Orchestra: These Worlds in Us
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“...as we grow older, we accumulate worlds of intense memory within us, and that grief is often not far from joy.” — Missy Mazzoli
As we hope to rise out of the difficult period in the pandemic, we reflect on our collective trauma and celebrate a return to the music-making that inspires us each day. Join Boston Conservatory Orchestra in this powerful journey of darkness to light, featuring Missy Mazzoli’s These Worlds in Us, Johannes Brahms’s pastoral Symphony No. 2, plus a trio of operatic selections led by graduate conducting student Francesco Gennaro.
Program Information
Repertoire
MISSY MAZZOLI: These Worlds in Us
GIOACHINO ROSSINI: Overture to La Scala di Seta
Francesco Gennaro, M.M. '21, conductor
GIACOMO PUCCINI: Act III Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut
Francesco Gennaro, M.M. '21, conductor
GIUSEPPE VERDI: Overture to I Vespri Siciliani
Francesco Gennaro, M.M. '21, conductor
JOHANNES BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2
- Allegro non troppo
- Adagio non troppo
- Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino)
- Allegro con spirito
MISSY MAZZOLI: These Worlds in Us Dubbed by Time Out New York as “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart,” Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli’s works have been performed by the Kronos Quartet, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, New York City Opera, the BBC Symphony, Emanuel Ax, and many other notable artists and groups. Her 2006 orchestral composition, These Worlds in Us, was dedicated by the composer to her late father: “In talking to him, it occurred to me that, as we grow older, we accumulate worlds of intense memory within us, and that grief is not often far from joy.” The work also draws inspiration from James Tate’s poem, “The Lost Pilot,” from which we present the following excerpt: My head cocked towards the sky, fast, perfect and unwilling that placed you in that world, The music is extremely evocative, immediately drawing in the audience with its mournful opening phrase, marked by the glissandi in the violins. Mazzoli seamlessly crafts a sound palette that paints a story for the listener, taking us on a mystical journey through the parallel realms of sorrow and euphoria. The recurring opening motive reflects the way that grief and loss remain within us, often returning in unexpected moments. Lines of rising tension, swells, and militaristic fragments overlap with the glissandi theme to create a texture that immerses the listener in Mazzoli’s world. —Kiana Umali Garvey, M.M. '22, violin GIOACHINO ROSSINI: Overture to La Scala di Seta After the success Rossini (1792–1868) gained with his first one-act opera La Cambiale di Matrimonio, the opera house Moise in Venice commissioned the 20-year-old composer from Pesaro three farse: one was La Scala di Seta. At that point, it was clear to the impresari of the Moise, who were investing in Rossini, that the composer had a brilliant future ahead. The subject of this farsa is comic, which develops its plot around two young couples, an old odd tutor, and as main character, a misunderstanding between all the parties involved in the story. The overture itself presents all the comic matter, which is eventually deepened in the farsa, with all the peculiar nuances of the Rossinian style. A clear statement of the violins in allegro vivace ignites the atmosphere, leaving shortly after the scene to the winds to draw their andantino section. After this brief introduction, finally the allegro starts, allowing the comedy to be part of the performing space. In fact, sparks of brilliant gestures are lavished both by the winds and the strings. Of course, plenty of crescendo Rossiniani are placed all over the opening overture, bringing the unique signature of the composer of Pesaro. A stretto concludes the overture, promising an amusing story ready to be told. –Francesco Gennaro, M.M. '21, conductor GIACOMO PUCCINI: Act III Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut This intermezzo composed by the Tuscan composer Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) is, for sure, one of his most intense symphonic pieces. As a matter of fact, this piece, which is the prelude to the third act of the opera, summarizes magnificently the core of the work, observed by a unique Italian point of view: the desperate passion between two lovers. In fact, six years before this opera premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Massenet had already composed his Manon, taking also the subject from the French novel The Story of the Gentleman des Grieux, and Manon Lescaut, by Abbé Prévost. However, Puccini was so impressed by the plot that he wanted the editor Ricordi to buy the rights of the novel, so that he could offer different perspectives to the story. The intermezzo has in it the paradigm of the whole Puccinian poetic: melodramatic melodies, left to the mercy of several tempo changes, in a vortex of general push and pull, in which rubato style rules. The love of the two characters, des Grieux and Lescaut, is brilliantly portrayed as the piece starts with the concertino dialogue, at the very beginning. When the full orchestra comes in, the passion intensifies bar by bar until the moment of highest tension, when the orchestra declares the theme in fortissimo. A gentle coda encloses every lyrical idea of the piece, letting the sound disperse in the poetry of the moment. This piece shows what the music of the night sounds like, as Puccini used to compose after the sunset, dedicating his melodies to his beloved wife, who, sleeping tenderly, was always his Muse and inspiration. –Francesco Gennaro, M.M. '21, conductor GIUSEPPE VERDI: Overture to I Vespri Siciliani “The Sicilian Vespers,” English translation for the French Les vêpres siciliennes, is the second grand opera composed by Verdi (1813–1901), after I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata. During the 1850s, thanks to his “popular trilogy” composed of Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and La Traviata, Verdi became the most famous composer of that time. In that period the French librettists Eugèn Scribe and Charles Duveyrier for the Paris Opéra proposed their libretto to the composer: Verdi gladly accepted the offer to compose another Grand Opéra. The drama is about the tragic social-political events that happened in Sicily in the late fourteenth century. The opera was played for the first time in 1855, and it did not have the expected success. For that reason, Verdi decided to have his opera translated into Italian and to have it performed in the Italian theatres, where it had success, despite the strict censure in that period. Yet from the ouverture it is possible to get into the atmosphere of the opera. The symphony to the opera contains the perfect summary of the work, exposing the musical themes that Verdi uses throughout the opera: “Deh! Tu calma, o Dio possente” sung by Helene in the first act is on the melody anticipated by the woodwinds in the ouverture, right after the largo introduction in E minor. The drama, however, is not long in coming: a return to the key of E minor and the tempo indication allegro agitato, leave space for the theme of the atrocious Sicilian vespers, evoking the massacre of the historical events. Only a few themes follow then, in a completely different character, which lead to the grand finale of the ouverture, worthy of a Grand Opéra. –Francesco Gennaro, M.M. '21, conductor BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 Known as Johannes Brahms’s “Pastoral” Symphony, the second symphony is a four- movement work written while the composer was in Austria during the summer of 1877. The town in which he was staying, Pörtschach am Wörthersee, was a special and inspirational place for Brahms. It was where he spent three summers writing many of his important works, including his Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 77, one of his J.S. Bach-styled motets (“Warum ist das Licht gegeben?”), and his Capriccio in B Minor. Unlike his previous symphony, whose premiere he delayed for nearly 21 years while the composer undertook a seemingly unending series of corrections and reformulations, the Second Symphony was completed in a matter of months. For the harshly self-critical composer, this was a triumph. While this piece is often seen as the bright counterpoint to the more somber First Symphony, he jokingly described this new work as “so melancholy that you will not be able to bear it.” Brahms expertly unifies the entire piece by presenting a version of the first theme from the opening movement, Allegro non troppo, in each of the following movements. The first movement begins with a tenderly expressive cello melody that seems to stretch out endlessly over a slow-paced sonata form. The second movement, Adagio non troppo, presents a series of developing variations, followed by the gentle and lightly playful scherzo of the third movement, the Allegretto grazioso. The finale, Allegro con spirito, harkens back to the elation of the opening movement, filled with warmth and soaring melodies. While at times we hear underlying moments of heartache, Brahms’s Second Symphony is wonderfully charming, heroic, and at times incredibly gentle. The joyful and exuberant energy, unifying motives, and subtle melancholia of this symphony carry an atmosphere which celebrates life’s triumphs, while also nurturing an acceptance of the tribulations that one may encounter on life’s journey. —Kiana Umali Garvey, M.M. '22, violin Moritz Gnann, guest conductor, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation, and has received outstanding reviews for his fresh approach to a wide range of symphonic and operatic repertoire reaching from the Renaissance to contemporary. He has conducted concerts and productions with Teatro Nacional de Saõ Carlos in Lisbon, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival in South Korea, and served as assistant conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons. Learn more about Maestro Gnann here.Program Notes
I cannot get off the ground,
and you, passing over again,
to tell me that you are doing
well, or that it was a mistake
and me in this; or that misfortune
placed these worlds in us.About the Artist
PICCOLO Anna Fisher-Roberts, M.M. '23 FLUTE Logan Haley, B.M. '24 OBOE Christian Paniagua, B.M. '23 ENGLISH HORN Daniel Meza, M.M. '23 CLARINET Ning-Chieh Tsai, M.M. '22 BASS CLARINET Maxwell Reed, B.M. '24 BASSOON Lizzie Sylves, B.M. '25 HORN Jack Krugman, B.M. '23 TRUMPET Emily Hanson, B.M. '22 TROMBONE Gillian Kearney, B.M. '22 BASS TROMBONE Benjamin Pilon, B.M. '24 TUBA Kenneth Amis* PERCUSSION Xin Yi Chong, B.M. '22 HARP Jiayi Li, B.M. '21 VIOLIN I Teresa Storer, G.P.D. '22, concertmaster VIOLIN II Dini Tao, M.M. '22 VIOLA Robert Bruce, B.M. '22 CELLO Nicholas Johnson, G.P.D. '22 BASS Jenny Yi, B.M. '22 *Conservatory FacultyPerformers
Megan McCafferty, B.M. '23
Taylor Childress, B.M. '24
Tangjia Xie, M.M. '22
Kaitlyn White, B.M. '24
Maya Schiek, M.M. '23
Dominick Neville, B.M. '22
Yixiang Wang, M.M. '23
Yan Jenny Lee, M.M. '23
Cal Richards, B.M. '24
Robert Adams, M.M. '23
Jasmine Dickson, B.M. '25
Aidan Davidson, B.M. '24
James Koo, B.M. '22
Eric Puente, M.M. '23
Ashley Ridenour, M.M. '23
Xingyue Xue, B.M. '22
Mira Steenbrugge, B.M. '23
Svens Skriveris, M.M. '23
Katy Rose Bennett, B.M. '23
Christine Chen, G.P.D. '23
Armando Ortiz Montenegro, G.P.D. '23
Brittany Sterling Young, M.M. '23
John Tobin, B.M. '25
Rachael Teller, M.M. '21
Khaia Smith, B.M. '24
Christina Junga, B.M. '23
Yu Chiang, P.S.C. '22
Xiangru Wei, M.M. '22
Hope DiMaria, B.M. '24
Jayna Leach, B.M. '22
Ying Hsuan Liao, M.M. '22
Andrew Cheng, B.M. '25
Malachi Provenzano, B.M. '22
Leon Baker III, B.M. '25
Danbi Choi, M.M. '22
Andrea Eugenia Del Aguilla Osollo, G.P.D. '22
Jiawei Cui, M.M. '22
Yinfei Li, B.M. '22
Yuetong Jia, M.M. '22
Letian Feng, B.M. '22
Colton Slaven, B.M. '23
Robin Tarhan, B.M. '24
Kaedyn Colton, B.M. '25
Maria Dupree, M.M. '23
Zeynep Yiğitoğlu, B.M. '25
Lauren Wilson, B.M. '25
Morgan Brown, B.M. '23
Cedrick McCafferty, B.M. '24
Jun Hao Li, M.M. '23
Enrique Hernandez de Tejada, B.M. '23
Backkyoung Cho, M.M. '23
Elaina Spiro, B.M. '24
Christopher Mendez, M.M. '23
Jiacen Shuai, M.M. '22
Arturo Romero, B.M. '25
Jean Taglia, B.M. '23
Jianzi Qi, B.M. '23
David Amouretti, B.M. '24
Jacob Slater, B.M. '22
Nicolette Kindred, B.M. '24
Olive Haber, B.M. '23
Justin Phillips, B.M. '24
Leonardo Martinez, B.M. '25
MUSIC DIVISION Special thanks to all audience members for viewing this program information online. Viewing this information digitally has saved 300 sheets of paper—that's 31 gallons of water preserved and 27 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions eliminated. Music Division and Performance Services
Dean of Music
– Michael Shinn
Chair of Voice – Patty Thom
Chair of Instrumental Studies – Matthew Marsit
Chair of Composition, Contemporary Music, and Core Studies – Jonathan Bailey Holland
Chief Ensemble Operations Coordinator – Ryan Fossier
Ensembles Coordinator – Victoria Garcia
Administrative Coordinator – Chantel O'Brien
PERFORMANCE SERVICES
Director of Performance Services – Liz Keller-Tripp
Director of Audio/Visual Services – Richard Malcolm
Audio/Visual Specialist – Phil Roberson
Associate Director of Concert Services – Ryland Bennett