Summer 2026 Concert Program
“A Night at the Opera”
Saturday, June 13, 2026
The Fredonia Hotel, Nacogdoches, TX
Guest Lecture, Prof. Nita Hudson, SFASU (Lecture Handout Here)
The Marriage of Figaro - W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)/Arr. Wendt
I.Overture
Figures in the Garden - Jonathan Dove (b.1959)
I.Dancing in the Dark
II.Susanna in the Rain
III.A Conversation
IV.Barbarina Alone
V.The Countess Interrupts a Quarrel
VI.Voices in the Garden
VII.Nocturne: Figaro and Susanna
Brief Intermission
Carmen Suite - Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)/Arr. Sheen
I.Aragonaise
II.Habañera
III.Intermezzo
IV. Seguedille
V. Les Dragons D’ Alcala
VI. Les Toréadors
Serenade Op.43 - Emil Hartmann (1836 – 1898)
I.Andante and Allegro Pastorale
II.Scherzo
III.Intermezzo
IV.Finale
Program Notes
The Marriage of Figaro (W.A. Mozart/Arr. Wendt)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, Austria, was an accomplished pianist and violinist, and one of the premiere composers of the Classical period. He was widely regarded as a “child prodigy” and began to accompany his father, Leopold, on musical tours across Europe by age ten. In his professional career, Mozart composed in nearly every genre, including symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and choral works. His most enduring works include Symphony No.40 (1788) and his operas, The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and The Magic Flute (1791). As a young man, Mozart struggled to conform to the traditional servant role of court musician and desired financial and creative independence. Despite his successes, Mozart’s adult life was characterized by social isolation, poverty, and poor health.
The Marriage of Figaro (1786) is a comical opera adapted from a play of the same name by French writer, Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais, that had previously been banned in multiple European courts for its sexual and political content. Mozart was likely inspired to present this story after the staging of the first play in the trilogy, the Barber of Seville (1782), by Giovanni Paisiello in St. Petersburg. He received special permission from Emperor Joseph II to produce the opera, provided he revise the most offensive scenes. The premiere performance took place at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The Overture to the opera is symphonic in nature with swirling figures and startling bursts of sound. This movement is atypical for its lack of reference material to the subsequent movements of the opera and reflects Mozart’s innovative and humorous spirit.
Figures in the Garden (J. Dove)
Jonathan Dove (b.1959) is an internationally celebrated British composer. In early childhood, he studied piano, organ, and viola and later attended the University of Cambridge to study composition. Dove has composed works for voice, orchestra, and chamber ensembles, although he is best known for his music for the stage and television. His most popular works include the operas Flight (1998) and When She Died… (2002), and the orchestral works, Gaia Theory (2014) and Gaspard’s Foxtrot (2019). Dove was awarded the Ivor Novello Award for classical music in 2008, the BASCA British Composer Award in 2016, and was named a Commander of the British Empire in 2019 by Queen Elizabeth for his contributions to music.
Figures in the Garden (1991) was composed to mark the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death. The title is a reference to the finale of The Marriage of Figaro, when all of the characters convene in the castle garden. Each movement of this piece was inspired by an aria (solo) or serenade from the opera, but with a modern twist. The piece begins with Dancing in the Dark, likely based on the opening scene of the opera where Figaro fumes in the dark after learning of the Count’s plans to seduce Susanna. Dove’s subtle humor is evident in his choice of movement titles, such as, Susanna in the Rain, a to reference to performing the opera under grey English skies. In contrast to Mozart’s raucous style of composition, this work is generally restrained and delicate. The piece concludes with Nocturne: Figaro and Susanna which Dove intended as a moment of privacy and tenderness for the characters whose wedding day in the opera is anything but romantic.
Carmen Suite (G. Bizet/Arr. Sheen)
Georges Bizet was a French composer and pianist from the Romantic period. In childhood, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire where he was recognized for his advanced performance abilities. In 1857, Bizet won the distinguished Prix de Rome for his composition Clovis et Clotilde. Unfortunately, despite his early acclaim as a “prodigy,” Bizet struggled to find inspiration or a community of support in adulthood. He is best remembered for his two operas, The Pearl Fishers (1863) and Carmen (1875). Nearly eighty years after his death, the Paris Conservatoire musicologist, Jean Chantovoine, discovered an unpublished assignment from Bizet’s studies, Symphony in C (1855). It was premiered in 1933 and has since achieved international popularity.
Carmen (1875) was inspired by Bizet’s military service in the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71) and tells the story of a deeply patriotic man who is driven mad by his obsession for a beautiful woman. The first movement of this suite, Aragonaise, was adapted from the finale of the opera. It represents a dance from Aragon, in Northeastern Spain. The next movement, Habañera, depicts the moment Don José falls in love with Carmen as she casts a single red flower to his feet. The Intermezzo is taken from the third act, after the two lovers have run away together. This music is peaceful and sweet. The Seguedille is infused with elements of the seguidilla, or Spanish dance of courtship, and refers back to the first act when Carmen is promising to love Don José. Les Dragons D’ Alcala is an exciting fanfare to announce the arrival of the bullfighters (les toréadors). In the final movement, the lead fighter, Escamillo, boasts of his bravery and attempts to win Carmen’s heart.
Serenade, Op.43 (E. Hartmann)
Emil Hartmann (1836-1898) was Romantic composer who traveled primarily between Germany and Denmark. Born into a musical family, Hartmann had the opportunity to study music theory, organ, and piano from an early age. He composed primarily religious works, but also dabbled in other genres including chamber music, orchestral works, concerti, and several works for piano and organ. By his early twenties, Hartmann earned national recognition and served as the organist for both the St. Johan Church in Copenhagen (1861) and the Christiansborg Palace Chapel (1871). Unfortunately, he was constantly overshadowed by his father, J.P.E. Hartmann (1805-1900), and his brother-in-law, Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817-1890); two of the most successful Danish composers of the period.
Serenade, Op.43 was completed in the late 1880’s and was Hartmann’s only work for winds. Hartmann dedicated the Serenade to Danish flautist, and founding-member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, (Carl) Joachim Andersen. The piece lasts approximately twenty minutes and is comprised of four movements. The first movement, Andante and Allegro Pastorale, is characterized by a serene melody with gentle interjections that bubble to the surface. The Scherzo is energetic and playful with fluttering figures that create a sense of excitement. The third movement, Intermezzo, is chorale-like, with a stately melody that is passed gently among the voices in the ensemble. In the Finale, Hartmann juxtaposes luxurious melodic lines with light and ornamented figures that tumble about in a joyful celebration.
Origin of Harmoniemusik
During the Classical Era, small wind bands, or Harmonien, were the premiere source of entertainment within refined households and courts across Europe. The popularity of wind ensembles began in tandem with the height of orchestras’ success. For this reason, wind instruments were not considered lead or melody voices, but instead played the harmony parts. Eventually, as composers began to experiment with the capabilities of a wind ensemble, the German word “Harmonie” was used to refer to an ensemble of six to eight wind musicians who performed without string instruments. These ensembles were composed of the most talented wind musicians in the world and performed at the pleasure of their employers. The term “chamber music” stems from this period and refers to the musicians hired to perform in “royal chambers” or personal quarters at wealthy estates. Because of the royal interest in music, most notably from Joseph II of the Austrian Empire, Harmoniemusik was the main focus for composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Schubert and quickly became a sign of great wealth. Harmonien provided music for occasions ranging from casual dinner parties to outdoor festivals or hunts. After nearly a century of popularity, in the midst of wartime in Europe, the tradition of Harmonien began to die out when aristocrats found themselves under immense financial strain.
Influence of Opera on Harmoniemusik
The European musical scene in the eighteenth century was dominated by the Italian and French traditions of opera. Similar to other forms of music making in this period, these largescale productions were commissioned and supported by the aristocracy and royal families. Wealthy patrons of the arts rushed to hire the most talented composers, musicians, and dancers, and erected stunning theaters in city centers. Although the performances were typically open to the public, the high cost of tickets, paired with the social expectation of extravagant dress, prevented the majority of the working class from attending operas. Composers such as Johann Wendt (1745-1801), Josef Heidenreich (1760-1807), Josef Triebensee (1772-1846), and Wenzel Sedlak (1776-1851) recognized an opportunity and began arranging miniature versions of the latest opera themes for local Harmonien. City musicians and traveling ensembles, such as the Harmonien employed by the military, enthusiastically purchased these new arrangements and began performing them in public parks and cafes. This practice gave the public unprecedented access to the musical traditions of the nobility and allowed for the quick and inexpensive dissemination of new works.
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, this tradition had spread throughout Europe and a symbiotic relationship between opera companies and harmoniemusik had developed. Elite composers, such as Mozart and Beethoven, recognized the benefits of sharing their music with the public and often hired composition students to prepare arrangements of their latest operas to sell in tandem with show premieres. To streamline this process, composers also began to include parts for Harmonien in the original versions of their opera scores, which in turn, created additional employment opportunities for professional wind musicians. Mid-century, the development of the printing press led to the establishment of multiple publications dedicated to disseminating opera arrangements for Harmonien to the public, such as the Suites d’Airs d’Opéras Comique and the Journal für neunstimmige Harmonie. In the late 1800’s, wind instruments had become a staple in opera scores, orchestral music, military ensembles, and in amateur community ensembles across Europe.