GVO eNewsletter - April, 2007
Alex Mastrando
The
Greenwich Village Orchestra
Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary Season
Concert
#4 – “Brilliant”
Sunday, April 1, 2007 – 3:00pm
Washington Irving High School Performing Arts House
16th & Irving Place – NYC
Program:
Mendelssohn – “The
Hebrides” Overture
Elgar – Cello Concerto, Raman Ramakrishnan, cello
Mozart – Symphony No. 41 in C Major, “Jupiter”
This newsletter will regularly bring you insights into the
music-making and activities of the GVO. In this issue,
we discuss the upcoming "Brilliant" concert on April 1, 2007,
3:00pm at the Washington Irving High School Performing Arts House.
For more information as well as directions, log onto our website at http://www.gvo.org/audience.
From
The Podium – Notes from Music Director Barbara Yahr
There is a philosophical problem when we interpret and listen to the last works of great artists.
Elgar’s Cello Concerto is considered his last important work since those that followed were mostly arrangements and smaller works. Do we therefore think of this masterpiece as a final work? Mendelssohn lived to the age of 39 but stopped composing after the age of 25. He chose to make certain works his last- his limitations were not determined by his life span.
Mozart did not have the luxury of selecting the end date of his compositional life. He composed up to a few weeks before his death at the age of 35. He was at work on the Requiem when he took to his bed a few weeks before he died and it is said that he continued to try to compose. If you have seen the movie “Amadeus”, the image of this scene is quite vivid.
When studying or performing the final works of Mozart, one is always aware of the works’ chronological position in his life. There are the final pages of his last opera, “The Magic Flute”, and other last works like the Clarinet Concerto, the Clarinet Quintet, and of course his last symphony which the GVO performs on April 1st, known as the Jupiter Symphony.
The symphony was written in 1788, three years before his death. Did he know it was to be his last? If he had written one more, would the Jupiter symphony sound different to us? What if he had written ten more?
The logical answer to the first question is: of course not. How could he have known? Three years is a long time and he had no terminal diagnosis in our sense of that word.
But my answer to the other questions is definitely yes. Although it is surely due to our artistic vantage point, the fact is that these last pieces sound like last pieces. Are there musical elements that contribute to this? Yes, but the way we interpret those elements changes drastically depending on the context of the work we are hearing. Art does not come to life in a vacuum; it only begins to live in the aesthetic space between creator, performer and audience.
The fact is that the Jupiter Symphony was Mozart’s last symphony and we have no choice but to hear it as such. The joy alternating with a pause to sigh at the opening of the 1st movement sounds slightly nostalgic when we think of it this way. The second movement has the operatic quality of a Hoch dramatic aria. The elegant 3rd movement is called a minuet but it evokes a procession more than a dance. The trio has a recurring musical motive which sounds like a farewell.
It is the finale of this symphony which, if such a thing is possible, steals
the show. The counterpoint in this movement is stunning both for of its
extreme complexity and its clarity and accessibility. The finale is
dominated by a fugue, a compositional technique much like a sophisticated canon
or round. Fugues in symphonies can sound academic and sometimes fail to
communicate any vibrant emotion. Here, the music is robust,
powerful and seamless. The main theme is played in every possible way, and in
the end, when it is introduced both upside down and backwards, the music
makes a culminating statement of bravado. Because of its particular
place in his life’s work, the music sounds like a “last
hurrah.”
Did Mozart ‘mean’ the music to sound this way? In the end, all I can say is that I hear it as a final apotheosis of one of the greatest composers who has ever lived. I like to think that Mozart would not have minded that.
Meet The Soloist – Music Director Barbara Yahr interviews our soloist
Barbara Yahr: I understand that your educational background is very broad. How did you decide to focus on performing as a cellist? Was there a moment when you knew?
Raman Ramakrishnan: I
had fantasies of being a professional cellist from the moment I started, when I
was seven years old. However, when I went through school, other things
interested me as well, and I decided to major in physics in college. I
always kept up the cello, and it became an escape for me to the extent that
practicing was a major procrastination device. (Now, other things fill
that role.) Looking back, I think I always knew I wanted to do this, but
wasn't sure I'd be able to make it. I consider myself very lucky to be
doing something that brings me such enjoyment.
BY: How does the rest of your education impact on your life as a
musician? Do you still read about physics in your spare time?
RR: I keep the Feynman Lectures on Physics lying around, and I dip into them from time to time for enjoyment, but my physics knowledge is in the process of fleeing my brain. I'm not sure how specifically other fields influence musicians, but there certainly are a lot of scientists and mathematicians who also play instruments. Math, physics, and music all involve dealing with the beauty of patterns, so perhaps that has something to do with it.
BY: Tell us about some of your other performing projects. How do you enjoy the Silk road Project?
RR: I've done a couple of tours with the Silk Road Project, both of which took me to exotic locations (India and Egypt). I always learn a lot in any collaboration, but it's particularly true when the other musicians come from a different musical tradition. Playing with the Silk Road Ensemble opened my eyes to the core of music, which is, at its best, an earnest communication between souls.
BY: When did you perform with the Iraqi National Orchestra? What
was that like?
RR: A few years ago, members of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra travelled to New York, and members of the Silk Road Ensemble collaborated with them in a concert presented by Carnegie Hall. It was fascinating to work with them; there was a strong Russian tradition in their playing, and they all had such open and warm personalities. In this time of distrust and violence in the Middle East, it was heartening to know that music could be a bridge between cultures.
BY:
Finally-
the Elgar is such a personal piece, often referred to as autumnal since Elgar
wrote it in the autumn of his career, so to speak. Do you think of it that way
and when did you first come in contact with this particular concerto?
RR: I do think of the Elgar concerto as autumnal. Nostalgia pervades it,
except perhaps in the giddy and playful second movement. Elgar does a
very beautiful thing at the end of the piece: he introduces past themes in
reverse order, first the heartbreaking theme from the slow movement, and then
the dramatic opening theme, which takes on quite a different meaning in this
context. In bringing us full circle, I think the piece becomes, to a
certain extent, about death. But, of course, it's about life and love,
too. I first came into contact with the piece, as many do, through
Jacqueline Du Pre's incredible recording.
Musical Chairs
The Greenwich Village Orchestra has launched its first ever Musical Chairs program. We are looking for sponsors to support each and every musical chair in the orchestra. All the funds generated through this campaign will be used exclusively for direct expenses of our musicians such as sheet music rental and purchase, equipment maintenance, rehearsal and concert hall rental.
The level of sponsorship depends on the musical chair in question:
Music
Director's Podium
$1,000
Concertmaster's
Chair
$500
Principal
Chairs
$400
All other
Chairs
$200
Your support and participation in the Musical Chairs program will make it possible for the GVO to continue to provide our musicians with an increasingly exciting music-making environment. This program allows us to use our other limited financial resources to obtain leading guest artists and offer complimentary tickets to those who may never experience a live symphony orchestra performance on stage.
Your contribution towards ensuring a successful Musical Chairs program will help us achieve our mission of providing great music at affordable prices. We are dedicated to serving Lower Manhattan as a vital cultural and educational resource.
All
donations to the GVO are tax deductible.
Visit http://www.gvo.org/musicalchairs.html
if you are interested in participating in our Musical Chairs program
We greatly appreciate any help you can give us.