Ravinia 2025 Issue 3

“Composed in the spring of 2025 while com- pleting his full-length opera The Square , Malek Jandali’s Rhapsody is a deeply personal new or- chestral work, commissioned by the Ravinia Fes- tival and Maestra Marin Alsop. ‘Jandali belongs among the superb composer-poets of our time,’ says Alsop, who has long championed his work. ‘He is a meaningful voice of quite astonishing, almost unearthly beauty,’ known for weaving the rich musical traditions of his Syrian heritage into powerful symphonic compositions. Written in New York City yet inspired by ancient Syria, the work is a testament to Jandali’s lifelong ar- tistic mission: to preserve and elevate the rich musical heritage of the Arab world through the language of Western classical music. “In Rhapsody , Jandali creates what he calls a ‘vivid dialogue between civilizations’—a work that intertwines cultural memory with contem- porary expression. Drawing on centuries-old Arabic musical forms, the piece features two traditional Syrian themes: the first in the maqam Hijaz Kar Kurd, taken from the muwashah Ya Bahjata Rooh (‘Oh, Joy to the Soul’), and the sec- ond in the maqam Hijaz, featured in the wasla of Ya Maila Al Ghosoon (‘O You Who Leans on the Branches’). These themes, rich in emotional and historical depth, are skillfully reimagined in a meaningful and timely symphonic context. “Scored specifically with the Chicago Sympho- ny Orchestra in mind, the work gives special prominence to the orchestra’s commanding brass section, whose sonority adds both gran- deur and gravity to the score. ‘I was especially interested in trying to obtain all the colors of the orchestra using a palette of instruments that on the surface seem to present a similar timbre,’ the composer explains. From delicate woodwind textures to bold brass fanfares, Rhapsody un- folds as a mosaic of sound, reflecting the musical complexity of a culture often overlooked in the Western classical canon. “Beyond its musical richness, Rhapsody carries an urgent cultural message. In echoing UNES- CO’s call to safeguard the endangered heritage of Mesopotamia and the broader Arab world, Jandali uses his music to advocate for preserva- tion through creation. ‘As an American compos- er and a musician with a mission, it is my duty to preserve and present this rich heritage of my beloved homeland,’ he states, ‘to tell the world that we are part of you and contributing to the modernity of classical music.’ “Ultimately, Rhapsody is both a celebration and a plea—a celebration of unity through art, and a plea for memory, peace, and the shared human- ity that music so powerfully expresses. ‘We must be light when the world is dark,’ Jandali reminds us, ‘and it is always better to be together in a symphony for peace.’ ” FRITZ KREISLER (1875–1962) La gitana Scored for two flutes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, timpani, harp or piano, strings, and solo violin Fritz Kreisler’s active role as a concert artist spanned most of his lifetime. Born into a mu- sic-loving Viennese family, Fritz developed a fascination for music while listening to his fa- ther’s weekly chamber music evenings at home. Outfitted with a small-sized violin, the inquisi- tive boy began lessons with Jacques Auber (1851?–1925), concertmaster of the Komische Oper at the Ringtheater, at age 4. Kreisler en- tered the Vienna Conservatory as a 7-year-old undergraduate, studying violin with Joseph Hellmesberger Jr. and music theory with Anton Bruckner. After receiving the conservatory’s top honor for violinists at age 10, he enrolled at the Paris Conservatory for advanced violin studies with Joseph Lambert Massart and composition lessons with Léo Delibes. Kreisler made his American concert debut in Boston at age 13. For about one decade, Kreisler gave up music, instead studying medicine and art, and he joined the Austrian army. At age 25, he returned to the concert stage and embarked upon several tours, including his second visit to the United States. With the outbreak of the World War I, Kreisler returned from reserve service to active duty in the Austrian army on July 31, 1914, an experience documented in the memoir Four Weeks in the Trenches: The War Story of a Violinist . He was se- riously wounded on September 9 and honorably discharged two months later. Kreisler arrived in New York City on November 24 and spent the remainder of the war in the United States as an “enemy alien,” temporarily retiring as a concert artist due to the heated political climate. Years later, in 1943, Kreisler became a US citizen. This period away from the stage afforded am- ple time for composition, producing diverse works such as the operetta Apple Blossoms (1919; the original Broadway cast included Adele and Fred Astaire), String Quartet in A minor (1919; Fritz Kreisler published 1921), and original cadenzas for violin concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Viotti. Kreisler also issued several short compo- sitions under the names of mostly little-known Baroque and Classical composers—Louis Couperin, François Francoeur, Padre Martini, and Gaetano Pugnani, among others—and reg- ularly included those works on his recital pro- grams. Some critics accepted the “rediscovered” works at face value, while others cast doubt on their authenticity, noting stylistic inconsisten- cies. Kreisler eventually admitted his hoax in 1935, revealing that these compositions were his own. “Not for a moment did it enter my head to imitate [these older composers]. I could have done a better job of copying their style if I had in- tended it. That wasn’t my plan at all. I just wanted some pieces for myself … and I wrote them.” Kreisler composed La gitana (The Gypsy), sub- titled “Arab-Spanish Gypsy Song from the Eigh- teenth Century,” in 1917. This score adopts the traditional format of the csárdás , with a slow, rhapsodic opening followed by faster, more rhythmic music. Compositions in Central Eu- ropean styles were a staple of Kreisler’s concert and recording repertoire: Ernő Dohnányi’s Ru- ralia hungarica as well as his own arrangements of Johannes Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 17 in F minor, the “Hungarian Rondo” from Jo- seph Haydn’s Piano Trio in G major, H. XV:25, and Three Slavonic Dances by Antonín Dvořák. To these, Kreisler added original compositions such as Gypsy Caprice and La gitana —one of his favorite concert closers. FRANZ WAXMAN (1906–1967) Carmen Fantasie Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones and bass trombone, timpani, triangle, cymbal, bass drum, harp, strings, and solo violin One of Hollywood’s most original filmcomposers and orchestrators, FranzWaxman was a two-time Academy Award winner for Sunset Boulevard (1950) and A Place in the Sun (1951). His stylis- tic versatility allowed perfect ease in horror, ro- mance, and patriotic motion pictures. Waxman’s creative brilliance arose from his unabashed joy in instrumental coloration: “I think primarily of orchestration before the thematic material is thought out because I believe that the texture and color of orchestration are fundamental.” Waxman’s career began in Germany, where he worked as a café pianist and jazz arranger. Two early collaborations on film scores— Der blaue Engel (1930) and Liliom (1933)—marked him as a fresh young talent and impressed conductor Bruno Walter. Fleeing the rise of Nazism, Wax- man first moved to Switzerland before settling in the US. As a film composer, he burst onto the American scene with The Bride of Franken- stein (1935). Over the next 30 years, Waxman RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 77