The Binghamton Youth Symphony has commissioned this piece to be written especially for this concert. We are excited to bring you the first performance. We are also honored to have the composer in our audience this afternoon.

John Webber is originally from England and received much of his musical training in the Marine Band when he was of high school age. Additionally, he attended Trinity College in London. He also attended several colleges and universities in the United States, including Catholic University where he received his doctoral degree.

At present, Mr. Webber resides near Ithaca where he continues to compose and run his own company, Webber Music. His compositions have been performed by orchestras in Europe as well as the United States. It should be noted this his compositions are not limited to orchestral. A complete listing can be round at www.webbermusic.com. You will find that he writes for various ensembles and soloists.

When Mr. Webber was asked to write this piece, there were several parameters he was asked to follow. The piece had to be for full orchestra which would feature all of the sections within the ensemble and it was to be something we could use to open a concert. Initially, there were three pieces submitted by the composer. Rather than choose just one of the pieces, we asked him to combine them in a suite to be used in this year's opening concert. The result is something that is exciting, varied in texture, and is challenging for every section within the orchestra.

When asked where he got the inspiration for the composition of the piece, Mr. Webber had this to say:

“To paraphrase a book I recently read: I don’t know, I’m too dumb to figure it out, all I have left is hope. This little suite was composed in the hope that today’s young people will be able to create a better world tomorrow. (Did we make a better world than our parents?) I wish to suggest, with this music, that acting with sincerity need not be the same as acting seriously.”

We hope you enjoy the piece and the performance.

“Musetta’s Waltz” from La Boheme, Giacomo Puccini

There are many arias from the operas of Puccini, Rossini, Bizet, and others that are familiar to even the most casual of opera listeners. This aria is one of those pieces and will no doubt be familiar to many people in the audience.

Puccini, one of the finest composers of opera, wrote La Boheme so that it could be premiered on February 1, 1896. Many music historians consider this to be his finest work. Like many of the Puccini operas, the story line revolves around the problems involved with the trials and tribulations of being in love. In this aria, Musetta sings to Marcello trying to tell him that she loves him and at the same time attempting not to raise the suspicions of an older man, Mittoneaux, who is very interested in Musetta.

Trombone Concerto, Op. 114, Derek Bourgeois

Derek Bourgeois was born in 1941. He got his music training at Magdalene College, Cambridge University, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. His first significant composition was his Symphonic Variations, written in 1966. Since then, he has developed a reputation for excellence in writing for school and amateur ensembles.

His Trombone Concerto has become a welcome addition to the trombone solo repertoire and is performed with both orchestral and band accompaniments. The solo gives the performer an opportunity to show his technical prowess as well as his ability to be a lyrical performer. The composer has blended tuneful melodies with interesting rhythmic configurations. In addition, he explores almost the entire range of the instrument. In short, the piece is musically interesting and satisfying and allows the performer the opportunity to display the beauty of tone and technical virtuosity that is possible on the trombone.

Overture to the Ballet Don Juan, Christoph Gluck (1714-1787)

This is a short energetic overture with a simple structure. Scale and arpeggio passages are tossed back and forth between violins and woodwinds, supported by harmony in the lower strings and brass. The light breezy style of the music requires good control and articulation of the notes.

When I chose the selections for this program, I was unaware of the sharp controversy that had developed between Gluck and Piccini, the composer of the next selection. Gluck opposed the florid, virtuoso style of Piccini=s Italian opera. He preferred music to be more expressive of the words. It was much like being a Republican or a Democrat today. The two short pieces we are playing show little of these style differences.

Overture from the Opera Didon, Nicola Piccini (1728-1800)

Piccini was a highly gifted composer who history would have held in higher regard if it had not been for the controversy with Gluck, a battle he apparently lost. The classical style, simple harmonic background, and delightful melodies make this a welcome piece for orchestra and audience alike.

Two Waltzes (Nos. 15 and 16, Op. 39), Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

The two waltzes were written for piano and cleverly orchestrated by Clifford Page. The first waltz is the famous Brahms Lullaby familiar to everyone. The music is characterized by the rich harmony of 19^th century romanticism and the opening of the musical phrases much like a blossoming flower. The waltzes are connected as if in one piece.

Moods of Mahler’s First Symphony, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

The first movement brings to mind the towering power of the Austrian Alps. Short, energetic motifs are tossed around the orchestra. You can feel the crisp, clean air and the bright sun.

The second movement depicts the comical scene of the forest animals marching solemnly in the funeral procession of a dead hunter. It is the Are You Sleeping round in a minor key. The middle section is a very chromatic, bittersweet theme that shifts between major and minor keys.

The last movement is an exciting triumphant piece featuring the brass section.

Invitation to the Dance, Carl Maria von Weber

Carl Maria von Weber’s short life, 40 years, took place during the early years of the romantic movement in Germany. He lived at the same time as Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and many other giants of the time. Weber was known as a composer of piano music and, his later years, the German romantic opera. His operas (Der Freischutz, Oberon, and Euryanthe) were the benchmarks for other German operas in that they dealt with real people and not gods, nobles, or heroes. In addition to being instrumental in the development of opera, Weber brought orchestration to new heights, laying the groundwork for people like Wagner.

Invitation to the Dance was originally a piece for piano. Although it is not performed in that medium very much today, it has become a piece of standard orchestra literature since Hector Berlioz orchestrated it. It became the music for the ballet Le Spectre de la Rose, but we now identify it as an incidental piece in many orchestral concerts.

Piano Concerto No. 1, Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt was known as a fine composer and an amazing pianist. He is also the person we credit with having developed the symphonic poem, which is a piece of orchestral music designed to depict a story or emotion.

He was writing his music during the time of the great violinist, Paganini. He also had friendships with Chopin, Berlioz, and was a staunch supporter of Richard Wagner.

His piano music is typified by the piece being performed today. He was a showman, delighting in performing pieces that were too difficult for many of his contemporaries. The concerto is dotted with cadenzas which allow the performer to exhibit his technical prowess. The melodies are reminiscent of the folk songs he heard as a young person in Hungary. The concerto typifies the personality of Liszt. It is brash, forceful, and intricate.

Shepherd’s Hey, Percy Grainger

Percy Grainger is probably Australia’s leading composer. His music is based largely on Australian and British folk songs but at times can be very complicated and thought-provoking.

Grainger was interested in having his music performed by as many ensembles as possible, which explains pieces such as Shepherd’s Hey being scored for both band and orchestra.

If you have never heard the piece to be performed today, please don’t expect a dark, foreboding piece. Instead, you will hear a light, whimsical setting of an Australian folk song that ends with an exciting accelerando. You might also find yourself whistling or humming the melody for some time after the concert.