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Lifting Spirits, Raising VoicesJanuary 24-25, 2004 Joseph Schlefke, Music Director, Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra PROGRAM ORDERSet 1 One Voice Mixed Chorus Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus and Orchestra INTERMISSION Set 2 Requiem by Gabriel Fauré Soloists: Kathy Lee and Christopher Fast PROGRAM NOTESThe songs in One Voice's concert set were chosen in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. whose 75th birth date occurred this month. The set opens with music by African American composers Ysaye Barnwell and Duke Ellington along with an arrangement of the familiar Havah Nagilah by Israeli conductor and composer, Daniel Faktori. James Taylor's tribute to King, Shed a Little Light, has become a favorite of the chorus and was arranged for this concert by St. Paul composer J. David Moore. From this House combines the styles of South African Freedom Songs with East African melodies. "House" refers to the bandari or "house of peace" where the community gathers to celebrate, work out problems and find a renewed sense of purpose. Songs of a Wayfarer was Gustav Mahler's first major composition, predating all other major symphonic works, and serving as a prelude for them. Mahler's protagonist is bemoaning the wedding of his beloved to another man. Despite recognizing the beauties in nature and the gifts in life, the narrator is constantly drawn back to his broken heart. Having written the poetry himself, Mahler displays his typical desire to depict in his music emotions often considered too personal or even artistically inappropriate. Although Gustav Mahler was respected as a composer during his lifetime, it was his conducting endeavors that earned him world renown. He served as principal conductor for such acclaimed institutions as the Royal Opera in Budapest, the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and even the New York Philharmonic. Songs of a Wayfarer was his first major composition, predating all other major symphonic works, and serving as a prelude for them. With a nod to the song cycles of past composers, including Schubert and Schumann, which featured wandering heroes, Mahler's protagonist is bemoaning the wedding of his beloved to another man. Despite recognizing the beauties in nature and the gifts in life, the narrator is constantly drawn back to his broken heart. Having written the poetry himself, Mahler displays his typical desire to depict in his music emotions often considered too personal or even artistically inappropriate. As he would throughout his career, Mahler demonstrates himself to be one of the last remaining post-Wagnerian composers still composing in the Romantic vein, despite the emergence of impressionism and atonality. These songs were originally composed for voice and piano from 1883-1885, but Mahler did not begin orchestrating them until 1891. Thus, many of the melodies may be familiar, for they were borrowed and orchestrated for the first time to aid in the completion of Mahler's First Symphony, which was completed around 1888. Set one concludes with two combined pieces for chorus and orchestra. Anthem was commissioned by One Voice and the MPO especially for this concert. Composed for three choirs and orchestra, Minneapolis composer Craig Carnahan combined the popular civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome with Holly Near's GLBT anthem We are a Gentle Angry People to create a rousing call for justice. Award winning composer Lee Hoiby was born in Wisconsin in 1926 and resides currently in New York and Florida. Hoiby studied composition at the Curtis Institute with Gian Carlo Menotti. His compositions include operas, chamber music, piano concertos, numerous choral works and over 100 songs. The powerful music and poetry of this gay composer's Hymn to the New Age are fitting to conclude our first set: Through the long night we have come. The sun is bright, the wars are done. We will unite. We will be one. A new light has begun. Smile, heaven, on our loving land. Shine blessings on our fair kingdom. Enrich our time to come with growing love, with joy abundant and long, prosperous days. God's blessings are renewed again. The face of freedom is revealed in sunlight. Now sing in praise of life. With poems, praise. With voices, praise. With drums, with trumpets, praise. God's loving kingdom come to us. The gift of life and the gift of freedom. Now shall peace reign, truth be revealed, and all wounds be healed. So was it ever meant to be. Resplendent hope of humankind to follow with the dove the way of peace, the way of love. So shall it be. Gabriel Fauré was primarily known for two things as a composer: his gifts as a melodist and his many compositions written specifically for the church. Bridging the generational gap in the chronology of French music between Camille Saint-Saens, one of his teachers, and Maurice Ravel, one of his students, Fauré dominated the traditional Parisian music venues during much of his career. His Requiem is a favorite for choruses and audiences worldwide, and it is dramatically different from the popular heroic requiems of Verdi, Berlioz, and even Mozart. Fauré's approach to this mass of death is one that highlights the notion of gentle slumber. His orchestra relies on muted sounds and simpler textures. For instance, the violas and cellos - middle range string instruments - dominate the entire orchestration, the pungent sound of the oboe is dismissed, and the wind and brass instruments play surprisingly infrequently. Also, musical intricacies, both in structure and in texture, are severely limited so as to not distract the listener from the function of the piece. The result is a soothing and almost passive work, a requiem for everyman. Fauré chose to set the traditional requiem texts in seven movements; however, he avoids the Dies irae ("day of wrath") movement of the traditional requiem. Only in the sixth movement does Fauré set the text "Dies irae", briefly alluding to the sense of judgment with more agitated writing and an increase in dynamic intensity. Fauré's vision of death foresees not damnation but peace and salvation as illustrated in his final movement, In Paradisum. Perhaps its tone stems from the fact that Fauré began writing it after losing both of his parents. In any case, it is a fitting tribune to the departed soul and was most appropriately delivered in Fauré's church at his own funeral. --Program notes by Joseph Schlefke and Jane Ramseyer Miller |
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