Symphony Pro Musica - Pops Concert, 1998

Program Notes


Johann Strauss Sr. (1804-1849)

Radetzky March (Op. 228) (1848)

Two men were most instrumental in developing the Waltz in 19th-century Vienna – Josef Lanner and Johann Strauss. However, it was Strauss’ first son Johann "The Waltz King" who made it a craze, not only in Austria, but throughout the western world. Strauss the elder was of humble, urban origins, but showed an early musical talent and soon was making a living playing the violin. At one time he played in Lanner’s small orchestra, but by 1825 (the year of the son’s birth) had formed his own band. This was so successful that they traveled quite extensively and in 1838 even played at Queen Victoria’s coronation in London! The waltz makes up only a part of the father’s many works – the majority being marches and other kinds of dances. Apart from his three sons (Johann, Eduard and Josef), all of whom followed in the family "trade", The Radetzky March is probably his most enduring legacy and is a constant favorite on musical programs, especially where the concert is to start off "with a bang", so to speak.


Charles Gounod (1818-93)

Ballet Music from Faust (1869)

Waltz; Dance of the Nubians; Helen’s Dance and Bacchanalia
Charles GounodGounod was in his time a far more important composer than we give him credit for today, since after Berlioz’ death in 1869, Gounod was the grand old man of French music, and through his extensive travels was very instrumental in spreading the French style throughout the world. Still, styles and tastes change and only a little of Gounod’s music is regularly played today. Preeminent among these works is his greatest stage success, the opera Faust, which is still frequently produced. First performed in 1859, it was extensively revised and lengthened in 1869, including the addition of the ballet music (then required for presentation at the Paris Opera), from which we play four of the seven numbers. The music is quite delightful and is often played as an independent concert piece. There are seven numbers in total, of which we present four here.


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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)

Excerpts from The Magic Flute (1791)

W. MozartDevotees of the movie Amadeus will be well acquainted with the story of how Emanuel Schikaneder commissioned Mozart to write an opera for his Theater auf der Weiden, the peoples’ opera house (something like Broadway is to the Metropolitan opera). Mozart was enthusiastic about the project as, at least so he thought, it would be much less constrained by the strict censorship of the period, and he would be sharing in the profits. It is well known of course that it is imbued with the ideas and symbolism of Freemasonry and ended up causing many more problems (after his death) than he would have expected because of the political situation, post American and French revolutions. However, it was so popular that the authorities could only cast aspersions rather than ban it outright.

Nevertheless, we need not be concerned here with the background to the opera, but only with the wonderful music which Mozart, then at the very height of his mental powers, wrote. As usual in a Mozart opera, there is a large amount of pure fun in the mix, particularly in the first and third of our selections. In the first, the Queen of the Night’s bird-catcher Papageno (the role created by Schikaneder himself) expresses his longing for a wife, accompanying himself with the set of magic chimes (played in the orchestra on the glockenspiel - nowadays a keyboard) given to him by the Queen’s messengers to ward off evil. In the second, Pamina, who is destined for Prince Tamino, laments the apparent lack of response from Tamino (which is in fact because he is bound to silence) and wishes death on herself. Meanwhile, Papageno unwillingly agrees to wed an ugly old woman, who then turns into a young girl, like he, dressed in feathers – his longed for Papagena. The third selection is their joyful duet.



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Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

Slavonic Dance #8, Op. 46 (1878)

A. DvorakNot long after Brahms’ very popular Hungarian dances were published, Simrock (their common publisher) proposed to Dvorak that he should write a similar set. However, the chief commercial interest was in piano duets – such music was tremendously popular and sold very well – rather than for the orchestral version which came just a little later. And it was this set of dances (another came eight years later) which did most to make Dvorak famous throughout Europe and the U.S.A. Nearly all of the first set are based on actual Bohemian dances, sometimes the music is derivative and sometimes wholly original. This, the last, makes a rousing finale and is in the form of a "furiant", a generally fast dance in ¾ time where the first two measures of each group of four is a hemiola (3 notes spanning two measures, i.e 3x2) while the second half is two measures of three beats (2x3). It is in a form similar to that of a minuet and trio, with coda (although the pattern of repetitions is different). The "minuet" is in G minor, while the "trio" and ending of the coda is in G major.


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John Williams (b. 1932)

Star Wars – Main Theme (1977)

With well over a hundred movie and TV music credits, including 5 Oscars (Fiddler on the Roof, orchestration, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., and Schindler’s List, original score) as well as twenty other nominations, it would be hard to deny that Williams is the dominant figure in the world of movie music. Born on Long Island (like Richard Rodgers – see below), not far from Amityville (the setting for Jaws), he attended UCLA and the Julliard School of Music and got his start in TV at the ripe old age of 21 (Genera Electric Theater). With ten years conducting the Boston Pops also to his credit, he is truly a giant among modern-day musicians.


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John Barry (b. 1933)

Dances with Wolves  – Concert Suite (1990)

Main Title – Looks like a suicide; John Dunbar; Journey to Fort Sedgewick; Pawnee attack; Love theme; Two Socks at play; Farewell.
Another musical giant, John Barry is John Williams’ counterpart from across the Pond. Born a year later in York, England (as J.B. Prendergast) he began his musical career as a Rock’n’Roll trumpeter, getting into writing for films in the late 50s. Also with over a hundred movie credits (very little TV), as well as four Oscars (Born Free, The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves), J.B.’s accomplishments are only slightly behind those of J.W. This particular score has some really beautiful music and helped to elevate the movie to, if not greatness, then at least excellence. Particularly telling are the "Journey to Fort Sedgewick" (I can still see the rolling prairies) and "Love Theme" with its haunting flute melody. The story starts during the Civil war and ends some time before Custer's Last Stand.  Lt. Dunbar (Kevin Costner) is posted to Sioux (more properly called "Lakota") territory in South Dakota to find that he is in sole charge of the fort.  He makes friends with a playful wolf (Two Socks) and falls in love with a white woman who has been brought up by the Lakota people.


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Richard Rodgers (1902-1979)

Carousel – Waltz (1945)

Richard Rodgers was born on Long Island and studied at Columbia and the N.Y. Institute of Musical Art. For most of his career, he was teamed with Lorenz Hart and together they created many very popular musicals during the thirties and early forties. Hart’s life began to fall apart, however, around late 1942 (he died in late 43) and Rodgers was forced to find another partner. Of course, he found Oscar Hammerstein and the rest, as they say, is history. Their first big hit was Oklahoma!, followed by Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Carousel was based on an adaptation of Molnar’s Liliom and transplanted from Budapest to New England. In a break from tradition, this slightly discordant Waltz was used instead of an overture to begin the show and it immediately sets the scene. The music is made up of the most elegant and flowing melody, and which must be one of the most universally-known tunes of the 20th century.


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Claude-Michel Schönberg (b. 1944)

Les Misérables – selection

At the end of the day; I dreamed a dream; Master of the house; On my own; Do you hear the people sing?
Cosette LogoVictor Hugo’s great masterpiece was published in 1862 and it was said that it monopolized the attention of all of France. Certainly, it is a story for the ages and perhaps it was inevitable that it would one day become one of the most successful and popular musicals throughout the world. Not long after the French version opened in 1980, plans were made to rewrite it in English and it opened first in London and then in New York (March, 1987). It was by far the biggest hit of the season and is of course still going strong.

Born in 1944 of Hungarian parents, Claude-Michel Schönberg began his career as singer, writer and producer of popular songs and is also the composer of Miss Saigon.  This arrangement for orchestra (to which we have added our soloists) will sound somewhat different to the mix of mainly strings, keyboards and percussion which you’re used to in the theater. Still, the music and lyrics are so powerful that they speak directly to the listener’s soul, regardless of the musical details.



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