A WHIRLWIND STORY - our Music Librarian the superhero

While we often here of crazy stories involving performers or conductors (running off of a plane directly onto a concert stage, flying batons, forgotten music or instruments, strings breaking during a performance...), it's not often orchestras get to thank their music librarians for their diligence and perseverance.

Our Librarian, Joe Tersero, jumped through major hoops recently to secure the ASO with the parts for Korngold's Midsummer Night's Dream at our last concert. He captured his thoughts on paper:

Due to numerous high hurdles to jump, this story was one of the best examples of the question “To Be or Not To Be” for one very exhausted music librarian.

When I did my preliminary search for the sheet music, I found that the music to Korngold’s arrangement of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was not readily available from any of the major publishers. In addition, I was surprised to find out that none of my major symphony orchestra colleagues knew anything about this work or how to get the sheet music.

An internet search revealed a recording from 1999 by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchestra in Berlin, with Gerd Albrecht conducting. I thought for sure this would reveal the source of the sheet music; but unfortunately, I received no response from either Gerd Albrecht or the Berlin Orchestra. I found out later that there have been several orchestras in Berlin with the name “Deutsches Symphonie-Orchestra” and several of those have gone bankrupt.

Further research also revealed that Eric Korngold re-orchestrated Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the 1935 Max Reinhardt film on the same story staring James Cagney and Michey Rooney. Part of the difficulty in finding this work is due in part because Korngold really didn’t want to take credit for his contributions to this endeavor, instead leaving most of the credit to the original source composer, Felix Mendelssohn. Knowing that the music was taken from a motion picture limited the possible sources. I thought for sure I had my sheet music. A call to the most knowledgeable individual of motion picture sheet music, John Waxman, son of the great composer Franz Waxman, revealed JoAnne Kane Music Service, in Culver City, CA, as a possibility. Unfortunately, they did not have the music but were able to refer me to the correct studio, Warner Brothers.

I was first met with a negative response and was informed that the sheet music was no longer in the Warner Brothers Library and that it had been donated to the University of Southern California (USC) library. Sadly, I was told that the odds of my getting the sheet music were next to zero.

However, an encounter with Mr. Keith Zajic at Warner Bros., Executive Vice President, Business Affairs (Music) was extremely positive. In my faxed request, I had mentioned that we wanted to perform this work as part of the “Shakespeare in Washington” event beginning in January 2007 (lasting for six-months) to honor the works and influence of William Shakespeare. Apparently, these were the magic word - I received a faxed & signed letter of permission, as follows: “This will confirm that Warner Bros. Picture (“WB”) grants permission for the use of the orchestral sheet music including score and parts to the above mentioned film for the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra concert as specified in your October 25th correspondence…”.

Wonderful! October 25th 2006 - I thought for sure we were done! Unfortunately, the fax also came with the following note, “you will coordinate the copying details of such sheet music, score and parts with Noelle Carter at the USC Film Archives Library. It is my understanding that Noel works on a part-time basis.” Part time basis was correct, Noelle only worked on Tuesdays and Thursdays and was about to go on vacation.

She was able to copy all 532 pages of the old, over-sized manuscript score. Unfortunately, by the time she finished, December was here and we both went on our respective vacations. By January, I was very concerned as the concert was on February 3 and there were no parts to be had! Conductors are absolutely phenomenal when it comes to interpreting music and keeping 70+ musicians together. Unfortunately, when they wave a stick and the musicians don’t have music nothing happens! To wit, the librarian suffers.

Upon Noelle’s return, my next step was to tell her exactly which sections we wanted to perform and have the pages of the performance parts copied. The Korngold score was one of the most meticulous manuscripts I’ve ever seen, extremely easy to read and understand. I thought the individual parts for the musicians would be the same way. Wrong! Unfortunately, Noelle is not a music librarian and could not understand all of the road maps found in sheet music. As a librarian used to getting music to the musicians in plenty of time to practice, I was starting to question my abilities and really began to wonder whether this concert was going “to be or not to be.” Fortunately, Noelle was able to recommend someone who had done previous music research in the USC archives, Gary Dov Gertzweig, a wonderful composer and violinist.

With his help we were able to identify all of the pages we needed to make this performance happen. First, we received the string parts. Except for a few missing pages, I thought we were really almost done this time. The missing pages were copied and sent along with the winds, brass and percussion parts. The string books were now complete and ready to be sent to the Concertmaster, Claudia Chudacoff, to start the bowing process.

Much to my dismay, the winds, brass and percussion parts were not so complete. The USC Archives was missing these parts for two of the 19 sections we wanted to perform. In addition, Noelle had been offered and accepted a new job with the LA Times. She would no longer be available to help. With the first rehearsal less than a week away, I put on my Super Librarian outfit and used the music engraving software program Finale™ to extract the rest of the parts. I finished a day before the first rehearsal. Despite not having the practice time normally provided to musicians, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Kim Allen Kluge, gave an absolutely brilliant performance of this historic work on February 3, 2007.

Other information about the motion picture:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0026714/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Midsummer_Night

March 3rd Maestro Musing!

This just in from our Music Director, Kim Allen Kluge...

There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're half way there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Someday,
Somewhere!
"Somewhere" Music by Leonard Bernstein; lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

I'll never forget the first time I saw the film version of Bernstein's West Side Story. It was shown to a bunch of stunned adolescents in my seventh grade English class. The collective searing sobs of my classmates still resonate in my memory. That dramatic encounter with West Side Story inspired me to seek out other composers' renditions of Romeo & Juliet, which I have relished through the years. I am looking forward to sharing four of these versions with you at the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra's March 3rd concert entitled "Glorious Love, Tragic Love".

This event, inspired by the Shakespeare in Washington Festival, will feature two singers from Signature Theatre – Erin Driscoll and Tim Tourbin. The ASO's "Glorious Love, Tragic Love" showcases four composers' intensely felt and deeply personal renditions of Romeo & Juliet: from the wild-eyed Berlioz and quintessential romantic, Tchaikovsky, to the contemporary sounds of Bernstein and the popular film score of Rota/Mancini.

I never cease to be thrilled by the variety of musical approaches to this immortal tale. How does each composer treat the futility and hopelessness of the longstanding feud between the two families? The first heart-pounding encounter between Romeo and Juliet that shatters their worlds? The red-hot passions of their ensuing love scenes? Most telling, how do they communicate the overarching theme of a love so intense that it transcends even death? I never fail to be moved by this music. Even though we know the outcome, the journey puts us in touch with the most idealistic, the most "pure" part of ourselves.

Someday!
Somewhere.
We'll find a new way of living,
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere.

$, $, and more $

Big news here in the ASO offices since last week! One of our supporting groups, the Concerto Foundation, successfully raised a core $200,000 endowment to help the ASO continue bringing major guest artists to the Alexandria community.

Led by a gift of $100,000 from Frank and Betty Quirk, long-time patrons of the ASO, 20 $5,000 matching gifts brought the total endowment fund to its current level. The Quirk's quite wisely stipulated that their gift had to be matched and urged fellow ASO supporters to contribute.

We all hope the Concerto Fund, or the Heart of the Symphony Fund (as we're calling it now), will only continue to grow. Earnings on the endowment's principle will be used to help underwrite the annual appearance of a major soloist with our own orchestra here in Alexandria. While past seasons have featured Midori, Peter Serkin, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Lynn Harrell will join the ASO in April of 2008!

Many, many thanks to the Quirks for leading this campaign for the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra!

Meet the ASO - an interview with Joan Singer

From time to time we hope to bring you interviews from across the ASO - volunteers, musicians, board members, and staff. Here is our first one - a conversation with Joan Singer, longtime violinist with the ASO.


At a glance:
Performs regularly with the Baltimore Opera and Fairfax Symphony
Founder and Director of QuinTango – http://www.quintango.com/ – a quintet dedicated to musical performances of the tango
She has been playing with the ASO on and off since moving to Alexandria 30 years ago

What was your most memorable performance with the ASO?
"One of the concerts I remember vividly was a performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. All of us were so nervous before the concert and warming up on stage. It certainly turned out to be a great concert, but I’ve hardly ever been that nervous before playing such a difficult a work."

What would you say defines the ASO and separates from our colleagues?
“One of the great things about the ASO has been to see the way it’s brought the arts community together in Alexandria. It’s a very supportive, caring community. The original concerts at TC Williams really were a catalyst for that. So many people I know in the area are so proud of the ASO.”

You also direct another performing arts groups in the area – QuinTango. You must share Kim’s passion for exploring new repertoire and presenting classical music in different ways, no?
“Absolutely. The programming Kim brings to each season is always interesting. I actually helped him find the bandoneón player the other season since I’ve been so involved in tango performances lately and knew about the instrument. The ASO is all about accessibility but expanding the repertoire too – similar to QuinTango branching out and bringing our concerts into classrooms in addition to appearances with orchestras.”

Maestro Musings - for Feb. 3, 2007 - Triple Treat!

Before each concert our Music Director Kim Allen Kluge shares his thoughts with readers. Here is his first Musing for 2007, detailing just how unique our next concert is:

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra & The Shakespeare in Washington Festival present “Where Dreams Dwell”

What do a Classical Master, Hollywood Composer, and Rock Music Icon have in common? Their musical interpretations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will appear together on the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s February 3rd Shakespeare in Washington concert. The international list of participants for the festival includes The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Kirov Opera, American Ballet Theatre and…The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.

Elvis Costello and The Shakespeare in Washington Festival? Yes, rock icon Elvis Costello has composed a classical rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And guess what, it’s an astonishingly good symphonic score. It’s fresh, imaginative, and really makes the orchestra sing. I was so amazed when I received the conductor’s score that I contacted the publisher and learned that Mr. Costello had written over two hundred compositions for classical music ensembles. It really shows! Costello fan, or not, one can’t help but be beguiled by this music that is jazzy in feel and full of romantic lyricism and color.

I will give a short “tutorial” immediately preceding the performance. In the great Wagnerian tradition, Costello uses leitmotifs, or specific musical themes, to represent the “Dream”, or the magical realm of the forest, or Puck’s mischievousness, etc. Each musical theme is easily recognizable and will produce the “Ah Ha!” effect on the listener when they least expect it.

Two other musical portrayals of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will round out the program. Benjamin Britten’s widely acclaimed masterpiece will be excerpted. We will also include music from Erich Korngold’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1935 film score. (Yes, he is the composer for the Robin Hood movie starring Errol Flynn).

It is eye-opening to compare different composer’s interpretations to the same inspiration. On this program we have a Classical Master, a Hollywood Composer and a Rock Music Icon. And the results? Some startling similarities and some equally fresh and delightful differences.

Join the Alexandria Symphony’s Shakespeare in Washington concert on February 3rd for a triple treat.