Program Notes

Winter” from The Four Seasons, Antonio Vivaldi, Op. 8 RV297

I. Allegro non molto

II. Largo

III. Allegro

The original publication of The Seasons provided sonnets -- quite possibly by Vivaldi himself -- that give detailed programs for each of the four concertos …

Winter

To shiver, frozen, amid icy snow

in the bitter blast of a horrible wind;

to run, constantly stamping one's feet;

and to feel one's teeth chatter from the extreme cold;

to spend restful, happy days at the fireside

while the rain drenches a hundred people outside;

to walk on the ice, and with slow steps

to move about cautiously for fear of falling;

to go fast, to slip and fall down;

to go on the ice again and run fast

until the ice cracks and opens up;

to hear coming out of the iron gates

Sirocco, Boreas and all the winds at war;

this is winter; such are its delights.

Winter opens with shivering on the ice, interrupted by blasts of "horrible wind" in the solo violin. The stamping of feet and later the chattering of teeth described in the sonnet are marked in the score and clearly depicted in the music. The beautiful slow movement that follows is composed in layers: in the foreground, the melody line of the solo violin, although it bears no heading, paints the joy of resting peacefully by the fireside; the accompanying violins, marked pizzicato and forte, are designated as "the rain," a patter of drops against the window that contrasts with the legato solo melody; in the background, the violas sustain quiet, long notes; and a solo cello gently energizes the underlying pulse of the bass line with light, fast octaves. The concerto and the final season of the year close with sliding on the ice, falling as it cracks, and a fierce fight of the winter winds, all of it following the program of the sonnet.

• Note adapted from Martin Pearlman

Concerto grosso in G Minor, Op. 6, No. 8, “Christmas Concerto” 

Arcangelo Corelli 

The subtitle “Christmas Concerto” stems from Corelli’s own inscription on the title page: “Fatto per la notte di natale” (written for Christmas Eve) ... Like all the Opus 6 works, the Christmas Concerto is a concerto grosso, which contrasts and alternates a solo group of performers (solo or concertino) with a larger ensemble (tutti or ripieno). “Tutti” signifies that all join in, including the concertino. In Corelli’s concertos the concertino was usually performed by two violins and basso continuo (keyboard and supporting bass instrument) giving the texture of a trio sonata, from which Corelli’s concerto-grosso form grew. 

The contrast of the groups permeates most of the work, accounting for many of its structural niceties… After a short Vivace introduction, the Grave unfolds a wonderful series of suspensions, a harmonic tension-and-release device that Corelli often used to great effect. The ensuing Allegro consists of two parts each repeated, a favorite Baroque form for sonata and dance-suite movements. The slow movement, Adagio, again features chains of suspensions. Corelli provides contrast with an Allegro middle section. 

The Vivace resembles a corrente or courante, a fast dance in triple meter; again it follows binary form. Corelli seldom wrote for virtuosic display, but occasionally he gives the concertino more brilliant passages as in the final Allegro of the present work. The fiery nature of the binary-form movement serves to highlight the Pastorale, which closes the work in serene repose. 

In seventeenth-century Italy the pastorale became associated with Christmastime as a representation of the shepherds who attended Jesus’ birth. Baroque composers imitated shepherd music with simple melodic upper parts, often in parallel thirds and sixths, over a drone similar to that of bagpipes—Corelli uses the drone sparingly. Pastorales also traditionally employed compound meter (6/8, 9/8 or 12/8) and the major mode, thus Corelli’s switch to G major for the movement. Corelli appears to have been the first to include a pastorale in a concerto and to have such a piece performed in church on Christmas Eve

• Note adapted from Jane Vial Jaffe

Christmas with the Nutcracker 

Katie O'Hara LaBrie

Did you know that Jingle Bells can fit seamlessly with the Nutcracker March? How about Dance of the Reed Flutes and Deck the Halls? These are just two of the surprises that will delight your ears in this creative mash-up of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and classic Christmas carols. In Tchaikovsky's ballet the main character Clara dreams of far-off places and wondrous sweets accompanied by the composer's iconic music. In Christmas with the Nutcracker, arranged by Katie O'Hara LaBrie, one can imagine Clara waking up to the sounds of Christmas morning while visions from her dream still dance in her head.

• Note by composer

All is Bright 

Steve Parsons

For the majority of my life, the December holiday season has been a whirlwind of festive lights and bustling activity. Concerts, services, and musical theatre performances seem to hurtle past, until January arrives on the scene without warning and begins yet another busy year. To help keep myself focused on the peaceful, positive parts of this potentially stressful time, I've made an annual effort to stop and enjoy the sights and sounds around me, taking in a healthy dose of comfort and joy. All Is Bright sets two of my favorite carols, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and Silent Night, alongside an original theme to capture this sense of jubilant appreciation.

I hope All Is Bright brings some much-needed cheerful illumination to your holiday season!

• Note by composer

“The Holly and the Ivy” - Traditional, arr. Chip Davis

“Carol of the Bells” - Leontovych, arr. Marshall Fine

“In the Bleak Midwinter” - Gustav Holst, arr. Wesley Skinner

Serenity (O Magnum Mysterium)

Ola Gjeilo (arrangement for strings by SOL Chamber Orchestra)

Serenity owes its origins to a choral work of the same name. Originally cast for mixed chorus and solo string instrument (either violin or cello), the piece sets the text of the responsorial chant “O magnum mysterium” from the Christmas Matins liturgy. The text is one that celebrates new life with hopefulness, and composers who have set these words famously (from Renaissance masters William Byrd and Tomás Luis de Victoria to living composers like Morten Lauridsen) have often filled their musical presentations with resplendent optimism.

O magnum mysterium
et admirabile sacramentum
ut animalia viderent
Dominum natum
iacentem in praesepio.
Beata virgo, cuius viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Christum. Alleluia!

O great mystery
and wonderful sacrament
that animals should see
the newborn Lord
lying in a manger.
Blessed is the virgin, whose womb
was worthy to carry
Christ the Lord. Alleluia!

The harmonic motion of [the] first section is thoroughly patient, with a careful placidity. The middle portion of the piece shifts the principal modality from minor to major, and, while the supporting harmonies move no more quickly than before, …the rising tessitura gives birth to a tremendous rush of energy that reaches a moment of triumphant catharsis before receding. The closing section of the piece returns to the timbre of the opening, but now painted with hopefulness and healing, having been granted a sensation of peace.

- Note adapted from Jacob Wallace

Starburst 

Jessie Montgomery

This brief one-movement work for string orchestra is a play on imagery of rapidly changing musical colors. Exploding gestures are juxtaposed with gentle fleeting melodies in an attempt to create a multidimensional soundscape. A common definition of a starburst: “the rapid formation of large numbers of new stars in a galaxy at a rate high enough to alter the structure of the galaxy significantly” lends itself almost literally to the nature of the performing ensemble who premieres the work, The Sphinx Virtuosi, and I wrote the piece with their dynamic in mind.

• Note by composer