Toledo Symphony

Description:

As the Second World War loomed on the horizon, two composers from Munich, Germany responded with diametrically opposing creations.

Disgusted by the Munich Agreement and the resulting annexation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis, Karl Amadeus Hartmann produced his Concerto funèbre, a heartfelt expression of support for the Czech people and a scathing, brutal indictment of the Nazi occupation.   Principal Second Violinist Merwin Siu makes his Classics Series debut with this work that seamlessly unites the political and the personal.

The thunderous opening chords of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana throw open the doors to another world.   Resident Conductor Chelsea Tipton, II, leads the Toledo Symphony, the choruses of Bowling Green State University, and three illustrious vocal soloists in a work Orff described as an epic celebration of the human spirit.   Orff weaves together the racy sensuality of the medieval poems with unrelenting rhythms and majestic, noble melodies.  Though the music was denounced as degenerate and overly erotic, it has since become arguably the most popular symphonic piece written in the twentieth century.

“For Hartmann, the Concerto funèbre needed to serve so many purposes: solace for the oppressed, protest against injustice, and a farewell as a public figure – he refused to allow any further performances of his music under the Nazi regime.  This piece accomplishes all of these things.   From poignant chorales and angelic counter-melodies to the overwrought passages that rail at the atrocities to which Hartmann bore witness, there is such immense range in this compact, concentrated work.  It is a piece that demands to be heard, and it is a privilege for me to perform it.” – Merwin Siu, Principal Second Violin  


Points of interest:

• O Fortuna, the opening and closing number of Carmina Burana, has been featured in innumerable movie trailers and soundtracks including Excalibur, The Doors, Natural Born Killers, and South Park.  Recent advertising campaigns that feature Carmina Burana include Capital One credit cards, Old Spice, and numerous beer companies, including Guinness, Molson, and Carlton Draught.
• Perhaps the most famous Czech composer, Antonin Dvorák maintained a lifelong fascination with Czech music, particularly its rhythmic dance elements.   However, his melodic gift transcends national boundaries – his New World Symphony eloquently develops a melody known best as the Negro spiritual Goin’ Home.  Dvorák’s Carnival Overture is one of Resident Conductor Chelsea Tipton’s favorite concert openers.
• Hartmann’s Concerto funèbre opens with a setting of the Hussite Chorale, a fifteenth century song dear to the heart of several Czech composers, most notably Dvorák and Bedrich Smetana.  Loosely translated as ‘Ye Who Are Warriors of God,’ this chorale melody was sung by the Hussite army with such intensity that the music became an actual weapon of combat, causing many opposing soldiers to desert the ranks.

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Program:

Dvorak                                Carnival Overture    10’

Hartmann                           Concerto funèbre    24’
                                                    Introduktion (Largo) – Adagio
                                                    Allegro di molto – Choral
                                                        (langsamer Marsch)

Intermission

Orff                                      Carmina burana    66’
                                                   Fortuna imperatix mundi
                                                      (Fortune, Empress of the World)
                                                  Primo vere
                                                      (In Springtime)
                                                  In taberna
                                                      (In the Tavern)
                                                 Cour d’amours
                                                      (In the Court of Love)
                                                 Blanziflor et Helena
                                                      (Blanzifor and Helena)
                                                 Fortuna imperatrix mundi
                                                      (Fortune, Empress of the World)


WGTE – FM 91 broadcasts the Toledo Symphony on FM 91 In Concert.  Tonight’s concert will be rebroadcast Thursday, June 19, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. through the generosity of the Edward H. Schmidt Musical Arts Fund.

A preconcert lecture with Resident Conductor Chelsea Tipton II and violin soloist Merwin Siu will be held at 7 p.m. onstage at the Peristyle both nights.

Media Sponsor for the Classics Series is WSPD Newsradio 1370 AM.

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