OUR NEXT PROGRAM KCS PRESENTS — The Kenyon Community Choir and four soloists during our Spring Concert at Rosse Hall, Sunday, April 27, 2014.
The Festive March by Czech composer Antonín Dvorák was first performed in 1879. It was written to commemorate the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
The Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) by Brahms was conceived within a few weeks of the premiere of his German Requiem but was not completed until nearly three years later. The text is Hölderin’s poem “Hyperion’s Schicksalslied” whose two parts make a rather melancholy statement about human existence as compared to that of divine beings. Although the text itself leaves humankind with no literal chance of redemption, the music of the divine opening section is repeated at the end of the work. This restatement (in a new key) implies that Brahms considered mortal existence — painful and confusing as it may be — to be a temporary condition, a mere interlude between more blissful states of being.
The Mass in C Major by Beethoven was composed at the request of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy to celebrate the name day of Princess Marie Esterhazy, and Beethoven conducted the first performance of the work at Eisenstadt in September of 1807. The mass was met with some consternation, as it manifested some radical departures from the Classical-period ideals as established by Beethoven’s predecessor Franz Josef Haydn: it contains a high level of personal expression, dramatic outbursts and sudden meter changes. The opening of the mass is in itself surprising in that there is no orchestral introduction instead it is an unusual a cappella statement of the word “kyrie” by the bass section on the tonic note of C major, and the orchestra joins in one measure later. One could surmise that this brief vocal introduction was to supplant the more customary intoning of a plainchant incipit. This textural device is also employed for extended passages in the subsequent Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei sections, a musical challenge for the performers as well as an almost shocking effect to early-nineteenth-century ears. Still in evidence, however, is Beethoven’s propensity to produce the greatest amount of variety out of the simplest of motivic structures, in this case a set of parallel, stepwise thirds. The Mass closes with music nearly identical to that which began the work, but with the words “grant us peace.”
The Festive March by Czech composer Antonín Dvorák was first performed in 1879. It was written to commemorate the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
The Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) by Brahms was conceived within a few weeks of the premiere of his German Requiem but was not completed until nearly three years later. The text is Hölderin’s poem “Hyperion’s Schicksalslied” whose two parts make a rather melancholy statement about human existence as compared to that of divine beings. Although the text itself leaves humankind with no literal chance of redemption, the music of the divine opening section is repeated at the end of the work. This restatement (in a new key) implies that Brahms considered mortal existence — painful and confusing as it may be — to be a temporary condition, a mere interlude between more blissful states of being.
The Mass in C Major by Beethoven was composed at the request of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy to celebrate the name day of Princess Marie Esterhazy, and Beethoven conducted the first performance of the work at Eisenstadt in September of 1807. The mass was met with some consternation, as it manifested some radical departures from the Classical-period ideals as established by Beethoven’s predecessor Franz Josef Haydn: it contains a high level of personal expression, dramatic outbursts and sudden meter changes. The opening of the mass is in itself surprising in that there is no orchestral introduction instead it is an unusual a cappella statement of the word “kyrie” by the bass section on the tonic note of C major, and the orchestra joins in one measure later. One could surmise that this brief vocal introduction was to supplant the more customary intoning of a plainchant incipit. This textural device is also employed for extended passages in the subsequent Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei sections, a musical challenge for the performers as well as an almost shocking effect to early-nineteenth-century ears. Still in evidence, however, is Beethoven’s propensity to produce the greatest amount of variety out of the simplest of motivic structures, in this case a set of parallel, stepwise thirds. The Mass closes with music nearly identical to that which began the work, but with the words “grant us peace.”
As we embark on our 48th season, I extend my sincere gratitude and an invitation to join us for an exciting series of concerts and events. Your support is crucial to maintaining the high standards that you have come to expect, so please continue to incorporate fine classical music into your lives by joining or renewing your subscription.
Magic McBride, President, Knox County Symphony Board of Directors
Magic McBride, President, Knox County Symphony Board of Directors
