Intermediate Orchestra

Programme notes

This afternoon NYIO will be performing a technically demanding programme exploring a wide range of musical periods.

L'Arlésienne Suite No.2

We begin the concert with Bizet's L'Arlésienne Suite No.2. The suite is collated from music Bizet composed for Alphonse Daudet's play 'L'Arlésienne' (The Girl from Arles) and makes use of regional folk melodies. The drama takes place on the Rhone river in Carmague, Provence and revolves around the central character's love for a girl from Arles. Suite No.2 consists of four movements. The 'Pastorale' opens with warm noble chords and a long legato melody in the strings. The melody is then taken up by the woodwinds, followed by a lively dance section in three time, before a return to the opening theme. The 'Intermezzo' portrays local girl Vivette. Heavy dark octaves alternate with sighing wind motifs. The main melody of the movement is then played by solo saxophone. The 'Menuet' has an overall more gentle character, prominently featuring solo flute with accompanying pizzicato strings. The contrasting central section suggests stately grandeur before a return to the flute solo, this time with countermelodies. The suite culminates in the famous 'Farandole', the energetic Provencal dance. Two contrasting themes, one minor and one major, alternate before both themes are played on top of one another in D major to bring the suite to an exhilarating end.

Symphony No.7: Allegretto

Beethoven composed his seventh symphony whilst improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplitz. At the first performance of the piece, the second movement Allegretto proved so popular that it was immediately encored. The music is built from a repeating rhythmic ostinato which gives the movement its sense of continual momentum, which has often been compared to that of a funeral march. The main motif is shared by every section of the orchestra at various points, most noticeably at the very end where it is passed around different instruments phrase by phrase. The main theme is contrasted with a more lyrical section with warm woodwind melodies. A key feature of this movement is its sustained gradual build-ups which create a long sense of tension leading into the louder tutti passages.

Shaken, Not Stirred & Selections from The Lion King

Next we split up into sections for some film music with the Woodwind, Brass and Percussion  playing music from the James Bond films, and the Strings performing a medley from the Disney classic The Lion King.

West Side Story Selections for Orchestra

We finish with music from the 1950s musical West Side Story. Composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics from Stephen Sondheim, the musical is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, set in the Upper West Side neighbourhood of New York. The music ranges from simmering animosity with dissonance and tension, to tender love themes. The medley concludes with the main theme from the song 'America', notorious for its energetic hemiola rhythms.