Teacher Resources (Video)

There are no opening notes more famous or thrilling than the clarinet trill at the start of Rhapsody in Blue that suddenly spirals upward and broadens into a seductive, near-sleazy glissando, followed by the main theme. Arguably the single best-known piece of American symphonic music, Rhapsody is not quite a true piano concerto, nor is it pure jazz; rather, it's a musical melting pot that proceeds in a series of artfully connected episodes to a jazzy, triumphal conclusion. If you've ever wondered if an orchestra can swing, Rhapsody in Blue dispels all doubts. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33380]

Luis Urrea is a prolific writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea is the critically acclaimed, best-selling author of 16 books. He talks with Steven Schick about his life and work, and their collaboration on a new version of Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat" with texts from Urrea's writings. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33265]

"Like a semi-formal family dinner, this piece offers an environment for free interaction that is both structurally rigid & weirdly volatile. In this piece, the three principal actors - 2 solo pianos & a symphony orchestra - behave like relatives. We get along, we shout over each other, we stand at a respectful distance, and we shock each other into bemused & resentful silence. This is a work that calls for trust, sympathy & humor; I couldn't have written it unless I felt for the people involved a musical kinship verging on the familial."

- Composer/Pianist Asher Tobin Chodos Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33385]

The String Quartet in B Minor (Op. 33, No. 1) was the first of six quartets composed in 1781 by Franz Josef Haydn and popularly known as the "Russian" quartets. By this point in his career Haydn was a master of his craft, and with that confidence he began to experiment with the sonata form. This quartet is one of two that Haydn set in the key of B minor, a rare key for both Haydn and the string repertoire, and it has an uncharacteristically adventurous, questing quality. It moves from B minor through several keys, restlessly exploring rhythms, melodies, and modulations before "landing" back upon its home key in the breathless, virtuosic final movement. This piece amply demonstrates why Mozart held Haydn in high esteem. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33220]

Benjamin Britten originally composed his Gemini Variations for the Hungarian twins Zoltan and Gabor Jeney, who were talented players capable of performing all the instrumental parts. However, Britten knew it would be difficult to find two players with the same abilities as the twins, so he composed this alternate version featuring four musicians playing flute, violin, and piano four-hands (i.e., two pianists at one piano). Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33142]

Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" is a splendid example of what his collaborator Billy Strayohorn dubbed the "Ellington Effect," a sonic texture achieved through imaginative orchestration and unique to Ellington. Duke began with basic elements and tropes of jazz, then proceeded to filter those materials through his own indiosyncratic sense of rhythm and texture to fashion a sound that seems at once familiar yet exotic. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33384]

One of the most important composers in jazz history, Charles Mingus documented his lively impressions of Tijuana in "Tijuana Moods," a rarely performed suite. Join Grammy-winning jazz author Ashley Kahn; eminent alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, a longstanding member of Charles Mingus' band; Anthony Davis, UC San Diego professor of music and noted composer, pianist and improviser; and Steven Schick, UC San Diego professor of music, percussionist, and conductor, for an exploration of the legacy of African-American composer Charles Mingus and his historic Tijuana Moods album. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 32750]

Franz Schubert's String Quartet in C minor, D. 703 from 1820 is popularly known as the "Quartettsatz" because only a single movement of the piece was finished. The "Quartettsatz" marked something of a coming of age for Schubert, as he began to find ways to combine the rich Viennese heritage he absorbed during his student years with his own evolving dramatic ambitions. Structurally the piece dips and swells as it progresses through a series of dramatic extremes, assuming the shape of an advanced sonata design while avoiding the limitations of that form. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33219]

The serenade is a venerable 18th-century form as practiced by Haydn, Mozart and others. In his "Serenade in D Minor" Antonin Dvořák adapted the form to his own purposes, scoring for an unusual combination of instruments and introducing an unusual thematic unity. The result is a piece of good-spirited, sunny music that reflects Dvořák's own optimistic personality. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33144]

The Quintet in E-flat Major amply supports the contention that Mozart wrote superbly for wind instruments. Composing for an unusual combination of instruments, Mozart speaks directly to the character of each; the short and often rapid phrases for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, & horn are beautifully supported by the piano's rippling, fluid lines. This piece is not about virtuosity, but about musicians putting themselves at the service of the music. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33154]