Program Notes by Becky Ball What a golden season for chamber music mongers. ORCMA’S lineup of quartets, trios, quintets and one extraordinary pianist has so far been a winning ticket, and the momentum doesn’t show any signs of fading. Tonight we will go with the wind. We will rediscover possibly the full capabilities and colors of the reed instruments. Our itinerary looks good. We will be treated to the exotic flavors of North America, Argentina, Cuba, Brazil and France. There will be passion, there will be romance, there will be sentimental longing, and there will be rhythmic pulsations to beat the band. But there will be no blood! COPLAND’S SIMPLE GIFTS ARRANGED BY THE QUINTET’S VERY OWN CLARINETIST, SUSAN WARNER Pulitzer-prize winning Aaron Copland was the most influential American composer of his time. The “Dean of American Music” from Brooklyn incorporated American folk music with jazz and serial techniques and never wrote a dull note. He composed for orchestra, chamber groups, ballet, keyboard, opera, and vocal ensembles. BONUS FACT: ABOUT CRITICS, HE HAD THIS TO SAY (WITH HIS THUMB DOWN): “IF A LITERARY PERSON PUTS TOGETHER TWO WORDS ABOUT MUSIC, ONE OF THEM WILL BE WRONG.” Name that tune. Ah yes, ‘tis the beloved Shaker song. Copland, like the rest of the world, knew a good melody when he heard it and used it effectively in his equally-winning ballet “Appalachian Spring,” composed for The Martha Graham Dance Company. The original orchestration was for 13 players. BONUS FACT: CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THE SIMPLE GIFTS SONG IS NOT A HYMN, BUT A DANCE SONG. THE ‘TURN, TURN, TURNING’ WORDS OF THE REFRAIN ARE ACTUALLY DANCE INSTRUCTIONS. AND THE ‘LORD OF THE DANCE’ SONG WAS BASED ON ‘SIMPLE GIFTS,’ NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. MILONGA SIN PALABRAS BY ASTOR PIAZZOLA Piazzola is Argentina’s musical genius, the classical tango composer who rose to fame by using the national dance as raw material. His success in the classical crossover genre has inspired many of today’s leading composers. He is no stranger to this audience and the welcome mat will never be rolled away. BONUS FACT: YOYO MA’S ALBUM “SOUL OF TANGO” IS DOING QUITE WELL. ON LINE CRITICS SAY THE ALBUM IS WORTH THE MONEY JUST TO HEAR THE PIAZZOLA TANGO. Before the tango there was the dance milonga. Here it is referred to as a song without words or you might say a song without feet. Whatever, it moves slowly like a sedated tango. A cool swaying beat adds to its charm. The piece is one of Piazzola’s last works and was dedicated to his wife. CHOROS NUMBER 2 BY HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS. Villa-Lobos is South America’s foremost composer and wrote over 2,000 compositions. He had no formal training to speak of. Hey, we’re not making this up. He learned to play the cello, guitar, and clarinet by illicit observation. When his father arranged musical evenings at their home, Villa-Lobos would stand at the top of the stairs to watch and listen. After his father died he earned a living for his family by playing in cinema and theater orchestras. It was in a Rio de Janeiro cinema that Artur Rubenstein heard a composition by Villa-Lobos and liked it so much he looked him up to compliment him. Several days later Villa-Lobos showed up at Rubinstein’s hotel with a small orchestra in tow, and proceeded to conduct a concert of his own works. Villa-Lobos and Rubenstein from that day forward helped each other promote their careers. Villa Lobo could learn about composing just by reading other people’s scores. He particularly liked Bach and was influenced by him. HaVilla-Lobos’ works can run the gamut: sentimental and tender; primitive and dynamic; and rhythmic and more rhythmic (think kinetic and syncopation). He capitalized on native folk and popular music, but his own melodies and rhythms are unmistakably national. You really must do more research on this fascinating composer. BONUS FACT: IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL TO FIND VILLA-LOBOS WRITING A PIECE OF MUSIC ABOUT THE NEW YORK SKYLINE OR A MOUNTAIN RANGE IN BRAZIL BY TRACING ITS OUTLINE ON A PIECE OF GRAPH PAPER AND THEN TRANSFERRING THE UNDULATIONS INTO THE RISE AND EBB OF A MELODIC LINE. WE DON”T BELIEVE THESE MADE THE HIT PARADE. I don’t believe that these made the hit parade. The Choros is not a band of singers, but a band of players who perform at all kinds of festival occasions. The musicians were known to get so carried away with their improvising madness that they would sometimes fall into a trance. When leaving a gig, they frequently took the music to the street. In this street serenade (Choros Number 2), we will hear a little bit of every kind of melodic treatment, but the emphasis will be on rhythm. It all is sprinkled liberally with Brazilian and Indian spices. We may even wind up in a trance.origin AIRES TROPICALES BY PAQUITO D’RIVERA D’Rivera is another cross-over artist and composer, with six Grammy awards to his credit. The Cuban-born child prodigy balanced a career in Latin jazz with commissions as a classical composer. He played saxophone (alto, tenor, and soprano) and the clarinet. After defecting from Cuba, he played with Dizzy Gillespie and McCoy Tyner in New York. Eventually he formed his own group. He successfully meshed the bolero, waltz and bossa nova rhythms with classical elements. The late Tom Carlson labeled that mix “authentic South American stew.” BONUS FACT: D’RIVERA WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF ‘DIZZY’ GILLESPIE’S UNITED NATIONS ORCHESTRA, A FIFTEEN-MEMBER ENSEMBLE ORGANIZED TO SHOWCASE THE FUSION OF LATIN AND CARIBBEAN INFLUENCE INTO THE JAZZ GENRE. Aires Tropicales was commissioned by the Aspen Wind Quintet. The featured three movements here are: Vals Venezolano, a lively Venezuelan waltz; Habanera in the style of Ravel; and Contradanza, an upbeat Cuban dance that plays homage to a popular eighteenth century dance form. QUINTET NUMBER 2 BY JEAN FRANCAI French native Jean Francaix began composing at the age of six. His father was director of Le Mans Conservatory and his mother was a teacher and choral director. He was a piano virtuoso and composed in just about every medium – vocal, piano, orchestra, ballet, opera, and film. He was hailed for his inventiveness and for his wit. Woodwind players love to play his music because of his idiomatic handling of winds – the French method. We can expect this quintet to be cheerful, tuneful, even perky, and we can expect some witty surprises. BONUS FACT: FRANCAIX HAS BEEN CALLED THE A. A. MILNE OF FRENCH MUSIC. SUITE FROM CAVALCADE D’AMOUR BY DARIUS MILHAUD. After Maurice Ravel died, Milhaud was elevated to the number one composer of France. His music is characterized by charm, inventiveness, elegance, and wit. Milhaud’s early development was inspired by French poets, and he found much inspiration in popular folk tunes. He was one of the first to use polytonality successfully. BONUS FACT: WHILE IN AMERICA MILHAUD WAS SEVERELY CRIPPLED BY ARTHRITIS. MOST OF THE TIME HE WAS CONFINED TO A WHEEL CHAIR BUT THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM. IN 1942 HE CONDUCTED THE BOSTON SYMPHONY IN THE PREMIERE OF HIS SYMPHONY NO.2, AND AGAIN THE FOLLOWING SUMMER AT THE BERKSHIRE MUSIC FESTIVAL.HE CONDUCTED FROM A CHAIR ON THE PODIUM. AT LEAST HE COULD HEAR IT. “Reed”my lips. We’re going to watch a film while the band plays on. The 1939 film is “Cavalcade d’Amour.” David Griffin is going to be featured on the French Horn. Griffin transcribed long-lost music by Milhaud from that film, and arranged it for wind quintet. We have been blessed.