Notes Atlanta SO - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Concerts of Thursday, April 14 and Saturday, April 16, 2016, at 8:00p
Robert Spano, Conductor
Jessica Rivera, soprano
Nmon Ford, baritone
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus,
Norman Mackenzie, Director of Choruses
Jonathan Leshnoff (b. 1973)
Zohar (2015)
I. “Zohar”
II. “What is man?”
Jessica Rivera, soprano
III. “Twenty-two letters”
IV.
Tiferes, “Shepherd Boy”
Nmon Ford, baritone
V. “Zohar”
VI. “Higher than High”
Jessica Rivera, soprano
World Premiere, Commissioned by Robert Spano and the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, and the Deborah A. Kahn and Harris
N. Miller Charitable Fund
Intermission
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Opus 45 (1868)
I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen
II. Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras
III. Herr, lehre doch mich
Nmon Ford, baritone
IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
Jessica Rivera, soprano
VI. Denn wir haben keine bleibende Statt
Nmon Ford, baritone
VII. Selig sind die Toten
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer
Zohar (2015)
Jonathan Leshnoff was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on September
8, 1973. Zohar is scored for soprano and baritone solo, mixed chorus,
three flutes, flute 3 doubles on piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, clarinet 2
doubles on bass clarinet, three bassoons, bassoon 3 doubles on
contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, trumpet 1 doubles on piccolo
trumpet in A, two trombones, trombone 1 doubles on alto trombone, bass
trombone, tuba, timpani, harp, and strings. Approximate performance time
is twenty-five minutes.
These are the world premiere performances.
Jonathan Leshnoff
Named by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as one of the top ten living
composers most performed in 2015-16, Jonathan Leshnoff is a leader of
contemporary American lyricism. Commissioned by Carnegie Hall as well as the
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville and Kansas City Symphony
Orchestras, his compositions have been performed by over 50 orchestras
worldwide. He has written for Gil Shaham, Manuel Barrueco and Ricardo
Morales. His catalog includes three symphonies, ten concerti, four string
quartets, three oratorios, and over 50 works. Born in 1973, Leshnoff currently
resides in Baltimore where he is a Professor of Music at Towson University.
Leshnoff’s 2015-16 season will be his busiest yet. On November 5, 2015 at
Atlanta Symphony Hall, Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
performed the world premiere of Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 2 (“Innerspace”).
February saw Gil Shaham and the Knights Orchestra premiere Leshnoff’s
Chamber Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. In April, the Philadelphia Orchestra
premiered his Clarinet Concerto, which it commissioned from Leshnoff, under the
baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. And in May, Leshnoff’s Symphony No. 3,
commissioned by the Kansas City Symphony, will receive its first performances
under the direction of Michael Stern.
Zohar
Zohar, receiving its world premiere at these concerts, is a commission by Robert
Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, and the Deborah A.
Kahn and Harris N. Miller Charitable Fund.
The composer writes about Zohar:
The Zohar is one of the pillars of Jewish mysticism and a
commentary upon the mystical aspects of the Five Books of Moses
(Pentateuch). In order to properly study the Zohar, a student must
first undergo years of preparation, and then be guided by a qualified,
experienced teacher who possesses the tradition. The Zohar is
extremely profound, dealing with the most basic and deepest issues
of Judaism and life. I barely understand its surface level, but even
that surface level inspires me to the core of my being.
My composition, Zohar, straddles the ecstatic mystical experiences
that I glean from the Zohar itself, and balances such heightened
moments against the human, “down to earth” elements of existence.
Thus, movements I, III, and V of Zohar use texts taken directly from
the Zohar and Sefer Yetzirah, an ancient companion text. These
texts, which delve head-long into mystical, esoteric concepts, are
presented by the full choir, mostly in large sound masses.
Movements II and IV, on the other hand, explore the “human” side of
life. They are more personal and quiet as they express feelings of
awe, wonder and hope, but in simple, direct words. I chose to set
these quiet movements for the solo soprano and baritone in aria
format, a fitting medium to express such human sentiments.
Movement IV of Zohar is associated with the sixth letter of the
Hebrew alphabet, , “vav,” which refers to the attribute of Tiferes in
Jewish mystical thought. Tiferes denotes a perfect balance between
giver and recipient. It is an appropriate association with this very
personal movement where the protagonist expresses his discomfort
with prayer, but eventually finds his own voice, in his very own words.
At the close of the work, the chorus repeats, in timeless fashion, the
word “You”, representing our attempt to understand the mysteries of
an eternal G-d, who is fundamentally unknowable.
I view the subject matter of Zohar and the Brahms A German
Requiem as complementary. A German Requiem offers comfort to
those grieving over the loss of a beloved. Zohar, on the other hand,
is an ecstatic, mystical embrace of life and the living.
—Jonathan Leshnoff
Mvt. 1 "Zohar"
(sung in Hebrew):
Hamaskilim yazhiru k’zohar harakiyah
Translation: (not to be sung: The wise will shine like the brightness of the
heavens. [Daniel 12:3])
(sung in English):
Elijah opened, and said:
Master of all Worlds,
You are One, beyond all counting.
You're higher than all that is high,
hidden from the most hidden,
no thought can grasp You.
(Tikunei Zohar 17a
translation by Jonathan Leshnoff, who acknowledges the kind assistance of
Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon with some points in this translation)
Mvt. 2 "What is man?"
G–d, Our Master,
how mighty is Your name throughout the world.
When I see Your heavens,
the work of Your finger,
the moon and the stars,
which You have made.
G–d, Our Master,
How mighty is Your name throughout the world.
What is man that You remember him?
And sons of men that You recall them?
Yet You find him worthy to stand before You.
How mighty is Your name on earth?
(Psalm 8: 2, 4-5, 10
translation by Jonathan Leshnoff)
Mvt. 3 "Twenty-two letters"
Aleph, beis, gimmel, daled, hey, vav...
These are the twenty-two letters
And with them, G–d created His universe.
Aleph, beis, gimmel, daled, hey, vav, zayin, ches, tes, yud, caf, lamed, mem,
nun, samech, eyin, pay, tzadi, kuf, reish, shin, sav
These are the twenty-two letters...
(Sefer Yetzirah 6:6
translation by Jonathan Leshnoff)
Mvt. 4 "Shepherd Boy"
Shepherd boy
Could not read
Knew few words
But in his heart, a fire burned.
"Can I speak?
Is He near?
Will He hear?"
To be close to G–d is what he yearned.
Quietly,
He walks into the house of prayer
Silently,
He sits among the learned sages
Simple words he can't discern,
Songs with tunes he hadn't heard
Unbidden tears begin to flow,
He rises up for he must go.
"Among the wise, I have no place,
I cannot pray, nothing I can say."
Now he sits in the windswept field,
Amongst the trees he sits alone.
"All I know is the Aleph Beis –
Sacred letters – Can I atone?
Can you reach to G–d's abode?
Is He near?
Will He hear?"
As he stands with arms stretched high.
Golden letters from his mouth now fly
Tongues of fire leap up to the sky
And carry letters within his cry
"Aleph!
Beis!
Gimmel!
Daled!"
The golden letters float up above
And softly form to holy words
Carried gently by archangels
Offered to G–d in purest love
Said G–d:
"How sweet are his letters?
How beloved is his prayer?
My child, I am near, and
Your prayer, I hear!"
(Based on a story in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer,
retold by Robert Benedek. Used with permission of Robert Benedek.)
Mvt. 5 "Zohar"
(sung in Hebrew):
Hamaskilim yazhiru
Translation: (not to be sung: The wise will shine [Daniel 12:3])
(sung in English):
Elijah opened:
Master of all Worlds,
You are One, beyond all counting.
You’re higher than the most high,
hidden from the most hidden.
(Tikunei Zohar 17a
translation by Jonathan Leshnoff, who acknowledges the kind assistance of
Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon with some points in this translation)
Mvt. 6 "Higher than High"
You are higher than all that is high,
hidden from the most hidden,
there is no thought that can grasp You.
(Tikunei Zohar 17a
translation by Jonathan Leshnoff, who acknowledges the kind assistance of
Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon with some points in this translation)
Ein deutsches Requiem, Opus 45 (1868)
Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany, on May 7, 1833, and
died in Vienna, Austria, on April 3, 1897. The first performance of Ein
deutsches Requiem took place at the Bremen Cathedral, in Bremen,
Germany, on April 10, 1868, with the composer conducting. Ein deutsches
Requiem is scored for soprano and baritone solo, mixed chorus, piccolo,
two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four
horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, organ, and
strings. Approximate performance time is sixty-eight minutes.
First Classical Subscription Performances: March 17 and 18, 1960, Henry
Sopkin, Conductor.
Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: October 29 and 30,
2009, Donald Runnicles, Conductor.
Robert Shaw Performances (Classical Subscription, unless otherwise
noted): March 8, 9, and 10, 1972; March 12, 1972 (Special); October 20, 21,
and 22, 1977; February 14, 15, and 16, 1980; March 28, 1980 (Tour, Boston,
MA); April 5, 1980 (Tour, New York, NY); November 3, 4, and 5, 1983;
November 12, 13, and 14, 1992; March 20, 21, and 22, 1977.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Recordings:
Arleen Augér, soprano, Richard Stilwell, baritone, Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra Chorus, Robert Shaw, Conductor (Telarc CD-80092)
Twyla Robinson, soprano, Mariusz Kwiecien, baritone, Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra Chorus, Robert Spano, Conductor (Telarc CD-80701)
On September 30, 1853, a shy, twenty-year-old Johannes Brahms appeared at
the Düsseldorf home of Robert and Clara Schumann. Brahms, who greatly
admired Robert Schumann, hoped that the senior and influential composer could
assist his own budding musical career. Brahms played some of his piano
compositions for Robert and Clara, both of whom were immediately impressed
by the young man’s extraordinary talent.
During the following month, Brahms visited the Schumanns on an almost daily
basis. Then, on October 28, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik published an article
by Robert Schumann, entitled “Neue Bahnen” (“New Paths”), in which the author
wrote:
I thought....someone would and must appear, fated to give us the
ideal expression of the times, one who would not gain his mastery
by gradual stages, but rather would spring fully armed like Minerva
from the head of Kronion. And he has come, a young blood at
whose cradle graces and heroes mounted guard. His name is
Johannes Brahms, from Hamburg, where he has been creating in
obscure silence...
When he waves his magic wand and the power of great
orchestral and choral forces will aid him, then we shall be
shown still more the wonderful glimpses into the secrets of
the spirit-world. May the highest Genius strengthen him for
this...His contemporaries salute him on his first journey through the
world where wounds may await him, but also palms and laurels; we
welcome him as a powerful fighter...(emphasis added)
Four months later—on February 27, 1854—Schumann, plagued by
hallucinations, plunged into the Rhine. After this unsuccessful attempt at suicide,
Schumann was admitted to an asylum in Endenich, where he remained until his
death at the age of 46, on July 29, 1856.
Shortly after Schumann’s suicide attempt, Brahms sought to fulfill his mentor’s
grand expectations. In March of 1854, Brahms began to compose a large-scale
Sonata for two pianos. Later, Brahms orchestrated the Sonata’s opening
movement. However, Brahms was dissatisfied with the results and abandoned
the symphonic project.
Nevertheless, the young composer’s efforts were not entirely in vain. Brahms
reworked music from the first movement of his contemplated symphony into its
counterpart in the Piano Concerto No. 1, Opus 15 (1861). The third movement of
the Piano Sonata reappeared as the basis of the second-movement funeral
march of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem.
In later years, Brahms acknowledged that Schumann’s death was a major
inspiration for the composition of A German Requiem. In January of 1865,
Brahms suffered another devastating blow when his mother, Christiane, died at
the age of 76. The Austrian musician, Josef Gansbacher, recalled that when he
visited Brahms shortly after Christiane’s passing, he found the composer seated
at the keyboard, playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. Upon his friend’s
arrival, Brahms continued to play. But as he did, Brahms spoke to Gansbacher
of his grief. All the while, tears streamed down Brahms’s face.
A few months later, Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann, enclosing two movements
for chorus and orchestra he described as:
probably the weakest part of a German Requiem…I hope that a
German text of this sort will please you as much as the usual Latin
one. I am hoping to produce a sort of whole out of the thing and
trust I shall retain enough courage and zest to carry it through…
In time, the German Requiem expanded into a work in six movements. On
December 1, 1867, Johann von Herbeck conducted the first three movements,
as part of a Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde concert. However, the music
was poorly executed; particularly the third movement, in which the timpanist
played far too loudly. The generally lukewarm reception from the audience even
included some hissing.
Matters greatly improved when A German Requiem received its official premiere
at the Bremen Cathedral on Good Friday in 1868. Brahms entrusted advance
musical preparation to Karl Martin Reinthaler, the Bremen Cathedral’s music
director. Reinthaler expressed concern that the German Requiem’s text—
chosen by Brahms from the Old and New Testaments, as well as Apocrypha—
contained no specific mention of Christ’s name:
The central point about which everything turns in the
consciousness of the Christian is absent. ‘If Christ is not risen then
is our faith vain’, says St. Paul. All the same you say (in the final
movement) ‘Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth’, which can only mean since the accomplishment of
Christ’s work of redemption…
Brahms responded:
As regards the title I will confess I should gladly have left out
‘German’ and substituted ‘Human’. Also that I knowingly and
intentionally dispensed with such passages such as St. John’s
Gospel Ch. 3 verse 16 (“For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.”) On the other hand, I have no
doubt included much because I am a musician, because I required
it, because I can neither argue away nor strike out a ‘henceforth’
from my venerable extracts.
In the context of the above exchange, it should be noted that the Bremen
premiere of A German Requiem included a performance of an excerpt from
Georg Frideric Handel’s Messiah—the soprano solo, “I know that my Redeemer
Liveth.”
The Bremen premiere was a stunning triumph. In attendance were such
prominent musicians as Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim, and Max Bruch.
According to German composer Albert Hermann Dietrich: “The effect…was
simply overwhelming, and it at once became clear to the audience that the
Deutsches Requiem ranked among the loftiest music ever given to the world.”
Max Bruch wrote: “The work is very greatly conceived and deeply felt. It makes a
meaningful impression not only on artists, but also on the people.”
Later, Brahms added what is now the German Requiem’s fifth movement, scored
for soprano solo, chorus, and orchestra. Perhaps the death of Christiane
Brahms inspired the quotation in this movement of Isaiah 66:13 (“As one whom
his mother comforteth, so I will comfort you”).
The now-familiar seven-movement version of Brahms’s A German Requiem
premiered at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on February 18, 1869. The work soon
received performances throughout Europe. A German Requiem rapidly
established Johannes Brahms as a leading composer of his generation. Almost
sixteen years after the “New Paths” article, Brahms had fulfilled Robert
Schumann’s prophecy.
Text and Translation
I: Selig sind, die da Leid tragen
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, denn sie sollen getröstet werden.
Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten.
Sie gehen hin und weinen, und tragen edlen Samen,
und kommen mit Freuden und bringen ihre Garben.
II: Den alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras
Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras
und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen wie des Grases Blumen.
Das Gras ist verdorret und die Blume abgefallen.
So seid nun geduldig, lieben Brüder, bis auf die Zukunft des Herrn.
Siehe, ein Ackermann wartet auf die köstliche Frucht der Erde
und ist geduldig darüber, bis er empfahe
den Morgenregen und Abendregen.
Aber des Herrn Wort bleibet in Ewigkeit.
Die Erlöseten des Herrn werden wieder kommen,
und gen Zion kommen mit Jauchzen;
ewige Freude, wird über ihrem Haupte sein;
Freude und Wonne werden sie ergreifen
und Schmerz und Seufzen wird weg müssen.
III: Herr, lehre doch mich
Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss,
und mein Leben ein Ziel hat und ich davon muss.
Siehe, meine Tage sind einer Handbreit vor dir,
und mein Leben ist wie nichts vor dir.
Ach, wie gar nichts sind alle Menschen, die doch so sicher leben.
Sie gehen daher wie ein Schemen,
und machen ihnen viel vergebliche Unruhe;
sie sammeln und wissen nicht wer es kriegen wird.
Nun, Herr, wes soll ich mich trösten? Ich hoffe auf dich.
Der Gerechten Seelen sind in Gottes Hand
und keine Qual rühret sie an.
IV: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth!
Meine Seele verlanget und sehnet sich nach den Vorhöfen des Herrn; mein Leib
und Seele freuen sich in dem lebendigen Gott.
Wohl denen, die in deinem Hause wohnen, die loben dich immerdar.
V: Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; aber ich will euch wieder sehen,
und euer Herz soll sich freuen, und eure Freude soll
niemand von euch nehmen.
Sehet mich an; ich habe eine kleine Zeit Mühe und Arbeit gehabt,
und habe grossen Trost gefunden.
Ich will euch trösten, wie einen seine Mutter tröstet.
VI: Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt
Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt,
sondern die zukünftige suchen wir.
Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis:
Wir werden nicht alle entschlafen,
wir werden aber alle verwandelt werden;
und dasselbige plötzlich, in einem Augenblick,
zu der Zeit der letzten Posaune.
Denn es wird die Posaune schallen,
und die Toten werden auferstehen unverweslich,
und wir werden verwandelt werden.
Dann wird erfüllet werden das Wort, das geschrieben steht:
Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg.
Tod, wo ist dein Stachel? Hölle, wo ist dein Sieg?
Herr, du bist würdig zu nehmen Preis und Ehre und Kraft;
denn du hast alle Dinge erschaffen, und durch deinen Willen
haben sie das Wesen und sind geschaffen.
VII: Selig sind die Toten
Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben, von nun an.
Ja der Geist spricht, dass sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit;
denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach.
I: Blessed are they that mourn
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
(Matthew 5:4)
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.
(Psalms 126:5, 6)
II. For all flesh is as grass
For all flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.
(I Peter 1:24)
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive
the early and latter rain.
(James 5:7)
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
(I Peter 1:25)
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with songs
and everlasting joy upon their heads:
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
(Isaiah 35:10)
III: Lord, make me to know mind end
Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days,
what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreath;
and mine age is as nothing before thee:
verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew:
surely they are disquieted in vain:
he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee.
(Psalms 39:4-7)
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and there shall no torment touch them.
(Wisdom of Solomon 3:1)
IV: How amiable are Thy tabernacles
How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord:
my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.
(Psalms 84:1, 2, 4)
V: And ye now therefore have sorrow
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man
taketh from you.
(John 16:22)
Behold with your eyes, how that I have but little labour,
and have gotten unto me much.
(Ecclesiasticus 51:27)
As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.
(Isaiah 66:13)
VI: For here we have no continuing city
For here we have no continuing city,
but we seek one to come.
(Hebrews 13:14)
Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
(I Corinthians 15:51, 52, 54, 55)
Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power:
for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure
they are and were created.
(Revelation 4:11)
VII: Blessed are the dead
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;
and their works do follow them.
(Revelation 14:13)