Touches of Sweet Harmony

Vaughan Williams - Serenade to Music

[Intermission]

Soloists for Serenade to Music:

Morgan Horning, soprano

Stephanie Klemetson, soprano

Maurine Ackerman, alto

Emily Forssberg, alto

Joseph Dalton, tenor

Devin Wipperman, tenor

James Healy, baritone

Paul Huber, bass

Instrumentalists for Serenade to Music:

Violin 1: Mary Grey

Violin 2: Lara Wasserman

Viola: Holly Schult

Cello: Megan Grey

Violin Solo: Elizabeth Anderson

Harp: Gretchen Brumwell

Horn: Kim Erisman

Organ: Nick Klemetson

Soloist for Under the Willow Tree:

Kate Hahn, soprano

Soloists for By and By:

Josh Carlo, tenor

Shelley Hartman, alto

Paul Huber, bass

Morgan Horning, soprano

Soloists for Buffalo Gals:

Tony Reid, tenor

Josh Carlo, tenor

Instrumentalists for Buffalo Gals:

Guitar: Scott Cawelti

Xylophone: Beth Trulson

Bass: Hunter Capoccioni

Piano 1: Jean Loger

Piano 2: Nick Klemetson

May 4th, 2014

3:00pm

Admission: $5

Tickets available online or from choir members.

Cedar Heights Community Presbyterian Church

2015 Rainbow Drive

Cedar Falls, IA 50613

Please join us for a desert reception following the concert.

A Note from the Conductor

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music is one of the most brilliant musical settings of Shakespeare text in the choral canon. It was commissioned to celebrate the 50th conducting anniversary of Sir Henry J. Wood, a celebrated British conductor. Serenade to Music was composed for 16 soloists and full orchestra. Each of the 16 soloists had worked with Wood in the past. The text is an adaptation of a scene from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The work premiered on October 5, 1938. Even at the time, Vaughan Williams recognized that such a unique performing ensemble would be rarely repeated. As a result, he also approved performance by soloists plus choir and choir only. Today we will be performing a unique orchestration prepared by our very own Nick Klemetson.

The second half of the concert opens with Handel’s Let Their Celestial Concerts, which is the final movement of his oratorio, Samson. The trumpet fanfares, virtuosic runs, and declamatory praises are fitting for the finale to one of Handel’s most celebrated oratorios. We turn then to Thomas Morley’s brief but poignant English madrigal, April is in my mistress’ face. In four short phrases we see love blossom, bloom, fade, and die. The Pasture is the second of three songs that comprise the set “Where the Earth Meets the Sky” by Z. Randall Stroope. In this song set, Stroope explores three facets of American music culture. The Pasture, set to the poetry of Robert Frost, reflects the pastoral, agrarian side of American cultural history.

Schöne Fremde is by Fanny Hensel, the elder sister of Felix Mendelssohn, the celebrated Romantic composer and conductor. Hensel was a gifted pianist and composer. Unfortunately, little of her music was published during her lifetime. An exception is Gartenlieder, op. 3, a set of six songs intended for recreational singing rather than concert use. In Schöne Fremde, the second of the set, Hensel uses dramatic dynamic contrast and lush Romantic harmonies to paint the picture of this phantastiche nacht! Camille Saint-Saëns’ Deux Choeurs Op. 68, Calme des nuits and Les fleurs et les arbres, are an evocative set that explores the relationship between human beings and our environment. Calme contrasts the quiet dark of night to the bustle and rush of the daylight while Les fleurs illuminates the healing power of nature.

Under the Willow Tree is from Samuel Barber’s opera, Vanessa. The opera tells the story of Vanessa, her niece Erika, and Anatol, the son of Vanessa’s former lover. The three embark upon a twisted love triangle which results in Vanessa and Anatol’s marriage, and Erika’s subsequent self seclusion. Under the Willow Tree, a dance from the first act, was adapted by the composer for chorus and piano. Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf, Op. 30 by Edward Elgar is a cantata for soprano, tenor, bass, full chorus, and orchestra. It is based on the epic by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The cantata tells the story of King Olaf of Norway and his battle with the Norse God Thor and consists of a prologue, nine scenes, and an epilogue. The epilogue, As torrents in summer, is a lush and beautiful reminder of the unseen, unacknowledged gifts that flow into our lives. Shall we go dance? is a charming part song about the exquisite feeling of waking from a beautiful dream. With this piece we have come full circle. Shall we go dance? was composed by Charles Villers Stanford, the composition teacher of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Our final set is of three American songs, the beautiful Shenandoah, the spiritual, By and by, and the minstrel song, Buffalo Gals.

Thank you, Cedar Heights Community Presbyterian Church, for hosting us!