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Drawing inspiration from the most promising voices of today, Sphinx Virtuosi seek to lift the many voices within our communities. Despite the physical isolation imposed upon the pandemic, we are unified through our shared commitment to social impact through our expression. We are inspired by the music of Michael Abels, one of the most versatile composers of today, spanning cinema and symphonies alike. The sounds of Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code redefine our canon of tomorrow. Starting with a new work by Xavier Foley, Ev’ry Voice, and on our journey toward other American classics, we seek to find new ways to lift the voices of our Black and Brown communities through the lens of our Black and Brown musicians. Though we are separated by distances and time, we collaborate to share the voices of our flagship ensembles to unify our greater communities during these challenging yet transformative times.

Following the performance, join NWS violin alumni Alex Gonzalez and Emile Mettenbrink and violist Celia Hatton for a live Q&A!

 

This concert is sponsored in part by Sheldon and Florence Anderson; Beth Boleyn; Gary M. Giardina, Rose Ellen Greene; John and Terri Mason; Faye Munnings; Dorothy A. Terrell; the Keith & Renata Ward Family Fund at The Miami Foundation; and The Wege Foundation.

 

 

Program

Xavier Foley

Lift Ev’ry Voice

Lift Ev’ry Voice is an homage to the Black National Anthem. "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was first written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson, an American writer and civil rights activist who also led the NAACP.  Its first performance was in celebration of President Lincoln's birthday, on February 12, 1900, in Jacksonville, Florida, and was performed by a group of schoolchildren. The poem was set to music by Johnson's brother, John Rosamond Johnson, and as a complete work, was adopted by the NAACP as its official anthem. We often say that music is the soundtrack of our history and our lives. Today we know “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the soundtrack of the African-American civil rights movement. 

Xavier Foley—a brilliant bassist and composer, winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Sphinx Competition Laureate—created two versions of Lift Ev'ry Voice, as commissioned by the Sphinx Organization. One version is for the Sphinx Virtuosi, while the second incorporates Sphinx's professional vocal ensemble, Exigence. This piece was created in 2020 as a special feature under Sphinx's program umbrella of "Land of the Free," which illuminates the wealth of musical talent among American composers. Appearing now as part of our "This is America" digital program, this work has become a beloved standalone piece. The inspiration for the commission came at a time when the ideals of unity were invoked amidst uncertainty, tragedy and hope. In his music, Foley brings out the sonority and virtuosity of the string instruments to feature the familiar melodic material, while uncovering new timbres and sounds, encouraging all of us to look and listen anew, beyond the isolation of the global pandemic and the racial and cultural divides in our country. Today's soundtrack for the hopeful times ahead is ushered in by Foley's new tribute to a treasured piece of the American historical and musical heritage.

Jessie Montgomery

Source Code

Whenever possible, we love to collaborate with and play music by our colleagues and friends. We feel that their voices resonate more deeply with the issues of current times, keeping our music fresh, relevant and live. In this case, our own Jessie Montgomery, a violinist-composer extraordinaire, has toured with and led our ensemble many times. We felt that this piece pays tribute to the music of one of the most abhorrent periods of American history.

We’ve asked her to share her inspiration behind this unique work:

The first sketches of Source Code began as transcriptions of various sources from African American artists prominent during the peak of the civil rights-era in the United States.  I experimented by reinterpreting gestures, sentences… by choreographer Alvin Ailey, poets Langston Hughes and Rita Dove, and the great jazz songstress Ella Fitzgerald. Ultimately, this exercise of listening, re-imagining and transcribing led me back to the black spiritual as a common musical source across all three genres. The spiritual is a significant part of the DNA of black folk music, and subsequently most (arguably all) American pop music forms that have developed to the present day.

Antonín Dvořák

Quartet No. 12 in F major for Strings, Op. 96, “American”

In 1892 Antonín Dvořák served as artistic director and professor of composition at the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. Dvořák’s mission was to help study and formulate American classical music. Ultimately, his writing indicates that he was rather enamored with the African-American spirituals, Native American melodies and the unusual rhythmic richness of the American musical tradition. He encouraged his American students to look to these elements rather than imitateg European composers. Dvořák spent the summer of 1893 relaxing in a small farming community (300 residents) of Czech immigrants in Spillville, Iowa, where this work was born. The Kneisel Quartet gave the premiere in Boston on New Year’s Day 1894 and in New York on January 12.  As the most popular of Dvořák’s string quartets, the “American” reflects his aim “to write something really melodious and simple” and draws not only the melodies of his native land, but also was partlyinspired by the music he heard in America. Specifically, the pentatonic melodies he employs throughout may suggest an authentic connection to the latter. The fast Finale is cheerful, celebratory, jubilant and deeply reflective, at once.

Andrea Casarrubios

Seven for Solo Cello (2020)

Seven is a tribute to the essential workers of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to those who lost lives and suffered from the crisis. The piece ends with seven bell-like sounds, alluding to New York's daily 7:00 PM tribute during the lockdown—the moment when New Yorkers clapped from their windows, connecting with each other and expressing appreciation for those on the front lines.

Leonard Bernstein

“America” from West Side Story

One of the greatest American musicians of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein was both a prolific composer and a conductor. The music director of the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein wrote three symphonies and diverse concert works, and also made extensive contributions to musical theater, one of his great loves.

 “America” is a song from the musical West Side Story, for which Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics. In the original stage version, Anita praises America, while Rosalia, another Puerto Rican immigrant, supports Puerto Rico. The music uses a robust Hispanic musical style, replete with Latin percussion, guitar and very complex cross rhythms. In the 1961 film version, Rita reinforces her American sentiments, while Bernardo replies with criticisms, which highlight American racism and anti-immigrant prejudice: “Life is all right in America/If you're all white in America.” Subsequently some of the song’s lyrics were removed.

Michael Abels

Delights and Dances

Michael Abels, an African American composer best known for combining classical music with jazz, blues, bluegrass and folk genres, has gained widespread recognition for his orchestral music. Delights and Dances, commissioned by Sphinx, captivates listeners with witty, soulful and infectiously rhythmic music. The New York Times described the piece as “an energetic arrangement . . . which incorporates jazz, blues, bluegrass and Latin dance elements.”

Delights and Dances features quickly moving chord sequences and 16th-note runs for the solo quartet, which are rhythmically varied by the insertion of triplet patterns that relax and slow down the pace. The introductory section begins slowly with rhythmic freedom. The opening passage for solo cello sounds almost like a cadenza, then the solo viola plays the cello's ascending motive, and the two play a brief duet before being joined by the two solo violins. The orchestra enters, pizzicato, with short, detached, syncopated patterns. This section sounds like blues but is very rhythmic and has an optimistic feel. Each player in the solo group plays their own riff. The final section, "Bluegrassy," begins with a solo viola theme; soon all four soloists join in a spirited hoedown. Finally, the solo quartet and the orchestral strings play together for a spirited conclusion.