Carmen & Boléro
Laurie Shulman, Program Notes Annotator
Claude Debussy | Ibéria
Maurice Ravel | Boléro
Georges Bizet | Selections from Carmen
Ibéria
Claude Debussy (klohd də-byoo-see)
Born 22 August, 1862 in St-Germain-en-Laye, France
Died 25 March, 1918 in Paris
Orchestration: four flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), three oboes (3rd doubling English horn), three clarinets, four bassoons (4th doubling contrabassoon), four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, two harps, celesta, and strings.
Ibéria is a salute to Spain from a composer who barely knew the country. Apparently, Claude Debussy only visited Spain once, for a few hours, when he crossed the Pyrenées border to attend a bullfight in San Sebastian. His perception of Spain and its music came from imagination rather than personal experience. Like many of Debussy’s works, Ibéria originated for keyboard, in this case, two pianos. In its orchestral version, it is one of his finest pieces and a brilliant encapsulation of Spanish atmosphere and culture. His movement title suggests the sounds and atmosphere he sought to achieve in music: ‘In the streets and byways,’ ‘Fragrance of the Night,’ and ‘Morning of a Festival Day.’ Thus, strings emulate the sound of guitars, and an expanded percussion section, with emphasis on castanets and tambourine, establishes the vibrant dance rhythms of Spain.
Boléro
Maurice Ravel (moh-REES rah-VEL)
Born 7 March, 1875 in Ciboure, Basses-Pyrenées, France
Died 28 December, 1937 in Paris
Orchestration: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes (second doubling oboe d’amore), English horn, clarinet in E-flat, 2 clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, high D trumpet, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba; sopranino, soprano, and tenor saxophones; timpani, 2 snare drums, cymbals, tam-tam, celesta, harp and strings
Even before Blake Edwards’s film “10” (1979) assured it a permanent place in every pop record collection, Boléro was one of the most frequently performed compositions in any concert hall, readily recognized by non-musicians. Something about its insistent, understated (and deceptively simple) rhythm and magnificent, controlled crescendo to the ultimate orchestra climax has captured audience imaginations for nearly a century. With Boléro, Ravel secured an enviable spot in the permanent repertoire. What may enhance the experience is concentrating on the intricacy of the melody, whose rhythmic nuances and sinuous wanderings are vastly more complex than one initially thinks. The snare drum provides the pulse for this sultry Spanish dance. Ravel’s slow, steady crescendo builds to a thrilling climax. Virtually every instrument in the orchestra has a turn at the theme – which is a lot more complicated than it sounds!
Selections from Carmen
Georges Bizet (zhorzh bee-zay)
Born 25 October, 1838 in Paris, France
Died 3 June, 1875 in Bougival, France
Orchestration: two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets (doubling cornets), three trombones, timpani, triangle, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, two harps and strings
There is a saying among musicians that no one writes better Spanish music than the French. Georges Bizet is surely the premier example in defense of that tenet, and Carmen his most compelling proof. The entire opera exudes the vibrant, exotic colors of Spanish and Roma culture – ironically, in adaptation of a novella by a French author, Prosper Mérimée! So captivating are the Spanish numbers within Carmen that they have acquired an active life of their own independent of the opera house. Indeed, Bizet’s uncanny gift for the perfectly formed miniature led to orchestral adaptations of several vocal numbers within the opera, eventually yielding sufficient material for two orchestral suites. This evening we hear excerpts from the opera in their original form, with soloists and chorus.
The Prelude, which functions as the opera’s overture, introduces the lively Spanish bullfighting atmosphere, along with several other themes that will recur in the opera, including the toreador song and the ominous “fate” motive, which foretells Carmen’s demise. It leads directly to the opening Scene & Chorus, in which military guards stationed in the town are discussing the leisurely pace of their lives as they smoke, gossip, and idly watch the passers-by.
Carmen’s sultry Habanera is an example of music that we find irresistible, but it also helps to explain why some material in the opera may have been considered risqué. In the opera, she is declaring her philosophy of love: it is to be seized for the moment. She makes it clear that her love, in particular, may have dangerous consequences. Carmen’s sinuous, frankly sexy melodic line against the pizzicato background of the strings presents one of the most arresting contrasts in all opera.
The Chorus “Au secours” occurs when the women in the tobacco factory come streaming out, describing a cat fight between Carmen and Manuelita, another factory worker. Carmen has drawn a knife, and is arrested. In the Seguidilla, Carmen sings seductively to her captor, Don José, attempting to lure him with her description of the life of freedom and self-indulgence at the inn of her friend Lillas Pastia. Don José is easily conquered, cutting the ropes that bind her, and allowing her to escape.
In Act II, Carmen has rejoined friends in Lillas Pastia’s tavern. When local Gypsies begin singing and dancing, Carmen leaps into their midst, rattling her tambourine and singing a Gypsy song. Her irresistible Danse Bohème rivets the entire assembly with its wild abandon. She is elated by her freedom and the knowledge that José will soon join her. Each verse gets progressively faster, intensifying the impact of her performance.
The duet between Carmen and Don José encapsulates the conflict of their lifestyles. She dances seductively, with castanets, in his honor. In the distance he hears the trumpets sounding the call to his regiment. He is torn between his magnetic attraction to Carmen and his sense of duty. She mocks him.
In Act IV’s March and Chorus, the crowd brims with excitement outside the bullring as they await the arrival of the celebrated Toreador Escamillo. Bizet ingeniously reprises music from his Prelude and the opera’s first act, and adding the new chorus melody and, eventually, the Toreador song. Escamillo enters triumphantly, with Carmen at his side.
The Duet and Final Chorus is the final confrontation between Carmen and Don José. Because she has left him for Escamillo, he is tormented by love and jealousy. Driven mad by his passion, he begs her to return to him. Impervious to his pleas, she insists that she was born free, and free she will remain. In the distance, the sound of the crowd cheering on the bullfight provides stark contrast to their drama outside the arena. After a final impassioned plea from Don José, she still rejects him, throwing back at him a ring he had given her. Undone by grief and jealousy, he stabs her, declaring his love to the end.
Ironically, Bizet himself did not live long enough to even grasp intimations of the enormous impact his opera would have on music history and the popular imagination. He died barely three months after the work’s unsuccessful premiere, believing Carmen to have failed.
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