Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Suite from Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66a

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia, in 1840 and died in St. Petersburg in 1893. He composed the ballet Sleeping Beauty on a commission from the Director of the Imperial Theaters in St. Petersburg in 1888-1889 and it was first performed at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg in 1890 under the direction of Riccardo Drigo. The present Suite was extracted from the ballet by Aleksandr Ziloti in 1899. The score of the Suite calls for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings.

*****

When Tchaikovsky composed Sleeping Beauty he created a ballet masterpiece, thought by many to be the greatest ballet of the nineteenth century. Vivid, tuneful, and brilliantly orchestrated, its music also served the dancing in a way never heard before; as one scholar remarked, “it never descends to the commonplace level of ordinary ballet music.”

Tchaikovsky himself suggested to his publisher that a concert suite should be arranged from the ballet music. The trouble was, Tchaikovsky could never make up his mind which numbers from the ballet to include. In the end he recommended that Aleksandr Ziloti be given the job. (Ziloti had edited Tchaikovsky’s music and created piano transcriptions of it with the composer’s approval.) It was not until several years after Tchaikovsky’s death that the project was finally realized.

The Suite begins with an Introduction derived from the ballet’s Prologue. It leads off with the thrilling and ominous music representing the evil fairy Carabosse, but the music halts abruptly and the English horn gives us the melody that portrays the Lilac Fairy. Her theme comes to a rousing climax and recedes.

The soaring music of the Adagio (often called the “Rose Adagio”) is the music heard as Princess Aurora is presented to her four suitors.

In the Characteristic Dance we have a cameo appearance by Puss in Boots, one of several characters from other Perrault stories that pay a visit to the ballet.

The dreamy music of the Panorama depicts the Lilac Fairy bringing Prince Désiré by boat to the castle where the Sleeping Beauty lies.

The Suite concludes with the stirring Waltz from Princess Aurora’s birthday party in Act I. There are very few ballet numbers as well-known or as well-loved as this.

– Mark Rohr

 

********

 

Zhou Tian

Flute Concerto

Composer Zhou Tian was born into a musical family in 1981 in Hangzhou, China. He lives in the United States. His Flute Concerto was first performed on May 8, 2022 in Alexandria, VA by flutist Mimi Stillman and the United States Marine Chamber Orchestra conducted by Col. Jason K. Fettig. It is a co-commission of Dolce Suono Ensemble, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Annapolis Chamber Orchestra, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and Youth Orchestra of San Antonio, with generous support from Carolyn and James Barnshaw and Jonathan S. Tobin. The work is scored for 2 flutes (including piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, bass trombone or tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings (Violins 1 and 2, Violas, Cellos and Basses).

*****

Irises. Capriccio. Arioso. Toccata. These are four movements that infuse my Flute Concerto, written for long-time musical partner Mimi Stillman. From tranquil meditations to wild rituals, the concerto explores the diversity of musical styles through reflection on the flute’s long and rich heritage (hence the baroque-inspired subtitles). There are hints of my musical lineage from Barber to Piston to traditional Chinese music, as I sought a coexistence of clarity of form with passionate expression, exploring the richness of orchestral timbre yet always embracing purity of line.

The work begins with “Irises,” a movement of mixed moods of long singing lines and airy dances. The flower makes me think about the flute – sensuous and yet strong. “Capriccio” is a scherzo in perpetual motion. The rapid, repeated notes and the concise form drew its inspiration from Baroque dance pieces. “Arioso” is a meditation. As the soloist joins the plush strings, dashing harp and woodwinds, the sonic color is altered frequently, masking the hinted atonality in the melody with romanticism. “Toccata,” the finale, is a virtuosic dance. An accumulation of materials sends the piece to a climax at the end.

– Zhou Tian

 

********

 

Serge Prokofiev

Romeo and Juliet, selections from the Ballet Suites

Sergei Prokofiev was born in Sontsovka, Ukraine in 1891 and died near Moscow in 1953. He composed his ballet Romeo and Juliet in 1935 on a commission from the Kirov Ballet, revising the score in 1936. The first performance of the ballet took place in Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1938. Prokofiev extracted two suites from the ballet in 1936 and a third in 1946. The score calls for 3 flutes, piccolo, 3 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, tenor saxophone, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, celeste, and strings.

*****

Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending?

Yes, Prokofiev briefly considered having literature’s most famous tragedy come out all right in the end when he composed his ballet. After all, he said, “Living people can dance, the dying cannot.” Once word of Prokofiev’s revisionism got around, the umbrage taken was colossal: “Curiously enough, while in London they limited themselves to stating simply that I was writing a ballet Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending, Soviet Shakespeare scholars turned out to be more papist than the Pope and stormed in defense of the abused Shakespeare.” In consultation with choreographers, who told him that the dying might be able to dance after all, Prokofiev dropped the idea.

This was only one of the many struggles Prokofiev had getting Romeo and Juliet produced. It had originally been intended for the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, but they backed out of the agreement. The Bolshoi took it on, but then found the music “undanceable.” Eventually, the ballet was staged by the Ballet of Brno, Czechoslovakia, without Prokofiev’s supervision.

Having a new ballet commissioned by a Russian company and composed by a major Russian composer premiered outside the country was embarrassing, to say the least, so the Kirov reconsidered. As rehearsals commenced, however, Prokofiev found that the anguish was not over. The Kirov’s odd acoustics were the major problem: the music is often lightly scored, and the dancers complained they couldn’t hear the music. The by-now testy Prokofiev refused to believe it: “I know what you want! You want drums, not music!” When he was prevailed upon to listen from the stage, he found the dancers were right; he re-scored the offending passages to make the beat more clear. At last, five years after its composition, Romeo and Juliet had its Russian premiere.

Prokofiev extracted two suites from the ballet while it still looked as if it might never be danced; at least the music might be heard in the concert hall. (He created a third suite some ten years later, as well.) The suites were made before the changes in scoring were done, so they represent Prokofiev’s original intentions better than the ballet itself does. Prokofiev made relatively few changes to the music, combining some numbers and providing endings for those that lacked them.

None of the suites taken from the ballet attempts to tell the whole story, chronological or otherwise; Prokofiev crafted them for the best musical effect. Over the years conductors have found this to be both an advantage and a disadvantage: while the suites may be musically satisfying on their own, none of them is entirely satisfying dramatically. It is not uncommon, then, for conductors to make their own selections from the suites and assemble a collection that brings us from the beginning of the story to the end. Tonight we feature just such a performance, with excerpts from the suites arranged in dramatic order.

“Montagues and Capulets” sets the stage for the entire drama. It begins with a horrifying dissonance followed by translucent string chords—a small hint at the dramatic range to come. The plodding march that follows is the strut of the Capulets on the way to the ball.

The “Balcony Scene” begins quietly, almost furtively; as Romeo and Juliet discover their love for each other, their musical themes do as well.

The exhilarating music of “The Death of Tybalt” depicts Mercutio’s duel with Tybalt, the duel between Romeo and Tybalt, and Tybalt’s funeral procession. The latter is heavy, intense, and full of portent.

“Romeo at Juliet’s Tomb” begins in passionate strings as Juliet’s funeral procession passes and Romeo arrives at the tomb. There is a brief remembrance of love, wiped away by utter desolation.

As if Prokofiev hadn’t endured enough complaints during Romeo and Juliet’s painful genesis, many critics have found the ballet’s music too astringent—or at least not romantic enough—for such a passionate story. He responded: “Every now and then somebody or other starts urging me to put more feeling, more emotion, more melody in my music. My conviction is that there is plenty of all that in Romeo and Juliet.  In it I have taken special pains to achieve a simplicity which will, I hope, reach the hearts of all listeners. If people find no melody and no emotion in this work, I shall be very sorry. But I feel sure that sooner or later they will.” They have. Few musical experiences are as profoundly moving as hearing this, Prokofiev’s masterpiece.

-Mark Rohr

 

Mark Rohr was the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Bass Trombonist from the mid-1980’s and program annotator from 1991 until his passing in 2019. We are privileged to continue publishing his program notes at his bequest.