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Say, Strauss & Rachmaninoff: Apr 26-28, 2024



 




FAZIL SAY

GRAND BAZAAR





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Fazil Say (1970 - ) is a Turkish pianist and composer of numerous works for large and small ensemble.  He was gifted at math by the age of 2, began studying and playing music by the age of 3, and composed his first music in his early teens.  Grand Bazaar is a colorful piece of music for full orchestra, inspired by the markets of Turkey and of the Silk Road. Fazil Say has also brought the musical sounds of Turkey into his violin concerto “1001 Nights in the Harem” and the “Istanbul Symphony”.  This is the Colorado Symphony's first performance of Grand Bazaar and the music of Fazil Say.


RESOURCES



A 2018 recording of Grand Bazaar by Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra


HIGHLIGHTS

Fazil Say’s Grand Bazaar is a rhapsodic virtuosic work for orchestra which draws on the sounds and rhythms of Turkey and the cultural influences of the Silk Road.


Some of the meters - the grouping of beats in the flow of time - may seem more complicated than you might be expecting in a concert of western european derived music.  This is due to the equal flow of beats being divided into unequal groupings.


The very first music you hear is marked “Walking in the dark streets of the Grand Bazaar”.  It has a mysterious gliding and dancing quality to the ‘feel’ or timing. This is because it’s written in 12 equal beats divided into groups of 3+3+2+2+2.  It’s a bit like two waltz step patterns followed by three march step patterns.


Later this 12 pattern shifts into a 7 pattern grouped as 3+2+2 marked periodically as “fulminant”, “sarcastic”, “forward-pressing”, and “ironic”.


Things get groovy when we settle into a more standard rhythmic pattern of 4 beats.  You can especially hear the groove in the lower strings.  This music is overlayed by chattering conversational interplay between the bassoon and the horn, depicting some haggling going on.  It’s even marked “carpet sale dispute”.


After a bright trumpet call we're launched into the most complicated sounding meter of 3/4 + 9/16.  These aren’t fractions!  But… it’s still math.  😎  This pattern is expressed as 3 groupings of 4 quick notes followed by 3 groupings of 3 quick notes.  Konnakol syllables can be helpful here: TaKaDiMi TaKaDiMi TaKaDiMi + TaKiTa TaKiTa TaKiTa.  This gives a wild whirling ecstatic sound to the orchestra.


After all this the music calms down with some “discussions again” followed by “evening atmosphere”.


Fazil Say’s very colorful sounding score calls for: 2 Flutes and piccolo, 2 Oboes and English horn, 2 Bassoons and contra bassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (xylophone, vibraphone, bass drum, tenor drum, guiro, 2 congas, bongo, marimba, tambourine, 2 tomtoms, bar chimes), harp, and strings.


A typical performance of Fazil Say’s Grand Bazaar lasts about 10 minutes.



​Aaaand some nerdy musician rhythm humor to round it all out. 🤓😎😂

 




RICHARD STRAUSS FOUR SYMPHONIC INTERLUDES FROM "INTERMEZZO"






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Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was a composer and conductor during the late Romantic/early 20th century era, and is one of the most celebrated composers of the German Romanticism style of writing.  Strauss is mostly known for his large scale works for orchestra and for his operatic works. “4 Symphonic Interludes” is an exciting, quirky, lush, and fun piece of music for full orchestra taken from his opera Intermezzo.


RESOURCES


A live performance conducted by  Mariss Jansons



The full 2 and a half hour opera!


HIGHLIGHTS

Richard Strauss composed the opera Intermezzo between 1918 and 1923.  He compiled the 4 Symphonic Interludes from Intermezzo in 1929.


Of his 15 operas (!!), Intermezzo is one of only two for which he also wrote the libretto.  It is autobiographical, and is a whimsical look into his relationship with his wife, Pauline.


The story of Intermezzo is based on a real incident between Richard and Pauline, after a gushing love note meant for another conductor, Joseph Stransky (nicknamed “Straussky”) was mistakenly addressed to Richard and discovered by Pauline.  Comedy of errors ensues!


4 Symphonic Interludes are taken from actual instrumental interludes included in the 2.5 hour opera.  These interludes capture the action, thoughts, and feelings associated with the story in such a way that listening to them provides a wonderful encapsulated version of the whole tale, interlude by interlude.


Interlude 1: Travel Fever and Waltz Scene

In this scene the conductor is in a hurry to leave for a series of performances after a pretty nasty argument with his wife. To lighten her mood, the wife goes to a party where she meets a handsome young man and waltzes with him.


Interlude 2: Dreaming By the Fireplace

In this Interlude, we hear lyrical romantic music depicting the wife sitting by the fire at home, with thoughts of love for her husband (despite her frustrations with him) which are punctuated by her memories of the party and her attraction to the young man.


Interlude 3: At the Card Table

The third interlude portrays the conductor spending his time differently to his wife, having fun at an after-concert card game with friends, in which you can hear musical sounds of cards being shuffled and dealt out.


Interlude 4: Happy Ending

The final interlude is a very quick and flamboyant 2 or so minutes long.  This is the celebratory music which happens following the scene in which everyone finds out about the mix-up of the mistakenly addressed letter.


4 Symphonic Interludes is scored for a smaller size full orchestra of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, percussion (triangle, snare drum, cymbals), piano, harp, and strings.  A notable exception to this setup is the frequent use of solo strings to lend a more intimate conversational sound from time to time.


A typical performance of 4 Symphonic Interludes lasts about 25 minutes.


NERD ASSIGNMENTS!

Consider

In his notes, Richard Strauss referred to Intermezzo as a ‟conversation piece” in music.  This would be similar to theater plays about everyday or domestic life. Even though he wrote this conversation piece in operatic form involving a cast of vocalists he still interjected purely instrumental interludes.


Discuss

How do you think instrumental music can make conversation?  How do you think it might color, support, or comment on the dialogue, thoughts, and feelings of the characters in this opera?


Reflect

After you’ve listened to 4 Symphonic Interludes, what did you notice about Richard Strauss’s musical choices to represent various story elements in Intermezzo via each of these Interludes?  How were they similar or different to your expectations? ​


 







SERGEI RACHMANINOFF

PIANO CONCERTO #3







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Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor.  He is best known for his large scale works for orchestra, and for his piano concertos which are performed regularly throughout the world.  Rachmaninoff wrote Piano Concerto #3 during a time he was feeling buoyed by professional success, and when he was about to embark on his first US performance tour.  He has said it was his favorite of the three.  It received a warm initial review but really became popular with audiences two decades after its premiere when legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz made it a performance priority.  Enjoy listening to the thrilling performance by your Colorado Symphony and piano soloist Natasha Paremsky!


RESOURCES



Yunchan Lim's 2022 Cliburn competition final round performance with conductor Marin Alsop



5 minute performance scene from the 1996 movie 'Shine'


HIGHLIGHTS

Rachmaninoff composed Piano Concerto #3 in 1909 and premiered it himself in NYC later that same year.  Piano teachers and students, shut your eyes for this next fact!  He actually ran out of time to practice the piece at home before traveling to NYC for the performance, so he brought a fake keyboard and practiced on the way there.  (He was 36 years old when all of this happened though, so he probably knew his scales by then.)  Teachers/students you can open your eyes now!  😁


Piano Concerto #3 is in D minor, lasts for about 45 minutes and is in three sections called movements, like chapters of a book.  It follows a typical concerto structure for these musical chapters, fast-slow-very fast.  If it sounds like there are only two movements, or chapters, it’s because Rachmaninoff uses an excellent trick making the final note of the second movement the blast-off beginning of the third movement!


Pianists everywhere agree Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #3 is one of the most monumental and difficult pieces to play.  The orchestra accompaniment is also richly detailed and often takes a more central role, making this piece of music extra engaging to listeners and performers alike.


Rachmaninoff’s compositions have a cinematic sound to them, so it’s no surprise to find them used in films.  For extra credit, binge watch these movies and listen for Rachmaninoff’s music: Brief Encounter, The Seven Year Itch, To the Wonder, Somewhere In Time, Groundhog Day, Shine, and Limitless.  Piano Concerto #3 plays such a prominent role in the film Shine that it practically becomes a character itself!


Rachmaninoff’s score calls for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, and the usual string section of violins, violas, cellos, and basses.


Explore the music

Here is a map that can guide you through the concerto.  Read it in advance or while you’re listening!


Movement 1: Allegro ma non tanto (in English: Quick, but not too much)

This music begins with a restless urgency in the orchestra while the solo piano plays a simple melody over the top.  About a minute in, right about the time we are lulled into thinking this is all just a nice tune, the tempo picks up and the piano takes the restless role while the low strings play the melody.  The music rides along like this, shifting roles through the orchestra, until about 3 minutes into it a lush interlude introduces new ideas on the horizon.  This new material shows up about 30 seconds later in a dialogue between solo piano and groups of instruments within the orchestra.  A beautiful intimate conversation begins between the piano and solo bassoon happens around the 4 minute mark which again blossoms into including more instrument groups.  The restlessness begins to return and we get moving again just to fall into a slightly fancier statement of the opening material at around 7 minutes in.  From here the attitude morphs and changes but the restless quality stays somewhat prominent as the music tries to figure out what it’s trying to say.  An extended cadenza, or rhapsodized solo section, for piano alone begins at about 10 and a half minutes.  This pure piano power chord festival lasts until the entrance of a solo flute, who passes the melody to the oboe, then clarinet, and finally to the horn before melting into another solo piano section at about the 14 minute mark.  The entrance of the horns at 2 minutes later signals our return to the world of the orchestra and the final statement of the opening melody to take us out to the end of the movement.


Movement 2: Intermezzo - Adagio (in English: Interlude - Slowly)

This music sings as much as the first movement danced.  We begin with solos in the woodwind instruments before the violins take the melody, twisting and pulling at it like warm taffy.  At about 2 minutes into it the mighty and awesome viola section transitions the music back to the full orchestra led by the horns before the piano finally enters at about 40 seconds later, playing alone until the orchestra enters again.  The tempo picks up and we are suddenly in a whirlwind torrent version of the same melodic material.  Things calm again and at about the 5 minute mark we’re back at the calm of the opening.  It doesn’t last long though!  Another outburst reminds us that this story is not done.  Many attitude changes later, at about 10 minutes into it we have the beginning of a series of chorale moments in the winds and brass, once again leaving the violas to transition into the full orchestra sound.  This material sounds like it’s closing, but then becomes the very active and splashy sounding transition material that precedes the beginning of the Finale movement.


Movement 3: Finale – Alla breve (in English: Ending – on the half*)

*”on the half”?  What does that even mean??  Well, it’s not a specialty coffee order!  Basically it’s an indication the music will move at a brisk and flowing pace.  (For a more detailed explanation, check out the Consider and Discuss section below!)

Energy energy energy!  Playfulness and power are at the core of this movement.  It’s an all out celebration for fifteen minutes that seems breathless even in the slower melodic moments.  Listen especially to the way Rachmaninoff uses dynamics - the loudness and softness in music - to create drama and character.  His music swells and slams and whispers its way through this movement with flair and confidence.  It’s impossible not to get caught up in it!


Nerd Assignments

Consider:

Consider the title of the third movement – “alla breve”. This is actually an interesting piece of ‘inside baseball’ music lingo.  Generally, when music is structured around a pattern of 4 pulses, a composer can notate in something called Common Time or in Cut Time.  Common Time gets a repeating count of 4; one for each of those steady pulses so the 'heart' of the music 'beats' on each pulse.  Cut Time [secret agent code name Alla Breve, which means “on the half” 😎] generally moves much more quickly through those 4 pulses; so much so that it sounds more like a repeating count of 2 beats – each on the first and third pulses.  In this case Rachmaninoff wants the pianist and the orchestra to move very quickly, with a sound that practically levitates as it flies through the pulse pattern.  When performers see an indication for “alla breve” they typically understand the tempo will be brisk and flowing.

Discuss:

How might the music feel or sound different if we were more aware of each pulse (1, 2, 3, 4) rather than every other? (1 3 1 3 )  Can you imagine it having just one beat for every 4 pulses? (1 1 )  How might that further change the way it feels or sounds?


Discover Your Musical Signature!

Did you know that some composers have signatures they like to use in their work, like painters?  Some of them use the letters of their name that correspond to pitches in the musical alphabet to create a melodic signature.  J.S. Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich famously used this technique, creating a signature on B flat-A-C-B (B-A-C-H) or D-E flat-C-B (D.-S-C-H), respectively.  Rachmaninoff used the rhythm of his last name as his signature.  Right at the end of Piano Concerto #3 is an example of his signature “LONG shortshort LONG” following the pace and accent of “RACH manin OFF”.


Try making a musical signature with your own name!


Let’s use composer Angélica Negrón as an example.  Her name has 6 syllables, a pattern of  shortshortshortshort shortLONG, and is weighted shortshortshortshort shortLONG.

To make your own musical signature, first say your name confidently a few times to hear it fresh.  Note how many syllables there are, which of them seem longer or shorter, and which of them seem heavier or lighter in weight.  If it helps, you can also write your name down, mark each syllable, underline the longer sounding ones, and then circle the heavier sounding ones.  Now try clapping the rhythm of your name following the length and weight of the syllables. Some names can be exciting or firm: Yael. JOE!  Others might be more florid: Xiomara, Jessica Marie.  How does yours seem to sound?  What instruments do you imagine playing your musical signature?

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