Music for the People

RCC Coil School for the Arts
Sunday, November 19, 2023 • 4 pm
Sponsored by the Magnon Foundation
Béla Bartók, Rumanian Folk Dances
Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony #44 in E minor
Anna Clyne, Stride for string orchestra
Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony #39 in G minor

The composers on this program composed this music for it to be direct and accessible to everyone.

Franz Joseph Haydn was known to his musicians as “Papa Haydn.” Throughout his long, prolific life he always made a point to be one of the musicians, never to stand out or above the rest. Despite the fact that he was one of the first true superstar famous musicians, he always remained down to earth. He was loved by all, and his music, which was written for the common man, was cheerfully enjoyed by audiences everywhere. There was always an inside joke or silliness or simply totally original yet not esoteric ideas contained in the music. It truly was for everyone!

Bartok’s Rumanian Folk Dances are among his most famous pieces, originally for piano and based on folk melodies and dances from Transylvania. Bartok heard these melodies played by folk musicians on fiddle or shepherd’s flute. They are truly of the people… and for the people!

In her piece “Stride” for string orchestra, composer Anna Clyne “plunders recognizable gestures from the Beethoven and bends them, chameleon-like, into an array of moods from mad waltzes to chanting cries and stabbing strings à la Bernard Herrmann. It’s a wild ride of a piece, full of humour and virtuosity,” reads a review from Limelight Magazine. And what better way to describe this music, which like Haydn, is written for everyone, that everyone can enjoy!