Concert Notes
Ancient Greece in the Nineteenth Century
Ancient Greece in the Nineteenth Century By Lynne Meloccaro, University of Rochester Written for the concert Mythology: Homer’s Odyssey in Music, performed on Nov 10, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. “We are all Greeks,” said Percy Shelley. While historians may question whether, in the idealized cultural vision of Shelley’s day, even the…
Read MoreViolin Concerto No. 2, Op. 23 (1975)
Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 23 (1975) By Laurel E. Fay Written for the concert Behind the Curtain, performed on Oct 1, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Tikhon Khrennikov. Few can utter the name without a sneer of Derision. Amidst the detritus of Soviet culture awash with so many victims, Khrennikov is…
Read MoreSymphony No. 21 in F-sharp minor, Op. 51 (1940)
Symphony No. 21 in F-sharp minor, Op. 51 (1940) By Maya Pritsker Written for the concert Behind the Curtain, performed on Oct 1, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. In the musical history of the former Soviet Union, one can hardly find a more mysterious and contradictory figure than Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky. The…
Read MoreSymphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141 (1971)
Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141 (1971) By Elizabeth Wilson Written for the concert Behind the Curtain, performed on Oct 1, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. It is not far-fetched to say that the convoluted career of Shostakovich the symphonist could serve as a barometer of the political climate of…
Read MoreThe Airborne Symphony (1943-46)
The Airborne Symphony (1943-46) By Eric a. Gordon, author, Mark the Music; The Life and Work of Marc Blitzstein Written for the concert Between War and Peace, performed on April 30, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. The Airborne Symphony by Marc Blitzstein (1905-1964) is both the most substantial male-chorus work in the…
Read MoreBetween War and Peace: The End of the Second World War
Between War and Peace: The End of the Second World War By Leon Botstein Written for the concert Between War and Peace, performed on April 30, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. This final concert of our 1994-95 season honors the momentous events of fifty years ago. In the spring of 1945, the…
Read MoreSymphony No.3, “Liturgique” (1945-46)
Symphony No.3, “Liturgique” (1945-46) By Richard E. Rodda, Case Western Reserve University Written for the concert Between War and Peace, performed on April 30, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Arthur Honegger was born in Le Havre, France of Swiss parents, and maintained a strong allegiance to (and the citizenship of) Switzerland throughout…
Read MoreMetamorphosen for 23 Solo Strings (1944-45)
Metamorphosen for 23 Solo Strings (1944-45) By Michael Steinberg, Cornell University Written for the concert Between War and Peace, performed on April 30, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. How should we listen to the Metamorphosen, and what do we hear in them? Is this last work of an aged and great composer…
Read MoreUnjust Obscurity?
Unjust Obscurity? By Leon Botstein Written for the concert Unjust Obscurity? (II), performed on March 10, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. This concert explores one aspect of the American Symphony Orchestra’s mission. We would like to offer a challenge to the habits by which orchestras set their repertoire. Why are some works…
Read MorePsalm 114, “When Israel Out of Egypt Came,” for Double Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 51
Psalm 114, “When Israel Out of Egypt Came,” for Double Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 51 By Felix Mendelssohn Written for the concert Unjust Obscurity? (II), performed on March 10, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. As a composer of sacred texts, Mendelssohn is chiefly remembered today for the oratorios Paulus (1836) and Elijah…
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