Clowning Around

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Marlene’s Musings
February 16, 2020

Stravinsky is my favorite composer. We will be performing the music from Petrushka, one of three ballets he wrote for Serge Diaghilev and the Russian Ballet between 1910 and 1913. Petrushka is the iconic character of puppet theater in many countries – Punch in England; Pulcinella in Italy; Polichinelle in France; Kasperle in Austria/Germany.

The first music we hear describes the hustle and bustle of the Shrovetide Fair in St. Petersburg (Shrovetide, also known as Pre-Lenten season). One hears the joyful, energetic activities of organ grinders, hurdy-gurdies, dancers and street vendors. The music is mostly in major keys. Soon the puppet show draws everyone’s attention.

We meet the puppets, Petrushka, the Ballerina and the Blackamoor. When the puppet show is over, the real story of the characters unfolds behind stage. Petrushka is in love with the ballerina but she falls for the Blackamoor who bullies Petrushka. The dramatic, emotional, dissonant music describes puppets imbued with human emotions of rage, sadness, tenderness. Petrushka’s cries and screams are vividly portrayed through use of the famous Petrushka chord – C major plus F# major. This combination creates the dissonance of the tri-tone, an interval that, throughout music history, has been called the devil’s interval.

We open the program in splendid fashion with CHUCK ULLERY, bassoonist extraordinaire. I’ve known Chuck for many years – we sat in the same row of wind players during my years in the SPCO. We call this program, Clowning Around, because the bassoon is often referred to as the clown of the orchestra. Chuck will provide arguments for and against that title during his Bassoon 101 “TedTalk.” Then, he will impress us with his performance of Weber, Bassoon Concerto.

I hope you’ll be there to hear this amazing music!

Our concerts are free. Parking is free.
AND, we have wonderful treats to share at the meet n’ greet reception that follows.
See you there!

The Golden Age

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Marlene’s Musings
October 7, 2019

What do all these pieces have in common?

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Kurt Weill/Bertold Brecht: Threepenny Opera
Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein: Showboat
Copland: Symphony No. 1

1. All were written during a 10-year period of great cultural shift in America – between 1919 and 1929
2. All the composers were in their 20s
3. Each of these pieces broke the mold of what had come before
4. All will be performed on October 13 at Wayzata Community Church at 3 pm

Maria Jette, Bradley Greenwald and Daniel Chouinard – all vital threads in the fabric of Twin Cities culture – will sing, act, discuss, play the piano and accordion to illuminate this remarkable time of upheaval in America.

During this 10-year period, the 18th Amendment (prohibition of intoxicating liquors) and the 19th Amendment (right to vote for women) were passed. It was the dawn of radio and jazz was taking hold as America’s musical voice.

Please join us on October 13. You will leave smarter than when you arrived, you will be amazed by the creative artistry of our soloists and you will be telling your friends that the WSO is the finest community orchestra in Minnesota! I hope you will be there to take it all in.

Concert is free, parking is free, coffee and treats are free at our meet-and-greet reception.

See you there!
– Marlene

Tony Ross – Cellist Extraordinaire

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Marlene’s Musings
February 22, 2019

I have known about Tony Ross for years.  When I played clarinet in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, he substituted in the cello section a few times. Soon after, he auditioned for the Principal Cello spot in the Minnesota Orchestra and won.  None of us were surprised.

When I became Music Director of the Wayzata Symphony, I mustered my courage and asked him to play a concerto with us. How lucky we were when he said yes and even suggested to perform David Ott’s Double Concerto with his wife, Beth Rapier, Assistant Principal Cello of MN Orch.

Tony is a musician’s musician – phenomenal technique, gorgeous sound, heart-stopping expression.  But, beyond all of that he is so genuine and generous. He performs with us because he believes in community and that music is for everyone, as performers and listeners. No matter what, it’s all about the music with him. He always offers spot-on, constructive comments to help us lift the music off the page.

His performances of Weinberg’s Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra are coming up soon – February 24 at Wayzata Community Church and March 3 at Orchestra Hall. They will be fifth and sixth times he has performed with us. How lucky for us!

I am so happy we get a chance to showcase his incredible artistry as he performs a piece he requested and one that has never been performed in Minnesota. Who better than Tony Ross to introduce it!

 

Ralph Vaughan Williams – the People’s Composer

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Marlene’s Musings
January 31, 2019

On Feb. 24 (at Wayzata Community Church) and March 3 (at Orchestra Hall) we will be performing Ralph (pronounced “Rafe”) Vaughan Williams masterpiece, Dona Nobis Pacem.  Employing text from Walt Whitman, John Bight and passages from the Bible, it is a work that was written between the two world wars.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (RVW) was born into England’s upper class – his mother was an heiress to the Wedgewood manufacturing fortune, and his great uncle was Charles Darwin – but he spent a great deal of time travelling the English countryside collecting folk music.  RVW and his lifelong friend, Gustav Holst, dedicated themselves to creating an authentic national British voice rooted in folk song.

Through his discovery and recording of over 800 songs, he found that the modes played a key role. When he was commissioned to create a new version of the English Hymnal, he departed from German influence (largely major/minor tonalities) and included a broader array of recognizable tunes rooted in those ancient modes. The hymnal, created in 1906, remains the central musical source for the Anglican Church and its offshoots.

RVW recognized the debt to the traditions that shaped his musical style and returned the favor through decades of work with volunteer musicians in the huge network of English choral festivals and orchestras. He grasped music’s potential to build community. According to his second wife, Ursula, “He delighted in working with enthusiastic, arts-minded men and women whose voices were (often) not equal to their zeal, and from them he drew major life lessons as well as astonishing results.”

In the preface to English Music, RVW wrote:

“If we want to find the groundwork of our English culture we must look below the surface – not to the grand events chronicled in the newspapers but to the unobtrusive quartet parties which meet week after week to play or sing in their own houses, to the village choral societies whose members trudge miles through rain or snow to work steadily for a concert or competition in some ghastly parish room with a cracked piano and a smelly oil lamp.”

The musicians of the Wayzata Symphony, the Edina Chorale and the Two Rivers Chorale perform with great dedication, talent and passion. They give no less than their very best, especially when they are given the opportunity to perform such a powerful, transformative work exemplifying:

Gorgeous orchestration
Familiar modal musical language
Expansive gestures
Gripping texts of Walt Whitman
Brilliant text painting
An inspiring call to the human spirit in times of darkness.

I think RVW would have loved the collaboration of our three community groups.

 

Composing To Save Your Life

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Marlene’s Musings
April 3, 2018

Shostakovich 1906-1975

Shostakovich was recognized from an early age as one of Russia’s great composers. He completed his first symphony at 19 and by 26, his film scores, Cello Sonata and first string quartet were admired. His opera, Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk, played for nearly two years to rave reviews … until one day in 1936 when Joseph Stalin was in the audience.

The next morning, the headline in Pravda read, Muddle instead of Music. The article claimed his music was too formalistic, not nationalistic enough. This was during “The Great Purge,” a period between 1934-37 when millions of Russian citizens were imprisoned, executed or sent to the Gulag never to be heard from again. This kind of public criticism could have had the same result for Shostakovich.

Thus began a lifetime of living in fear.

Shostakovich had already completed his 4th Symphony but with such frightening criticism preceding the premiere, he felt it best to cancel. Instead he began work on another symphony in the hope of regaining the favor of the authorities. Symphony No. 5 premiered in 1937 and was an enormous success. For a time, Shostakovich could continue his work. In 1948, he would suffer another round of criticism – much more severe.

When we perform the symphony on April 29 and May 6, we will try to portray the vast spectrum of emotion present in this work – extreme sadness, painful loneliness, fevered aggression, exuberant triumph – with the goal of bringing our audience with us to those powerful places where only music can take us.

I Adore Our Audience!

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Marlene’s Musings
January 1, 2018

I adore our audience!

Late last year, Simon Sperl (our fabulous new executive director) and I met a few members of our loyal audience at Caribou Coffee on Lake Street in Wayzata. What a treat! As conductor, I see the audience as an entity but rarely get a chance to get to know them individually. After the meeting, I really look forward to the third Monday of each month to get to know more of them.

Here’s a few stories about who we met:

Wendy goes to 80 artistic events a year! She ushers for various groups and attends events of many other groups, including Jungle Theater, SPCO, MN Orch, etc. I am deeply honored to have the WSO included on her list of the concerts she chooses.

Minnetonka Mike came by too.  He walked in playing the harmonica!   I recognized him right away because he makes it a point to find me at our after-concert receptions.  His memory for our concerts and my verbiage is uncanny.  I wish I had that kind of recall.

“I sell stuff,” he said. “But I sell it eyeball to eyeball.” Amazon, NOT!

As I write this, I am smiling because of the wonderful dialogue we shared for two hours.

Simon and I feel so fortunate to be part of this organization that celebrates collaboration with community and audience.

Hoping to see you at Caribou on Monday, January 21 from 12:00 noon until 2:00 pm – coffee is on us, no matter how fru-fru it is!

 

 

Ann Bancroft, My Hero

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Marlene’s Musings
November 1, 2017

Years ago when I was conducting family concerts for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, I had the idea to ask Arctic Explorer, Ann Bancroft, to narrate Wolf Tracks by Beintus, a piece similar to Peter and the Wolf except in this one, the wolf protected.  I had a 50/50 chance Ann would say yes so I gathered my confidence and made the call.  Without any hesitation she said, “Sure.”

Her response was the same when I contacted her last Spring to be our special guest for our November 19th concert.

Currently, her international team of eight women is exploring major rivers of the world through the program, ACCESS WATER that seeks to create awareness of our collective need to protect and preserve our water.

She is my hero not only because of her physical strength and mental fortitude but also because she is a believer in her own dreams and, through her commitment to education, encourages others to follow theirs.

Our concert will feature music inspired by water.  Large screens will project images as Ann narrates their significance.

We know her inspiration will impact those in the audience as well as 55 string students who will join the orchestra to perform Water Night by Eric Whitacre.

Excited for My 8th Season

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Marlene’s Musings
August 20, 2017

The Wayzata Symphony Orchestra is a unique orchestra. None of its members get paid to play. Their dedication to the orchestra, their disciplined personal preparation, their commitment to allowing risk in this ever-changing global orchestral landscape, their desire to continually improve: All of these attributes make me proud to be at the musical helm.

But even more than that, the musicians of the WSO are exemplars of MN citizenry – the type of people that make MN such a great state in which to live – all contribute to our community through their vocations and avocations, all support the arts, they are great friends and neighbors, they are open-minded, they share their knowledge and gifts with young people, on both sides of the political isle they work together for the common good.

So, as I think about starting my 8th season, I look forward to being amongst them, learning from them and hopefully, offering inspiring and convincing interpretations of the repertoire we have chosen for the season.

Stay tuned for another blog in a couple weeks – there is much to talk about!

Holst, The Planets – Astrological and Astronomical

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Marlene’s Musings
April 11, 2017

Holst, The Planets – astrological and astronomical

I have been wishing for the opportunity to conduct The Planets by Gustav Holst ever since a friend suggested I listen to it. We had just seen Star Wars (1977) and I was raving about the music saying that no one had ever written anything like that before. Naïve Marlene learned pretty quickly that I was totally wrong!

Mars, the Bringer of War

During the time of writing, Holst was interested in astrology. He was also living in a world about to unleash the horror of WWI.  Mars is the Roman god of war, whose red color symbolizes blood.   Holst wrote “hackles-raised” music using an unrelenting, brutally rhythmic motive in 5/4 time which the string players execute with the wood of their bows. The sound of wood on strings conjures an image of an approaching army bearing spears and shields.

Venus, the Bringer of Peace

The contrast between Mars and Venus is striking. The goddess of love and beauty is depicted right off the bat with a gorgeous horn solo. Throughout the work there are lovely solos for violin, cello and oboe. This is sensual, loving music with a backdrop of celestial, heavenly sounds from celeste, glockenspiel and harps. The music is not simple, far from it.  How interesting that Holst wrote music of great complexity to describe peace.

Mercury, the Winged Messenger

Fast, light, short. We wouldn’t expect any less from a winged messenger! Aside from the speed of the piece, a further challenge resides in the fact that there are two different keys (Bb and E) and two different rhythms right on top of each other throughout most of the piece. Holst loved this technique and did it often in his works. One would think it would feel unsettling or discordant – NOPE!  Just, really interesting!

Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

This is one of my favorite pieces in the entire orchestral repertoire, in fact, at our wedding, my husband and I processed to the Hymn that is at the center of the movement. And, while I was Artistic Director at GTCYS, I made an arrangement of the Hymn for all 500 kids to play en masse at Orchestra Hall for the year-end concert.

There are at least five jolly themes spun in glorious ways and offered to every section within the orchestra.  In Roman terms, Jupiter was the leader of all the Gods and represented divine authority and was associated with freedom, exploration and merrymaking. Holst described him perfectly!

Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age

The youthful exuberance of Jupiter is now replaced by the inevitable coming of old age. Holst first describes the approach of life’s last years – worry about being alone, the vanishing of friends, the failing of our earthly bodies, the closing of a familiar chapter. The basses play a very slowly moving theme that seems to suggest defeat. Then, Holst bestows the trombones with a chorale that is the voice of wisdom. There is a sense of acceptance of an ordered hierarchy of nature. The piece ends so beautifully with harps, celeste and high strings bringing things to an apotheosis.

Uranus, the Magician

This is such a fascinating piece for a conductor to study. There is one four-note motive that opens the piece. Immediately it is repeated in the tuba at double speed and then repeated again, in the timpani, at quadruple speed. Holst IS the magician because throughout the entire movement that same four-note motive is heard at many speeds and iterations – even played upside down, 12 times in a row, in a flurry of woodwind writing. At the end, there is a sudden collapse of sound as if the magician has made himself disappear. The music is slow and very quiet. But, the motive returns for a couple seconds to remind us of our magician’s dramatic skill.

Neptune, the Mystic

Neptune, in Roman mythology, is the god of the sea, and the deep blue color of the planet reflects this. Holst subtitles it the Mystic. Astrologers associate the planet with illusion, confusion and deception. No wonder, then, that Holst uses the composition technique of bitonality. There are many chords that are made up of a minor chord playing simultaneously with a major chord (e minor plus G# major, for example). There are no real melodies, just bits and pieces of melodies. At the end a woman’s chorus begins to sing without words. They are the ones who end the piece imperceptibly, suggesting the ongoing universe, far beyond our current ability to explore it.

 

 

Youthful Inspiration

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Marlene’s Musings
July 25, 2016

During the summer when the WSO is off, I do other fun stuff.

For the past 7 years, I have been very fortunate to conduct the showcase concert for the Young Artist World Piano Festival held in St. Paul each summer. Two winners are chosen from the competitors who come from all around the globe: one winner age 8 to 12, and one winner age 13 to 18.

Every contestant plays the same piece. This year, it was Mozart Piano Concerto #17, 1st movement and Schumann Piano Concerto.

Finale Concert-54The talent is incredible.  Everything is in place from each competitor – no one makes mistakes or plays wrong tempi or has memorization lapses. These are young people who have gone way deeper than the tip of the iceberg. Their fingers fly! And their personalities emerge so clearly. That’s what happens when you go deep. Notes, rhythms, articulation, dynamics – that’s the beginning. When you can get beyond all that (after hours of practice, of course) the magic starts and the muse, who now knows you’re serious, visits you with an invitation to let your heart and soul speak. To be a listener when that happens is to feel something indescribable. You feel privileged to be present. Perhaps you can imagine the humble joy I feel as conductor of the orchestra whose job it is to accompany these wunderkinds.

Next up for me:

LAMF-LogoI’m gearing up to conduct a program called Bedtime Stories for the Lakes Area Music Festival. I get to conduct some of my favorites – Berceuse and Finale from Stravinsky Firebird; Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade; Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Libby Larsen’s wind octet, Jack and the Beanstalk based on Roald Dahl’s irreverent telling of the age-old tale.

This orchestra is made up of musicians from the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and many other national orchestras who come to Brainerd to enjoy the beauty of our lakes.

If you’re in Brainerd on Sunday, August 7 at 2:00, come to the free concert but come early – it’s always a packed house.

Bedtime Stories