≈ 2 hours and 20 minutes · With intermission
Last updated: April 22, 2022
Repertoire
Entr’acte for string orchestra
American composer Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte was inspired by a specific moment of transition in the second movement of a Haydn string quartet. As she describes:
“It was written in 2011 after hearing the Brentano Quartet play Haydn’s Op. 77 No. 2—with their spare and soulful shift to the D-flat major trio in the minuet. It is structured like a minuet and trio, riffing on that classical form but taking it a little further. I love the way some music (like the minuets of Op. 77) suddenly takes you to the other side of Alice’s looking glass, in a kind of absurd, subtle, technicolor transition.”
In a theatrical production, such as a play or opera, the word “entr’acte” indicates an interval between two acts. Historically, this pause, signalled by the closing of curtains, was to facilitate changes in scenery and costumes in preparation for the next act. Eventually, “entr’acte” also came to mean a musical piece or dance inserted for performance during this pause; indeed, such works were distinctly intended to create a break in the action or mood. Shaw’s piece is thus aptly titled, in its exploration of transitional moments to “absurd, subtle, technicolor” ends. They are brought to particularly sharp relief in the string orchestra version she created in 2014 that you’ll hear in tonight’s concert.
Entr’acte begins with a pulsating heartbeat motif, which unfolds in a sweeping manner as the main theme of the minuet. In the minor mode, it has a somewhat mournful quality. Later, it seems to disintegrate into dissonance, then into pitchless noise, through which the full-bodied bowed version alternately emerges with increasing emphasis. The central trio section brings fresh contrast, starting with a plucked melody, to sound “like granite”, in a brighter major mode. Things then seem to get surreal, as motifs are developed. First violins and cellos in a duet of long notes over plucked triplets in the second violins and violas lead into a passage of pizzicato counterpoint. The mood intensifies into an acid bright moment featuring sustained chords in the violins over rippling viola arpeggios; it darkens, becoming more anxious, but then the tension is released through a flurry of plucked strings. Via ethereal harmonics and sighing gestures, the minuet returns. After its reprise, the music ascends into the ether, leaving a lone cello strumming an extended sequence of chords like, as Shaw indicates it to be played, “recalling fragments of an old tune or story.”
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Concerto for seven wind instruments, timpani, percussion, and string orchestra
I. Allegro
II. Adagietto
III. Allegro vivace
Swiss composer Frank Martin wrote his Concerto for seven wind instruments, timpani, percussion, and string orchestra in 1949, the fulfilment of a commission by the Bernische Musikgesellschaft, who requested an orchestral piece from him. It received its premiere in the same year, conducted by Luc Balmer. Martin felt he composed best when given certain creative parameters. For this work, he determined them himself—create a concerto featuring soloists from each of the seven orchestral woodwind and brass families. This was no small challenge, for he had to both display and integrate the vastly different timbres, techniques, and characters of the various solo instruments, along with the forces of a string orchestra.
The resulting work—in the three-movement fast-slow-fast plan of concerto form—is a meticulously crafted, virtuosic tour-de-force. Within the movements, the general structure typically alternates between sections highlighting individual soloists, various groupings of two to three instruments, and larger ensemble groupings (such as woodwinds, brass, and strings). Overall, the Concerto has a playful quality—as if the instruments are having a stimulating conversation and us listeners are reveling their banter.
A syncopated rhythmic gesture opens the first movement; it becomes a recurring motif, interjecting between the individual entries of the solo instruments: oboe, clarinet, then trumpet, horn, and trombone in imitation, flute, and later, bassoon. The string orchestra and the soloists, either individually or in groups, then engage in interplay and build tension, which is eventually released by the timpani in a brief but emphatic solo. Against spiky strings, trombone and oboe present lyrical melodies, leading to a return of the opening gesture; the solo entries are reprised, in more condensed form. Once more, the two groups—soloists and strings—interact, with greater intensity this time. They drive to a bigger peak, after which the woodwinds close with a gentle postlude.
In Martin’s words, the Adagietto, marked “mysterious and elegant”, is “based entirely on a steady two-time beat, which serves as an accompaniment to the melodic elements: sometimes serene, sometimes dark and violent. A lyrical phrase first heard in the bassoon’s upper register is repeated by the trombone with a gentle nobility at the conclusion.” The movement’s basic structure is delineated by an expressive melody played by the violins, later returning twice, the final time reaching an impassioned climax.
The energetic final movement features a recurring light-stepping ascending theme, introduced by the oboe, that alternates with episodes during which the soloists are given opportunity to shine. Listen especially for the timpani’s extended moment in the spotlight. Later, the lyrical bassoon melody from the Adagietto returns in augmented form; solo horn plays it first, then the violins against a march-like backdrop that builds, culminating in a full orchestral statement of the main theme. In the coda, the ensemble is taken up in an accelerating, whirling dance that draws the Concerto to a brilliant finish.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Prisms, Cycles, Leaps
Prisms, Cycles, Leaps by American composer Derrick Skye is an orchestral piece, he says, that “bridges the space between the music of the Balkans, the Volta Region of Ghana and North Indian Hindustani classical music.” As he further explains:
“The time signature of the piece is in a foundational 3/2, but shifts its emphasis to 6/4, 12/8, and 7/8 +5/8 in different sections by using polyrhythmic ostinatos that are found in Ghanaian religious drum ceremonies. The melodic lines of Prisms, Cycles, Leaps combine elements of Balkan music and Hindustani classical music. While the melodic lines use an ornamentation specific to Bulgarian women’s choir music (similar to accaciaturas found in Baroque music), the larger form of the melodic lines resembles the tihai rhythmic cadence and the long phrases found in improvised Hindustani classical music. Tihai is a thrice-repeated rhythmic phrase that is used to end a section or conclude a piece in Hindustani classical music. The title Prisms, Cycles, Leaps references a search for beauty in life and nature through multiple and varied yet cyclical experiences.”
The work, which he completed in 2015 and premiered by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, was, he has noted, “the result of many years of experimentation, training, and research, and is the first in a series of works of a similar theme.” The complex integration of the various musical traditions Skye describes above unfolds in several large sections. Within this structure are smaller segments differentiated further by the juxtaposition of melodic and rhythmic lines that create distinctively shifting “grooves”, underscored by changes in instrumentation.
Prisms, Cycles, Leaps gets going with a propulsive rhythmic ostinato and a flute motif; it steadily builds to a jubilant dance, with violins becoming prominent. Four minutes into the piece, solo instruments—English horn, trumpet, oboe, flute, piccolo, violins—take up a melody in turn. The metre shifts as a nebulous transition eventually leads into a period of sonic brilliance. Claps and lower strings then drive the music forward, as piano, violins, and percussion, among others, are added to the texture. The mood suddenly brightens, and from a backdrop of optimistic violin motifs, a sustained, chorale-like melody emerges. For a moment, it relaxes in peace, but the rhythmic ostinatos start again, bringing about another cycle of instrumental solos. In the concluding minutes, trombones intone a grand descending scale after which the orchestra blazes and shimmers, finally evanescing into the ether.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Suite from Appalachian Spring
Aaron Copland had long admired the innovative artistry of American dancer Martha Graham, who in 1931 had choreographed the dance solo Dithyrambic to the composer’s Piano Variations. Over a decade later, in 1942, an opportunity finally arose for the two of them to collaborate—a commission by the eminent music patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for a half-hour long ballet. Copland worked on the score (originally for 13 instruments) over the next two years; in 1944, the ballet, entitled Appalachian Spring (which Graham had taken from a poem by Hart Crane), was premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. A critical success, it won the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Music Critics’ Circle Award the following year. Six months after the ballet’s premiere, Copland arranged the music into a suite for orchestra, which was first performed by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Artur Rodzínski, in October 1945. It is in this form that Appalachian Spring is best known today.
Through his distinctive application of modernist elements such as static harmonies, extended tonality, and cross rhythms, Copland evokes in the music of Appalachian Spring a certain character of life in rural America—specifically, its spaciousness, simplicity, and down-to-earth quality drawn from American pastoral mythology as well as Anglo-American folk music. The Suite consists of eight sections (reduced from the ballet’s original 14 segments), which progress without break. Below is the ballet’s synopsis, for context, followed by the composer’s individual descriptions to each section of the Suite.
* * *
Synopsis: A pioneer celebration in spring around a newly built farmhouse in the Pennsylvania hills in the early part of the last century. The bride-to-be and the young farmer-husband enact the emotions, joyful and apprehensive, which their new domestic partnership invites. An old neighbor suggests, now and then, the rocky confidence of experience. A revivalist and his followers remind the new householders of the strange and terrible aspects of human fate. At the end the couple are left quiet and strong in their new house.
1. Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light.
2. Fast. Sudden burst of unison strings in A-major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and religious gives the keynote to this scene.
3. Moderate. Duo for the Bride and her Intended—scene of tenderness and passion.
4. Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feelings—suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers.
5. Still faster. Solo dance of the Bride—presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder.
6. Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene reminiscent of the introduction.
7. Calm and flowing. Scenes of daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer-husband. There are five variations on a Shaker theme. The theme, sung by a solo clarinet, was taken from a collection of Shaker melodies compiled by Edward D. Andrews, and published under the title “The Gift to Be Simple.” The melody borrowed and used almost literally is called “Simple Gifts.”
8. Moderate. Coda. The Bride takes her place among her new neighbours. At the end the couple are left “quiet and strong in their new house.” Muted strings intone a hushed prayerlike chorale passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Artists
Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the Orchestra performs a full series of subscription concerts at the National Arts Centre each season, featuring world-class artists such as James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds.
Alexander Shelley began his tenure as Music Director in 2015, following Pinchas Zukerman’s 16 seasons at the helm. Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and former Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (2009 - 2017), he has been in demand around the world, conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others, and maintains a regular relationship with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the German National Youth Orchestra.
National and international tours have been a hallmark of the National Arts Centre Orchestra from the very beginning. The Orchestra has toured 95 times since its inauguration in 1969, visiting 120 cities in Canada, as well as 20 countries and 138 cities internationally. In recent years, the orchestra has undertaken performance and education tours across Canada, as well as the U.K. and China. In 2019, the Orchestra marked its 50th anniversary with a seven-city European tour that included performances and education events in England, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, and that showcased the work of six Canadian composers.
The NAC Orchestra has recorded many of the more than 80 new works commissioned since its inception, for radio and on over 40 commercial recordings. These include Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos; the groundbreaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by Jocelyn Morlock, winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year; and from the 2019 JUNO nominated New Worlds, Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year.
The NAC Orchestra reaches a national and international audience through touring, recordings, and extensive educational outreach. The Orchestra performed on Parliament Hill for the 2019 Canada Day noon concert in a live broadcast for CBC Television.
Frank Martin
(1890–1974)
Frank Martin was a Swiss composer, active in his native Switzerland and in the Netherlands during his lifetime. His musical style, which matured over a long period, is distinguished by an unorthodox eclecticism, shaped by the absorption of many types of music. A key influence was the music of J.S. Bach. He also experimented with Bulgarian and Indian rhythms, as well as ancient and folk music; other contemporary elements such as jazz and Arnold Schoenberg’s 12-tone technique he adapted for his own ends. Martin’s command of harmonic colour and instrumental timbre, combined with dynamic rhythms and a strong sense of drama, has made his music—particularly for orchestra—popular among performers. Among his works for large ensemble are several concertos and “ballades” (pieces for solo instrument and group accompaniment); his catalogue also contains music for the stage (incidental music, ballets, operas, oratorio), choir, solo voice, and chamber ensemble of various instrumental combinations.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 15, 1890, Martin began to compose when he was eight years old. He was given lessons in piano, harmony, and composition by Joseph Lauber, his sole music teacher. Despite being certain by age 16 that he wanted a career in music, Martin did not enter a conservatory for further studies; he opted instead to study physics and mathematics but did not finish the course. After the First World War, he lived in Zürich, Rome, and Paris, before moving back to Geneva in 1926. Upon his return, he became a student of Swiss composer Émile Jaques-Dalcroze and his method of rhythmic musical education (i.e., Dalcroze eurythmics, through which musical concepts are taught through movement). After two years, Martin became a teacher of rhythmic theory at the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva.
Over the next decades, Martin pursued a range of professional activities, including as a performing pianist and harpsichordist, and taking on various teaching and administrative positions, such as a lecturer on chamber music at the conservatory, and director of the school Technicum Moderne de Musique. From 1943 to 1946, he was president of the Swiss Musicians’ Union. In 1946, Martin moved to the Netherlands, residing first in Amsterdam, and eventually settling in Naarden. From 1950 to 1957, he taught a composition class for the Cologne Hochschule für Music. Later, he travelled internationally to perform his works; his music became established in the concert repertories of choirs and orchestras, and he was the recipient of many awards and honours. Martin died in Naarden, on November 21, 1974.
By Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Aaron Copland
(1900–1990)
Aaron Copland is considered to be one of the 20th century’s most enduringly successful of American composers. His substantial compositional catalogue is comprised of music for the stage (ballet, opera, and incidental music), screen (two documentaries and six films), radio, orchestra, choir, chamber ensemble, solo piano, and voice and piano. His musical style is considered distinctively American, bearing the influences of popular music, jazz, and folk music from Anglo-, African-, and Latin-American as well as Jewish sources. The works audiences find most appealing contain music of restrained emotional directness, often evoking a pastoral American ideal. Copland was also active as a pianist, conductor, and a prolific writer on music, including two notable music appreciation texts, What to Listen for in Music and Our New Music. An important mentor to several generations of composers, he was instrumental in the development of 20th-century art music in the Americas.
Born on November 14, 1900, in Brooklyn, New York, Copland had formal piano lessons from age 13, and studied theory and composition through private instruction from Rubin Goldmark. Attending concerts, operas, and dance performances were also a formative part of his musical education. In 1921, he went to Paris for further studies in piano with Ricardo Viñes and composition with Nadia Boulanger, who was his most significant teacher. While there, Copland voraciously absorbed the city’s cultural offerings and frequently travelled around Europe. In 1924, by Boulanger’s arrangement, his Organ Symphony was given its American premiere by the New York Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Thereafter, the latter’s conductor, Serge Koussevitsky, became a notable commissioner and champion of Copland’s music.
Although he initially struggled to earn his living as a composer (critics were fickle), Copland was determined to help himself and his American colleagues. Over the next two decades, he tirelessly organized concerts; was active in New York’s League of Composers, led the American Composers Alliance, and co-founded the American Music Center; and wrote about American music in journals, newspapers, and magazines. By the late 1940s, having achieved wide popularity and critical acclaim from his patriotic pieces, ballets (especially Appalachian Spring), and film scores, Copland was regarded as America’s leading composer of his day.
In the early 1950s, Copland’s long-held socialist sympathies and activism made him the target of anti-communist smear campaigns; and he endured questioning by a Congressional subcommittee (he denied being a communist). Ultimately, his reputation was unaffected; as he continued to compose, lecture, teach, and write, he accumulated numerous honours and awards as well as major recognition abroad. Beginning in 1958, he embarked on an international conducting career, leading performances of his own works and those of other American composers for over 20 years. After 1972, he ceased to compose, and began to suffer memory lapses, eventually living with the effects of dementia. Copland died on December 2, 1990, a few weeks after his 90th birthday, in North Tarrytown, New York.
By Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
NAC Orchestra
FIRST VIOLINS
Yosuke Kawasaki (concertmaster)
Jessica Linnebach (associate concertmaster)
Noémi Racine Gaudreault (assistant concertmaster)
Elaine Klimasko**
Marjolaine Lambert
Jeremy Mastrangelo
Manuela Milani
Leah Roseman
John Corban*
Martine Dubé*
Erica Miller*
Heather Schnarr*
SECOND VIOLINS
Mintje van Lier (principal)
Winston Webber (assistant principal)
Mark Friedman
Carissa Klopoushak
Frédéric Moisan
Edvard Skerjanc**
Karoly Sziladi
Emily Westell
Andréa Armijo-Fortin*
Renée London*
Sara Mastrangelo*
Sarah Williams*
VIOLAS
Jethro Marks (principal)**
David Marks (associate principal)**
David Goldblatt (assistant principal)
Paul Casey**
Ren Martin-Doike
David Thies-Thompson
Kelvin Enns*
Kate Moran*
Sonya Probst*
CELLOS
Rachel Mercer (principal)
Julia MacLaine (assistant principal)**
Timothy McCoy
Marc-André Riberdy
Leah Wyber
Desiree Abbey*
Fanny Marks*
DOUBLE BASSES
Max Cardilli (guest principal)*
Hilda Cowie (acting assistant principal)
Marjolaine Fournier
Vincent Gendron
FLUTES
Joanna G’froerer (principal)
Stephanie Morin
OBOES
Charles Hamann (principal)
Anna Petersen
ENGLISH HORN
Anna Petersen
CLARINETS
Kimball Sykes (principal)
Sean Rice
BASSOONS
Darren Hicks (guest principal)*
Christopher Millard (principal)**
Vincent Parizeau
HORNS
Lawrence Vine (principal)
Julie Fauteux (associate principal)
Elizabeth Simpson
Lauren Anker
Louis-Pierre Bergeron
TRUMPETS
Karen Donnelly (principal)
Steven van Gulik
Michael Fedyshyn*
TROMBONES
Donald Renshaw (principal)
Colin Traquair
BASS TROMBONE
Douglas Burden
TUBA
Chris Lee (principal)
TIMPANI
Feza Zweifel (principal)
PERCUSSION
Jonathan Wade
Matthew Moore*
Louis Pino*
HARP
Angela Schwarzkopf*
PIANO
Frédéric Lacroix*
ELECTRIC BASS
John Geggie
PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN
Nancy Elbeck
ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN
Corey Rempel
PERSONNEL MANAGER
Meiko Lydall
ASSISTANT PERSONNEL MANAGER
Laurie Shannon
*Additional musicians
**On leave
Non-titled members of the Orchestra are listed alphabetically