Dance Rhythms

Dance rhythms permeate much of our Classics IV program—we’re hoping you’ll secretly be tappin’ your toes through many passages of the concert!

With over 90 fine film scores to his credit, one wonders how Toru Takemitsu was even able to choose—answering the request for a string orchestra suite with just a few selections. Yet he did just that, and the resulting little 9-minute collection, Three Film Scores, is masterful in its variety and contrast. We hear jazzy blues in the opening Music of Training and Rain from José Torres (1959), a documentary about the legendary Puerto Rican boxer. One of the hypnotic features of this score is that the silences seem to carry the beat as compellingly as the notes. The next selection is one of those few that is not dance-related: Funeral Music from Black Rain (1989) evokes the aftermath of Hiroshima in a highly moving and meditative fashion. Aficionados might want to check out http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097694/ and the great novel by Masuji Ibuse upon which the film was based (Black Rain, 1969). When we hear Takemitsu’s final selection, we could swear we’re instantly transported back to a night in old Vienna. We’ve definitely returned to dancin’ here—the Waltz from The Face of Another (1966 film about a fire victim who receives a life-like mask) lilts with charm and grace, importing wistfulness and a wonderful nostalgia.

Next, ready for some catchy and soulful tango? Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla created a style called nuevo tango after WWII, infusing the old form with elements of jazz and extended harmonies—influences he picked up in his early years in New York as well as from his native Argentina. Piazzolla originally created the Four Seasons of Buenos Aires as separate numbers for his own touring tango quintet. Leonid Desyatnikov’s subsequent arrangements of these tangos are masterful, combining the numbers into a four-movement suite featuring a solo violinist in the manner of Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons, and even throwing in occasional tongue-in-cheek references to Vivaldi to boot. The tango rhythms range from slow and passionate to snappy and infectious. Did you catch our high-caliber concertmaster, Christina Mok, in the final encore at our recent Valentine Pops? She’s got quite a career as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster, and it’s a real pleasure to put her into the spotlight for the Piazzolla.

After featuring our string section in the first half of the program, our winds/brass/timpani join for Mendelssohn’s celebrated “Italian” Symphony. Mendelssohn toured to Italy in 1830 and became enthralled with various songs and dances he heard along the way. The opening movement ranks as one of the most cheerful and ebullient in the repertoire—it “dances” its way in high spirits. The last movement combines influences from the leaping saltarello and the weaving lines from the tarantella, and builds to a wonderful frenzied pitch, capping off this supreme jewel of the repertoire.

Please bring your friends to share in the enjoyment of this evening!