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| You've got to be kidding, right? |
I'm certain that regular viewers of S & P (are there such people?) have been waiting with baited breath for the release of the 2014 Huey awards for innovative orchestral concert programing. As a point of reference: 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 ensembles under consideration are those which are within easy reach of my Dubuque residence, our own Dubuque Symphony, Orchestra Iowa (aka, the Cedar Rapids Symphony), the Quad City Symphony (which dares to cross the river--good for them--offering concerts in both Davenport AND Rock Island), and the newly-named wcfsymphony (that's Waterloo-Cedar Falls). I considered including Madison, Wisconsin orchestras (the Symphony and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra). See my post from May 6 as to why they were more or less immediately excluded.
Let us examine our programming in alphabetical order, starting right here at home. It took more than a bit of digging to drag the 2014-15 season concerts out of the DSO, but I received the info from a subscriber just last evening. Here goes nothing:
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| Without delving into specifics, this almost says it all... |
Sept. 27-28 - Heritage Center, University of Dubuque
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, op. 99, Michael Ludwig, soloist
- Gustav Holst: The Planets
OK....There's (always) something obvious. Both pieces are by dead European males. Need more be said? What do the works have to do with one another? Why The Planets--obviously someone is going to try to make that Mars-pending World War 1 connection. Yes, this is great music, but...
November 15-16 - Five Flags Theater
- Bela Bartok: Rumanian Folk Dances
- (Zane?) Merritt: Premiere of a New Work inspired by Dubuque
- Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Alpin Hong, soloist
A bon-bon, something new (that I'm not sure I want to hear--my experience with the composer has shown him to write adequate, but highly dissonant smaller forms) and a war-horse. And again I wonder, where's the connection? OK, Liszt was nominally Hungarian, although he spent little time there. He wrote his share of "Hungarian" Rhapsodies, but they are--like Brahms--rehashing of gypsy tunes instead of the true folk idioms of Bartok. Ho-hum...
February 7 - 8 - Heritage Center, University of Dubuque
- W. A. Mozart: Overture to the Impressario (another bon-bon. I did this with the Dubuque Youth Orchestra)
- Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Violincello in A minor, op. 102, Katie Wolfe and Anthony Arnone, soloists.
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, in E-flat major, op 55, "Eroica"
Ah, the Viennese program in the dead of winter, guaranteed to put the butts in the seats. But, the assessment is still the same: Long dead, dead, and long dead. And why Eroica, when symphony no. 4 hasn't been heard here in ages?
March 14-15 - Heritage Center, University of Dubuque
- Peter Illych Tchaikovsky: "Polanaise" from Eugene Onegin
- Christopher Rouse: Flute concert, Carol Wincenc
- Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
One of these pieces doesn't belong, but I'm certain the guest artist was insistent. After all, she commissioned the work and performed its premiere with another DSO: the Detroit Symphony, in 1993. Not exactly cutting edge stuff being over 20 years old, but at least Rouse is alive and well (and being performed by orchestras such as the NY Phil).
April 18-19 - Five Flags Theater
- Georges Bizet: Carmen - "Les Voici" Chorus
- Richard Wagner: Die Walkure - Ride of the Valkyries
- Giuseppe Verdi: Il Trovatore - Anvil Chorus
- Giacomo Puccini, Gianni Schicchi "Oh. mio babbino caro"
- Verdi: Aida - "Finale Act 2 - Triumphal scene and march"
There was a time when the DSO offered its public actual staged opera presentations. I took part in Tosca (leading the off-stage chorus) and saw both Boheme and Carmen. Last year, with the bicentennials of both Verdi and Wagner, would have been the perfect time to troop out at least an act from one of their works in a concert version. I'm imagining a season closing with Gotterdammerung or Parsifal. But instead, now we're offered these trifles. Snore....
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| It's NOT MY orchestra! I guess its the "ego" behind this name that really gets my gourd. Some around the state are now calling it "Orchestra Universe... |
- Leonard Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes from On the Town
- George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess Suite (Catfish Row)
- Bernstein: Overture to Candide
- Gershwin: Cuban Overture
- Aaron Copland: Old American Songs
- Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
The usual suspects. Are there others worthy of inclusion on an "American Salute"? I know he's gone too, but how about Roy Harris? George Whitefield Chadwick? Not necessarily household names to the uninitiated, but that's what "educating our audience is all about. AND, they'd like this stuff!
Symphonie Fantastique -- Friday, October 17, 7:30 PM, Iowa City (where?) Saturday, October 18, 7:30 PM, Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre, Winston Choi, Piano
- Robert Schumann: Manfred Overture
- Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2
- Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
The tired old refrain: Overture - Concerto - Symphony. All dead. Choi's bio indicates that he's recorded all the piano works of Elliot Carter. Now there would be something to hear! (whether or not I "get" him)
Old World Wonders -- Friday, November 7, 7:30 PM, Iowa City (where?), Saturday, November 8, 7:30 PM, Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre, Sunday, November 9, 3:00 PM, Fairfield Sondheim Center, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Cello
- Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
- Robert Schumann: Cello Concerto
- Antonin: Dvorak: Symphony No. 6
Missa Solemnis -- Saturday, March 7, 7:30 PM, Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Ok, not often-enough heard, but....
Russian Masters -- Friday, May 1, 7:30 PM, Iowa City, Saturday, May 2, 7:30 PM, Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre, Brian Lewis, Violin
- Alexander Glazunov: The Spring (from "The Seasons?")
- Alexander Borodin: Symphony No. 2
- Peter Illych Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Every year someone has to trot out a Russian program. And we've broken the mold by going with Overture - Symphony - Concerto. At least we have works not-so-often heard from Glazunov and Borodin (a fabulous symphony in its own right). But, let's take a dare and program some Kallinikov...
Water Music -- Saturday, June 6, 7:30 PM, Cedar Rapids Paramount Theatre
- Richard Wagner: Overture to The Flying Dutchman
- Claude Debussy: Nocturnes
- Ottorino Respighi: Fountains of Rome
- Debussy: La Mer
Yes, this is great stuff. I love all of these pieces, and the "unified whole" is obvious (I like to go for less so myself.
The whole report card for OI is not a good one. While we have Americans, they're all dead--just like every other composer in the season.
THE QUAD CITY SYMPHONY
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| Michael Torke showing up in an image search for the QCSO. I couldn't resist... |
My "man on the inside" told me to look forward to the hundredth season offerings of the QCSO. It sounded like they were poised to break the mold of season's past and offer a breath of fresh air. Well...I suppose that you have to hand it to the orchestra for including a new work or premiere on every program. Of course, the venerable Chicago Symphony did that very same thing during its "German crisis" during World War I. For more on that, I have a paper.
Masterworks I: Into a New World, October 4 at 8:00 p.m. Adler Theatre, Davenport, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. Centennial Hall, Rock Island, Garrick Ohlsson, piano.
- John Frantzen: World Premiere
- Serge Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
- Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World”
Haven't we heard all of these before?
- James Romig: World Premiere
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto
- Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique”
Ibid.
- David Gompper: World Premiere
- Camille Saint-Saens: Romance for Horn and Orchestra
- Franz Joseph Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Cello, Oboe, Bassoon, and Orchestra
- Maurice Ravel: Introduction and Allegro for Harp
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40
A nice way to feature principal players. I'm not going out on any limbs about the premiere work although I'm well aware of the direction taken by the composition studios at the University of Iowa.
- Michael Torke: Oracle
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Flute Concerto in G
- Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 4 "Romantic”
Since when is the Mozart Concerto a "Musical Cathedral"? It was part of an uncompleted commission for an instrument he despised.
- William Campbell: World Premiere
- Roy Harris: Symphony No. 3
- George Gershin: Rhapsody in Blue
- Morton Gould: Interplay for Piano and Orchestra
- Aaron Copland: Suite from Rodeo
- Lee Hyla: World Premiere
- Arnold Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
A brief commentary, as I'm sounding like a broken record. Aside from the new works (and the Torke is a repeat from last season. The guy's written tons of stuff; play something else!), nearly everything else is old, dead, European, and--worst of all--male. There are lots of women composers out there, but one often has to seek them out. I did and devoted an entire concert to their works.
Hats off for the Roy Harris Symphony although its probably going to be forgotten amidst Gershwin's overplayed Rhapsody and Rodeo. The Schoenberg, his Op. 13, comes at the end of his Romantic period, so it's very safe.
Safe, safe, safe. I like to see somebody tackling Bruckner, but again, he's been dead for ages and the Fourth is probably his biggest "hit."
With very few exceptions, Jason Weinberger and crew continue to offer programing that is both stimulating, interesting, and original. Reader will note that the orchestra's material lists exactly how long each program will be. Want an early dinner, or one following the concert (as is the case in many of the European orchestras I've led--they start at 7!), here's your chance to mix it up!
RIVERLOOP, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 // 7:30PM - 8:45PM. I'm assuming that this concert will once again take place at the Amphitheater on the Cedar River in Waterloo.
- Daniel Gilliam – World premiere
- Edward ‘Duke’ Ellington – The River, Suite
Great to see an Ellington orchestral work programed. Yeah, he's dead, but he's not white or European and these works deserve to be heard.
- Adam Schoenberg – American Symphony
- Originals and arrangements with PROJECT Trio
- Leonard Bernstein – On the Waterfront, Suite
PROJECT Trio: A passionate, high energy chamber music ensemble comprised
of three virtuosic composer/performers from Brooklyn, NY, the members of
PROJECT Trio blend their classical training with an eclectic taste in musical
styles. Combining the virtuosity of world-class artists with the energy of rock
stars, PROJECT Trio breaks down traditional ideas of chamber music. The
genre-defying Trio is acclaimed by the press as “packed with musicianship, joy
and surprise” and “exciting a new generation of listeners about the joys of
classical and jazz music.”
SURPRISE, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 // 7:30PM - 9:30PM
- Surprise concert opener by Ted Hearne
- Concerto with Midwest International Piano Competition winner
- Orchestral classic chosen by our audience
This is a big dare, although an interesting one. No one but the performers knows exactly what's on the program. Will they be able to keep this a secret? I have spies in every corner and will keep viewers posted.
- Sing-along selections from Handel’s Messiah
One of my favorite memories of my "youth" was the Messiah Sing-A-Long with the Lansing (MI) Symphony. One year, we got snowed in and couldn't make the 45-minute drive from the college town of Olivet to the state capital. SO, we got about 45 singers together and had our own Messiah sing! With faculty members accompanying, I "conducted" my first Messiah (I think "mess" was the operative word), but I still remember it fondly.
- Gustav Mahler – Symphony no. 4
The wcfsymphony has taken to creating chamber performances in a chamber space. This is one I have to try to catch, although tickets go really fast.
IMAGINE, SATURDAY, MARCH 7 // 8:30PM - 9:45PM
- Franz Schubert – ‘Unfinished’ Symphony and related works
The symphony writes, "Why didn’t Schubert finish his Eighth Symphony, (ed. it's actually his seventh) universally
recognized as one his greatest works? This imaginative presentation explores
the question that haunts scholars and listeners as much as the piece’s
beguiling opening notes. We will perform both movements of the ‘Unfinished’
alongside other works connected to its composition, intermixing visuals and
spoken text to illuminate the mystery of Schubert’s truncated effort on this
amazing piece."
Aaron Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man
Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) – Woodbox Violin Concerto
Joan Tower – Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) – World premiere
Charles Ives – Variations on ‘America’
Let's see: Copland (ok, we've heard that), Barber (that too), two new works--one a premiere, a work by a women(!), and Ives. This one has it all. I'll want to catch this as well, especially for the guy known as "Dred Violin."
Everybody's doing the concert and film show these days so wcf is no different. That said, a new generation of listeners/viewers will be exposed to the original (much better than the remake). There's nothing wrong with a little fun....as long as its not a steady diet. Too many sweets can mess up one's musical glucose level.
I suppose that I still come off looking like the President of the wcf fan club, and I suppose I am. Weinberger and Co. continue to come up with new ways to package old works, as well as offer exciting presentations of newer ones. And let's not forget the different venues tooled for the performances there, instead of just a "run-out" to the nether regions or a skip across the Mississippi.
Yes, the winner and still champion remains:
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| WCF!!!! |
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