Programme Notes (July 2026)
Something from Susanna about programme choice and theme maybe to begin?
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly, than ever before”
Conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to receive international acclaim.
Aaron COPLAND Rodeo
Old time fiddle tune "Bonaparte's Retreat," performed by Kentucky fiddler William H. Stepp. Recording made for the Library of Congress by Alan Lomax in 1937. This particular recording of the tune formed the basis for the "Hoe-Down" section of "Rodeo" by Aaron Copland.
José ELIZANDO’s first composition for orchestra, Estampas Mexicanas, originally written as an assignment for a university class, was premiered at an outdoor concert of the San Jose Symphony in California. The orchestra was conducted by maestro Leonid Grin, a personal friend and collaborator of Leonard Bernstein. Estampas Mexicanas has since been performed at over 300 concerts by orchestras in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.
Estampas Mexicanas is a three-movement suite featuring Mexican folk elements. It was Elizondo’s first composition and is an homage to three of his favorite Mexican composers. In particular, it is inspired by the rhythmic vitality of the music of Carlos Chávez, the ritualistic mysticism of Silvestre Revueltas, and the lyric melodies of Manuel M. Ponce. The first movement, Ferial, is a festive parade of simple, colorful, folk-like tunes and rhythms. The opening of this movement pays homage to composer Carlos Chávez, paraphrasing the opening measures of his magnificent "Sinfonía India".
Josef HAYDN String Quartets
BBC Radio 3 (2025): Haydn: Letting Go of Loneliness
Howard Leslie SHORE is a Canadian composer, conductor, and orchestrator noted for his film scores.
He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.
George WALKER (1922 – 2018) was an American composer, pianist, and organist, and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, which he received in 1996.
Walker's first major orchestral work was the Address for Orchestra. His Lyric for Strings is his most performed orchestral work. He composed many works including five sonatas for piano, a mass, cantata, many songs, choral works, organ pieces, sonatas for cello and piano, violin and piano and viola and piano, a brass quintet and a woodwind quintet. He published over 90 works and received commissions from the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and many other ensembles. He was the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees. [Wikipedia]
Images:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leonard_Bernstein_by_Jack_Mitchell_(high_quality).jpg
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https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Foote-Arthur.htm,
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Joseph_Haydn.jpg,
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1200x675/p07xgrl3.jpg
https://filmmusictheory.com/article/howard-shore-the-maestro-of-cinematic-soundscapes/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Walker_(composer)#/media/File:George_Theophilus_Walker.jpghttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=120506946
#/media/File:George_Theophilus_Walker.jpg){kind=link}