≈ 90 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: September 8, 2021
Repertoire
Symphony No. 5
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo: Allegro
IV. Allegro
"How irresistibly does this wonderful composition transport the listener through ever growing climaxes into the spiritual realm of the infinite,” commented the writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, on Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in 1810. Two years earlier, the work premiered on December 22 at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien to mixed reception; no doubt the context of its performance—the concert’s massive length (spanning over four hours, the program also included the premieres of the composer’s Sixth Symphony, the Choral Fantasy, and the Fourth Piano Concerto with Beethoven as soloist) combined with the bitterly cold temperature of the hall and an under-rehearsed orchestra—contributed to the lukewarm response. However, with Hoffmann’s landmark critical assessment, general opinion about the work shifted; this “immeasurably noble and profound Symphony in C minor” was soon established as a cornerstone of the classical music canon…and there, it has stayed. Today, it remains one of the most frequently performed symphonies, continuing to draw audiences to concert halls all over the world.
Whether it’s the first or the umpteenth time you’ve heard this symphony, it’s simply impossible not to be grabbed by the explosive opening of the first movement: the famous “short-short-short-long” motif, the so-called “fate knocking on the door.” With this germ, the Allegro con brio propels forward with furious energy, developing as if organically. The motif becomes like an obsession, and appears in the later movements as well, transformed into different guises: as a triumphant second theme, proclaimed by French horns and trumpets, in the second movement; as a militaristic march tune, also intoned by French horns, in the scherzo; and as a vivacious contrasting theme, played by the violins, in the finale.
Ultimately, the potency of the Fifth Symphony that Hoffmann rapturously describes in his 1810 review arises from how Beethoven conveys the psychological arc of victory over struggle across the work’s four movements. Indeed, the “short-short-short-long” motif is just one of several methods through which the composer connects them into a cohesive narrative design. Another is his specific use of mode: from the pathos and stormy drama of C minor in the first and third movements, which bracket a lyrical slow movement in A-flat major, to the jubilant C major of the fourth movement. Moreover, in each movement, the C major triumph is foreshadowed—in the recapitulation of the second theme in the first, the bright theme in the second, and the energetic trio of the third. A wonderfully mysterious transition that directly connects the third movement to the fourth—beginning with the timpani tapping the main motif on a low C, over a long A-flat in the cellos and basses—further heightens the drama’s progression towards its final fulfillment. Yet, even in the exultation of the concluding Allegro, Beethoven briefly reminds us of the C minor anguish through a recall of the scherzo’s “march” theme, before we are finally released into the light, encumbered no more, towards the symphony’s ecstatic conclusion.
Program notes by Hannah Chan-Hartley, PhD
Introduction and Rondo capriccioso in A minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 28
Andante (malinconico) – Allegro ma non troppo
Camille Saint-Saëns composed his Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for Spanish virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate in 1863, four years after they had met and become friends, and he had written for him a Concerto in A major (published as No. 1). Today, it is probably SaintSaëns’s best-known work for violin and orchestra. He described it as being “in the Spanish style”, alluding, for one, to his use of various Spanish idiomatic rhythms throughout. The piece also channels a certain idea of Spanish character, that of an impulsive passionate spirit, which likely enhanced Sarasate’s own persona as a performer, in addition to highlighting the hallmarks of his playing style: a sweet, pure tone and brilliant technique.
Strummed violins and cellos set the stage for the violinist’s wistful, somewhat pleading melody in the Introduction. An elaborate continuation leads into the Rondo’s main theme, resolutely proud in character, supported by strutting chords in the strings. As per the rondo form, the theme recurs, alternating with contrasting episodes. The first of these features a lively tune with trills in the violin overtop a flamenco-style accompaniment, followed by virtuosic displays of upbow staccato, lightning-fast runs, and arpeggios. The orchestra announces the second with a fiery dance, which the violin takes up, but the mood soon shifts, when it presents a sensual, soulful melody. Another ardent though pensive song for violin appears in the third episode. In the final return of the Rondo theme, the violin accompanies the oboe with arpeggios becoming increasingly extravagant, ultimately culminating in a cadenza of vigorous chords. Then, a pause for a breath, and the violin brings this showpiece to a dazzling close.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Nocturne for Violin and Orchestra, arr. Sarah Slean
French composer Lili Boulanger (1893–1918) was an immense musical talent from a young age. Despite suffering chronic illness, she composed prolifically, creating substantial, potently expressive works for choir, voice, piano, chamber ensemble, and orchestra, and was at work on an opera when intestinal tuberculosis claimed her life at only 24 years old. In 1913, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. Her distinctive style bears qualities typical of early 20th-century French music, influenced, notably, by Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy in her synthesis of tonal and modal harmony, combined with her imaginative use of instrumental colour and layered textures.
Although her frail health prevented her from pursuing a comprehensive musical education at the Paris Conservatoire, Boulanger had her prodigious musical abilities nurtured through private instruction. In 1911, the year she wrote this Nocturne, she was studying with French composer Georges Caussade, preparing to compete for the Prix de Rome. The work was originally conceived as a “short piece” for flute and piano although it has been more frequently performed in a transcription for violin and piano. The version you’ll hear tonight has the piano part arranged for string orchestra by Canadian composer Sarah Slean.
It was the publisher who added the title “Nocturne”, yet the piece certainly shares characteristics with that genre of composition that is evocative of the night—an enigmatic atmosphere, perhaps tinged with anxiousness, as well as connotations of romantic passion. Boulanger masterfully conveys these qualities through her impressionistic use of harmonic colour (here, given a certain richness and subtlety in the orchestral arrangement), which supports a sumptuous violin melody. The beginning is somewhat tentative, but gradually, the violin gains confidence, becoming more impassioned and rhapsodic, while the accompaniment’s sparse texture fills out accordingly. Following an intense climax, the music subsides in a state of blissful peace.
Strum
Jessie Montgomery first conceived Strum for cello quintet formation in 2006. The version performed tonight is for string orchestra and is, she notes, the “culminating result of several versions.” As she further describes, “it was originally written for the Providence String Quartet and guests of Community MusicWorks Players, then arranged for string quartet in 2008 with several small revisions. In 2012 the piece underwent its final revisions with a rewrite of both the introduction and the ending for the Catalyst Quartet in a performance celebrating the 15th annual Sphinx Competition.”
In the string orchestra version, the original voicing for five instruments is now, “spread wide over the ensemble, giving the music an expansive quality of sound.” “Within Strum,” Montgomery elaborates, “I utilized ‘texture motives’, layers of rhythmic or harmonic ostinati [continually repeated patterns] that string together to form a bed of sound for melodies to weave in and out. The strumming pizzicato [i.e., technique of plucking strings] serves as a ‘texture motive’ and the primary driving rhythmic underpinning of the piece. Drawing on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement, the piece has a kind of narrative that begins with fleeting nostalgia and transforms into ecstatic celebration.”
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Zigeunerweisen for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 20 (Gypsy Airs)
Born in Pamplona, Spain in 1844, Pablo de Sarasate was, by the late 19th century, an internationally renowned violin virtuoso, having toured not only across Europe but also throughout North and South America. Many composers admired him and wrote works for him, such as Saint-Saëns and his Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso that is also on this concert program. Sarasate incorporated these pieces into his concert repertory, as well as compositions of his own, including Zigeunerweisen. It remains one of his best-known pieces today, in both its original violin and piano and its violin and orchestra versions.
Zigeunerweisen (usually translated as “Gypsy Airs”) was composed in 1878 and premiered by Sarasate that year in Germany. Stylistically, it is intended to evoke the sensual, rhapsodic quality of the music of Romani people, with whom Sarasate’s public had a particular fascination. Above all, the piece was a vehicle to show off the playing style for which he had become famous: a pure, sweet tone and a technical facility with the instrument that made the most difficult hurdles seem effortless.
Zigeunerweisen unfolds in four sections. The orchestra introduces the first part with a forceful, brooding statement, to which the violin responds with an improvisatory rhapsody. In the second section, the violin muses moodily on an impassioned, melancholy melody over hushed, sustained accompaniment. Expressive gestures such as portamentos (slides between notes), and glissandos are featured as well as difficult techniques such as harmonics, left-hand pizzicato, and flying spiccato and ricochet bowings. The brief third section contains a nostalgic tune played by the now-muted violin; recent research has shown this to be an adaptation of a melody originally by Hungarian composer Elemér Szentirmay. Zigeunerweisen concludes with a blisteringly fast dance, a Hungarian csárdás—a final display of brilliant virtuosity by the violinist.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Artists
Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) 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 NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.
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.
Each season, the NAC Orchestra features world-class artists such as the newly appointed Artist-in-Residence James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds. As one of the most accessible, inclusive, and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.
_cropped__square.jpg)
Alexander Shelley succeeded Pinchas Zukerman as Music Director of Canada’s NAC Orchestra in September 2015. The ensemble has since been praised as being “transformed... hungry, bold, and unleashed” (Ottawa Citizen) and Shelley’s programming credited for turning the orchestra into “one of the more audacious in North America” (Maclean’s).
Shelley is a champion of Canadian creation; recent hallmarks include the multimedia projects Life Reflected and UNDISRUPTED,and three major new ballets in partnership with NAC Dance for Encount3rs. He is passionate about arts education and nurturing the next generation of musicians. He is an Ambassador for Ottawa’s OrKidstra, a charitable social development program that teaches children life skills through making music together.
Alexander Shelley is also the Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, starting with the 2024–2025 season, Artistic and Music Director of Artis-Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in Florida, USA. In the spring of 2019, he led the NAC Orchestra on its critically acclaimed 50th Anniversary European tour, and in 2017, he led the Orchestra in a tour across Canada, celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. Most recently, he led the Orchestra in its first performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 30 years.
He has made eight recordings with the NAC Orchestra, including the JUNO-nominated New Worlds, Life Reflected, ENCOUNT3RS, The Bounds of Our Dreams, and the acclaimed Clara, Robert, Johannes four-album series, all with Canadian label Analekta.
The Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LL.D. (hc)
_james_ehnes_nov_2012_(c)_b_ealovega_(1)_cropped__square.jpg)
James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism, and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls.
Recent orchestral highlights include the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. Throughout the 2023–2024 season, Ehnes continues as Artist in Residence with the NAC Orchestra and as Artistic Partner with Artis–Naples.
Alongside his concerto work, Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule. He performs regularly at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verbier Festival, and Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence. A devoted chamber musician, he is the leader of the Ehnes Quartet and the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.
Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and 11 Juno Awards. In June 2020 Ehnes launched a new online recital series entitled “Recitals from Home” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent closure of concert halls. These recordings have been met with great critical acclaim by audiences worldwide and Ehnes was described by Le Devoir as being “at the absolute forefront of the streaming evolution.”
Ehnes studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation in 1997. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he is a Visiting Professor.
Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, and was active as a pianist, organist, and writer. A formidable figure in 19th century French music, he composed works in every genre, including operas, ballet music, sacred and secular choral works, songs and solo piano pieces, chamber music, symphonies and concertos…even a film score. His music is often described as “neoclassical”, exhibiting qualities such as clarity, balance, order, and precision (considered hallmarks of the French art music tradition), combined with his distinctive use of harmonic colour and mastery of counterpoint. Among his works best-known to audiences today are the “Organ” Symphony, Third Violin Concerto, Fourth Piano Concerto, the suite Le carnaval des animaux, and the opera Samson et Dalila.
Born in Paris on October 9, 1835, Saint-Saëns was a musical child prodigy, making his public début at the Salle Pleyel as the soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 15. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1848, studying piano and later, composition and orchestration. In 1853, he became the organist at the Church of Saint-Merri, eventually moving on to La Madeleine in 1857, where he remained for 20 years. From the 1860s until the end of his life, he established an international reputation as a highly regarded composer and virtuoso pianist, performing on concert tours in England, southern Europe, Scandinavia, South America, East Asia, and the United States.
Saint-Saëns’s talents attracted the admiration and friendship of many notable musicians and composers, including Pauline Viardot, Gioachino Rossini, Hector Berlioz, and Franz Liszt. Beyond his own works, the composer actively promoted—through performance and his writings—the music of several of his contemporaries, including Robert Schumann and Liszt. He was also instrumental in the revival of French interest in the music of J.S. Bach and Mozart. In 1871, Saint-Saëns founded, with his colleague Romain Bussine, the Société Nationale de Musique, to support and perform the music of living French composers.
A life-long traveller, Saint-Saëns had a special fondness for Algiers and spent much time there and in Egypt in the early 20th century. Meanwhile, he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, receiving many honours for his contributions. In August 1921, he gave his final public performances as a pianist and as a conductor. A few months later, on December 16, he died in Algiers.
By Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Lili Boulanger (1893–1918) was a French composer. An immense musical talent from a young age, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1913. Despite suffering chronic illness, she composed prolifically, creating substantial, potently expressive works for choir, voice, piano, chamber ensemble, and orchestra, and was at work on an opera when intestinal tuberculosis claimed her life at only 24 years old. Her distinctive style bears qualities typical of early 20th century French music, influenced, notably, by Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy in her synthesis of tonal and modal harmony, combined with her imaginative use of instrumental colour and layered textures.
Born Marie-Juliette Olga in Paris, August 21, 1893, Lili Boulanger grew up in an eminent musical family; her father was French composer Ernest Boulanger and her older sister Nadia, also a composer, later became a significant teacher to many of the 20th century’s leading composers (and a tireless advocate for Lili’s music). Her musical talent showed at age two and was nurtured with lessons in violin, piano, voice, and harp. Although her fragile health condition (due to a weakened immune system from bronchial pneumonia contracted in 1895) precluded her from receiving a complete education at the Paris Conservatoire, she studied composition privately with Georges Caussade. In January 1912, she was admitted to Paul Vidal’s composition class, and after failing to win the Prix de Rome that year, won it in 1913 with her cantata Faust et Hélène. This led to her signing a contract with the publisher Ricordi, who, guaranteeing her a monthly income, enabled her to focus entirely on composing.
During her first residency in Rome, Lili completed several works, including the song cycle Clarières dans le ciel. The outbreak of World War I forced her to return to Paris, where she and Nadia established the Comité Franco-Américain du Conservatoire National to provide support—sending material goods and forwarding mail—to musician soldiers. She went back to Rome in February 1916, where she made progress on several large-scale works, including her opera La princesse Malein. However, by the end of the year, she was greatly weakened by illness and was home in Paris again, where she spent her final years finishing compositions she had begun earlier. She died on March 15, 1918, in Mézy-sur-Seine.
By Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Jessie Montgomery is an acclaimed composer, violinist, and educator. She is the recipient of the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and her works are performed frequently around the world by leading musicians and ensembles. Her music interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, making her an acute interpreter of 21st-century American sound and experience. Her profoundly felt works have been described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life” (The Washington Post).
Jessie was born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the 1980s during a time when the neighborhood was at a major turning point in its history. Artists gravitated to the hotbed of artistic experimentation and community development. Her parents – her father a musician, her mother a theater artist and storyteller – were engaged in the activities of the neighborhood and regularly brought Jessie to rallies, performances, and parties where neighbors, activists, and artists gathered to celebrate and support the movements of the time. It is from this unique experience that Jessie has created a life that merges composing, performance, education, and advocacy.
Since 1999, Jessie has been affiliated with The Sphinx Organization, which supports young African-American and Latinx string players. She currently serves as composer-in-residence for the Sphinx Virtuosi, their Organization’s flagship professional touring ensemble. She was a two-time laureate of the annual Sphinx Competition and was awarded their highest honor, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence. She has received additional grants and awards from the ASCAP Foundation, Chamber Music America, American Composers Orchestra, the Joyce Foundation, and the Sorel Organization.
The New York Philharmonic has selected Jessie as a featured composers for their Project 19, which marks the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting equal voting rights in the United States to women. Other forthcoming works include a nonet inspired by the Great Migration, told from the perspective of Montgomery’s great-grandfather William McCauley and to be performed by Imani Winds and the Catalyst Quartet; a cello concerto for Thomas Mesa jointly commissioned by Carnegie Hall, New World Symphony, and The Sphinx Organization; and a new orchestral work for the National Symphony.
Pablo de Sarasate (1844–1908)
Pablo de Sarasate was a Spanish violinist and composer. He was one of the 19th century’s most famous virtuoso violinists, performing regularly throughout Europe, North America, and South America. His friendship and close association with notable composers led to new works written for him to perform, which he popularized, along with concert pieces he composed, on his various tours. These works—charming and colourful, while also demanding technical brilliance—have since become a core part of the violin repertory, and continue to be beloved by violinists and audiences today.
Sarasate (christened Martín Melitón Sarasate y Navascuéz) was born in Pamplona on March 10, 1844. A child prodigy, he made his first public performance at age eight, and his talents attracted the attention and support of the Spanish elite and royalty. Following his studies with Jean-Delphin Alard at the Paris Conservatoire, Sarasate toured extensively as a concert violinist. By the early 1870s, he was famous in France, Belgium, England, the United States, and Argentina. In 1876, he gave his first performance in Vienna, an important debut in the German-speaking lands, where he eventually established his reputation and would visit annually.
According to critical reports, Sarasate’s violin playing was distinguished by a purity and sweetness in tone, and an astounding technical facility that he made to look effortless. Inspired by his abilities and showmanship, several composers wrote and dedicated works to him, including Max Bruch (Violin Concerto No. 2, Scottish Fantasy), Camille Saint-Saëns (Violin Concerto Nos. 1 and 3, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso), Éduoard Lalo (Violin Concerto in F major, Symphonie espagnole), and Henryk Wieniawski (Violin Concerto No. 2). Sarasate himself composed 54 works, many of them based on popular and folk melodies, all of them vehicles for his virtuosic style.
In 1904, Sarasate became one of the first violin virtuosos to make gramophone recordings, releasing nine of them, including one of him playing an abridged version of Zigeunerweisen, one of his most popular showpieces. Beyond his solo career, he was an avid player of string quartets. Sarasate died in Biarritz on September 20, 1908, from chronic bronchitis.
By Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
-
Official Car of the NAC Orchestra
