LUDOVIC MORLOT CONDUCTS STRAUSS, DEBUSSY, WAGNER & JANÁČEK - PLUS
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JUNE/JULY 2019 GRAMOPHONE’S ORCHESTRA OF THE YEAR
LUDOVIC MORLOT, MUSIC DIRECTOR
THANK YOU
LUDOVIC
MORLOT CONDUCTS
STRAUSS, DEBUSSY,
WAGNER & JANÁČEK
PLUS
HOLST'S THE PLANETS,
THE MUSIC OF QUEEN,
STAR WARS, E.T. &
HARRY POTTER
“People travel around the world to get care with us. You don’t have to.” — Dr. Jennie Crews Director of Community Oncology “The best cancer care in the region is coming to your neighborhood. The amazing doctors and nurses I am privileged to work with have made Seattle Cancer Care Alliance one of the top cancer centers in the nation. My commitment is to make sure you can receive SCCA-quality care close to home. That’s why we’re creating a network of SCCA clinics around the Puget Sound — including our newest locations in Poulsbo and Issaquah. Because we believe being around your family, your home, and the life you’ve built is a critical part of world-class cancer care.” You. Us. Better together. Seattle | Kirkland | Northgate | Poulsbo | Issaquah (206) 606-7222 | SeattleCCA.org
CONTENTS JUNE/JULY 2019
4 / Calendar
6 / The Orchestra
46 / Benaroya Hall Guide
FEATURES
5 / On the Beat:
Who’s Here to Hear
7 / Meet the Musicians
8 / Featured Community Partner
10 / News From the Symphony
12 / An Artist’s Legacy: Ludovic
Morlot’s Uncommon Tenure
with the Seattle Symphony
55 / The Lis(z)t
CONCERTS
16 / June 6, 8 & 9
Holst The Planets
16
21 / June 7
[untitled] 3
30 / June 13, 14 & 15
Strauss Till Eulenspiegel
JONATHON HEYWARD 34 / June 16
From Beethoven to Beyoncé
36 / June 20, 22 & 23
Morlot Conducts Debussy
41 / June 20, 22 & 23
30 36
Windborne’s The Music of
Queen
42 / June 27, 28 & 29
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes
MARY LYNCH MARIA MÄNNISTÖ
Back in Concert
43 / July 9 & 10
E.T. The Extra-terrestrial
in Concert
45 / July 12, 13 & 14
ON THE COVER: Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony by Jessica Forsythe
Harry Potter and the Prisoner
COVER DESIGN: Stephanie Tucker
EDITOR: Heidi Staub of AzkabanTM in Concert
© 2019 Seattle Symphony.
All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission
from the Seattle Symphony. All programs and artists are subject to change.
encorespotlight.com 3
LOOKING AHEAD: PERFORMANCE SPACE:
■ S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM
ON THE DIAL: Tune in to Classical KING
SEPT/OCT
FM 98.1 every Wednesday at 8pm for a
■ ILLSLEY BALL NORDSTROM RECITAL HALL Seattle Symphony spotlight and the first
■ OCTAVE 9: RAISBECK MUSIC CENTER Friday of every month at 9pm for concert
■ SAMUEL & ALTHEA STROUM GRAND LOBBY
AT BENAROYA HALL ■ SYMPHONY EVENTS AWAY FROM THE HALL
broadcasts.
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
1 2 3 4 5pm
5 6 7
First Thursday
Open House
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
88 9 10 11 12 13 14
7:30pm 7:30pm 5pm
Distant Worlds: Distant Worlds: Opening Night
music from FINAL music from FINAL Concert & Gala
FANTASY® with the FANTASY® with the SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Seattle Symphony Seattle Symphony
SEATTLE SYMPHONY SEATTLE SYMPHONY
7pm
15 16 17 18 7:30pm
19 12pm
20 9:30 & 11am
21
Clara Schumann Mahler Symphony Mahler Symphony First Concerts: Meet
Bicentennial No. 1 No. 1 the Trumpets
Celebration SEATTLE SYMPHONY SEATTLE SYMPHONY SEATTLE SYMPHONY
BYRON SCHENKMAN &
FRIENDS 8pm 8pm
Claudia Oshry: The Mahler Symphony
Dirty Jeans Tour No. 1
T-PRESENTS SEATTLE SYMPHONY
22 23 24 25 7:30pm 26 8pm 27 8pm 28
Mussorgsky Pictures An Evening with Mussorgsky Pictures
at an Exhibition George Winston at an Exhibition
SEATTLE SYMPHONY LIVE @ BENAROYA SEATTLE SYMPHONY
HALL
8pm
An Evening with
George Winston
LIVE @ BENAROYA
HALL
2pm 29 30 OCTOBER 1 7:30pm 2 5pm 3 10:30am 4 9:30, 10:30 5
Mussorgsky Pictures Anne Sofie von First Thursday Tiny Tots: & 11:30am
at an Exhibition Otter & Kristian Open House The Percussion: Tiny Tots:
SEATTLE SYMPHONY Bezuidenhout SEATTLE SYMPHONY 5, 6, Pick Up Sticks The Percussion:
SEATTLE SYMPHONY SEATTLE SYMPHONY 5, 6, Pick Up Sticks
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
8pm
Warner Bros. 8pm
presents Bugs Bunny Warner Bros.
2pm 6 7:30pm 7 at the Symphony presents Bugs Bunny
Warner Bros. Tinariwen 30th Anniversary at the Symphony
presents Bugs LIVE @ BENAROYA
Edition 30th Anniversary
Bunny at the HALL
SEATTLE SYMPHONY Edition
Symphony 30th SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Anniversary Edition
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
*Donor Events: Call 206.215.4832 for more information seattlesymphony.org TICKETS: 206.215.4747 GIVE: 206.215.4832
4 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG
■O
N THE BEAT
Who’s Here
to Hear
Pacific Northwest’s Premier Summer Orchestra Festival
JUNE 29–JULY 19, 2019
B E L L I N G H A M , WA
Five Orchestra Concerts, Two Chamber Concerts
Guest Artists including
P I A N I S T S G E O R G E L I a nd M A R C - A N D R É H A M E L I N
V I O LI N I S T B E N J A M I N B E I L M A N | G U I TA RI S T P E P E R O M E R O
Photo: James Holt
M E T RO P O LI TA N O P E RA M E Z Z O - S O P RA N O J A M I E B A R TO N
and C A L I D O R E S T R I N G QU A R T E T
“
HAMELIN i n TWO B R A HMS CO NCER TI
a n d B R A HMS Q UINTET w i t h CALID O R E Q UA R TET
I like that there is so much to R O MER O p la y i n g R O D R IGO
experience in Seattle, but it’s not B A R TO N i n GA LA AR IA and CHO R US EVENING
like you have to fit into one box. You can
M ORE IN F O AT BEL L IN GHA MF ES TIVA L . OR G | T ICK ET S: BO XO F F IC E@ WWU . ED U | 36 0 -6 5 0 -6 1 4 6
go out and hit up a pub or you can go
somewhere and hear really interesting
music. I’m big into divey places, spots
that feel homey and where I can just dig
into food that’s cheap and a bit greasy.
But I also love the opposite end of the
spectrum too.
Benaroya Hall is like a second home for
me. Although I’m really into alternative
rock, I’m slightly addicted to orchestra
music too, so I come back here a lot.
I know some of the bartenders and
”
ushers and I’ve got my areas of the hall
I really like. It’s got this atmosphere that
I’m just soaked in at this point.
– Will
End of Day American Oil Painting Around 1900
June 15–September 29, 2019
CONNECT WITH US:
Image: John Henry Twachtman. Dunes Back of Coney Island (detail), ca. 1880.
Share your photos using #ListenBoldly and Oil on canvas. 13 Y x 19 Y in. Frye Art Museum, 1956.010.
follow @seattlesymphony on Facebook, End of Day: American Oil Painting around 1900 is organized by the Frye Art
Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Download Museum and curated by David Strand, head of exhibitions and publications,
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encorespotlight.com 5
LUDOVIC MORLOT
SEATTLE SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR
French conductor Ludovic Morlot has Morlot was Chief Conductor of La Monnaie for three years
been Music Director of the Seattle (2012–14). During this time he conducted several new
Symphony since 2011. During the productions including La Clemenza di Tito, Jenůfa and
2018–2019 season they continue in their Pelléas et Mélisande, as well as concert performances in both
incredible musical journey, focusing Brussels and at the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival.
particularly on the music of Debussy,
and works by composers he influenced Trained as a violinist, Morlot studied conducting at the Pierre
or that influenced him. Among others, Monteux School (U.S.) with Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo.
newly commissioned works this season He continued his education in London at the Royal Academy
Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
are Caroline Shaw’s Piano Concerto and of Music and then at the Royal College of Music as recipient
the U.S. premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s of the Norman del Mar Conducting Fellowship. Morlot was
At Swim-Two-Birds. The orchestra has elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2014 in
won five Grammy Awards under Morlot recognition of his significant contribution to music. He is
and has many successful recordings on Chair of Orchestral Conducting Studies at the University of
their label. Washington School of Music.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ROSTER
LUDOVIC MORLOT Thomas Dausgaard Music Director Designate Pablo Rus Broseta Douglas F. King Associate Conductor
Harriet Overton Stimson Music Director Joseph Crnko Associate Conductor for Choral Activities Gerard Schwarz Rebecca & Jack Benaroya Conductor Laureate
FIRST VIOLIN Wes Dyring OBOE Jonathan Karschney KEYBOARD
Noah Geller Allison Farkas * Mary Lynch Assistant Principal Joseph Adam
Sayaka Kokubo
David & Amy Fulton Concertmaster Principal Jenna Breen Organ +
Daniel Stone
Open Position Supported by anonymous donors John Turman
Rachel Swerdlow
Clowes Family Associate Concertmaster Ben Hausmann Danielle Kuhlmann PERSONNEL MANAGER
Open Position CELLO Associate Principal Scott Wilson
TRUMPET
Assistant Concertmaster Efe Baltacıgil Chengwen Winnie Lai
David Gordon ASSISTANT PERSONNEL MANAGER
Simon James Marks Family Foundation Principal Cello Stefan Farkas
Boeing Company Principal Trumpet
Keith Higgins
Second Assistant Concertmaster Meeka Quan DiLorenzo ENGLISH HORN Alexander White
Jennifer Bai Assistant Principal LIBRARY
Stefan Farkas Assistant Principal
Mariel Bailey Nathan Chan Robert Olivia
Christopher Stingle
Cecilia Poellein Buss Eric Han CLARINET Michael Myers Associate Librarian
Timothy Garland Bruce Bailey
Leonid Keylin Benjamin Lulich Jeanne Case
Roberta Hansen Downey TROMBONE
Mae Lin Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Smith Principal Librarian
Walter Gray
Mikhail Shmidt Vivian Gu
Clarinet Ko-ichiro Yamamoto
Rachel Swerdlow
Clark Story Joy Payton-Stevens Emil Khudyev Principal
Assistant Librarian
John Weller David Sabee Associate Principal David Lawrence Ritt
Jeannie Wells Yablonsky Laura DeLuca Stephen Fissel TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Arthur Zadinsky BASS
Dr. Robert Wallace Clarinet Joseph E. Cook
Jordan Anderson BASS TROMBONE
SECOND VIOLIN Eric Jacobs
Mr. & Mrs. Harold H. Heath Principal Stephen Fissel ARTIST IN ASSOCIATION
Elisa Barston String Bass
E-FLAT CLARINET Dale Chihuly
Principal TUBA
Joseph Kaufman Laura DeLuca
Michael Miropolsky Assistant Principal John DiCesare 2018–2019 SEASON COMPOSER
John & Carmen Delo BASS CLARINET Principal IN RESIDENCE
Jonathan Burnstein
Assistant Principal Second Violin
Brendan Fitzgerald * Eric Jacobs Derek Bermel
Kathleen Boyer Jennifer Godfrey TIMPANI
Gennady Filimonov Travis Gore BASSOON James Benoit HONORARY MEMBER
Evan Anderson Jonathan Green Seth Krimsky Principal Cyril M. Harris †
Natasha Bazhanov Principal Matthew Decker
Brittany Breeden FLUTE
Stephen Bryant Paul Rafanelli Assistant Principal + Resident
Demarre McGill
Mike Gamburg **
Linda Cole Principal
Dana Jackson * PERCUSSION
† In Memoriam
Xiao-po Fei Supported by David and Shelley Hovind ** On Leave
Artur Girsky Michael A. Werner
Andy Liang Jeffrey Barker CONTRABASSOON Principal * Temporary Musician for 2018–2019
Andrew Yeung Associate Principal Mike Gamburg ** season
Michael Clark
Judy Washburn Kriewall Dana Jackson *
VIOLA Matthew Decker
Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby
Susan Gulkis Assadi HORN
HARP
PONCHO Principal Viola PICCOLO Jeffrey Fair
Valerie Muzzolini
Arie Schächter ** Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby Charles Simonyi Principal Horn
Principal
Assistant Principal Robert & Clodagh Ash Piccolo Mark Robbins Supported by Eliza and Brian Shelden
Mara Gearman Associate Principal
Timothy Hale Supported by Stephen Whyte
Penelope Crane
6 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG
■M
EET THE MUSICIANS
Mary Lynch The
Principal Oboe Seattle
Piano
Institute
directed by Robin
McCabe
and Craig Sheppard,
is delighted to share the
achievements of our advanced
students in a final showcase
recital at Meany Center on
the UW campus.
Wednesday, July 17—12:30pm
Come and hear gifted, aspiring
pianists from throughout the US and
abroad, in a rich variety of repertoire.
Free and open to the public
For further information, please contact
www.seattlepianoinstitute.org
SEATTLE
CHAMBER
MUSIC
SOCIETY
JAMES EHNES
Photo courtesy of Mary Lynch
Artistic Director
Tickets on
Sale Now!
from $55
Mary Lynch is always ready for a challenge — after all, that’s why she picked the oboe. “In fourth
grade our band director told us he needed kids who liked challenges to play the oboe,” Mary
SUMMER FESTIVAL
explains. “I didn’t know what the instrument sounded like, but I said, yes, that’s me, I’m your girl.” JULY 1-27, 2019
ILLSLEY BALL NORDSTROM RECITAL HALL at Benaroya Hall
A few years later, in high school, Mary started to realize her instrument could be something special.
“I love that I feel like I can sing through the instrument. In some ways I feel I can be more eloquent
on the oboe than I can when I’m speaking.” BOX OFFICE
206.283.8808 // seattlechambermusic.org
Offstage, Mary enjoys hiking and traveling. “I think it’s the best way for me to clear my head. I find I
get my best ideas and most clear reflections when I’m traveling.”
Despite her love for challenges, Mary also seeks balance. “When I’m hiking, I don’t like just rushing
to the top. I like to see different things and appreciate the beauty,” Mary says. “But reaching the top
and that sense of arrival and accomplishment, especially where there is a great view — I love that.”
Each time she steps on stage, Mary says she can feel people listening. But, for her, “the way to be
most open is not to focus on the audience but to walk onstage with the mentality that performing is
an exercise in vulnerability. I have to bring my honest, open self and share that freely.”
Principal Oboe Mary Lynch’s position is generously supported by anonymous donors.
encorespotlight.com 7
■F
EATURED COMMUNITY PARTNER
Low Income Housing Institute
The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) develops, owns and operates
housing for the benefit of low-income, homeless and formerly homeless
people in Washington State; advocates for just housing policies at the local
and national levels; and administers a range of supportive service programs
to assist those they serve in maintaining stable housing and increasing their
self-sufficiency. They own and/or manage over 2,200 affordable housing
Photo courtesy of Low Income Housing Institute
units at 65 buildings in six counties throughout the Puget Sound region.
LIHI also manages three Urban Rest Stops in Seattle, providing laundry,
showers and restrooms for 800 people a day in Downtown, Ballard and the
University District. LIHI case managers in each village work with residents
to help them obtain housing, employment, health care, education and other
services. LIHI believes that everyone deserves a home.
Low Income Housing Institute is one of nearly 80 partners in the Seattle
Symphony’s Community Connections program which provides complimentary
tickets to communities in the Puget Sound region.
Low Income Housing Institute’s Ernestine Anderson Place, an affordable
housing building for 65 low-income and formerly homeless seniors.
■ OUR MISSION
THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY UNLEASHES THE POWER OF MUSIC,
BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER, AND LIFTS THE HUMAN SPIRIT.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RENÉ ANCINAS Chair* Molly Gabel Secretary* Paula Boggs Vice Chair, Audiences & Communities* Dana Reid Vice Chair, Governance*
Michael Slonski Treasurer* Woody Hertzog Vice Chair, Development* Stephen Whyte Vice Chair, Finance*
DIRECTORS Ronald Koo DESIGNEES Sherry Benaroya Yoshi Minegishi
Rosanna Bowles Stephen Kutz Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby Alexandra Brookshire Marilyn Morgan
Ned Laird* Musician Representative Phyllis Byrdwell Isa Nelson
Renée Brisbois
Leslie Jackson Chihuly Paul Leach* Carla Gifford President, Phyllis Campbell Marlys Palumbo
Scott McCammant Seattle Symphony Chorale Mary Ann Champion Sally Phinny
Isiaah Crawford
Susan Detweiler Michael Mitrovich Stephen Guild President, Robert Collett James Raisbeck
Seattle Symphony Volunteers
Rebecca Ebsworth Hisayo Nakajima David Davis Sue Raschella
Nancy Neraas Jonathan Karschney Nancy Evans Bernice Rind †
Larry Estrada Musician Representative
Jerald E. Farley Laurel Nesholm* Dorothy Fluke Jill Ruckelshaus
Krishna Thiagarajan
Judith Fong Sheila Noonan President & CEO David Fulton H. Jon Runstad
Mauricio Gonzalez Dick Paul Jean Gardner Martin Selig
de la Fuente Jay Picard CHAIR EMERITA Ruth Gerberding John F. Shaw
Brian Grant Peter Russo Leslie Jackson Chihuly James Gillick Linda Stevens
Jeremy Griffin Elisabeth Beers Sandler Gerald Grinstein Patricia Tall-Takacs
Michael Hatch LIFETIME DIRECTORS
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Terry Hecker Jim Schwab* Llewelyn Pritchard Cathi Hatch Cyrus Vance, Jr.
Chair
Jean-François Heitz* Robert Wallace Steven Hill Karla Waterman
Richard Albrecht
Parul Houlahan* Ken Hollingsworth Ronald Woodard
* Executive Committee Susan Armstrong
Douglas Jackson Patricia Holmes Arlene Wright
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William Bain In Memoriam
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Nader Kabbani J. Pierre Loebel
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Viren Kamdar
SEATTLE SYMPHONY FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JEAN-FRANÇOIS HEITZ Kathleen Wright Vice Chair René Ancinas Joaquin Hernandez David Tan
Chair Muriel Van Housen Secretary Nancy B. Evans Viren Kamdar Rick White
Michael Slonski Treasurer Brian L. Grant
BENAROYA HALL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NED LAIRD Chair Mark Reddington Vice Chair Dwight Dively Glen Lee Designees:
Nancy B. Evans Secretary Leo van Dorp Chris Martin Krishna Thiagarajan President & CEO
Michael Slonski Treasurer Jim Duncan Tom Owens Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby Musician Representative
8 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG
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encorespotlight.com 9
NEWS FROM: ■ NEW RELEASES!
LUDOVIC MORLOT, MUSIC DIRECTOR
Thank you for joining me this season, and for the past
eight wonderful years of music-making!
This is my final month as Music Director of the Seattle
Symphony. As I reflect on my tenure, I am grateful
Photo: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
for the privilege of leading this great orchestra.
We’ve grown so much throughout the past eight
years. We’ve hired 32 new musicians, created five
new positions, launched our in-house recording
label Seattle Symphony Media, released over 19
recordings, won five Grammy Awards, and been On June 14 Become Desert, the
named Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year. We also much-anticipated companion to
played to great acclaim in Carnegie Hall. John Luther Adams’ Grammy and
From the start, part of my vision for this orchestra has been to bring music by living Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean,
composers to the stage, and to develop our curiosity through new collaborations and will be released on Cantaloupe
partnerships. We’ve done just that, commissioning over 50 new works for orchestra Music. Commissioned by the Seattle
and performing the world premieres of over 50 compositions. We’ve also invited Symphony, the recording captures
musicians from different genres to perform with us. By experiencing new music and the Seattle Symphony performing
new collaborations we are able to view the classical canon in a new light, discover
under Ludovic Morlot in Benaroya
new connections across centuries and continents — we are able to invigorate and
Hall, where the orchestra premiered
illuminate the music we all know and love.
the piece in March 2018.
So many nights of music still ring in my ears. It has been so incredible to be able to
share the music I love with you. Coming to mind are wonderful memories of Stravinsky
programs — Persephone and the three Stravinsky ballets in one night — the Tuning
Up! festival of American music, the first Seattle Symphony performance of Messiaen’s
Turangalîla Symphony, and many wonderful nights in the lobby for our [untitled] series,
covering music from Schoenberg to Feldman to Boulez. There have been so many
thrilling moments over the years.
I am proud to have led this orchestra through the latest chapter of its history. It is
incredibly gratifying to be able to leave the orchestra on such sure footing with my
friend and colleague, Music Director Designate Thomas Dausgaard.
Thank you all for being my steadfast companions on this musical journey. You have
allowed my vision of what is possible for the Seattle Symphony to come to fruition.
Your curiosity and spirit of exploration are the true embodiment of my success. Ludovic Morlot has championed
the music of his countrymen with
recordings of French revolutionaries
Cordialement, Berlioz, Boulez, Dutilleux and
Ludovic Morlot Messiaen with the Seattle Symphony.
On July 26 Seattle Symphony Media
releases an album that defines his
legacy as a foremost interpreter of
contemporary French repertoire,
featuring works by Marc-André
Dalbavie.
NOTA BENE This album includes Dalbavie’s
La source d’un regard alongside
ONE VERY BIG DAY On May 8 the Seattle Symphony community came together in a BIG concertos for oboe, flute and cello
way, contributing over $337,000 in support of live symphonic music, and meeting three with Principal Oboe Mary Lynch,
individual matching challenges throughout the day. GiveBIG is all about community, and Principal Flute Demarre McGill and
you showed that we can do amazing things when we all come together. Thank you!
guest cellist Jay Campbell.
seattlesymphony.org/givebig
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Single tickets for the exciting 2019–2020 Seattle Symphony Stream and download Seattle Symphony
season go on sale Saturday, August 3! Don’t miss a moment as we welcome recordings through your favorite online
incoming Music Director Thomas Dausgaard. Visit our website for the full line-up: music retailer or streaming service,
seattlesymphony.org. or pick up a CD at Symphonica, The
Symphony Store at Benaroya Hall before
your concert or during intermission.
10 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORGJune 2019
Volume 32, No. 10
Paul Heppner
President
Mike Hathaway
Senior Vice President
Kajsa Puckett
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Genay Genereux
Accounting & Office Manager
Production
Susan Peterson
Vice President, Production
Jennifer Sugden
Assistant Production Manager
Ana Alvira, Stevie VanBronkhorst
Production Artists and Graphic Designers
Sales
Marilyn Kallins, Terri Reed
San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives
Devin Bannon, Brieanna Hansen,
Amelia Heppner, Ann Manning
Seattle Area Account Executives
Carol Yip
Sales Coordinator
Marketing
Shaun Swick
Senior Designer & Digital Lead
Ciara Caya
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Verdi’s thrilling tale of lechery, betrayal, In Italian with English subtitles.
and revenge runs the emotional gamut in Evenings 7:30 PM
true operatic fashion while filling the stage Sundays 2:00 PM
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“La donna è mobile”. This powerful and MCCAW HALL
evocative new staging mixes grit and 206.389.7676
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encorespotlight.com 11AN
ARTIST’S
LEGACY
Ludovic Morlot’s Uncommon
Tenure with the Seattle Symphony
By Rosalie Contreras
The Seattle Symphony’s meteoric rise adventurous experiences modeled after pillows, lined the stairs, perched on stools
under Music Director Ludovic Morlot is the Rug Concerts presented by Pierre sipping drinks. This is your new symphony
one of the most exciting success stories Boulez in 1970s New York. Could such an .... It breathes.”
among American orchestras in recent experiment work in Seattle? After seven
years. Ludovic’s inspirational leadership seasons of the [untitled] series, which has The adventurous programming extended
paired with the talent, innovative spirit explored composers from John Cage to to 58 commissions and 56 world premieres
and determination of musicians, board, Agata Zubel, the answer is a resounding by an impressive roster of composers
administrative staff, audiences and the “yes.” These performances regularly sell ranging from John Luther Adams to Aaron
larger community, created a rare alchemy out to those seeking a rare and magical Jay Kernis to Caroline Shaw. Several of
that resulted in exhilaration and acclaim experience, happy to perch on cushions, these projects, including John Luther
radiating far beyond Benaroya Hall. sofas, stairs and yes, actual rugs. Adams’ Become Ocean, Kernis’ Violin
Concerto performed by James Ehnes and
“It breathes” As former arts critic for The Stranger Morlot’s brilliant exploration of French
Jen Graves wrote in 2012 about the repertoire, have earned the orchestra five
When Ludovic first arrived in Seattle, first [untitled] concert, “... the audience Grammy Awards in the past five years,
he envisioned creative programming wandered at will between different floors to as well as the distinction of being named
on the main stage, but also craved the sample different acoustics, stretched out on Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year.
12 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORGAbove: Morlot conducts Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortiléges in 2017 with set design by Anne Patterson. Photo: Brandon Patoc
Opposite: Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony in Benaroya Hall in 2016. Photo: Brandon Patoc
Adams’ next major release, Become Desert, which The New York Times’ Carnegie Hall review stated,
comes out June 14, 2019, is another example of the “The performance Mr. Morlot coaxed from his players
beautiful collaboration that Ludovic fosters between was rich with shimmering colors and tremulous
conductor, composer and orchestra. energy. The engagement of the musicians with this
work, and with Mr. Morlot, came through in every
Including the upcoming all-Dalbavie disc coming out moment.”
July 26, 2019, Ludovic has conducted 19 recordings
on the Seattle Symphony Media (SSM) label. SSM Other bold programs ventured into the theatrical
launched in 2014 following a collaborative agreement with dramatic use of staging, lighting and costumes
with Seattle Symphony musicians that allows the in works such as Stravinsky’s Persephone with sets
release of a significant number of recordings each designed by Michael Curry of Disney fame, and
year from both live concerts and studio sessions, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, which incorporated
a first for the Seattle Symphony and an unusual projections and sculptural costumes to breathtaking
arrangement among American orchestras. In addition, effect. Composer celebrations, festivals and
Ludovic conducted the Seattle Symphony on other collaborations included the American music festival,
labels, perhaps most notably in five previously Tuning Up! in 2016, the city-wide Shakespeare Festival
unrecorded works by American composer George in 2018, and a season-long exploration of Berlioz that
Perle on Bridge Records. culminated in Ludovic conducting Beatrice & Benedict
at Seattle Opera.
Turning Point
“Ludovic prominently placed the Seattle Symphony
A defining moment in the orchestra’s history was on the global map by guiding us towards receiving
the 2014 performance at Carnegie Hall as part of international awards and recognition for recordings
the Spring for Music festival. Morlot conducted the and partnering with the leading composers of our
orchestra in an audacious program of Varèse’s time,” commented Elena Dubinets, Vice President
Déserts, Debussy’s La mer and Adams’ Become of Artistic Planning & Creative Projects. “Seattle
Ocean, which the Seattle Symphony commissioned audiences experienced amazing music by such
and premiered in Seattle the previous June. The composers as Kinan Azmeh (Syria), Du Yun (China),
piece, part mesmerizing beauty and part social Dai Fujikura (Japan), Heiner Goebbels (Germany),
commentary on climate change, won the 2014 Pulitzer Giya Kancheli (Georgia), Alexander Raskatov (Russia),
Prize for music and the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Luís Tinoco (Portugal), Agata Zubel (Poland) and
Classical Contemporary Composition. many others, all present in Seattle for the premieres
of their compositions conducted by Ludovic. Elliott
encorespotlight.com 13“Seattle loves you, you have
done so much for our city,
and you have given so much
honor to Benaroya Hall.”
– Becky Benaroya
Carter dedicated his last orchestral work to
Ludovic. We have co-commissioned many
of these pieces with major orchestras in
Europe, Asia and the U.S., and the name
of the Seattle Symphony is now carried on
the scores of all these pieces when they
are performed anywhere in the world.”
Genre Busting
Beyond inviting collaborations with the
most exciting composers and musicians in
the classical realm, Ludovic also created
partnerships with artists from a variety of
genres including Mike McCready,
Sir Mix-a-Lot and Bill Frisell.
The collaboration with McCready and hires represent approximately 30% of the partners and later joining the faculty of the
other members of Seattle bands Pearl orchestra. This, along with the expansion to University of Washington School of Music.
Jam, Screaming Trees, Alice in Chains and four winds and trumpets, are examples of
Temple of the Dog resulted in a compelling the lasting impact that music directors An important but often-overlooked
performance and recording in tribute to can have. program inspired by Ludovic is the Family
Mad Season and former bandmate Layne Connections ticketing program, which
“Since I first played with the Seattle invites up to two young people, ages 8–18,
Staley. The concert recording was one of
Symphony in 2012, I’ve witnessed the to attend most Masterworks and Pops
the last releases to feature Chris Cornell,
orchestra grow artistically at an exponential concerts free when accompanied by a
loved by music fans all over the world. The
rate — and we are not slowing down,” paying adult ticketholder. This removes
collaboration with Sir Mix-a-Lot, with the
shares Assistant Principal Trumpet barriers to concert attendance, allowing
premiere of Gabriel Prokofiev’s orchestral
Alexander White. “Ludo has always countless parents, grandparents, music
arrangement of “Baby Got Back,” shattered
demanded an in-depth, nuanced approach teachers and others to share their love of
centuries of classical music tradition with a
to music-making from the orchestra symphonic music with the young people in
viral video, viewed over seven
centered around a deep dive into the their lives.
million times.
French repertoire with pieces both familiar
and unknown. This approach, combined Seattle audiences from all walks of life
Today’s Sound
with the musicians working with Ludo to have responded with great affection to this
Ludovic focused on developing the sound make myriad fantastic hires during his emphasis on all the ways the orchestra
of the orchestra, introducing repertoire tenure, has brought you the five-time can connect with the community, from
that the Seattle Symphony hadn’t typically Grammy Award-winning, Gramophone free Community Concerts to the ever-
performed in the past, including music Orchestra of the Year, the Seattle expanding reach of Link Up for school
of the French masters of the 19th and Symphony, as you know it today. Here’s children and the Simple Gifts program
20th centuries. Since his arrival in 2011 to the great work done by Ludo with the for those experiencing homelessness or
Ludovic hired 32 musicians, including eight musicians, staff and board of the housing insecurity.
principal musicians and five assistant or Seattle Symphony!”
associate principals. An important change Audience Kudos
during Ludovic’s tenure was the move from Seattle First
“The one thing I wish I could have done, or
three to four positions for wind instruments
The mission of the Seattle Symphony is to said, was to let Maestro Morlot how much I
and trumpets. This is critically important to
unleash the power of music, bring people appreciate what he has done for and with
enhance the quality of the orchestra, and
together, and lift the human spirit. From the Symphony. There is a new life in the
to attract and retain the best musicians.
his very first season in Seattle, Ludovic orchestra and in the music I very much
While the audition process includes a lot of dedicated himself to our community, enjoy. I am quite grateful for his work.”
input from musician committees, the music personally conducting Family Concerts, – Patrick A.
director has the final say, and Ludovic’s strengthening relationships with local arts
14 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG“One of the joys of my life is when I am “He connected with people and his family
an enthusiastic member of the audience made themselves a part of Seattle. Their
at Benaroya [Hall]. Ludovic Morlot is a personal connection created a bond of trust
treasure and always makes me feel like all and credibility among our audiences. He
is well in the world when we are able to took a very traditional symphony orchestra
join him in celebrating the magic of music.” and made it one of the most innovative in
– Jacqueline S. the U.S. What is most impressive is that the
audience came along on this bold journey
One metric that says it all, the orchestra that our incoming Music Director Thomas
experienced 10% growth in paid will continue. I look forward to Ludo’s return
Masterworks capacity since Ludovic’s as a guest conductor in two years and I am
arrival. The achievements reached during excited for the possibilities his work opened
Ludovic’s eight-year tenure can be up to us! Thank you, my friend.”
described as nothing short of remarkable,
“My dearest Ludo, ... You have touched my
and his impact on this orchestra and
heart,” adds Becky Benaroya. “What a huge
community will continue to be visible
void you will be leaving, but you have also
and felt for years to come. From moving
left your mark. Seattle loves you, you have
performances brought about by stellar
done so much for our city, and you have
programming and artistic leadership, to
given so much honor to Benaroya Hall.” Photos, clockwise from left:
evolution of the orchestra’s quality, critical
acclaim and award-winning recordings, The Morlot family with Becky and Jack
There are many more such sentiments from Benaroya at an event welcoming the
measurement in the near term is abundant. audiences near and far, but perhaps the Morlots to Seattle in 2010.
last word should go to Sir Mix-a-Lot, as he Photo: Ben VanHouten
“The power of Ludo’s personality cannot
proclaimed onstage in 2014 to thunderous Ludovic Morlot conducts Stravinsky’s
be underestimated in this success,” shares
applause, “This man is the shiznit!” Persephone in 2018 with puppetry and
President & CEO Krishna Thiagarajan. staging by Michael Curry.
Photo: Brandon Patoc
Vice President of Artistic Planning
Thank you, Ludovic Morlot, for eight transformative years! & Creative Projects Elena Dubinets,
composer John Luther Adams and
You have led us on a journey of unforgettable music, and together we have listened boldly.
Ludovic Morlot following performances
The Seattle Symphony is grateful to the following donors for your special gifts in tribute to of Become Desert at UC Berkeley in
2018. Photo: James Holt
Music Director Ludovic Morlot, and his outstanding contribution to the orchestra and our lives.
Ghizlane and Ludovic Morlot with
René and April Ancinas Senator and Benjamin and Kelly Martz
Judith Fong and Mark Wheeler at the
Rebecca Benaroya Mrs. Daniel J. Evans Yoshi and Naomi Minegishi 2015-2016 Opening Night Gala.
The Larry Benaroya Family Judith A. Fong Gary Morse and Ellen Bowman Photo: Brandon Patoc
Foundation Lenore Hanauer The Nakajima Family
President & CEO Krishna Thiagarajan,
Paula Boggs and Randee Fox Jean-François and John and Laurel Nesholm
Ludovic Morlot and Board Chair René
John Delo and Elizabeth Stokes Catherine Heitz Rosalind Poll Ancinas with a 2019 Grammy Award.
Dr. Susan Detweiler Norm Hollingshead Dana Reid and Larry Hitchon Photo: James Holt
Liz and Miles Drake Nancy Neraas and Michael King Seattle Symphony Volunteers
Jim and Gaylee Duncan Dana and Ned Laird Patricia Tall-Takacs and
Jan and Brit Etzold Jeff Lehman and Katrina Russell Gary Takacs
Marks Family Foundation Dr. Robert Wallace
Make your gift in tribute of Ludovic Morlot today! seattlesymphony.org/donate | 206.215.4832 encorespotlight.com 156/6–9
THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019, AT 7:30PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2019, AT 8PM
SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2019, AT 2PM
OVERVIEW
HOLST THE PLANETS English Music
Along with its vast treasury of literature,
H ON O RIN G T HE LEGACY OF B U STER & NANCY ALVO R D England has given the world a wealth
of music. This includes both a rich
tradition of folk song and the work of
Jonathon Heyward, conductor
many fine composers. Among the latter
Seattle Symphony Chorale are Renaissance masters (Thomas Tallis,
Seattle Symphony William Byrd and others); a slightly later
school of Elizabethan musicians (pre-
eminently John Dowland); and leading
HANNAH KENDALL The Spark Catchers (U.S. Premiere) 10’
figures of the Baroque period, notably
Henry Purcell and G.F. Handel.
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 98 in B-flat major, Hob. I:98 28’
Adagio—Allegro Handel was not a native Englishman but
Adagio an immigrant from Germany who lived
Minuet: Allegro for most of his life, and created all his
Finale: Presto great music, in London. His dominance
of the musical life of his adopted country
initiated a curious situation: for nearly two
IN T ER M IS S IO N
centuries, the outstanding composers
active in England were visitors from the
GUSTAV HOLST The Planets 51’ continent. They included such illustrious
Mars, the Bringer of War names as Haydn, Mendelssohn, Bruch
Venus, the Bringer of Peace and Dvořák. Not until the end of the 19th
Mercury, the Winged Messenger century did England again produce, in the
Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity person of Edward Elgar, a composer of
Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age international stature.
Uranus, the Magician
Elgar’s achievement seems to have
Neptune, the Mystic
released a pent-up flood of musical
SEATTLE SYMPHONY CHORALE creativity in England, which saw, during
the first half of the 20th century, the
emergence of accomplished composers
Pre-concert Talk one hour prior to performance. such as Frederick Delius, Gustav Holst,
Speaker: Sarah Pyle, writer and musicologist Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin
Britten. English composers remain
Holst’s The Planets is generously underwritten by an anonymous donor. prominent on the world stage. Along
with established artists, including George
Holst’s The Planets is presented as part of the Seattle Symphony’s New Music WORKS
Benjamin and Thomas Adès, a new
initiative, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. New
generation of creative musicians have
Music WORKS features commissions, concerts and educational activities that use composition
as a catalyst for collaboration and engagement in music.
made Great Britain an important locus of
compositional innovation.
Please note that the timings provided for this concert are approximate. Our concert of music from England begins
Please turn off all electronic devices and refrain from taking photos or video. with a recent piece by a skilled and
Performance ©2019 Seattle Symphony. Copying of any performance by camera, audio or video recording imaginative young composer, Hannah
equipment, and any other use of such copying devices during a performance is prohibited.
Kendall. We then hear from an esteemed
visitor to London, Franz Joseph Haydn,
who composed his superb final dozen
symphonies specifically for presentation
in the English capital. And we conclude
with one of the most popular English
compositions in the orchestral literature,
Gustav Holst’s zodiac fantasy The Planets.
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encorespotlight.com 17OVERVIEW PROGRAM NOTES
“
As a young conductor, I am July 1888 saw a historic labor action Madness,” whose music, Kendall observes,
approaching this music for the first in London, as women and adolescent “maintain[s] the initial kinetic energy, whilst
time which is always truly rewarding for girls walked off their jobs at a match- also producing a darker and brooding
me. What I look forward to is presenting manufacturing facility in an impoverished atmosphere introduced in the bass lines.”
the brilliant work of Hannah Kendall east-end neighborhood known as Bow.
to the West Coast and diving into two The strikers, who endured 14-hour work This eventually gives way to a central
of my favourite orchestral works. I am days in appalling conditions, demanded episode, “Beneath the Stars / In the Silver
particularly excited to work on the an end to capricious dismissals, petty fines Sheen.” The music here is slow, quiet,
amazing atmosphere and sounds of The and deductions for materials from their delicate. But it recaptures its initial vigor
Planets not only with the great musicians meager pay, as well as a separate room in in the ensuing section. This begins in a
of the Seattle Symphony but also with the which to take meals, one uncontaminated coruscating manner reminiscent of the
women of the Seattle Symphony Chorale. by the toxic white phosphorus used on work’s opening moments, then proceeds
the factory floor. The matchmakers’ strike to “The Matchgirls March,” whose broad,
My favourite thing about performing is the lasted two weeks and won important determined theme sounds in counterpoint
idea of creating something much larger concessions from the plant’s owners. to sharp sonic jabs.
than one human being. Collaboration Scored for 2 flutes and piccolo; 2 oboes;
is one of the key reasons I wanted to This event is memorialized in a poem,
2 clarinets (the second clarinet doubling bass
become a conductor and to be able to “Spark Catchers,” by the English writer clarinet); 2 bassoons; 4 horns; 2 trumpets;
bring different sounds, ideas and colours Lemn Sissay. In language rich with 3 trombones; tuba; percussion; harp; strings.
together to form a narrative has got to alliteration, metaphor and imagery, Sissay
be the most exciting part of performing imagines workers lunging from their places
on the match-factory floor to snare with FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN
for me!
”
their bare hands sparks of phosphorous Symphony No. 98 in B-flat major,
This is my first venture to Seattle and I am ignited by their work. “They became spark Hob. I:98
so excited to have an enormous amount of catchers,” Sissay writes, “and on the word
“strike” / a parched arched woman would BORN: March 31, 1732, at Rohrau, Austria
coffee!
dive / With hand outstretched to catch the DIED: May 31, 1809, in Vienna
light. / And land like a crouching tiger with WORK COMPOSED: 1792
fist high / Holding the malevolent flare tight WORLD PREMIERE: March 4, 1792, in London,
– Jonathon Heyward / ‘til it became an ash dot in the palm.” The under the composer’s direction.
poem goes on to praise “... the magnificent
grace / The skill it took, the pirouette in
HANNAH KENDALL mid air / The precision, perfection and
the peace.” What to Listen For
The Spark Catchers (U.S. Premiere) Haydn cleverly transforms the
Sissay’s poem provided the inspiration theme of the slow introduction that
BORN: 1984, in London
for Hannah Kendall’s 2017 composition begins the symphony to serve also as the
NOW RESIDES: London
The Spark Catchers. Kendall is a bright principal idea in the main body of the first
WORK COMPOSED: 2017 light among the young generation of movement. Haydn’s earliest symphonies,
WORLD PREMIERE: August 30, 2017, in London. British composers, the author of a growing written some four decades before this one,
The orchestra Chineke! was conducted by body of work that includes orchestral often featured extended solos for different
Kevin John Edusei. compositions, chamber music, songs and instruments, somewhat in the manner of
an opera. Her music has been performed a concerto. The composer revives that
by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, practice in the finale of this work.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC
What to Listen For Singers, Philharmonia Orchestra and other
This single-movement piece ensembles. The Spark Catchers received London in the 18th century had, as it does
consists, broadly, of three linked its premiere performance at the Royal today, one of the liveliest music scenes
sections yielding a classic fast–slow– Albert Hall as part of the storied BBC in the world. Public concerts had been
fast pattern. The opening begins with Proms concerts, in August 2017. given in the English capital since the
quick, nervous rhythms and shimmering 1670s, far earlier than in any other city,
instrumental colors, but darker, ominous In the score of The Spark Catchers, and the opportunities these presented
sounds soon intrude. A slow central Kendall used words or phrases from soon attracted musicians of international
episode achieves, as the composer Sissay’s poem as headings for the stature. The German-born Handel spent
notes, “gleaming delicacy through long composition’s several sections. These most of his career in London, as did
interweaving lines, high pitch range and quotations hint at the character of the Johann Christian Bach a generation later.
thin textures.” The final section brings music. She calls the opening section Later still, the city received a particularly
dance-like music and a “Matchgirls March” “Sparks and Strikes,” and its music is distinguished visitor: Franz Joseph Haydn.
punctuated by strong chordal interjections. aptly bright, colorful and energetic. Its
rhythmic momentum carries over to the Haydn had spent most of his career —
next portion of the piece, “The Molten more than three decades by this time
18 SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG— working as resident composer and GUSTAV HOLST Each of the seven movements that
conductor at the palace of a Hungarian constitute The Planets expresses a
prince, Nikolaus Esterházy. Prince The Planets mood suggested by the astrological
Nikolaus’ death, in 1790, gave Haydn the BORN: September 21, 1874, in Cheltenham, sign associated with its particular planet.
freedom to pursue other opportunities, England
These pieces fall into two general
and he promptly accepted an invitation types: scherzando movements, which
DIED: May 25, 1934, in London
to London, there to preside at concerts are lively, brash and rhythmic; and quiet
featuring his music. The composer arrived WORK COMPOSED: 1914–16 meditations of a remote, timeless nature.
in London at the beginning of 1791 and WORLD PREMIERE: November 15, 1920, in The former group includes Mars which
attracted enthusiastic audiences. The London. Albert Coates conducted the London opens The Planets in thunderous fashion;
success of his initial concerts prompted Symphony Orchestra. Mercury with animated music appropriate
Haydn to extend his sojourn in England to its namesake; Jupiter whose character
through the middle of the following year. derives in large part from the flavor of
He would return to London for a second English folk song, though no traditional
visit in 1794–95. What to Listen For tunes are actually quoted; and Uranus.
The characters of the seven
Haydn’s principal offering to his English movements are suggested by Among the contemplative sections are
listeners was a series of symphonies, his their respective subtitles. Mars brings an Venus; Saturn, described by Holst as
final dozen works in this form, now known almost terrifying degree of sonic menace. conveying not so much the physical decay
collectively as his “London” symphonies. By contrast, in Venus flutes, celeste of old age but a vision of fulfillment; and
Symphony No. 98 in B-flat major made its and solo strings contribute to an air of Neptune where the orchestra, playing
debut on March 4, 1792. Its success on ethereal delicacy. But the most striking hushed, reverent sonorities, is joined in
this occasion can be surmised from the novelty in the scoring comes with Neptune the final passage by a wordless chorus of
fact that the audience demanded encores where a chorus of women’s voices women’s voices. (This last was a resource
of both its first and last movements. (Such sings wordlessly, adding to an already much in vogue among composers of
demonstrations of enthusiasm have, alas, mysterious atmosphere. the Impressionist school, in which Holst
been banished from concert etiquette.) can reasonably be included, during the
early years of the last century. Debussy
Haydn begins the first movement with an Gustav Holst belongs to that fascinating employed it, for example, in the Sirènes
introduction in slow tempo. The theme tradition, the eccentric English artist. A frail, movement of his orchestral Nocturnes,
announced in its initial measures merits shy descendant of German and Russian which Seattle Symphony performs here
attention; for when the pace quickens immigrants, Holst was idealistic, obsessive June 21–23, as did Ravel in the music for
and the harmonies brighten, signaling the and solitary. Throughout his life he delved his ballet Daphnis et Chloé.)
onset of the main body of the movement, into mysticism and esoteric studies, even
we find a variant of the same idea serving learning Sanskrit in order to read the Despite these two broad groupings,
as the principal subject. Mahabharata and other Hindu scriptures each “planet” is distinct in character and
in their original language. thematic material, a few well-chosen
There follows a moving Adagio whose melodic cross-references notwithstanding.
theme bears a certain resemblance to These interests might seem unrelated Many admirable details of compositional
the anthem “God Save the King.” While to Holst’s efforts as a composer, but in craftsmanship contribute to the vividness
this suggests a bow on Haydn’s part to fact they were closely connected to it. of Holst’s zodiac portrayals. Among
his English hosts, Donald Francis Tovey, “As a rule,” Holst once admitted, “I only other things, we can note the brilliant
the British conductor and commentator, study things which suggest music to me.” orchestration, the deft handling of complex
speculated that Haydn wrote this Consequently, a number of Holst’s early rhythms, and the haunting modal melodies
movement as a tribute to his recently works were operas and choral settings of its slow movements. The effectiveness
deceased friend and colleague Wolfgang based on sacred Hindu texts. During the of these elements has not faded, and The
Amadeus Mozart. years just prior to World War I, he became Planets is still one of the most impressive
interested in astrology and learned to and widely enjoyed orchestral works to
Following the traditional third movement cast horoscopes. It is uncertain whether have come out of England during the
minuet, the symphony concludes with he gained from this activity the insight last century.
a finale featuring solos for violin and for into human nature and the workings
harpsichord. Haydn himself played the of the world that astrology’s devotees Scored for women’s chorus; 4 flutes (the
latter at the symphony’s first performance, ascribe to the practice, but the diverse
third flute doubling piccolo, the fourth flute
surprising and delighting his listeners. characters associated with the planets
doubling piccolo and bass flute); 3 oboes and
English horn (the third oboe doubling bass
Scored for flute; 2 oboes; 2 bassoons; in both astrology and Roman mythology oboe); 3 clarinets and bass clarinet; 6 horns;
2 horns; 2 trumpets; timpani; harpsichord; did indeed “suggest music” to Holst. 4 trumpets; 3 trombones; tenor and bass
strings. The result was The Planets, a suite of tubas; timpani and percussion; celeste; organ;
seven short tone poems begun in 1914 2 harps; strings.
and completed two years later. This work
proved immediately and enormously © 2019 Paul Schiavo
successful, and it remains Holst’s best-
known composition.
encorespotlight.com 19You can also read
