UMS Concert Program, December 6, 1954: Ninth Auual Extra Concert Series -- The Robert Shaw Chorale And Concert Ensemble

Season: 1954-1955
Concert: Third
Complete Series: 3147
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
Charles A. Sink, President Thor Johnson, Guest Conductor
Lester McCoy, Associate Conductor
Third Concert 1954-1955 Complete Series 3147
Ninth Annual
Extra Concert Series
THE ROBERT SHAW CHORALE
and CONCERT ENSEMBLE
ROBERT SHAW, Conductor
Monday Evening, December 6, 1954, at 8:30 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
PROGRAM
0 Vos Omnes........Tomas Luis de Victoria
Christ Rising Again.........William Byrd
Fa una canzona..........Orazio Vecchi
Jesus, Dearest Master..........J. S. Bach
Dixit Dominus (Psalm 110)
Laudate Dominum (Psalm 117)1-.......Mozart
Laudate Pueri (Psalm 113) J
INTERMISSION
Nachthelle (Clear Night).........Schubert
Tenor Solo: Michael Gorman Standchen (Serenade)..........Schubert
Contralto Solo: Gretchen Bence or Florence Kopleff
Tom O'Bedlam.........Jacob Avshalomoff
(for Oboe, Jingles, Tabor, Chorus, and Dancer) Tom: Richard Gingrich Choreography by: Daniel Nargin
Choruses from Die Fledermaus......Johann Strauss
Soloists, in order of appearance: Gretchen Bence as Orlofsky
Richard Wright as Eisenstcin Raymond Keast as Falke
Gretchen Rhoads as Adele Jonx la Falce as Frank
The Steinway is the official piano of the University Musical Society and of the Shaw Chorale.
ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS
PROGRAM NOTES
Music of the Late Renaissance
O Vos Omnes...........Tomas Luis de Victoria
(1548-1611)
"All ye that pass by, behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my
sorrow." (Lamentations 1:12) In the Spanish priest-composer Victoria, religious
fervor and musical mastery were joined to produce this work of unsurpassable beauty.
Christ Rising Again...........William Byrd
(1543-1623)
"Christ rising again from the dead, now dieth not . . . and so likewise count yourselves dead unto sin, but living unto our God." (Romans 6:8-10) In the smooth-flowing lines of this English verse-anthem, voices and instruments are treated as one, with lovely contrasts between the sound of women's voices and the full choir.
Fa una canzona.............Orazio Vecchi
(1550-1603)
"Sing me a song with ne'er a note of darkness . . . Oh, so gently lulling me to slumber." The lilting rhythms of this Italian canzonetta reflect the charm of its text--a commentary on love and song.
Jesus, Dearest Master......Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
Chorale: Jesus, Dearest Master
Chorus: So is there no damnation
Chorale: Under Thy protection
Trio: So now the law
Chorale: Hence ye fiends ferocious
Fugue: Ye are not in the flesh
Chorale: Hence ye earthly riches
Trio: If Jesus Christ abide in thee
Chorale: Fare thce well
Chorus: If in your hearts
Chorale: Hence thou imp of sorrow
Albert Schweitzer calls this motet Bach's "Sermon on Life and Death." Its text is taken from a hymn by Johannes Franck, with the interpolation of a verse from Romans 8 between each of the chorale verses. While the musical and spiritual climax of the work comes in the sixth movement fugue: "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit," the whole motet communicates the fire of religious conviction through a beautifully conceived and ordered art.
Three Psalms.......Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
Dixit Dominus (Psalm 110) Laudate Dominum (Psalm 117) Laudate Pueri (Psalm 113)
These three movements from the Vesperae Solenncs de Confessore, though virtually unknown, are magnificent examples of Mozart's vitality and expressive power.
"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." In this symphonic movement, the chorus and orchestra interweave from the beginning to the concluding "Glory be to the Father" with irresistible energy and joy.
RCA Victor Red Seal Records
"O Praise the Lord, all ye nations; praise him, all ye people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us; and the truth of the Lord endureth forever." Over the harplike accompaniment floats a beautiful solo melody which must have been inspired by the "merciful kindness" phrase of the psalm.
"Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord." Psalm 113 becomes a rolling, sonorous fugue, which sings its text with majestic strength.
Songs for Solo Voices and Male Chorus .... Franz Schubert
(1797-1828)
Nachthelle (Clear Night) St'andchen (Serenade)
No music could be more "singing" than these lieder which add an echoing chorus to the lovely interplay between solo voices and piano. Both are in the nature of serenades telling of the wonders of the night, the assurances of friend?ship, and the blessings of slumber.
Tom O'Bedlam.........Jacob Avshalomoff
(for Oboe, Jingles, Tabor, Chorus and Dancer) (1919)
Mad Tom, with feathers and ribbons in his hat, his hair long, his clothes rags, the mark of the Bedlamite branded upon him, was one of the many who were let out of the overcrowded asylum of Bethlehem to roam the country as licensed beggars. Singly or in groups, some still shackled, they traveled from village to village singing, sobbing, and dancing for their supper, heralding their approach with the sound of the ox-horn. The anonymous poem in which Tom tells his story was set to music by Jacob Avshalomoff, then director of the Columbia Uni?versity Chorus, now conductor of the Portland (Oregon) Youth Symphony. The premiere performance was sung by the Collegiate Chorale conducted by Robert Shaw in December, 1953, and the work subsequently was awarded the Music Critics Circle Award as the best choral composition performed in New York last season.
Choruses from Die Fledermaus......Johann Strauss
(1825-1899)
The exuberant gaiety of such waltzes as the "Blue Danube" and "Wienerblut" earned for the younger Johann Strauss the title of "Waltz King." In all, he wrote some sixteen operettas, of which Die Fledermaus is the best known today. An instant success at its first performance in 1874, the plot is full of the masquerades, dances, and convivial songs necessary to Viennese operetta. These ensemble numbers from the second act abundantly prove the work's enduring appeal.
SIXTY-SECOND ANNUAL MAY FESTIVAL
Six Concerts.........May 5, 6, 7, 8, 1955
The University Choral Union will perform Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and Beethoven's Missa Solentnis, under Thor Johnson. The Festival Youth Chorus, under Marguerite Hood, will participate at the Saturday afternoon concert.
The Philadelphia Orchestra will be heard in all six concerts. Eugene Ormandy will conduct the concerts on Thursday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and on Sunday evening.
Subscribers of record to tickets in Block "A" for the current Choral Union Series may renew their present locations up to January 31. All other tickets will be allocated in sequence. Orders with remittances are now being accepted and filed in sequence. Block A, $13.00; Block B, $10.00; Block C, $9.00; Block D, $8.00.
Fifteenth Annual
music festiuru
Rackham Auditorium
BUDHPEST QURRTET
JOSEF ROISMAN BORIS KROYT
First Violin Viola
JAC GORODETZKY MISCHA SCHNEIDER
Second Violin Violoncello
Assisted by ROBERT COURTE, Guest Violist
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 8:30 P.M.
Quartet in G major, Op. 77, No. 1..........Haydn
Quartet No. 1.............Benjamin Lees
Quartet in A minor, Op. 29...........Schubert
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 8:30 P.M.
Quartet in D major, K. 499...........Mozart
Quartet No. 2.............William Denny
Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2.........Beethoven
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2:30 P.M.
Quintet in C major, Op. 29...........Beethoven
Quartet No. 6...............Bartok
Quintet in G major, Op. Ill...........Brahms
Season Tickets (3 concerts): $3.50 and $2.50 Single Concerts: $1.75 and $1.25
CONCERTS
Vienna Choir Boys (2:30 p.m.) .... Sunday, January 16
Isaac Stern, Violinist......Thursday, February 10
Zino Francescatti, Violinist......Monday, March 7
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra .... Tuesday, March 15 Walter Gieseking, Pianist......Tuesday, March 22
New York Philharmonic-Symphony
Orchestra..........Sunday, May 22
Dimitri Mitropoulos, Conductor
TICKETS: Orchestra concerts--$3.50, $3.00, $2.50, $2.00 and $1.50. All other concerts--$3.00, $2.50, $2.00 and $1.50.