Concert Notes
The 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…
Read MoreConcerto (Quasi una fantasia) for Violin and Orchestra in B-flat major, Op. 21
Concerto (Quasi una fantasia) for Violin and Orchestra in B-flat major, Op. 21 By Chris Walton, Head of Music Section at the Central Library of Zurich Written for the concert Unjust Obscurity? (II), performed on March 10, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Othmar Schoeck was born in Brunnen, a village on the…
Read MoreConcerto for Piano and Orchestra (1956)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1956) By Andrew Imbrie, Professor Emeritus, University of California at Berkely, and former student of Roger Sessions Written for the concert Unjust Obscurity? (II), performed on March 10, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. The music of Roger Sessions is generally acknowledged to be of crucial historical importance:…
Read MoreStabat Mater for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orchestra, Op. 53 (1926)
Stabat Mater for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orchestra, Op. 53 (1926) By Richard E. Rodda, Case Western Reserve University Written for the concert Unjust Obscurity? (II), performed on March 10, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Karol Szymanowski (pronounced shee-man-ov-skee) was the preeminent Polish composer of the first half of the twentieth century.…
Read MoreBruckner and 20th –Century Politics
Bruckner and 20th –Century Politics By Leon Botstein Written for the concert Bruckner and 20th –Century Politics performed on Jan 13, 1995 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. This concert is designed to invite the audience to think about how we come to appreciate and hear the music of the past. It would be…
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