Program Notes on Maurice Durufle's Requiem

Recently, I had the great privilege to perform Maurice Duruflé's Requiem, his opus 9. Its a brilliant work and the performance itself was brilliant. My fellow choir members and myself received great reviews. Another opportunity I had was to write program notes about the work. Due to the high attendance of the concert, not everyone went home with a program. Therefore, I have decided to post the notes here, along with the notes my classmate Sean Kelly also wrote concerning the Latin text of the Requiem mass. We hope that they enlighten and open your mind.

Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) began his musical career in Louviers, France, where he was as a choirboy and assisted at the organ. He eventually studied with organists Charles Tournemire and Louis Vierne, who, in addition to their rigorous instruction in organ technique, gave him a deep appreciation for the liturgy and its reliance on Gregorian Chant. In 1929, Duruflé succeeded Louis Vierne as the head organist at St. Etienne-du-Mont. He remained at this position until injuries he and his wife sustained in a car crash in 1975 forced him to stop playing. He died 11 years later in 1986, having composed only a setting of the Lord's Prayer in the interim.

First published in 1947, Duruflé's Requiem combines ideas old and new. The use of ancient Gregorian chant as melody lines pervades each movement, and the corresponding liturgical chants for each movemet are presented at least once. As each movement progresses, the chant melody is then morphed in simple ways, such as transposition and augmentation, as well as more complexly. In the Kyrie for example, the chant is sung by the Basses and then answered by the Tenors in a fugal exposition. Later on, the organ augments the line as a cantus firmus under a new melody sung by the singers.

But while utilizing centuries-old melodies as building blocks, Duruflé was simultaneously concerned with a more modern interpretation of the requiem text and use. "This Mass," he writes, "is not an ethereal work which sings of detachment from earthly worries. It reflects...the agony of man faced with the mystery of his ultimate end." Like Fauré before him, Duruflé removed much of the Sequence, (otherwise known as the Dies Irae: “This day of wrath shall consume the world in ashes”), thus mitigating the atmosphere of fear and damnation which are so prevalent in the requiems of Mozart, Berlioz, and Verdi.

When listening to this requiem, I believe we are not necessarily given an answer to what lies beyond the world of the living. This requiem allows the listener focus on life rather than death, while receiving some comfort in the face of the unknown. In this writer's opinion, this beautiful work can be enjoyed by people of all religions and ideologies; it neither confirms nor disproves an afterlife, and allows the freedom to question what is ahead for us all.        -Andrew Weinstein, junior, music history major

Songs sounding the same? Brave vs. Roar

I'm sure that I am not the only person who listens to popular songs on the radio and think they all are the same thing. The most common defense is that everything has the same backbeat, chords, and structure. Why, just listen to comedian Owen Benjamin explain it to you.

It is not unusual that some music is very similar. Recently, there has been a dispute between Katy Perry and Sarah Bareilles. People are arguing over whether Roar was copied from Brave or vice versa. I listened to both songs individually, Roar during last night's Video Music Awards, and Brave in a music video. The similarities are scary. Then I heard this mashup:

Talk about scary similar. So I found another:

Still incredibly similar! What was going on? Its as if the songs were meant to be performed together. Marketing ploy? Who knows? Honestly, this may just seem like one of those instances of creativity that just seem to strike at the same time. 

But consider the lyrics as well:

Roar: 

[Intro]

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake your ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and
You're gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and
You're gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Now I'm floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake your ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready 'cause I've had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion and
You're gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion and
You're gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Roar-or, roar-or, roar-or

[Chorus]

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion and
You're gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion and
You're gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar

Brave:

You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do
And they settle 'neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

Innocence, your history of silence
Won't do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don't you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you.

They both are about coming out of your shell and being able to defend yourself. Weird.

What do you think?

Review: Swan Lake in 3D from the Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Ballet in Russia made history on June 6th, 2013 by presenting their first 3D ballet broadcast across 50 countries in 1200 cinemas. The brain child of conductor Valery Gergiev and Cameron Pace Group, the company behind Hugo, Avatar, and Life of Pi. The ballet was Swan Lake, one of the most essential works in the repertoire. The performance was recorded live in the famous Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, simulcast to the New Mariinsky Theatre in 3D, and subsequently transmitted to cinemas around the world in 3D with time delays.

The ballet itself was absolutely amazing. Maestro Gergiev led the orchestra, and featured soloists included Yekaterina Kondaurova as Odette-Odile, Timur Askerov as Prince Siegfried, and Andrei Yermakov as von Rothbart. All three were absolutely flawless. The entire company was thrilling to watch. I give props to the quartet of swans in Act 2 who performed together as one. Not an easy task, but executed so well. The choreography was from the 1895 Ivanov/Petipa revival and revised by Konstanin Sergeyev in 1950. Amazing how great works can stand the test of time. The sets were beautiful and breathtaking. If you look at the makeup for von Rothbart, you will be terrified by how good it is. The 3d was a great addition, bringing a new depth to the average viewer and drawing people in.

All that being said, I was not pleased with the overall production of the cinema presentation. The picture quality, compared to The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD, was equal to that of a late 1990s videocassette. You would think that James Cameron would be able to bring high definition cameras to Russia. Lets hope that a blu ray release comes in the future that will make up for it. Second, there was something wrong with the configuration of the 3D. I had to wear my 3D glasses upside down. The graphics of the credits and name cards were probably from the 90s as far as I could tell. The time spent in between acts, while enjoying the interviews with the artists, could have also been spent showing behind the scenes segments. 

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the ballet. I would always suggest a great Tchaikovsky ballet to anyone who has never seen one before. Remember to go out and support your local company. 

App Review: Beethoven's 9th Symphony

What if I told you that for $7.99, you can have 4 complete recordings of Beethoven's 9th symphony from 4 different conductors and have the score? All of this is possible with the IOS app Beethoven's 9th Symphony. 

This app, one of two collaborations between Touch Press and Deutsche Grammophon, lets you choose from 4 different conductors leading the famed final symphony; Ferenc Fricsay, Herbert Von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein (also in video), and Eliot Gardner. You can easily switch between the 4 as you listen to one of the 4 movements. 

When you first download the app, you get a 2 minute sample of the second movement. You still have all the functionality to explore option.

Score Mode: scrolls as it plays, note by note.

Animated Mode: animates the music as made popular by YouTube user Smalin.

Beatmap: shows which parts of the orchestra and chorus are active.

Commentary mode: David Owen Norris gives his description of how the work progresses (Text-Only). Plus, libretto on the 4th movement.

Video mode: Leonard Bernstein conducts the Weiner Philharmoniker in a video recording from 1979.

All the music is crisp and brilliant as these are highly praised recordings. Everything runs smoothly, and you can continue to listen to each movement after you go back to home screen. It's a free download but $7.99 on iTunes to upgrade. Absolutely worth it. 

Disclaimer: This is a review of the IOS iPhone/iPod Touch version. If you know of a good review for the iPad version of this app or the other Touch Press/ Grammopohon app The Orchestra, please feel free to leave it in the comments below.

The View from "Way" Above: Sitting in Score-Desk seats at the Metropolitan Opera

May 11th, 2013 was like any other day. The weather was nice/rainy, the food from the street vendors was delightful, and I had just picked up my tickets from the Met Opera Guild Office. But these were no ordinary tickets. I had paid $8 dollars to sit in the Metropolitan Opera House for the final performance of Francis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, starring Isabel Leonard, Patricia Racette, and Felicity Palmer. The catch? I had to sit in a Score-Desk Seat. I was prepared for an interesting time. I borrowed a vocal score from my school's library, bought a copy of the libretto from the Met Shop, and brought my handy notebook to take notes. I was aware that I would have no view of the stage or the pit, mostly because I would be behind someone sitting against the railing of the family circle.

So what did I get? Exactly what I expected. I got a nice desk with a lamp, a suitable chair one would find in the box seats. I could barely see the stage, but heard every note as I read along in the score. All the voices carried and their emotions were realized in my mind. I tried my hardest to imagine what was going on via the libretto and score, so I hardly got to experience the set which was so famously praised at the premiere; The bare stage in the shape of a cross was the cornerstone of the minimalist design. How quickly flyers would come down to change it to a living room, a chapel, the guillotine, and a jail cell.

Photo from 1976-1977 run

My view that night was this:

And that was actually what I saw from sitting down. As much as I enjoyed listening to amazing trio of singers and the Met Chorus, I felt that I was missing a huge part of the opera house experience. Even though Felicity Palmer presented an outstanding death scene just with her voice I could not imagine the looks of the other actors when that occurred. So at the end of intermission, I took my supplies and moved myself to List Hall to watch on a projector and listen via the Met Opera XM radio station. The Met has a small camera that takes a large view of the stage. No faces, no closeups, and just a wide bright view of the set and moving figures as I read my score on a raised desk. It was a bit more easier to see what was going on, but still not being in the presence of the talent. Nevertheless, I was thrilled by the music, singers, and the story. I even ran back to the main hall to be part of the overwhelming applause that followed.

I followed this up by walking to the backstage door and running into Conductor Louis Langree, Isabel Leonard, Patricia Racette, Felicity Palmer, Natalie Dessay (who was not in that production but most likely was taking care of business from Giulio Caesare), and even Met Radio host William Berger. 

All in all, I had an enjoyable experience but upset I did not get to see the whole experience, which was not necessary to appreciate the power of the opera. I am positive I will try score-desk seats again, but maybe on a production I have heard or seen many times in the past. Like La Boheme of Il Barbiere di Seviglia. I recommend it to anyone hoping to read a score and listen to a good opera for a low price, if you don't mind not seeing the stage.

Next Time: The Best Beethoven App Ever!

What I've Been Up To

If you're wondering where i've been, my bad. I haven't updated my blog in a while. This is due to my busy school schedule, taking care of my YouTube and Facebook pages, and having an amazing year of music enjoyment. But now that school is over, I can focus more on writing entries worthy of excellent audiences. Some reviews, a few things that I learn during the summer, or even answering questions if necessary. Leave a question in my ask box at maestroweinstein.tumblr.com or post on my Facebook wall at facebook.com/maestroweinstein.

Next article, The View from "Way" Above the Stage.

Review: Le Comte Ory Dress Rehearsal at Metropolitan Opera, 1/14/13

This past Monday, I was lucky enough to attend the final dress rehearsal for the upcoming revival of Le Comte Ory at the Metropolitan Opera. I would like to the Met Opera Student Program and the Ambassadors program, of which I am a member. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this production, Director Bartlett Sher took on this tale of a mischevious and horny young count who attempts to "conquer" a beautiful countess while her brother is away at the Crusades back in 2011. He set the production in an old French theater which is putting on Le Comte Ory, complete with a Prompter, curtains, a stage, flyers, and crew to light sets, move scenery, and even create a storm. The show begins even before the overture, as the prompter and crew prepare the stage. But the overture begins when the prompter bangs his staff. 

I saw most of this production on PBS Thirteen back in 2011, but it was nice to see it in person. Eventhough I knew most of the gags, it was incredibly entertaining.

Cast (In Order of Appearance):

Prompter (silent): Rob Besserer

Raimund: Nathan Gunn

Alice: Ashley Emerson

Ragonde: Susanne Resmark

Count Ory: Juan Diego Florez

The Tutor: Nicola Ulivieri (DEBUT)

Isolier: Karine Deshayes

Countess Adele: Pretty Yende (DEBUT)

Courtiers: Scott Scully, Tyler Simpson

The chorus, first off, was perfect as usual. For a Rossini opera, it was very chorus heavy at times, as compared to Il Barbiere di Siviglia, another production Mr. Sher has done for the Met. The orchestra, conducted by Maurizio Benini, also brilliant. I am a lover of the sets and costumes and usage of old theater technology and gimmicks to bring a true uniqueness to the show.

JDF, or Mr. Florez, was superb in his role of the count, just as he was back in 2011. Despite a few mishaps with his coat and wig, he never broke character even when these problems arose. Neither did Rob Besserer, who was a brilliant prompter, even though he is not the real deal. And applause goes to the rest of the cast. Especially Pretty and Karine, performing their respective roles for the first time at the Met. Ms. Yende has a great future ahead of her, she sang with great bel canto beauty. And Karine Deshayes was a fully energetic Isolier. Nicola Ulivieri, also making  debut at the house, sang his first act aria well.

Its hilarious, contains sexual escapades, and men dressed in nuns costumes getting drunk. Whats not to love? Go see it if you havent done so, or go see it again with these brilliant young singers.

The revival opens at the Metropolitan Opera this Friday the 18th. For tickets, visit metopera.org.