with Williams' main theme. You will certainly notice the resemblance of this music to what you remember of the earlier, purely Williams scores, but you will also hear parts that sound like nothing you are used to from Williams' earlier Harry Potter films. But if you compare this music to much earlier films scored by Williams, such as Missouri Breaks, you would not be surprised. That film had music best described as "blues-western," with the main theme played on a harmonica. Johnny Williams (as he was known then) has written a lot of jazz music! He has a history of combining several styles in one score. Like Williams, Patrick Doyle was classically trained. He was born in a suburb of Glasgow, and studied music at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, graduating in 1975. Among his more notable scores are Sleuth, Dead Again, Carlito's Way, Donnie Brasco, and Sense and Sensibility, which received Golden Globe, Oscar and BAFTA nominations in the Best Score categories. The original soundtrack for Goblet of Fire is too long for a concert of this length, so the music has been arranged into a suite by Jerry Brubaker, a composer with a long history as an arranger in Hollywood. The themes we will hear, besides Hedwig's Theme, are Voldemort, The Quidditch World Cup, Foreign Visitors Arrive, Potter Waltz, Harry in Winter, and Hogwart's Theme. The seventh Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I, is to be released in mid-November. |
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Zoo Song | Gregory Smith (b. 1957) |
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Greg Smith is a composer whose works you have heard many times without knowing who wrote them: short introductions to television news programs, commercials, background music for animated cartoons, for example. Smith has had a long relationship with the Walt Disney Company, and composed music not only for film and video productions, but also to accompany the evening fireworks display in several of the Disney theme parks. Perhaps the thing he enjoys most, however, is the interaction with parents and children during his live concerts. Like a latter-day Leonard Bernstein, Smith enjoys teaching children about music in humorous ways. In his The Melodic Life, for example, he illustrates theme-and-variations, as his theme, named Bob, goes through life and the series of changes it brings. In that fully-orchestrated work, his music sounds very much like that of John Williams, and he does a parody of the music for Star Wars, the Bond thrillers, and Indiana Jones. These performances often take the form of a humorous dialog between a narrator and the orchestra, as is the case with Zoo Song. The young Sarah visits a zoo for the first time. As she goes from one section to the next, the orchestra produces the sounds of the various animals she meets. She is searching for the sound of the peacock, but during her search we meet other animals, and the musical sections are: Flamingo, Lions, The Aviary, The Hippo, Elephants, and Primates. This music invites comparison with Camille Saint-Säens' Carnival of the Animals, but Smith writes in a more modern vein, with the music more closely mimicking the sounds of the animals than that of Saint-Säens. |
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Funeral March of a Marionette |
Charles Gounod (1818-1893) |
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Gounod was born in Paris, the son of a painter of considerable talent. His first teacher was his mother, who was a successful concert pianist After studying at the Paris Conservatoire, Gounod won the Prix de Rome, and while there, became enchanted with early church music. He wrote much liturgical music, and many songs, but he is best known for his opera, Faust. Orchestral excerpts continue to be popular as concert pieces, and parts of the opera have been worked into a ballet. The libretto took so many liberties with Goethe's work that it has no appeal for lovers of Goethe, and the same thing could be said about his Romeo and Juliet, although this time, the aggrieved one is Shakespeare. Other popular works are a rather syrupy Ave Maria, based on a Bach prelude in C, and the charming Funeral March of a Marionette. This was meant to be part of a piano series, Suite Burlesque, which was never finished. It was written in 1872, and orchestrated in 1879. Older members of the audience might remember it as the theme-song for a Saturday morning children’s radio show called "Let's Pretend," if memory serves. Middle-aged members of the audience will remember it (in modified form) as the theme song for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." As some have pointed out, this piece is a bit too fast for a march, certainly too fast for a funeral march. It is clearly meant to be a jaunty send-up of funerals. There is a story-line, or program. Two marionettes have been in a duel, and one of them is killed. His friends carry him to the grave. But part way there, they come upon a pub, and decide to rest and to recall their friend’s virtues. However, they get a bit drunk, and then, realizing it IS a death after all, they resume their march to the cemetery. The music is in ternary form, the middle section taking on a more jubilant character before the final third returns to the somber opening theme. |
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Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp Minor ("Farewell") |
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) |
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Joseph Haydn was surely one of the greatest composers of the Classical era...that is, Classical in the musical sense of the word, referring to the eighteenth-century period marked by an emphasis on clarity, logical structure, and rationalism in general. This comment applies to art as well as music Goethe referred to architecture as "frozen music," alluding to the studied organization of the sonata form. "Papa" Haydn, as he was affectionately known, has been considered by many to be the "father" of the symphony. Others dispute this, pointing out that there were many predecessors, such as Karl Friedrich Abel, Georg Matthias, Monn, Wagenseil...you remember them, don’t you? It's true that the “symphony” was not exactly invented; it simply evolved, and many people had a hand in its evolution. Haydn’s predecessors created works based on the Italian overture, which consisted of three movements. Haydn, and then Mozart, increased the number of movements to four, by inserting a third movement, almost always in the form of minuet-and-trio. Whether or not Haydn can be rightly considered the father of the symphony, there can be no doubt that he made very successful use of the form. When we think of a "Classical" symphony, we think of Haydn and Mozart. A typical "symphony" is a work for a large orchestra, consisting of four movements, the first of which has the structure of a sonata. Second movements were frequently written in the theme-and-variations form. The final movement, often a rondo, was almost always fast. That is true for Haydn, Mozart, and all their followers. But this symphony, Farewell, is an exception...sort of. The musicologist Cecil Gray recounts a conversation he had with British composer, Alan Rawthshorne, who was having trouble with the completion of a final movement. Rawthshorne said, "...there is only one composer whose last movements are always absolutely and invariably right." Gray didn’t need to ask who that was: Haydn. However, the final movement of Haydn’s forty-fifth symphony might be considered an exception. Not that it isn’t "right," but that it breaks the tradition that Haydn had established during his earlier symphonies, as I will explain. This symphony, not surprisingly has four movements: Allegro assai (very fast), Adagio (slow), Menuet, Allegretto (moderately fast)and Presto-Adagio (super fast, then slow). Many of Haydn’s 107 symphonies have been given nicknames. Haydn, himself, may have named some of them, but most were named by others. The story about this nickname, Farewell, may well be true. In 1772, when this symphony was written, Haydn was in the service of Prince Esterházy, who liked to summer at his estate in the country. His musicians had to spend that time with him, but without their families. On one occasion, the prince was enjoying his stay so much that he lingered on to such an extent that his players complained to Haydn. Haydn then wrote this piece as a hint to the Prince that it was time to go home. He already had a new symphony ready to go, but changed the final movement as a sort of musical joke. This movement begins as expected, very fast, but after a little over seven minutes into it, there is a sudden pause, and the music continues very slowly and softly. One by one, the players extinguish their candles, and steal off the stage, leaving only Haydn and his second violin. Luckily, the Prince had a sense of humor, and let them all go home the following day. |
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Tico-Tico |
Zequinha Arbeau (1880-1935) arr. Carmen Dragon (1914-1984) and Warren Barker (1923-2006) |
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You might not recognize the name of the composer, but you will certainly recognize the music, made popular by Carmen Miranda in the 1947 film with Groucho Marx, Copacabana. The mention of Copacabana, that famous beach in Rio de Janeiro, suggests that this is Brazilian music. Brazil has produced many musical styles that have become very popular in the United States, everything from the Samba to the Bossa Nova. These popular forms have also made their way into "serious" Brazilian music by such composers as Heitor Villa-Lobos, who wrote many pieces based on the choro. This Tico-Tico is an example of a choro. The full title of it is Tico-Tico no Fubá (tico-tico in the corn-meal). A tico-tico is a bird. The farmer is complaining about the little bird eating his crop. A choro (pronounced SHO-roo) is a lament. The word is derived from the Portuguese word for "cry," chorar. Typically, it is rather melancholy, as it is in the works of Villa-Lobos, but in this case, it is not, because there is not a whole lot to cry about. This piece is meant for dancing and, in the rendition by Carmen Miranda, it was virtually a samba. Other choros can be waltzes, mazurkas, or even polkas. Tico-Tico no Fubá, known in the States simply as Tico-Tico was written in 1917, by José Gomes de Abreu, better known as Zequinha de Abreu (pronounced zeh-KEEN-yah gee ah-BREH-oo). He wrote other pieces, very popular in Brazil, Branco and Tardes de Lindóia, but Tico-Tico is the only one well-known in the United States. |
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Manchester Symphony Orchestra Personnel |
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Violin I Dessie Arnold, Concertmaster Lois Clond Paula Merriman Rachel Nowak +^ Ervin Orban Ilona Orban Liisa Wiljer Violin II Joyce Dubach * Martha Barker Erin Cole +^ Jennifer Iannuzzelli +^ Tyler Krempasky + Linda Kummernuss Alyssa Loos +^ Viola Naida MacDermid * Kelsey Airgood +^ Julie Sadler Margaret Sklenar Cello Robert Lynn * Joseph Kalisman Margery Latchaw Bass Darrel Fiene * Piccolo Barbi Pyrah Flute Kathy Urbani * Kathy Davis Barbi Pyrah Oboe George Donner * Nyssa Gore English Horn George Donner |
Clarinet Lila D. Hammer * Mark W. Huntington Sarah Leininger +^ Bass Clarinet Mark W. Huntington Bassoon Erich Zummack * Karen Labuda Horn John Morse * Carol Campos +^ Kristen Hoffman +^ Christen Humphries Trumpet Steven Hammer * Nicholas Kenny +^ Joshua Ganger Trombone Jon Hartman * Larry Dockter Andrew Suhre Timpani Dave Robbins * Percussion Todd Eastis + Joshua Faudree Kelly Iler + Katie Lowther + Matthew Miller + Christopher Teeters + Wallace Butts + Piano Tim Reed * Denotes principal + Denotes MC student ^ Denotes Keister Scholarship recipient |
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