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Crescendo Ignace "Iggy" Jang |
Audience let in on
musical ocean journeyHow are you feeling these days? Stressed? Looking forward to another week of early mornings, traffic jams and unappreciated hard work? Isn't it time you took a breather?
This weekend, the Honolulu Symphony offers the perfect musical escape, an exotic journey that will take you around the world and rejuvenate your spirit in just two hours. Join us in celebrating the sea's splendor with composer Claude Debussy's "La Mer," which simply means "the sea" in French.
'Exotic Nights'
With the Honolulu Symphony, and guest conductor Christopher WilkinsPlace: Blaisdell Concert Hall
In concert: 8 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $16 to $59
Call: 792-2000 or 877-750-4400
When I hear this piece, I think back to my childhood in France and the many days spent at the beach. Debussy, who also grew up in France, had a passion for the sea's impulsive, wild nature, and it was a common theme in several of his works. For those who grew up near water -- lake, stream, river or ocean -- this piece is for you.
Be prepared for an early sailing with the first movement, which Debussy named "From Dawn to Midday on the Sea." Timid harp, timpani and strings signal a calm morning. Close your eyes and listen for the soft undulations of waves against the shore from the violins and flutes. Watch the fog clear as fresh dawn colors emerge. A refreshing melody from the cellos invigorates the senses as we feel the wind on our faces.
But the sea is unpredictable, and in the second movement, "Play of the Waves," tempo changes sweep us along in unexpected current shifts. The wind sweeps us along the coast until the sound of the harp returns us to calmer waters.
The final movement, "Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea," finds us captives of suddenly changing waters. Low strings and muted trumpets play fast notes, and you know that can't be good! The sky darkens, the wind gusts, the waves swirl. The inevitable storm has crossed our path, yet we remain safe. It's not a tragic ending, but an extravagant climax that awaits. The sea's power humbles us as we honor its strength and splendor.
In this piece, Debussy's melodies blend seamlessly within the texture of the music. You can't really separate them from the background or pinpoint them, but you can feel them. For that reason, Debussy has been associated with the 19th-century Impressionist movement. Like the French painters Monet, Degas and Renoir, Debussy's music intends to convey a general impression of a place in time. With "La Mer" we sense how the sunlight and wind bring different moods to the sea -- something Monet in particular excelled at on canvas.
OUR FIRST STOP inland on this concert journey is the innovative composition "Archipelago S." by Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. No doubt you'll be surprised as we divide the orchestra into five small ensembles, representing five islands. Two will be onstage facing each other, while the others will be dispersed throughout the concert hall. You just might find one of our clarinetists playing next to you!
In Japan, Takemitsu is revered to such an extent that a Tokyo concert hall bears his name. Amazingly, his knowledge of music was mostly acquired during the post-World War II years from listening to American military radio stations, as well as jazz and Western classical music. Debussy became one of his favorite artists, and their music shares the same radiance, though in different styles.
"Archipelago S." is Takemitsu's musical response to the beauty of the archipelagos, or groups of islands, in Stockholm, Sweden; Seattle; and Seto, Japan. He must have never traveled to Hawaii, or we would have been first on his list.
The "islands" in this work seem to have a conversation with each other, playing a game of questions and answers. I'm curious to find out how these new stage plans will affect our interaction. Will distance cause a time delay? Will we share a dialogue with another island or respond to an unexpected cell phone ring?
Finally, this exotic journey brings you to the legendary Sultan Shahriar's palace in composer Rimsky-Korsakov's renowned "Scheherazade." This Russian composer was inspired by the tale of "The Thousand and One Nights," and his music has enchanted countless listeners worldwide.
Here are your "Cliff's Notes" for the story: Sultan Shahriar of Samarkand was in the habit of taking a new wife every day. Each evening, he would kill this new wife. Then, he marries Princess Scheherazade. She attempts to bewitch the sultan by telling him four thrilling tales in the hope that he will spare her life another day.
Here, Scheherazade's voice is performed by the solo violin as she is caught between the imposing sultan's brass theme (lots of trumpets and trombones) and musical narration of each story. We go on board on Sinbad's ship, witness love between a young prince and princess, and celebrate at a wild party in Baghdad before falling victim to a shipwreck. As for Scheherazade's fate, find out the rest at the concert.
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at suggestions@honolulusymphony.com
