Weekly Listening: Concerto for Orchestra, "Jubilee Games" by Leonard Bernstein

I remember stumbling upon this piece during my undergrad and being quite surprised by what I heard. It really is not your typical Bernstein, and it is unclear if that is for better or for worse.

Give it a listen here, here, here, and here.

A Brief Overview of Bernstein

There is very that could be said here that is not already covered in far greater details with far greater accuracy somewhere else (like here). He is probably best known as the resident conductor of the New York Philharmonic for eleven years (1958 to 1969), and as a composer of such mainstream classics as West Side Story, Trouble in Tahiti, and On the Waterfront. He was a prolific educator, lecturer, and humanitarian, and unabashedly championed the next generation of musicians while uncovering and promoting the pieces that might otherwise have been lost (eg. Charles Ives' Symphony No. 2).

A bit about the piece

Jubilee Games is one of Bernstein's last pieces, written in 1986 for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Israel Philharmonic, with a slight nod to Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, also celebrating its 50th anniversary with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It is a four movement work for large orchestra and choir.

Decidedly, the first two movements are very un-Bernstein. They definitely pull much more from his more academic compositions such as his symphonies; definitely drawing on something much more Stravinsky-esque than previous works. However, the third and fourth movements easily pull back to a more familiar sound easily linked to Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony (the third movement definitely recalls the 2nd of the latter).

The work as a whole has a really nice arc to it, and the magical lines that make up the final movement are made that much more sweet by the organized chaos that precedes it. It makes me a little sad that this work is not programmed as often as it is deserving, but is that not the case with most music?

Weekly Listening: Telaio: Desdemona by Susan Botti

A piece that a friend brought to me several years ago was Telaio: Desdemona by Susan Botti. It features a string quartet, harp, piano, percussion, and soprano, and is a psychological trip through the character of Desdemona from Shakespeare's Othello. This piece ultimately launched the Colorado New Music Ensemble.

Since the piece is relatively new and the only regular performer of it is the composer, there does not seem to be a full recording or performance of it anywhere online. Thus, I highly recommend checking out Botti's album, Listen, It's Snowing, to get the full effect of the work.

A Brief Overview of Botti

One of these days I'll do a weekly listening for someone who might benefit from some of the attention (if anyone actually would), but Ms. Botti gets a similar statement that I have made about many of my previous picks: she does not need the help.

Her career is expansive to say the least, with such credentials as the Rome Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and on and on. She was formerly on the faculty at the University of Michigan, and currently holds faculty positions with the Manhattan School of Music and Vassar College. Her music has been performed by the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and many other top organizations.

In addition to all of this, she is also an active performer of not only her own works, but also works of her contemporaries, including George Crumb, John Cage, Harry Parch, and James Matheson. On top of all of this, she is also a wonderful and responsive human being with whom to correspond, offering great insight into her own works and the performance therein willingly and without question.

A bit about the piece

As Botti describes, the piece is a character sketch of sorts on the character of Desdemona organized in an alternating recitative and aria structure. Each recit is a setting of from Shakespeare's prose about Desdemona, while the arias consist of settings of Italian folksong or the poet Gaspara Stampa. It is a compelling and vivid depiction of the tragedy that befalls the leading lady.

The curious—and quite ingenious—aspect of this work is that the Shakespeare text is taken from OTHER characters in Othello, and never provides direct insight into Desdemona's self. Furthermore, when she is singing directly, she uses words other than her own (Stampa and folksongs). By developing her character through the eyes of others, this emphasizes how incredibly out of her control Desdemona's fate really is.

Be it staged or not, this chamber work is vivid and enthralling, providing a full evening of sorrow and depression fitting of even Shakespeare's great tragedy.