New England Conservatory (NEC) returns to Symphony Corridor for the primary time since 2018 in a wide-reaching program of orchestral and choral works. NEC Philharmonia and Symphonic Choir give the New England premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Conquest Requiem with vocal soloists soprano YeonJae Cho ’24 AD and baritone Libang Wang ’23 MM. Lutoslawski’s demanding Concerto for Orchestra, and Brahms’ Tragic Overture additionally characteristic within the April 26th live performance at 7:30pm at Symphony Corridor. Tickets HERE
In accordance with Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood Director of Orchestras Chair, Hugh Wolff, Brahms’s Tragic Overture units the tone for Gabriela Lena Frank’s Conquest Requiem. The composer, whose works have been carried out worldwide, is within the intersection of many cultures, reflecting her personal Peruvian, Chinese language, and Lithuanian Jewish heritage. This work for full orchestra, refrain, and soprano and baritone soloists mixes the Latin Requiem Mass with indigenous Nahuatl poetry and Spanish texts to discover the advanced story of the Spanish conquest of Central America. Witold Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra – music that showcases each part – guarantees a rousing conclusion.
FLE: Although we love listening to NEC orchestras in Jordan Corridor, it’s a considerably uncommon deal with for gamers and listeners when the NEC Philharmonia crosses Huntington Avenue and offers a live performance in Symphony Corridor. NEC made a lot of the Philharmonia first go to to Symphony Corridor in 2010. In 2014 NEC’s visited there once more as a part of its very properly remembered “Music: Reality to Energy” season. Are you able to remind us of different visits?
HW: Really, we have been on an every-other-year schedule beginning in 2014 with the Egmont Overture and Shostakovich’s Eleventh Symphony – each items that “communicate fact to energy.” In 2016 we featured Alexi Kenney within the John Adams’s Violin Concerto, a brief work of Andrew Norman and the whole Firebird ballet of Stravinsky. In 2018 we did the world premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’s Fourth Symphony, “Chromelodeon,” music we helped fee. Inmo Yang performed the Bernstein Serenade and we closed with Debussy’s La Mer. Mahler’s Second Symphony was scheduled in 2020, and — properly, everyone knows what occurred that yr. It has taken us three years to get again to regular.
We append the composer’s notes HERE, however please give us your sense of what to anticipate within the Frank. Is that this political artwork?
She has written one thing very private, very genuine, and really lovely. She confronts the conflict of civilizations when the Spanish conquered Mexico and extinguished (whereas partly assimilating) the Aztec tradition. The soprano performs the enslaved girl who turned Cortes’ translator, then confidante and lover. We are going to by no means know if this was a consensual relationship. Their little one, sung by the baritone soloist, is the primary mestizo, or mixed-race particular person in Central America. Evidently it’s an incendiary topic dealt with with immense sensitivity. Gabriela has performed one thing good right here.
After which how does the Lutoslawski match into the programmatic scheme?
First, I ought to say we have been intent on celebrating the 75th anniversary of the choral program at NEC, made well-known by Lorna Cooke deVaron and now within the glorious palms of Erica Washburn.
To finish this system, I used to be concerned about together with music from three completely different centuries. Brahms is the basic from the 19th century; Gabriela Lena Frank’s Requiem is the up to date 21st century piece. Lutoslawski’s Concerto for Orchestra is a showpiece from the center of the 20th century. Comparatively few works written between 1950 and 2000 have made it into the usual repertoire. It is a terrific instance and a virtuoso work that enables each part of the NEC Philharmonia to shine.
To the extent that you are able to do so with out undo bragging, please inform us a bit concerning the state of orchestras at NEC.
The orchestra program at NEC has been absolutely rebuilt post-pandemic. After a yr after we have been restricted to fewer than 20 gamers on stage at one time, we’re again to over 330 college students taking part in 4 orchestras, taking part in all kinds of repertoire, operas, up to date ensemble, and Baroque ensemble. We aspire to present the scholars a pre-professional expertise – operating the orchestras a lot the best way skilled ensembles are run, with the identical requirements and expectations that college students will face after commencement. We give over 35 free concert events yearly. It’s a pleasure for me to see the eagerness, enthusiasm, and engagement of the scholars, and, frankly, the extent of technical accomplishment is far increased than after I was a scholar again within the day! What’s to not love in all that?
I bear in mind speaking with you after which President Tony Wookcock about what was billed as the primary such peregrination again in 2010. It’s fascinating to look again and see how precisely you and Tony prognosticated. The whole interview is HERE. Some excerpts observe.
Woodcock: Surprises might be very nice. … Very first thing I did, I took a have a look at this system nearest and dearest to my coronary heart, as a result of I had been working in that world for therefore lengthy. That was the orchestral program. It hadn’t had a extremely full-time director for — low lengthy? 5 years?
FLE: It has been certainly one of your most dramatic contributions, to revive the NEC orchestras to prominence.
If you consider it, there now are greater than 300 college students in our orchestras and huge ensembles, so almost 50% need a robust constructive expertise with the orchestral program. What’s new is the depth of expertise persons are getting now. Hugh Wolff is phenomenal. Extraordinary. He’s not a visiting celeb, though he’s a star in his personal proper. The very first thing he mentioned was, “I’ll personally audition each single scholar for each ensemble.” The message to college students was, we’re getting in a distinct route.
To essentially have a program that may be very difficult, in order that they get an incredible sense of accomplishment, I believe is the best way to go. And we get nice audiences for these concert events now. Once we did the primary live performance this tutorial yr, the complete constructing was full. I didn’t have a seat. That was some indication of a buzz that was on the market about what was occurring with Hugh. …
He doesn’t simply conduct the Philharmonia. He has amalgamated it and the Symphony, giving much more efficiency alternatives.
