Our Blue Marble Program Notes
Carnival Overture (10')
Dvořák’s 1892 triptych “Nature, Life, and Love” consists of three overtures: “In Nature’s Realm”, “Carnival”, and “Othello”. The work served as both a musical farewell and greeting for the conductor/composer, who premiered it in Prague just before heading to New York to assume his post as director of the National Conservatory of Music, and reprised it at Carnegie Hall on his first American program. His description of “Carnival” juxtaposes an observer and the scene he observes: “The lonely, contemplative wanderer reaches the city at nightfall, where a carnival is in full swing. On every side is heard the clangor of instruments, mingled with shouts of joy and the unrestrained hilarity of people giving vent to their feelings in their songs and dance tunes.”
- written by Susan Key
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka (3')
As Sousa wrote in many other forms than the march, so Johann Strauss, Jr. composed many works that were not waltzes. Tritsch-Tratsch is a polka. It was composed after Strauss spent a summer in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia. “Tritsch-tratsch” is best translated as “chit chat.” Perhaps Strauss was giving a gentle hint to all the audience members who talked through his concerts.
- written by John Fleming
Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (21')
Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber began life in early 1940, when Hindemith first took up residence in the United States after several years of public and private jousting with the Nazi government of his native country of Germany. Hindemith sketched a series of movements based on themes by Weber, to be used in a ballet for a dance company run by Léonide Massine, who had already collaborated with Hindemith on the ballet Nobilissima Visione. The project died when Hindemith and Massine suffered one too many artistic differences, provoking Hindemith to reconstruct the music. The process produced a splashy, colorful orchestral piece of the kind that American audiences in particular seemed to like. The new piece was an immediate success when it was premiered by Artur Rodzinski and the New York Philharmonic in January 1944. Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber has arguably remained Hindemith’s most popular work.
- adapted from Richard Floyd
Danse Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila (8')
Saint-Saëns’ operatic masterpiece Samson et Dalila was first staged in 1877. The beautiful Philistine has sworn vengeance on Samson. She discovers that the secret of Samson’s power lies in his hair and manages to practice her barbering skills on him, rendering him helpless. His prayer for one last surge of strength is granted and he dislodges the temple pillars, bringing the roof down on the godless crowd. Taking its name from Bacchus, mythological god of wine and fertility, a bacchanale is a dance that puts a premium on sensuality and abandon. Saint-Saëns’ Bacchanale opens with a twisting melody that could charm a snake from its basket. This is followed by a passage that begins as though it might have come from a 19th century Parisian dance hall. These elements alternate until the appearance of a lovely tune that’s full of longing; but the music hall and snake-charmer music have the final words.
- adapted from San Francisco Symphony
Symphony No. VI: The Blue Marble (24')
Movement I - “The Blue Marble”: It is often said that the first full image of Earth, Blue Marble, taken by Apollo 17 in 1972 was the first full picture of the planet Earth. The picture is actually upside down. It happened sometime between 4:59:05 and 5:08:14 hours after Apollo's launch as they traveled up to 25,000 miles an hour. This movement celebrates our home in a variety of ways; think of it as an abbreviated introduction to planet Earth through music.
Movement II - “Voices in Green”: I spent hours, simply listening to the recordings of the Amazon jungle by the world-renowned sound engineer, George Vlad. The sounds transport you into the heart of the jungle which feels incredibly alive. The exotic calls of the birds and the echoes from other birds of the same species, the insects, the frogs and the rain; you can practically feel and smell the rain. The density of growth with every shade of green is the backdrop for this beautiful, strange opera. Think of this movement as a concert taking place in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.
Movement III - “Let There Be Life”: Violence, death, murder, birth, & life; I wanted to capture that commonality with music in the third and final movement. A recurring theme moves through the music, transporting us from one musical setting to the next, ending in a majestic, grandiose way. The miracle of Earth is life. As with the famous Blue Marble photograph, I hope this symphony reminds people just how frail and beautiful Earth is. Earth is the one thing we all have in common. It is our only home and we should always treat it as such with every generation leaving it healthier and happier than the way they found it.
- adapted from Julie Giroux