contemplation - Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Basilica Series II:
Contemplation
Francesco
Lecce-Chong conductor
Basilica of St. Josaphat
Friday, April 12, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
7:30p

Basilica Series II:
Contemplation
Friday
April 12, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Saturday April 13, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Francesco Lecce-Chong conductor
Welcome
Thank you for joining the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for our 2012.13 Basilica Series.
Having had the opportunity to conduct several performances in the Basilica Series last
season, I used the space itself as my primary source of inspiration in planning these
concerts. When I first enter the Basilica, I am always awe-struck by the expansiveness and
grandeur surrounding me. However, as I sit in quiet contemplation, the space begins to feel
more intimate, and I become more aware of the sacred and profound aspects. It is amazing
how such a huge external space can inspire internal reflection.
With that in mind, our three programs this season explore the composer as philosopher.
Most orchestral works bear such non-descript titles as “Symphony” and “Concerto,” making
it easy to forget that compositions are never written solely as entertainment for the listener.
Like writers and artists, every work is a composer’s personal statement. Through music,
many composers comment on the philosophical issues of their days, such as the search
HAYDN
Intermission
The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross
Introduction
Sonata I — “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Sonata II — “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Sonata III — “Woman, here is your son.”
Sonata IV — “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Sonata V — “I thirst.”
Sonata VI — “It is finished.”
Sonata VII — “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
The Earthquake
for happiness, the fear of death or the existence of God.
IVES
The Unanswered Question
The music I have chosen for these programs reflects a great variety of styles from composers
both popular and neglected, but these pieces represent some of the most intensely personal
WAGNER
Prelude and “Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde
works from the composer. The musicians and I are very excited to share this special journey
with you, and we hope you will find our programs invigorating for your mind and soul alike.
Sincerely,
Francesco Lecce-Chong
MSO Associate Conductor
The length of the concert is approximately 1 hour 50 minutes.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra can be heard on Naxos, Telarc, Koss Classics, Pro Arte, AVIE, and Vox/Turnabout recordings. MSO Classics recordings (digital only)
available on iTunes and at mso.org. MSO Binaural recordings (digital only) are available at mso.org.
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About the Artists
Conductor’s Insight by Francesco Lecce-Chong
Francesco Lecce-Chong
Conductor
American conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, currently Associate Conductor of the
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO), is active with the orchestral and operatic
repertories on the international stage. In his role with the MSO, Mr. Lecce-Chong works closely
with renowned Music Director Edo de Waart and is directly responsible for leading over forty
subscription, tour, education and community concert performances annually. During the MSO’s
2012.13 season, Mr. Lecce-Chong has taken the podium for an acclaimed gala concert with Itzhak
Perlman, led the orchestra through its statewide tour of Wisconsin and conducted a special
three-week series at Milwaukee’s Basilica of St. Josaphat.
A list of Mr. Lecce-Chong’s international appearances include leading the Hong Kong Philharmonic
Orchestra (China), Pitesti Philharmonic (Romania), Ruse Philharmonic, (Bulgaria), and the Sofia
Festival Orchestra (Italy). Equally at ease in the opera house, Mr. Lecce-Chong has served as principal
conductor for the Brooklyn Repertory Opera and as staff conductor and pianist for the Santa Fe
Opera. He has earned a growing reputation and critical acclaim for dynamic, forceful performances
that have garnered national distinction. Mr. Lecce-Chong is a 2012 recipient of The Solti Foundation
Career Assistance Award and The Presser Foundation Presser Music Award. He is also the recipient
of the N.T. Milani Memorial Conducting Fellowship and the George and Elizabeth Gregory Award for
Excellence in Performance.
As a trained pianist and composer, Mr. Lecce-Chong embraces innovate programming, champions
the work of new composers and, by example, supports arts education. His 2012.13 season
presentations include two MSO commissioned works, two United States premieres and twelve
works by composers actively working worldwide. He brings the excitement of new music to
audiences of all ages through special presentations embodying diverse program repertoire and
the use of unconventional performance spaces. Mr. Lecce-Chong also provides artistic leadership
for the MSO’s nationally lauded Arts in Community Education (ACE) program — one of the largest
arts integration programs in the country. He is a frequent guest speaker at organizations around
Milwaukee and hosts, Behind the Notes, the MSO’s preconcert lecture series.
Mr. Lecce-Chong is a native of Boulder, Colorado, where he began conducting at the age of sixteen.
He is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree
with honors in piano and orchestral conducting. Mr. Lecce-Chong also holds a diploma from the
Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied as a Martin and Sarah Taylor Fellow with renowned
pedagogue Otto-Werner Mueller. He currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Follow his blog, Finding Exhilaration, at www.lecce-chong.com
Throughout history,
composers have explored
the philosophical issues of their
day through music. Two famous
examples come from Mozart
and Beethoven. Mozart’s opera,
The Magic Flute is based on
Masonic principals and in
Beethoven’s immortal Ninth
Symphony, the “Ode to Joy”
embraces the unifying outlook
of Friedrich Schiller. This
weekend, I am delighted to
share with you three other
important works that ask for our
contemplation of their message.
Hadyn: The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross
Up until about 1850, most philosophical movements centered on religion and
humankind’s relationship with God. Almost all music written at that time
expressed the same, with the exception of the absolute music of symphonies
and concerti which were based on musical form. Not being one of the latter,
The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross is Haydn’s masterful meditation on
the last sayings of Jesus. We are fortunate to have some wonderful insight from
Haydn himself about the inception of the work:
Some fifteen years ago I was requested by a canon of Cádiz to compose
instrumental music on the seven last words of Our Savior on the Cross.
It was customary at the Cathedral of Cádiz to produce an oratorio every year
during Lent, the effect of the
performance being not a little
enhanced by the following
circumstances. The walls,
windows, and pillars of the
church were hung with black
cloth, and only one large lamp
hanging from the center of the
roof broke the solemn darkness.
At midday, the doors were closed
and the ceremony began. After a short service the bishop ascended the pulpit,
pronounced the first of the seven words (or sentences) and delivered a discourse
thereon. This ended, he left the pulpit and fell to his knees before the altar. The
interval was filled by music. The bishop then in like manner pronounced the
second word, then the third, and so on, the orchestra following on the conclusion
of each discourse. My composition was subject to these conditions, and it was
no easy task to compose seven adagios lasting ten minutes each, and to succeed
one another without fatiguing the listeners; indeed, I found it quite impossible to
confine myself to the appointed limits.
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN 1732 – 1809
Today, The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross is most commonly heard
arranged for string quartet, and during Haydn’s lifetime it was known as an
oratorio with chorus. However, the original version (and the only direct version
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5

Conductor’s Insight
Conductor’s Insight
in Haydn’s words:
“Each sonata is
expressed by purely
instrumental music in
such a fashion that it
produces the deepest
impression in the
soul even of the most
uninstructed listener.”
…
from Haydn’s hand) from 1801 was written for a standard classical orchestra. Haydn
did not consider it to be concert suitable, and that is partly why this version has
been neglected. He conducted it as an oratorio with chorus many times, because
he considered the original to be more appropriate in its intended environment:
in a church with the text spoken between the movements. I have to admit that
the moment I walked into the Basilica over a year ago, I have been waiting for an
opportunity to bring this work here to recreate Haydn’s first conception.
There are seven “sonatas” that present us with each of the seven sayings. They are
framed by an introductory movement and a final movement, representing the
earthquake. Each of the sonatas’ opening melodic lines coincide rhythmically with
the syllabic underlay of the Latin text of each of the last words. Haydn included the
text in the score to make his intent perfectly clear:
F. Holland Day, The Seven Last Words of Christ, 1898, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross English with Latin text
forgiveness
I. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals,
one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know
what they are doing.”
Pater, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt, quid faciunt. Luke 23:34
from the opening of Sonata I
Haydn employed a remarkable number of compositional tactics to keep the listener engaged
for the entire hour-long duration of the work. His orchestration demonstrates careful planning
in the occasional use of flutes and extra horns, in order to save the trumpets and timpani until
the final earthquake. His technique varies greatly, ranging from empty unisons to delicate
melodies to thick, pounding chords. He even pushed the boundaries of dissonance and
harmonic cohesion of his time to express the suffering of Christ. One can clearly see how
he cherished this above all his works and it is revolutionary in the way it seeks to inspire the
listener to inward contemplation. As Haydn himself noted: “Each sonata is expressed by purely
instrumental music in such a fashion that it produces the deepest impression in the soul even
of the most uninstructed listener.”
salvation
compassion
angst
resignation
credence
acceptance
II. One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah?
Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under
the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are
getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you
will be with me in Paradise.”
Hodie mecum eris in Paradiso. Luke 23:43
III. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his
mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
Mulier, ecce filius tuus. John 19: 26 –7
IV. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Deus meus, Deus meus, utquid dereliquisti me? Mark 15: 34
V. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I thirst.”
Sitio. John 19: 28
VI. A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop
and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.”
Consummatum est. John 19: 30
VII. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said
this, he breathed his last.
In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum. Luke 23:46
Haydn with Mozart, his student
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Conductor’s Insight
Conductor’s Insight
Charles Ives 1874 –1954
in ives’s words:
“… as the time goes
on, and after a “secret
conference”, [the
sections] seem to realize
a futility, and begin to
mock “The Question”
— the strife is over for
the moment.”
…
Ives: The Unanswered Question
Subsequently, Romantic era composers would make grand philosophical works like the
Seven Last Words commonplace (think Richard Strauss’ tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra
or Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony). Just a little after that came one of the most effective
works in this genre, The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives. This brief, but evocative piece
was written in 1906 as part of a pair of works titled “Two Contemplations”. There are three
independent sections within the ensemble: strings sustaining ethereal chords, a calmly
melodic solo trumpet and four wind players to contrast the trumpet. Once again, I will let Ives
speak for himself:
The strings are to represent “the Silences of the Druids — Who Know,
See and Hear Nothing.” The trumpet intones “The Perennial Question of
Existence”, and states it in the same tone of voice each time. But the hunt
for “The Invisible Answer” undertaken by the winds, becomes gradually
more active, fast and louder. “The Fighting Answerers”, as the time goes on,
and after a “secret conference”, seem to realize a futility, and begin to mock
“The Question” — the strife is over for the moment. After they disappear,
“The Question” is asked for the last time, and “The Silences” are heard
beyond in “Undisturbed Solitude.”
The piece is vague enough to have puzzled, fascinated and haunted both musicians
and audiences alike for the past century. It even became the title of a series of famous
lectures given by Leonard Bernstein at Harvard on the universality of music.
Leonard Bernstein at Harvard
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Wagner: Prelude and “Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde
Richard Wagner
1813 – 1883
In stark contrast to Ives’ compact look at the question of existence,
Wagner’s opera, Tristan and Isolde, is a four-hour long epic on
the same question (and one could argue that it does no better
at resolving it!). Unfortunately, it is easy to get stuck on the
surface of the storyline with magic potions and love affairs.
However, the plot begins to make more sense when we look
at it through the philosophical lens of Arthur Schopenhauer.
Wagner was immediately taken by Schopenhauer’s idea of
two worlds with which we struggle — one in which we are
consumed by desires and dreams and the other where we
fail against the unknowable reality. So when Tristan and Isolde
seem to be pathetically lamenting their impossible love for hours
on end, it is actually a vehicle for discussion about the two worlds
of human desire and reality.
We finish our concert with the Prelude and “Love-Death” from Tristan
and Isolde — the beginning and the end of the opera. The Prelude
beautifully sets up this opera, giving us the famous “musical question” in the opening cello line and
wind chords. The music then seems to contemplate the question of existence along with us, nearly
finding answers, but
always falling back into
darkness. Suddenly,
the music takes on an
assertive quality when
we reach the “Love-
Death.” It starts with a
far away breath, but
then steadily builds
in intensity. In an
ecstatic trance, Isolde
decides that she would
rather die than give
into the cold reality
of life without Tristan.
Interestingly enough,
Wagner would return
to this same question in Parsifal, but this time the hero chooses to overcome his desires in order to
face reality. So in the end, like any good evening filled with philosophical undertakings, we leave
with more questions than when we started — perhaps only learning that magic potions are best
left untouched.
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2012.13 Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
edo de waart
Music Director
Polly and Bill Van Dyke
Music Director Chair
FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG
Associate Conductor
Lee Erickson
Chorus Director
Margaret Hawkins Chorus
Director Chair
Timothy J. Benson
Assistant Chorus Director
First VIOLINS
Frank Almond, Concertmaster
Charles and Marie Caestecker
Concertmaster Chair
Ilana Setapen, Associate Concertmaster
Jeanyi Kim, Associate Concertmaster
Third Chair
Karen Smith
Anne de Vroome Kamerling,
Associate Concertmaster Emeritus
Michael Giacobassi
Peter Vickery
Dylana Leung
Andrea Wagoner
Lynn Horner
Zhan Shu
Margot Schwartz
David Anderson
Robin Petzold**
SECOND VIOLINS
Jennifer Startt, Principal
Timothy Klabunde, Assistant Principal
Taik-ki Kim
Lisa Johnson Fuller
Shirley Rosin
Juliette Williams**
Paul Mehlenbeck
Janice Hintz
Les Kalkhof
Glenn Asch
Mary Terranova
Laurie Shawger
VIOLAS
Robert Levine, Principal
Richard O. and Judith A. Wagner
Family Principal Viola Chair
Wei-ting Kuo, Assistant Principal
Friends of Janet F. Ruggeri Viola Chair
Erin H. Pipal
Sara Harmelink
Larry Sorenson
Nathan Hackett
Norma Zehner
David Taggart
Helen Reich
CELLOS
Susan Babini, Principal
Dorothea C. Mayer Cello Chair
Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal
Peter Szczepanek
Gregory Mathews
Peter J. Thomas
Elizabeth Tuma
Laura Love
Margaret Wunsch
Adrien Zitoun
Kathleen Collisson
BASSES
Zachary Cohen, Principal*
Donald B. Abert Bass Chair
Andrew Raciti, Acting Principal
Rip Prétat, Acting Assistant Principal
Laura Snyder
Maurice Wininsky
Catherine McGinn
Scott Kreger
Roger Ruggeri
HARP
Danis Kelly, Principal
Walter Schroeder Harp Chair
FLUTES
Sonora Slocum, Principal
Margaret and Roy Butter Flute Chair
Jeani Foster, Assistant Principal
Jennifer Bouton
PICCOLO
Jennifer Bouton
OBOES
Katherine Young Steele, Principal
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League
Oboe Chair
Martin Woltman, Assistant
Principal Emeritus
Margaret Butler, Acting
Assistant Principal
ENGLISH HORN
Margaret Butler, Acting Philip and
Beatrice Blank English Horn Chair
in memoriam to John Martin
CLARINETS
Todd Levy, Principal
Franklyn Esenberg Clarinet Chair
Kyle Knox, Assistant Principal
Donald and Ruth P. Taylor Assistant
Principal Clarinet Chair
William Helmers
E FLAT CLARINET
Kyle Knox
BASS CLARINET
William Helmers
BASSOONS
Theodore Soluri, Principal
Muriel C. and John D. Silbar Family
Bassoon Chair
Rudi Heinrich, Assistant Principal
Beth W. Giacobassi
CONTRABASSOON
Beth W. Giacobassi
HORNS
Matthew Annin, Principal
Krause Family French Horn Chair
Krystof Pipal, Associate Principal
Dietrich Hemann
Andy Nunemaker French Horn Chair
Darcy Hamlin
Joshua Phillips
TRUMPETS
Dennis Najoom, Co-Principal
Martin J. Krebs Co-Principal
Trumpet Chair
Alan Campbell
Fred Fuller Trumpet Chair
TROMBONES
Megumi Kanda, Principal
Marjorie Tiefenthaler Trombone Chair
Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal
BASS TROMBONE
John Thevenet
TUBA
Randall Montgomery, Principal
TIMPANI
Dean Borghesani, Principal
Thomas Wetzel, Associate Principal
PERCUSSION
Thomas Wetzel, Principal
Robert Klieger, Assistant Principal
PIANO
Wilanna Kalkhof
Melitta S. Pick Endowed Chair
PERSONNEL MANAGERS
Linda Unkefer
Rip Prétat, Assistant
LIBRARIAN
Patrick McGinn, Principal Librarian
Anonymous Donor,
Principal Librarian Chair
STAGE & TECHNICAL MANAGER
Kyle Remington Norris
* Leave of Absence 2012.13 Season
** Acting member of the Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra 2012.13 Season
Basilica season finale | 17 + 18 May 2013
Basilica Series III:
Remembrance
Francesco Lecce-Chong conductor | Jennifer Startt violin
Prokofiev Andante, Opus 50 bis, from String Quartet No. 1
Weinberg Symphony No. 2 — U.S. Premiere
Vaughan Williams Concerto in D minor for Violin and Orchestra,“Concerto accademico”
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
| 414mso.org
291.7605
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