CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Orchestra of St. Luke's

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Sunday, April 6th, 2008 at 2:00 PM

Orchestra of St. Luke's
Bobby McFerrin, Conductor
Dominique Labelle, Soprano
Nathan Gunn, Baritone
Morgan State University Choir
Eric Conway, Director

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1, "Classical"
RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin
BOBBY MCFERRIN A Cappella Improvisations
FAURÉ Requiem

Perspectives: Bobby McFerrin

The Bobby McFerrin Perspectives concerts are supported, in part, by The Rockefeller Foundation's New York City Cultural Innovation Fund.

Perspectives concerts are made possible, in part, by a generous grant from The Alice Tully Foundation.

This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw.

Program Notes:

By Steven Ledbetter

SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, “Classical”
Born April 23, 1891, in Sontzovka, near Ekaterinoslav, Ukraine; died March 5, 1953, in Moscow.

Composed in 1916–17, Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony received its first performance in Petrograd on April 21, 1918, with the composer conducting; it received its US premiere at Carnegie Hall on December 11, 1918, with the Russian Symphony Society of New York, again with Prokofiev conducting.

Scoring: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

This symphony is officially Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, but the nickname “Classical” has taken hold so thoroughly that it is virtually never identified in the more formal way. The precocious young Prokofiev had entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 13, and made his best marks as a pianist, but his interest in composing grew ever stronger. Following youthful efforts at symphony writing both before and during his conservatory years, Prokofiev finally began the first symphony in 1916, choosing Haydn as a model, having developed a taste for the Classical style in the conducting class of Nikolai Tcherepnin.

The impetus to write the “Classical” Symphony came from Prokofiev’s desire to compose an entire symphony without the use of a piano, which had been his constant aid in composition from his childhood improvisations to that time. And another thought intrigued him: if Haydn were alive at the time of this new composition, how would he blend his own musical style with the newer elements of later music? The result is one of Prokofiev’s most delightful works.

The opening downbow of the strings and the arpeggiation of the D-major triad take us to the world of the Viennese classics. But Prokofiev’s sudden shift to C major only 11 measures into the piece tells us that the classical air is not simple imitation or pastiche, but a witty reworking of traditional musical gestures. The Larghetto unfolds a simple rondo form, equally clear in its returns to the descending lyrical theme in the violins. The Gavotte is pure Prokofiev in its blend of innocent dance with delightful, unexpected twists of harmony. The brilliant rushing Finale: Molto vivace maintains its high spirits from beginning to end, partly because Prokofiev tried, in writing it, to use nothing but major chords. This plan demands some lightning changes of key that would have surprised old Haydn, but they would no doubt have delighted him, too.


Maurice Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin
Born March 7, 1875, in Ciboure, near Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Basses-Pyrénées, France; died December 28, 1937, in Paris.

Ravel composed Le tombeau de Couperin as a suite for piano solo in six movements between 1914 and 1917 and orchestrated four of these movements in 1919. The orchestral suite was first performed in Paris on 28 February 1920, with Rhené-Baton conducting, and received its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall on December 2, 1920, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux.

Scoring: 2 flutes, oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, trumpet, harp, and strings.

French poets of the Renaissance frequently commemorated the death of a notable person in short poems called tombeaux (“tombstones”). Usually the deceased person to be so honored was of the high nobility, though occasionally the death of a great poet might generate an outpouring of literary tributes. In the 17th century composers adopted the tradition, too, usually with works in the form of a slow, stately dance movement. A group of French composers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, concerned with recapturing some of the history of their musical tradition, began reusing the neoclassical dance forms. Ravel was the first to reuse the term tombeau in his tribute to his great predecessor François Couperin (1668–1733), whose music shares with Ravel’s own a characteristic concern for grace, elegance, and decoration.

The original piano version of Le tombeau de Couperin occupied Ravel some three years on and off during World War I. The work became a tombeau to deceased friends: each of the six movements was dedicated to one of them. The piano version contained a Prélude, Fugue, Forlane, Rigaudon, Menuet, and Toccata. When Ravel decided to orchestrate the work in 1919, he omitted the Fugue and Toccata entirely, and reversed the positions of the Menuet and Rigaudon.

The music of Ravel’s Tombeau does not evoke Couperin’s own style—not even in a very extended way. Ravel simply hoped to pay tribute to the entire French musical tradition. In its orchestral guise, the Prélude, with its running sixteenth-note figurations, makes extended demands on the articulation and breath control of the woodwind players, especially the oboist. The Forlane is fetchingly graceful, delicate, and highly polished; the subsequent Menuet was the last music to be seen on Ravel’s music rack when he died in 1937. The Rigaudon, with its brassy outbursts, brings the Tombeau to a cheerful and lively conclusion.


Gabriel Fauré Requiem, Op. 48
Born May 12, 1845, in Pamiers, Ariège; died November 4, 1924, in Paris.

Fauré composed an early chamber version of the Requiem in 1877 and completed the largest version in 1887 with revisions as late as 1900; he conducted the first performance of the bulk of what is now the standard version at the Church of the Madeleine in Paris on January 16, 1888. The work received its Carnegie Hall premiere on January 29, 1932, with Natalie Bodanskaya, soprano; Conrad Thibault, baritone; Lawrence Apgar, organ; and the Curtis Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Louis Bailly.

Scoring: soprano and baritone soloists, mixed chorus, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, 2 harps, organ, and strings.

Gabriel Fauré stands apart from almost all the significant composers of his age, the period from Berlioz to Berg. The late Romantic era and the rise of modernism was a time of noisy excess; Fauré’s music, though, is quiet, subdued, even tentative in effect. When other composers were writing gigantic symphonies and tone poems or lengthy operas, he was turning out songs and chamber music. A composer of such artistic reserve is not likely to attract hordes of enthusiasts, but the support that Fauré did attract was at the most exalted level on the part of his fellow composers and his pupils, including Maurice Ravel, Georges Enesco, and Nadia Boulanger. (Boulanger always regarded him as one of the greatest masters of his time, and passed on her enthusiasm to her pupils. It was a Boulanger pupil, Aaron Copland, who wrote one of the first substantial appreciations of Fauré in English.)

Born in the south of France, Fauré studied in Paris at the École Niedermeyer, where he received an unusually broad musical education in three respects that set him apart from the products of the “official” school”: a thorough understanding of older music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras; familiarity with the German tradition, including Bach and Beethoven, and a more-than-nodding acquaintance with such dangerous moderns as Schumann, Liszt, and Wagner. Fauré himself went on to become one of the most distinguished teachers of his era.

Fauré’s Requiem is typical of his work in its avoidance of melodrama or overblown effect. His earliest conception was intimate, far from the theatrics of Berlioz’s Requiem, which he detested. In selecting passages from the liturgical text, he omitted all of the melodramatic images of the Last Judgment that had been the dramatic high points for both Berlioz and Verdi and conceived a score of gentle consolation to be performed in memory of his parents.

Originally his Requiem consisted of five movements scored for a small orchestra of low-pitched instruments. Later he expanded it, adding the Offertoire and, in the Libera me, the one brief passage that recalls the dramatic “Dies irae” of the full Requiem text.

Even in its largest version, Fauré’s Requiem is a singularly tranquil and subdued piece, a work almost of Classical elegance—not in terms of musical style, but in its extraordinary serenity and restraint.

Copyright © 2008 by Steven Ledbetter

Steven Ledbetter, musicologist and program annotator of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1979 to 1998, writes and lectures widely on many aspects of classical music.

Orchestra of St. Luke's
Bobby McFerrin, Conductor
Bobby McFerrin is one of the natural wonders of the music world. A ten-time Grammy Award winner, he is one of the world’s best-known vocal innovators and improvisers; a world-renowned classical conductor; the creator of “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century; and a passionate spokesman for music education. His recordings have sold over 20 million copies, and his collaborations, including those with Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, the Vienna Philharmonic, and Herbie Hancock have established him as an ambassador of both the classical and jazz worlds.

With a four-octave range and a vast array of vocal techniques, Mr. McFerrin is no mere singer; he is music’s last true Renaissance man, a vocal explorer who has combined jazz, folk, and a multitude of world music influences—choral, a cappella, and classical music—with his own ingredients. As a conductor, Mr. McFerrin is able to convey his innate musicality in an entirely different context. He has worked with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic.

“Unconventional” is a good way to describe the career of Bobby McFerrin. Those familiar with McFerrin’s shows, whether as a conductor or a vocalist, know that each one is a unique event that resonates with the unexpected. He is that rare artist who has the ability to reach beyond musical genres and stereotypes for a sound that is entirely his own. As one of the foremost guardians of music’s rich heritage, he remains at the vanguard with his natural, beautiful, and timeless music, which transcends all borders and embraces all cultures.

Dominique Labelle, Soprano
Born in Montreal, Dominique Labelle first came to international prominence as Donna Anna in Peter Sellar’s stunning production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, set in Spanish Harlem, which she performed in New York, Paris, and Vienna. Since then she has been acclaimed in a repertoire that ranges from Bach to 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner Yehudi Wyner. She has worked with conductors from Boulez to Zinman and with orchestras from Atlanta to San Francisco, and is a regular guest soloist in Europe.

Whether in opera, concert, recital, or oratorio, the luminous beauty of her charismatic stage presence is unmistakable. Following a performance of Bach’s Cantata no. 202, a Boston Globe critic wrote, “Really, everybody needs more Dominique in their lives. There’s operatic glamour in the voice and technique and control to burn.” Further highlighting her wide-ranging repertoire are acclaimed performances of Mahler, the Verdi Requiem, and Wyner’s songs.

Ms. Labelle’s many recordings, featuring repertoire from the 17th to the 21st centuries, appear on the Virgin Veritas, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, RCA Victor Red Seal, Koss, Denon, New World, and Musica Omnia labels. Her recording of Handel’s Arminio won the 2002 Handel Prize.

Ms. Labelle is a National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera competition, and the recipient of a George London Foundation Award and Boston University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Nathan Gunn, Baritone
Nathan Gunn has made a reputation as one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones of the day. This season, he returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and the London Symphony as the title role in a concert version of Billy Budd. He also appears at Carnegie Hall in concert with the Atlanta Symphony and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and in his recital debut in Zankel Hall.

The recipient of the first annual Beverly Sills Artist Award and the Pittsburgh Opera Renaissance Award, he is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Program and was the winner of the 1994 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition.

Mr. Gunn has appeared internationally with the San Francisco, Seattle, and Paris operas; Houston Grand Opera; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Bayerische Staatsoper; and the Glyndebourne Festival. He created the role of Clyde Griffiths in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Gunn has appeared with, among others, the Boston, San Francisco, and London symphonies; the Cleveland and Minnesota orchestras; and the New York and Rotterdam philharmonics; in addition, he has performed in recital on Lincoln Center’s Art of the Song series as well as with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Schubert Club, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

An exclusive recording artist for Sony/BMG Masterworks, Mr. Gunn released his first solo album for the label in August 2007. Other recordings include Peter Grimes with the London Symphony (LSO Live!, nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award); Kullervo with the Atlanta Symphony (Telarc), and his debut album, American Anthem (EMI).

Morgan State University Choir
Eric Conway, Director
The Morgan State University Choir is one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles. The Choir is noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. In May 2004 Reader’s Digest named the Choir the Best College Choir in the US in its list of America’s 100 Best.

The Choir has performed for audiences throughout the US and all over the world, appearing at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, including its African Festival and Living Jazz Legends concerts; and joining such distinguished ensembles as the National, Buffalo, Baltimore and Knoxville symphonies; the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics; The Philadelphia Orchestra; and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Special appearances include an October 2005 performance for the State Department’s annual African American History Month Celebration honoring Rosa Parks; a televised concert benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, sponsored by Cox Communications; and an August 2007 tour of Ghana in celebration of its 50th year of independence.

Eric Conway is currently the Director of the Morgan State University Choir as well as Chairperson of the Fine Arts Department. He has served as Associate Conductor and principal accompanist for the Morgan State University Choir for the past 20 years under the leadership of the late Nathan Carter. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Liberace Scholarship and a winner in the Yale Gordon Concerto Competition (piano).

Dr. Conway has collaborated with such leading artists as Trevor Wye, Hilary Hahn, Daniel Heifetz, William Brown, and Janice Chandler, among others. He has also worked closely with some of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, including Robert Shaw, Sir Neville Mariner, and Donald Neuen. He was chorus master for the Baltimore Symphony Chorus’s performance of the Verdi Requiem in 2001 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in 2006. He is also an orchestral pianist for the Baltimore Symphony and has toured with the orchestra to Eastern Asia.