Ravinia 2022, Issue 4

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918) Ibéria from Images pour orchestre Scored for two flutes and two piccolos, two oboes, oboe d’amore, and English horn, three clarinets in B-flat and bass clarinet, three bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, field drum, tambourine, castanets, triangle, xylophone, cymbals, three bells, celesta, two harps, and strings “If an ironical fate doesn’t come and jumble up my manuscripts, I should have Ibéria fin- ished next week and the two other pieces by the end of the month,” Debussy optimistically reported to his publisher, Jacques Durand, on July 7, 1906. In actuality, the composer took two and a half more years to complete this music as part of the Images pour orchestre . Originally conceived as a two-piano sequel to Debussy’s first set of Images for solo piano, the orchestral score required a painstaking recalibration of his compositional approach. The initial drafts sounded too mechani- cal—“well written, but with that skill born of habit that’s so hard to conquer and so tire- some”—as Debussy explained to Durand on August 5, 1907. The hoped-for fluid, coloristic orchestral effects would require months of u n f o r e s e e n c o n t emp l a t i o n a n d experimentation. A three-movement reflection of life on a street in Spain, Ibéria offers a wealth of thematic material in the “Spanish” style that Debussy prototyped in La Soirée dans Grenade from the collection of three Estampes ( Prints ; 1903) for piano. Other French composers of this era, among them Maurice Ravel, Jules Mas- senet, Emmanuel Chabrier, and Georges Bi- zet, also exhibited a special musical affinity for the Iberian Peninsula. Par les rues et par les chemins ( Along the Streets and along the Paths ) evokes an exuberant stroll through the balmy calle . The middle movement, Les parfums de la nuit ( The Scents of the Night ), offers more sensual and atmospheric music inspired by the fragrances of juniper, lemon, and fir trees in the cool Andalusian night air. March-like rhythms instill a “distant, alert, Claude Debussy (1909) and joyous” quality in Le matin d’un jour de fête ( The Morning of a Festive Day ). The ending of Ibéria greatly troubled Debussy, who created three competing op- tions. “Should I toss a coin to see which one to use,” the exasperated composer confessed to his publisher, “or look for a fourth?” Once a decision had been reached—whether heads, tails, or otherwise—Debussy completed this symphonic “image” and dated the final man- uscript on December 25, 1908. MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937) Piano Concerto in G major Scored for flute and piccolo, oboe and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, trumpet, trombone, timpani, triangle, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, wood block, whip, harp, strings, and solo piano The critical and monetary rewards of his first concert tour of the United States (1927–28), during which he conducted two performanc- es of his music with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, encouraged Ravel to plan a re- turn trip for the early 1930s. This time, he considered appearances as solo pianist in an as-yet-unwritten concerto. Unexpectedly, the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein—who lost his right arm during World War I—com- missioned a left-hand concerto. Ravel con- sequently found himself in the remarkable position of writing his first two concertos simultaneously. His own project was placed on hold while he fulfilled the Wittgenstein commission in nine months during 1929–30. Ravel described this period to the London Daily Telegraph : “Planning the two concertos simultaneously was an interesting experience. The one in which I shall appear as the inter- preter is a concerto in the truest sense of the word: I mean that I have written very much in the spirit as those of Mozart and Saint-Saëns. The music of a concerto should, in my opin- ion, be lighthearted and brilliant, and not aim at profundity or at dramatic effects. It has been said of certain great classics that their concertos were written not ‘for,’ but ‘against’ the piano. I heartily agree. I had intended to entitle this concerto ‘Divertissement.’ Then it occurred to me that there was no need to do so, because the very title ‘Concerto’ should be sufficiently clear.” The exertion of this prolonged creativity took its toll on Ravel. After finishing the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, he escaped to the Basque region to regain strength before com- pleting the Piano Concerto in G major. Al- ready, symptoms of the mysterious neural ill- ness that impaired his ability to compose and ultimately brought his death in 1937—Pick’s disease—had begun to surface. Ravel grew nervous as the scheduled premiere of his Pia- no Concerto in G major approached. He de- termined with good, but sadly prophetic, humor, “I can’t manage to finish my concerto, so I’m resolved not to sleep for more than a second. When my work is finished I shall rest in this world … or the next!” The concerto was finally completed in 1931. Ravel decided against performing the new work himself and offered the premiere—given January 14, 1932, with Ravel conducting the Lamoureux Or- chestra at the Salle Pleyel in Paris—to Mar- guerite Long, who also played the subsequent European tour performances. Unknowingly, Ravel had created his last orchestral work. The Allegramente of the Piano Concerto in G major reveals an exceedingly eclectic style. A startling snap launches the movement on its rhythmically propulsive path, underscored by the piano figuration. Ravel begins with a Basque-styled theme, perhaps a remnant of the abandoned piano concerto Zaspiak-Bat , whose music developed into the Piano Trio (1914). A trumpet assumes this melody, giv- ing it a Coplandesque coloration. The first pi- ano solo wavers between jazz influences and the composer’s own impressionist language. A high-lying bassoon melody and trumpet response accentuate the jazz legacy. Ravel heard numerous popular American musical idioms during his US sojourn, but was most impressed with the potential of jazz and blues. He expressed genuine interest and support for the further development of these styles during a speech before students at Rice University (April 7, 1928): “My journey is en- abling me to become still more conversant with those elements which are contributions to the gradual formation of a veritable school of American music. … May this national American music of yours embody a great deal of the rich and diverting rhythm of your jazz, a great deal of the emotional expression in your blues, and a great deal of the sentiment and spirit characteristic of your popular melodies and songs, worthily deriving from, and in turn contributing to, a noble heritage of music.” Ravel first heard George Gershwin’s mu- sic in New York while attending Broadway Maurice Ravel performances of Funny Face in 1927. When asked what he wanted as a birthday present, Ravel replied “to hear and meet George Ger- shwin.” Formal introductions were made the following year by a mutual friend, the sing- er Eva Gauthier. Gershwin’s piano playing astounded the Frenchman. Gauthier wrote, “George that night surpassed himself, achiev- ing astounding feats in rhythmic intricacies so that even Ravel was dumbfounded.” When Gershwin traveled to Paris in 1928, he asked to study composition with Ravel, only to receive a complimentary refusal. “Why should you become a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?” The influence of Gershwin’s piano playing (including distinct echoes of the Rhapsody in Blue ) is strongly felt in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. Ravel’s first movement continues along the lines of a traditional sonata form. Cadenzas for harp—playing sonorous glissandos and a melody in harmonics—and the woodwind section break up the development. A solo-pi- ano cadenza prefaces the melodically rich recapitulation. The Adagio assai , a movement of exquisite beauty, offers pure Ravelian lyricism. The solo-piano introduction establishes an at- mosphere of mystical simplicity belied by the conflicting rhythmic patterns in the left and right hands (6/8 and 3/4, respectively). Strings and woodwinds enter with greatest delicacy, adding melodic phrases above the piano accompaniment. The piano leads into a central section devoted to harmonic wan- dering and an elaborately embellished treble part. These figurations gain rhythmic impulse as the original melody reappears in the soul- ful English horn. Ravel returns to the “divertimento” ideal in his Presto finale, a type of sonata-rondo. Rap- id piano figures combine with clarinet, trom- bone, piccolo, and trumpet wails. This prim- itivistic music recalls Stravinsky’s Petrushka ballet score. Clarinets and piano engage in a supple exchange of ideas. Horns and trum- pets add a march-like theme. The movement drives excitedly to its conclusion. GABRIELA ORTIZ (b.1964) Téenek (Invenciones de territorio) Scored for two flutes, alto flute, and two piccolos, two oboes and English horn, two B-flat clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, four trumpets two trombones and bass trombone, tuba, timpani, claves, large and medium suspended cymbals, crash cymbals, triangle, guiro, two cowbells, three Thai gongs, crotales, marimba, paila (Cuban timbales), xylophone, vibraphone, snare drum, tubular bells, tam-tam, glockenspiel, bass drum, maracas, jawbone, bongos, piano, celesta, harp, and strings Childhood for Gabriela Ortiz was awash in Mexican popular music, often courtesy of her parents, an architect father and psychoanalyst RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 29