CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Houston Symphony

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 8:00 PM

Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 PM in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with Thomas Cabaniss, composer and Faculty, The Juilliard School, in conversation with Duncan Copp.

Houston Symphony
Hans Graf, Music Director and Conductor
Women of the Houston Symphony Chorus
Charles Hausmann, Director

STRAVINSKY Scherzo fantastique, Op. 3
HENRI DUTILLEUX Timbres, espace, mouvement
HOLST The Planets, Op. 32 (with newly-created HD film)

Encore:
STRAVINSKY Feu d’artifice, Op. 4

Produced by Duncan Copp

Program is approximately 1 hour, 50 minutes, including one intermission

Sponsored by DeWitt Stern Group, Inc.

Program Notes:

Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)

Scherzo fantastique, Op. 3

Stravinsky mastered the use of a large orchestra very early in his career. The Scherzo fantastique was only his second orchestral work. It was composed just after Debussy's La Mer, simultaneously with his Ibéria, and four years before Ravel's opulent ballet, Daphnis et Chloé. Yet, it shares much of the same brilliance and orchestral sweep as these famed scores, and testifies to Stravinsky's confident use of a large, post-Romantic orchestra by the time he was 25 years old.

Stravinsky acknowledged a stylistic debt to his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, to Alexander Glazunov, and to Wagner during those years, but the Scherzo fantastique exudes the sound of French Impressionism more than any other musical style. The piece is a large three-part form, with two transitional sections connecting the pastoral interlude at the center of the work to the opening scherzo and its shorter repetition at the end.



Henri Dutilleux (b. 1916)

Timbres, espace, mouvement, ou La Nuit Étoilée
(Timbres, Space, Movement, or The Starry Night)

Henri Dutilleux, the dean of modern French composers, wrote this colorful orchestral work between 1976 and 1978, on commission from Mstislav Rostropovich in honor of his new position as conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. While Dutilleux does not consider the work to be descriptive program music, he has stated that van Gogh's celebrated painting La Nuit étoilée, or The Starry Night, was constantly in his mind while he wrote it. He added the title of the painting as a subtitle to his composition.

Struck by van Gogh's overwhelming emphasis upon the night sky and its whirling stars, which dwarf the landscape below, Dutilleux realized that the only links between the two were a church spire and a tall cypress, both thrusting upward. He sought a comparable effect by eliminating the violins and violas, which customarily bind together other elements of the orchestra. As a consequence, he slightly modified the normal seating plan, placing 10 cellos across the front of the orchestra.

Originally, Timbres, espace, mouvement consisted of only two movements, but in 1990, Dutilleux revised the work and composed a central Interlude for the cellos, which he subdivided into as many as six different instrumental lines. He also added titles, Nébuleuse and Constellations, to the two outer movements.

The high, bright, finely tooled tone of the upper woodwinds, fluttering in trills and swirling in tightly clustered patterns, is central to Dutilleux's soundscape, as it is to many of his compositions. The brass is often added for a massed tonal effect. His instrumentation is notable for including two alto-register wind instruments: the flute in G and especially the oboe d'amore, which has an important solo in the first section of the work.


Biographer Caroline Potter has quoted Dutilleux's comment on the work, which is written in a third-person description:

By the play of timbres, opposing the clear and luminous quality of the wind instruments in their high register with the mass of low strings, he tried to create an impression of vast space which the extraordinary visionary painting, La Nuit étoilée, suggested to him. Besides, van Gogh himself was torn between his ardent desire to rise above earthly concerns—an almost spiritual state of mind—and "the appalling human passions" of the world.



Gustav Holst (1874–1934)

The Planets, Op. 32

When Gustav Holst composed his famed orchestral suite, The Planets, nearly a century ago, there were only eight known planets in our solar system. Pluto's existence was not discovered until the 1930s, and questions have been raised in recent times as to whether it really is a planet at all. In planning the work, Holst focused his interest on our celestial companions, completely ignoring the existence of Earth in the planetary lineup. He also jumbled the natural order of the first four "inner planets" in their distance from the sun, in order to suit his own musical needs. And his interest was aroused not by any scientific astronomical observations of the planets, but upon astrological associations suggested by the mythological names they had been given.

Holst scholars have noted that the composer made a hobby of casting horoscopes and owned a book by Alan Leo on the subject. Leo's book was Holst's source in determining the descriptive character of each piece in the seven-movement suite.

Holst completed work on the first movement—Mars, the Bringer of War—during the summer of 1914, just before World War I began. While the international tensions that led to war were certainly apparent, there is no evidence he planned the piece as a prophecy of that bloody conflict. Over the next two years, Holst composed the remaining six movements of The Planets during weekends and summer holiday periods when he was free from teaching duties at a girls' school. He composed the seven movements in the order in which they are heard, except for Mercury, which, completed in 1916, was the last movement to be composed. In 1917, he orchestrated the entire suite.

The first four movements follow each other in a sequence analogous to that heard in standard symphonic works: Two big-boned outer movements—Mars and Jupiter—enclose two smaller, more intimate ones, Venus and Mercury. The third and fourth movements, Mercury and Jupiter, also approximate the character of a symphonic scherzo and rondo. However, the analogy to a symphonic piece is obscured when all seven movements are played, and the music itself has little in common with the organic developmental growth of themes characteristic of a symphony.

Instead, Holst seems to focus on the notion of planets suspended in space with music that is rather static and unchanging within each musical portrait. Mars, the Bringer of War is generally loud and bellicose, with heavy brass climaxes. Certain rhythms and notes are insistently repeated throughout much of the piece. By contrast, Venus, the Bringer of Peace is a diaphanous, slow movement, noted for its exotic tone colors and its subtle, elusive harmonies. Mercury, the Winged Messenger has a will-'o'-the-wisp lightness, punctuated by sudden bursts of tone as the music flits from one orchestral group to another. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity is full of robust humor and an easy sense of power. The proud theme at the center of the movement was later set as the patriotic hymn "I vow to thee, my country."

It is in the last three movements that Holst's imagination results in the most colorful orchestral effects. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age is represented by a solemn processional emerging from a faint, indefinite pulse of soft flutes and harps. After working its way to an inexorable climax, the movement bursts open with the brilliant sound of pealing bells. Uranus, the Magician begins with an ominous motto shouted out by the brass and timpani, then proceeds into a bold, riveting dance movement, interrupted twice more by the original theme. And the foggy gases surrounding Neptune, the Mystic are softly represented by undulating woodwind chords; growling brasses; a filmy curtain of broken chords in the celesta, harps, and strings; and, finally, by an unseen women's chorus, whose wordless vocalise gradually disappears into a silent ending of The Planets.

Program notes © 2010 Carl R. Cunningham

More Information:

Orchestral color rules this program, where you can hear three works that exalt in a compelling array of sounds. Stravinsky’s scherzo is a quicksilver, playful romp, after which Dutilleux provides a meditative interlude inspired by Van Gogh’s La Nuit étoilée. And for a grand finale, The Planets—one of the most spectacular of all orchestral showpieces—will be brought to vivid life with a new HD film, in which we’ll see images from NASA’s exploration of the solar system.

Houston Symphony
Hans Graf, Music Director and Conductor
Hans Graf, Music Director and Conductor

Known for his wide range of repertoire and creative programming, Hans Graf—the Houston Symphony’s 15th Music Director—is one of today’s most highly respected musicians. He began his tenure in Houston on Opening Night of the 2001–2002 season.

Mr. Graf is a frequent guest with the major North American orchestras. His engagements have included appearances with the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics; the San Francisco, Saint Louis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, and National symphonies; and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others. Over the past decade, he has developed a close relationship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and appears regularly with the orchestra during its subscription season and at the Tanglewood Music Festival. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Houston Symphony in January 2006, and returned in March 2007, leading the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Internationally, Mr. Graf conducts in the foremost concert halls of Europe, Japan, and Australia, and has appeared with the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He has participated in such prestigious European festivals as the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Bregenz, Aix-en-Provence, Orange, and Savonlinna in Finland. He has appeared at the Salzburg Festival for 12 consecutive seasons.

An experienced opera conductor, Mr. Graf first conducted the Vienna State Opera in 1981 and has since led productions in Berlin, Munich, Paris, and Rome, including several world premieres. Recent engagements include Parsifal at Oper Zürich and Boris Godunov at the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg.

Mr. Graf and the Houston Symphony have recorded Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony and Berg’s Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite—released by Naxos in May 2009—and a disc of works by Bartók and Stravinsky, recorded for Koch International Classics. Other recordings featuring Mr. Graf can be found on the EMI, Orfeo, CBC, Erato, Capriccio, JVC, and BMG Arte Nova labels. His discography includes the works of Dutilleux, the complete symphonies of Mozart and Schubert, and the premiere recording of Zemlinsky’s opera Es war einmal.

Born in 1949 near Linz, Austria, Mr. Graf studied violin and piano as a child. He earned diplomas in piano and conducting from the Musikhochschule in Graz and continued his studies with Franco Ferrara, Sergiu Celibidache, and Arvid Jansons. His international career was launched in 1979 when he was awarded first prize in the Karl Böhm Competition. He has served as music director of the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine.

In 2002, Mr. Graf was awarded the Chevalier de l’ordre de la Légion d’honneur by the French government for championing French music around the world and, in 2007, the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria. He and his wife, Margarita, have homes in Salzburg and Houston. Their daughter, Anna, lives in Vienna.



Houston Symphony

The Houston Symphony has played a central role in Houston’s cultural and civic life for 96 years. Founded in 1913, the Houston Symphony is one of America’s oldest performing arts organizations, with a distinguished musical history. Over the years, the orchestra has grown and matured under the direction of distinguished leaders such as Ernst Hoffmann (1936 to 1947), Efrem Kurtz (1948 to 1954), Ferenc Fricsay (1954), Leopold Stokowski (1955 to 1961), Sir John Barbirolli (1961 to 1967), André Previn (1967 to 1969), Lawrence Foster (1971 to 1978), Sergiu Comissiona (1979 to 1988), and Christoph Eschenbach (1988 to 1999). Hans Graf, who took the podium in September 2001, is the Houston Symphony’s 15th music director.

The orchestra came of age in the 1940s, when maestros Hoffmann and Kurtz began hiring highly talented professional musicians, many of whom remained with the orchestra for more than 30 years. Leopold Stokowski brought the symphony international recognition by commissioning new works and making recordings, and during Sir John Barbirolli’s tenure, the Houston Symphony flowered under the influence of his lush, Romantic style. The orchestra moved into Jones Hall, its current home, in 1966; in 1971, the symphony signed its first 52-week contract with the musicians. Today, the Houston Symphony is widely acclaimed as one of the top orchestras in the world.

Each year, the Houston Symphony performs approximately 170 concerts for more than 350,000 Houstonians. The season includes the Fidelity Investments Classical Series; the six-concert classical Shell Favorite Masters, Great Performers, and TOTAL Gold Classics series; the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pops at Jones Hall series; Weatherford Family Concerts; holiday concerts; the Chevron Fiesta Sinfónica Familiar and the Houston Chronicle Dollar Concert; a summer series at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion; and KPRC Local 2 Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre, where the orchestra has performed for more than 60 years. The season also includes six SoundPlusVision concerts, underwritten by the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation, and the JPMorgan Chase Summer in the City series.

Education and outreach are vital to the orchestra: 40,000 students from public, private, parochial, and home schools attend David Dewhurst Symphony Explorer and Macy’s Symphony Detective concerts. Every summer the orchestra tours the region with free family Sounds Like Fun! concerts underwritten by the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, reaching 13,000 Houstonians. The Houston Symphony honors educators each year at the Spec’s Charitable Foundation Salute to Educators Concert. Educational partners include the Houston Independent School District and five other area school districts, as well as many private schools.

The Houston Symphony’s community engagement program, GDF SUEZ Community Connections, brings musicians into the Houston community as soloists, master class teachers, and ensemble performers. Lectures, recitals, regional tours, and student competitions are also part of the Houston Symphony’s commitment to community service. Each year, symphony musicians educate and entertain more than 22,000 area residents in schools, hospitals, retirement homes, shelters, and community centers. Through programs like Fidelity Futurestage and Deloitte Dynamics, the Houston Symphony, in partnership with business corporations, provides music education opportunities and instruments to deserving band and orchestra students at local high schools.

Women of the Houston Symphony Chorus
Charles Hausmann, Director
Houston Symphony Chorus

The Houston Symphony Chorus, led by Charles Hausmann, is the official choral unit of the Houston Symphony, comprising a chorus of volunteer singer-musicians committed to rehearsing and performing the choral-orchestral repertory at the highest level of choral artistry. In addition to presenting an annual schedule of concerts in Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony, the chorus has toured Europe several times, and has performed regularly in Mexico with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Mineriá in Mexico City.

Originally known as the Houston Chorale, the ensemble was founded in 1946 by Alfred Urbach, then principal cellist of the Houston Symphony. The chorale made its debut with the Houston Symphony in 1949 with a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. This inaugurated what was to be a lasting relationship, one that has produced hundreds of memorable performances of the great choral masterworks led by some of the world’s leading conductors. In 1986, the chorale was renamed the Houston Symphony Chorus.

Charles Hausmann has been director of the Houston Symphony Chorus since 1986. During that time, he has prepared the ensemble for more than 500 concerts, covering 400 years of choral repertory. As director of choral studies and professor of conducting at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music since 1985, he supervises the master’s and doctoral programs in choral conducting. His conducting appearances nationally and internationally, including concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Prague Spring Festival, have been acclaimed for his ability to fuse choral and orchestral forces into a unified ensemble of high artistic merit.