Our beloved principal clarinet Margaret Wilson is retiring after 47 seasons with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
We are fairly certain that Margaret is the longest-serving principal clarinet of any organization in Canada. She’s also close to having been the longest-serving principal clarinet in North America beaten out only by Stanley Drucker of the New York Philharmonic whose 49 years made the Guinness Book of World Records. Needless to say, Margaret has given an incredible amount of her time and talents to the SSO and her retirement is well-earned.
In September 1977, Margaret Bluhm arrived from British Columbia and began her career as an artist in residence and the principal clarinet of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Lucky for us, Margaret met her husband within the first month of moving to Saskatoon and her prairie roots only continued to grow.
She began playing the clarinet in grade 7 as a part of her school’s band program. (We love our band teachers!) In a 2020 chat with Music Director Emeritus Eric Paetkau Margaret mentioned that she didn’t know anything about the instrument when she picked it out but “it wasn’t too big” and that she “loved it from the very beginning”.
It’s incredibly special to have talent like Margaret be a part of an organization for so long. She has played well over a thousand concerts with the SSO, in Saskatoon and the surrounding area, including shows at TCU place, chamber shows at venues like the Bessborough and now Grosvenor Park United, elementary schools around the city, assisted living facilities, toddler shows, tours, and so much more.
We aren’t the only ones that have benefited from Margaret’s talents. She has collaborated with musicians and groups around the city as a performer, and she has taught many young clarinettists over the years. Between her private studio and her work at the University of Saskatchewan, Margaret has an incredible legacy of students who have benefited from her wisdom.
Margaret is always a joy to play with. Not only is she talented and incredibly well-prepared, but she has a calm and joyful presence. This presence seems to radiate out and elevate every ensemble she performs with. Ask any of our musicians and they can tell you how Margaret has influenced them over the years both as artists and in their everyday lives.
At our concert on May 4, 2024, CEO Mark Turner will gift Margaret with the title Clarinet Emeritus. While she will no longer be our principal clarinet as of next fall, she will always have a place with the SSO. We hope you join us in giving Margaret a very well-deserved standing ovation. We owe her that, and so much more.
While we are very selfishly sad to see her go, we look forward to seeing photos of Margaret’s incredible garden (with 18+ varieties of tomato plants) and hope that she has a well-earned rest before she tackles her next adventure. (Perhaps she’s learning other new instruments? At one time she was learning the bassoon!)
In 2020 we did a series of “Meet the Musician” interviews hosted by Eric Paetkau while everyone was isolating at home. So you can hear Margaret chat a little bit about herself, and answer questions that came up in the chat from friends, fans, and colleagues.
(We’ve learned a lot about live streams since the spring of 2020!)
We have so many fond memories of working and making music with Margaret, and we’re grateful to have captured the last few years of our time together on video. You can revisit many wonderful Margaret moments over on ConcertStream.tv
For our last Music Talk of the season, guest host Olivia Adams chats with Maestra Judith Yan about Beethoven 9 at 200 on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from the Travel Alcove of McNally Robinson.
Ode an die Freude, from Symphony No. 9
Text by Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere
anstimmen und freudenvollere!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder,
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen,
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein,
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,
Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund.
Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brüsten der Natur;
Alle Guten, alle Bösen
Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,
Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,
Und der Cherub steht vor Gott!
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan,
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig,
wie ein Held zum Siegen.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen.
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder! Über’m Sternenzelt
Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such’ ihn über’m Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muß er wohnen.
Ode to Joy
English translation
Oh friends, no more of these sounds!
Let us sing more cheerful songs,
More full of joy!
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Thy sanctuary!
Thy magic power reunites
All that custom has divided;
All men become brothers
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Whoever has created
An abiding friendship,
Or has won
A true and loving wife,
All who can call at least one soul theirs,
Join in our song of praise!
But any who cannot must creep tearfully
Away from our circle.
All creatures drink of joy
At nature’s breast.
Just and unjust
Alike taste of her gift;
She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine,
A tried friend to the end.
Even the worm can feel contentment,
And the cherub stands before God!
Gladly, like the heavenly bodies
Which He set on their courses through the
splendor of the firmament;
Thus, brothers, you should run your race,
As a hero going to conquest.
You millions, I embrace you.
This kiss is for all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving Father.
Do you fall in worship, you millions?
World, do you know your Creator?
Seek Him in the heavens!
Above the stars must He dwell.
Beethoven’s final symphony is a monstrous undertaking for any orchestra – it demands the highest quality of playing and demands a great deal of commitment from its listener.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRcCOjMSm6E]
Wikipedia source:
The symphony is in four movements, marked as follows:
Adagio molto ecantabile– Andante moderato – Tempo primo – Andante moderato – Adagio – Lo stesso tempo (B-flat major)
Recitative: (D minor-D major) (Presto – Allegro ma non troppo – Vivace – Adagio cantabile – Allegro assai – Presto:O Freunde) – Allegro molto assai:Freude, schöner Götterfunken– Alla marcia – Allegro assai vivace:Froh, wie seine Sonnen– Andante maestoso:Seid umschlungen, Millionen!– Adagio ma non troppo, ma divoto:Ihr, stürzt nieder– Allegro energico, sempre benmarcato: (Freude, schöner Götterfunken–Seid umschlungen, Millionen!) – Allegro ma non tanto:Freude, Tochter aus Elysium!– Prestissimo, Maestoso, Molto prestissimo:Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Beethoven changes the usual pattern ofClassicalsymphonies in placing thescherzomovement before the slow movement (in symphonies, slow movements are usually placed before scherzo[19]). This was the first time that he did this in a symphony, although he had done so in some previous works (including thequartetsOp. 18 no. 5, the “Archduke”piano trioOp. 97, theHammerklavierpiano sonata Op. 106).Haydn, too, had used this arrangement in a number of his own works such as theString Quartet No. 30in E-flat major.
First movement
Allegro ma non troppo, un pocomaestoso. Duration approx. 15 mins.
The first movement is insonata form, and the mood is often stormy. The opening theme, playedpianissimoover string tremolos, so much resembles the sound of an orchestra tuning, many commentators have suggested that was Beethoven’s inspiration—but from within that musical limbo emerges a theme of power and clarity that later drives the entire movement. At the outset of therecapitulationsection, the theme returnsfortissimoin D major, rather than the opening’s D minor. The introduction also uses themedianttotonicrelationship, which further distorts the tonic key until, finally, thebassoonplays in its lowest possible register.
Scherzo: Molto vivace – Presto. Duration approx. 12 mins.
The second movement, ascherzo and trio, is also in D minor, with the introduction bearing a passing resemblance to the opening theme of the first movement, a pattern also found in theHammerklavierpiano sonata, written a few years earlier. At times during the piece, Beethoven specifies one downbeat every three measures—perhaps because of the fast tempo—with the directionritmo di tre battute(“rhythm of three beats”), and one beat every four measures with the directionritmo di quattro battute(“rhythm of four beats”).
Beethoven had been criticized before for failing to adhere to standard form for his compositions. He used this movement to answer his critics. Normally, a scherzo is in triple time. Beethoven wrote this piece in triple time, but punctuated it in a way that, when coupled with the tempo, makes it sound as if it were in quadruple time.
While adhering to the standardternary designof a dance movement (scherzo-trio-scherzo, or minuet-trio-minuet), the scherzo section has an elaborate internal structure; it is a complete sonata form. Within this sonata form, the first group of the exposition starts out with afuguebefore modulating toC majorfor the second part. The exposition then repeats before a short development section. The recapitulation further develops the exposition, also containingtimpanisolos. A new development section leads to the repeat of the recapitulation, and the scherzo concludes with a briefcodetta.
The contrasting trio section is in D major and in duple time. The trio is the first time thetrombonesplay in the movement. Following the trio, the second occurrence of the scherzo, unlike the first, plays through without any repetition, after which there is a brief reprise of the trio, and the movement ends with an abrupt coda.
Third movement
Adagio molto e cantabile – Andante Moderato – Tempo Primo – Andante Moderato – Adagio – Lo Stesso Tempo. Duration approx. 16 mins.
The lyrical slow movement, in B-flat major, is in a loosevariationform, with each pair of variations progressively elaborating the rhythm and melody. The first variation, like the theme, is in 4/4 time, the second in 12/8. The variations are separated by passages in 3/4, the first in D major, the second in G major. The final variation is twice interrupted by episodes in which loud fanfares for the full orchestra are answered by octaves played by the first violins alone. A prominenthornsolo is assigned to the fourth player.Trombonesaretacetfor the movement.
Fourth movement
Presto; Allegro molto assai (Alla marcia); Andante maestoso; Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato. Duration approx. 24 mins.
The famous choral finale is Beethoven’s musical representation of Universal Brotherhood. American pianist and music scholarCharles Rosenhas characterized it as a symphony within a symphony, played without interruption.[20]This “inner symphony” follows the same overall pattern as the Ninth Symphony as a whole. The scheme is as follows:
First “movement”: theme and variations with slow introduction. The main theme, which first appears in the cellos and basses, is later recapitulated with voices.
Second “movement”: 6/8 scherzo in military style (begins at “Alla marcia,” words “Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen”), in the “Turkish style“—and concludes with a 6/8 variation of the main theme with chorus.
Third “movement”: slow meditation with a new theme on the text “Seid umschlungen, Millionen!” (begins at “Andantemaestoso”)
Fourth “movement”:fugatofinale on the themes of the first and third “movements” (begins at “Allegroenergico”)
The movement has a thematic unity, in which every part is based on either the main theme, the “Seid umschlungen” theme, or some combination of the two.
The first “movement within a movement” itself is organized into sections:
An introduction, which starts with a stormyPrestopassage. It then briefly quotes all three of the previous movements in order, each dismissed by the cellos and basses, which then play in an instrumental foreshadowing of the vocalrecitative. At the introduction of the main theme, the cellos and basses take it up and play it through.
The main theme forms the basis of a series ofvariationsfor orchestra alone.
The introduction is then repeated from thePrestopassage, this time with the bass soloist singing the recitatives previously suggested by cellos and basses.
The main theme again undergoes variations, this time for vocal soloists and chorus.[21]
Text of the fourth movement
The text is largely taken fromSchiller‘s “Ode to Joy“, with a few additional introductory words written specifically by Beethoven (shown in italics).[22]The text without repeats is shown below, with a translation into English.[23]The score includes many repeats. For the full libretto, including all repetitions, see German Wikisource.[24]
Towards the end of the movement, the choir sings the last four lines of the main theme, concluding with “Alle Menschen“, before the soloists sing for one last time the song of joy at a slower tempo. The chorus repeats parts of “Seid umschlungen, Millionen! …“, then quietly sings, “Tochter aus Elysium“. And finally, “Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Götterfunken!“.[24]
Ludwig van Beethoven – Bonn, Germany / December 15, 1770; d. Vienna, Austria / March 26, 1827
The evolution of this towering piece, one of the supreme achievements of western art, spanned more than three decades. Beethoven read Friedrich Schiller’s poem Ode to Joy in 1793, and determined to set it to music one day. By 1822, he had two symphonic projects in mind. The first was a purely instrumental work; the second a “German Symphony,” with a finale to be sung in that language. Eventually, they merged in his mind, stimulated in part by a commission from the Philharmonic Society of London. It struck Beethoven that his English patrons would not be pleased with a symphony containing words in a foreign tongue, so he decided to write them a purely instrumental work instead. Later still, he came to feel that his conception, whose first three movements he completed by mid 1823, cried out for words to express its goals more clearly. It was only then that his long-delayed rendezvous with the Ode to Joy finally arrived.
Considering the reverence which he felt for Schiller’s poem, it is surprising that he set only half of it, and changed the sequence of those sections he did use. At the time, he still seems to have been considering using the symphony to fulfill his English commission. His final decisions were to trust the judgment of his patrons and leave Schiller’s words in their original German, and to have the premiere take place in Vienna, rather than in London.
The Ninth Symphony was heard for the first time on May 7, 1824, with Michael Umlauf conducting. The composer sat in the midst of the orchestra, score in hand, in order to indicate tempos. The performance, which had been allotted only two rehearsals, was at best a mediocre one, yet it still drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.
According to Fraulein Unger, the alto soloist, “The Master, though placed in the midst of this confluence of music, heard nothing of it at all, and was not even sensible to the applause of the audience at the end of his great work. He continued standing with his back to the audience and beating the time, until I turned him, to face the people, who were still clapping their hands and giving way to the greatest demonstrations of pleasure. His turning about, and the sudden conviction thereby forced on everyone that he had not done so before because he could not hear what was going on, acted like an electric shock on all present, and a volcanic explosion of sympathy and admiration followed.”
By setting particular words in the Ninth, Beethoven let it be known that he considered it more than an abstract work. This prompts speculation as to whether he had conceived every movement with specific extra musical ideas in mind. He left no direct indications; such considerations must rest with listeners. In general terms, however, the sequence of moods in its three opening sections is as easy to follow as the Finale’s.
The first movement begins quietly, yet it vibrates with the expectancy of drama. Throughout this movement’s dramatic course, interludes of repose crop up, but tension and turmoil stand squarely at center stage. The following scherzo raises this type of piece, formerly a simple jest or dance, to Olympian heights of drive and brilliance. Beethoven gave the timpani player one of the finest opportunities for display in all music. The prayer like third movement offers strong, devout contrast. It consists of variations on two gloriously warm-hearted themes.
After the finale’s turbulent introduction, Beethoven reviews, then rejects, material from the preceding movements. Cellos and basses quietly state the finale’s principal theme, a melody whose very lack of guile makes it completely appropriate to its function. It gathers momentum slowly, yet inexorably, until a reprise of the movement’s opening outburst sets the scene for the baritone soloist’s entry – and a whole new era in music.
Beethoven’s setting of the Ode to Joy contains a tremendous variety of incident. Its kaleidoscope of episodes include passages of almost frenzied choral celebration; a march like tenor solo spiked with Turkish percussion; a brilliant fugue for orchestra alone; and the simple, affecting piety of the central call to faith in God. Finally, orchestra and chorus rush headlong to the exultant conclusion.
