Where are the Huey's? A preview

Readers may (or may not) be awaiting my yearly analysis and critique of area orchestra's 2014-15 concert programs, the "Huey" Awards.  As a reminder, the Huey's--first awarded in 2011--are totally arbitrary, based upon my own criteria which include possible thematic content, inclusion of both contemporary and American composers and overall creativity and originality. The latter would imply programs that step out of the Overture - Concerto - Symphony box. Also of important note is the presentation of works outside the standard repertory; i.e. why offer yet another performance of Dvorak 7 (or 8 or 9) or Shostakovich 5--regardless of my own love for those works--when there are hundreds of neglected works that may be favored by audiences (and surely the players). Do we need yet another performance of Beethoven 5 instead of say, the Bizet Symphonie? Or what about the Franck--long a staple of the repertoire that now seems to be rarely played? I could make a long list of neglected works and that's just the works of the "masters."

The 2011 "prize" was awarded to no one.  Not a single orchestra met the criteria, which I deemed that It is incumbent upon the modern day symphony to be a proponent of the music of our time BECAUSE that is the heritage of the medium. It was not until the mid to late nineteenth century that works of the past started to form any kind of "repertory." In the time of Mozart and Haydn, people were "discovering" the works of Bach and Handel as if they'd been composed in another millennium, rather than some one hundred years previous. In Mozart's time (and Beethoven's and many other's) the music presented on a concert program had to be new. There were no "interpreters" of the music of the past; most performers were led by the composers themselves. But, somewhere along the way (the early twentieth century and the rise of serialism?) the audience became disconnected from the music of its time. If we are to remain viable, we must espouse the changing milieu in which we live.

The orchestras under consideration are simply those within "easy" reach to my own locale and include the orchestras of Cedar Rapids (the so-named "Orchestra Iowa), Dubuque, the Quad Cities, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls.  This year I strongly considered expanding in Wisconsin and considering the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Upon examination of their programing, I decided not to waste the bandwidth.  Here's why:

MADISON SYMPHONY:

The Madison Symphony onstage at the Overture Center

September 19, 20, 21:  Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Frank Martin: Concerto for Seven Winds; Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony).  All long dead.  BTW, Saint-Saëns wrote more than one symphony.

October 17, 18, 19:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky:  Suite from Swan Lake; Sergei Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 1 for Piano; Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 (at least its not the way-overplayed No. 5).  But again, all dead.

November 7, 8, 9:  Edvard Grieg: Lyric Suite; Jean Sibelius: Concerto for Violin; Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (The Inextinguishable).  Dead, dead, and dead.

February 13, 14, 15:  (It's NOT a love-based Valentine's show!)  Benjamin Britten: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge (they're a year late celebrating Britten's centennial); Frederic Chopin: Concerto No. 2 for Piano (yawn); Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 4.  Still dead.

March 6, 7, 8:  Franz Waxman: Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani, "Ride of the Cossacks" from Taras Bulba; Miklós Rózsa: Theme, Variations and Finale; "Parade of the Charioteers"and "Love Theme" from Ben Hur; "Love Theme" from Spellbound.  La mort.  Why not Waxman's "The Song of Terezin" (1965), based upon poetry by children trapped in the Nazi's Theresienstadt concentration camp; many consider it his finest work.  Oh, but we're limiting to film music (sort of….)

April 10, 11, 12:  Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto No. 4 for Clavier; Franz Liszt:  Concerto No. 1 for Piano; Anton Bruckner:  Symphony No. 7.  If one concerto by a dead guy isn't enough, play two!

May 8, 9, 10:  Leonard Bernstein: Serenade (after Plato's Symposium)--the lone American on the entire season and he is, of course, dead.  Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony No. 9 (Choral).

Need anyone say more?

WISCONSIN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA:  The ensemble that brings the popular favorite "Concerts on the Square" doesn't fare much better.

The WCO "on the square"

October 10:  Mozart: Marriage of Figaro Overture; Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No.5 in A minor; Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo capriccioso;  Britten: Concerto for Violin and Viola (WCO missed the birthday party as well.)  Haydn: Symphony No. 96 in D major ‘The Miracle’ (I wish they'd jettison that moniker).  Rachel Barton Pine, the featured violinist, is a modern music specialist--even plays Chicago-area clubs in a rock band.  Now THAT would probably wake up all these dead guys!

January 23:  Paul Lewis: English Suite; Bach: Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor; Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 2; Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor.  Again, let's have TWO keyboard concertos (Bach is obviously NEVER enough).  Not to be confused with the pianist Paul Lewis, this Paul Lewis (is alive!) writes primarily for television.

February 20:  Two(!!!) piano concertos by Haydn(!!!):  No. 4 in G major and No. 11 in D major (I'm dozing off at the thought);  Schubert:  Symphony No. 2 in B flat major.  Tod.

March 20:  Bridge: Suite for String Orchestra; Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor: Schubert: Arpeggionne Sonata; Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor.  Oh well…..

May 1:  All Beethoven (what else?) Leonore Overture No. 1, the "Emperor" concerto and Symphony No. 7.

To sum it up, one (little-known but undoubtedly safe) living composer and not an American in the bunch.

This is MADISON, WISCONSIN folks; the liberal bastion surrounded by the likes of Paul Ryan.  If any community was going to support innovative program, it would be here.  Go to the university and cheer on their symphony.  Nearly as good and, oh yeah, it's free.

The Dubuque Symphony has yet to announce their season, thus holding up the real Huey Awards.  The QCSO is celebrating a 100th anniversary; will they emerge from the pack or will it be Orchestra Iowa or the newly-renamed WCF Symphony?  Stay tuned.