This evening’s concert featured folk music from around the world!  Our concert was introduced by long time At-Large Member of Fairfax County School Board, Ilryong Moon.  Moon was honored by the Fairfax County School Board in October 2021, for his long service on the school board by naming the main gymnasium at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology as “Ilryong Moon Gymnasium.”

Aaron Copland’s 1942, “Fanfare for the Common Man.”  launched our musical evening.  Our music director Christopher Johnston,  explains, “The work was inspired in part by a speech made earlier that year by then American Vice President Henry Wallace in which Wallace proclaimed the dawning of the “Century of the Common Man.””

He added Copland’s words, “…It was the common man, after all, who was doing all the dirty work in the war and the army. He deserved a fanfare.”

It is interesting to note that Copland considered several other titles for the piece, among them Fanfare for the Spirit of Democracy, Fanfare for the Rebirth of Lidice—a town in Czechoslovakia that had been destroyed by the Nazis—and Fanfare for Four Freedoms. The last title refers to a 1941 speech by President Roosevelt in which he listed the four freedoms people everywhere should enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Next we were riveted again by Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17″. Chris explains, “Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) composed his Symphony No. 2 in C Minor in 1872 and revised it seven years later. It is Tchaikovsky’s shortest symphony, but what makes this music distinctive is his use of folk tunes for some of its themes….

This technique was favored by “The Five” (Mussorgsky, Borodin, Cui Balakirev, and Rimsky Korsakov), and Rimsky-Korsakov in particular was impressed when Tchaikovsky played this music for him on the piano shortly before the premiere.  (Rimsky-Korsakov’s wife liked the last movement so much that she wanted to make a two-piano arrangement of it.)”

Next we enjoyed, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ English Folk Song Suite.  Johnston explains, the, “English Folk Song Suite is one of the most popular works of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958). “It was first published for military band as Folk Song Suite and its premiere took place at Kneller Hall on July 4, 1923, under the baton of Lt. Hector Adkins.”

“The piece,” He adds, “was later arranged for full orchestra in 1924 by Vaughan Williams’s student, Gordon Jacob, and published as English Folk Song Suite.”

Furthermore, “The suite consists of three movements; March, Intermezzo, and a final March.  The first march is entitled “Seventeen Come Sunday,” the Intermezzo is subtitled “My Bonny Boy,” and the final movement if based on four “Folk Songs from Somerset.”

The suite originally had a fourth movement, “Sea Songs,” which was played second, but the composer removed it after the first performance and published it separately with his own orchestration.”

Our evening’s guest conductor is not less than a up and coming composer Charles Stolpe!  Tonight he conducted his work,“Voided Dimensions.”

Charles describes his piece as, “Imagine walking in the woods, late at night, with snow falling around you. You are in your thoughts, contemplating life itself and your purpose in it. That is how this piece came to be. The point of “Voided Dimensions” is a melody that played in my head when deep in contemplation. It would start with the main theme playing, moving from soft to loud and feeling chaotic. The theme would return quieting down before ramping back up. There would be a bit of a triumph and victory of reflection before going back to the primary theme once more and fading away but not a complete finish as the void continued.”

He expands, “The piece begins with an introduction played by the low brass in a soft choral fashion. The main theme begins fully in the strings in a humming-like tune using a minor key representing the void of contemplation in my mind. The melody then gets passed to the woodwinds before the full orchestra comes into play with choral horns in the background. The first chaotic moment occurs as the orchestra builds into a new minor key. The new theme—which is a variation of the main theme— soars through the brass and winds, while the strings and brass play rhythmic and chordal textures in the background with loud percussion adding to the complexity. The orchestra ends that section in full before quieting down as the main theme returns in the strings, winds, and horns along with an added counter melody and chordal background. The second chaotic section begins with the return of the introduction in a march-like style in the woodwinds, while other rhythms and motifs are being played by the other members of the orchestra with the percussion maintaining a chaotic march.

The piece suddenly turns bright and cheerful as the orchestra comes in full, using a major key, inspired by an often-sung church hymn. This part of the piece symbolizes the remembrance of joy and victories of my trials experienced in life. The joy is short lived as suddenly the main theme returns one final time in the strings and added trumpets as the orchestra begins to quiet down and fade away. The piece ends with part of the major theme but played in our home C minor key in the flute with three hits from the timpani to close the piece out.”The piece received a massive and heartfelt ovation!  It is such an honor to not only hear a composer’s work but to see them conduct their own score is priceless!

Our next symphonic work was our own Christopher Johnston’s, “Variations on “Arirang” ” featuring Eunju Kwak on violin.   Our composing Maestro, Christopher Johnston elucidates,  the work was, “composed in 1999, and dedicated to the composer’s niece, Miss Jin Young Koh, the work was first performed at the Eastman Conservatory in Rochester, New York, with Miss Koh performing the violin solo. The Variations were originally composed for violin and piano, but after the initial Eastman premiere, Christopher Johnston (1960– ) scored the piece for full orchestra and solo violin.

This evening’s performance includes a new, recently composed variation. The NOVA Symphony Orchestra is honored to have Mrs. Eunju Kwak, who performed the Variations with the orchestra in 2015, returning this evening to perform this new version.”

One of the many great gifts one gets by coming to the NOVA Symphony Orchestra concerts, is that Maestro Christopher Johnston spends great time considering and writing phenomenal program notes. Usually, only the guests get to read all about music.  I think his notes are best served with a side of photographs from the wonderful concert.

We began with the famed Overture to William Tell by Rossini!

“Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) was one of the most celebrated Italian composers of the 19th century and consequently enjoyed widespread success, prestige, and wealth during his life.  He was one of the most prolific opera composers, and William Tell was his thirty-ninth and final opera.  the four-act opera is based on Friedrich Schiller’s play (“Wilhelm Tell”), which tells the story of William Tell, an archer and Swiss hero who helps to liberate Switzerland from Austrian Occupation.  Though the opera is rarely performed, the overture (the introduction to the opera) remains a concert favorite.”

“The overture is divided into four sections: 1 Dawn, a lyrical cello quintet, 2 Storm, a musical representation of the onset and retreat of a violent thunderstorm, 3 Ranch des Vaches (“call of the cows”), a pastorale featuring an English horn and flute duet, and 4) Finale: March of the Swiss Soldiers, a dynamic gallop heralded by trumpets and played by the full orchestra.  Much of Rossini’s musical motives have become mainstays of popular culture.  Most notably, the melody from the Finale has been cemented into radio and television history as the opening theme to the radio and TV version of The Lone Ranger”

Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, “Afro-American” by William Grant Still.

Composed in 1930, William Grant Still’s (1895-1978) Symphony No.1 “Afro-American,” was the first written by a African American and performed for a United States audience by a leading orchestra. Premiered in 1913 by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and later published in 1935, it it a symphonic form with blues progressions and rhythms characteristic of popular African-American music at the time.  Still sought to demonstrate how the blues could be raised to the highest musical rank, as it was often considered to be music that was not appropriate for the concert hall.

The symphony comprises four movements: Longing,” “Sorrow,” “Humor,” and “Aspiration.”  The second is calm and reflective of the movement.  The third movement creates a light-hearted, celebratory atmosphere using fast rhythmic patterns accompanied by tenor banjo.  The fourth opens with a somber melody in the strings and closes with a grandiose and satisfying finale in the minor mode.

“The Old Boatman”

Florence Prince (1887-1953) originally composed “The Old Boatman” for solo piano, specifically for the benefit of her developing piano students.  Upon hearing it , Dana Paul Perna found it very reminiscent of Edvard Grieg, specifically his “Lyric Pieces,” and ” and 19 Norwegian Folk Tunes,” Op 66.  With that in mind, he proceeded to score her work in the literal transcription for string orchestra in 2002.  Upon the advice of conductor, John McLaughlin Williams, Perna extended his initial transcription of Price’s piece, completing the more comprehensive arrange heard this evening.

The world premiere of this arrangement took place on October 19, 2017, at MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston) in Houston, Texas by Orchestra Unlimited under the direction of Kirk Smith.

Finlandia, Op. 26

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) composed Finlandia in 1899 and revised it in 1900.   It was an agreed upon contribution by the composer to the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire.  It was the last of seven pieces performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish History.

The premiere was on July 2, 1990, in Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajamus.   To avoid Russian censorship, Finlandia had to be performed under alternative  names  at various musical concerts.  Famous examples include Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring, and A Scandinavian Choral March.

Most of the piece is taken up with rousing and turbulent music, evoking the national struggle of the Finish people.  Toward the end , a calm comes over the orchestra, and a sense of melodic hymn is heard.  Often incorrectly cited as a traditional folk melody, the hymn section is of Sibelius’s own creation.

“Victory at Sea”

After retiring from the service in 1948, Henry “Pete” Salomon began work on developing the concept for a “telementary” that would chronicle the US Navy’s war-winning efforts in all theaters of conflict during World War II.  The title of the work would be “Victory at Sea.”

In the year after its first broadcast (1952), “Victory at Sea” won numerous awards, including a Peabody and an Emmy, and a George Washington Medal from the Freedoms Foundation.  Composer Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), fresh from his work on The King and I, also, received a Distinguished Service Award from the US Navy.  His theme for “Beneath the Southern Cross.” a favorite of series theme music devotees, was given words by Oscar Hammerstein II and became the hit song “No Other Love.”  In many ways, thought, it was arranger/orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett’s score, recorded by RCA and released on two LP records that had the most enduring influence  and became a fixture in millions of households.

The score’s most famous fan was US Navy WWII veteran Richard M. Nixon, who was known to play it at a high volume after political victories and made it echo down the halls of the White House during his six years as president of the United States.  Still played by many orchestras and radio programs on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the guns and strings of “Victory at Sea” continue to resonate in the twenty-first century.

If you enjoyed coming to hear the NOVA Symphony Orchestra, please return for our upcoming concerts!

• Dec. 6, 2022  (8pm concert): NOVA Holiday Concert with the

Featuring: The NOVA Alexandria Community Chorus, Nighthawks Jazz Ensemble and the NOVA Alexandria Community Band!