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Vivaldi's Four Seasons Program Notes
Primal Message (2020)
Nokuthula Ngwenyama (b. 1976)
Premiere: November 5, 2020; Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Xian Zhang
Nokuthula Ngwenyama (No-goo-TOO-lah En-gwen-YAH-ma), known familiarly as “Thula” (TOO-lah), is a distinguished American violist and composer. Born in Los Angeles, California to Zimbabwean and Japanese parents, Ngwenyama's diverse heritage is often reflected in her artistic voice. She graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, then continued her studies as a Fulbright scholar at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Her intellectual curiosity extends beyond music; she holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, an interest that informs her compositional philosophy.
Ngwenyama's name itself, meaning "Mother of Peace" and "Lion" in Zulu, encapsulates her dual nature as an artist—both powerful and profound. Her international prominence as a violist was cemented early in her career with victories at the Primrose International Viola Competition at age 16 and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, followed by the esteemed Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has captivated audiences worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in venues ranging from the Louvre and Suntory Hall to the White House. Her compositions have also garnered international recognition, performed by leading orchestras and chamber ensembles across North America, Africa, and Asia. Ngwenyama is also a member of Umama Womama, a dynamic trio of composer-players, alongside flutist Valerie Coleman and harpist/pianist Han Lash.
Ngwenyama's Primal Message is a captivating musical exploration inspired by humanity's most ambitious attempt at interstellar communication: the Arecibo message. In 1974, a team of astronomers, including luminaries Francis Drake and Carl Sagan, beamed 186 seconds of interstellar radio waves—a "message in a bottle"—towards the M13 globular cluster, a dense collection of hundreds of thousands of stars in the constellation Hercules, approximately 25,000 light-years away. This binary-encoded transmission represented humanity's attempt to convey fundamental information about ourselves and our technology to potential extraterrestrial intelligence.
The genesis of Primal Message was sparked by Steven Johnson’s 2017 New York Times article, "Greetings, E.T. (Please Don’t Murder Us)," which provocatively speculates on the risks inherent in announcing human existence to other sentient beings. This article prompted Ngwenyama to consider the profound implications of projecting a message across 25,000 light-years, questioning not only what we can send, but what we should send. Primal Message is not just a musical composition but a profound artistic inquiry into humanity's place in the cosmos and the essence of our shared existence.
Initially a chamber work, Ngwenyama has since expanded the piece for larger ensembles, reflecting its grand thematic scope. Drawing on music's intrinsic connection to mathematics, Primal Message intricately weaves together formal applications of prime numbers and evolving musical shapes through precise intervallic, harmonic, and rhythmic relationships. This mathematical rigor is tempered by Ngwenyama's deep interest in theology and spirituality, particularly her studies of belief systems beyond the Judeo-Christian tradition, including those of Japan and Africa. This broader perspective informs her contemplation of what a universal message—both spiritual and scientific—might entail.
Primal Message is scored for percussion, harp, celesta, and string orchestra.
The Four Seasons, Op. 8 no. 1-4 (1716-1725)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Premiere: First publication 1725
Antonio Vivaldi's music is the very essence of the Baroque era, so much so that even contemporaries like J.S. Bach found inspiration in his thematic material. Among Vivaldi's prodigious output, arguably no work is more instantly recognizable than The Four Seasons. Composed between 1716 and 1725, this set of four violin concertos vividly depicts each season of the year. While a quintessential example of Baroque style, The Four Seasons also boldly incorporates programmatic elements – musical devices used to portray nature, animals, and weather – a practice that wouldn't gain widespread popularity until the Romantic era, more than a century later.
Vivaldi, an ordained priest and violin virtuoso, spent much of his career teaching at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage in Venice. He composed over 500 concerti, nearly half of which feature the violin, showcasing his profound understanding of the instrument and its expressive capabilities. The Four Seasons stands as a testament to his innovative spirit, blending Baroque formality with a narrative sensibility.
First published in 1725 as part of a collection of 12 violin concertos titled The Contest Between Harmony and Invention, The Four Seasons was an outlier for its time due to its overt programmatic nature. Vivaldi reinforced the programmatic nature of these works by publishing them with accompanying poems. The author of these evocative sonnets remains unknown, though it's quite possible Vivaldi himself penned them. These poems serve as a preface to each concerto, elucidating the sentiments embodied in the music and even providing specific instructions for the performers embedded within the instrumental parts.
Throughout The Four Seasons, Vivaldi masterfully employs "word painting" to bring the poems to life. In "Spring," we hear chirping birds, bubbling brooks, and even a thunderstorm. "Summer" brings buzzing insects and a full-throated storm. "Autumn" features a vibrant harvest dance, a "sweet sleep," and a lively hunt complete with horn-calls. "Winter" captures the essence of cold with shrill, shivering tonalities, biting wind, and swirling snow, yet still finds a moment of cozy fireside repose in its slow movement.
The Four Seasons is scored for string orchestra and continuo.
Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 (1788)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Premiere: Unknown
The famously prolific composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart possessed a seemingly supernatural ability to create at a level of excellence and speed almost unmatched in musical history. His untimely death at just 35, seemingly at the peak of his powers, has cemented his almost mythical status in music history.
This Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550, was written during an incredibly productive two-month period in 1788 when Mozart composed his final three symphonies. This was a difficult time for the composer personally; changing public tastes and broader economic issues had severely impacted his income, forcing him to move to cheaper lodgings with his family. Yet, from this period of personal hardship, some of his most profound music emerged.
Symphony No. 40 holds a unique place in Mozart's output. It is one of only two of his 41 symphonies written in a minor key (both in g minor), the other being his Symphony No. 25 composed when he was just 17. Symphony No. 40 showcases a decidedly darker, more agitated side of Mozart, contrasting with the often more outwardly joyful character of his other symphonic works. While it maintains the strict classical structure indicative of the era, it nonetheless bursts with restless energy and an underlying intensity. The pervasive minor key, even in the final movement, contributes to its distinctive mood.
Eminent musicologist Charles Rosen eloquently captured the symphony's enduring power and its intriguing position within Mozart’s oeuvre: "In all of Mozart’s supreme expressions of suffering and terror, there is something shockingly voluptuous. Nor does this detract from its power or effectiveness: the grief and the sensuality strengthen each other and end by becoming indivisible, indistinguishable one from the other. In his corruption of sentimental values, Mozart is a subversive artist.”
Mozart entered the work into his personal catalog on July 25, 1788. While it was likely intended for a concert series in Vienna in August of that year, it's unclear if those concerts ever took place, leaving us without a definitive record of its premiere. We do know, however, that it was performed on April 16 and 17, 1791, the year of Mozart's death, under the baton of Antonio Salieri.
There are many medical theories about the cause of Mozart’s death. His personal physician concluded that Mozart died of miliary fever, symptoms of which include high fever and millet-seed shaped red bumps on the skin. Other theories range from trichinosis from eating undercooked meat to acute nephritic syndrome caused by a streptococcal infection. Mozart died on December 5, 1791, and was buried in a common grave as was common for the era.
Symphony No. 40 is scored for flute, two oboes, two clarinets (an addition for a later 1791 performance), two bassoons, two horns, and strings.
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