September – Celestial Journey Composers

John Williams (b 1932)

“Adventures on Earth” from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), 10 minutes

Flutes, piccolo, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, contrabassoon, horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, chimes, cymbals, snare drum, tam-tam, triangle, xylophone, harp, piano, celesta, strings

The GJSO last performed this work in 2017 with Charles Latshaw, conducting

John Williams is an accomplished and award-winning composer and conductor. Best known for his film scores, often in collaboration with Steven Spielberg, Williams has also written numerous classical compositions and served as the conductor of the Boston Pops. He was born in Floral Park, New York in 1932. The family moved to Los Angeles when Williams was sixteen. He attended the Los Angeles City College for one semester, performing with the school’s jazz band. He later attended UCLA to study composition. Williams was drafted in 1952 and he served as a conductor and arranger for the U.S. Air Force Band. After his service, Williams attended the Juilliard School and worked throughout New York City as a jazz pianist. He moved back to Los Angeles and became a studio musician, playing on various film scores, and writing orchestrations. Williams began writing his compositions, first for television, then for films, utilizing his familiarity with both jazz and classical styles. He received his first Academy Award nomination in 1967 for The Valley of the Dolls and won his first award in 1971 for Fiddler on the Roof.

In 1974, Steven Spielberg approached Williams to write the score for his directorial debut, The Sugar Land Express, beginning a famous and long-lasting collaboration.  During this time, Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend, George Lucas, for his new movie Star Wars, beginning another important collaboration. Williams is best known for the movie scores completed for Spielberg and Lucas which feature lush romantic and sweeping melodies. Williams often uses leitmotif, short recurring themes that are associated with a certain character, sometimes helping to tell the story. His evocative themes signify entire film franchises, setting the tone for the worlds of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter with beautiful and memorable melodies. Williams has been nominated for 54 Academy Awards (the second most nominated person behind Walt Disney), winning five. He has also won BAFTAs, Grammys, Golden Globes, and Emmys, as well as receiving the Kennedy Center Honor. Williams’ style is easily recognizable, but he can adapt that style to fit a wide variety of movies. Whether trying to evoke World War II Germany, China, the American West, or outer space, Williams seems to find just the right melody to transport us into a different world for a few hours.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the sixth collaboration between Williams and Spielberg. The climactic end of the movie, featuring Elliott and his friends’ harrowing bicycle escape, the magical moment when they take flight thanks to E.T., and the poignant goodbye as E.T. returns home, features ten minutes of music. During recording, Williams was having difficulty synching the orchestral performance with the precise moments in the film. After a few takes, Spielberg offered to turn the movie off so that Williams could record the music exactly how he envisioned. When the recording was done, Spielberg re-cut the movie to fit the music, emphasizing the respect the two men have for each other. In a speech at the American Film Institute in 2016, Spielberg said, “Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly.”

What to listen for:

• heroic brass theme with rhythmic figures in the strings
• soaring main theme with brass interjections
• tension builds before a lengthy chorale-like section introduced by the English horn
• main theme returns and soars to the end

Notes From the Director

I think E.T. is John Williams’ greatest soundtrack. Nothing rivals the creativity and novelty of this piece. Jurassic Park has always been my favorite, but E.T. is far-and-away the best thing he ever wrote. Williams has published two different selections from the movie, the “Flying Theme” and “Adventures on Earth.” “Adventures” is a little longer, and it’s definitely the more challenging of the two. Every time I’ve performed the piece, I’ve had to warn the orchestra librarian that when they call to order the music the salesperson is going to say “Are you sure you don’t want the ‘Flying Theme’? ‘Adventures’ is the HARD one!”

Missy Mazzoli (b 1980)

Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) (2013), 9 minutes

Flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, vibraphone, marimba, suspended cymbal, tambourine, lion’s roar, glockenspiel, snare drum, opera gongs, melodica, spring coil, boom box, piano, synthesizer, strings, harmonicas

This is the GJSO’s first performance of this work

Missy Mazzoli is a contemporary composer who has written in a variety of styles for a wide range of ensembles and is known for her innovative and eclectic works. She was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and studied at Boston University, the Yale School of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of the Hague. She has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as Opera Philadelphia. Currently, Mazzoli is on the faculty at Bard College Conservatory of Music (Annandale-on-Hudson, New York), where she is also their Composer-in-Residence. She co-founded the Luna Composition Lab in 2016, a mentorship program and network for young female, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers. As well as composing, Mazzoli is an accomplished pianist and keyboardist. She regularly plays with her band Victoire which is dedicated to performing her compositions. Her works have been performed by the New York Philharmonic, the LA Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2018, she was one of the first two women (along with Jeanine Tesori) to be commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. Her music combines various traditions and styles and is equally at home in concert halls, opera houses, rock clubs, music festivals, and on TV.

Mazzoli, like many other composers, took inspiration from space for her lovely, short work Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres). The piece was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She wrote that the work,

“…is music in the shape of a solar system, a collection of rococo loops that twist around each other within a larger orbit. The word ‘sinfonia’ refers to baroque works for chamber orchestra but also the old Italian term for a hurdy-gurdy, a medieval stringed instrument with constant, wheezing drones that are cranked out under melodies played on an attached keyboard. It’s a piece that churns and roils, that inches close to the listener only to leap away at breakneck speed, in the process transforming the ensemble turns into a makeshift hurdy-gurdy, flung recklessly into space.”

What to listen for:

• bending tones in the strings then winds
• slow layering of sounds with dynamic contrasts
• harmonicas!
• flowing and evolving melody that becomes more rhythmically active
• flourishes of sounds from different sections including a repeated brass motif before a shimmery end

Notes From the Director

A violinist recommended this piece to me about five years ago. I was vaguely aware of Ms. Mazzoli, but didn’t know this work. I was rather hesitant until she told me it used ten harmonicas within the orchestra. SOLD! I’ve performed the piece once before and loved the spacey-ness of it. Just like the cosmos, there’s beauty in a great emptiness.

Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

The Planets (1917), 56 minutes

Flutes, piccolo, alto flute, oboes, English horn, clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone, tam-tam, chimes, snare drum, tambourine, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, celesta, treble choir, strings

The GJSO last performed this work in 2009 with Kirk Gustafson, conducting

Gustav Holst began his music education at a young age, studying piano and violin and later the trombone. Holst had an unhappy childhood due to the death of his mother and then a bad relationship with his stepmother. Holst began composing around 1886. His father hoped Gustav would become a concert pianist, however, Holst suffered from neuritis, a painful inflammation of the nerves that affected the use of his hands and arms. After a brief time at Oxford where he studied counterpoint, Holst was hired as organist and choirmaster for a local village. In 1893, following the successful premiere of an operetta, Holst applied to the Royal College of Music where he spent the next five years. To make ends meet, Holst played in theater orchestras in London and spent the summer playing in bands at seaside resorts. In 1895, Holst met fellow composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, who became a lifelong friend. After graduation, Holst played in churches and orchestras, but had little time to compose. In 1903, he took positions at St Paul’s Girls’ School and Morley College, giving him a steady income as well as regular hours which allowed him more time to compose.

Holst worked steadily at his composing, taking inspiration from literature and poetry. Holst was also influenced by early English music helping to rediscover madrigals and other music from the Tudor period. His compositions were not always well received during his day. After some particularly poor reviews, Holst took a trip to Spain where he was introduced to astrology, which became the inspiration for his most famous work, The Planets. After his time abroad, Holst returned to his work, became a lecturer in composition at the University of Reading, and taught composition, along with Vaughan Williams, at the Royal College of Music. Since its premiere, The Planets had become popular and brought unwanted attention to Holst who did not like publicity. In 1923, Holst suffered a concussion when he fell while conducting, after which he greatly reduced his work load, giving up his teaching positions, except for St Paul’s, although he continued to compose. Holst spent the first six months of 1932 as a lecturer at Harvard University, before returning home in ill-health. He helped with a performance of his Brook Green Suite at St Paul’s in March 1934. Holst died two months later. His funeral service included several of his pieces, conducted by his friend Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Holst became an avid student of astrology after being introduced to it by friends in 1913. What is a Horoscope by Alan Leo became one of Holst’s favorite books. In the book, the author described each planet, including a description and the astrological importance of each. In his composition, Holst said, “These pieces were suggested by the astrological significance of the planets; there is no program music, neither have they any connection with the deities of classical mythology bearing the same names. If any guide to the music is required the subtitle to each piece will be found sufficient, especially if it be used in the broad sense.” The Planets became Holst’s best-known work and brought the shy composer an uncomfortable fame. The work is filled with unique moments, beautiful melodies, and takes the listener on an amazing journey.

What to listen for:

“Mars, the Bringer of War”

• relentless rhythmic ostinato in 5/4
• brief respite with a tuba solo followed by a return of the rhythmic pattern
• ends with loud, martial chords

“Venus, the Bringer of Peace”

• solo horn melody which is answered by the flutes
• second melody introduced by solo violins
• calm and serene throughout

“Mercury, the Winged Messenger”

• a lively, nervous scherzo
• harps, celesta, and violins are featured in dance-like music

“Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity”

• joyful music with elements of English folk song and dance
• middle hymn-like section
• return of the dance-inspired music leading to an ending flourish

“Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age”

• opens with sharp, syncopated chords to portray the restlessness of life
• a middle march section to signify middle-age
• a final dirge for old age before ending with a serene closing section
• Holst’s favorite movement

“Uranus, the Magician”

• four brass notes to signify Holst’s name
• spooky chords that shift between major and minor
• a manic dance with an enigmatic ending

“Neptune, the Mystic”

• quiet and atmospheric with no real melody or rhythm
• offstage female chorus adds with a wordless song

Notes From the Director

I’ve never conducted this complete work before. Certainly I’ve done Mars and Jupiter before, but never the whole thing. My favorite instruction in the score from Holst comes from his desire to have the chorus fade into nothingness at the end. He recommends the choir stand offstage, and that a stagehand slowly closes the door on them while they’re singing.