PROGRAM NOTES

L’Arlésienne: Suite No. 2 | Georges Bizet (1879)

Georges Bizet composed L’Arlésienne as incidental music to Alphonse Daudet’s play of the same name, usually translated as “The Girl from Arles.” It was first performed on 1 October 1872 at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris. Bizet’s music consists of 27 pieces (some only a few bars) for voice, chorus, and small orchestra, ranging from short solos to longer entr’actes. Bizet himself played the harmonium backstage at the premiere performance.

Bizet’s suite contains several folk-like themes for the music,  but also incorporated three existing tunes from a folk-music collection published by Vidal of Aix in 1864: La Marcho di Rei (The March of the Kings), the Danse dei Chivau-Frus, and Er dou Guet. The score achieves powerful dramatic ends with the most economic of means. Still, it received poor reviews in the wake of the premiere and is not much performed nowadays in its original form. The play itself was not successful, closing after only 21 performances. It had been staged as a last-minute replacement for another play and the audience reaction was less than favorable.

The incidental music has survived and flourished, however. It is most often heard in the form of two suites for orchestra, but has also been recorded complete.

Tableaux de Provence | Paule Maurice (1954-1959)

Tableaux de Provence (Pictures of Provence) is a programmatic suite, colloquially known as a collection of musical movements designed to tell a story or depict scenes, composed by Paule Maurice (Sept. 29, 1910 – August 18, 1967) between 1948 and 1955 for alto saxophone and orchestra. It is most often performed with piano accompaniment only. The work was dedicated to French saxophone virtuoso Marcel Mule.

The movements describe the culture and scenery of Provence, southeast France, where the Mules, Paule Maurice and her husband, composer Pierre Lantier, spent vacation time together. Tableaux de Provence was first recorded by Marcel Mule in 1957 with Solange Robin on piano. It was premiered on December 9, 1958, by Jean-Marie Londeix with the Orchestre Symphonique Brestois.

The “Tableaux” depicts a series of musical pictures from the southeastern corner of France bordering the Mediterranean, known as Provence. Ms. Maurice creates vignettes in each of the five sections: the first movement, the Farandoulo di Chatouno (Dance of the Young Girls), is the joyous sound of young girls in France dancing to the provenceal dance, known as the farandoll.  The second movement, Cansoun Per Ma Mio (Song for My Love), is a serenade whose accompaniment sounds the open strings of the guitar at the beginning of the piece. La Boumiano (The Bohemian Women or The Gypsy), is a rhythmic soliloquy of the pilgrimage of gypsies  to Saintes-Maries-de-la Mer. In Dis Alyscamps I’amo Souspire (A Sigh on the Souls for the Alyscamps) are the laments of friends that hover over the cemetery at Alyscamps expressing sadness. Finally Lou Cabridan; Cabridan translating in the Provençal dialect to The Bumblebee,  depicts a flying creature, turning and bustling through the Provence. The piece mimics the erratic  flight pattern of an insect through alternating between frantic rhythmic  movements and chromaticism, followed by momentary pauses as he rests on the flowers. He takes a moment to poise on the flowers, then, watching his chance, flees his narrow valley.

The contrasting movements of this work are full of animation and charm. This piece is considered a cornerstone for classical saxophone repertoire.

Written by Lori Rosenbauer Huff

Fancy Free | Leonard Bernstein (1944)

Fancy Free is a ballet by Jerome Robbins, made on Ballet Theatre, to a score by Leonard Bernstein. The premiere took place on Tuesday, April 18th, 1944, at the old Metropolitan Opera House, New York.

The scene is a bar and the outside sidewalk in New York City, in wartime. Three sailors on liberty boisterously arrive, have a drink (two of their number conning the third into paying), and head outside looking for female companionship. A beautiful girl passes by and the three sailors vie for her attention. She demurs and escapes, pursued by two of the sailors. The third, having been left in the dust, encounters another beautiful passer-by, and invites her to have a drink with him. He impresses her with a pantomime of his military exploits, and they dance a passionate pas-de-deux.

The other two sailors arrive with the first girl, who recognizes the second girl as a friend. The sailors realize their predicament: Three men, but only two girls. The couples dance and change partners, with one always left dancing alone. Finally, it is decided that the three sailors will hold a contest, and the loser will go dateless. Each sailor performs a solo variation (a galop, a waltz, and a danzón), but they’re so equally matched that the girls can’t decide, and the boys come to blows. In the midst of the fistfight, the girls flee in terror. Seeing their dates vanish, the sailors pick themselves up, have another drink (again, the first two conning the third into paying) and head outside again. Another beautiful girl passes by, and the three sailors take off in hot pursuit.

Catch Me If You Can: Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra | John Williams (2002)

John Williams composed Escapades from his film score to Catch Me If You Can, transforming music from the 2002 film into a concert work for alto saxophone and orchestra. The story—based on the true-life adventures of con artist Frank Abagnale Jr.—called for a sound that was sleek, playful, and tinged with 1960s cool.

The saxophone takes center stage, weaving through jazzy rhythms, sly harmonies, and shifting moods. Williams draws on elements of film noir and big-band jazz, creating a musical atmosphere that is both stylish and slightly mischievous.

In Escapades, Williams demonstrates once again his remarkable versatility—equally at home in epic galactic adventures and intimate, character-driven storytelling. The result is a concert piece that is witty, colorful, and irresistibly engaging.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Georges Bizet
L’Arlésienne: Suite No.2 <1879>

Paule Maurice
Tableaux de Provence <1954–1959>

INTERMISSION

Leonard Bernstein
Fancy Free <1944>

John Williams
Catch Me If You Can: Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra <2002>