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Program Archive
The Three B's
August 11 2007, 2:00 and 7:30 at the Barshinger Center (2007 Schedule)
Even if you're an avid baseball fan, you've probably never witnessed a player “hitting for the cycle.” This rare and special feat is when a baseball player hits a single, double, triple, and home run all in the same game. Sound easy? There have only been 276 cycles in the 125 year history of Major League Baseball. Forgive this analogy but Allegro, The Chamber Orchestra of Lancaster, completes its own version of the cycle with this August 11 performance of Brandenburg Concerto No. 6.
Six short years ago, this infant ensemble, donning the blue uniform for the first time, opened the first ever Allegro concert with Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. Each year since, Allegro has presented a different one of the six Brandenburg Concerti and tonight completes the cycle. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect back on the growth of this chamber orchestra in terms of musical quality, audience support, and adherence to a unique mission. What's next for Allegro? Well Dr. Norcross, we'll simply remind you that 21 players have hit two times for the cycle and heck, three guys have accomplished this milestone three times. Play Ball!
Brandenburg Concerto, No. 6, BWV 1051 by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
There are a few significant factors to consider when listening to (and enjoying) Brandenburg Six.
- This is probably the earliest of the six concerti, composed around 1718.
- Bach played the first viola part in a piece that is virtually a concerto for two solo violas.
- Bach wrote the viola da gamba part (later to be played on cello) to be playable by his boss, Prince Leopold.
We often assume that these composers wrote things in order according to their modern day numerical title. Please remember that The Brandenburg Concertos were simply a collection of pieces written during Bach's employment in Kothen (1718-21). The Margrave of Brandenburg attends a performance by J.S. and requests Bach send him some of his compositions. Two and a half years later, Bach chooses an unrelated grouping of six concerti and sends them off as a gift. Bach called the set simply “Six Concertos with Various Instruments”. The nickname Brandenburg was bestowed on them in the nineteenth century when the handsome (hand-written by Bach) manuscript was discovered in the Brandenburg archives.
If you didn't know it before now, viola players often feel like the Rodney Dangerfields of the string section. That's right, “they get no respect”. So when a piece arrives on a viola player's music stand that features this misunderstood and often neglected instrument, these musicians have reason for celebration…. they're probably smiling on stage right now. My other observation is a pragmatic one. (bullet #3 above) If your boss, in this case Prince Leopold of Kothen, wants to perform in your orchestra, first of all say yes and secondly make sure that the part is at his level of playability. Bach understood this employment credo quite well.
The three movements of Brandenburg No. 6 are assigned tempi of Allegro, Adagio, and Allegro. Enjoy the spirited fast outer movements while appreciating the poignant slow middle section. And finally, please don't forget to hug a viola player at intermission. Bach would have wanted that.
Symphony No. 6 by Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (1743-1805)
So raise your hand if you thought you were going to hear Brahms tonight? Oh don't be embarrassed, The Three B's title certainly sets you up to expect German romanticism. Who is this guy Boccherini? He was born in Lucca , Italy into a musical family where he developed into a virtuoso cellist. His talents brought him to the Spanish court in Madrid , there he was employed by Don Luis, the younger brother of King Charles III. Boccherini flourished under royal patronage until one day when the King expressed his disapproval at a passage in a new trio, ordering Luigi to change it. The composer, having not read the memo from Bach on being a good employee, doubled the passage instead, leading to his immediate dismissal.
Much of Boccherini's music follows models established by Joseph Haydn; however, he is often credited with improving Haydn's model of the string quartet by bringing the cello to prominence, whereas Haydn had usually relegated it to an accompaniment role. When comparing the symphonic writing of these two composers, Boccherini might lack Haydn's vigor and ingenuity but he compensates with a lovely lyricism and attention to tone color detail. Stylistically, Boccherini's music is characterized as having charm, lightness, and optimism.
Charm, lightness, and optimism huh? Did I mention that Allegro is performing Boccherini's symphony subtitled, “La casa del diavolo?” Yes, The House of the Devil! The first movement might have you scratching your head when referring back to the title. Things seem somewhat dramatic but mostly confident with running string parts and support from oboes and horns. The second movement is scored for strings alone. The staccato-driven melody lines give us our first feel of sneakiness, as if walking around in the dark, trying not to be discovered in somebody else's house. The third movement begins with a dramatic and eerie introduction. The Allegro section includes the eeriness and edginess of the Devil's House and its inhabitants, leaping out at us with ghoulish abandon. If this is your first listening experience of Boccherini, savor the moment. “La casa del diavolo” could even become part of your listening repertoire for this year's Halloween celebrations in late October when you're going through Allegro withdrawal .
Nocturne (Julia's Theme) by Arlen Clarke (1954- )
World premieres are always exiting and quite memorable and tonight will be no exception. Nocturne is a loving musical tribute to Julia Oliver, good friend of Emery and Mary Ellen DeWitt (oboe and harpsichord, respectively), Brian Norcross (musical director), and the entire Allegro family. Having listened to the sound file on Mr. Clarke's website, I can assure the Allegro audience that you will be able to make your own conclusions of Julia while hearing this lovely, melodic work. I recently e-mailed the composer to ask for some background on tonight's premiere work and below was his response:
"I met Julia through the DeWitts a few years ago, and had the pleasure of chatting with her over lunch perhaps less than a year prior to her death. “Nocturne for Julia” is a musical description of my impression of her. Subjectivity is the artist's greatest tool for expression. And from my impressions of her, I set out to capture, in the music, what I felt was her essence - gentle, elegant, and inwardly strong. I can tell you that it was relatively easy to be inspired to write music for such a remarkable woman. Unfortunately, this piece is much too short to reflect Julia's life and impact on others. I believe that there is a whole symphony waiting to be written for her."
Julia Oliver was one of the original supporters and donors for the vision of Allegro. I'm quite sure that she is listening and smiling down of us during this performance.
Triple Concerto, Opus 56 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C major was composed in 1803. The choice of the three solo instruments effectively makes this a concerto for piano trio. This is the only concerto Beethoven ever wrote for more than one solo instrument. One might even think of this composition as a hybrid of the rich harmonies of the early Romantic Era and the delicate precision of the Baroque concerto grosso. ( The Brandenburgs ) The interplay of multiple soloists and orchestra seems to have held Beethoven's interest, and though his concertino writing is far more expansive than Handel would have allowed, it gives modern listeners an intriguing glimpse of how a master may choose to combine the best elements of different eras.
The piece was first performed in 1808 and despite the fact that the composer himself played the piano, the concerto had little success at that time. Unsuccessful premieres were a way of life for Beethoven, a man ahead of his time. Donald Francis Tovey, author of “Essays in Musical Analysis”, writes “ If the Triple Concerto were not by Beethoven, but by some mysterious composer who had written nothing else and who had some romantic good fortune to die before it came to performance, the very people who most blame Beethoven for writing below his full powers would be the first to acclaim it as the work of a still greater composer.”
Opus 56 is in the standard classical concerto style involving three movements: Allegro, Largo , and Rondo alla Polacca. The first movement is cast in a moderate march tempo, conveying a character of fashionable dignity and chivalry. The slow second movement is a large-scale introduction to the finale, which follows it without pause. The cello and violin share the melodic material of the movement while the piano provides a discrete accompaniment. The third movement launches into a Polish folk style polonaise, a trait of aristocratic fashion during the Napoleonic era.
With Allegro's performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 comes the completion of the “cycle” in six short, exciting years. We thank you, the audience of Allegro, for supporting and embracing the noble mission of this chamber orchestra. Yes, the music of this ensemble can be well played and artistically rich without a divisive air of elitism. Yes, the musicians can be well trained and properly schooled while experiencing an atmosphere of respect and dignity from their maestro. Yes, music will be a joyous experience, thus bringing friendly musicians, the finest of musical art, and a community together each summer on the campus of Franklin and Marshall College . What a blessing!
Doug Albert