Program
- Fall Fair - Godfrey Ridout
- Kol Nidrei, Op. 47 - Max Bruch
- Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" - Ludwig van Beethoven
Max Bruch
Many of the German composer Max Bruch's (1838-1920) most famous compositions are pieces for string soloists with orchestral accompaniment. These most notably include works for violin soloist and orchestra, such as celebrated Violin Concerto No. 1 in G major (1866), and his Scottish Fantasy (1880). Kol Nidrei (1880) was originally written for a cello soloist and orchestra, but for this performance the soloist will play the viola. Composed in Liverpool, England, during Bruch's three-year stint as the conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, the work was well received and has become his second most performed work after his aforementioned first violin concerto.
The title is Aramaic and translates to "All Vows," deriving from the "Kol Nidrei" declaration that begins the evening services during Yom Kippur, with the subtitle, "Adagio on Hebrew Melodies." Both of its main themes are derived from Jewish folk music. In the opening theme the soloist is meant to imitate the voice of a cantor chanting liturgy, while the middle section is derived from Isaac Nathan's arrangement of the song "O Weep for Those that Wept on Babel's Stream." Bruch was not Jewish himself, but became familiar with Jewish music through Jewish friends and colleagues. He was moved by this music, and while he never presumed to write authentic Jewish music, he wished to incorporate its beauty into his own compositions. In his own words, "... as an artist I deeply felt the outstanding beauty of these melodies and therefore I gladly spread them through my arrangement."
Godfrey Ridout
Godfrey Ridout (1918-1984) was among the first generation of Canadian composers who laid the foundation for home grown Canadian classical music. An Ontarian of Loyalist descent, Ridout studied music at the University of Toronto, where he later made a career teaching music from 1948-1982, his students forming the next generation of Canadian classical composers and musicians. Apart from his academic career, he was also the author of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's programme notes from 1973-1984, and was involved with the Eaton Operatic Society and the Toronto Gilbert & Sullivan Society. His musical output included choral music, chamber music, The Lost Child (1979) an opera composed for TV, and various orchestral pieces including the lively Fall Fair (1961) which is among his best-known works.
While not a household name, Ridout's output left an indelible mark on Canadian classical music. The Canadian Encyclopedia described him as "... an eclectic, [but he] did not lack for individuality. His music, though intensely felt, is prevailingly sunny and affirmative; it eschews the 'doom and gloom' manner and self-conscious profundity of much 20th-century concert fare. Ridout liked fun in music and could not easily resist concluding a work with a 'good tune'. He saw no need to strive for ever-new styles, or for a progress through styles, or for the role of musical inventor; style for him was a means of communication, not the 'message' itself. In this aloofness from contemporary conformity, Ridout may be perceived to be more original than many innovators and one of the determined communicators of his day." Fall Fair certainly adheres to this assessment in its lively tunes, vivid orchestration, and overall fun atmosphere.
(Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) stands as one of the giants of world music whose career serves as a bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras in western classical music, and whose output pushed the boundaries of accepted harmonic and emotional expression in music. He contributed to every major genre of classical music, but his nine symphonies are among his most celebrated compositions and have become standards of concert halls worldwide. Beethoven began composing his Symphony No. 6 in F, subtitled "Pastoral," as early as 1802 and it premiered on 22 December 1808 in the Imperial Theatre in Vienna. It was part of the programme of a massive benefit concert that also included the premiere of his Symphony No. 5 in C minor, the Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, and Choral Fantasia. While the concert was four-hours long, held in a cold hall, and apparently under rehearsed, the new music was well received, and the symphonies and concerto have enjoyed enduring popularity.
Beethoven was a lover of the natural world and frequently took walks in the countryside near Vienna before his growing deafness frustrated this interest. This fondness for the countryside is reflected in Symphony No. 6 which is praised for its vivid depiction of nature. While not explicitly a programmatic work, a piece of music attempting to create a narrative, Beethoven clearly wanted to paint specific pictures in the listeners' minds. The composer wrote descriptive titles for each movement of the symphony. These include, I. "Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside," II. "Scene by the brook," III. "Merry gathering of country folk," IV. "Thunder, Storm," V. "Shepherd's song. Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm." Music from the symphony has become ubiquitous in popular culture for its association with nature, frequently being used to underscore natural or rural settings in film, television, and animation. Among its most notable uses in popular culture was in Disney's Fantasia (1940), where it inspired a pastoral setting featuring gods and creatures from Greek mythology.