1

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

Dear Friends, Welcome to Merlin and Magic, presented by Paul Rissmann and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, as part of the 2016 ASO Festival of Learning and Participation. This resource pack will help you to prepare for the concert day, in a fun and interactive way. If you have any questions in the lead up to the performance, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We look forward to welcoming you to Grainger Studio on Thursday 7 April. Good luck!

Emily Gann Learning and Community Engagement Coordinator Adelaide Symphony Orchestra ganne@aso.com.au

Merlin and Magic

2

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

MERLIN AND MAGIC Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Teachers’ Pack by Paul Rissmann Welcome to our concert. This year, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will introduce your class to a whole host of magical orchestral scores and ancient legends. During the performance, the children will experience to a diverse range of musical styles whilst exploring the instruments of the orchestra and discovering some of the secrets hidden in the music. As always, there will be plenty of opportunities to participate too, and this pack outlines all the activities you may like to try in class to best prepare your students for the concert experience. The concert programme features: Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra (excerpt – just the famous bit from 2001 A Space Odyssey!) Beethoven Overture to the Creatures of Prometheus Mussorgsky Baba Yaga – The Hut on Chicken Legs (from Pictures at an Exhibition) Grieg In The Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) Paul Rissmann Merlin – for audience and orchestra This is the audience participation piece in the concert John Williams Harry Potter Symphonic Suite Two Classroom Projects There are two contrasting projects for your class to explore before attending the concert. They are: Project 1 – Merlin This is an interactive story-piece for audience and orchestra. It was inspired by one of the oldest legends of Merlin and contains lots opportunities for your students to join in with the action on stage. Think of it as a modern, more participatory version of Peter and the Wolf. Project 1 will prepare your students for performing with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Project 2 – Baba Yaga! This is a fun, creative classroom project inspired by the legend of Baba Yaga. Your students will create their own classroom composition in response to Mussorgsky’s vivid sound painting. If time is short, Project 2 will also work well as a post-concert activity. Have fun. Paul Rissmann February 2016

Welcome message from Paul Rissmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osZvQ9SQ8X0 To see the ASO in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQdQUdCcytY

3

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

PROJECT ONE

Merlin by Paul Rissmann The Legend Merlin is a supernatural being with extraordinary powers. Since the 12th century, numerous tales and legends have been told about the magical, mythical figure of Merlin. Somehow, over time Merlin has happily lived a double life as either a boy wizard (such as in the hugely popular BBC TV show) or an old, purple-cloaked man (like in Disney’s Sword in the Stone). What is clear is that Merlin has enough power to put Harry Potter and the entire cast of Marvel Avengers to shame. Merlin – it seems - can do pretty much anything! The Music In 2011, I was commissioned by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra to write a new interactive composition for children and orchestra. Having spent a large part of my career composing bespoke works – either to tell a story through music, or to engage large numbers of children to perform with professional musicians - I decided it was time to fuse both these concepts. My composition is inspired by one of oldest legends of Merlin and lasts around 16 minutes. Think of it as a highly interactive version of Peter and the Wolf and you’ll have the right idea. So crucially, the children play an integral part in the music and participate at key moments throughout the work. Merlin will be performed as one continuous piece, so please prepare your students to only clap at the very end of story. The audience will be cued throughout the music to engage with the action on stage. We will project icons to show when to stand and when to sit during the performance, and all the lyrics the children sing and speak will be shown on a large screen above the orchestra – so you don’t have to worry about memorising anything. Plus, you also never have to worry about counting rests or what music is coming next. All of this will be directed from the stage. Preparation Files: Everything you need to prepare for Project 1 is also available as an interactive digital resource. This presentation will work on any computer, tablet or smartphone and can be freely downloaded and edited.

PREZI: http://prezi.com/b7gz9yiyd59_/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Practice Audio Tracks I have made several rehearsal tracks for use in school. All the participatory elements and rehearsal cues have been recorded on top of a ‘digital orchestra’ (the ASO will sound so much better!) but the tracks will give the children an idea of what to expect in concert. In some movements, where the children only participate for a short while, I’ve also made special isolated rehearsal tracks, which focus only on the participatory elements. You can download a package of the practice tracks and also a PowerPoint of the lyrics here:

AUDIO: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/619605/ASO%20Merlin%20CD.zip

POWERPOINT: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/619605/ASO%20Merlin%20slides.ppt

4

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

We Need Pictures. Lots of Pictures! During our performance, in the movement entitled The Duelling Dragons we’d like to invite your class to create some colourful pictures for us. We plan to project these images – synchronised in time to the orchestra’s music during the concert. Merlin’s story is detailed overleaf. After reading the story, have a listen to my music for the Duelling Dragons. If your class feel inspired and would like to send us some images via email, then please send them to:

Emily Gann, ASO Learning and Community Engagement Coordinator ganne@aso.com.au

It would be great if your images could be: - colourful, created with ink, crayon or paint (this will project much better than pencil). - free of any text (please don’t put any names of the pictures as we will have to remove them!) - on a piece of A4 paper - in landscape orientation.

5

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

Merlin – The Story

Here is the narrative from my work. It is based on one of the oldest legends of Merlin. I have detailed in the text where each musical item appears within the structure.

Orchestra & Audience Perform – 1. Merlin’s Song A very long time ago, in a valley near Wales lived a boy called Merlin. Some things were sadly missing from Merlin’s life. He didn’t have a father, and he didn’t really have any friends, but that didn’t

seem to matter, because Merlin was a very special boy. Orchestra Perform – 2. Merlin’s Magic At first, Merlin’s gift had come as a shock - quite literally - as sparks would fly from his fingers and set fire to the flowers in the garden. But over the years, Merlin had learned to control his abilities and now this ordinary looking boy could do extraordinary things. When Merlin’s mother asked him to fetch wood for the fire, all it took was one glance and a few choice words and the hearth would be roaring in seconds. The journey to school was a breeze as each day Merlin would shape-shift into a swallow and fly straight through his classroom window. Nobody knew, no one suspected - but Merlin was a boy bursting with magical power. High above Merlin’s village, on top of a rocky mountain stood a castle. It belonged to crazy King Vortigen. Vortigen was very short tempered, and for some inexplicable reason every time he tried to build a watchtower next to his castle, the mountain would start to shake and the building would collapse. This made King Vortigen really mad!

Orchestra & Audience Perform – 3. King Vortigen One day Vortigen summoned all his subjects into his court. ‘I want to build a tower’ he said ‘And I want to build it NOW!’ One of Vortigen’s most trusted advisors (who was even crazier than his King) suggested that the only way to build a truly solid

tower was to use blood. Not just any blood - but the blood of a boy without a father. Now in the valley below Vortigen’s castle, there lived just one such boy - Merlin. Vortigen’s soldiers wasted no time. They rampaged through the village, shouting his name, and stopped at nothing until they found him. Merlin was marched up the mountain and thrown into a dark, damp prison cell in Vortigen’s dungeon. For the first time in his life Merlin felt scared.

6

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

Orchestra & Audience Perform – 4. Merlin Alone Suddenly Merlin’s prison cell began to shake. In fact, the entire castle was vibrating, but this was no ordinary earthquake, something was different. Merlin decided to investigate. Orchestra Perform – 5. The Duelling Dragons

In a flash he shape-shifted into a tiny spider and scurried through a crack in the wall. He moved deep down into the foundations of the castle. The further he travelled, the stronger the earth shook. Suddenly a scream pierced the air. When he finally reached the heart of the mountain, Merlin couldn’t believe what he saw. Quickly, he transformed back into human form and stood bolt upright in a massive cavern. Without warning, a flame flew through the air like a thunderbolt and Merlin darted behind a large rock. From there, he witnessed the most incredible sight. Two huge dragons - one red and one blue - were trapped in the cave. They were fighting, shooting flames in every direction and throwing their huge bodies at each other. Every time the dragons crashed against the walls of cave the mountain shook. It was the dragons that were causing the tremors.

Thick smoke was everywhere and it was fast becoming difficult to breathe. Merlin knew he didn’t have much time. Somehow he had to get the dragons out of the cave, but that would require a special kind of magic. Orchestra & Audience Perform – 6. The Magic Spell

Merlin’s phenomenal power split the cave open and daylight flooded inside. The dragons wasted no time and sped upwards, through the gap into the outside world. Merlin’s magic had freed the dragons and saved his life, and for the first time ever, Vortigen’s mountain was calm. Orchestra & Audience Perform – 7. Merlin’s Song (Reprise)

Merlin – The Songs Overleaf you will find song sheets of all participatory elements for the children to learn:

Merlin’s Song King Vortigen Merlin Alone The Magic Spell Merlin’s Song (Reprise)

Top tips for tackling the songs The first and final songs are basically the same – all that changes is the text of the verses and the orchestral accompaniment. However, once you’ve learned the first verse and chorus – you’ve practically learned it all.

7

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

King Vortigen’s music is very precise and has a strong military feel. Try marching along with the track! Merlin Alone is wordless. This may initially be more challenging for the children, so why not ask the class to make up some words to fit with the music. The words should be silly and fun, and perhaps even have nothing to do with Merlin at all. The aim is to trick the children into absorbing the new melody through laughter. Once the class are confident with the music, drop the words and sing it to ‘oo’ and then ‘ah’ as instructed in the music. It will sound beautiful and effortless. Promise! The Magic Spell is very rhythmical. Listen to the practise track a few times and you’ll soob get the hang of it. But don’t try to count through this music, instead try to feel the quirky rhythm. If you are not a music specialist, simply to listen to the songs over and over and then use the PREZI resource to teach the music to the class.

8

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

9

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

10

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

11

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

12

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

13

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

14

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

PROJECT 2 Baba Yaga by Modest Mussorgsky

Musical Pictures In 1874 the composer Modest Mussorgsky composed a stunning collection of character pieces entitled Pictures at an Exhibition. Inspired by an exhibition of works by the Russian nationalist painter and architect Victor Hartmann, Mussorgsky created ten virtuosic pieces for solo piano. Years later, the French composer Maurice Ravel created an orchestral version of this piano music. Ravel was a master of orchestration (he is the man who wrote the über-famous Bolero) and he re-scored Pictures at an Exhibition in full orchestral colour. Ravel’s symphonic version presents a vivid series of orchestral sound paintings, ideal for young listeners. Baba Yaga – The Hut on Chicken Legs is the most exhilarating of the set and is the perfect stimulus for creative music-making in school. The creative project below contains really simple musical material and structures borrowed directly from Mussorgsky’s music. They can be easily performed on classroom instruments will inspire your class to create their own group composition.

A Terrifying Legend Baba Yaga is a hideous and frightening old witch whose adventures are told in Russian folklore. Weary parents in Russia apparently use the threat of a visit from Baba Yaga to ensure their children remain well behaved, eat all their greens and go to bed without objection. According legend, Baba Yaga lives in a curious looking hut which is perched on top of spindly chicken legs. And she likes nothing more than cooking a delicious meal – of fresh children. So every night, her house races through the forest propelled on its long chicken legs, searching for prey. When she finally spies some unsuspecting child, the house crouches down and she reaches out, grabs it and cooks it for tea (well I guess it beats queuing in Coles!).

Atmospheric Music Mussorgsky transformed Baba Yaga’s story into amazing music that doesn’t feel too far removed from a movie soundtrack. When cloaked in Ravel’s brilliant orchestration, the result is startlingly powerful. So it may come as a surprise to know that in the original Hartmann exhibition that inspired this music, Baba Yaga was represented as nothing more than a cuckoo clock!

15

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

So it appears that Mussorgsky’s music was influenced far more by the ancient folk tale than the artefact. So we too will try to recreate a dark and menacing soundscape for Baba Yaga.

A Creative Project This project relates directly to the rhythm, melody and harmony of Mussorgsky’s score and will enable your class to create a sound painting of an evil witch. We are going to create two contrasting sections of music: SECTION A - Baba Yaga Arrives Mussorgsky begins with a bold opening statement to announce the arrival of Baba Yaga.

Here is the rhythmic table of his music. Try counting through the chart, line by line and clapping where indicated. Notice that some beats have only one X (indicating one clap) while others have two (signalling two faster claps XX).

Now, play through the chart using unpitched percussion. Choose the best possible

instruments for this task (hard, more direct sounds will work well). Aim to play the rhythm exactly together - this will make the music feel even more menacing.

NB: If playing through the entire chart is too challenging for the class, divide the grid above amongst several groups – perhaps taking just two lines each.

Have fun playing through the chart using percussion. You may wish to create several different versions of the music. How menacing can you make the chart sound? What would it sound like if you used your voices instead of instruments? Should we add any extra sounds into the grid?

Explore the chart in any way you can imagine.

After this, Mussorgsky announces Baba Yaga’s arrival with a bold melody – a fanfare. Learn

to play or sing the short theme below:

1 2 3 4

X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X X X X X

16

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

Try playing the fanfare phrase above several times in succession.

NB: This simple melody will make a really nice four-line song. Play the melody four times over and find four lines of text to fit with it.

Add a simple accompaniment to the theme – it could be something rhythmical or textural – or both!

Now, find the best possible way to link the rhythmic opening music to this melody. Everything you have composed so far makes up Section A of your music.

Section B – Baba Yaga Stalks Her Prey This section contrasts brilliantly with the violent start. This music should be much calmer and cautious (though worryingly quiet as Baba Yaga hunts for prey in the forest).

Make some atmospheric sounds to describe a dark forest.

Add a gentle shimmer using just two pitches – D and B. Move as quickly as possible between these notes – but play them very quietly. This music doesn’t have to be rhythmical, it can be quite free.

Make a simple (but creepy) melody that begins like so:

Extend this short the melody in any way you wish, but only use pitches from the following scale:

B D F G A

Add any further elements you wish to the music. How quiet can the class play? Should they add any vocal sounds to the music? What about a surprise? Can they make out audience suddenly jump?

This music is called Section B.

F F

B

F

B

17

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

Ternary Form Mussorgsky organises his music using a simple three-part structure – A B A – which is called Ternary Form. 1. Ask the class to play their music in the following order - Section A, followed by Section B then

back to Section A. 2. Work a little bit on the joins between each section. How smoothly can they move between the different sections.

Does this structure feel satisfying or should they add anything extra at the very end of the music?

3. Now, listen to a recording of Mussorgsky’s music for Baba Yaga. Can they hear any similarities?

What are they? Have fun. © Paul Rissmann February 2016

To see Paul Rissmann present Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2015: http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/livestream/1869205/meet-the-orchestra-live-stream-

18

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Festival of Learning and Participation 2016

Instruments of the Orchestra:

There are many interactive online websites that are great for exploring the instruments of the

orchestra. Some examples include:

- San Francisco Symphony Orchestra:

http://www.sfskids.org/classic/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3

- Philharmonia Orchestra: http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/explore/instruments

- MSO Learn app: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/mso-learn/id441422027?mt=8

- Composition Lab: http://www.compositionlab.co.uk