NEC Symphony + David Loebel: Lee, Abe, & Mendelssohn
The Protestant Reformation, a religious revolution initiated by sixteenth century German priest Martin Luther, inspired two of the works on this evening’s program performed by the NEC Symphony under David Loebel.
Mendelssohn completed his Reformation Symphony in 1830 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, a statement that codified Lutheranism’s departure from Catholic doctrine.
James Lee III’s Ichabod! The Protest is Over, from 2017, observes the 500th anniversary of the Reformation’s beginnings. The Hebrew word ichabod means “inglorious” or “there is no glory.” The words “The Protest is Over” are taken from a speech by theologian Bishop Tony Palmer (1966-2014). An Anglican friend of Pope Francis’, Palmer used the phrase to emphasize the beliefs held in common by both Catholics and Protestants, in contrast to centuries of philosophical divisiveness brought about by the Reformation.
Tonight's program also features the winner of the NEC Wind, Brass, Percussion, Harp Concerto Competition, percussionist Hayoung Halle Song '22 MM.
This performance can be viewed in-person or via livestream.
Watch livestream from Jordan Hall:
- NEC Symphony
James Lee III | Ichabod! The Protest is Over! (2017)
Program note
James Lee III has written the following:
“Juxtaposed with this (500th anniversary of the Reformation) is the added concern that some have expressed in regards to a union of church and state...Without taking political sides, my orchestral piece is a musical commentary on these various concerns...”.
“Ichabod! The Protest is Over! ... begins with a quote of a phrase of the patriotic song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” which is presented and transformed throughout various parts of the work... in a bold and aggressive nature that seeks to illustrate the perceived fear of many that the United States as a nation, is moving more towards fascism. The next section that arrives in the music is much softer and calm, yet foreboding. It is in this section that the flutes introduce a quote of a phrase of Martin Luther’s perhaps most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, which is manifested in various ways throughout this composition. At times phrases of these well-known tunes provide a counterpoint to each other... “
“As the music develops, there are passages that illustrate a suppression of the hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God at various times, which finally dies away humbly as My Country ‘Tis of Thee is presented in perhaps its most bold character of the work. This is a musical commentary that reflects history in which when there is ever a religious test brought about against a minority religious group, typically persecution of that group follows. Only time will tell...”
Keiko Abe | Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra (2001)
Hayoung Halle Song
Hayoung Halle Song was born in South Korea in 1996. She attended Seoul Arts High School and went on to Korean National University of Arts, where she studied under Kwangseo Park, Eunhye Kim, and June Moon Kyung Hahn. She graduated with the Percussion Performance bachelor’s degree in 2019.
Song’s first recital was at Kumho Young Artist Series in 2015, and she reached the final round in the Marimba Competition of the Italy Percussive Arts Society in 2016. In 2018, she performed as soloist in the Marimba Spiritual with the KNUA Percussion Ensemble. As a percussionist, she was a member of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra.
Song entered the master’s program at NEC in 2021 and studies timpani and percussion with Daniel Bauch, Assistant Principal Timpanist and Section Percussionist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.Artists- Hayoung Halle Song '22 MM, marimba
Felix Mendelssohn | Symphony No. 5 in D Major, op. 107 ("Reformation")
Andante - Allegro con fuoco
Allegro vivace
Andante -
Chorale: Andante con moto - Allegro vivacePersonnel
First Violin
Eunha Kim
Kristy Chen
Tsubasa Muramatsu
Gabriella Foster
Masha Lakisova
Kitty Amaral
Arun Asthagiri
Caroline Smoak
Olga Kaminsky
Clayton Hancock
Claire Byeol Kim
Second Violin
Darwin Chang
Theresa Katz
Shiyu Wang
Célina Bethoux
Sydney Scarlett
Michael Fisher
Hila Dahari
Emma Boyd
Sarah Campbell
Helena Hwang
Viola
ChengRong Li
Nathan Emans
Jowen Hsu
Njord Fossnes
Philip Rawlinson
Ru-Yao Van der Ploeg
Asher Boorstin
Jiaxinyue Liu
Katherine Purcell
Nicolette Sullivan-Cozza
Cello
Lillian Yim
Asher Kalfus
Max Zhenren Zhao
Miruna Eynon
Seoyeon Koo
Davis You
Lily Stern
Heechan Ku
Sarah Tindall
Sophia Knappe
Bass
Isabel Atkinson
Luke Tsuchiya
Cailin Singleton
Colby Heimburger
Flute
Isabelle Evernham
Honor Hickman
Subee Kim
Yechan Min‡
Subin Oh*
Anna Ridenour^
Piccolo
Dianne Seo
Oboe
Yuhsi Chang‡
Corinne Foley^
Coleton Morgan*
Helen Skilbred
Clarinet
Sarah Cho
Xianyi Ji*
Tao Ke‡
Cole Turkel^
Bassoon
Adam Chen
Garrett Comrie
Seth Goldman‡
Kangwei Lu
Andrew Salaru^
Wang Jialu*
Contrabassoon
Garrett Comrie
Serpent
Jack Earnhart
French horn
Mattias Bengtsson*
Graham Lovely‡
Mauricio Martinez
Tess Reagan^
Xiaoran Xu
Trumpet
Matthew Mihalko*
Justin Park
Alexandra Richmond^
Caitlin Tay‡
Cody York
Trombone
Noah Korenfeld
Noah Nichilo‡
Alex Russell*
Kevin Smith^
Bass Trombone
Roger Dahlin*^
Jason Sato‡
Tuba
Hayden Silvester
Timpani
Isabella Butler^
Mark Larrivee*
Rohan Zakharia‡Percussion
Nga ieng Lai*
Mark Larrivee
Eli Reisz‡
Rohan Zakharia
Harp
Shaylen JoosPrincipal players
*Lee
‡Abe
^Mendelssohn