Music from Youth: Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra

The Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra invites you to our season opening concert. Join us for an afternoon of string masterworks in beautiful Harwich Port, MA.

Program:

Britten: Simple Symphony

Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky

Grainger: Molly on the Shore

Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings

General Admission $35 - Children and Students FREE

Program Notes

Benjamin Britten's "Simple Symphony" is a charming work based on themes he composed between the ages of nine and twelve, showcasing his early musical talent. Completed during his last year at the Royal College of Music in 1934, the symphony features four movements with classical forms and playful titles: "Boisterous Bourrée," "Playful Pizzicato," "Sentimental Saraband," and "Frolicsome Finale." The symphony opens with a vigorous dance, followed by a dazzling, fast-paced scherzo. The third movement, almost as long as the others combined, echoes a modal British folk song in the style of Vaughan Williams. The finale is a lively, dynamic piece that concludes the symphony with emphatic energy. Britten's use of neo-baroque textures and contrapuntal interplay throughout the work reflects both humor and sophistication, making "Simple Symphony" a delightful blend of youthful exuberance and mature craftsmanship.

Composed in 1880, Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings" captures a range of emotions in its four movements. Inspired by Mozart, as Tchaikovsky mentioned in a letter to his patron, the first movement pays homage to the classical balance and charm of Mozart's style, while also incorporating Tchaikovsky's signature lush harmonies. The serenade blends classical structure with elements of the Viennese waltz, a poignant elegy, and Russian folk themes, uniting solemnity and joy in a beautifully crafted composition.

Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a, by Anton Arensky, began as the slow movement of his String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 35, originally scored for violin, viola, and two cellos. Composed in 1894, a year after Tchaikovsky's death, it serves as a tribute to the composer. The piece is based on the theme from "Legend," the fifth song in Tchaikovsky's Sixteen Children's Songs, Op. 54, which was set to a Russian translation of the American poet Richard Henry Stoddard's "Roses and Thorns." The slow movement was so well received at its debut that Arensky soon arranged it for string orchestra as Op. 35a, where it has remained one of his most popular works.

Percy Grainger (1882-1961) was a child prodigy in piano who later became a composer, known for his eccentric personal habits, vivid writing style, and equally distinctive music. Many of his fans today recognize that he had "the supreme virtue of never being dull." Born in Australia, he began studying piano at a young age. He moved to the United States at the onset of World War I and enlisted as an Army bandsman, becoming an American citizen in 1918. He explored new musical frontiers with his unique folk song arrangements, his lifelong advocacy for the saxophone, and his Free Music machines, which anticipated electronic synthesizers. His major works for wind ensembles include Lincolnshire Posy, Irish Tune from County Derry, Children's March, and Molly on the Shore.

Grainger originally composed Molly on the Shore in 1907 as a string setting, which he presented as a birthday gift to his mother, who had a significant influence on him. The wind band arrangement is just one of many versions, first appearing in 1920. Two quotes about this piece highlight Grainger's unique approach to music:

"In setting Molly on the Shore I strove to imbue the accompanying parts that made up the harmonic texture with a melodic character not too unlike that of the underlying reel tune. Melody seems to me to provide music with an initiative, whereas rhythm appears to me to exert an enslaving influence. For that reason I have tried to avoid rhythmic domination in my music - always excepting irregular rhythms, such as those of Gregorian Chant, which seem to me to make for freedom. Equally with melody I prize discordant harmony, because of the emotional and compassionate sway it exerts."

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2651990-0?pid=176 

Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Price: General Admission: USD 35.00