Overture Magazine - 2015-2016 Season September-October 2015 | Page 19
moments in the orchestral repertoire.
But Strauss is not a conventional composer who only gives us exaltation; he
also expresses the climbers’ awe, even
fear, in the face of this tremendous
panorama with a frail, stammering oboe
solo. The horns toll out the rocking
theme. This sublime feeling continues
into the next section, “Vision,” which
movingly explores the mountaineers’
inner response to their achievement.
The glory fades, and in a superbly
veiled and eerie passage, Strauss
describes the approach of a mountain storm. Here is some of An Alpine
Symphony’s finest and most imaginative music. A counterpart to “Vision,”
the “Elegy” section tellingly captures
the apprehensive mood as we hear the
rumbles of distant thunder. Then the
winds rise, the raindrops very audibly
begin to fall, and we are swept into the
greatest “Storm” sequence in symphonic literature, complete with wind and
thunder machines and a pealing organ
to further inflate the din.
While the storm still rages, the climbers begin their descent, with the shape
of their climbing theme now reversed.
The music subsides into a prolonged
and intensely beautiful coda as the
storm passes and the sun reappears then
slowly sets. The organ leads the gentle,
elegiac “Ausklang” (“After Tones”)
in which the weary climbers absorb
and reflect on the emotions they have
experienced on this remarkable day. As
the last light fades, the dark, minormode “Night” music returns, much as
we heard it at the beginning. But the
final murmurs of the violins reveal the
exalted, new emotions now attached
to the great mountain in the hearts of
those privileged to bestride her peak.
Instrumentation: Four flutes, two piccolos,
three oboes, English horn, Heckelphone, three
clarinets, bass clarinet, piccolo clarinet, four
bassoons, contrabassoon, eight horns, four
Wagner Tuben, four trumpets, four trombones,
two tubas, timpani, percussion, two harps,
organ, celesta and strings.
Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright ©2015
Photo by Broadmead
resident: Erroll Hay
™
proudly supports the arts and the BSO.
• 94 acre beautifully landscaped campus
• Stimulating social activities
• Single story garden homes
• Exceptional dining venues
• Fitness, aquatic, and wellness programs
• Pet friendly campus
To request a free information kit
please call 443.578.8008 or visit www.Broadmead.org
13801 York Rd. Cockeysville, MD 21030
TTY/Voice - Maryland Relay Service 1.800.201.7165
Johns Hopkins University’s
Odyssey Program
A pre-eminent program of noncredit arts and sciences lectures and mini-courses
designed for anyone with a burning curiosity and an undying thirst for learning.
0VS'BMM0GGFSJOHTJODMVEF
t+POBUIBO1BMFWTLZPOUIF1JBOPBOEJUT1SBDUJUJPOFS
0DU
QFSGPSNBODFCZ)40
XJUIQJBOJTU#SJBO(BO[0DU
Explore
a world
of ideas.
t+BNFT)BSQPODie Fledermaus
/PW
QFSGPSNBODFCZ#$0/PW
t+POBUIBO1BMFWTLZPO)BOEFMTMessiah
Messiah
Messiah
/PW%FD
QF