Auburn Symphony presents Masterworks III: Strauss & Tchaikovsky

When Richard Strauss composed the four orchestral pieces that we know today as "Four Last Songs," he didn't know they would be his last songs – the title was given by his publisher posthumously. But the octogenarian surely knew his time was running out, and suffused his music with all the longing, beauty and loss he had absorbed across eight decades and two world wars. He died one year later, concluding his remarkable legacy with music that still haunts listeners today. "His 'Four Last Songs' reflect on someone coming to the end of their life and making peace with their journey," Auburn Symphony Maestro Ryan Murray says. "There's an element of transcendence in the music. On top of that, it's a composer at the absolute top of his craft. It's very lush and rich and full of a tapestry of colors." Strauss, whose wife was a soprano, wrote frequently for sopranos, and "Four Last Songs" is no exception. Guest vocalist Carrie Hennessey doesn't take the history and spiritual heft lightly. "These are intimidating pieces because they're so iconic for soprano in the repertoire," she says. "He didn't know they were going to be his last songs. He really walks us through with such nostalgia and longing in reflection of (the question), 'Did I live my life well?' " Hennessey has performed the songs before, but each additional performance allows her to go deeper, sinking further into what she calls the freedom of the music. "I simply let loose, because the environment is so cared for artistically," she added. "When I work with them, I step into an environment where I am fully supported. I feel like I could sing for days without breathing – it's like catching a wave as a surfer. If you catch it right, you can stay on forever. It's wild and so freeing." Though Hennessey has performed Strauss' "Four Last Songs" before, this will be her first time performing them with longtime friend Murray as conductor. The two have been working together for more than 15 years. "There's something really special about Ryan as an artist," she says. "He is a singer, he is an instrumentalist, and he is such a student of the work. He knows how to bring the best out of everyone on the stage. He's one of the best I've ever worked with." The feelings, according to Murray, are mutual. "Carrie is one of my closest musical friends and partners," he says. "She always brings several layers to her performances: She's an amazing singer, and she's such a musical and theatrical artist that I know she is studying the meaning of every single word in the piece, as well as the history and the orchestral parts." Murray, who hasn't rehearsed the piece with her yet, doesn't know exactly what she will bring, but he knows it will be beautiful, saying, "I think she will bring a real depth of interpretation. I'm really excited to see what she's going to do." Murray is also excited to present Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5," a piece he has loved since he first heard it as a teenager. "It has all the hallmarks of great Tchaikovsky," he said, citing drama and soulfulness as primary flavors of the music. "It's one of the earlier pieces that uses this idea of cyclical form: The themes that it introduces in the first movement appear in every movement throughout the piece." By the ending, Murray said, the minor key in the first movement has transformed into a major key in the last, connecting to ideas of transformation espoused by Strauss in "Four Last Songs." "I love the Tchaikovsky symphonies," Murray adds. "This is a piece that's really close to me." Rounding out the themes of longing and transformation is "The Dancing Moonlight" by Chinese composer Dai Wei, a "charming and fun piece" that Murray believes is in conversation with Strauss. "This was her idea of what moonlight can be," he says. "Strauss was all about those ideas as well – the 'Four Last Songs' talk about moonlight and evening and twilight as well. They're polar opposites, but it's interesting how two composers can look at the same thing and come up with two different ideas." According to Murray, "The Dancing Moonlight" is "light, rhythmic, upbeat," while Strauss is "thick and rich and thoughtful," but he is delighted by the pairing, and the scope of the entire program in general. "I think it's going to be a great program," he said. "It's just some of the best music ever." For some of the best music ever, visit AuburnSymphony.com or visit the Symphony office at 985 Lincoln Way, Suite 102, Auburn; call 530-823-6683; or email Office@AuburnSymphony.com Michael Rohm is a writer whose work has taken him around the world, covering topics from war in Ukraine to land rights in Madagascar. Past articles with the Auburn Journal include wildfires, river cleanup and arts in the city. You can reach him at mgeorgerohm@gmail.com.