breathe/burn: an elegy
Joel Thompson
(2020)
 
An exploration of the liminal space between grief and rage in response to the tragedies afflicting the Black community in 2020. Composed in memory of Breonna Taylor.
 
Joel Thompson
 
 
Deux mélodies hébraïques: Kaddish
Maurice Ravel
(1914)
 
Born to a Basque mother and a Swiss father, Maurice Ravel grew up surrounded by many different cultural influences in the home. Although not Jewish himself, he developed a profound interest with non-Western music and often sought inspiration beyond the classical tradition: jazz, Spanish folk music, and even Middle Eastern sounds. Today, he is considered one of the most versatile composers of the early 20th century. In 1914, Russian soprano Alvina Alvi commissioned Ravel to harmonize two Hebrew melodies: Kaddisch, a hymn of adoration of God and L’énigme éternelle, the eternal puzzle.
 
Despite being agnostic, he agreed to compose the piece and it was premiered in June by Alvi and Ravel themselves in Paris.
Ravel’s Kaddish from Deux Melodies Hebraiques conveys a sense of spiritual yearning, even though the Kaddish itself is not a prayer for the dead, but rather a sanctification of God’s name. The term “Kaddish” is often used to refer specifically to “The Mourners’ Kaddish,” as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services as well as at funerals and memorials. The piece draws inspiration from that very Jewish prayer of mourning, which is traditionally recited in Aramaic. There is this meditative quality to the melody through this modal, chanting line that rises and falls with a sustained intensity.
 
Meanwhile, the accompaniment remains quite sparse and open-ended, yet evocative enough to give the music an atmospheric backdrop.
In Ravel’s hands, listeners can be connected to the ancient words of the Kaddish. He uses these rich, sometimes ambiguous harmonies to make it seem like time is momentarily frozen. The music’s subtle dissonances and complex textures mirror the complexities of grief, making “Kaddish” a deeply personal work that transcends its religious origins to speak to universal human emotions.
 
Abby Park (BM ’26)
 
 
Symphonie fantastique, op. 14
Hector Berlioz
(1830)
 
Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz’s most well-known and programmed piece, was hugely impactful on the development of the symphony medium. The work was one of the first symphonies to embrace storytelling, with Berlioz distributing programs at the premiere containing the dramatic outline of the work. He considered this information “indispensable for a complete understanding of the dramatic outline of the work.” An abbreviated version of the piece’s plot follows.
 
I. “Rêveries – Passions” (Daydreams – Passions)
The protagonist, a young musician loosely representing Berlioz, falls desperately in love with a woman, representing Berlioz’s real life obsession with actress Harriet Smithson. Her theme, the idée fixe, is heard for the first time in the flutes and violins about five minutes into the piece, a winding melody which haunts him for the remainder of the piece.
 
II. “Un bal” (A ball)
The protagonist continues to hear the idée fixe while attending a festive party.
 
III. “Scène aux champs” (Scene in the country)
Two shepherds in the distance play a pastoral duet, presented by English Horn and offstage oboe, calming the protagonist’s nerves and convincing him his feelings for the fictionalized Harriet Smithson are requited. His hope is short lived, however, as he again agonizes over her feelings. “Distant sound of thunder… solitude… silence…”
 
IV. “Marche au supplice” (March to the scaffold)
“Convinced that his love is spurned,” the protagonist attempts to poison himself with opium, instead falling into a deep slumber with horrible visions. “He dreams that he has killed his beloved, that he is condemned, led to the scaffold and is witnessing his own execution.” After the march, the idée fixe briefly returns, cut short by the lethal strike of the guillotine.
 
V. “Songe d’une nuit du sabbat” (Dream of a night of the sabbath)
The protagonist finds himself in the midst of witches, sorcerers, and monsters as he attends his own funeral. The idée fixe returns, transformed into an evil mockery of its earlier beauty. The funeral begins, sounding a parody of the Dies Irae (a movement in the Catholic Funeral Mass). The Dies Irae gives way to a Witches’ Dance, which combines with the Dies Irae before the vision, and the piece, conclude.
 
Lillian Young (MM ’25)

USC Thornton Orchestra Department
 
Carl St.Clair, principal conductor & artistic leader
Sharon Lavery, resident conductor
Mike Basak, classical large ensembles manager
Brent Anderson, head librarian
Sara Petty, Thornton winds TA
Evelyn Webber, orchestra office staff
Kaitlin Miller, orchestra office staff
Lilian Young, orchestra office staff
Marcos Salgado, orchestra office staff
Sean Cooney, orchestra office staff
Avery Robinson, orchestra office staff
Abby Park, orchestra office staff
Sylvia Ettinger, orchestra office staff
Maia Ruiz-Law, orchestra office staff
Reese Romero, orchestra office staff
Marcos Rivera, orchestra office staff