Nashua Symphony - Orchestra & Chorus

G.F. Handel (1685-1759): Concerto Grosso in A Minor, Op. 6/4, HWV 322 - 1739

With the composition of twelve concertos in London during September-October of 1739, George Frideric Handel’s creative attention to instrumental music reached a peak, in both volume and intensity, that was unprecedented in his career and was never to be reached again.

The mid-1730s had been difficult for Handel as he struggled to hold the attention of London’s theater-going public. Given the evergreen popularity of Archangelo Corelli’s Opus 6 Concerti Grossi with London audiences (in addition to some favorable terms for publication and performance), it is easy to see why Handel took the drawing power of such concertos seriously. And, as far as it is possible to determine such things, it seems that Handel’s concerti were well received by the original audiences and by the subscribers to the original edition (which bore the unusual marking "Publish’d by the Author").

As historian Donald Burrows notes: "If, in self-consciously composing a set of concertos to set beside Corelli’s, Handel was making a bid for ‘classic’ status with his own Opus 6, then he succeeded, and succeeded on a scale that was probably beyond his imagining." Indeed, Handel’s Op. 6 is recognized (along with Bach’s Brandenburgs) as one of the peaks of High Baroque instrumental music. There is perhaps, in Mr. Burrows’ words, "no other music before Mozart’s that so successfully combines an accessible musical style with an underlying seriousness of content and construction."

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W.A. Mozart (1756-1791): Symphony No. 41 in C Major ("Jupiter") - 1788

The near-quarter century that separates Mozart's first symphony and his last was marked by the composer's recurrent, if not ongoing, interest in the possibilities inherent in this form. By the production of the "Jupiter" Symphony (so named by the concert promoter and violinist, Peter Salomon) two years before his death - as part of a group of three composed within the space of less than three months - the full extent of the evolution which has taken place is striking indeed.

Symphony No. 41 embodies Classical symphonic form: four movements, the first and last in a quick tempo, the second slower, the third a minuet with trio. Unencumbered by norms suggested by any model, however, Mozart's deft imagination distinguishes this work from others in a similar cast. The first movement is characterized in part by the contrast between the energetic forte fanfare and the soothing reply, a trait shared with and perhaps influenced by the symphonies of Haydn. After an initial regularity, irregular and changing phrase lengths contribute as well to the dramatic impetus. The serene F major quietude of the second movement's opening is soon disrupted, posed against more restless, rhythmically insistent minor-key episodes. The falling chromatic theme and flowing, even accompaniment of the Minuet set a graceful tone for the third movement. The companion Trio provides an earthier, more overtly dance-like mood, which is, however, interrupted by a suddenly more serious tutti outburst. The final movement is exceptional for the richness of its contrapuntal language, a somewhat unexpected - and, some of Mozart's contemporaries would venture, unfashionable - attribute in a symphonic work of the time. The four-note motive that begins the movement is put through its paces in a number of guises, most prominently as the beginning of a recurrent fugue subject which occurs both as originally presented and in inversion. The intricate construction recalls Bach’s polyphony and Haydn’s thematic work. As Uwe Kraemer has written, the finale’s "joyously successful mixture of artistic skill, resplendence, and cheerfulness make it a miracle of musical architecture."

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Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): Fratres - 1991

Living in the old Soviet Union, the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt had little access to what was happening in contemporary Western music. Despite such isolation, the early 1960s in Estonia saw many new methods of composition being brought into use and Pärt was at the forefront, experimenting first with serialism and then with "collage" techniques.

Official judgment of Pärt's music during this period veered between extremes, with certain works being praised while others, for example the Credo of 1968, were banned. Pärt turned again to self-imposed silence, during which time he delved back through the medievalism of his 3rd Symphony and through plainchant to the very dawn of musical invention. The technique he invented, or discovered, and to which he has remained loyal, he calls tintinnabuli (from the Latin, little bells), which he describes thus:

Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes wander into when I am searching for answers - in my life, my music, my work. In my dark hours, I have the certain feeling that everything outside this one thing has no meaning. The complex and many-faceted only confuses me, and I must search for unity. What is it, this one thing, and how do I find my way to it? Traces of this perfect thing appear in many guises - and everything that is unimportant falls away. Tintinnabulation is like this. I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements - with one voice, two voices. I build with primitive materials - with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation.

Having found his new voice, there was a subsequent rush of new works and three of the 1977 pieces (Fratres, Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten and Tabula Rasa) are still amongst his most highly regarded. Originally composed as a piece for violin and piano, Fratres was recast for string orchestra and percussion in 1991.

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Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Suite No. 2 from The Firebird - 1919

In the summer of 1909 the ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev telegraphed Stravinsky in St. Petersburg with a commission for an original ballet score, based on a scenario by choreographer Michael Fokine. The commission for Firebird was a "big break" for the young composer - a chance to work with some of Europe's premier creative artists. Reminiscing about this commission some fifty years later, Stravinsky recalled how unsure he was about his ability to fulfill it. However, as he remembered: "...Diaghilev the diplomat arranged all. He came to see me one day, with Fokine, Nijinsky [the company's lead dancer], Bakst, and Benois [the set designers], and when the five of them proclaimed their belief in my talent, I began to believe too and accepted..."

The scenario for Firebird follows an old Russian folk tale. The Tsarevitch, Prince Ivan, is hunting the elusive Firebird, and during the night he wanders into a magical garden (Introduction). As he walks throught the garden he sees the Firebird, a beautiful bird with dazzling plumage (Prelude and Dance of the Firebird and Firebird Variations). Ivan captures the Firebird, but agrees to let her go free, after taking one of her feathers as a trophy; at sunrise, Ivan meets thirteen princesses, who have come into the garden to dance and play with golden apples from the garden's orchard. Ivan learns that the garden belongs to the evil magician-king Kaschei, who has enchanted the princesses, and who has the ability to turn his enemies into stone. In a playful scene (Scherzo: Dance of the Princesses). Ivan Tsarevich falls in love with one of the princesses, as the others swirl about him. All of the princesses dance a decidedly sexy round dance, the khorovod (Rondo). The prince vows to enter Kaschei's castle and free his beloved. As soon as he opens the castle gate, however, Kaschei and his crew of demons appear and capture Ivan in a furious battle (Infernal Dance). The Firebird suddenly appears and distracts Kaschei's monsters by dancing wildly among them. The Firebird reveals to Ivan the secret of Kaschei's immortality: an egg that contains Kaschei's soul. Ivan smashes the egg, and Kaschei immediately dies; and with him all of his enchantments. The Firebird dances a lovely Lullaby (Berceuse), gradually bringing to life all of the knights that Katschei had frozen. The ballet closes with a triumphant Final Hymn, and rejoicing by the prince and his princess.

In discussing Stravinsky's early ballets Firebird, Petrushka, and Rite of Spring - the works that established Stravinsky as one of the foremost innovators of 20th-century music - conductor Pierre Boulez has written: "If the Rite is the most prodigious leap of the three, it is no less true that, for a trial shot, Firebird is a veritable masterpiece - It is impossible now not to recognize in it the youthfulness of a musical genius; I believe that its youthfulness is the most fascinating aspect of the score."

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