Untitled - The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

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Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Laura Aikin World renowned American Soprano Laura Aikin is considered a leader amongst dynamic Sopranos performing today. Possessing a range of over three octaves and an arresting stage presence, her repertoire embraces works from the Baroque to the contemporary on both the concert and operatic stages. In great demand in both Europe and America, she began her career as a member of the ensemble at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin. At the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Laura Aikin performed more than 300 times in such major roles as Lulu (Lulu), Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Amenaide (Tancredi), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Adele (Die Fledermaus), and Zaide (Zaide). Her critically acclaimed recordings and DVD’s include Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberg with Daniel Barenboim on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Centenial Edition Recording, Songs and Cycles by Ned Rorem for Orfeo with pianist Donald Sulzen, Schoenberg’s Die Jakobsleiter with the Sudwestfunk Symphony Orchestra, Respighi’s La Campana Sommersa with the Orchestre National de Montpellier, and DVDs of Lulu from Opernhaus Zürich, Henze’s L’Upupa, Die Entführung aus dem Serail from the Salzburger Festspielen and Les Dialogues des Carmelites from La Scala with Ricardo Muti, and Henze’s Boulvarde Solitude from the Gran Teatro del Liceo Barcelona. Soon to be released a CD of Strauss songs with Pianist Donald Sulzen. Miss Aikin began her studies in her hometown of Buffalo, New York and Indiana University, where she studied with Margaret Harshaw. On receiving a two-year grant from the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD), she travelled to Europe to study at the Hochschule for Musik in Munich with Kammersängerin Reri Grist. Since 1998 a student of Kammersängerin Brigitte Eisenfeld, she lives with her family in Basiglio, Italy, a small village south of Milan. For more information please visit www.lauraaikin.com. 18 Program Notes Richard Strauss German composer Born June 11, 1864, Munich Died September 8, 1949, Garmisch- Partenkirchen Don Juan, Op.20 First Classics performance: December 2, 1936, conducted by Lajos Shuk; most recent performance: September 17, 2005, conducted by JoAnn Falletta; duration 17 miunutes Don Juan was the earliest of Strauss’ great orchestral tone poems, scored in 1888 when the composer was just 24 years of age. The Spanish legend on which it is based has a long chronology in literature and the arts in general, with a lot of attention from serious composers, including even a celebrated opus from Mozart - his inimitable opera Don Giovanni. With regard to its origins, the lure and lore of the Don Juan fantasy began in 1630 with a stage drama titled The Mocker of Seville and the Statue by the Spanish monk Gabriel Tellez (Tirso de Molina, c.1571- 1648). Since that debut the legend has inspired many extrapolations. The Don is sometimes portrayed as nothing more
2010-2011 75th Anniversary Celebration! than a playboy, a libertine with a simple goal - to seduce every woman in sight. Other versions place him in a role mostly foolish, more like a silly romancer than a crafty paramour, as in the case of the Don Juan by by Nikolaus Lenau (1802-1850), the Austrian poet whose work provided the character model for Strauss. In fact, the Lenau variation is a tale of Don Juan’s relentless search for the perfect woman - one who is at once spiritually and sensually ideal. But the frenzy of the quest obscures and eclipses the dream. After a lifetime of manic pursuit the Don becomes disillusioned, dispassionate and tired of the world, its women - and ultimately - himself. Near the close he welcomes the challenge of a duel with Don Pedro who swears to redeem the honor of his sister, who of course had fallen to the wiles of our amorous conquistador. In self-retribution, Don Juan allows himself to be killed. Strauss’ music, though youthfully conceived, reveals a composer already at home in his métier of grandiloquent orchestration. The motifs - macho and brash and tender all at once - are splendidly cast over harmonies which convey the quixotic, double pursuit of soul and sensuality. Without following a literal course, Strauss tone-paints a series of episodes in the life of Don Juan by representing the spirit of the chase in florid tonalities. Indeed, the work is a symphonic tour de force, in turns brazen or tender, replete with noble melodies and emotive harmonies. The score also contains some of the dreamiest moments in music via enamored solos in the violin and oboe. Stand by as well for the principal theme heard several times strutting through the lusty choir of horns. But just as we might sense a developing apotheosis, the skies darken with ominous tones - the knell and toll of the avenging stroke of Don Pedro. Alas, the curtain closes on the sad career of Don Juan. Vier letzte Lieder - Four Last Songs Frühling Spring September September Beim Schlafengehen Going to Sleep Im Abendrot At Sunset First Classics performance: December 1, 1942, with soprano Lotte Lehmann, conducted by Franco Autori; most recent performance: September 21, 2002, with soprano Renee Fleming, conducted by JoAnn Falletta; duration 25 minutes German Lieder (art songs) comprised a genre unto its own until roughly the beginning of the Romantic era. It was about that time when the venerable form began to respond to influences from the less structured but intimate ballads from England and the Continent at large. However, as the Lied became more flexible, the genre was once again dominated by exquisite examples from great Viennese and German masters such as Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler and, of course, Richard Strauss. It is often noted that the latter’s true calling was revealed through his scores for the human voice. Strauss’ output is ravishing: among sixteen operas are Der Rosenkavalier, Salomé, Elektra and Ariadne auf Naxos and a body of over 200 published songs for a variety of voices, several of which were orchestrated by the composer himself. However, almost all of his songs were scored prior to 1900. Except for about twelve Lieder written after World War I, Strauss did not seriously return to the form until the last months of his life. The Four Last Songs were completed just days before the composer’s death. The poetry Strauss selected for the settings is often considered as a memoir of his life and career. But even as Strauss was an octegenarian when he conceived the Four Last Songs, we are charmed by the poignant allure of the works. Completed in 1949, just days before the composer’s death, the song cycle is revered as an exquisite adieu to 19
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Untitled - The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

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