FAIRFIELD BY MARRIOTT
MENDELSSOHN’S SCOTTISH SYMPHONY
February 8, 2025
Dina Gilbert; conductor Elisabeth St-Gelais; Innu soprano
Bacewicz Concerto for String Orchestra
II. Andante
Duparc Phidylé
Wagner Wesendonck Lieder
I. Der Engel
II. Stehe still!
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III. Im Treibhaus — Studie zu Tristan und Isolde
IV. Schmerzen
V. Träume — Studie zu Tristan und Isolde
INTERMISSION
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, MWV N 18, “Scottish”
I. Andante con moto — Allegro un poco agitato
II. Vivace non troppo
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro vivacissimo — Allegro maestoso assai
MEET THE ORCHESTRA
Music Director Dina Gilbert | Music Director Emeritus Bruce Dunn
FIRST VIOLIN
Cvetozar Vutev*
Concertmaster
Geoff & Judith Benson Chair
Elyse Jacobson*
Assistant Concertmaster
Rod Michell Chair
Molly MacKinnon
Llowyn Ball
Jiten Bearisto
Yiyi Hsu
Andy Kim
SECOND VIOLIN
Boris Ulanowicz*
Gabriele Klein Chair
Sandra Wilmot
Annette Dominik
Haley Leach
Catie Akune
Natalie Manolov
*Principal +Acting Principal
VIOLA
Caroline Olsen*
Wennie Wei
Fahlon Palm
Samantha Kung
CELLO
Martin Krátký*
Doug Gorkoff
Jennifer Moersch
BASS
Yefeng Yin*
Lukas Peladeau
FLUTE
Heather Beaty*
Jeff Pelletier
OBOE
Marea Chernoff*
Elizabeth Eccleston
CLARINET
Sally Arai*
John & Joyce Henderson Chair
Jack Liang
BASSOON
Olivia Martin*
Katrina Russell
HORN
Maddie Davis*
Dawn Haylett
Heather Walker
Margaret Fisher
TRUMPET
Mark D’Angelo*
Jeremy Vint
TIMPANI
Caroline Bucher*
LIBRARIAN
Sally Arai
KAMLOOPS SYMPHONY SOCIETY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John McDonald, ICD.D. • President
Steve Powrie • Vice President
Tyler Klymchuk • Treasurer
Chelsea Tuyttens • Secretary
Jesse Brown
Philip Brown
Kathy Collier
Lucille Gnanasihamany
Gabriele Klein
Simon Walter
HONOURARY LIFE
Bonnie Jesten
Art Hooper
MEMBERS
ADMINISTRATION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Christopher Young
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Sue Adams
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Sam Bregoliss
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Adrien Fillion
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER
Olivia Martin
AUDIO ENGINEER
Doug Perry
Proud Member of Orchestras Canada, the national association for Canadian orchestras
PHIDYLÉ
Musical Setting by: Henri Duparc (1848–1933)
Text: Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818–1894)
L'herbe est molle au sommeil sous les frais peupliers, Aux pentes des sources moussues, Qui dans les prés en fleur germant par mille issues, Se perdent sous les noirs halliers. Repose, ô Phidylé ! Midi sur les feuillages Rayonne et t'invite au sommeil. Par le trèfle et le thym, seules, en plein soleil, Chantent les abeilles volages.
Un chaud parfum circule au détour des sentiers, La rouge fleur des blés s'incline, Et les oiseaux, rasant de l'aile la colline, Cherchent l'ombre des églantiers.
Mais, quand l'Astre, incliné sur sa courbe éclatante, Verra ses ardeurs s'apaiser, Que ton plus beau sourire et ton meilleur baiser Me récompensent de l'attente !
WESENDONCK LIEDER
The grass is soft with sleep beneath the cool poplars, On the slopes of mossy springs, Which in the blooming meadows, sprouting from a thousand ways, Lose themselves beneath the dark thickets. Rest, oh Phidylé! Noon shines upon the leaves And invites you to sleep. Through the clover and thyme, only, in the full sun, Sing the wandering bees. A warm fragrance drifts along the winding paths, The red flower of wheat bows its head, And the birds, skimming the hill with their wings, Seek the shade of the wild roses. But when the Sun, bent on its shining arc, Sees its burning passions calm, May your sweetest smile and your finest kiss Reward me for my waiting!
Musical Setting By: Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
Text: Agnes Mathilde Wesendonck, née Luckemeyer (1828–1902)
Der Engel
In der Kindheit frühen Tagen Hört ich oft von Engeln sagen, Die des Himmels hehre Wonne Tauschen mit der Erdensonne, Daß, wo bang ein Herz in Sorgen Schmachtet vor der Welt verborgen, Daß, wo still es will verbluten, Und vergehn in Tränenfluten, Daß, wo brünstig sein Gebet Einzig um Erlösung fleht, Da der Engel niederschwebt, Und es sanft gen Himmel hebt. Ja, es stieg auch mir ein Engel nieder, Und auf leuchtendem Gefieder Führt er, ferne jedem Schmerz, Meinen Geist nun himmelwärts!
Stehe still!
Sausendes, brausendes Rad der Zeit, Messer du der Ewigkeit; Leuchtende Sphären im weiten All, Die ihr umringt den Weltenball; Urewige Schöpfung, halte doch ein, Genug des Werdens, laß mich sein!
Halte an dich, zeugende Kraft, Urgedanke, der ewig schafft!
Hemmet den Atem, stillet den Drang,
The
Angel
In the early days of childhood, I often heard them speak of angels, who exchanged Heaven’s noble bliss For the Earth’s sun, That where a heart, in quiet sorrow, Languishes, hidden from the world, Where it bleeds unnoticed, Drowning in a sea of tears, That where fervent prayers rise, Begging only for release, There an angel softly descends, Lifting it gently toward the heavens. Yes, an angel came down to me, too, And on luminous wings, He leads, far from all pain, My spirit now heavenwards
Be quiet!
Roaring, rushing wheel of time, Measure of eternity’s climb; Radiant spheres in endless space, Encircling the cosmic embrace. Primordial creation, pause your course, Enough of becoming—let me simply be! Halt yourself, life-giving force, Primal thought, eternally shaping! Hold your breath, still the drive,
Schweiget nur eine Sekunde lang!
Schwellende Pulse, fesselt den Schlag; Ende, des Wollens ew'ger Tag!
Daß in selig süßem Vergessen
Ich mög alle Wonnen ermessen!
Wenn Aug' in Auge wonnig trinken, Seele ganz in Seele versinken; Wesen in Wesen sich wiederfindet, Und alles Hoffens Ende sich kündet, Die Lippe verstummt in staunendem Schweigen, Keinen Wunsch mehr will das Innre zeugen: Erkennt der Mensch des Ew'gen Spur, Und löst dein Rätsel, heil'ge Natur!
Im Treibhaus — Studie zu TristanundIsolde
Hochgewölbte Blätterkronen, Baldachine von Smaragd, Kinder ihr aus fernen Zonen, Saget mir, warum ihr klagt?
Schweigend neiget ihr die Zweige, Malet Zeichen in die Luft, Und der Leiden stummer Zeuge Steiget aufwärts, süßer Duft.
Weit in sehnendem Verlangen Breitet ihr die Arme aus, Und umschlinget wahnbefangen Öder Leere nicht'gen Graus.
Wohl, ich weiß es, arme Pflanze; Ein Geschicke teilen wir,
Ob umstrahlt von Licht und Glanze, Unsre Heimat ist nicht hier!
Und wie froh die Sonne scheidet Von des Tages leerem Schein, Hüllet der, der wahrhaft leidet, Sich in Schweigens Dunkel ein. Stille wird's, ein säuselnd Weben Füllet bang den dunklen Raum: Schwere Tropfen seh ich schweben An der Blätter grünem Saum.
Schmerzen
Sonne, weinest jeden Abend Dir die schönen Augen rot, Wenn im Meeresspiegel badend Dich erreicht der frühe Tod; Doch erstehst in alter Pracht, Glorie der düstren Welt, Du am Morgen neu erwacht, Wie ein stolzer Siegesheld!
Ach, wie sollte ich da klagen, Wie, mein Herz, so schwer dich sehn, Muß die Sonne selbst verzagen, Muß die Sonne untergehn?
Und gebieret Tod nur Leben, Geben Schmerzen Wonne nur: O wie dank ich, daß gegeben Solche Schmerzen mir Natur!
Hold your breath, still the drive, Be silent, if only for a moment! Swelling pulses, bind your beat; End the eternal day of striving!
That in blissful, sweet forgetting, I might grasp all joys complete. When eye drinks deeply from eye, Soul sinks wholly into soul; Essence in essence finds itself again, And the end of all hope is revealed. Lips fall silent in astonished stillness, No inner wish remains to arise: Then humankind perceives eternity’s trace, And solves your riddle, sacred nature!
In the Greenhouse — Study for TristanundIsolde
Lofty arches of leafy crowns, Canopies of emerald green, Children from distant realms, Tell me, why do you grieve?
In silence, you bow your branches, Tracing signs into the air, And as mute witnesses to sorrow, A sweet fragrance rises upward.
Far, with yearning and desire, You stretch your arms wide, Embracing, in dreamlike delusion, The hollow dread of empty voids.
Yes, I know, poor plant— We share the same fate: Though bathed in light and splendor, This is not our home.
And just as the sun departs, Joyful from the day’s hollow glow, Those who truly suffer Wrap themselves in silent darkness. All grows still—a whispering web Fills the heavy, shadowed space; I see heavy drops suspended On the green edges of your leaves.
Sorrows
Sun, do you weep each evening, Your beautiful eyes turned red, When in the mirror of the sea
The early death reaches you?
Yet you rise again in ancient splendor, Glory of the somber world, In the morning, newly awakened, Like a proud hero of victory!
Ah, how could I then complain, How, my heart, could I bear this longing, If even the sun must falter, If the sun must set?
And if death gives birth to life, If pain gives only joy, Oh, how grateful I am that Such pain has been given to me by nature!
Träume — Studie zu TristanundIsolde
Sag, welch wunderbare Träume
Halten meinen Sinn umfangen, Daß sie nicht wie leere Schäume
Sind in ödes Nichts vergangen?
Träume, die in jeder Stunde, Jedem Tage schöner blühn,
Und mit ihrer Himmelskunde
Selig durchs Gemüte ziehn!
Träume, die wie hehre Strahlen
In die Seele sich versenken, Dort ein ewig Bild zu malen: Allvergessen, Eingedenken!
Träume, wie wenn Frühlingssonne
Aus dem Schnee die Blüten küßt, Daß zu nie geahnter Wonne Sie der neue Tag begrüßt,
Daß sie wachsen, daß sie blühen, Träumend spenden ihren Duft, Sanft an deiner Brust verglühen, Und dann sinken in die Gruft.
Dreams
— Study for TristanundIsolde
Tell me, what wondrous dreams Encompass my mind, That they do not fade like empty foam Into an endless void?
Dreams that bloom more beautifully With every hour, every day, And with their heavenly tidings Joyfully fill the heart!
Dreams that sink like noble rays Into the depths of the soul, There to paint an eternal image: All-forgetting, all-remembering!
Dreams, like the spring sun
Kissing the blossoms from the snow, So that to unknown bliss They greet the new day.
That they grow, that they bloom, Dreaming, offering their scent, Softly fading upon your chest, And then sinking into the grave.
Named Révélation Radio-Canada Classique for the 2023-2024 season, Elisabeth St-Gelais holds a Master's degree in music specializing in "Voice and Opera" from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, which she completed in April 2023.
An Innue from the Pessamit community, Elisabeth places great importance on sharing her culture through her mission as an artist. Elisabeth St-Gelais is the grand winner of the prestigious Wirth Vocal Prize 2022 from McGill University, the Grand Prize for ages 19-30 at the 2022 Canada Music Competition Canimex, and was named that same year to the prestigious #CBC30under30 2022 list, where she stands out as an Indigenous lyric artist under the age of 30. She also won First Prize for ages 26-30 at the Festival Classival in April 2023. Elisabeth St-Gelais won the Prix d’Europe 2023 on June 11 of that year at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and was the winner of the First Prize and the Audience Choice Award at the annual Canadian Opera Company CentreStage Competition in 2023.
In November 2023, she won the Western Canada District as well as the NORTHWEST Regionals Encouragement Award at the MET OPERA LAFFONT COMPETITION. Also involved in her Montreal music community, the soprano has been serving as a board member of the Conseil Québécois de la Musique since April 2023. She performs across Canada, with invitations from the Canadian Opera Company, Orchestre de l’Agora, Orchestre symphonique des Jeunes de Montréal, Orchestre I MUSICI, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre Symphonique de la CôteNord, Orchestre Classique de Montréal, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Cecilia Concerts, Festival d’Opéra de Québec, and more. Elisabeth is an Indigenous artist committed to the reconciliation of Indigenous peoples in Canada and proudly represents the Innu people of the Côte-Nord, her nation.
ELISABETH ST-GELAIS | Innu soprano
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