Boston Conservatory Orchestra: ’Tis the Season—Annual Traditions

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Christmas Overture

ROBERT WENDEL/DANA FRIEDMAN: A Chanukah Overture

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK: Hansel and Gretel (excerpts)
I. Prelude
II. Sandman’s Song
III. Evening Prayer
IV. Dream Pantomime

JOHANN STRAUSS: Overture to Die Fledermaus

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker (abridged)
I. Overture
II. March
III. Battle Scene
IV. Snowflakes
V. Coffee
VI. Tea
VII. Trepak
VIII. Mirlitons
IX. Waltz of the Flowers
X. Sugar Plum Fairy
XI. Final Waltz and Apotheosis

CONDUCTOR
Bruce Hangen

FLUTE
Dayna Dengler, B.M. '26
Logan Haley, B.M. '24
Mia Mravle, B.M. '27
Devyn Sowry, B.M. '24
Maggie Stuteville, B.M. '27
Shion Suzuki, G.P.D. '24

OBOE
Taylor Childress, B.M. '24
Coleton Morgan, B.M. '24
Jesse Myers, B.M. '26

CLARINET
John Azpuru Jr., M.M. '25
Andrew Lee, B.M. '26
Maxwell Reed, B.M. '24
Wesley A. Rivera, M.M. '25
Siyuan Yin, M.M. '25

BASSOON
Haoyu Li, M.M. '25
Carson Saponaro, B.M. '26
Lizzie Sylves, B.M. '25
Alexander Weber, B.M. '27

HORN
Yi-Hwa Chen, M.M. '25
Amber Dai, M.M. '24
Holly Fullerton, B.M. '26
Cameron McCarty, B.M. '25
Connor Strauss, B.M. '25
Ricardo Verde, B.M. '26

TRUMPET
Charlotte Berube-Gray, B.M. '26
Emily Dillon, B.M. '27
Frederick Poor, B.M. '27
CJ Waldrop, M.M. '25
Elliot Wlasiuk, B.M. '26

TROMBONE
Jack Armstrong, M.M. '24
Aidan Davidson, B.M. '24
Mikayla Frank-Martin, M.M. '25
Lauren Galarraga, B.M. '24
Collin Good, B.M. '27
Ben Pilon, B.M. '24

TUBA
Clayton Frank, B.M. '27
Lowrider James, B.M. '27

PERCUSSION
Christian Bartholomew, B.M. '24
Erin Burke, M.M. '25
Alexa Clawson, B.M. '25
Christian Weimer, B.M. '25
Xingyue Xue, M.M. '24

HARP
Chanling Bai, M.M. '25
Cherish McKellar, M.M. '24

CELESTE
Julian Durr, B.M. '25

VIOLIN I
Adrian Atonya, B.M. '26
Leon Baker, B.M. '25
Alexander Estrella, B.M. '25
Gloria Fortner, B.M. '25
Sierra Freund, B.M. '27
Xueqi Hu, M.M. '24
Hansae Kwon, M.M. '24
Tommaso Lorenzon, G.P.D. '25
Celeste Di Meo, G.P.D. '24
Raimi Neal, B.M. '25
Emily Scicchitano, M.M. '25
Annali Wirtz, B.M. '26
Isabella Yee, B.M. '26
Leah Zhao, M.M. '24

VIOLIN II
Caden Burston, B.M. '25
Skye Darling, M.M. '24
Mary Davis, B.M. '26
Luis Estrada, M.M. '25
Pippin Forrest, B.M. '27
Brianna Ingber, B.M. '24
Annabelle Lee, B.M. '27
Yinfei Li, G.P.D. '24
Lauren Oeser, B.M. '25
Joshua Rosenthal, B.M. '26
Sai Tang, G.P.D. '24
Nataliia Yeremeichuk, B.M. '27

VIOLA
Robert Bruce, M.M. '24
Simon Daly, B.M. '26
Andrew Gretzinger, M.M. '24
Maya Hartglass, B.M. '27
Webb Hiaasen, B.M. '27
Lydia Xiao Yan Tan, B.M. '27
Emerson Tomaszewski, B.M. '27
Lauren Wilson, B.M. '25
Zeynep Yigitoglu, B.M. '25

CELLO
Hailey Brasser, B.M. '26
Andres Celis Avila, B.M. '25
Casey Johnson, M.M. '24
Davis Mann, B.M. '27
Olivia Myers, M.M. '25
Sophia Paul, M.M. '25
Arturo Romero, B.M. '25
Ricardo Sardiñas, G.P.D. '24
Xingyu Wang, M.M. '25
Matthew Williams II, B.M. '26

BASS
Nicolette Kindred, B.M. '24
Leo Martinez, B.M. '25
Enrique Perez, B.M. '26
Gabriel de los Reyes, B.M. '27
Jacob Slater, M.M. '24

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Christmas Overture

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912) was a prominent African English composer best known for his Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. His mission was to help assert the dignity of Black people, and he became an influence for many musicians in the United States. Coleridge-Taylor, who was encouraged in his career by Edward Elgar, received wide acclaim for his works and was regarded among the likes of Mahler and Mendelssohn.

His “Christmas Overture,” arranged by Sydney Baynes, is a lively setting of popular Christmas songs that is thought to have been originally composed for a play titled The Forest of Wild Thyme. It features “Good King Wenceslas” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” woven together through thematic variations and tonal modulations. The piece has a heartwarming interplay of orchestral timbres, from the sparkling sounds of the woodwinds, strings, and harp, to the glorious sounds of the brass and percussion. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Christmas Overture” is a holiday masterpiece that brings the joy of the season.

—Harold Rivas, M.M. '25

ROBERT WENDEL/DANA FRIEDMAN: A Chanukah Overture

The word “Hanukkah” derives from the Hebrew verb “ חנך,” meaning “to consecrate.” The well-known Jewish festival will be observed from December 7 to 15 this year. “A Chanukah Overture” (“Chanukah” being the more traditional spelling) is a medley of popular Hanukkah songs arranged in concert-overture style by American composers Dana Friedman and Robert Wendel. The piece starts joyfully with a festive fanfare, quoting “I Have a Little Dreidel” before a solo horn plays “Ma’oz Tzur,” a liturgical poem whose lyrics recount Jewish history and celebrate deliverance from four ancient enemies: Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Haman, and Antiochus.

In the nineteenth century, Cantor Eduard Birnbaum identified the melody used in “Ma’oz Tzur” as an adaptation of an Old German folk song, “So weiss ich eins, dass mich erfreut, das pluemlein auff preiter heyde,” and it owes its popularity to German Jews who spread it as early as 1450. The orchestra then breaks out into a groovy, fast-paced rendition of “Al HaNissim.” This folk song uses lyrics that originate from a prayer of the same name: “We thank you also for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds and saving acts wrought by you, as well as for the wars which you waged for our fathers in days of old, at this season.” 
Prayers are central to Judaism, and “Al HaNissim” is also recited at Purim, a festival celebrating Jewish deliverance as told in the Book of Esther. Abruptly, “S'Vivon,” the first of two songs about dreidels, takes center stage. “S’Vivon” is Hebrew for “dreidel,” the Yiddish word for a spinning top. “I Have a Little Dreidel” follows right after, with fast, spinning figurations in the strings, imitating the toy. Both songs are traditionally known and sung by children. The work ends with a reprise of the “I Have a Little Dreidel” fanfare in quasi-big-band style, bringing the overture to a celebratory finish fit for the Jewish festival of lights.

—Amanda Kye Tan, M.M. '24

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK: Hansel and Gretel (excerpts)

One of the least enviable positions in the annals of music history is to be labeled a “one-hit wonder,” and few composers embody the designation, yet still enjoy lasting and deserving fame as much as Engelbert Humperdinck, due to his opera Hänsel und Gretel. Considered the seminal work of Märchenoper (fairy-tale opera) in Germany, the work had a considerable influence on composers of the time who longed for an alternative to the seriousness of Italian verismo and the grandiose mythological subjects of Wagner. Humperdinck carved an unconventional path for the time, using as his operatic template a straightforward children’s story.

The birth of the opera had humble beginnings in 1890, as simple home entertainment for his nieces. Humperdinck agreed to compose music alongside his sister Adelheid Wette’s song lyrics, based upon the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Later, the pair expanded the idea into a full-scale singspiel adaptation of the story; and by 1893, the work was completed and premiered.   

Despite the relatively unknown status of the composer, the work proved an immediate success throughout Germany, with its charming mix of popular song-inspired melodies, blended with the emotional complexity of Wagnerian orchestral textures; this unique interplay between “high” and “low” art created a distinct flavor that delighted both everyday concert goers and famous composers alike. The most substantial praise heaped upon Humperdinck came from Richard Strauss, who had gladly offered to conduct the first performance in Wiemer: “Your opera has enchanted me. It is truly a masterpiece. I have not seen such an important work for a long time. I admire the abundance of melody, the finesse, the polyphonic richness of the orchestration… all that is new, original, truly German.”

Though Humperdinck never quite struck a chord with audiences in any of his future operatic endeavors as he had with Hänsel und Gretel, it’s abundantly easy to see why his reputation was safely secured with this singular work, both with casual and experienced music lovers alike. With these excerpts, including the famous “Abendsegen” (Evening Benediction) and the playful prelude which Humperdinck referred to as “Children’s Life,” the charming mix of childlike simplicity and stunning orchestral writing continues to shine through and enthrall concert halls to this very day.  

—Daniel Goldsmith, M.M. '24

JOHANN STRAUSS: Overture to Die Fledermaus

Johann Strauss Jr., acclaimed as “the Waltz King,” earned this regal title by surpassing his father’s musical legacy. Born in Vienna in 1825, Strauss Jr. was immediately immersed in classical music. The Strauss Orchestra, led by his father and later conducted by the younger Strauss, brightened their family home as they rehearsed captivating dances and exhilarating marches. Strauss Jr. built upon the fundamental structure of the Viennese waltz that his father had formalized, expanding the themes melodically and harmonically, elevating the waltz to new heights of sophistication. 

During the mid-1860s, Strauss Jr. found himself in high demand as a composer in Vienna, particularly sought after for his enchanting dance music. Strauss gained international recognition with the debut of his newly orchestrated “Blue Danube Waltz” at the Paris World’s Fair in 1867. Later, he made his iconic American debut, conducting “Blue Danube Waltz” for the Boston Peace Jubilee in 1872. Notably, this event was the grandest rendition of the piece, boasting an ensemble of 1,087 musicians and 20,000 singers—an unparalleled spectacle. 

Die Fledermaus, one of Strauss’s sixteen operettas, premiered on April 5, 1874, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Conceived originally as a three-act French vaudeville play by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, the narrative was slightly altered when translated into German by Carl Haffner. Haffner modernized the plot, transitioning it from the context of a French midnight supper party (réveillon) to the more culturally resonant and dazzling setting of a Viennese ball. 

The potpourri overture of Die Fledermaus (The Bat) is stitched together by Strauss’s famous waltzes, which are embedded into a plot filled with costumes, hijinks, and champagne. In Die Fledermaus, the main character, Gabriel von Einstein, reminisces with his friend Dr. Falke on the eve he is due to serve a minor jail sentence. He reflects on a prank he played on Falke years earlier, for which Falke is secretly plotting a light-hearted revenge at Prince Orlofsky’s ball. The two characters sneak off to the ball, as do Einstein’s wife and maid, all of whom have disguised themselves and assumed different identities. The masquerade unfolds into a delightful tangle of deception, much to the amusement of Prince Orlofsky and Falke. 

The ball culminates in a lavish, intoxicated waltz, celebrated with a spirited toast to the power of champagne. As the clock strikes six in the morning, Einstein makes a hasty escape, casting a lingering tension that thickens as the events of the previous night come to the fore. As the plot reaches a suspenseful peak, Falke dramatically emerges, donned as a bat, ready to deliver his punchline. The resounding theme from the overture, echoing the waltz from the ball, encapsulates the essence of Die Fledermaus with its lyrics proclaiming, “Ah, what a party, what a night full of joy!”

—Hannah Elizabeth Tobias, P.S.C. '24

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker (abridged)

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker was initially conceived as a ballet in two acts, written 1891. The plot of the work was taken from Alexandre Dumas’s adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s short story, “Nussknacker und Mausekönig” (Nutcracker and the Mouseking). In the early months of 1892, Tchaikovsky had compiled the work to form a suite based on eight excerpts from the ballet intended for concert performance. This was one of three works of Tchaikovsky to be compiled into a suite during his lifetime. The suite was premiered in Saint Petersburg in 1892, under Tchaikovsky’s direction. Interestingly, unlike the ballet which was not very well received at its premiere, the suite achieved great popularity from its conception, which remains until this day.

The story of The Nutcracker revolves around a young girl’s adventure on Christmas Eve, when toys come to life and the air is filled with magic. The work is described as “representing the ripening soul of a little girl who grows from playing with dolls to the dawn of love, through dreams of love of a brave and virile hero.” Tchaikovsky, unlike the other Russian composers of his time (particularly “the Big Five”), followed the Germanic tradition of composition, due to his time studying at the Moscow Conservatory. He was relatively conventional in the sense that he made use of traditional forms and was not very experimental with his musical material and harmony. This approach faced a lot of backlash from the Russian critics and composers, due to the rise of nationalism and the need to create a Russian musical identity. Despite this, Tchaikovsky was most innovative through his orchestration and attention to instrumental timbre. In this work, he makes use of the celeste, which was a relatively new instrument when this piece was written. Tchaikovsky first heard the instrument when he was in Paris in 1891. Intrigued by its timbre, he asked his publisher to buy one in secret, ensuring he would be the first Russian to make use of the instrument. It is used in a very effective manner, especially in the famous Sugar Plum Fairy movement of the suite. It is used to help capture the childlike and magical nature of the entire work and bring the toys and sweets to life.

The suite is structured by using eight numbers from the original ballet within three separate movements. Most numbers are taken and compiled from the second act of the ballet. In tonight’s concert, you shall hear most of the suite, including the famous Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers, as well as a few sections outside the suite. The entire suite consists of dances and exotic elements such as in Danse Arabe (Coffee) and Danse Chinois (Tea). Despite the suite and the abridged version (in tonight’s concert) making use of only a handful of sections of the entire ballet, the magic and the spirit of Christmas Eve is still retained, and one shall hear this through Tchaikovsky’s brilliant musicality. In the words of the children’s author Maurice Sendak, “It is rare and genuine and does justice to the private world of children.”

—Pranav Yagnaraman, B.M. '24

Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera 
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov