MONTICELLO- The Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra (SCCO) starts its planned celebration of American music a bit early this October. The program includes: Gian Carlo Menotti Cantelina e Scherzo for Harp and String Quartet, Jean Françaix Duo Baroque for Bass and Harp, Lee Hoiby Theme and Variations Op. 61 for String Quartet (Originally for Organ arranged by the composer) and Antonin Dvořák String Quartet No. 12 in F Major “American”.
The performances are Saturday October 21, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 14 St. John Street, Monticello, NY and Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Lulu’s Social Club, Jeffersonville Bakeshop, 4906 State Route 52, Jeffersonville, NY.
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Gian Carlo Menotti was long considered one of the great American romantics and certainly enjoyed critical success, but not to the degree of his colleagues who were exploring the world of serialism. Menotti’s primarily composed vocal music which is characterized by expressive lyricism that carefully sets language to natural rhythms in ways that highlight textual meaning. He composed very few instrumental works and the Cantelina is one of the most exquisite of his compositions, with strong emotions pouring from the music. Menotti was the teacher of the late great composer Lee Hoiby who resided in Sullivan County. Lee, like Menotti, championed lyricism at a time when such compositions were deemed old fashioned. He had a greater catalogue of instrumental music and Lee would often arrange his compositions for different instruments when he was inspired.
To fill in the program, two works were selected; one based on instrumentation, the other based on the theme of the program. Françaix was like Menotti and Hoiby in the sense that he rejected serialism to create music that was pleasant to the listener. He was a master of melody and playfulness that was heavily inspired by thick harmonies commonly found in jazz music at the time. Duo Baroque is a charming work for an unusual but very compelling instrumentation and is only baroque in the sense that it follows a typical baroque sonata format which showcases a very playful side of the double bass. Ending the program will be the “American Quartet” by Dvořák, a timeless classic. Dvořák was heavily inspired by the music and sights of America and resided in this country as an educator for a time. He composed this quartet on a trip to Iowa, visiting a small farming community of Czech immigrants. This piece was composed very quickly and has become a staple of the repertoire that continues to inspire performers and patrons.
SCCO is a Nesin Cultural Arts supported project. This program is made possible in part by funding from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathleen Courtney Hochul and the NY State Legislature, Episcopal Charities, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Laura Jane Musser Fund, Sullivan County Legislature, Sullivan County Youth Bureau, M&T Charitable Foundation, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, NY Life Foundation, Walmart Community Foundation and Stewart’s Shoppes.
