Ahab Symphony (2013) Jake Heggie (b. 1961) I. Dawn [6:48] II. The Wind [7:03] III. The Narrow Balcony [7:14] IV. The Pieces [6:15] ABOUT AHAB SYMPHONY The idea for Ahab Symphony originated in 2010, shortly after The Dallas Opera premiered my opera Moby-Dick. That May, College of Music Dean James Scott put my name forward as a nominee to be UNT’s 2010-11 artist-in-residence, including a commission to write a new work. Still reeling from the experience of composing the opera, I suggested a piece I’d been thinking about: a big symphonic work with chorus and soloist — an Ahab symphony; a further meditation on Melville’s book — and a chance to explore more deeply this fascinating, complex character. A month later, I was invited to be artist-in-residence through UNT’s Institute for the Advancement of the Arts (Herbert Holl, director). The six-week residency included a performance with the great tenor Richard Croft, a member of the UNT faculty; I had been a fan since I first heard him in 1996 at the Met. Not only a tremendous singer with a gorgeous voice, but a genuine artist: deeply musical, innately theatrical and generous of spirit. He agreed to be the soloist in this imagined symphony. Time went by, and the shape and content of the symphony kept shifting. Eventually, Gene Scheer led me to W.H. Auden’s gorgeous 1939 poem “Herman Melville.” From that moment, the poem seemed to point the way. The chorus would sing Auden’s lines, and the soloist would sing some of Ahab’s lines from the final chapter of Moby-Dick. Auden’s poem gives us a haunting, personal perspective of Melville — the man resigned to, yet ever wrestling with, the reality of his life versus the content of his work. The great author of America’s iconic novel Moby-Dick died in 1891 at the age of 72, a customs inspector in New York City, his books virtually unread for nearly 40 years. This was certainly not how Melville had envisioned his life. I decided to juxtapose the Auden poem with parts of Ahab’s last monologue, beginning with “What a lovely day again today.” Ahab knows this is likely to be his last day on Earth, so he pauses momentarily to look over the sea: the sea that had defined the triumphs and tragedies of his life; the sea that would ultimately consume him. He remarks on its timelessness, knowing that his is but a brief chapter in a long, unending and ever repeating story. An Ahab symphony. A meditation on life and death – our place and purpose on the planet – the relentlessly cyclical nature of things – our perceived triumphs – our helpless rebellions – our aspirations – our resignations – and the brave, lonely man who had to write the story: Herman Melville. Jake Heggie _________________________________________________________________________ AHAB SYMPHONY Texts drawn from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Chapter 135: “The Chase – Third Day” and from W.H. Auden’s poem “Herman Melville”* Note: lines from the Auden poem that were not set in the score are in braces [ ] Movement 1: Dawn SOLO Oh, what a lovely day again! were it a new-made world, and made for a summer-house to the angels, and this morning the first of its throwing open to them, a fairer day could not dawn upon the world. CHOIR Towards the end he sailed into an extraordinary mildness And anchored in his home and reached his wife And rode within the harbor of her hand, And went across each morning to an office As though his occupation were another island. Goodness existed: that was the new knowledge His terror had to blow itself quite out To let him see it; but it was the gale had blown him Past the Cape Horn of sensible success Which cries: “This rock is Eden. Shipwreck here.” [But deafened him with thunder and confused with lightning: - The maniac hero hunting like a jewel The rare ambiguous monster that had maimed his sex, The unexplained survivor breaking off the nightmare - All that was intricate and false; the truth was simple.] Movement 2: The Wind SOLO Were I the wind, I’d blow no more on such a wicked, miserable world. I’d crawl somewhere to a cave, and slink there. CHOIR Evil is unspectacular and always human, And shares our bread and eats at our own table, And we are introduced to Goodness every day. [Even in drawing-rooms among a crowd of faults; he has a name like Billy and is almost perfect But wears a stammer like decoration:] And every time they meet the same thing has to happen; It is the Evil that is helpless like a lover And has to pick a quarrel and succeeds, And both are openly destroyed before our eyes. SOLO And yet, ‘tis a noble and heroic thing, the wind. Who ever conquered it? In every fight it has the last and bitterest blow. CHOIR How wild the winds blow! SOLO & CHORUS A vile wind that has no doubt blown ere this through prison corridors, and wards of hospitals, and ventilated them, and comes blowing hither as innocent as fleeces. SOLO Out upon it! - it’s tainted. Movement 3: The Narrow Balcony CHOIR For now he was awake and knew No one is ever spared except in dreams; [But there was something else the nightmare had distorted – Even the punishment was human and a form of love:] The howling storm had been his father's presence And all the time he had been carried on his father's breast. [Who now had set him gently down and left him.] He stood upon the narrow balcony and listened: And all the stars above him sang as in his childhood 'All, all is vanity,' but it was not the same; for now the words descended like the calm of mountains – [- Nathaniel had been shy because his love was selfish -] Movement 4: The Pieces SOLO But let me have one more good round look aloft here at the sea; there’s time for that. An old, old sight, and yet somehow so young; aye, and not changed a wink since I first saw it, a boy, from the sand-hills of Nantucket! The same! - the same! - the same to Noah as to me. CHOIR But then he cried in exultation and surrender “The Godhead is broken like bread. We are the pieces.” SOLO Oh, lonely death on lonely life! I turn my body from the sun. CHOIR And sat down at his desk and wrote a story. * “Herman Melville” by W.H. Auden, used by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd. Copyright © 1939. All Rights Reserved. _______________________________________________________________________ ARTISTS Jake Heggie has earned international acclaim for his operas Moby-Dick, Dead Man Walking, Three Decembers and The End of the Affair. He has also composed more than 250 songs, as well as concerti, chamber music, choral and orchestral works. Dead Man Walking is one of the most performed new American operas with 40 international productions since its San Francisco Opera premiere in October 2000. As pianist and composer, Heggie collaborates with many of the world's great singers, including Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Joyce DiDonato, Audra McDonald, Kiri Te Kanawa, Ben Heppner, Stephen Costello and Richard Croft. Heggie’s works have been commissioned by Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Pacific Chorale, Pittsburgh Symphony, Ravinia Festival, and many more. Heggie lives in San Francisco. www.jakeheggie.com ____________________ American tenor Richard Croft is internationally renowned for his performances with leading opera companies and orchestras around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opera National de Paris, Berlin Staatsoper, The Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Aix en Provence, The Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, The Cleveland Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic, and The Boston Symphony Orchestra. His clarion voice, superlative musicianship and commanding stage presence allow him to pursue a wide breadth of repertoire from Handel and Mozart to the music of today’s composers. The 2013-2014 season included performances at Los Angeles Opera as Captain Vere in Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd with conductor James Conlon and the title role in Idomeneo at the Teatro Colón. Mr. Croft launched his operatic season at the Theater an der Wien, where he performed the title role in Idomeneo to critical acclaim. He then joined the Canadian Opera Company as Hyllus in Handel’s Hercules. Other recent highlights include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Croft has been a UNT voice faculty member since 2004. ____________________ David Itkin has served as Director of Orchestral Studies at the UNT College of Music since 2008. Maestro Itkin has appeared as guest conductor throughout the United States, in Europe, and Asia, including appearances with the San Diego Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Slovenska Filharmonija, Colorado Philharmonic, Shanghai Broadcast Symphony, and many others. He has served as Music Director and Conductor of the Abilene Philharmonic since 2005, and has previously held similar positions with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony, Birmingham Opera Theatre, and Lake Forest Symphony. Maestro Itkin’s collaborations with great artists include concerts and recordings with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Misha Dichter, Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg, Christopher Parkening, Janos Starker, William Shatner, James Earl Jones, Maya Angelou, and President William Jefferson Clinton. He is also the author of Conducting Concerti: A Technical and Interpretive Guide (North Texas Press, 2014). ____________________ Jerry McCoy, 2013 winner of the Texas Choral Directors Association’s Choirmaster Award, is Director of Choral Studies and Regents Professor of Music at the University of North Texas, where he conducts the A Cappella Choir and Grand Chorus, teaches graduate conducting and choral techniques, and guides the choral studies program. He is national chair of the Past-President’s Advisory Council of the American Choral Directors Association, a member of the INTERKULTUR international advisory board, and Music Director of Schola Cantorum of Texas. McCoy is one of America’s most respected choral conductors, having conducted all-state, regional, and festival performances and clinics in thirty-seven states across the nation. He holds advanced degrees in choral conducting from The University of Texas at Austin, including a certificate in voice performance, and an undergraduate degree in choral music education from the University of Texas at Arlington. ____________________ As the premier orchestral ensemble at the University of North Texas, the UNT Symphony Orchestra is made up of some of the most talented student musicians from around the world. Under the direction of current conductor David Itkin, the group recently recorded three concertos with legendary saxophonist Eugene Rousseau (Jeanné Records). The Symphony Orchestra’s history includes performances in Spain, Mexico and throughout the Mediterranean area, as well as at Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas and Bass Hall in Fort Worth. The many high-profile guest artists who have joined the UNT Symphony Orchestra onstage include Edgar Meyer, Vladimir Viardo, Mariangela Vacatello and Robert McDuffie. ____________________ The UNT Grand Chorus is comprised of more than 180 singers drawn from the A Cappella Choir, University Singers and Concert Choir. It has performed under the leadership of many of the world’s most highly-respected orchestral conductors including the late Georg Solti, who called the UNT Grand Chorus “one of America’s best choirs.” The UNT Grand Chorus served as the resident chorus for the Dallas and Fort Worth symphony orchestras prior to the establishment of their own choruses. UNT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Violin I Kevin Smith+, Euline & Horace Brock Concertmaster Chair Alison Fletcher Leah Greenfield Renée Hemsing Thao Huynh Melissa Jõesaar Josip Kvetek Zo Manfredi Frederick McKee Samuel Wood Caitlin Whitehouse Eun Seo Park Violin II Seula Lee* Salma Bachar Ha Viet Dang Emily Davis Ashton Fineout Beixi Gao Shan Jiang Will King Caleb Mallett Sung Ha Park Yuko Tatsumi Viola Salwa Bachar* Isaiah Chapman Sera Jung Lacey Kesterke Rogerio Nunes Miriam Oddie John Petrey Cameron Rehberg Veronika Vassileva Violoncello Narae Kim* Alexis Barnett Yu-Ho Chang Daniel Chilton Valentina Crnjak Ilia De la Rosa Brian Seo Amy Shin Kyungjin Yoo Lejing Zhou Double Bass Mariechen Meyer* Will Coppoc Jesus Insuasty Jon Kern-Anderson Julia Milrod Jason Scott Phillips Gabriel Sakamoto Sung Jae Um Heran Yang Flute Leslie Daniel Newman* Uri Nahir Oboe Erin Lensing* Ashley Rollins Clarinet Rucha Trivedi* Connor O’Meara Bassoon Katie Thompson* Kathleen Montes Horn Heather Suchodolski* Justin Gonzales Jennifer Hemken Kayla Howell Meagan O’Neil Trumpet Andreas Stoltzfus* Ryan Brewer Trevor Duell Trombone Jon Gauer* Kevin Knight Eric Wallace Harp Jennifer Betzer Timpani David Reinecke Percussion Blayze Campbell* Tyler Kennamer Chulmin Lee Tyler Tolles + concertmaster * principal   UNT GRAND CHORUS A Cappella Choir Jerry McCoy, conductor Soprano Angela BouKheir Julie Bowdren Jamille Brewster Tish Davenport *Fiona Gillespie Grace Johnson Brittni Kelly Eleni Kotzabassis Erin Lancaster Erin Matthews Oneyda Padierna Michelle Perez Susannah Woodruff Alto Natalie Bradner Claire Choquette Cari Earnhart Lauren Harvey Elizabeth Holcomb Kara Kasberg Megan Sherrod LaFour Madelaine Martinez Rachel Moss Chaazi Munyanya Alyssa Narum Emily Poulsen *Natalie Reitz Angie Rosenblatt Laurel Semerdjian Julie Silva Rachael Winters Tenor Michael Alonzo Tucker Bilodeau Hunter Bown *JD Burnett Stephen Carroll, understudy for Mr. Croft Hyunjun Choi Martin Clark Davion Hambrick Darry Hearon Nathan Hodgson Patrick Jones Nathan Schafer Lixin Tong Joel Wiley Bass Anthony Brinkman William Derusha Yadin Echeverry Baird Gehring Kerry Glann *Christopher Jackson Yowon Jung Nate Mattingly Joshua Smith Ryan Stoll Matthew Stump Philip Williams University Singers Richard Sparks, conductor Soprano Sylvia Bonniwell Brenna Caldwell Kelly D’Souza Gabrielle Gilliam Kelsey Hawter Megan Hoggarth Caroline Hunt Sara Kennedy Kathryn Ligon Pei-Chi Lin Elizabeth McGee Christina Mucker Kimberly Newcomb Kami Noyce Stephanie Pickens Erica Rocha Victoria Rodriguez Alto Nicole Balestrieri Ashley Brockman Katie Butler Jessica Flores Alison Gomulka Shawna Graves Claire Haseltine Daryl Jackson Rachel Keo Mindy Knight Stephanie Kong Natalie Manning Margaret Nievar Alexandria Porter Sienna Riehle Amanda Sadler Sandra Sonntag Tenor Michael Bolding Benjamin Elliott Matthew Fabilenia Roy Flores Santiago Gutierrez Herrera Ronald Harris Keith Meline Joseph Piacenti Ryan Spradley Brandon Strother Christopher Walker Bass Cody Alarcon Stephen Bolduc Adam Davis Matthew Dinh Douglas Gibbs Luis Gonzalez Stephen Hawthorne-Hill Mason Jarboe Marcus Kang Peter McKinney Malcolm Payne Kevin Porras Evan Scallan Jeremy Shedd Guillermo Valentin Concert Choir JD Burnett, conductor Soprano Lyanne Alvarado Erika Arteaga Gwenlyn Boley Kayla Broughton Amanda Chamberlain Hayley Cogley Yiyi Gao Nadia Garcia Nicole Harberson Rachel Nelson Briana Olivares Melyn Saenz Mariana Sastre Nicole Silva Tresha Spencer Brittany Strother Erin Thelen Andrea Weidemann Anna Wood Alto Kylee Acoba Alex Barsalou Sarah Birdsinger Francesca Cacal Jillian Cantu Yuna Chang Taylor Greene Amanda Jacobsen Piper Johnson Lauren Liebel Hailey McNutt Sophia Ramirez Kimberly Stirl Amber Yarborough Tenor Dylan Barnard Kameron Bennett Benjamin Brown Ronnie Reeves-Chambers Jacob Denny Kevin Hawkins Cory Jones Ryan Kearney Joshua Mallory Anthony Ortega Ryan Roche Diego Valdez Joshua Wilkerson Bass Jonathan Ayana Micah Baker Warren Baldwin Sidney Barber Cameron Casey Alexander Choyce Richard Diaz Charles Einkauf Matthew Huizar Eli Lopez Daniel Myers Colton Pugh Eli Ramirez Alexis Romero Daniel Routh Daniel Sabzghabaei Matthew Vogl   Ahab Symphony was commissioned by the University of North Texas College of Music and Institute for the Advancement of the Arts. It is dedicated to James Scott with love, respect, gratitude and admiration. Jake Heggie thanks Richard Sparks, Elvia Puccinelli, the generous staff and faculty of the UNT College of Music, Herbert Holl, Margaret McDermott, Mary McDermott Cook, Robert K. Wallace, T. Walter Herbert, Dallas Opera, Gene Scheer, Joyce DiDonato, Curt Branom, Virginia and Bob Dupuy. The University of North Texas College of Music wishes to thank the UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts for their generous support of this project. Recording production, engineering, editing and mastering: David v.R. Bowles (Swineshead Productions, LLC) Assistant engineer: Blair Liikala Recording venue: Winspear Hall, Murchison Performing Arts Center, Denton, Texas; April 26-28, 2013 Front cover image: Walvisvangst bij de kust van Spitsbergen – (Dutch Whalers near Spitsbergen), Abraham Storck, 1690 Front cover design: Bradley Haefner