David Alexander Rahbee leads the UW Symphony in an end-of-quarter performance. Program includes music by Marianne Martinez, Igor Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Program
University of Washington Symphony Orchestra
David Alexander Rahbee, Daren Weissfisch, conductors
Sinfonia in C major………………………… Marianna Martines (1744-1812)
I. Allegro con spirito
II. Andante ma non troppo
III. Allegro spiritoso
Apollon musagète…………………………….… Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
- First tableau
- Prologue: The Birth of Apollo
- Second tableau
- Variation of Apollo
- Pas d’action (Apollo and the Three Muses)
- Variation of Calliope (the Alexandrine)
- Variation of Polyhymnia
- Variation of Terpsichore
- Second Variation of Apollo
- Pas de deux
- Coda
- Apotheosis
Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus..… Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Daren Weissfisch, conductor
Symphony No. 1, in C major, op.21…………….. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio
II. Andante cantabile con moto
III. Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
IV. Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace
Masks are required in all indoor spaces on the UW campus, and patrons must show proof of vaccination or recent (within 72 hours of the performance) negative COVID-19 test for entry to live events at Meany Hall. Enhanced sanitation measures and touchless ticketing are among other safety measures in effect for 2021-22. Details of these policies and procedures are at: https://artsevents.washington.edu/covid-protocols
Program Notes
Martines, Marianna: Sinfonia in C major
Marianne Martinez (or von Martines) was a unique figure in 18th century Austria. Highly regarded for her choral works and piano concerti, her only symphony - Sinfonia in C major, embodies the light and airy Viennese style that was the aesthetic standard of classical music during that time. A virtuosic player since childhood, she composed numerous arias and performed her own vocal and harpsichord music. She was often a favorite piano four-hands partner with Mozart, and her portrait is still on the wall of Haydn’s home in Vienna today. Martinez’ gender and her existence in 18th century Europe caused much of her music to be forgotten about. However, a resurgence of her music is being enjoyed today.
Stravinsky: Apollon Musagète [1947 version]
Sergei Diaghilev, art critic and founder of the Ballets Russes called this work “music not of this world, but from somewhere else above, frozen in time.” Stravinsky had incredible freedom when composing this work, with the only stipulation by American patron of the arts Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge being that it was shorter than half an hour run time and required six or fewer dancers for a festival of contemporary music in Washington, D.C. He settled on the story of Apollo, leader of the muses as his inspiration. Although the plot centers on Greek antiquity, Stravinsky folds in his own Russian influence from earlier works and combines neoclassicism and modernism of the 1920s into the work.
Vaughan Williams: Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus"
This short work for string orchestra and harp is based upon the English folk melody “Dives and Lazarus” which he previously used in his incredibly popular “English Folk Song Suite”. Originally commissioned for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, the work was inspired by Vaughan Williams’ fascination with newly discovered melodies – in this case one referencing the biblical story of the rich man and the beggar. This composition is known for its expansive harmonies and sweeping melodies among the orchestral sections.
Beethoven: Symphony No.1, op.21, C major
Beethoven’s first symphony shows his reverence to his teacher, Joseph Haydn, but also marks his unique character that would come to the fore later in his career. Premiered in Vienna in honor of one of his earliest benefactors, Baron Gottfried Van Swieten, this work takes the symphonic form Haydn and Mozart mastered and transitions it through Beethoven’s own artistic lens to create music that is joyous and intense. Although Beethoven followed many of the same symphonic composition rules already in place, he still found ways to cleverly introduce new ideas – such as starting his symphony with dissonance, which was a rarity in the form until that point. Woodwinds also take a prominent, independent harmonic role in this work that Beethoven would continue to develop over his career. From the sonata form of the first movement, to the Spaziergang (leisurely stroll) of the second movement, and the third and fourth movements inspired by folk music, Beethoven would use this symphony – as he did with his other works – to push the boundaries of his time and open the door to new expressive possibilities for the next generation of composers.
Program Notes by Kieran Matz
CONDUCTOR BIOS