David Alexander Rahbee leads the UW Symphony and combined UW Choirs in a program of works by Haydn, Schumann, and Ravel. Centerpiece of the program is "The Haydn Experience II,” an “imaginary symphony" of music by Joseph Haydn, designed by David A. Rahbee.
Program
The Haydn Experience II: Music by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Michael Haydn (1737-1806)
designed by David A. Rahbee after an original concept by Sir Simon Rattle
L’isola disabitata (Deserted Island) Overture
Mvt 4: Andante–Presto, from Symphony No. 72, D major
March for the Royal Society of Musicians
Mvt 2: Andante, from Symphony No. 38, C major, Echo
Der Furchtsame (The Fearful) [vocal canon]
Storm from The Seasons
Mvt 2; Finale: Fugato, from Symphony No. 28, C major (Michael Haydn)
Liebe der Kunst (Love of Art) [vocal canon]
Mvt 4: Allegro assai, from Symphony No. 90, C major
Nachtlied, Op.108: Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No.2: Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Lever du jour
Pantomime
Danse générale
(in celebration of Ravel’s 150th birthday)
Program Notes
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809); Michael Haydn (1737-1806): The Haydn Experience II
(Music by Franz Joseph, and Michael Haydn. Constructed by David A. Rahbee, based on an original idea by Sir Simon Rattle.)
Several years ago, when I learned that conductor Sir Simon Rattle, who I admire and respect greatly, would present a concert of an “Imaginary Symphony” made up of many different movements and sections of works by Joseph Haydn, I was skeptical. Rattle has indeed been one the most important and inspirational musicians I have learned from and followed closely since the late 1990s; however I thought this was, quite frankly, a strange idea. After experiencing the performance, though, I realized how GREAT the idea actually is. I realized that both musicians and audiences need to experience Haydn in this way- presenting the wide ranging and varied music of this composer, whose legacy has always been undisputed, but whose music remains largely unfamiliar. It gives us a perspective and a chance to appreciate this music with a wider lens and more intensely, rather than hearing one of his pieces an under-rehearsed overture. Rattle said, “Joseph Haydn is like an iceberg,” and that the average concert-goer is familiar with only a small percentage of his total output. At that performance, Sir Simon asked the audience to hold the applause till the end. On the contrary, I actually would encourage the audience to clap between movements - if and when you truly feel motivated to do so - and not just because of a pause in the music, or silence and or because one feels obliged. I set out to create the "Haydn Experience" in 2018, my own version of this “Imaginary Symphony”, inspired by Rattle, but also adding other elements and tailoring it to also provide important opportunities for our orchestra members. I have created a totally new one for this performance. The result will hopefully provide performers and audiences with an experience that helps them recognize and appreciate the genius of Haydn’s music, its uncommon fusion of popular and noble styles, its humor and originality, and above all, in my opinion, honest and direct expressiveness. He confidently said “Meine Sprache versteht Man durch die ganze Welt” (People understand my language all around the world.); it is my hope that this experience will leave you in full accordance!
—David A. Rahbee
Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Nachtlied, Op. 108 (1848)
Robert Schumann’s Nachtlied, Op. 108, for eight-part chorus and orchestra, gently guides the listener into the serene, dreamlike realm of sleep. Composed in 1849, over the course of just a week, this work is set to a poem by Friedrich Hebbel that explores the theme of death, starting its journey with fear, and ending with acceptance. The piece opens with haunting mystery, as a short, fragmented motif is obsessively repeated, drawing the listener into a world of quiet unease. In its final moments, a delicate descending pizzicato line fades away like a fleeting ghost, and the clarinet emerges as a wistful, reflective voice, adding to the sense of introspective calm. —Mica Weiland
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé Suite no. 2 (comp. 1909-1912)
Maurice Ravel, a renowned French composer, pianist, and conductor, is often considered a central figure in the Impressionist movement—though he himself rejected this label. His music is celebrated for its intricate orchestration and innovative approach to musical form. Known for his genre-defying compositional style, Ravel seamlessly utilized elements of Baroque, Classical, folk, and jazz music in his works. As a prolific composer, he created a vast body of work, including symphonic pieces, concertos, chamber music, and the ballet Daphnis et Chloé. This hour-long ballet is Ravel’s longest composition, scored for large orchestra and wordless chorus.
Set on the Greek island of Lesbos, the ballet tells the story of the shepherd Daphnis, who falls in love with the shepherdess Chloé. A rejected suitor, the cowherd Dorcon, complicates their love triangle. When pirates abduct Chloé, Daphnis is powerless to stop them. However, with the help of the nymphs of Pan and the god himself, Chloé is rescued. The ballet culminates in a stunning depiction of dawn—one of the score’s most celebrated moments—and the joyful reunion of the lovers.
The second suite, drawn from the full ballet, opens with the evocation of daybreak. The flutes and clarinets create a misty, ethereal texture, while the low strings subtly linger in the background. The music mirrors the start of the day, with birdsong and a lush melody that evokes the warmth of the rising sun. An extended flute solo then represents the moment when Daphnis and Chloé mime the story of Pan and Syrinx. The suite closes with a dramatic shift to driving rhythms and frenzied energy, symbolizing the joyous celebration and reunion of Daphnis and Chloé.
—Mica Weiland
University of Washington Symphony Orchestra
David Alexander Rahbee, Music Director and Conductor Flute Piccolo Alto Flute English Horn Clarinet E-Flat Clarinet Bass Clarinet Bassoon Contrabassoon Horn
Bass Trombone Tuba Timpani Percussion Harp Violin I Violin II Viola Flora Cummings, Viola Performance/Biology (Co-Principal)
University Chorale
Giselle Wyers, director Sopranos Altos Tenors Basses Chamber SingersGeoffrey Boers, director Soprano 2 Alto 1 Alto 2 Tenor 1 Tenor 2 Bass 1 Bass 2 |
Biographies
David Alexander Rahbee is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle, where he is Director of Orchestral Activities and Chair of Orchestral Conducting. He is Music Director and Conductor of the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra and founder of the UW Campus Philharmonia Orchestras. He is a recipient of the American-Austrian Foundation's 2003 Herbert von Karajan Fellowship for Young Conductors, the 2005 International Richard-Wagner-Verband Stipend, a fellowship the Acanthes Centre in Paris (2007), and is first prize winner in conducting from The American Prize national non-profit competitions in the performing arts for 2020. His work at UW has earned national recognition. In 2021 he was praised by The American Prize as “Consistently one of the most courageous and comprehensive [orchestral] programmers working in higher education in the U.S. today…”
Dr. Rahbee has appeared in concert with orchestras such as the Seattle Symphony, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Kammerphilharmonie Berlin-Brandenburg, Guernsey Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, Orchestre de la Francophonie, Orchesterakademie der Bochumer Symphoniker, the Dresden Hochschule orchestra, Grand Harmonie, the Boston New Music Initiative, Seattle Modern Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Loja (Ecuador), Savaria Symphony Orchestra (Hungary), Cool Opera of Norway (members of the Stavanger Symphony), Schönbrunner Schloss Orchester (Vienna), the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, the Kennett Symphony, and the Divertimento Ensemble of Milan. His collaborations with the Seattle Symphony include assistant conductor for the performance and recording of Ives’ Fourth Symphony, and as guest conductor for their Native Lands project and the North American premiere of Páll Ragnar Pallson's Quake with faculty cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir. He has collaborated with several prominent soloists such as Sarah Chang, Jon Kimura Parker, Yekwon Sunwoo, Glenn Dicterow and Jonathan Biss. He has been a guest rehearsal conductor for numerous young orchestras, such as the New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, The Symphony Orchestra of the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at Chapman University, and the Vienna University of Technology orchestra. He has served on faculty of the Pierre Monteux School as Conducting Associate, has been resident conductor of the Atlantic Music Festival and guest conductor at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival.
Dr. Rahbee was an assistant at the Vienna State opera from 2002-2010. As part of his fellowship and residency at the 2003 Salzburg Festival, Dr. Rahbee was assistant conductor of the International Attergau Institute Orchestra, where he worked with members of the Vienna Philharmonic. He has been selected to actively participate in masterclasses with prominent conductors such as Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Jorma Panula, Zdeněk Mácal, Peter Eötvös, Zoltán Peskó and Helmut Rilling, and counts Nikolaus Harnoncourt to be among his most influential mentors. From 1997-2001, David Rahbee was founder and conductor of the Fidelio Chamber Orchestra in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Rahbeeʼs principal conducting teachers were Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin and composition from Indiana University, a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory in orchestral conducting, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Montreal in orchestral conducting. He has also participated in post-graduate conducting classes at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Vienna. His brass arrangements are published by Warwick Music, and his articles on the music of Mahler have appeared in journals of the International Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft, among others.
In addition to being awarded first prize in conducting from The American Prize for 2020, he was awarded 2nd place in 2019. He has also placed among winners for five consecutive years for The American Prize Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for Orchestral Programming, recognizing his programming with the UW Symphony and its affiliated ensembles for every season since he joined the faculty. The UWSO has also been a finalist in the category of orchestral performance in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Dr. Rahbee is co-editor of Daniels’ Orchestral Music (6thedition) and Daniels’ Orchestral Music Online (DOMO), the gold standard among conductors, orchestral administrators, orchestra librarians as well as other music professionals and students researching for orchestral programming.