2024 Concert Program
“A Tribute to Ukraine”
In 2024, the Sinfonia presented “A Tribute to Ukraine” that featured music by Ukrainian composers Myroslav Skoryk, Sergei Prokofiev, Reinhold Glière, and Mykhailo Verbytsky. The program also included a special arrangement of America the Beautiful by Philip Rothman, El Último Baile composed by Davis Albayeros for the Berkshires’ Kids4Harmony program, and concluded with Beethoven’s monumental Seventh Symphony.
America the Beautiful
by Samuel A. Ward
Lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates
Arranged and Orchestrated by Philip Rothman
Samual A. Ward composed America the Beautiful in 1882. Katharine Lee Bates wrote the lyrics in 1983 and revised them in 1911. This arrangement of America the Beautiful was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the National Youth Orchestra which premiered it in 2014.
America the Beautiful
by Samuel A. Ward
lyrics by Katherine Lee Bates
arranged by Philip Rothman
Stockbridge Sinfonia
Tracy Wilson, Music Director
Ukrainian National Anthem by Mykhailo Verbytskyi
The Ukranian National Anthem, Glorious Spirit of Ukraine (Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy) was composed in 1863 by Mykhailo Verbytskyi to accompany lyrics written in 1862 by Pavlo Chubynskyi. It was adopted on January 15, 1992 by the Ukraine parliament as the state anthem. The current lyrics were adopted in 2003.
Listen to the Czech Philharmonic
The Ukrainian National Anthem, Semyon Bychkov conducting, performed by the Czech Philharmonic and Prague Philharmonic Choir (2022).
Melodiya by Myroslav Skoryk
Melodiya, also known as Melody in A minor, by the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk, was composed for the 1982 Soviet war film Vysokyy pereval. Melodiya is Skoryk's most popular work and is frequently performed in concerts in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During a virtual address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United States Congress in March 2022, Melodiya accompanied a video of the destruction in Ukraine.
Listen to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Melodiya performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (2022).
“Sailor’s Dance” from Red Poppy Suite by Reinhold Gliére
Reinhold Gliere (1875–1956) was of German-Polish heritage. He was born in Kyiv and he embraced a great deal of Ukrainian culture in his life and work. Having studied violin and composition at the Kyiv Musical School, Gliere continued his studies at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1900. He then spent two summers teaching in Ukraine. The “Sailor’s Dance” from the Red Poppy ballet suite is among his most popular works.
Listen to the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, led by Erich Kunzel, plays Gliere’s “Sailor’s Dance.”
“Troika” from Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Serge Prokofiev
arr. David Lloyd-Jones
The principal melody in this movement is taken from an old Hussar song. In the David Lloyd-Jones arrangement, the melody is taken by the clarinet and bassoon, after which the pace quickens: sleigh bells, rapid pizzicato strings, and piano combine to give the impression of a fast winter's journey by means of the troika, a traditional Russian three-horse sled.
Serge Prokofiev, “Troika”
from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Stockbridge Sinfonia
Tracy Wilson, Music Director
Saint James Place
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
August 11, 2024
El Último Baile by Davis Albayeros
El Ultimo Baile (The Last Dance) was written for Kids 4 Harmony, a classical music training program designed to serve youth from under-resourced communities in Berkshire County, inspired by the El Sistema program in Venezuela. The composer, 16-year-old Davis Albayeros, is himself a student of K4H. Kids 4 Harmony students have been selected for advanced learning and performance opportunities including the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) National Festival, Longy School of Music Side-By-Side, and studies at Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
Listen to Kids 4 Harmony Octet
The Kids 4 Harmony Octet plays Davis Albayeros’ El Ultimo Baile at their spring concert in 2023.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major was composed between 1811 and 1812 while Beethoven was trying to improve his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplitz. The work is dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.
At its premiere at the Great Hall of the University of Vienna on December 8, 1813, Beethoven remarked that it was “his most excellent symphony.” This concert was probably the most successful in Beethoven’s lifetime. The second movement, "Allegretto," was so popular that audiences demanded an encore. The "Allegretto" is frequently performed separately.
Great Hall of the University of Vienna where Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was first performed.
Original manuscript and printed version. (Click to enlarge.)