Program Notes
COSUSS Fall 2024 extended program notes
SOUNDCHECK IN C MAJOR – Mason Bates
The unveiling of a new concert hall is a momentous occasion; commissioning a new work to christen the performance space is the perfect way to celebrate its future as a home for great performances. When the San Diego Symphony was making plans for its architectural masterpiece, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, they invited American composer Mason Bates (b. 1977) to compose a piece that would showcase the venue’s stunning acoustics, the orchestra’s virtuosity, and the state-of-the-art sound system. With a background in both classical music and electronica, Bates was a natural choice to create a work that would push the boundaries of traditional concert music and highlight the capabilities of both the ensemble and the new performance space. The result was Soundcheck in C Major. a fanfare that combined classical orchestration and electronic sounds in a bold, immersive experience.
The title is a reference to the preliminary process of setting up and testing equipment before a live performance, a process that Bates knew well from his work as a DJ and electronic music producer. However, in this piece, the usually perfunctory and technical task of tuning and checking sounds before the concert begins has become part of the music itself. The work opens with shimmering electronic chords that echo through the hall, as if tentatively testing its acoustics, before the orchestra swells to a unified, resonant chord. What follows is a resolute march that quickly evolves into a lively, quicksilver passage, where solo players shine. The piece then builds back triumphantly, returning to the powerful sonorities of the opening.
Drawing from various sources of inspiration, Bates describes this short work as equally informed by the “textural brilliance of Wagnerian overtures, the psychedelic sound design of Pink Floyd, and the famous THX ‘sound test’ that once kicked off many a night at the movies.” Bates himself performed in the work’s 2021premiere, with an Akai drum machine and two MacBook Pros as his instruments. The blending of tradition and innovation, acoustic and electronic instrumentation, and the familiar and the new represents not only the San Diego Symphony’s commitment to presenting a wide and diverse range of repertoire, but the idea of pushing the limits of orchestral music in the 21st century.
CELLO CONCERTO – William Walton
English composer William Walton (1902 – 1983) established himself as a leading composer in the first half of the 20th century, especially after the debut of his celebrated viola and violin concerts. Years after Walton’s violin concerto was debuted by the great Jascha Heifetz, Walton’s friend (and celebrated cellist) Gregor Piatigorsky requested that Walton composed a cello concert for him, having great admiration for Walton’s violin work. Walton’s facetious response seemed like that of a mercenary – “I am a professional composer; I write anything for anybody if they pay me. Naturally, I write much better if I am paid in American dollars” – but in truth, he was genuinely honored that a cellist of Piatigorsky’s caliber had asked him for a new work. In fact, Walton thought so highly of Piatigorsky, he offered to eliminate any part of the orchestration that Piatigorsky did not care for. Piatigorsky, however, made no changes, and the concerto premiered in January 1957 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductor Charles Munch.
Walton considered this his finest concerto, but its debut received mixed reviews. Once considered a rebel with an avant garde style – Walton failed his composition exam at Oxford and incorporated jazz harmonies into his early works – the pendulum of musical taste swung the other way and Walton’s lush and expressive style was considered old-fashioned compared to the serialism that was de rigueur in the 1950s. One sharp-tongued critic found the concerto well-constructed, but added “”what dissonance there is would not alarm an elderly aunt.” Another critic despaired that Walton was not a progressive composer but found solace that at least his works contained wit, explosive energy, and romantic brooding. However, there were a small number of critics who thought Walton’s cello concerto was a masterpiece, and Walton remained steadfast in his belief that his final concerto was the greatest of his three concerti. Today, Walton’s Cello Concerto is highly regarded and frequently recorded by many of the world’s finest cellists.
Opening in C major, the first movement, Moderato, creates an intimate and dreamlike atmosphere with a captivating solo cello melody over a subtle orchestra. The orchestration is a unique combination of vibraphone, trilling viola, and oscillating woodwinds and strings. Walton’s intricate orchestration allows the cello’s voice to float above its delicate accompaniment, maintaining a melancholic, amorous quality. While considered too tonal to be fashionable at the time of its debut, the first movement still has a wandering and unstable tonal center, making for a dreamy and sensual effect.
The movement’s main theme evokes a sense of yearning through the unstable tonality created by augmented intervals and fleeting key centers. William Walton biographer Michael Kennedy described this theme as “comprehensive and chromatic, with ambiguously unstable tonality … a seductively amorous invention.” In contrast, an allegro tranquillo passage introduces a sequence of descending sixteenth notes intertwining with the “tick-tock” motif before leading back to the primary theme. The movement ends in a delicate yet satisfying cadence, as the last notes drift down through five octaves, leaving the listener with a sense of both closure and lingering mystery
The second movement, Allegro appassionato, begins with angular energy, contrasting greatly with the end of the first movement. The sharp, syncopated theme of the cello creates striking tension against brief, lyrical passages. The cello plays frenetically, twice giving way to slower, more lyrical phrases, but each time gradually builds up to its initial intensity. All the while, the orchestration remains transparent, allowing the solo cello to sing out over a light, percussive texture. In a dramatic climax, the soloist plays a D-sharp minor scale, ending on a high harmonic, giving an eerie, ethereal quality to the movement’s close.
The third movement, Tema ed improvvisazioni, returns to C major in the form of a theme and variations, although Walton labels these sections as “improvisations”, which give the finale a free, rhapsodic feel. The movement opens with a haunting cello theme over gentle pizzicato strings. The theme’s ascending and descending patterns appear throughout the following improvisations, forming a cohesive thread throughout the movement. Four improvisations follow, each with its own distinct character, and then the movement concludes with a gentle coda which incorporates the first movement theme, bringing the concerto full circle.
The first improvisation pairs the cello with tremolo strings and a shimmery percussion section consisting of vibraphone, celesta, harp, and xylophone. The second improvisation is a vigorous, unaccompanied cello solo featuring virtuosic figures and leaps that spotlight the cellist’s technique. This bravura variation serves as a cadenza and allows the soloist to show off their technical mastery.
The cellist receives a well-deserved break during the third improvisation as the orchestra plays a vibrant toccata forms the third improvisation, full of robust playing from the strings, winds, and brass, bombastic percussion, showy glissandi for horns and harps, and sparkling piccolo. The fourth variation is another unaccompanied cello solo, in which the cello explores rhapsodic arpeggios and dramatic double stops. This contemplative solo – or second cadenza – concludes with high trills that seamlessly reintroduce the orchestra for the coda.
In the coda, Walton echoes the first movement’s themes, including before returning to the theme of the finale. The piece concludes quietly, ending on a low C in the cello’s deep register. Piatigorsky had initially hoped for a more virtuosic finish, but Walton’s gentle ending is consistent with the concerto’s introspective nature. Walton went on to compose alternative endings to the third movement, but the original conclusion remains the most frequently performed closing for the concerto.
“NIMROD” from ENIGMA VARIATIONS – Edward Elgar
English composer Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) had achieved modest praise in the late 19th century, but it was the 1899 premiere of his Enigma Variations that earned his first critical acclaim. A series of musical portraits, each variation represented a close friend or family member of the composer, and the ninth variation, “Nimrod”, was inspired by Elgar’s friend, publisher, and steadfast supporter Augustus J. Jaeger. Jaeger was a source of constant encouragement for Elgar, especially during a period of despair for Elgar when he questioned if his music would ever receive critical acclaim. When Elgar considered putting an end to his musical career, it was Jaeger who urged him to persevere and continue composing. This variation’s solemn but uplifting theme represents Jaeger’s steady friendship and belief in Elgar’s talent. Its title is both a biblical reference to “the mighty hunter,” and to Jaeger himself, as Jaeger is the German word for “hunter”.
Nimrod is one of the most beloved of the Enigma variations today, featured at events from the 2012 Olympics to King Charles’ coronation. Marked as a gentle Adagio, this simple variation has a stately beginning and builds from quiet introspection to a radiant climax. The music moves with both gravitas and warmth and has resonated with audiences for well over a century; what was once a personal tribute to Jaeger, has taken on universal significance as an anthem of reverence, strength, remembrance, and regard.
EROICA SYMPHONY – LUDVIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Ludvig van Beethoven’s (1770 – 1827) Symphony No. 3 – also known as his Eroica Symphony – was written between 1803 and 1804. This groundbreaking work served as both a pivotal moment in the evolution of the symphonic form and a milestone marking the beginning of the German composer’s middle or “Heroic” era.
Originally titled the Bonaparte Symphony, Beethoven’s admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte was the original driving force behind the work. Napoleon, seen as a champion of liberty and the ideals of the French Revolution, inspired Beethoven to compose a symphony celebrating heroism and the human spirit. However, when Napoleon declared himself Emperor in 1804, Beethoven, feeling betrayed, furiously scratched out the dedication to Napoleon and renamed the symphony Eroica, or “Heroic.” The symphony’s subtitle, “composed to celebrate the memory of a great man,” hints at a more general notion of heroism.
At its premiere in Vienna on April 7, 1805, audiences were struck by the symphony’s unprecedented scale, emotional depth, and complexity. Twice as long as Classical symphonies by Haydn and Mozart, this symphony also drastically increased its emotional range, creating greater contrasts between movements and within individual movements. Critics were torn – some passionately proclaimed that Beethoven’s newest opus was a masterpiece that would forever change the genre, while others found the work outrageous and strange compared to its predecessors. A small number of critics stood on middle ground, admitting that that there were moments of greatness and beauty within the symphony, but that the work itself was interminably long. Today, the Eroica Symphony is celebrated for its grandeur and scope, and performers and audience members alike revel in its vast soundscape.
The symphony opens with two bold, striking E-flat major chords, establishing its grand scope. Allegro con brio unfolds as a sprawling sonata form, filled with dramatic contrasts and harmonic innovation. Beethoven breaks traditional conventions by introducing unexpected chromatic notes and harmonic shifts, adding layers of tension and complexity. The relentless energy and bold rhythmic drive reflect a heroic struggle, yet moments of lyricism offer reflection amid the tumult.
The second movement, Marcia funebre: Adagio assai, is a funeral march, marked by its solemnity and emotional depth. The mournful opening theme, introduced by the strings, is shadowed by the winds, creating a haunting atmosphere. The central major-key section provides a brief respite from the prevailing darkness, though it quickly returns to minor. This movement, often regarded as the emotional heart of the symphony, evokes not just personal grief but a profound contemplation of loss and sacrifice.
In stark contrast to the funeral march, the third movement, Scherzo: Allegro vivace, is a lively and exuberant scherzo, providing a burst of energy and brightness. The rapid 3/4 rhythm and playful interplay between strings and winds inject a sense of joy and lightheartedness. Beethoven includes a notable trio section featuring the horns, which evokes a pastoral, hunting-like atmosphere.
The finale, Finale: Allegro molto, is a set of variations on a theme, bringing the symphony to a triumphant conclusion. Beethoven introduces the theme quietly with pizzicato strings before it grows into a full orchestral statement. Each variation explores different moods and characters, from the playful and delicate to the grand and forceful. The movement builds to an electrifying coda, where Beethoven’s mastery of transformation and development shines. The symphony ends with a heroic flourish, the victory parade of a work that forever changed the course of music.
Program notes by Lauren Servias
