I ask the solo players to take more time, play as though they are improvising. Here, I want to exaggerate the foreignness of the sounds. This movement is called "The Tale of the Kalender Prince," and Rimsky-Korsakov uses exotic, Middle Eastern-sounding melodic solos (audio) for the woodwind instruments. The second movement opens with Scheherazade's voice again, but each time, it's more elaborate and more ornamented. For me, it's important not to have too many obvious arrival points, but rather to steer towards a goal and then veer away from it like the music and the story both do. My goal is to reflect Scheherazade's own storytelling: to capture the imagination and leave the listener in a constant state of disequilibrium. Every modulation represents an unexpected turn in the story, and I try to maximize the surprise of these twists. Scheherazade weaves her tales seamlessly, starting with "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship." We hear the waves undulating (audio), retreating and growing in intensity. To have a harpist who can transform the evening with three chords or a violinist capable of weaving surprise, suspense and sensuality into the many appearances of Scheherazade, is truly magical. The best performances are ones where the soloists understand the larger story and then add their own personal touches and insights into the mix.
To do that I need to entice my solo players into interpretations that will further the overall goals of the bigger story. I have to get the big picture across to the listeners. The challenges posed in conducting Scheherazade are fascinating. The harp offers three chords, sending us from consciousness to an altered state of being. Scheherazade responds in the voice of the solo violin (audio), weaving effortlessly up and down the instrument, like the mesmerizing sounds of a snake charmer. The piece opens with the Sultan, a big and burly theme (audio) filled with gravitas and ego, almost saying "Here I am, strong and powerful. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote Scheherazade (a symphonic suite) in the summer of 1888. After 1,001 of these well-told tales, the Sultan relents. She tells the Sultan fascinating stories, leaving him in such suspense each night that he can't execute her the next morning for fear of not hearing the end of the story. She marries the Sultan in order to save all future young women from this fate. After one of his wives cheats on him, he decides to take a new wife every day and have her executed the next morning. Scheherazade is the young bride of the Sultan. It's a treasure trove-a story about one of history's greatest storytellers and the tales she weaves. But the memory was indelible for me, and the lesson was clear: It's all about the story.Īs far as stories go, it's hard to top Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade. Bernstein was the consummate story teller, often elaborating on or, dare I say, even fabricating some of the finer details for dramatic effect. These typically reserved musicians were practically jumping up and down, nodding their heads in anticipatory glee, like children at story time.
Bernstein raised his hands up and asked, "Do I have to tell you the story of this Haydn symphony?" My understanding of how important the concept could be was cemented by Leonard Bernstein when I went to a New York Philharmonic rehearsal. For centuries, composers have tried to spin tales in music.
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