The sinfonia music group issues no. 2 February 2016

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Issue no. 2 FEBRUARY 2016
The
SINFONIA MUSIC Group
issues
IN THIS ISSUE
Giuseppe Verdi
Dido and Aeneas
Radetzky March
Pierre Boulez
CONCERTO D’ELEGANZA REVIEW

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IN THIS ISSUE
4 — featured composer
G. Verdi
7 — OPERA OF THE MONTH
Opera Dido and Aeneas
8 — review
Concerto d’Eleganza
10 — Vella Cordina Music
Libraries suggest…
Radetzky March
12 — A Tribute to
Composer Pierre Boulez
Welcome note!
To feature any articles or any material in relation to
the classical music scene please do not hesitate to
send your work to
info.sinfoniamusicgroup@gmail.com and it will be
published for FREE on The Sinfonia Music Group
Issues. Each email with material shall include basic
information (Full Name, ID-Number, Postal Address,
Email Address, Contact Number) of the writer/
creator.
N.B: This information will remain strictly confidential.
A month have passed since our first issue was published,
and new here we are for our second; and what a month
has passed!
As you know, last month was a very busy one for Sinfonia
Music Group due to that it have held its annual event;
CONCERTO D’ELEGANZA on the 23rd January 2016, in
fact we are exclusively publishing the director’s (which is
me) review for this event, here in this very issue, on pages
8 and 9. A good set of photographs accompany the
review and where all voluntarily offered by Mr. Jeanclaude
Mifsud.
As we did on the first issue, this month we also picked a
composer for the opening article; ‘Featured Composer’
and this month’s is VERDI, sided with the composer’s
funeral photos. Also this month’s article is followed by a
cartoonish painting of Verdi.
For another issue, which we may suggest that we will
keep, this month’s issue ‘Opera of the Month’ is Henry
Purcell’s DIDO AND AENEAS.
Many readers have approached us with positive
comments regarding the article; ‘Vella Cordina Music
Libraries Suggest…’ a then still experimental section, and
therefore we have thought to include again this article in
this issue, on the same guidelines of the previous issue,
and therefore on page 11 you shell find also a sheet
music extract. This month, we are suggesting the
RADETZKY MARCH!.
Unfortunately, as much of you may know, the 5th day of
the past January (January 2016), was a day of sorrow for
all the classical traditional world, we lost a great
contemporary composer, and conductor, aged 91,
PIERRE BOULEZ. For this the publishing team of this
issue have thought to dedicate pages 12, 13, 14, and 15,
for this great with a tribute, note only to him and his life, but
also the memorabilia we still have by him; his top
recommended discs.
Lastly, I hope that for another time you find this second
issue at your ease!
Mro. Mario Vella Cordina
ATCL, AmusTCL, DipLCM
General Director at Sinfonia Music Group.
www.mariovellacordina.blogspot.com.mt

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Featured composer
1813-1901

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Giuseppe Verdi was
born near Busseto in Italy.
He had church organists
as his first music
teachers, but later,
merchant Antonio Barezzi
sponsored his further
studies.
But, at 18 years, he was
too old to enter the Milan
Conservatory and instead
shifted to private tuition. In
In April 1836, he was
appointed Busseto’s
music master, weeks later
marries Barezzi’s
daughter; Margherita.
His first opera; Oberto
was premiers in La Scala
in Milan during November
1839.
Margherita died in June
1840, leaving Verdi with
two sons.
In 1842, with Nabucco, his
fortune changed; his
career was actually
began.
During the next 17 years,
Verdi wrote over 20
operas for theatres in
Italy, London, and Paris.
In Paris, he met Soprano
Giuseppina Strepponi who
with whom he fell in love.
They finally married in
1859.
By now, Verdi was
considered a national
treasure. Having
supported Italy’s fight for
liberation, he agreed to
serve as a deputy in the
Turin Parliament after the
unification of 1861.
He started to devote more
time to a farm he has
bought near Busseto.
Verdi continued to write
operas, but, his publisher;
Ricordi, hired a new
librettist for Verdi; Arrigo
Boito. The partnership
worked and opera
publishing and production
continued.
Nearly 80years old, when
his final opera; Falstaff
was presented Verdi as
considered as a secular
deity.
His death fall on the 27th
of January 1901. about
20,000 mourners attended
the funeral and suung; Va
Pensiero from his opera
Nabucco.
“ I adore art!
When I am alone,
with my notes;
my heart pounds
and the tears
stream from my
eyes, and my
emotions and my
joys are to much
to bear. ”

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NOW!
go to...
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Friends of Sinfonia Music GroupJoin

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OPERA OF THE MONTH
‘DiDo anD aeneas’
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
was an English composer. Although
incorporating Italian and French
stylistic elements into his
compositions, Purcell's legacy was a
uniquely English form of Baroque
music.
Dido and Aeneas is
England’s operatic crowning
glory. It is the only major
work of music theatre in
English before the opera of
Benjamin Britten, in the 20th
century.
Henry Purcell integrated the
dances devoured in French
opera, and followed Italian fashion by dwelling on arias.
But, he broke new ground with his treatment of lyrics and action.
The opera was publicly given in 1700, but only entered the repertoire in 1895.
The earliest known performance of the opera dates from 1689, when girls
performed it at their school in Chelsea under headmaster Josias Priest, also
choreographer to the Theatre Royal in London.
Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is one of the greatest laments
ever composed and it is not the first time that it is used as an extract from
this opera as a concert piece which stands on its own.

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Director’s
REVIEWThe concert hall at the Gozo
Ministry, Victoria, is a quite
popular venue with classical-
passionate patrons, due that
throughout the year it hosts
various such activities. On
Saturday 23rd January 2016,
it hosted Concerto
d’Eleganza, a classical
concert fully organized by
Sinfonia Music Group. The
event commenced at
19:30hrs and was at a free of
charge admittance.
The music was performed
by Sinfonia Music Group’s
Da Camera Ensemble, the
section within the
enterprise responsible in
such events of classical
intimate settings. For this
event Da Camera Ensemble
was included three
musicians; flute, pianoforte,
and percussion. The musical
direction was under my
responsibility ; Mro. Mario
Vella Cordina, the General
Director and Musical Director
at Sinfonia Music Group.
The repertoire was made up
four musical numbers; two
from the second half of the
19th century and the other
two from the present century.
The first musical performance
was a premier of an original
composition by me entitle;
Three Nocturnes with a
Postlude. This piece, the
version performed during this
concert was an ensemble
version of the same work
which originally I have
composed for pianoforte solo
to the start of the previous
year. The 12 minutes and
over composition was the
showpiece of the concert
strangely enough playing it as
the first number. But I did that
with a scope; I knew that the
audience will be ones that are
more eased to conventional
sound, something that my
music is far away from, so I
wanted to open the evening
with a punch!
And I must say that the idea
worked because as patrons
commented (some directly to
me as the concert finished),
they were shocked with my
contemporary piece but were
please with the idea that this
original work was followed by
a more, lets say, normal
musical number. But, to close
over my piece, I am very
satisfied, as its composer,
that the expressions of grief,
anger, and surprisingly
contemplation have reached
the audience, expression
which I tried to put in the
composition. To say it all,
Three Nocturnes with a
Postlude was a very
challenging piece for the
musicians to play due to its
irregular time divisions and
atonality, typical of me.
The musical number that
followed was the popular On
the Beautiful Blue Danube by
Johann Strauss II. That is
why in the formerly I say ‘
followed by a more normal
number’, because this piece
is one of the most famous
piece ever written. Its waltz
style, relaxed, contrasted with
the momentum created by
the piece which preceded it.
I have chosen to perform
the full composition by
Strauss II (the 1867 version)
obviously as an ensemble
arrangement, and not the 2
minutes version which is
more popular in other concert
programmes. No particular
reason headed this decision
other that that I respect the
original composers’ ideas;
Strauss II had written it in 5
variations so I performed it in
5 variations, maybe its
because I am a composer
too?
Those patrons who follow
Sinfonia Music Group and
perhaps have attended the
event I have organized at St.
Augustine Church, Victoria,
last March (March 2015)
entitled; Anima Christi, may
know that during that event
Da Camera Ensemble have
performed a composition by
Asian composer Toshio
Masuda. It was an
experiment to
local audience
sound. At Ani
experiment wo
when I was
programme
d’Eleganza I h
move on the
From the asia
chosen this tim
by South Kor
Lee Ru-Ma, be
his stage nam
collection of th
his 2001 album
The three song
Rain, Maybe
Flows in Yo
musical aspec
was the seco
for the music
composition. A
key signature,
is atonal and t
key signature
melodies and h
less the 4 minu
the songs are e
seperatly, if yo
is what was d
The Rain whic
the encore of th
The last piec
Massenet’s M
the 1898 ope
version that
perform was
adaptation
arrangement.
part was transp
solo, the harp
and a feather p
was added
background. A
“I wanted to open
the evening with a
punch!”
(Mro. Mario Vella Cordina ATCL, Am

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The violin solo
posed to a flute
to a pianoforte,
percussion beat
d in the
Although quite
away from the original, this
piece was also positively
welcome by the audience. I
personally liked this piece
and its intimate sound ideal
for an ensemble performance
but to say it all I should have
substituted it with some other
piece if I knew that from the
time that the programme was
compiled till the night of the
performance it will end up as
the closing piece, sincerely I
think it was too relaxed for an
ending-number, but after all it
is a meditation, it should be
too-relaxed!.
On a general last note, I, as
Sinfonia Music Group’s
General Director and Musical
Director, am very satisfied
with the organization of this
event, and with the
participation of all the those
people who have took part in
some way or another during
this event, and would like to
thank publicly all the patrons
who attended and showed
interest and supported me
and my enterprise.
musTCL, DipLCM)
Photos:
Jeanclaude
Mifsud

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VELLA CORDINA MUSIC LIBRARIES...
...suggest…
J. Strauss’s
Radetzky March
Radetzky March, Op. 228, is a march composed by Johann Strauss Sr. in 1848. It was dedicated to the Field
Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz and soon became quite popular among regimented marching soldiers. It
has been remarked that its tone is more celebratory than martial; Strauss was commissioned to write the piece to
commemorate Radetzky's victory at the Battle of Custoza.
For the trio, Strauss used an older folk melody called "Alter Tanz aus Wien“ or "Tinerl-Lied“ (Tinerl was a popular
singer of the day) which was originally in 3/4 time. When Radetzky came back to Vienna after winning the battle of
Custoza (1848), his soldiers were singing the then-popular song. Allegedly Strauss heard this singing and
incorporated the melody, converted to 2/4 time, into the Radetzky March.
When it was first played in front of Austrian officers, they spontaneously clapped and stamped their feet when they
heard the chorus. This tradition, with quiet rhythmic clapping on the first iteration of the melody, followed by
thunderous clapping on the second, is kept alive today by audience members who know the custom when the
march is played in classical music venues in Vienna. The march is almost always played as the last piece at
the Neujahrskonzert (New Year's Concert) of the Vienna Philharmonic. The orchestra did not play the Radetzky
March on 1 January 2005, because of overwhelming losses due to the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean a
few days before.
Johann Strauss (Sr) was an Austrian
Romantic composer. He was famous
for his waltzes, and he popularized
them alongside Joseph Lanner,
thereby setting the foundations for his
sons to carry on his musical dynasty.

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Boulez
Pierre
1925-2016

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Boulez was known for having directed most of the world's leading
symphony orchestras and ensembles since the late 1950s. His
rhythmic precision, achieved with only his hands without the use of
a baton, combined with his acute tonal discernment to engender
many orchestral legends.
Boulez was particularly famed for his polished interpretations of
20th century classics, as well as for numerous performances of
contemporary music. Clarity, precision, rhythmic agility and a
respect for the composers' intentions as notated in the musical score
are the hallmarks of his conducting style. Boulez also conducted
opera productions and made several recordings of opera.
Boulez has been called an articulate, perceptive and sweeping writer
on music. He wrote on questions of technique and aesthetics in a
reflective and sometimes elliptical manner.
During the war and for a number of years following the Liberation,
Boulez performed in various capacities on the piano and allied
keyboard instruments, often as a "supplemental" musician in
orchestral works with choirs and soloists. This activity not only
provided him with income, but also gave the young artist the
opportunity of meeting and working with important personalities of
the time.
"There are countless stories of him detecting, for
example, faulty intonation from the third oboe in a
complex orchestral texture", The New York Times
TOP THREE RECOMMENDED DISCS:

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