Elemental Forces
Saturday 19 October, 7.30pm
High Storrs School, Sheffield
György Ligeti - Etude No. 5, “Arc-en-ciel”
György Ligeti – Atmosphères
-- INTERVAL --
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 1 “Titan”
Jon Malaxetxebarria – Conductor
Etude No. 5 "Arc-en-ciel"
György Ligeti
Piano solo: Tom Owen
Ligeti began writing the Etudes in 1981 and worked on them until the end of his life in 2006, leaving a total of 18. As well as pushing the boundaries of piano virtuosity, they are serious, reflective, and sometimes nostalgic works, highly eclectic in terms of Ligeti's wide-ranging musical concerns.
Following the hardcore experimentalism of his early works (such as Atmosphères) and the absurdity and gimmickry of his theatrical works in the 1970s, they mark a late period of such obvious maturity that it calls to mind that of Brahms. Ligeti lost both parents and a brother to the Holocaust, but it is not until some of these later works that we hear his more personal, openly elegiac music about conflict and the aftermath of war.
Notoriously, we also hear an incredibly high density of notes and dissonance, as Ligeti explores his most recent fascination: fractals and mathematically generated polyrhythms.
Arc-en-ciel is unquestionably the easiest of the Etudes to play, although there is a challenge to the pianist in describing a single, flowing, overarching shape, with Ligeti calling for a constant push-and-pull of the tempo. With his love of M.C. Escher-like tessellations, he seems to be imagining rainbows-within-rainbows, unmoored from any landscape or sense of perspective.
For his musical forefather Messiaen, a cascade of rainbows normally signified the apocalypse as depicted in the book of Revelation; for Ligeti, the image reappears here as a product of more mathematical concerns.
Atmosphères
György Ligeti
Ligeti fled his native Hungary in 1956 after the Soviet army violently put down the Hungarian uprising. Up until that point, Ligeti had been an active composer and lecturer in harmony, counterpoint, and musical analysis at the Liszt Academy, as well as an ethnomusicologist in the footsteps of Bartók and Kodály. He fled Hungary to eventually settle in Cologne, where he became acquainted with Karlheinz Stockhausen and the early developments in electronic music. *Atmosphères* appears to have started life as his Pièce électronique No. 3.
Ligeti describes his own compositional technique in terms of listening to the music as it already exists (in his head) and working to realize it as accurately as possible. Ligeti could therefore have used the resources of electronic music to do that for Atmosphères. However, Ligeti seems to have become frustrated with the limitations of electronic music in the 1950s and returned to more traditional forces to realize his music.
The way he uses the orchestra, though, is very much influenced by his years in Cologne. The sounds you will hear in Atmosphères are simultaneously artificial, inhuman, almost electronic-sounding, yet evoking a colossal elemental natural force.
Ligeti knew well that all sounds are really combinations of sounds in different combinations (that’s why we can tell one instrument from another even when they play the same note), and Atmosphères is a study in that element of music: "sonority" or "timbre," as well as dynamics (loud and quiet).
You will hear no melody, no perceptible rhythm or pulse; you will hear the full range of dynamics from the imperceptibly quiet to the edges of tolerance.
You will also hear the sort of otherworldly sounds that no doubt attracted Kubrick when he heard the music accompanying scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick liked what had initially been a placeholder track so much that he included it (without permission) in the finished film.
The Oceanides
Jean Sibelius
The Oceanides, Op. 73, was one of thirteen tone poems written by Sibelius. This one was particularly influenced by his travels to the United States, where he conducted the premiere in Norfolk, Connecticut, in 1914.
The piece draws inspiration from Greek mythology, where the Oceanides are sea nymphs—daughters of the Titan Oceanus and the goddess Tethys—who personify the beauty and mystery of the ocean. Sibelius masterfully evokes the ocean's various moods, capturing its tranquility and power in this orchestral work.
The work unfolds with a serene and shimmering texture, depicting the calm surface of the sea. Woodwind melodies rise and fall like gentle waves, with the strings providing an undulating background.
The atmosphere intensifies, suggesting the ocean's growing turbulence. Dramatic crescendos and forceful brass chords portray an impending storm, until eventually, the climax erupts in a powerful, overwhelming surge, mirroring the sea’s immense and uncontrollable force.
One of his most evocative works, it remains a vivid and captivating example of tone painting in music, blending mythological themes with the grandeur of the natural world.
Symphony no.1 "Titan"
Gustav Mahler
1. Langsam, schleppend
2. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
3. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
4. Stürmisch bewegt – Energisch
Mahler’s first venture into the world of symphonic composition resulted in what became one of his most celebrated works. Composed between 1884 and 1888 (with revisions up until 1896), the work has a relatively modest scale in terms of length and orchestral size compared with his later symphonies.
The nickname Titan was initially linked to a programmatic description that Mahler attached to early performances, inspired by Jean Paul’s novel Titan. However, he later abandoned this literary reference, leaving the symphony to stand as a purely musical work. Even without the programmatic titles, the symphony’s narrative and emotional journey remain compelling.
The first movement opens quietly with a mysterious, sustained note in the strings, imitating the sounds of nature awakening. Birdcalls, distant fanfares, and folk-like melodies emerge, building toward a bright, energetic theme that hints at a rustic celebration. This pastoral atmosphere reflects Mahler’s love of the natural world and his ability to infuse his music with a sense of place.
In the second movement, Mahler presents a lively and spirited Ländler, a traditional Austrian folk dance, which contrasts with the more relaxed trio section. The dance-like character and rhythmic energy give a rustic charm to the movement, evoking the sounds of country life.
The third movement is famously unconventional, featuring a funeral march based on the folk tune Frère Jacques, which Mahler transforms into a sombre, minor-key canon. The melody is presented in the double bass, lending a haunting quality to the music. Mahler intersperses this march with a klezmer-inspired section, recalling his experiences of Jewish folk music, adding humor and irony to the otherwise melancholic atmosphere—these contrasts highlighting Mahler's tendency to blend the profound with the grotesque.
The final movement erupts with a dramatic and tumultuous outburst, representing a fierce struggle. The music ranges from despair to triumph, passing through lyrical and stormy episodes. While seemingly a traditional sonata form, just when it appears that the development is about to lead back to the first subject, Mahler brings in a new tune that skillfully blends elements of earlier themes, resulting in a striking fanfare. Then, after a sort of recapitulation in reverse order, the fanfare returns to bring the symphony to a powerful, triumphant conclusion.
Jon Malaxetxebarria
Conductor
Born in Gernika in the Basque Country of Spain, Jon Malax conducts regularly in both Spain and the United Kingdom. In Spain he has conducted many ensembles such as the Orquesta Radio Televisión Española, the Basque Country Symphony Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Navarra Symphony Orchestra, Oviedo Filarmonía, Orquesta Sinfónica de Extremadura, the Orfeón Pamplonés, Bilbao Municipal Band and the Malaga Philharmonic. Jon has been the assistant conductor at the two main opera houses in Spain: Teatro Real (Madrid) and Liceu (Barcelona).
From 2016-2021 he was Music Director of the Basque Youth Orchestra. He is currently Head of Conducting studies at Musikene Music Conservatory in San Sebastian.
In the UK he has conducted Manchester Camerata, Liverpool Mozart Orchestra, Crosby Symphony Orchestra, Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra, North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra and the Derbyshire City & County Youth Orchestra amongst others. He was Music Director of Solihull Symphony
Orchestra from 2013-2023.
As a keen advocate of new music, Jon performed the world premiere of Simon Dobson’s Trombone Concerto with Peter Moore and the RNCM Brass Band, broadcast on BBC Radio 2.
Following his studies with Dale Clevenger at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Jon moved to Manchester in 2010 to study orchestral conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). Upon completion of his studies he was awarded the Mortimer-Furber Prize in Conducting, and in 2011 he was appointed as a conductor of the Junior RNCM. Jon has been Senior Lecturer in Conducting at Leeds Conservatoire since 2014. As a guest conducting tutor, Jon has taught at the RAF, RNCM (both undergraduate courses and international short conducting courses) and at the University of Manchester.
Hallam Sinfonia
Violin 1
Hannah Thompson-Smith, John Cooper, Paul Adam, Liz Stephenson, Yean Chooi, Helena Vassiliadis, Katy Silverman, Anton Nikolaev, David Milsom, Maria Nikolaeva, Jacob George, Roland Slade
Violin 2
Kate Fehler, Catherine Pugh, Richard Gilbert, Rachael Evans, Hannah Watson, Nick Burke, Jack Czauderna, Catherine Bowman, Deborah Blewitt, Dylan Briggs, Lasse Rempe
Viola
Charlotte Kenyon, Helen Mather, Kiri Smith, Sue Adam, Laura French, Jo Powis
Cello
Jeremy Dawson, Charlie Hardwick, Joy Paul, Sue Dumpleton, Benjamin Jackson, Seth Hillier, Dominic Smith, Angela Rosenfeld, Matthew Moore, Nat Blakesley
Bass
Stuart Wilson, Paddy Appelqvist, John Goepel, David Shearn, Tom Davies
Flute/Piccolo
Judith Ennis, Kathryn Hathaway, Tony Jones, Katrina Fountain
Oboes/Cor Anglais
Vicky Holmes, Carolyn Bean, Becky Baines, Helen Jenkinson
Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
Karen Burland, Catherine Murray, Becky Stroud, Toby Kelly
Bassoon/Contrabassoon
Liz Versi, Emily Wilson, Rosie Hodgson, Amy Kershaw
Horns
Rachel Wilkes, Rachel Melland, Jo Towler, Gill Hillier, Mick Nagle, Chris Noble, Becca Barnes, Simon Twigge
Trumpets
Rob Horscroft, Matthew Redfearn, Jocelyn Allsopp, George Breakwell
Trombones
Andrew Knowles, Nick Hart, Richard Dixon, Sophie Anderson
Tuba
John Pullin
Percussion
Adam Harrod, Peter Watts, Tommy Roberts, Ben Sindall
Harp
Alley York
Piano/Celeste
Tom Owen, Chris Noble