Ravinia 2024 Issue 2

conductor Laura Jackson gave the world pre- miere on July 5, 2024, in Smetana Hall. The pref- ace to Aleksiychuk’s score captures the emotion- al intensity of the compositional process: “Half a year of hard work has finally come to an end. Joy—and at the same time—utter desolation … Fifteen minutes of sound into which I put my whole soul. The work is dedicated to Ukrainian women who, despite all the horrors of the war against Ukraine, do not lose their Courage, Hope, and Faith in our Victory.” The verses recited during the opening sec- tion—accompanied by the slow, dark sound of wind and tamtam (gong)—are the expressions of another valiant woman, Olena Stepanenko (b. 1974). Stepanenko is a poet, journalist, and translator born in the rural settlement of Ta- lalaivka in the Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine, about three-and-a-half hours by car to the east of Kyiv. Her awards include first priz- es in the Smoloskyp Publishing House Literary Contest (Ukraine), Hranoslov Internation- al Youth Literary Contest (Ukraine), and 5th Mikhas Straltsou International Poetry Festival (Belarus). Stepanenko was co-organizer of the volunteer art initiative War and Word, which made and sold jewelry and organized charity readings to raise funds for the Ukrainian army during the early days of the war with Russia. She escaped Bucha with her husband and son on March 11, 2022, through the second humanitar- ian corridor. Iryna Aleksiychuk has set several of Stepanenko’s poems for solo voice and choir. You are—a wall, a memory, complete, indestructible scarred with the names of the living, the dead, the as-yet unborn in your voice’s home they weave gentle nests never alone nor tied down despite pain, daily pain and loss, blanching, blind pain (it hides you under it every day), every day you come alive at its call: —Sister, come and look! Behold, the serpent of the sun basks in the ruins of your house Behold your body’s shirt crocheted with bullet holes Sister, sister … but you pick up the roots pocketing your son, a toy tractor and the lamb-like clouds that dried over the house (as long as it was, so it is) you part the air, holding on only to your voice millions of sisters who see and hear every day wait at the gates of life, holding death on a leash your hand is among them invisible and unwavering your voice your task: Sister, go where the wind takes you There is nothing that you cannot overcome ABEL SELAOCOE (b.1992) Four Spirits (orchestrated by Benjamin Woodgates) Scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, orchestral percussion (various shakers, one-shot shaker, three caxixi, various wooden and metal atmospherics, whirly tube in D, 18" crash cymbal, 12" splash cymbal, three woodblocks, three cowbells, five tom-toms, and 24" concert bass drum), strings, and chorus with solo cello/voice and solo percussion (various shakers and atmopherics, caxixi, woodblock, cowbell, singing bow in D, hi-hat, splash, tom-toms, udu, djembe, whirly tube in D, and small 18" kick drum) “When I was given a cello, nobody said, ‘Play classical music,’ ” Abel Selaocoe explained in an interview for DW Classical Music. “Immediate- ly somebody said, ‘What sound can you make?’ And I had to start from the voice: I can make this kind of sound! And immediately I started to explore beyond the bounds of the cello.” Se- laocoe was born and raised in the township of Sebokeng, South Africa, a culturally diverse and creative community southwest of Johannesburg. Music filled his home, from family singing to his elder brother Sammy’s bassoon playing. A shy 9-year-old Abel joined his brother in the weekend music program of the African Cultural Organization of South Africa (ACOSA)—at first to learn recorder. Upon hearing a performance by cellist Kutlwano Masote, who had recent- ly returned from performing abroad, the now 10-year-old boy became “addicted” to the instru- ment. His talent, technique, and musical passion blossomed quickly, gaining him admission to the prestigious St. John’s College after only three years of musical studies. Selaocoe later received scholarship offers from three colleges abroad, electing to attend the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where he com- pleted the International Artist Diploma in 2018. Selaocoe’s career has taken a steep upward climb ever since—as a classical performer, cross-cul- tural navigator, and creative powerhouse. In his hands, the cello resonates with melodic ex- pression, harmonic multiple-stops, percussive rhythms, and sonic effects. His voice paints mul- tihued canvases of folk-like lyricism, exuberant declamation (he speaks several languages, in- cluding Sesotho, Setswana, and isiZulu), and throat-singing. “I feel the survival of classical music is based on it living with other music. I feel like, for too long, classical music has been living in its own room with its own people. And I think for it to prosper, and for it to be forever here, it needs to live with others.” The London-based PRS Foundation, which funds new music initiatives, named Selaocoe its inaugural Power Up Music Creator in 2021, allowing him “to cultivate my ideas with highly creative people while sculpting a better future for Black creators.” That same year, he received the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists, an organization that “supports individuals at a timely moment in their careers, giving them the freedom to develop their creative ideas and contributing to their personal and profession- al growth.” In 2022, Warner Classics released Selaocoe’s debut album, Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae) , a recording juxtaposing the Baroque music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Giovanni Benedetto Platti with his own South African-in- fluenced compositions and improvisations. Selaocoe’s Four Spirits was co-commissioned by BBC Radio 3, the Seattle Symphony, and phil- harmonie zuidnederland. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor Taavi Oramo, and cellist/vocalist Abel Selaocoe gave the pre- miere on March 23, 2023, in Glasgow. Selaocoe described the score’s cultural setting: “ Four Spir- its is a powerful combination of direct spiritu- al influences from the township of Sebokeng, South Africa, beginning with an understanding of the conversations we can have with our ances- tors through the oldest and youngest members of the family. “Coupling the voice and cello gives this work a sense of true storytelling, with an image of a leader communicating with the community. The first movement begins by giving thanks to tradi- tional healers for bridging the gap between the modern world and the advice of our ancestors. “The second movement speaks of children as a huge inspiration, for speaking an inhibited lan- guage that is full of wisdom, constantly teaching humans about instinct and humor as integral parts of the experience. “The concerto focuses on universal concepts such as prayer, clarifying its definition as a uni- versal experience rather than a religious one. There is a constant need to have faith, as we can- not control the next moment. From this comes the idea of surrender. “Finally, the work celebrates community and gathering as one of the most life-affirming expe- riences. Through the use of the voice, we create an empowered and inspiring space of unity and purpose.” LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67 Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons and contrabassoon, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings “Beethoven’s instrumental music opens up to us also the realm of the monstrous and the immea- surable. Burning flashes of light shoot through the deep night of this realm, and we become aware of giant shadows that surge back and forth. … [His] music sets in motion the lever of fear, of awe, of horror, of suffering, and wakens RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 1 – JULY 21, 2024 78