ELECTRA RISING FORSYTH CELLO CONCERTO

Friday 18 October 2019 / 7:30PM Saturday 19 October 2019 / 7:30PM Showcase

SPONSORS

Guest Artist Sponsor: Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Programme

PROGRAMME

Hans Graf, conductor Amanda Forsyth, cello

Hindemith Konzertmusik (Concert Music) for Strings and Brass, Op. 50 17' Part 1: Massig schnell; mit Kraft - Sehr breit; stets fleissend Part 2: Lebhaft - Langsam - Im ersten Zeitmass (Lebhaft) Forsyth Electra Rising 31' Intermission 20'

Brahms Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op.90 I. Allegro con brio II. Andante III. Poco allegretto IV. Allegro 33'

KONZERTMUSIK (CONCERT MUSIC) FOR STRINGS AND BRASS, OP. 50

Paul Hindemith (1895 to 1963)

The young Hindemith stood at the forefront of the German avant-garde, delighting in creating bold, daring music that flaunted convention. With time, he developed a more communicative style and became a fully practical artist. He created specific pieces for specific occasions, and music for the enjoyment of professional and amateur musicians alike. His productivity was vast and his music is vigorous, richly textured, and life-enhancing. He composed the neo-baroque Konzertmusik for Strings and Brass in 1930, on commission for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Serge Koussevitzky conducted the premiere on 4 April 1931.

ELECTRA RISING

Malcolm Forsyth (1936 to 2011)

Honoured as Canadian Composer of the Year in 1989, Malcolm Forsyth earned international recognition as one of the country’s leading composers. After receiving his education in his native South Africa, he immigrated to Canada in 1968. Settling in Edmonton, he played trombone in the city’s orchestra and joined the faculty of the University of Alberta. His compositions have been performed and broadcast throughout the world, and are extensively recorded.

He composed Electra Rising for his daughter, Amanda, a distinguished cellist, as the pinnacle of a series of pieces that he had been creating for her since she was a child. Amanda had attained sufficient skill and experience to meet the demands of a full-scale virtuoso piece at the same time Forsyth received a commission for just such a work from the CBC Vancouver Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. The premiere took place in Calgary in 1995. The composer warned against taking the title too literally, that he was invoking the turbulent relationship between

the ancient Greek king, Agamemnon, and his daughter, Electra, only as a symbol of the close musical relationship that always existed between himself and Amanda. Her recording of this concerto with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (CBC Records SMCD 5180) won the 1998 Juno Award for best classical composition.

Electra Rising is part of Malcolm Forsyth: Perspectives and Legacy, a symposium and festival of concerts celebrating the contributions of Canadian composer Malcolm Forsyth, from 17 to 19 October 2019. Visit scpa.ucalgary.ca/events for details.

SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN F MAJOR, OP. 90

Johannes Brahms (1833 to 1897)

Brahms needed an unusually long time to develop an individual symphonic style. Much of the difficulty sprang from his awe of Beethoven, even though many of his supporters and colleagues saw him as the earlier composer’s true heir in this field. His highly dramatic first symphony premiered successfully in 1876, after 20 years of intermittent labour. In sharp contrast, Symphony No. 2, which followed just one year later, is relaxed and lyrical.

He composed Symphony No. 3 in 1883. Hans Richter conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in the premiere on 2 December 1883. It is a more individual and characteristic symphony than its two predecessors. In its striking mixture of passion and pessimism, of restlessness and serenity, Brahms offered a compelling, highly revealing musical self-portrait. “What harmonious mood pervades the whole!” his close friend, Clara Schumann, wrote to him after playing through the symphony at the piano. “All the movements seem to be of one piece, one beat of the heart, each one a jewel.”

One of its most striking features is that all four movements end quietly. That degree of reserve reveals the level of confidence that he had attained by this point in his career, and also perhaps the growing pessimism that flowed from his lonely personal life.

HANS GRAF

Conductor

Known for his wide range of repertoire and creative programming, Austrian Conductor Hans Graf is highly respected. He was Music Director of the Houston Symphony from 2001 to 2013 — the longest serving Music Director in its history. Previously, he was Music Director of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. Graf is a frequent guest with major North American orchestras, including the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, and the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, and has appeared at Carnegie Hall four times. He has also conducted throughout Europe, including with the Vienna and London Philharmonics, Vienna Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and is a regular guest with the Sydney and Auckland Symphonies, and the Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Seoul Philharmonics. His recordings can be found on the EMI, Orfeo, CBC, Erato, Capriccio, and JVC labels. Born near Linz, Graf received diplomas in piano and conducting from the Musikhochschule in Graz, then studied in Italy with Franco Ferrara and Sergui Celibadache, and in Russia with Arvid Jansons.

AMANDA FORSYTH

Cello

Canadian Juno Award-winner Amanda Forsyth is considered one of North America’s most dynamic cellists. She is recognized as an eminent recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician appearing with leading orchestras in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. From 1999 to 2015, Forsyth was Principal Cellist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, where she performed regularly as soloist and in chamber ensembles. Forsyth has appeared as a soloist with orchestras around the globe, including Orchestre Radio de France, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, and Vancouver Symphonies, and the English Chamber Orchestra. She has performed on international tours with the Mariinsky, Royal Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestras. As cellist of the Zukerman Trio, she has performed on six continents and has appeared at prestigious music festivals such as Edinburgh, Verbier, BBC Proms, and Ravinia. Born in South Africa, Forsyth moved to Canada as a child and began playing cello at age three. She performs on a rare 1699 Italian cello by Carlo Giuseppe Testore.