corigliano booklet

8/13/2019 Corigliano Booklet

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John CoriglianoThe Louisville OrchestraSidney Harth, Lawrence Leighton Smith,conductors

James Tocco,piano

1. Tournaments Overture (1965)• 11:29

2. Elegy (1965)• 7:42

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1968) 32:133. I. Allegro 14:224. II. Scherzo 2:585. III. Andante Appassionata 8:286. IV. Allegro 6:18

Gazebo Dances (1974)• 15:577. I. Overture – Allegro con Brio 4:218. II. Waltz –Allegretto 2:42

9. III. Adagio 6:2610. IV. Tarantella – Allegro 2:18

67:44

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Partial funding generously provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

• Indicates world premiere recordingExecutive producer: Matthew WaltersRecorded: 1980, 1992, and 1993, Louisville, Kentucky Annota tion : John C orig lian o, Mark Yacovone, and Mars hal l A. Por tnoy



John Corigliano

A composer should, at the very least, provoke us to listen. If someone is validly communicating ideas, emotions, and skills; this ought to capture our attention.Some do, some don’t. John Corigliano definitely does. His music is synony-mous with all that is positive about American music.

There is not a strong sense of the composer’s place in the world. True, he or she may beequated with various cultural transformations, but these are seemingly distant from theglobal search engine. Anyone reading these notes probably has more than a passing inter-est in the plight of the composer. They would no doubt agree that John Corigliano has hero-ically embodied his craft as few others over the last thirty-six years.

Brooklyn-born – son of John, Sr., the concertmaster whose extraordinary musicianshipgraced the New York Philharmonic for twenty-three years – student of Otto Luening, PaulCreston and Vincent Giannini, he is a composer of heritage and training. The important consequence of this vitae is that John Corigliano turned out to be a composer of conse-quence. This has become evident in such powerful statements as the 1991 Grawemeyer

Award-winning Symphony No. 1 and his first opera,The Ghosts of Versailles.But whatof their precedents? This disc provides an entrance – an opening to understanding John Corigliano’s compositional credo. The Louisville Orchestra communicates this spirit of artistic creation in exemplary fashion, and allows us to bear witness to the emergence of acomposer of consequence.

John Corigliano’s music is iHe embraces it rather than retopography. But he does not asand 911 calls. There is a gift at

Some composers weave and speffortlessly glide over the requcolleagues? Can vision and clev

John Corigliano has shown thcommissions. His responses tothis. For Altered States, he immea chilling replication of the filmpresented a poignant response tcredo is not devoid of consequthat credo.



Dedicated by John Corigliano to thecomposer Phillip Ramey

Conductor Sidney HarthRecorded January 15, 1980, Macauley

Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky

Supervising producer Andrew Kazdin

Recording engineer Raymond MooreOriginal matrix number LS-771-A (Stereo)Original LP releaseLS-771 (1980) (Stereo)Mastered from the original analog two-track

stereo session master World premiere performance January 11,

1980, Louisville, Kentucky

Publisher Schirmer

The following is John Corigliano’s detailed analysis of the piece.

The work, in three sections, is basically monothematic. After a brief fanfare that announces "thetournament" with a three-note motto in brass and strings, there is a downward rush of woodwinds,and then a jaunty choral-tune (Allegro) expands from the motto to form the raw material of theentire work. Brass, winds, and strings all treat this theme as the piece builds to a climax. Suddenly,a crash introduces a scherzo idea (Molto allegro) for piccolo and double-basses in which the themeis compressed into running sixteenth-notes. A short interlude is followed by a return of the scher-zo music, this time with the original chorale super-imposed upon it. Canons in the brass lead to ahighly rhythmic buildup that reaches an enormous climax.

After a downward rush as at the beginning of the work, the second section begins; a lilting Allegretto. Here, the chorale-theme is inverted, and the result is an almost-waltz where every threemeasures of _ time alternates with one measure of 7/8 that subtly displaces the waltz effect. The waltz lilts to a climax in which all but five solo instruments drop out, leaving a miniature sound-tex-ture that dissipates into a flute solo and a return of the waltz.

The final section (Allegro) beginstrings. This new material becomeaugmentation, and inversion. At tning has been transformed to furiotern, singing the chorale in the orhythmic first climax; the openingchorale, which returns again withtion with a gradual diminuendo. A

2 Elegy(1965) (7:44) (Stereo)

Dedicated to the American compoSamuel Barber (1910-1981)

Conductor Sidney HarthRecorded January 15, 1980, Mac

Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky

The following commentary, by Mnotes.

LikeTournaments Overture , Elegy winet and harp arranged as backgro Wallace Grey. A melancholy opening theme in the lower strings, anthe piece. All three themes are deslow crescendo starting in the horfor full orchestra. The elements oopening – singing a variant of the

1 Tournaments Overture(1965) (11:32) (Stereo)



3 Concerto for Pianoand Orchestra

(1968) (32:13) (Stereo)

Soloist James ToccoConductor Lawrence Leighton SmithRecorded November 24, 1993, Macauley

Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky Supervising producer Andrew Kazdin

Recording engineer Raymond MooreOriginal matrix numberLCD-008 (Stereo)Original compact disc release LCD-008

(1994) (Stereo)Mastered from the original digital two-track

stereo session master Publisher Schirmer

John Corigliano’s following commentary is compiled and edited by Nan Harman

The writing for both solo piano and orchestra is extremely virtuosic and theatrical. While the work is basically tonal, there are many atonal sections and a section of strict twelve-tone writing.Rhythms throughout the work are highly irregular and meters change often.

The opening movement uses sonata-allegro form in an original way. After a few bars of introduc-tion by the brass section, the piano enters with a large cadenza accompanied by percussion andharp. This highly energetic section introduces the first theme, a savage three-note motto (B flat, Bnatural, and C). The second theme, first played by the solo horn, is more lyrical. After the pianore-enters with the three-note motto, the development section begins. Each theme is developed sep-arately; this separate development transforms the aggressive three-note motto into a lyrical theme,and the lyrical theme into a savage motto. In other words, one becomes the other. At the end of the development, the first theme is heard in canon while the piano and brass toss about the sec-ond theme. The climax leads directly to a second cadenza, which marks the beginning of the reca-pitulation, followed this time by a diabolic coda.

The second movement is a short and fleet Scherzo that breaks the emotional tension generated inthe first movement. Three short repeated chords form the Scherzo’s motto, which is based on the

superimposition of major and minmovement. The trio is based on a of the movement.

All the themes of the third movema peak and diminishing to a hushmovement.

The last movement is a rondo whand piano parts. Themes from the

ment, concluding with the originacerto in a burst of virtuosic energy

4 Gazebo Dances(1974) (15:57) (Stereo)

Conductor Lawrence Leighton SmRecorded February 21, 1992, Rob

Whitney Hall, Louisville, KenSupervising producer Andrew KazRecording engineer Raymond Mo

The title comes from the gazebo- where town bands played their coration for this suite. The Overture Waltz, in which the um-pah-pah sfinal spirited Tarantella, which alspirit.



CreditsExecutive producerMatthew WaltersOriginal supervising producer Andrew KazdinRecording engineer Raymond MooreReissue mastering Malcolm Addey Front cover design Tim NewcombFront cover photo Christian Steiner Booklet design Tim Newcomb

Annotation John Corigliano, Mark Yacovone,and Marshall A. Portnoy

Acknowledgements

With sincerest gratitude: Robert S. Whitney and Charles P. Farnsley Tim King, Executive Director, The Louisville

Orchestra

For assistance: The Kentucky Arts CouncilThe Louisville Orchestra, Inc.The National Endowment for the ArtsThe Rockefeller Foundation

With special thanks: The Louisville Orchestra 2000–2001 Board of Directors, Orson Oliver, President Mrs. Robert S. (Clarita) Whitney Howard Scott Joe and Ira Gastwirt Mark Yacovone John Kennedy

Stephen McArthur Michael Hobson Wayne Brown, The National Endowment

for the ArtsHerbert L. Koerselman, School of Music,

University of LouisvilleBill Underwood, WUOL, Louisville, Kentucky Karen Little, Dwight Anderson Memorial Music

Library, University of LouisvilleTom Owen, Ekstrom Library, University Archives

and Records Center, University of Louisville

With thanks: Jeanne Marie Belfy Joe BergmanBarry BinghamMr. And Mrs. Dann ByckDorothy Day Jack M. FirestoneSandy FralinZachary FrenchClarence R. “Skip” GrahamMona Griffin Alan and Paul HankinsNan Harman James HicksRebecca JemianPat JenkinsMrs. Louise KainMarion KordaMargaret Merrick Jorge Mester B. Hudson Miner

Steve Noble James Palermo Allen ShareLawrence Leighton SmithRichard Wangerin

The Louisville Orchestra administrat

Administration:Tim King, Executive director Tonya Y. McSorley, Director of finaCarla Givan Motes, Director of tick

operationsTim Tomes, Office administrator Angela Pike, Receptionist

Education and Outreach:Madeline McGeeney, Director of ed Jennifer Maxwell, Education coord



First Edition Music and the LouisvilleOrchestra’s First Edition Records

Beginning in 1948 the Louisville Orchestra under-took a number of bold steps that resulted in severalstunning achievements that continue to impact our musical world. As stewards of the Orchestra’s leg-endary First Edition Records catalogue of over 400performances, Santa Fe Music Group takes great honor in continuing the Louisvi lle t radi tion of disseminating significant works by the composersof our time.It was late in 1948 that Orchestra board president and Louisville mayor Charles P. Farnsley brought hisconsiderable willpower and vision to bear on the LOand soon thereafter, the classical music world. A vir-tual cascade of events began that year whenFarnsley convinced LO conductor Robert Whitney and the Orchestra’s board of directors that his vision would not only solve their fiscal crisis but alsoensure a new and enduring era of recognition and prosperity. Farnsley was convinced that the Orchestraneeded to celebrate the modern composer, and take advantage of radio and the new technology he hadheard about, the 331 ⁄ 3 long-play record, just launched by Columbia Records in July of that year.

Farnsley’s masterful and disarmingly simple plan included two dramatic steps: first, the reduction of theOrchestra’s size from over 70 members to the Classic 18th Century Chamber Orchestra-size of 50.Secondly, the Orchestra’s bold move to cease hiring prominent guest soloists, and instead begin to com-mission five new works each year; performing the world premieres (often conducted by the composer),one at each of their five pairs of subscription concerts. Among those original composers commissionedin 1949 and 1950 were Virgil Thomson, Paul Hindemith, William Schuman, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Roy Harris, Bohuslav Martinu, Darius Milhaud, and Carlos Chavez.

Robert Whitney1904– 1986

This first round of commissions fos was the January 4th, 1950, Louisvicerto Judith, featuring guest conductCalder and sets designed by IsamuSchuman’s and Graham’s enthusiasballet score,Undertow , in October, fofor the LO and Whitney, and GrahaHall concert devoted to Louisville crecording debut on Mercury was in

By February 1952, Louisville had siGoddard Lieberson dispatched the founding fathers, Howard Scott, alorecording equipment, to Louisville tpremiere works by Dello Joio and V

The media exposure accompanyingfacility with this modern music, busupport for an even more ambitiouannounced a gift of $500,000 to thesix years, Robert Whitney and the L

From 1954 through 1959, when theand performed the world premieresgroundbreaking First Edition label fcasts over New York’s WCBS, and a successful First Edition subscript



Contact information:

First Edition Music www.firsteditionmusic.comemail: [email protected]. Box 31541Santa Fe, NM 87594

Santa Fe Music Group, LLC issuesand Santa Fe New Music. Santa Fe Mlegendary First Edition Records catrent information please visit www.f

Santa Fe Music Groupemail: [email protected]. Box 31541Santa Fe, NM 87594

Santa Fe New Music www.sfnm.orgP.O. Box 6986Santa Fe, NM 87502

Santa Fe New Music (SFNM) iperformances, recordings, and Ar tis tic Dir ect or Joh n Ken nedy.

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