An Orchestral Evening: Thursday, September 1, 2022 - 7:30 PM, Arkell Pavilion, SVAC
MMF Presents the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Francesco Geminiani (b. Italy | d. Italy; 1687 – 1762)
Arranged by Michi Wiancko (b. United States; 1976 – Present)
La Follia Variations (composed 1729, arranged 2012)
The enduring obsession of composers throughout the centuries with the infamous theme, La Follia, is one of the most interesting phenomena explored by musicologists. Impossible to attribute to a single composer, this theme is thought to have emerged as a source of inspiration for musicians starting as early as 15th-century Spain. Translating to the folly or madness, the La Follia theme has served as the basis of numerous works by composers such as Lully, Corelli, Bach, Händel, Liszt, Ponce, and Rachmaninoff, to name a few. The theme itself is uncomplicated, set in a minor key and a simple triple meter, thus providing an excellent backdrop for virtuosic embellishment, given the repetition of its bassline.
Francesco Geminiani based his Concerto Grosso in D minor upon the La Follia theme embedded within the Sonata for Violin & Continuo Op. 5 No. 12 by Arcangelo Corelli. Michi Wiancko – a contemporary violinist who plays with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra – joins a distinguished tradition of arrangers with her own modern transcription of Geminiani’s popular work.
Adolphus Hailstork (b. United States; 1941 – Present)
Sonata da Chiesa for String Orchestra (composed 1992)
Born in Rochester, New York, Adolphus Hailstork was a pupil of Nadia Boulanger, David Diamond, and Vittorio Giannini. His wide-ranging compositional output includes works for orchestra, chorus, and organ, and he often pays homage to African American spirituals.
The title, Sonata da Chiesa, or church sonata, refers to an instrumental work with religious and meditative connotations. Inspired by Hailstork’s fascination with cathedrals – notably the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany (where he served as a child chorister) – the seven sections of the work (performed without pause) bear liturgical titles:
Exultate
O Magnum Mysterium
Adoro
Jubilate
Agnus Dei
Dona Nobis Pacem
Exultate
Antonio Vivaldi (b. Italy | d. Italy; 1678 – 1741)
The Four Seasons, Op. 8 (composed 1716 – 1725)
An early example of what would come to be known centuries later as program music, or music centered around extra-musical imagery or narratives, Antonio Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni have achieved iconic status. Each season of the year is depicted by a three-movement concerto for violin and orchestra, with the violin serving as virtuoso protagonist and the orchestra incorporating instrumental effects to capture sounds like wind, thunderstorms, birds, and rain.
Accompanying each concerto is a descriptive sonnet, purportedly written by Vivaldi himself:
I. Violin Concerto in E Major, RV 269 La primavera
Allegro
Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.
Largo
On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him.
Allegro
Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of spring.
II. Violin Concerto in G minor, RV 315 L’estate
Allegro non molto
Beneath the blazing sun's relentless heat
men and flocks are sweltering,
pines are scorched.
We hear the cuckoo's voice; then sweet songs of the turtle dove and finch are heard.
Soft breezes stir the air….but threatening north wind sweeps them suddenly aside. The shepherd trembles, fearful of violent storm and what may lie ahead.
Adagio e piano - Presto e forte
His limbs are now awakened from their repose by fear of lightning's flash and thunder's roar, as gnats and flies buzz furiously around.
Presto
Alas, his worst fears were justified, as the heavens roar and great hailstones beat down upon the proudly standing corn.
III. Violin Concerto in F Major, RV 293 L’autunno
Allegro
The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in.
The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber.
Adagio molto
The singing and the dancing die away
as cooling breezes fan the pleasant air,
inviting all to sleep
without a care.
Allegro
The hunters emerge at dawn,
ready for the chase,
with horns and dogs and cries.
Their quarry flees while they give chase.
Terrified and wounded, the prey struggles on,
but, harried, dies.
IV. Violin Concerto in F minor, RV 297 L’inverno
Allegro non molto
Shivering, frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds;
running to and fro to stamp one's icy feet, teeth chattering in the bitter chill.
Largo
To rest contentedly beside the hearth, while those outside are drenched by pouring rain.
Allegro
We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling.
Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up.
We feel the chill north winds coarse through the home despite the locked and bolted doors…
this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights.