All-Star Orchestra

NARRATOR: The idea was ambitious... [ Horns blaring ] ...the best musicians in the United States, one momentous week in New York City, performing in this all-star orchestra exclusively for our cameras to explore the most exciting music ever written, to produce a television series of masterpieces... [ Snaps fingers ] ...from music director Gerard Schwarz, and for an audience [Dramatic chords strike] of just you.

[ Flourish plays ] SCHWARZ: Welcome to "The All-Star Orchestra."

We're so happy you've joined us.

On today's program is Mendelssohn's Symphony No.

4, "The Italian," then the Kodly "Dances of Galnta," and Alan Hovhaness' "The Prayer of St.

Gregory."

Felix Mendelssohn was probably the greatest child prodigy of all time.

When he was 16, he wrote the "Octet for Strings," to this day, one of the great masterpieces of string chamber music.

Seventeen, the overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

In his early 20s, Mendelssohn made two important journeys: one was to Scotland, and one was to Italy, and he came back from Italy, and, many years later, wrote this "Italian" symphony.

KIM: What I love about this symphony, and what gives it its Italian flair, is the very opening -- [ Plays chord ] MORTIMORE: It's exciting -- I find it really, really fun to play.

FERRILLO: It's fun to play and it's challenging, but you feel like you're constantly on the edge.

It's very technically demanding.

YOUNG: But it's just joy.

Technically it's kind of difficult, but it just makes me so happy to play it.

It's hard to not smile while you're playing it in the orchestra.

CROCKETT: It's a really virtuosic piece.

It's challenging, even on the modern instrument.

LEE: This kind of frothy, beautiful bow stroke, it's really not easy to play, and to play it well.

FARINA: It's a lot of fun, and a kick-up-your-heels kind of piece.

KIM: It's just full of variety, and it's one of the great symphonies to play.

SCHWARZ: When we think about Hungarian music of the 20th century, two names that, of course, are synonymous with Hungarian music: Bla Bartk and Zoltn Kodly.

These two great composers, who were school mates, did a tremendous amount of research, discovering, annotating, recording true Hungarian folk music.

Kodly spent six years of his life growing up in Galnta, and it was a very important time and a very happy time in his life.

"Dances of Galnta" are based on five dances from a gypsy band that he heard as a child living in Galnta, and he made them into something incredibly special, highlighting the clarinet in particular.

MANASSE: For a clarinetist to play the "Dances of Galnta," it's...it's sort of a dream.

It's a piece that was inspired, of course, by nostalgia, and at the time, there was an instrument called the trogat, it was sort of a cousin of the clarinet.

And a very folksy, raw, sound.

And when I think about how to interpret that solo would be... [ Playing allegro ] And then you say, "Wait a minute," you go back in your mind, imagine some rustic village with someone playing a trogat and trying to figure out a melody, and communicate something.

[ Playing moderato ] SCHWARZ: So, the "Dances of Galnta" by Zoltn Kodly.

SCHWARZ: Hovhaness is an American composer born in Boston of Armenian descent.

He was born in 1911 and he died in 2000.

I knew him very well.

He composed a tremendous amount of music.

He wrote at least 67 symphonies, he wrote operas, he wrote instrumental works, he wrote works for the Church, he wrote oratorios -- one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century.

We're going to play a little piece for trumpet and strings called "The Prayer of St.

Gregory."

KRAUSS: It's a portrait of a man in great despair, and the music really reflects that.

St. Gregory was imprisoned literally in a pit for nearly 15 years, and then succeeded and converted Armenia to Christianity.

So, this is his prayer.

Trying to muster up what that must have felt like is not an easy task, and I put it through this thing.

SCHWARZ: Hovhaness had a great melodic gift, a great gift for communicating.

And I think this little gem is very much in the greatest tradition of the music of Alan Hovhaness.

SCHWARZ: Thank you so much for joining us.

On our next program, we will feature music of Handel, Haydn, and Augusta Read Thomas.

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