Bruckner - UC Davis: Department of Music

cynthia bates & yosef farnsworth – Cynthia Bates concertmaster
Presented by Debra Horney, M.D.
Shawyon malek-Salehi – Damian Ting assistant concertmaster
Presented by Damian Siu Ming Ting
clairelee leiser bulkley – Clairelee Leiser Bulkley violin I
Presented by Clairelee Leiser Bulkely & Ralph E. Bulkley
Sharon tsao – Francis Dubois violin I
Presented by Nancy Dubois
raphael moore – Raphael S. Moore violin I
Presented by Jolanta Moore in memory of Dr. Irena Anna Henner
maya abramson – Ralph and Judy Riggs violin I
margaux kreitman – Fawzi S. Haimor principal violin II
Presented by Barbara K. Jackson
angelo arias – Shari Benard-Gueffroy assistant principal violin II
andy tan – Jocelyn Morris principal viola
Presented by James & Jocelyn Morris
meredith powell – Bakos Family assistant principal viola
Presented by John T. Bakos, M.D., Ph.D., in memory of
Dr. John and Grace Bakos
isabel ortiz & kim Zietlow – Herman Phaff principal cello
Presented by Herman & Diane Phaff
milena Schaller – Tracy McCarthy cello
Presented by Brian & Louanne Horsfield
eldridge moores – Eldridge Moores cello
Presented by Eldridge & Judith Moores
hannah choi – Louise McNary cello
Presented by Don McNary
amanda wu – Barbara K. Jackson principal bass
Susan monticello – principal flute
Presented by “Babs” Sandeen & Marty Swingle
8
endowed SeatS
Made possible by gifts of $10,000 or more.
alexandra engen – Phyllis & Thomas Farver flute / piccolo
Jaclyn howerton – Wilson and Kathryn Smith principal oboe
al bona – W. Jeffery Alfriend, DVM, principal clarinet
Presented by Vicki Gumm & the Kling Family Foundation
kate mackenzie & matt wong –
Kling Family Foundation principal bassoon
Presented by Vicki Gumm & the Kling Family Foundation
rachel howerton – Kristin N. Simpson and David R. Simpson
principal horn
Presented by Richard & Gayle Simpson
andrew neish & leonard ott – Andrew Mollner principal trumpet
Presented by Joseph Dean Mollner & Andrew Mollner
paul watkins – Rebecca A. Brover principal trombone
John unrath – Michael J. Malone trombone
Presented by Brian McCurdy & Carol Anne Muncaster
Jeffrey buscheck – Brian McCurdy bass trombone
Presented by Barbara K. Jackson
John matter – Robert B. Rucker Tuba
Presented by Robert & Margaret Rucker
emily ricks – Calvin B. Arnason principal harp
Presented by Benjamin & Lynette Hart
wyatt harmon – Friedman Family principal percussion
Presented by Marvin & Susan Friedman
peter kim – Gary C. Matteson orchestral piano
Presented by Jane, Dwayne, & Donald Matteson
The Wilson & Kathryn Smith conductor’s podium was presented in
honor of D. Kern Holoman.
noteS
A
Te Deum is a hymn of praise to God, to be sung at the dedication of a church, after a
great military victory, for the coronation of monarchs, and at similar festivities. The
test originated in the fifth century and is traditionally attributed to St. Ambrose.
Since they are often wedged into windy affairs of state, Te Deums are usually brief, and
Bruckner’s is, by Brucknerian standards, positively compact. Nevertheless, it was summarily
dismissed by the stodgy court conductor Joseph Hellmesberger, who had suggested the idea
to begin with, as too long for the use of the Imperial Chapel.
Bruckner’s Te Deum is in the regal key of C major and consists of five short movements
played without pause. Much of the chorus material is in unison or counterpoint of childlike
simplicity. There is a good deal of cross-referencing, especially in the many bright arpeggios
and great tonic pedal points; moreover, the Te ergo and Salvum fac are, but for the test and
distribution among the soloists, exactly the same. With that, indeed, the organization of
this quite minimal work is summarized: huge Gothic washes of chorus, brass, organ, and
pealing eighth notes merely alternate with the gentler Te ergo and its mirror.
Only in the last movement is there serious polyphony, and then it happens in a big way.
In the simple introduction the test is declaimed for all to understand: “In Thee, O Lord,
have I trusted that I shall not forever be confounded.” Afterward, a big double fugue breaks
forth—two subjects at once; that is, here things are a little more complicated, but the point
is that pairs of voices are answered by other pairs of voices. Church organists of the time
were supposed to be able to write such things on demand, but Bruckner’s is an especially
learned display. Everything seems to move at once, all the time. After the fugue dissipates, a
homophonic version of the material prepares the way for return of the tremendous C-major
effects from the very beginning.
The Te Deum is a work of Bruckner’s steadfast faith, carrying his typical dedication “to
the dear Lord.” Mahler scribbled in his own score his assessment of the performing force:
“angelic tongues, Godseekers, tormented hearts and souls purified by flame.” Bruckner was
more sanguine, suggesting that on the day he was to meet his maker, “I will show him the
score of my Te Deum, and he may judge me accordingly.”
—D. Kern Holoman
By the time Gioachino Rossini was 21 years old, he had become the hero of Italian
opera fans. And by the time he was 37 years old, he had composed 40 operas and
had already retired from that part of his career. His tremendous and nearly
unprecedented success as a child prodigy and young composer had already provided
exceedingly rich experiences, so much so that he began an intentional hiatus from
his public life as a celebrated composer – really a retirement, of sorts – that would
ultimately last until his death more than 30 years later. While Rossini did not
completely arrest his compositional interests, he composed no more opera after
William Tell (1829) and chose religious themes for most of his subsequent works,
leading to a few sacred cantatas, the Petite Messe Solennelle, and the Stabat Mater that
was begun in 1831 but completed a decade later.
Stabat Mater is a thirteenth-century text that recounts the suffering of Mary at the foot of
the cross during the crucifixion of Jesus. While settings of the Roman Catholic sequence,
or liturgical poem, have come from the pens of composers worldwide, it is safe to say that
more settings have been produced by Italian composers than those of any other nationality.
Indeed, it has been a favorite text of Italian composers for centuries, and the setting by
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1736) has enjoyed enormous popularity. Pergolesi wrote his
setting during the last month of his life, and it was so immediately famous and successful
that his reputation flourished in the years following his death, so much so that a number
of compositions, all incorrectly (either intentionally or not) attributed to him, took hold for
about 200 years as the product of the creator of the legendarily beautiful Stabat Mater.
bruckner: te deum
For soloists (SATB), chorus; flutes I-II,
oboes I-II, clarinets I-II, bassoons I-II;
horns I-IV, trumpets I-III,
trombones I-III, tuba; timpani;
organ; strings
Composed 1881–84 in Vienna
First performed 10 January, 1886,
by the Vienna Gesellschaft der
Musikfreunde, Hans Richter
conducting. A performance with
piano had been given in the
Musikvereinsaal on May 2, 1885,
Bruckner conducting.
Published by Theodor Rattig
(Vienna, 1885)
Duration: about 25 minutes
roSSini: Stabat mater
For soloists (SATB), chorus; flutes I-II,
oboes I-II, clarinets I-II, bassoons I-II;
horns I-IV, trumpets I-II,
trombones I-III; timpani; strings
Composed 1831–41 in Paris
First performed 7 January 1842,
Théâtre Italien, Paris, Gaetano Donizetti
conducting.
Published by Troupenas (France, 1841)
and B. Schott’s Sons (Germany, 1841)
Duration: about 60 minutes
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