Program Notes
Cherished Memories - In Memoriam Joel Cohen
November 1, 2025
Overture from Athalia, Opus 74
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was no stranger to Biblical themes – for example his oratorios St. Paul and Elijah and his fifth symphony, subtitled The Reformation. The story of Athalia, the fallen widow of the king of Judah, is the subject of Jean Racine's play from 1691. First set to music by George Frederich Handel in 1733, Mendelssohn's incidental music to Athalia was commissioned by King Frederick William IV of Prussia and performed in Berlin in 1845. Athalia consists of an overture, a march (The War March of the Priests) and six vocal pieces.
The Overture from Athalia op. 74 begins with a slow chorale played by brass and double reeds, the melody of which is taken from a chorus near the end of the work. It is succeeded by a subject of broad, melodious character in the flutes and clarinets, accompanied by harp and pizzicatto strings. A trumpet fanfare interrupts, signalling a transition to the brisk main material, marked by dramatic outbursts contrasting with moments of flowing lyricism. The introductory chorale returns, majestically scored for full orchestra and ending in a brilliant display of tonal color.
Concerto in E-flat for Alto Saxophone
Alexander Glazunov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1865 and died in Paris in 1936. His genius was recognized early on and he studied with the famed Russian composers Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. Glazunov possessed a photographic aural memory and could write down complete works after hearing them only once. Glazunov was drawn primarily to instrumental works and composed eight symphonies before the age of 40. He was appointed professor at St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1900 and director in 1906. Always interested in European ideas, he left Russia in 1928 and settled in Paris. Among composers he influenced are Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev.
Glazunov became interested in writing for the saxophone after meeting the German saxophone virtuoso Sigurd Raschèr. Raschèr wrote in 1960, "I met Glazunov in Paris in 1934. I timidly explored the idea of his composing a saxophone concerto for me. He looked benevolent, shook the ashes off his cigar and asked me to come again. When I saw him next, the concerto was almost ready. For a whole wonderful afternoon, and late into the evening, we worked together on the score, changing a note here and a note there, and fixing the cadenza. Thanks to his patience I had the opportunity of receiving his instructions on every point in the Concerto. It was one of the greatest lessons I ever had." (Slonimsky Music Since 1900).
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An analysis of the Concerto in E-flat for Alto Saxophone can be read online in the master's thesis by Robert E. Austin, who writes, "Glazunov shows an especially singular power in the construction of great works from only one or two fundamental themes while his inexhaustible imagination changes continually into new variations." The concerto is through-composed (one movement) in five distinct sections. It has one principal theme and two secondary themes.
Tango Carnevale
Jeremy Cohen’s dedication to expanding the literature for the string quartet medium is at the heart of the group he founded in 2001, Quartet San Francisco. Tango Carnevale is the middle movement of Jeremy Cohen's larger work for string quartet and orchestra, Concerto Carnevale, first performed in 2012 by Quartet San Francisco and the Marin Symphony, conducted by Alasdair Neale, as part of the Marin Symphony's 60th anniversary season opening concert. Tango Carnevale is a nod to the Argentinian tango master, Astor Piazzolla, in particular his Melodia in A Minor, which Cohen calls a simple piece that "says so much with so little."
Suite Pastorale
Emannuel Chabrier (1841-1894) was born in Puy de Dome, France, about 83 miles west of Lyon. At age six he began piano lessons. While Chabrier's father took pride in his son's musical talent, he made it clear that the boy was to remain an amateur musician. Chabrier received a law degree in 1862 and worked for 18 years in the Ministry of the Interior. During that time his friends included the musicians D'Indy and Fauré, the poet Verlaine and the painter Manet. After travelling to Munich in 1880 to see Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Chabrier quit his job to focus solely on composing and performing. His 1883 rhapsody of Spanish airs, España, was an instant and lasting success.
The Suite Pastorale is Chabrier's orchestrated version of his piano piece composed in 1880 entitled "Dix pièces pittoresques." The suite is an arrangement of movements No. 6 (Idylle), 7 (Dance villageoise), 4 (Sous bois), and 10 (Scherzo-Valse). Ravel acknowledged the influence of Chabrier on his own music, and some might say that "Idylle" sounds like early Ravel. Influential on other composers including Debussy, Strauss, and the group known as "Les Six," Chabrier's style is distinguished by, according to Eric Blom, "inexhaustible spontaneity, exuberant verve and wit, and vivid harmonic, rhythmic, and orchestral coloring."