Ellington – Suite from The River (2025 Naomi Main)

Suite from The River – Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington is among the most prominent musicians of the twentieth century, famous for his innovative compositional style that evades categorization, encompassing both jazz and classical genres. Born in 1899 in Washington D.C. to musical parents, Ellington was steeped in the arts from a young age. He began classical piano lessons at the age of seven and continued to play throughout his youth, while specializing in commercial visual arts in school. He fell in love with the jazz genre in his early teen years, and shortly thereafter began playing in various ensembles throughout Washington D.C. before founding his own band, The Duke’s Serenaders. His first compositions were written for and performed by this band in various spaces throughout the city, spanning racial boundaries and establishing Ellington as an artist whose work bridged communities and traditions in a time in which division was rampant. Through his work, Ellington challenged traditions of musical spatialization, presenting his work on all stages, from the largest concert halls to community-based jazz clubs. His commitment to musical bridging was epitomized when he was nominated to the role of Jazz Ambassador by the U.S. Department of State, alongside contemporaries such as Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Dave Brubek, in an attempt to project a harmonious image of American interracial identity both domestically and abroad.

The end of Ellington’s career is marked by a series of monumental works, including the Suite from his ballet, The River, which was commissioned by the American Ballet Company in celebration of their 30th anniversary. His compositional process was incredibly thorough and uniquely dynamic, as Ellington frequently came to rehearsal with unfinished ideas, which he tested and refined with the orchestra, a process which choreographer Alvin Ailey claimed made their collaboration both challenging and particularly inspiring. Even at its premier, the work was considered unfinished, and was first presented with the title “Seven Dances from a Work in Progress Entitled ‘The River.’”

Throughout his River Suite, Ellington weaves a spiritual journey, following a river from its source, as it carves through the landscape, and finally empties into the vast ocean. Ellington The work opens with a movement titled Spring, which features a swirling melody, which is passed through the winds, finally landing in the string section in a powerful unison. The water trickles into the next movement, The Meander, beginning and ending with wandering and free flute cadenzas. Next, the Giggling Rapids draws inspiration from Bebop melodies, with the orchestra imitating the style of a Big Band as a pizzicato bassline accompanies a playful, swung melody. The Lake continues in a grandiose style, an indulgent and vast melody soaring above a rhythmic underpinning inspired by Latin music traditions.

Through this journey, Ellington asserts that “the river is no longer a river. It has passed its point of disembarkation and here we realize the validity of the foundation of religion which is the HEAVENLY ANTICIPATION OF REBIRTH.”

— Naomi Main ’26

CUT:

## While the Yale Symphony Orchestra’s performance ends here, in a complete performance The Vortex follows boldly, alluding to water’s powerful currents through percussive turbulence. A series of quickly ascending and descending scales in The Fals evoke the awe-inspiring image of a waterfall, which lands in The Village of the Virgins, a movement which charts the river’s course between two cities just before it reaches its final destination, the sea. Thus, the Riba’s journey is celebrated in a conclusive and triumphant movement.

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