Vista Philharmonic Orchestra

Program Notes

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
The Lark Ascending (1921)
This calm, meditative romance for violin and orchestra was first composed in 1914 for violin and piano. Based on a poem by George Meredith of the same name, The Lark Ascending has become one of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ most popular works with audiences worldwide. The composer includes selected lines from the poem in the score, as a preface:

He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound,
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake.

For singing till his heaven fills,
‘Tis love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup
And he the wine which overflows
to lift us with him as he goes.

Till lost on his aerial rings
In light, and then the fancy sings.

Given the belief that music soothes the soul, the Vista Philharmonic is pleased to present this as the opening work on tonight’s concert, hopefully giving you a few moments of repose and reflection to begin the evening’s musical entertainment.  Consider, too, the chronology of such calming music composed at the time of the First World War in 1914.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Symphony No. 3 (1907)
The first decade of the 20th Century found most composers around the world writing works of great romantic passion, with extended techniques of orchestration and harmony that exceeded anything composed before.  The first two symphonies of Jean Sibelius could be considered late romantic and nationalistic as well, but this Symphony No. 3 marks a distinct change in course.  Three movements, not the customary four, is one obvious difference, but stylistically Jean Sibelius‘ music reverts to a certain classicism of expression but with a developing, obtuse approach to phrasing that would become a trademark.  Short phrases, abrupt tempo changes, frequent use of silence between and among musical statements, non-traditional approaches to customary Eurocentric harmonies, are all common in this piece.  But there is something very catchy to the listener:  whether it be the very concise structure of the relatively brief first movement, the incessant repetition of a melancholic folk-song in the second movement, or the impassioned perpetual motion of the finale, this piece is ear-catching in that it won’t venture far from the listener’s understanding and is guaranteed to remain in one’s musical memory for a long time.

Helen C. Crane (1868-1930)
Evangeline, Overture for Orchestra, Op. 11 (1905)
Helen Cornelia Crane was born September 5, 1868, just a few short years after the end of the Civil War to Col. Alexander Baxter Crane, a native of Massachusetts and Laura Cornelia Mitchell, a native of South Carolina. Col. Alexander Crane, a legal studies graduate of Amherst College was commissioned an officer on the side of the North and his young wife was daughter of the Wroughton Mitchell family of Charleston, South Carolina who for generations had lived in that part of the country. To this young couple was born Helen Cornelia, along with four other daughters and a son. Their earliest home was St. Mark’s Place in New York’s lower east side. Eventually Col. Crane’s law career led to a flourishing Wall Street legal practice and they built their permanent home in Scarsdale, NY.

Helen must have exhibited artistic talent at a young age since by her late teens she was embarked on studies in music in one of the most enviable of locations: Europe. She studied at the then “Klindworth-Scharwenka” Conservatory in Berlin. These studies culminated in her choice of composition as her major musical endeavor and she studied three years with noted composer and conservatory director Philip Scharwenka. She was soon winning competitions and gaining much warranted recognition. German publishing houses recognized her work and she saw the publication of numerous of her pieces. Maintaining a regular home in Germany over the next couple of decades, she made several cross-Atlantic voyages for the sake of concertizing and teaching; one such trip in 1904 was for the purpose of hearing the Berlin Philharmonic perform her tone poem, The Last Tournament at the “World’s Fair” that year, the St. Louis Exposition. She continued her intercontinental career until the fall of 1917 when the continued strife and turmoil of the First World War made it decidedly unsafe to continue.

At this time Helen returned to the family home in Scarsdale, NY a place they affectionately nicknamed “Holmhurst” and here she remained until after the war was ended. With the Armistice and the cessation of hostilities she soon returned to Europe which for her had proven to be such a wellspring of creativity. In what was to become the last decade of her life, she lived for a time in Charlottenburg, a suburb of Berlin, she spent periods of time in the alpine village of Kaprun and finally settled in Salzburg. Ultimately she was living in Salzburg when she passed away in November, 1930. This poignant obituary appeared on Nov. 27th in the Salzburg Volksblatt, the evening newspaper:

“On November 25th, Miss Helen C. Crane from New York passed away in the hospital of the Compassionate Brothers in Salzburg.The now eternal one, a student of Prof. Scharwenka (Berlin), created a large number of orchestral works which received critical acclaim when they were performed by the Mozarteum Orchestra. The highly educated lady was forced prematurely to succumb to a severe inner malaise far from her home; a personality of deepest reflection and winning amiability, will remain unforgettable to all who were close to her.”

She was laid to rest in the cemetery of St. James the Less Episcopal Church alongside her parents, her aunts and uncles. She left behind her hand-written manuscripts in the care of her remaining siblings. Her youngest sister, Laura Vernon Crane Burgess ultimately donated this valuable trust to the NewYork Public Library, where the collection has been housed since the 1940’s. Most of these pieces are there in their original manuscript form, showing the evolution of Ms. Crane’s calligraphy and the blossoming of her musical art. Among this collection are over eighty works for the piano, several chamber works, orchestral tone poems such as The Last Tournament: her Evangeline Overture, Cassandra for female voice and orchestra, her Serenade for orchestra, two symphonies, Psalm 42 for orchestra and chorus along with a multitude of song settings of various poets and pieces for organ.

She was well noted in her day, lauded in various music periodicals of the time, even being listed in a compendium of composers in the United States in W.S.B Mathew’s “A Popular History of The Art of Music…” (2nd edition 1906). She stands as an integral part of the flowing forth of what is a truly “American” music, her life spanning that period of time between the Civil War and the “Great Depression”, a time period known as the “Belle Époque”, “the gilded age”, a time shaken, rocked and irretrievably lost to an even greater war, World War I. Ms. Crane occupies a unique spot between late romanticism and the subsequent quest for new expression in music, enjoining her efforts to those of others, pushing the limits of tonality and yet retaining the memorable communication of which music is most capable.

Richard Harvey (b. 1953)
Concerto antico (1994)
Given its virtuosity and innate charm, this modern-day guitar concerto is sure to become as popular with guitarists and audiences as much as the decades-earlier works by Joaquin Rodrigo currently favored by students and professionals alike.  Composed in five movements, the Concerto antico is a unique, distinctly listenable work embracing musical forms from the Baroque era but intertwined with Richard Harvey‘s approachable, 20th-century musical language.  From the opening Alborado (literally, dawn), and continuing through a Contredanse, Cantilena (song), Forlana (folk dance), and ending with Lavolta (a Renaissance dance, the “turn”), Harvey significantly challenges the technique of any professional guitarist with incredible turns of virtuosity, moods and styles.  Written for guitarist John Williams, this work has already found its way into the standard guitar concerto repertory, and we at the Vista Philharmonic are pleased to share it with you, featuring guitarist Scott Hill.

Scott Hill has performed with orchestras, choirs, instrumentalists, and vocalists throughout Canada, United States, Europe, and South America as a soloist and chamber musician. As a member of the Alturas Duo, collaborator and soloist, Mr. Hill has premiered more than seventy-five pieces of new music, has won the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Adventurous Programming award, he has been awarded grants from New Music USA commissioning grant, the Chilean Arts Council, the Canada Arts Council and is also a laureate winner of the 2020 World Folk Vision awards. He has collaborated with a wide range of instrumentalists and ensembles including bandoneon player, Daniel Binelli, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Callisto Quartet, East Coast Contemporary Ballet and the Voce Choir of Hartford. He has recently premiered music by Leo Brouwer, David MacBride, Javier Farias, and Karina and Javier Contreras.  

In addition to his work with the Alturas Duo, he is a former Play USA/Carnegie Hall Lead Teaching Artist and Suzuki qualified guitar instructor who maintains a private teaching studio in Stamford, CT. Mr. Hill earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Lakehead University and a Masters Degree in Guitar Performance and a Graduate Professional Diploma in chamber performance from the Hartt School of Music.