G.SchirmerFebruary ’07

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Gian Carlo MenottiIn Memoriam (7 July 1911 – 1 February 2007)

“Fate has blessed me.” Indeed, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning composer andSpoleto Festival-founder Gian Carlo Menotti was blessed, as he reflected in a1991 New York Times interview. He was blessed with a love of music. He wasblessed with a life in music that offered a remarkable eight-decade career. Hewas blessed with an ability to write lyrical, graceful, and elo-

quent works that bespoke hisfervent passions to those wholistened to it and to those whoperformed it.

Born in early 20th-centuryItaly, Menotti sprang from thetraditions of Puccini, Giordano,and Mascagni. In 1928, whenhe came to Philadelphia tostudy at the Curtis Institute ofMusic, he brought with him hisrich European heritage, whichhe so deftly melded into theemerging post-WWII American concert-music

landscape — so much so, that he later came to speak of himself as an Americancomposer. He created a prolific catalogue of chamber music, ballets, songs, andorchestral and choral works. But ultimately, he was a man of the theater, pos-sessing a moving operatic imagination as evidenced by his love of language in

his own libretti and a desire tobring his staged cre-ations to life.Menotti’s mostfamous opera, theChristmas classicAmahl and the NightVisitors, premieredon Christmas Eve1951 with the NBCTelevision OperaTheatre, directed bythe composer.Inspired byHieronimus Bosch’s“The Adoration ofthe Maji,” Amahl(produced by KirkBrowning) enteredthe history books as the first operacommissioned for television. The

first staged performance followed quickly on 21 February 1952 led by ThomasSchippers. Soon afterwards, Amahl rapidly entered the repertory, and this

small, honest work of art captured the hearts of the public to become an inter-national holiday tradition, now with over300 performances yearly in opera houses,universities, schools, and churches. Among

his other operas, par-ticularly the PulitzerPrize-winners TheConsul and The Saintof Bleecker Street,Menotti charged lis-teners to examinesociety and them-selves through musicand texts posing keenquestions of justice,faith and dignity. Hisconvictions andstrong belief in directcommunication car-

ried over into his collaboration with life-long friend and composer Samuel Barber,for whom Menotti penned the hauntinglybeautiful libretto of Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Vanessa.

Menotti’s complete love of the arts shone through beyond music,when in 1958, he founded the Festival of Two Worlds, inSpoleto, Italy. That summer offered attendees a veritable culturalpicnic. Menotti laterexpanded his visionarycornucopia toCharleston, SC, andMelbourne, Australia.Today, the SpoletoFestival is an interna-tional artistic feast ofconcert music, opera,dance, drama, filmand visual arts.

Yes, indeed, GianCarlo Menotti wasblessed, as we are

blessed by his far-reaching legacyextending to composers, musicians,conductors, directors, singers, dancers, children, adults, and countless audienceswho fondly remember the ways in which he touched them.

Gian Carlo Menotti was a giant as a com-poser and as a stage director. He alsowas a superb librettist, not only for hisown opera, but even for those of others,like Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa.” And, ifwe consider his legacy as founder andimpresario of Italy’s Spoleto Festival, wemight justly call him a Renaissance Man.If I were to use just two words to describehim, they might very well be “great imag-ination” — great imagination in using theproper musical setting of the text andgreat imagination in transforming theprinted score to vibrant theatrical life.

— Plácido Domingo, tenor and General Director,

Los Angeles, National, and Washington Operas

Gian Carlo Menotti leaves anextraordinary body of musicalwork, but from Spoleto FestivalUSA’s point of view, his lastinglegacy is that of a great impre-sario. His festivals, first in Italyand then in the United States,have inspired literally thou-sands of artists and tens ofthousands of audience mem-bers. He had an uncanny abilityto find young talent and bringout the best in all the artistswith whom he worked. We willcontinue to be inspired by hislegacy.

— Nigel Redden, General Director,

Spoleto Festival USA

Menotti was one of themost prolific and theatri-cally talented Americanopera composers of thelast century, and his workswill be revisited and, Isuspect, gain even morepopularity as the yearspass…As both a composerand an impresario, he hasleft an indelible mark onAmerican music.

— William Mason, General Director,

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Beyond the music, if there can be such aplace, I most treasure the quiet moments Ihad with Gian Carlo: lunches with him andhis devoted son Francis at the CarlyleHotel (he was a marvelous raconteur andexceedingly well read in several lan-guages), a wintry day wandering thegrounds at Yester House. He’d recall thecrèches of his youth, the Colla Marionetteswho performed at Spoleto, his adoredgrandchildren, music, Sam Barber, andthe unrealized plans for a theater andschool in Scotland. We’d first bonded, Ibelieve, not over music, but when I sat ina hotel room in Charleston with him andmended his tie (G. Schirmer, a full-servicepublisher). I only regret that the centenaryactivities already being planned will nowbe memorials and not simply celebrations.

— Susan Feder, former Vice President,

G. Schirmer, Inc.

Gian Carlo Menotti was myfriend, and as the music directorof Spoleto, Italy and Charleston,SC, I was privileged to work veryclosely with him every day. I alsoworked many hours with him onhis own music (volumes of it!):organizing, proofreading, andinquiring about his personalintentions concerning texts,orchestration, revisions, and allmatters relating to future per-formances of his works. I call it“deciphering the Menotti Code.”He understood that his music ishis legacy and wanted his legacyto be clear and comprehensive.To him, music was not somethingmystical, but something very realand alive; and as he was a directlink to the past, he was a continu-ation in the chain of Americanartistic creativity.

— Steven Mercurio, former music director,Festival of Two Worlds

more on page 8 and at www.schirmer.com

photo: © Derry Moore

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Paddywak: Unlike Any Other Project “Writing a tap dance concerto has proved to be utterly unlike any other project I have everworked on.” Rob Kapilow enters the world of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Astaire and Rogers,the Nicholas Brothers, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, the Hines Brothers, and Savion Glover, withthis month’s premiere of Paddywak: A Tap Dance Concerto, featuring soloist Ayodele Casel.The work premieres at Lincoln Center on 3 February with Kapilow conducting theFamilyMusik Ensemble.

Kapilow continues, “Creating a solo part for a tap dancer rather than a violinist or a pianisthas involved a more extensive and different kind ofcollaboration than I had ever imagined. Discovering theextraordinary variety of ways a tap dancer can combinewith instrumentalists rhythmically, texturally,motivically, and even narratively has been a fascinating process. Discovering what my musicand Ayodele’s tapping can say together that [each] could not say on [its] own has given mewonderful new insights into the fundamental meaning of what ‘concerto’ — to act ‘inconcert’ — is all about.”

The Viola Weeps La Llorona. [lah yoh-ROH-nah]. Spanish language for “the crying woman.”

Often called the“Woman inWhite” or the“WeepingWoman,” thisstunning specterof a distraughtfemale — soshattered by herdeath or that ofher children — isa forceful, ghostlyarchetype foundthroughout LatinAmerica. It is alsothe inspiration behind Gabriela Lena Frank’s new violaconcerto La Llorona: Tone Poem for Viola and Orchestra.Premiering on 23 February, the work (in seven continuousmovements) features soloist Wayne Brooks as he joins theHouston Symphony, led by Hans Graf.

“I’ve cobbled together ideas from various ‘crying woman’ mythsto make this programmatic piece,” Frank shares. “There aremany existing spirit myths; and they are similar to female ghostsfrom other cultures (such as the Russian ‘rusalka’ or the Japanese‘Kuchisake-onna’). ‘LaLlorona’generallyappears as theresult of a violent death: drowning, suicide, childbirth, or murderat the hands of a lover; and, the riverbanks are typically theplaces where one might encounter her, for these are frequentlythe sites of the tragedies that took away human life. This work isa portrait of the internal shift that happens as ‘La Llorona’accepts her new existence.”

Illustration from La Llorona/The Weeping Womanby Joe Hayes, illustrated by Vicki Trego Hill and Mona Pennypacker

© 2004 Cinco Puntos Press, www.cincopuntos.com

The Joyce Foundation recently announced their “2007 JoyceAwards,” which includes funding to the Indianapolis Symphonyfor a new Frank commission for a multi-movement work for fullorchestra.

From the Soloist:

I’m very much looking forward topresenting the premiere of thisdramatic and emotionally movingwork. Frank’s La Llorona hasbeen judiciously written with thesoloist’s projection in mind andample opportunity to showcasethe sonority of the viola. It is,without a doubt, an importantaddition to our repertoire. — Wayne Brooks

La Llorona: Tone Poem for Viola and Orchestra c. 18'Solo Viola;

2(pic).2(ca).2(bcl).2/2.2Ctpt.2.0/timp.3perc/pf(cel).hp/str

Paddywak: A Tap Dance Concerto c. 15'Tap Dancer;

fl(pic), 2cl, bn, hn, tpt, pf, 2vn, va, vc, db

From the Soloist:

Tap dancers don’t getapproached much in regards toworking outside of the tapcommunity so it is to becommended that Rob wantedto use Tap dancing as a vehiclerather than the more popularBallet or Modern dance. I teacha lot of young kids and one ofthe tools that I use is “This OldMan,” because it is a song thatthey know and recognize.When they see how music andtap dance relate, it immediatelyhooks them in and gets themexcited about trying to tapdance the melody. From thisidea, Rob has created awonderfully complex musicalmasterpiece… Hopefully thechildren will leave begging theirparents for tap shoes!

— Ayodele CaselTap dancer Ayodele Caselphoto: Lois Greenfield

Gubaidulina Update Last month, following the wide-ranging exploration of her music at theBBC’s annual “Composer Weekend,” Sofia Gubaidulina traveled toMoscow to receive the Russian “Triumph” Prize — the prestigious inde-pendent cultural award. She joins previous laureate members composerAlfred Schnittke and conductor and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Thismonth, on the 7th, Gubaidulina is honored again as she receives theHamburg Bach-Prize 2007.

MORE TAP NEWS:

On the same date, Morton Gould’s Tap Dance Concerto is featured at the MemphisSymphony with dancer Fred Strickler.

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On 22 December 2006, Russiancomposer Galina Ustvolskaya passedaway at the age of 87. A life-longresident of St. Petersburg (born in1919, when it was still namedPetrograd), she studied at itsConservatory with DmitriShostakovich, and emerged as a uniqueand forceful compositional voice in the latter half of the 20th century.

In her small catalogue of mature works, she refined an extremely personalidiom that is naked and ascetic, stripped of decorative textures, notable for thehighest degree of expressive intensity. Though she was famously reclusive, thetimelessness of her music was nonetheless appreciated by a small number ofperformers and listeners.

As G. Schirmer’s Russian music consultant, Laurel Fay, recalls: “In a curiousset of circumstances, I first encountered Ustvolskaya’s scores in the mid-1970sand was impressed enough to arrange a full-length concert of her music atCornell University. I can’t say it was a roaring success. Shortly after, whilestudying at the Leningrad Conservatory, I was fortunate enough to make heracquaintance and hear more of her music, which was highly respected by asmall but discerning Russian audience.”

The discovery of Ustvolskaya’s music by Western listeners came later, in the1990’s, since when it has been frequently programmed by such performers asthe Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Tanglewood MusicFestival, the Winnipeg Symphony, Vancouver New Music, Continuum, andthe Chicago Symphony.

photo: courtesy Avner Dorman

The Emperor’s Arrival

credit: Lisa Kirchner

In Memoriam

credit: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

[Galina Ustvolskaya’s worksshould] be valued by all whoperceive truth in music to beof paramount importance.

— Dmitri Shostakovich

Famed tenor and conductorPlácido Domingo asEmperor Qin and HaijingFu as the Chief Minister inthe Metropolitan Opera’s21 December 2006 worldpremiere of Tan Dun’sgrand opera The FirstEmperor.

Avner Dorman (left) takes a bow on the stage of the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, Italy, withconductor Andrea Gottfried (center) and mandolin soloist Avi Avital after the RostovState Orchestra’s 19 December 2006 world premiere of Dorman’s Mandolin Concerto.On 1 January, Avital travelled to Israel and performed the concerto again — this timein its piano reduction, and received top prize at the Aviv Competitions. It was the firsttime that a contemporary work was featured as the concerto in the final stage of theAviv Competitions.

Leon Kirchner. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer. Respected conductor.Esteemed educator.

This season, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is celebrating hisremarkable music as part of its inaugural “Season Composer” series. From lastfall’s opening concert of his Flutings (played by Paula Robison), to pianist GaryGraffman’s New York premiere of For the Left Hand in November, the season-long tribute continues on 1 February with a performance of the composer’s TrioNo. 2. Next month brings a Kirchner marathon of “strings,” when on 3 March,the Orion String Quartet performs Quartets Nos. 1-3 and presents the New Yorkpremiere of String Quartet No. 4.

The Season of Kirchner

The First Emperor (2006) Opera in Two Acts Music by Tan Dun

English libretto by Ha Jin and Tan DunCast: S, 2Mz, 2T, Bar, B, Peking

Opera Singer; chorus; dancersOrchestra: 2(amp bfl).2.2.2/3.3Ctpt.2.1/

timp.4perc.Tibetan singing bowl/2hp/str; Ancient instruments (min 7 players): large Chinese

drums, pairs of stones, 15-string Zheng[=Chinese luteor Japanese koto], pitched ceramic chimes[=pitched

ceramic flower pots], waterphones, giant bell onstage

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1 John HarbisonMirabai Songs (chamber version) premiered 1984

2 Henry CowellString Quartet No. 1 premiered 1926

3 Philip GlassSymphony No. 6 premiered 2002

5 Elliott CarterConcerto for Orchestra premiered 1970

Thea MusgraveConcerto for Clarinet premiered 1969

6 Stephen Albert born 1941

7 Tan DunOut of Peking Opera premiered 1988

8 Virgil ThomsonFour Saints in Three Acts premiered 1934

10 George AntheilSymphony No. 6 premiered 1949

Walter PistonSymphony No. 7 premiered 1961

11 Ernest BlochEvocations: Symphonic Suite premiered 1938

12 Roy Harris born 1898

Mel Powell born 1923

13 William SchumanPrayer in Time of War premiered 1943

15 John Adams born 1947

Paul CrestonSymphony No. 2 premiered 1945

16 John Corigliano born 1938

17 Lee Hoiby born 1926

Elliott CarterA Symphony of Three Orchestras premiered 1977

18 Gian Carlo MenottiThe Telephone premiered 1947

Thea MusgravePhoenix Rising premiered 1998

19 Morton GouldSpirituals for Orchestra premiered 1941

20 Anthony Davis born 1951

Tan DunThe Map premiered 2003

22 Paul CrestonSymphony No. 1 premiered 1941

23 Leon KirchnerPiano Concerto No. 1 premiered 1956

24 Walter PistonSymphony No. 5 premiered 1956

Joan TowerThe Last Dance premiered 2000

26 Elliott CarterString Quartet No. 1 premiered 1953

27 Peter LiebersonHorn Concerto premiered 1999

28 John HarbisonSymphony No. 3 premiered 1991

AnniversariesOn 9 February, DavidRobertson and the BBCSymphony premiere SimonBainbridge’s “Diptych” inLondon. On the 28th, theToronto Symphony and OliverKnussen give North Americanpremiere of“Scherzi.”Simon Bainbridge

photo: Andrew Palmer

On 28 February, LesJeunes Voix du Rhin (ofthe Opera National duRhin) give the French pre-miere of Richard Wargo’sopera, “The Music Shop,”with costume design byCorinne Petitpierre.

poster design: Theater an der Wien

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Kapilow (GS) Paddy Wak ★★★

Family Musik/ Robert KapilowNew York

Frank (GS) Leyendas ★★

Weber QuartetHärnöand, Sweden

Lang (RP) Sunray ★★

Bang On a Can All-StarsPerth, Scotland

Kernis (AMP) Air for Cello andOrchestraVancouver Symphony/Roberto MinczukCanada

Sheng (GS) Tibetan DanceVerdehr TrioFlorida State University

Tower (AMP) Made in America Mobile Symphony

Lang (RP) Sunray ★★

Bang On a Can All-StarsBirmingham, England

Tower (AMP) Flute ConcertoUnited States Marine Band/Michelle RakersWashington, DC

Tower (AMP) In MemorySt. Luke's Chamber Ens.Brooklyn, NY

Composer FestivalSchuller (AMP) Grand Concerto forPercussion and KeyboardsOn Winged FlightOhio State University/Donald Harris

ModfestWyner (AMP) PassageVassar College

Corigliano (GS) Gazebo Dances for BandColumbus StateUniversity

Corigliano (GS) Promenade OvertureManhattan School ofMusic/Kenneth Kiesler

Danielpour (AMP) Sonnets to OrpheusAlea III/MihalisEconomouSharon, MA

Ives (AMP) Symphony No. 4Orquesta SinfonicaPortuguesaSaõ Carlos, Portugal

Lang (RP) Sunray ★★

Bang On a Can All-StarsMonfalcone, Italy

Thomson (GS) The Mother of Us All(February 8-11)Lee University OperaTheater/MichaelWittenburg

Composer FestivalHusa (AMP) An American Te DeumDivertimento for BrassQuintetDrum CeremonyPostcard from HomeSonatina for Violin andPianoTwelve Moravian SongsUniversity of CentralFlorida

Bainbridge (NOV) Diptych ★★★

BBC Symphony/David RobertsonLondon, England

Brown (AMP) Available Forms IRAM Manson EnsembleUnited Kingdom

Corigliano (GS) Symphony No. 1New World Symphony/Alasdair Neale

Composer FestivalCorigliano (GS) Circus MaximusGazebo Dances Washington StateUniversity

Harbison (AMP) Three City BlocksUniversity of SouthernMississippi

Harbison (AMP) Three City BlocksColorado Wind EnsembleDenver, CO

Wilder (MG) Suite No. 2 for TenorSaxophone and StringsEnsemble MontereyChamber OrchestraCarmel, CA

Glass (DUN) FaçadesLang (RP) Increase Sweet Air Eastman School ofMusic/Brad Lubman

Stravinsky (GS) Jeu de cartes(February 14-25)New York City Ballet/Valery Gergiev

Adams (AMP) Harmonielehre(February 15 - 17)National SymphonyOrchestra/Leonard Slatkin

Glass (DUN) Passion of Ramakrishna(February 15 - 17)Nashville Symphony andChorus/Carl St. Clair

Sheng (GS) China DreamsSingapore Symphony/Gerard Schwarz

McCabe (NOV) Horn Concerto ★★★

David Pyatt, hornBBC Concert Orchestra/Tadaaki OtakaWales, UK

Corigliano (GS) Fantasia on an Ostinato(February 16 - 18)Rochester Philharmonic/Christopher Seaman

Rozsa (EMI) Love Scene from “El Cid”Overture to “El Cid”(February 16 - 17)Columbus Symphony/George Schram

Tanaka (CH) Frozen HorizonWater and StoneAzure Ensemble New York University

Barber (GS) Antony and Cleopatra,Two ScenesNational Arts Centre/Patrick SummersOttawa, Canada

Corigliano (GS) Three HallucinationsBuffalo Philharmonic/JoAnn Falletta

Gordon (RP) Acid RainCrash EnsembleUnited Kingdom

Sheng (GS) Fanfare from “ChinaDreams”Toronto Symphony/Sam Wong

Lang (RP) How to Praywith Bill Morrison filmMuseum of Modern ArtNew York City

Wyner (AMP) Three Informal PiecesThree Short FantasiesAdM EnsembleModena, Italy

Wallin (CH) Das war schön! ★★

(February 21-23)Oslo PhilharmonicOrchestra Norway

Stravinsky (CH) L’Histoire du Soldat (Carewe translation) Vancouver Symphony/Bramwell ToveyCanada

Saariaho (CH) Notes on Light ★★★

(February 22-27)Boston Symphony/Jukka-Pekka SarasteAntheil (GS) A Jazz SymphonyDetroit Symphony/Thomas WilkinsBarber (GS) Concerto for ViolinState Philharmony KosiceSlovakia

Glass (DUN) Concerto for SaxophoneQuartet (February 22-25)Capitol QuartetBaltimore Symphony/Marin Alsop

Tan Dun (GS) Elegy: Snow in JuneAndres Diaz, cello;Eduard Zilberkant, pianoFairbanks, AK

Frank (GS) La Llorona ★★★

Houston Symphony/Hans Graf

Gordon (GSR) WeatherKitchener-WaterlooSymphony; NUMUS/Alexander Tvashkin

Mechem (GS) TartuffeVanderbilt University

Menotti (GS) NocturneOrchestra 2001/James FreemanSwarthmore, PAPrevin (GS) A Streetcar Named Desire(February 23-25)Oklahoma City University Tan Dun (GS) Water ConcertoEl Paso Symphony/Sarah Ioannides

Gubaidulina (GSR) Offertorium(February 24-26)Vancouver Symphony/Bramwell ToveyCanada

G. Schirmer Selected Performances February ’07

Tower (AMP) Island Rhythms(February 27-March 2)Kalamazoo Symphony/Barry Ross

Composer FestivalHusa (AMP) Al FrescoGood NightMusic for Prague 1968Smetana FanfareUniv. of Central Florida

Menotti (GS) The Medium(February 9-13)Opera de Monte Carlo Monaco

Kapilow (GS) Dr. Seuss’s GertrudeMcFuzzDr. Seuss’s Green Eggsand Ham Buffalo PhilharmonicOrchestra/Robert Franz

Frank (GS) Sueños de ChambiMichael Kirkendoll, pianoMary Fukiyama, fluteTrinity ChurchNew York City

Albert (GS) Concerto for Violoncelloand Orchestra(February 13, 14)HartfordSymphony/EdwardCumming

Husa (AMP) DivertimentoLes Couleurs fauvesUniversity of Minnesota atMinneapolis

Adams (AMP) Shaker LoopsArizona State University

Shostakovich (GSR) Cello Concerto No. 2Yo-Yo Ma, celloSymphony No. 5New World Symphony/Michael Tilson ThomasNew York City

Musgrave (NOV) OrfeoNorthwest Missouri StateUniversity

Harbison (AMP) Umbrian Landscape withSaint ★★★

Chicago ChamberMusicians

Corigliano (GS) Fern HillCentral Missouri StateUniversity/StephenKingsbury

Miaskovsky (GSR) Symphony No. 19 forSymphonic BandIndiana-Purdue University

Stravinsky (CH) L’Histoire du Soldat(Carewe translation) Akron Symphony/Matthew Kendall Kraemer

Tower (AMP) Rain WavesDa Capo Chamber PlayersBard College

Maxwell Davies (CH) Caroline MathildeRoyal Danish BalletDenmark

Schuller (MG) Chimeric ImagesCurtis Institute Of Music

Sørensen (WH) The DesertedChurchyardsUniversity of Houston

Bainbridge (CH) Scherzi ★★

Toronto Symphony/Oliver Knussen

Wargo (GS) The Music Shop ★★

L’Opera National du Rhin Colmar, France

Lang (RP) Are You Experienced?California Institute of theArts Valencia, CA

Previn (GS) A Streetcar Named Desire (February 28-March 9)Theater an der Wien Vienna, Austria

Salonen (CH) Piano Concerto ★★★

(February 1- 6)Yefim Bronfman, pianoNew York Philharmonic/Esa-Pekka Salonen

Orpheus InstituteBennett (NOV) Concerto for Ten PlayersManhattan School ofMusicNew York City

Corigliano (GS) The Red Violin: Suite(February 1-3)Grand Rapids Symphony/John Varineau

Kirchner (AMP) Trio No. 2Sheng (GS) Four Movements for PianoTrioChamber Music Society ofLincoln CenterNew York City

Corigliano (GS) The Red Violin: Chaconne(February 2, 3)Colorado Symphony/Peter Oundjian

Lang (RP) This Was Written by Hand(February 2-3)New Chamber Ballet

Mechem (GS) Tartuffe(February 2-11)Skylight Opera

Composer FestivalSchuller (AMP) Four Soundscapes(February 2, 3)Columbus Symphony/Gunther Schuller

Tan Dun (GS) Paper Concerto for PaperPercussion and Orchestra(February 2-4)Fort Worth Symphony/Miguel Harth-Bedoya

North American Tour

Abrahamsen (WH) Six PiecesNørgård (WH) Wenn die Rose sich selbst schmücht...Ruders (WH) AbysmSørensen (WH) Weeping White Room

Aventa Ensemble

February 24Victoria, BC, Canada

February 27Montréal, QU, Canada

March 1Toronto, ON, Canada

March 3Halifax, NS, Canada

March 5New York City

This month, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” AndréPrevin’s opera on Tennessee Williams’s PulitzerPrize-winning play takes to the Austrian stage at

the Theater an der Wien.

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Nordic Moonlit TourWilliam Linwood, artistic director of Aventa — the Vancouver-basedcontemporary music ensemble — has long been a champion of new music,especially that of the lands of the Aurora Borealis. Beginning this month,Aventa presents its 2007 “Moonlit” tourto Montréal, Toronto, Halifax, andNew York City. The tour highlightsNordic repertoire by HansAbrahamsen, Per Nørgård, BentSørensen, including the US premierePoul Ruders’s Abysm at New York’sScandinavia House.

In May, Aventa again brings thingsNordic to our shores with the North-American premiere of AndersNordentoft’s opera On This Planet, astory of the journey from birth to death,featuring Danish performance artistThomas Sandberg. www.aventa.ca

Bright ShengThe Silver River 75'

It’s hard to know whereto begin describing TheSilver River, amesmerizing East-meets-West music-theater piececreated by composerBright Sheng andlibrettist David HenryHwang…You could say it’s a bewitching contemporary retelling of an ancientChinese legend about the creation of day and night. Or you could call it atroubled love story…But words largely fail in the face of such an organicmelding of idioms and sweeping stagecraft.

…Sheng [is] one of America’s most compelling composers…He is well-knownfor fusing Eastern and Western forms, instruments, colors and allusions into aunified aesthetic. The Silver River pulsates with his expression. The musicsometimes pops with a percussive thwack, growls with gnarly and exoticintensity or relaxes into a gentle wash of rural lyricism. It is Sheng’s best scorefor the stage and one of his most distinctive works.

— Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press

Review

The Silver RiverMusic theater piece

Libretto by David Henry HwangAfrican-American Actress (Western style), Asian Male Singer

(Chinese Opera style), Baritone (Western Opera/MusicTheater style), Asian Female Dancer, 2 Dancers

fl(pic,afl), cl(bcl,perc), pipa, perc, vn(perc), vc(perc)Ong Ken Seng, stage director

Bright Sheng, conductor12 January 2007

Power Center for the Perfoming Arts, Ann Arbor, MI

photo: Peter Smith Photography, courtesy: Power Center for the Performing Arts, Ann Arbor, MI

Next month, March roars in like a lionfor David Lang with two world premieres:Every Ounce of Strength and Hunger.

“Yes, it is truly called Every Ounce ofStrength,” Lang declares, regarding theDelaware Symphony’s 9 March premiere of his new symphonic work. David

Amado conducts the 40-minutepiece, which was commissioned aspart of Lang’s composer residencywith the orchestra.

Lang elaborates on his new work.“I was talking with a friendrecently and, whatever it was wewere talking about, I was verypassionate about it. When myfriend asked me how deeply Ibelieved what I said, I answered‘with every ounce of strength.’There are things in your daily lifeyou know and believe; and then

there are things you care about so powerfully that you know and feel andbelieve them on some deeper, more fundamental level. My piece is about thatlevel — it is emphatic, noble, loud, tragic, and emotionally direct.”

On the 24th, Lang returns to the University of Iowa as a favorite son, for aportrait concert featuring the partial premiere of his new opera Hunger. Langcompleted his graduate studies at Iowa, and in celebration of its centennial, theUniversity commissioned a new work from him. Lang elaborates, “Hunger is alittle bit of an opera, 70 minutes in length, and is based on the novel by KnutHamsun. It has a libretto by my often-times collaborator Deborah Artman,and is scored for solo percussionist/actor and percussion quartet. PercussionistSteve Schick — who is also an Iowa alum — will be the soloist for Hunger,and he’ll also perform my recent piece String of Pearls.” This concert offers a10-minute portion from the new opera.

Update: This month, the Bang On a Can All-Stars embark on a European tour where they’llpresent Lang’s Sunray in the UK, Italy andFrance. In April, Lang again collaborates withchoreographer and friend Eduoard Lock for thepremiere of a new work by the Canadian contemporary dance ensemble La LaLa Human Steps, which will tour the piece for two seasons.

Lang’s Strength and Hunger

Every Ounce of Strength 40'2+pic.3.2.2+cbn/4331/

timp.4perc/hp.pf/str

Hunger 70'Actor/percussionist; percussion quartet

Sunray 11'cl, vc, db, egtr, pf, perc

String of Pearls 10'Solo marimba

Gabriela Lena FrankManchay Tiempo (Time of Fear) 13'

While the rhythmic ferocity ofcomposer Gabriela Lena Frank’sbeautifully orchestrated Manchay Tiempo (Time of Fear) shook the ensemble abit loose, the orchestra painted a dynamic sonic portrait of fear. Frank herselfgave a multifaceted history of the work's political and psychologicalsources…the elements of Frank’s story (Peruvian politics and their affect onher family…) were incredibly rich and evocative.

Jonathan A. Neufeld, The Tennessean.

ReviewManchay Tiempo

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Nashville Symphony/Lockhart

18 January 2007; Nashville, TN

credit: © Peter Serling

7

“The Heart of Light”When the Boston Symphony offered KaijaSaariaho a commission to write a work fora soloist of her choosing, she knewimmediately that she would write a concertofor her longtime collaborator and muse —cellist Anssi Karttunen. On 22 February, Karttunen and the Boston Symphonypremiere Notes on Light, with Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducting four performances.

Karttunen shares his insights on the eve of the premiere: “At first sight, Notes onLight — with its five movements — doesn’t quite resemble the average cello

concerto. However, witha closer look, I soonfound the elements thatI like to think make agreat concerto: therelationship of soloistand orchestra goesthrough many differentsituations; the cello isgiven the chance toshow its full versatility;when the soloist has

important things to say, the orchestra gives it space and the orchestra also gets itsmoments to lift the music up into exuberant colors.

“The soloist isnot just the heroof Notes on Light,he/she also has tostand up for hisrights, fight, lead,collaborate withand sometimes submit to the orchestra. All these make Notes on Light a richvoyage that could well lead us into the very heart of light.”

A Great Piano Concerto“This guy is one of the greatest pianists I have ever heard.” ***

This thought immediately flashed through Esa-Pekka Salonen’s mind thefirst time he worked with Yefim Bronfman during a recording project inthe late 1980s. “[Yefim] had alimitless technique, but also a sortof aristocratic musicality, taste, anamazing sense of sonority…”Since then, they’ve collaboratednumerous times. Bronfman notes“…I have been begging [Esa-Pekka] for [a concerto] ever sinceI first learned Dichotomie [for solopiano] …I thought ‘Here issomebody who could write a greatpiano concerto.” On 1 February,Bronfman gets his wish as he joinsSalonen for the New YorkPhilharmonic’s commissionedpremiere of the composer’s PianoConcerto.

Salonen programmed his new work with Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperinand Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. “All themusic is, so to speak,‘about the piano,’since both Tombeauand Pictures wereoriginally pianopieces,” he observes.“The music I write isconnected to the music I conduct and the music I listen to. There is nosuch thing as composing with a tabula rasa — a clean slate…[there is]already a certain accumulated tradition…music is supposed to be alanguage, and it can only function if there is some syntax. A language onlymeans something if somebody else speaks the same language, too.”

Bronfman cites that Salonen’s work is his first-ever concerto premiere. “Iworked a long time [and] very hard to learn Dichotomie, and I can see thisis just as hard.” “That’s interesting to hear,” Salonen quips. “When I gave[Yefim] the first 15 minutes of the piano part a while back, [he] seemed socool about it; nothing seemed to bother [him], so I went back and wrotesome hellishly difficult stuff at the end.” Bronfman quickly adds, “I justhope I can play it!”

*** As told to Steven Stucky for playbillarts.com

World PremierePiano Concerto

Piano; 3(1=pic;2=afl&pic;3=pic).3(ca).3(asx)+bcl+cbcl.2+cbn/3220/timp.4perc/hp.cel/str

Yefim Bronfmann, piano; New York Philharmonic/Salonen1 February 2007; Lincoln Center, New York City

photo: © Nicho Södling

World PremiereNotes on Light

Cello; 4(pic,afl).2.2+bcl.2(cbn)/4000/timp.4perc/hp.cel.pf/str

…I could not.Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither.

Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,.Looking into the heart of light, the silence..— from T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” quoted by Saariaho on the last page of the score

photo: © Astrid Karger

ReviewKirke MechemTartuffe 130'

Kirke Mechem’s bright, fleetmusic makes Molière’sTartuffe sound as if thecomedy were conceived as anopera. The score abounds inrich melody and fireworks displays of counterpoint. Its pace and energysweep the story along.

— Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

TartuffeLibretto by the composer after Molière

Bar, B, Mz, high Bar, S, T, S, Mz, silent role;optional Chorus;

Red orch: 1111/1110/perc/hp/str (min 1.1.1.1.1)Dorothy Danner, stage directorSkylight Opera Theatre/Korsey

24 January 2007; Milwaukee, WI

Mark Adamoarias from Lysistrata

Peace: yes! Of course...mezzo-soprano, piano 50486391 $4.95Too late in the day, sirbass-baritone, piano 50486391 $4.95War: sure. I know...baritone, piano 50486393 $4.95You’re not my ownsoprano, piano 50486390 $4.95

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Augusta Read Thomasviola solos

Incantation50486251$4.95Pulsar50486252$4.95

Bright ShengTibetan Dancecl, vn, pf50485953$35.00

Joan Towerpiano trios

Big Sky50485740$17.95For Daniel50486358$40.00

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Remembrance ReviewTan Dun Concerto for Orchestra: Yiº 23'

Tan Dun’sConcerto forOrchestra: Yiºsounds like vir-tually nothingyou’ve encoun-tered in a con-cert hall. Thepiece balancesAsian andWestern elements in a narrative of delicateand clamorous fascination, with hauntingsounds both from instruments and aspirat-ing musicians. Like Ives’ brainstorm, Tan’smulticultural stew received a performanceof striking drama and color.

— Donald Rosenberg, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Concerto for Orchestra: Yi02(pic).2.1+bcl.1+cbn/2220/

4perc/pf.hp/str (min 8.6.6.6.3)

Cleveland ChamberOrchestra/Steven Smith

21 January 2007; Baldwin-Wallace College,

Berea, OH

Gian Carlo Menotti changed the course ofmy life…I was all set for a career as a con-cert pianist when a friend showed Menotti afew of my on-the-side compositions, whichwere hardly more than transcribed improvi-sation. Gian Carlo offered me the full schol-arship to study composition with him at theCurtis Institute. It was 1950; I had no ideawho he was, but somehow, the next thing Iknew I was in Philadelphia. But he didn’tjust change my own life. Time and again, Ihave heard of people, Americans, who werefirst won over to serious music by one ofMenotti’s masterpieces. And beyond hiseffect on certain individual listeners, Iwould venture to say that during the post-war years, when atonal despair reigned,when the death of tonality was widely pro-claimed...this faint flame of tonality wastended and fed importantly, in his composi-tions and activities...From the bottom of myheart, thank you, Maestro.

— Lee Hoiby, G. Schirmer composer

Gian Carlo Menotti

Excerpt from the solo viola part of Gabriela Lena Frank’s La Llorona: TonePoem for Viola and Orchestra. Premiere: 23 February 2007. Wayne Brooks, viola.Houston Symphony, Hans Graf, conductor. Copyright © 2007. G. Schirmer,Inc. (ASCAP). New York, NY. International Copyright Secured. All RightsReserved. Used by permission.