COPLAND AND HIS WORLD Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Bard Music Festival 2005 AUGUST 12-14 and AUGUST 19-21 |
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The Bard Music Festival’s 11 concerts, one symposium, three panel discussions, and a special event performance of Copland’s spiky “Piano Fantasy” on August 20 comprise a major survey of what might be called “the Copland century in music.” The 2005 Festival’s coartistic directors are Leon Botstein, Christopher H. Gibbs, and Robert Martin, and Judith Tick and Carol J. Oja are Scholars-in-Residence.
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was 20th-century America’s most prominent composer. He found a unique way to reconcile modernism with music that evoked the landscape and spirit of America. He staunchly advocated a distinctive American voice that could reach a wide public and promoted the careers of a broad range of North and South American composers. “His music and personality cut across the traditional boundaries of the concert hall; he was influenced by jazz, worked in Hollywood, and collaborated with creative figures from the worlds of theater and dance. His life and career offer a fascinating mirror of American life, its politics, popular culture, and conflicting self-images – a mirror that reflects the Gershwin brothers, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Martha Graham, Clifford Odets, Thornton Wilder, Harold Clurman, Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Paul Strand, Virgil Thomson, Roy Harris, Samuel Barber, Roger Sessions, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and Leonard Bernstein.”The documentary film that opens the festival is an appropriate overture to this deep examination of Aaron Copland’s life, works, friends, colleagues, influences, and artistic legacies. More than two dozen of his works will be performed, including indelible favorites like Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring, and thornier pieces like the Piano Variations (1930), Inscape (1967) and Grohg (1922-25/rev. 1932). The earliest works in the festival are The Cat and the Mouse and Three Moods for piano, from 1920/21, while the latest will be Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives) for piano (1972).
The American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, will perform large-scale symphonic works in three concerts, the Bard Chamber Players and Bard Festival Chorus under James Bagwell will participate, and numerous vocal and instrumental soloists will take part as well. Peggy and Mike Seeger will perform in a program of music with commentary titled “Aaron Copland and the Folk Revival” on August 20. In keeping with the Bard Music Festival’s mission to present a composer’s work in a broad musical and cultural context, a wide survey of music of many genres will be performed, and the composer’s place in the historical and political context will be examined and discussed. This year many composers from inside and outside Aaron Copland’s circle will be represented, from George Antheil, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Darius Milhaud, Leo Ornstein, Igor Stravinsky and Virgil Thomson to Pierre Boulez, Benjamin Britten, Carlos Chávez, Jerome Kern, David Del Tredici, Alberto Ginastera and Roger Sessions. There will be a work by his teacher Rubin Goldmark (1872-1936), and works by composers whose work he espoused, and thereby helped, such as Alberto Ginastera and Silvestre Revueltas. In fact, Copland’s interest in Latin America is the subject of an entire program (“South of the Border,” Friday, August 19). And, in the tradition of Bard Music Festival, Princeton University Press will again publish a book of new scholarship and interpretation. This year’s volume, Copland and His World, the 16th in the series, is edited by Judith Tick and Carol J. Oja. Bard Music Festival details at press-time are given below. Updates will be published on the festival website, http://www.bard.edu/fishercenter. The site also provides phone numbers, ticket information, and directions for getting to Bard (only 90 minutes north of Manhattan). The Fisher Center box office, which begins selling tickets for Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival on May 2, 2005, can be reached at 845-758-7900. Tickets will also be available on the Fisher Center website listed above. The Bard Music Festival will present a third weekend of “Copland and His World” this fall, from October 21-23. # # # Works by
Aaron Copland in Bard Music Festival 2005: Three Moods, for piano (1920–21) Two Pieces (1926) Into the Streets May First (1934) Sextet (1937) Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) Appalachian Spring (1944) In the Beginning (1947) From Old American Songs (1950–52) Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives), for piano (1972) Four Motets (1921) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1926) Symphonic Ode (1929; rev. 1955) Grohg (1922–25, rev. 1932) Piano Variations (1930) Vitebsk, for violin, cello, and piano (1929) Music for the Theatre (1925) El salón México (1936; arr. Bernstein) Violin Sonata (1943) Piano Fantasy (1955-57) Statements (1934) Billy the Kid, ballet suite (1938) Quiet City (1940) Piano Quartet (1950) Symphony No. 3 (1946) Preamble for a Solemn Occasion (1949) Inscape (1967) Composers in Bard Music Festival 2005 – Aaron Copland and his World: George Antheil Samuel Barber Marion Bauer Arthur Berger Leonard Bernstein Pierre Boulez Paul Bowles Benjamin Britten John Cage Elliott Carter Carlos Chávez Israel Citkowitz Aaron Copland Henry Cowell Ruth Crawford David Del Tredici David Diamond Irving Fine George Gershwin Alberto Ginastera Rubin Goldmark Louis Gruenberg Roy Harris Lou Harrison James P. Johnson Jerome Kern Colin McPhee Darius Milhaud Conlon Nancarrow Leo Ornstein Walter Piston Silvestre Revueltas Richard Rodgers Dane Rudhyar Ned Rorem Carl Ruggles Domingo Santa Cruz William Schuman Roger Sessions Elie Siegmeister William Grant Still Igor Stravinsky Virgil Thomson Edgard Varèse Heitor Villa-Lobos BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2005AARON COPLAND AND HIS WORLDAugust 12–14, 2005 August 19–21, 2005 WEEKEND ONE August 12-14, 2005FRIDAY, August 12, 2005Special Showing: A Documentary Panorama 10:00 a.m. A selection of documentaries ranging from Leonard Bernstein’s birthday tribute from 1961 to TV interviews will be shown throughout the day. Please consult website for individual show times. (To be repeated Friday, August 19.) 4:00 p.m. A conversation with Vivian Perlis PROGRAM ONE: Aaron Copland: An American Master Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Sosnoff Theater 8:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Leon Botstein 8:30 p.m. Performance: Michael Boriskin, piano; John Hancock, baritone; Nicholas Kitchen, violin; Anna Polonsky, piano; Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano; Diane Walsh, piano; Music from Copland House; Members of the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Bard Festival Chorus, James Bagwell, choral director Aaron Copland (1900–90) Three Moods, for piano (1920–21) Two Pieces (1926) Into the Streets May First (1934) Sextet (1937) Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) Appalachian Spring (1944) In the Beginning (1947) From Old American Songs (1950–52) Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives), for piano (1972) SATURDAY, August 13, 2005 PANEL ONE: Memory and History Olin Hall 10:00 a.m. – noon Judith Tick, moderator; Vivian Perlis; and others PROGRAM TWO: Paris, Boulanger, and Jazz Olin Hall 1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Howard Pollack 1:30 p.m. Performance: Danny Driver, piano; Spencer Myer, piano; Ann Panagulias, soprano; Wesley Rogers, tenor; Bard Festival Chamber Players, Teresa Cheung and Rebecca Miller, conductors; Bard Festival Chorus, James Bagwell, choral director; and others Aaron Copland (1900–90) Four Motets (1921) George Gershwin (1898–1937), Piano Preludes (1926) James P. Johnson (1894–1955), The Carolina Shout (c1917) Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), Ragtime (1917–18) Darius Milhaud (1892–1974), La création du monde, Op. 81 (1923) Louis Gruenberg (1884–1964), The Daniel Jazz, Op. 21 (1925) Marion Bauer (1882–1955), From Four Piano Pieces, Op. 21 (1930) Israel Citkowitz (1909–74), Five Songs from Chamber Music (1930) Virgil Thomson (1896–1989), Hymns from the Old South (1949) PROGRAM THREE: Copland, the Early Years Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Sosnoff Theater 7:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Carol J. Oja 8:00 p.m. Performance: Alan Feinberg, piano; American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor Aaron Copland (1900–90) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1926) Symphonic Ode (1929; rev. 1955) Grohg (1922–25, rev. 1932)
George Antheil (1900–59), A Jazz Symphony (1925) Virgil Thomson (1896–1989), Symphony on a Hymn Tune (1928) SUNDAY, August 14, 2005 PANEL TWO: The Private and the Public Copland: Issues of Personal and National Identity Olin Hall 10:00 a.m. – noon Carol J. Oja, moderator; Nadine Hubbs; David Schiff; Gayle Murchison PROGRAM FOUR: Copland, Advocate of Contemporary American Music Olin Hall 1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Beth Levy 1:30 p.m. Performance: Randolf Bowman, flute; Jennifer Dudley, mezzo-soprano; John Hancock, baritone; Spencer Myer, piano; Anna Polonsky, piano; Bard Festival Chamber Players, Teresa Cheung, conductor; and others Edgard Varèse (1883–1965), Hyperprism (1922–23) Henry Cowell (1897–1965), The Banshee (1925) Ruth Crawford (1901–53), Songs (1929) Roger Sessions (1896–1985), Piano Sonata No. 1 (1927–30) Dane Rudhyar (1895–1985), Paeans (1927) Charles Ives (1874–1954), Songs (1900-21) Colin McPhee (1900–64), Gamelan Transcriptions, for flute and piano (1935–36) PROGRAM FIVE: Varieties of Engagement: The American Jewish Composers Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Sosnoff Theater 5:00 p.m. Performance: Melvin Chen, piano; Robert Martin, cello; Sharon Roffman, violin; Bard Festival Chamber Players, Rebecca Miller, conductor, and others Aaron Copland (1900–90), Vitebsk, for violin, cello, and piano (1929) Music for the Theatre (1925) Rubin Goldmark (1872–1936), Prairie Idylls (1915)Selections from musicals by Leonard Bernstein (1918–90), George Gershwin (1898–1937), Richard Rodgers (1902–79), and Irving Berlin (1888–1989), chosen and introduced by Jonathan Tunick WEEKEND TWO August 19–21, 2005Special Showing: A Documentary Panorama 10:00 a.m. A selection of documentaries ranging from Leonard Bernstein’s birthday tribute from 1961 to TV interviews will be shown throughout the day. Please consult website for individual show times. SYMPOSIUM: Mid-Twentieth-Century American Culture and Politics Room 141 (MPR), Bertelsmann Campus Center 10:00 a.m. – noon 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Geoffrey Sanborn, moderator; Rita Barnard; Lynn Garafola; Michael Kazin; Brenda Murphy; Ellen Schrecker; and others PROGRAM SIX: South of the Border Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Sosnoff Theater 7:30 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Elizabeth Crist 8:00 p.m. Performance: Daedalus String Quartet; Curtis Macomber, violin; Lauren Skuce, soprano; Blanca Uribe, piano; Richard Wilson, piano; Bard Festival Chamber Players; and others Aaron Copland (1900–90), El salón México (1936; arr. Bernstein) Silvestre Revueltas (1899–1940), String Quartet No. 3 (1931) Carlos Chávez (1899–1978), Soli I, for wind instruments (1933) Conlon Nancarrow (1912–97), Prelude and Blues, for piano (1935) Alberto Ginastera (1916–83), Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2 (1937); Cinco canciones populares Argentinas, Op. 10 (1943) Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959), String Quartet No. 17 (1957) Domingo Santa Cruz (1899–1987), Viñetas, Op. 8 (1925–27) Mario Davidovsky (b.1934), Synchronisms, No. 9 (1988) SATURDAY, August 20, 2005 PROGRAM SEVEN: Aaron Copland and the Folk Revival Olin Hall PROGRAM EIGHT: The Lure of Neoclassicism Olin Hall 1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Rodney Lister 1:30 p.m. Performance: Randolf Bowman, flute; Bard Conservatory Woodwind Quintet; Bard Festival String Quartet; Laura Flax, clarinet; Marc Goldberg, bassoon; Ani Kavafian, violin; Diane Walsh, piano; and others Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), Suite from L’histoire du soldat (1918–19) Walter Piston (1894–1976), Three Pieces, for flute, clarinet, and bassoon (1925) David Diamond (b.1915), String Quartet no. 1 (1940) Elliott Carter (b.1908), Woodwind Quintet (1948) Irving Fine (1914–62), Partita for Wind Quintet (1948) Songs by Paul Bowles (1910–99) and William Schuman (1910–92) Special Event: Copland’s Piano Fantasy PROGRAM NINE: In Search of a New National Voice Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Sosnoff Theater 7:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Michael Pisani 8:00 p.m. Performance: American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor Aaron Copland (1900–90) Statements (1934) Quiet City (1940) Carlos Chávez (1899–1978), Sinfonía India (1935–36) Roy Harris (1898–1979), Symphony No. 3 (1938) Jerome Kern (1885–1945), From Mark Twain, Portrait for Orchestra (1942) SUNDAY, August 21, 2005 PANEL THREE: Copland’s Legacy: A Conversation with Composers Olin Hall Richard Wilson, moderator; Mario Davidovsky; David Del Tredici; Yehudi Wyner PROGRAM TEN: Tanglewood and Postwar Tensions Olin Hall 1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Amy Beal Sunday August 21 1:30 p.m. Performance: Bard Festival String Quartet; Courtenay Budd, soprano; Simone Dinnerstein, piano; Marka Gustavsson, viola; Linda Hall, piano; Sharon Roffman, violin; Sophie Shao, cello; Patricia Spencer, flute; Bard Festival Chamber Players Aaron Copland (1900–90), Piano Quartet (1950) John Cage (1912–92) and Lou Harrison (1917–2003), Double Music (1941) Pierre Boulez (b.1925), Flute Sonatine (1946) Lukas Foss (b.1922), Capriccio, for cello and piano (1948) Arthur Berger (1912–2003), Duo, for cello and piano (1951) David Del Tredici (b.1937), I Hear an Army (1964) PROGRAM ELEVEN: The Triumph of the American Symphonic Tradition Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Sosnoff Theater 4:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Christopher H. Gibbs 5:00 p.m. Performance: American Symphony Orchestra; Leon Botstein, conductor Aaron Copland (1900–90) Symphony No. 3 (1946) Preamble for a Solemn Occasion (1949) Inscape (1967) | ||