Scotia Festival of Music program 2014 by pavonis.com

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014 May 25 – June 8

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SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

MAY 25 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUNE 8, 2014 Highlight Performances Recitals Lectures Masterclasses Young Artist Program

PROGRAM CONTENTS Sponsors and Advertisers

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Message from the Dept. of Canadian Heritage

Message from the Mayor

Message from NS Communities, Culture and Heritage 6 Message from the Pres. of the Board of Directors 7

hosted by

Dalhousie Department of Music Dalhousie Department of Theatre Dalhousie Arts Centre with major financial support from

Canadian Heritage, The Government of Canada Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage, The HRM Corporate and Private Sponsors Prime Corporate Sponsor

Message from the Managing and Artistic Director

In memory of Edith Mingo

Festival Events

Concerts and Recitals

Open Dress Rehearsal Schedule

Masterclass Schedule

2014 Guest Artists/Faculty

Highlight Concert 1

Highlight Concert 2

Recital 1

Recital 2

Highlight Concert 3

Recital 3

Highlight Concert 4

Highlight Concert 5

Highlight Concert 6

Highlight Concert 7

Highlight Concert 8

Gala 58 Young Artist Program/Concerts

2012 Young Artist Program Participants

Scholarships

Friends of the Festival

Poster Painting Project

68 1

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Scotia Festival of Music gratefully acknowledges the financial support of our sponsors and advertisers Sponsors Prime Corporate Sponsor

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Peggy Corkum

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Hugh Creighton

Elizabeth Huxtable

Judith Grant Jack and Joan

Mickie and Rudy Haase Poster Painting Project Sponsor

Advertisers Assante Atlantic Photo Supply Chapman Auto Body Ltd. Chebucto Inn Dee Dee’s Dalhousie University Dr. Piano Garrison Brewing Huetis Insurance Group 2

Marcie Gilsig

CRAIG

THE CHESTER EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Java Blend Coffee Jules Chamberlain REALTOR Halifax BMW Halifax Jazz Festival Lang Optometry & Eyewear Lindsay’s Construction Long & McQuade The Lord Nelson Hotel O’Regan’s Mercedes-Benz

The Peggy Corkum Music Room Shannex Parkland at the Gardens St. Cecilia Concert Series Stewart McKelvey Lawyers Symphony Nova Scotia Think Imaging Solutions Universal Properties Village Green Motor Car Co. Zwicker’s Gallery

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Message from Comeau’s Sea Foods Limited

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Message from the Department of Canadian Heritage

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Message from the Mayor

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Message from the Nova Scotia Government

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Message from the President of the Board of Directors

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Message from the Managing and Artistic Director

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

EDITH MINGO

In Scotia Festival of Music’s history, we have only dedicated the Festival once before to the memory of Bob Marcellus, its founding Artistic Director, without whose inspiration we would not have begun. There are a handful of people in our community without whose support and encouragement we would not have been able to survive. Edith Mingo is at the top of that list and we are dedicating Scotia Festival of Music 2014 to her. Edith’s inquisitive mind not only led her to concerts but also to rehearsals, masterclasses and lectures. I have fond memories of her attempting to clap complex rhythms in R. Murray Schafer’s interactive lecture focusing on his book, The Thinking Ear and being late and in a panic for her Alexander Technique class. She served on the boards of the Junior League, the Halifax United Way, the Children’s Aid Society, the Family Welfare Association and the Halifax Assistance Fund. The only blue note in Scotia Festival of Music 2013 was that Edith passed away during it. We, along with the rest of our community, miss her.

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SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

FESTIVAL EVENTS For information on Masterclasses and Open Rehearsals and to confirm details please contact the Festival Office; phone 429-9467 or visit us in Room 401, in the Dalhousie Arts Centre.

Young Artist Noon-Hour Recitals Single Tickets Single tickets are $35/$30 to all highlight concerts, recitals The Young Artist Noon-Hour Concert Series is an integral part of the Scotia Festival of Music, and provides an and young artist concert (excludes Recital #2 and Gala opportunity for participants to perform works studied which are $50). during the Festival under the direction of the Guest Mix and Match Artist Faculty. The vitality and high quality of these Pick 5 concerts/recitals and receive 20% off. ($140/$120, performances earns them a high profile in the Festival excludes Recital #2 and Gala) schedule of events. You are invited to join us for this special series without charge. Festival Pass The Festival Pass will admit you to all 8 Highlight 12:15–1:15 pm June 2–3 in the Sir James Dunn Theatre, Concerts, 3 recitals, and the Young Artist Concert and 2:30–3:30 pm June 4 in Studio 1 during the Festival’s the Final Gala for approx. a 25% savings! The passes are second week. $365 or $325 for seniors and students. Events Pass This pass admits the holder to open rehearsals for the Highlight concerts and masterclasses, workshops, and lectures. Admission to each event at the door is $5. The cost of the Events Pass is $25. Gala Tickets for the Gala are $50. Masterclasses Scotia Festival of Music masterclasses give young professional musicians the opportunity to perform in public for master teachers. These classes provide a special occasion for audiences, students, and teachers to share in the learning process. Masterclass price: $5.

Young Artist Noon-Hour Recitals admission: free.

Young Artist Concert, June 5, 7 pm $35/$30 Daily Schedules* Detailed daily schedules, which may contain impromptu events and/or changes, are available at the Festival office in Room 401 (4th floor next to the Sir James Dunn Theatre) and may also be published in the Entertainment section of your daily newspaper. Call 429-9467 for information. All programs are subject to change. Latecomers are requested to wait until a break in the performance to avoid disturbing those already seated. The use of cameras and tape recorders is not permitted during any performance.

Open Rehearsals *If you plan to attend only one or two of the education Before Highlight Concerts the public is invited to attend sessions, phone in advance to confirm that no schedule the dress rehearsal for that performance. Times of dress change has been made. rehearsals will vary from concert to concert. Dress rehearsal ticket price: $5.

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Concerts and Recitals HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #1

Monday, May 26, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Bach Ravel

Schubert

Suite No. 6 in D Major – Cello, Lynn Harrell Violin Sonata – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Piano, John Novacek B flat Piano Trio – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Cello, Lynn Harrell, Piano, John Novacek

HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #2

Tuesday, May 27, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Schulhoff Dvorak Webern Andriessen Mussorgsky

Hot Sonata – Saxophone, Tristan De Borba, Piano, Simon Docking Terzetto Op. 74 – Violins, Elissa Lee, Benjamin Bowman, Viola, Sharon Wei Quartet Op. 22 – Clarinet, Micah Heilbrunn, Saxophone, Tristan De Borba, Violin, Airi Yoshioka, Piano, Simon Docking Hout – Saxophone, Tristan De Borba, Marimba, Tim Borton, Electric guitar, Geordie Haley, Piano, Simon Docking Pictures at an Exhibition – Piano, Peter Allen

RECITAL #1

Wednesday, May 28, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Berg Schumann

Piano Sonata Op. 1 – Piano, Lynn Stodola Sonata No. 1 in a minor – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Piano, Lynn Stodola Franck Sonata in A Major – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Piano, Lynn Stodola Saint-Saens/Ysaye Waltz Caprice, Op. 52, No. 6 – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Piano, Lynn Stodola RECITAL #2 – LYNN HARRELL AND JOHN NOVACEK

Thursday, May 29, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Beethoven Debussy Rachmaninoff

Sonata in A Major, for cello and piano Sonata in D minor, for cello and piano Sonata in G minor, for cello and piano

HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #3

Friday, May 30, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Grieg

Mackey

Messiaen Milhaud

Violin Sonata No. 3 in c minor, Op. 45 – Violin, Airi Yoshioka, Piano, John Novacek Micro concerto – Conductor, Johannes Debus, Percussion, Tim Borton, Violin, Benjamin Bowman, Cello, Norman Adams, Flute, Patricia Creighton, Clarinets, Micah Heilbrunn, Eileen Walsh, Piano, Peter Allen Appel Interstellaire – Horn, David Parker La creation du monde – Conductor, Johannes Debus, Scotia Festival Chamber Orchestra

RECITAL #3 – FRANCIS COLPRON, SOLO RECORDER, FLUTE

Sunday, June 1, 2:00 pm The Music Room, 6181 Lady Hammond Road Tartini

Variations on the Gavotta from Corelli’s Sonata Op. 5 No. 10 for solo violin in F major [extracts] Bach Partita for solo flute in A minor, BWV 1013 Marais Variations on Les folies d’Espagne for viola da gamba and basso continuo in D minor Zahnhausen Minimal Music Catàn Encantamiento van Roosendael Rotations HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #4

Sunday, June 1, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Gliere Grieg Beethoven

Duets – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Cello, Lynn Harrell String Quartet – Violins, Benjamin Bowman, Elissa Lee, Viola, Sharon Wei, Cello, Blair Lofgren Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97 “Archduke” – Violin, Giora Schmidt, Cello, Lynn Harrell, Piano, John Novacek

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #5

YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERT

Monday, June 2, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre

Thursday, June 5, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre

Fauré

HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #8

Mozart

Ligeti

Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478 – Piano, Peter Allen, Violin, Ben Bowman, Viola, Sharon Wei, Cello, Blair Lofgren Three Pieces: Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor, Op. 26, Impromptu No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op. 102, Nocturne No. 13 in B minor, Op. 119 – Piano, John Novacek Horn Trio – Horn, David Parker, Violin, Elissa Lee, Piano, Simon Docking

HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #6 CELLO-RAMA

Tuesday, June 3, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Bach

Popper, David Bruch Prokofiev Villa-Lobos

Suite TBA – Young Artist Cello Competition Winner Requiem for three cellos – Cellos, Norman Adams, Hilary Brown, Blair Lofgren, Piano, Simon Docking Kol Nidrei arranged for 4 cellos and solo cello – Soloist, Lynn Harrell, Blair Lofgren, Norman Adams, Hilary Brown, Young Artist Cello Sonata – Cello, Blair Lofgren, Piano, Simon Docking Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 – Conductor, Peter Allen, Voice, Allison Angelo, Cellos, Blair Lofgren, Norman Adams, Hilary Brown, Young Artists

HIGHLIGHT CONCERT #7 – Conductor, Bernhard Gueller, Scotia Festival Chamber Orchestra

Wednesday, June 4, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Telemann Schnittke

Rautavaara de Falla

Viola Concerto – Viola, Sharon Wei Concerto Grosso No. 1 – Violins, Giora Schmidt, Benjamin Bowman, Harpsichord, Prepared Piano, Simon Docking Symphony No. 2 El amor brujo (2nd version) – Allison Angelo, soloist

Program TBA

Friday, June 6, 7:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Shostakovich

String Quartet No. 7 – Violins, Elissa Lee, Benjamin Bowman, Viola, Sharon Wei, Cello, Blair Lofgren Septet – Violin, Philippe Djokic, Viola, Susan Sayle, Cello, Hilary Brown, Bass, Max Kasper, Clarinet, Micah Heilbrunn, Bassoon, Ivor Rothwell, Horn, David Parker D minor Piano Trio – Piano, John Novacek, Violin, Giora Schmidt, Cello, Lynn Harrell

Beethoven

Mendelssohn

GALA – CONDUCTOR, BERNHARD GUELLER

Sunday, June 8, 2:00 pm Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre Mendelssohn Daugherty

Violin Concerto – Violin, Giora Schmidt Le tombeau de Liberace – Piano, John Novacek Cello Concerto – Cello, Lynn Harrell

Dvorak

YOUNG ARTIST NOON-HOUR RECITALS Leading up to the Thursday night concert, the Young Artist Program participants will perform noon hour recitals Monday through Wednesday, June 2–3 at the Sir James Dunn Theatre, 2:30–3:30 pm June 4 in Studio 1. Admission is free.

Please note: All programs are subject to change.

Contacting us: During the Festival, our office relocates to Room 401, Dalhousie Arts Centre. Our permanent office address is: 6181 Lady Hammond Road Halifax, NS B3K 2R9 Phone Fax E-mail Website

429-9467 425-6785 admin@scotiafestival.ns.ca www.scotiafestival.ns.ca 13

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SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Open Dress Rehearsals Schedule Before Highlight concerts the public is invited to attend the dress rehearsal for that performance. Times of dress rehearsals vary from concert to concert. Please note that dress rehearsals for concerts are held in the Dunn Theatre.

Monday, May 26 Tuesday, May 27 Friday, May 30 Sunday, June 1 Monday, June 2 Tuesday, June 3 Wednesday, June 4 Friday, June 6 Sunday, June 8

2:00 – 4:30 10:00 – 1:00 10:00 – 12:30 10:00 – 12:30 9:00 – 11:30 9:00 – 11:30 10:00 – 1:00 10:00 – 12:30 10:00 – 12:30

Highlight #1, Dunn Highlight #2, Dunn Highlight #3, Dunn Highlight #4, Dunn Highlight #5, Dunn Highlight #6, Dunn Highlight #7, Dunn Highlight #8, Dunn Gala, Dunn

Masterclass Schedule Tuesday, May 27 The Masterclass Schedule is subject to additions and time changes – please check with the Festival office (429-9467) to confirm times.

1:00 – 2:00 1:00 – 2:00 1:00 – 2:30 1:00 – 2:30

Room #

Creighton (flute) Rothwell (bassoon) Heilbrunn (clarinet) Adams (cello)

406 111 409 121

Harrell (cello) Bowman (violin) Parker (French horn) Wei (viola)

121 111 111 406

Schmidt (violin) Yoshioka (violin) Lee (violin)

406 111 406

Kasper (bass) Lofgren (cello) Lemieux (oboe) Djokic (violin/viola)

409 111 409 121

Stodola (piano)

406

Colpron (recorder)

409

Docking (piano) Allen (piano)

406 406

Wednesday, May 28 10:00 – 12:30 10:00 – 12:30 2:00 – 3:00 2:00 – 4:00

Thursday, May 29 10:30 – 12:30 10:00 – 12:00 2:00 – 4:00

Friday, May 30 3:00 – 4:00 4:45 – 6:45 4:00 – 5:00 4:00 – 5:00

Saturday, May 31 10:00 – 12:00

Monday, June 2 10:00 – 12:30

Saturday, June 7 10:00 – 12:30 2:00 – 4:30

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

2014 GUEST ARTISTS/FACULTY BERNHARD GUELLER conductor Bernhard Gueller has been music director of Symphony Nova Scotia since 2002. His career has taken him to many top concert halls across the world from Europe to Russia, Australia, America and Africa and he’s performed with top international soloists like cellists Daniel Mueller-Schott, Maria Kliegel and David Geringas; pianists Anton Kuerti, Jon Kimura Parker, Ivo Pogorelich, Ignat Solzhenitsy and Lars Vogt, violinist James Ehnes and entertainers Lionel Ritchie and David Foster. Known for the excitement and drama he brings to the podium, Gueller has also translated this to CD, for national and international broadcast.

JOHANNES DEBUS conductor Johannes Debus was appointed Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company in 2009 following his outstanding performances of War and Peace. He has created both the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Chamber Music Series at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra Academy which mentors emerging artists. Born in Germany, Johannes Debus has conducted the Boston Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Opera, Berlin Staatsoper and Bayreuth Staatsoper and at Spoleto and Tanglewood. Johannes returns to the COC for the 2014-15 season conducting Falstaff, Die Walkure and the Double Bill Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung.

FRANCIS COLPRON flute/recorder Francis Colpron, recorder and traverso is recognized these past few years as one of the most talented instrumentalists of his generation. His qualities and his capacity to innovate both in the artistic and interpretative spheres have been acclaimed by the public, the critics, and the cultural authorities alike. In 1991, he founded his own ensemble, of which he is the artistic director: Les Boréades de Montréal, running a successful series in Montreal, touring in North America and Europe, and recording many CDs on the ATMA label.

PATRICIA CREIGHTON flute Patricia Creighton has lived and worked in the Maritimes for the past 30 years performing chamber music, solo concerts and as Principal Flautist with Symphony Nova Scotia. Acclaimed for her beautiful sound and captivating interpretations, she also travels elsewhere in the country to perform and teach masterclasses. Patty teaches flute at Dalhousie University. To find out more, see her website. www.patriciacreighton.com

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

SUZANNE LEMIEUX oboe Suzanne Lemieux obtained a bachelor of music degree from the University of Ottawa, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and studied in Paris and Lausanne with assistance from the Canada Council. Suzanne was a member of the Calgary Philharmonic and Victoria Symphony before joining Symphony Nova Scotia as principal oboe in 1986. She is currently a member of Dalhousie University’s music faculty. In 2005 Suzanne premiered and recorded Telluric Dances, a concerto for oboe and orchestra written for her by Canadian composer Christos Hatzis.

MICAH HEILBRUNN clarinet Born in London, Ontario, Micah Heilbrunn is currently Principal Clarinet of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Micah has served as Principal Clarinet with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Symphony Nova Scotia and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Micah has taught clarinet at Brandon University, the University of Windsor and the University of Manitoba and has been heard in live broadcast both on the CBC and National Public Radio. An advocate of new music he has been a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Brave New Works ensemble and has played with Toronto groups Toca Loca and New Music Concerts.

IVOR ROTHWELL bassoon Ivor Rothwell has been Principal Bassoonist of Symphony Nova Scotia for twenty years, during which time he  has also been active as a chamber musician, teacher, and soloist on both the bassoon and the recorder. Ivor has a strong interest in early music, focusing on historically informed performance practices, and period instruments. He is a founding member of the ensemble Rejouissance, in which he plays baroque bassoon and baroque and renaissance recorders. He is a board member of the Early Music Society of Nova Scotia and the Musique 400 Society, and is an adoptee with the Adopt-A-Player project, an outreach programme involving SNS and local schools.

TRISTAN DE BORBA saxophone Tristan De Borba is quickly gaining a reputation as an innovative and engaging musician, with a versatility and sensitive musicianship. Tristan has performed in major venues across Canada and internationally. Locally, Tristan has performed with Symphony Nova Scotia, Opera Nova Scotia, Scotia Winds and the Stadacona Band of the Royal Canadian Navy. As a pedagogue, Tristan is on faculty at Acadia University, where he runs an everexpanding saxophone class. In addition to his work at Acadia and in Nova Scotia, Tristan is concurrently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Toronto in saxophone performance with saxophonist Dr. Wallace Halladay. 17

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

DAVID PARKER french horn Hornist David Parker has been Principal Hornist of Symphony Nova Scotia since 2000. He also performs with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. He has been a member of orchestras in Kitchener-Waterloo, Barcelona, Quebec City, Israel, and Mexico City. He has also performed with the Toronto Symphony, the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Pops. He is a graduate of Boston University, the University of Toronto, and Acadia University. Mr. Parker teaches Horn and Brass chamber music at Dalhousie University, and is a frequent guest teacher with Sistema New Brunswick. Mr. Parker has had generous support from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, and the Canada Council for the Arts

RICHARD SIMONEAU trumpet Since moving to Halifax, Richard has been heard on many occasions as soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia. Many of those performances have been recorded and broadcast nationally by the CBC. His other musical activities include performing brass concerts with the Maritime Brass quintet, which is a newly formed professional brass ensemble. Richard has been on faculties of such Universities as Acadia University in Wolfville and Universite de Moncton. When Richard is not performing on the trumpet, he enjoys spending time outdoors, mostly hiking and camping.

BENJAMIN BOWMAN violin One of Canada’s most dynamic and versatile musicians, Canadian-American violinist Benjamin Bowman has performed to critical acclaim throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Benjamin performs regularly as a soloist, and is a member or frequent guest artist for some of the country’s best chamber music ensembles, including the twice Grammy-nominated ARC (Artists of the Royal Conservatory), Art Of Time, and Amici. Most recently, Benjamin was featured on the 2013 Juno-winning album ‘Levant’. Benjamin appears regularly as guest Concertmaster with major orchestras internationally. His discography includes recent solo and chamber-music releases on the Sony Masterworks/RCA Red Seal, ATMA Classique, and Innova labels.

PHILIPPE DJOKIC violin Philippe Djokic is one of Canada’s leading soloists and chamber musicians. He received his musical training at the Juilliard School where he studied with the great violin pedagogue, Ivan Galamian. His performances have taken him throughout Europe and North America as soloist with major orchestras.. His recent recording of the Delius violin concerto on the CBC label has been winning praise around the world and given a five-star rating by BBC Music Magazine. Mr. Djokic is currently professor of violin at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His instrument is a rare Guarnerius violin made in 1740.

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

ELISSA LEE violin Winner of the 23rd Eckhardt-Gramatté Strings Competition, Elissa Lee has appeared as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Boris Brott Festival Orchestra, the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, l‘Orchestre de Chambre de Montréal and the Royal Conservatory of Music Orchestra. Elissa Lee has had a busy chamber music life as first violinist of the Kamareli Quartet and the Bomari String Quartet. As a chamber musician she has performed with Louie Lortie, Augustin Dumay, Anton Kuerti, Pascal Devoyon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Lawrence Lesser, and Shauna Rolston amongst others.

GIORA SCHMIDT violin Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “impossible to resist, captivating with lyricism, tonal warmth, and boundless enthusiasm,” violinist Giora Schmidt has appeared with many prominent symphony orchestras around the globe including Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, National Arts Centre, Toronto, Vancouver and the Israel Philharmonic. He was the recipient of a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and in 2005 won the Classical Recording Foundation’s Samuel Sanders Award. Committed to education and sharing his passion for music, Giora regularly connects with over 60,000 music lovers worldwide on his Facebook page (facebook.com/gioraschmidt).

AIRI YOSHIOKA violin Airi Yoshioka has concertized throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Canada as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She is the founding member of Damocles Trio and Modigliani Quartet and has performed and recorded with the members of Emerson, Brentano and Arditti Quartets. An enthusiastic performer of new music, she is a principal member of Continuum, ModernWorks, Son Sonora, Azure, Ensemble Pi and RUCKUS ensembles. She has recorded for New World, Naxos Claves, Mode, Albany and Pony Canyon records. She has also worked as a Teaching Artist for Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center Institute. She is currently Associate Professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

SUSAN SAYLE viola Susan Sayle has been a member of Symphony Nova Scotia since 1986, and was appointed Principal Viola in 1994. Susan has made her mark playing all over Eastern Canada, at such venues as the Music Room, the St. Cecilia Concert Series, the Indian River Festival, at Concerts aux Isle du Bic, the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, as a soloist with SNS, and on many recordings and film scores. Sue lives in Halifax with Norman Adams and their two awesome sons, and relishes her summers with the Charlottetown Festival. 19

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

SHARON WEI viola Canadian violist Sharon Wei was a National and a Canadian Merit Scholar at Western University and the Curtis Institute and graduated from Yale with the Viola Prize. Sharon has been the recipient of numerous grants from the Canada Council, Chalmers Foundation and FACTOR and has toured with Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut. She has been guest principal with Ensemble Matheus, the Canadian Opera Company, and Cincinnati Symphony. She has collaborated with musicians including James Levine, Lynn Harrell, Joseph Silverstein, and Claude Frank and is a founding member of Ensemble Made in Canada.

NORMAN ADAMS cello Norman Adams is Principal Cellist of Symphony Nova Scotia, the Artistic Director of suddenlyLISTEN Music, and a cellist and improviser exploring music, sound creation and performance. Norm has performed across Canada, the US, the UK and France, collaborating with many leading artists, including Joelle Léandre, Eddie Prévost, Pauline Oliveros, Gerry Hemingway, and Marilyn Crispell. Through suddenlyLISTEN, Norm has released 2 recordings with the improvising C/A/P Trio: Sonomatopia and Literal Lateral. In 2010, Norman was awarded a Nova Scotia Established Artist Award, for his varied work.

HILARY BROWN cello Hilary Brown is currently a cellist with Symphony Nova Scotia, the Blue Engine String Quartet, Trio Nova Scotia, and two early music ensembles: Tempest Baroque Ensemble and Réjouissance. She is also on the faculty of the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and a cello coach for the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. Hilary has performed as a soloist with Symphony Nova Scotia and is heard frequently as a chamber musician on CBC Radio. She has performed on many Maritime concert series such as Musique Royale, the St. Cecilia Concert Series, Musique Saint-Bernard, the Music Room Chamber Series, the Mahone Bay Concert Series, the Indian River Festival on Prince Edward Island, and the Scotia Festival of Music.

LYNN HARRELL cello Lynn Harrell set the tone for Scotia Festival of Music when he played it’s first concert in 1980. “One of history’s greatest cellists”, Lynn’s presence is felt throughout the musical world, playing as soloist with orchestras including Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. As recitalist and chamber musician, Lynn has collaborated with many of the world’s greatest artists including playing in a piano trio with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist, André Previn. In 2004, they played the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the New York Philharmonic with Maestro Masur conducting. Among his award winning recordings are the complete Bach Suites. 20

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

BLAIR LOFGREN cello Cellist Blair Lofgren is known as one of the most important voices in the Canadian music scene. Blair performed with classical ensembles, bluegrass and, most recently, recorded for the acclaimed “Dead Rising” video games. Holding the post of Principal Cello of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra since the age of 24, Blair divides his time between teaching at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, playing with the orchestra and performing with the Trio Frontenac . When he is not busy with work, he can be found in either Quebec or South Africa enjoying life with his wife Marianne.

MAX KASPER bass As well as performing in many solo recitals over the years, Max has appeared as a soloist with Symphony NS on several occasions. Principal Bassist of Symphony Nova Scotia since 1986, he also loves playing chamber music and has formed the “Gatto Dolce Duo” with cellist Colin Matthews. They released their first CD: “Duets for Cello and Bass” in the Spring of 2008, and are slowly working on the next one. Max has a keen interest in Period music; he plays in Halifax with Rejouissance and Tempest baroque ensembles, and has had the pleasure of playing several times with Tafelmusik.

PETER ALLEN piano Pianist, composer, teacher and conductor, Peter Allen is one of the most respected musicians in Canada. His hectic schedule keeps him busy performing concertos, solo recitals, and chamber music concerts. As a composer,Peter still finds time to fulfill one commission per year.His duties as Associate Professor at Dalhousie University includes teaching piano, orchestration and several music lit courses.He also continues to conduct the Dal Symphony.

SIMON DOCKING piano Known for his performances of the music of our time, Simon Docking has premiered dozens of new works, and also frequently plays 20th-century classics by composers such as Messiaen, Boulez, Takemitsu, Carter, and Crumb. Simon is a founding member of the acclaimed ensemble Toca Loca, who have released two CDs, P*P (2009) and SHED (2010). He is frequently heard on CBC and ABC Radio. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Simon studied piano there with Ransford Elsley, and holds a doctorate in piano performance from Stony Brook University, where he worked with Gilbert Kalish.

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

JOHN NOVACEK piano Pianist John Novacek regularly tours the world as solo recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. Novacek has also appeared on many television shows, including The Tonight Show and Entertainment Tonight. He has performed with Leila Josefowicz, Yo-Yo Ma, Cho-Liang Lin, Mark Fewer, Denise Djokic, Matt Haimovitz, Elmar Oliveira, Emmanuel Pahud, Truls Mork, and Joshua Bell. His own compositions and arrangements have been performed by the Pacific Symphony, the Ying Quartet, Concertante, the 5 Browns, the Three Tenors, Kiri te Kanawa and pop diva Diana Ross.. He received a 2004 Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music Performance.

LYNN STODOLA piano Pianist Lynn Stodola is an active soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist. Her performances have received critical acclaim from the New York Times: “excellent pianist first class performance, intense and technically commanding” and the Chicago Sun Times: “stunning debut...Ms Stodola showed herself possessed of intelligence, bravura and beauty of spirit”. Recent collaborative projects include the presentation of the complete Beethoven Violin and Cello Sonatas, and the complete works for violin and piano by Stravinsky. Ms. Stodola is Professor of Piano at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she is also founder and director of the Dalhousie Chamber Music Series.

TIMOTHY BORTON percussion Percussionist Timothy Borton has established himself as one of the top up-and-coming musicians in Canada. Tim’s performance credits include the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, National Ballet of Canada, Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony, Auckland Philharmonia, and Symphony Nova Scotia. He has also performed at the Banff Centre and the Shattering the Silence New Music Festival in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Tim’s teachers included John Rudolph, Bev Johnston, Russell Hartenberger, and David Kent, with further studies with Robin Engelman, Bob Becker, and Christopher Lamb in New York City. Tim is honoured to be playing with the Thunder Bay Symphony as principal timpanist/percussionist for the 2013/14 season.

GEORDIE HALEY electric guitar Geordie Haley is a composer, improviser, educator and guitarist. Contributing to the creative music scenes of Fredericton NB, Toronto ONT, and now Halifax NS, Geordie has been presenting songs, rhythm based compositions and improvised music for over 25 years. Since returning to the Maritimes Geordie has been a featured artist in concert and festival programs by creative music presenters Upstream Music, SuddenlyLISTEN, Canadian Music Center, The Motion Ensemble, Jazz East, Vocapolypse, Symphony Nova Scotia, Mocean Dance, the Back Alley Big Band, Mesha Brueggergosman,Bob Bauer ,Shattering the Silence ,Open Arts and the Harvest Jazz Festival. 22

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ALLISON ANGELO soprano Hailed as “a fabulous discovery” by the Toronto Star, soprano Allison Angelo debuts this season with the Scotia Festival of Music, the Victoria Symphony (MESSIAH), and the Kingston Symphony (Mozart REQUIEM). Her 2012-13 season included appearances with the Winnipeg Symphony (Mozart REQUIEM), and the Elora Festival (Yum Yum in THE MIKADO) as well as Mahler’s SYMPHONY NO. 4 with SNS. Ms. Angelo has recently appeared with the Toronto, Edmonton, Niagara and Vancouver Symphonies, as well as the Boston POPS, the Tangelwood Festival Orchestra, and Toronto’s Luminato Festival. A grant recipient of the Canada Council of the Arts, she has been heard on CBC Radio and Bravo!Canada. Please visit www.allisonangelo.ca.

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Highlight Concert 1 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Monday, May 26, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Comeau’s Sea Foods Limited Suite No. 6 in D Major for Solo Cello, BWV 1012 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Prélude Allemande Courante Sarabande Gavotte Gigue Lynn Harrell, cello Sonata for Violin and Piano Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) Allegretto Blues – Moderato Perpetuum mobile Giora Schmidt, violin John Novacek, piano INTERMISSION Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in B-flat. D 898 Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Allegro moderato Andante un poco mosso Scherzo (Allegro) Rondo (Allegro vivace) John Novacek, piano Giora Schmidt, violin Lynn Harrell, cello

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Johann Sebastian Bach During the years 1717–1723, Bach was employed at the court of Anhalt-Cöthen as Kapellmeister, responsible for the hiring of musicians and performance of musical entertainment for the reigning Prince Leopold and his guests. Although the court was small, the prince was an enthusiastic supporter of his musical establishment, and provided a good budget. Since the official religion there was Calvinist, music was not required for the church. Bach was able to attract a group of very fine instrumentalists, and most of his instrumental compositions were either composed or assembled during his tenure at Cöthen. Among his most striking compositions from this period are two sets of six suites, sonatas or partitas (the titles are nearly synonymous) for unaccompanied solo violin and cello. The forms of these works are all similar: a prelude, followed by a series of dances, all in the same key. Their rhythms are derived from the steps of the dances, but there would not have been any expectation that they would actually have been used to accompany dancers. Many of the movements are of astounding technical difficulty, pushing the solo stringed instrument to the limits of its capacity, particularly in contrapuntal music. Bach had some exceptional players to command.

last major work. Although he lived for another ten years, only Boléro and a few songs appeared subsequently. The Violin Sonata, however, shows no sign of exhaustion. It is an original, ingratiating work with Ravel’s characteristically lucid textures. The slow movement is particularly memorable – a Blues, which perfectly captures the spirit of the genre. A prominent bandleader of the time is said to have remarked whenever he heard this music that he could not understand why Ravel stayed in the “serious music racket”. The finale is a perpetuum mobile in which the violin keeps up a constant swift running motion.

Franz Schubert The date of composition of Schubert’s Piano Trio in B-flat has not been established with certainty. It was not known until it was rediscovered in 1836, after the composer’s death. It was one of quite a number of his works published about that time. Although his music was enjoyed by his circle of friends, publishers were seldom willing to risk taking on his larger works; what they wanted was short, easy works, accessible to amateurs. Schubert made very little money from his music. His other trio, in E-flat is known to be a late work, and it has usually been assumed that the work we are hearing today was composed around the same time, The Sixth Suite is different from the others. It appears to 1827 or 1828. There are, however, reasons to doubt this, have been composed for a smaller instrument than the assigning a date as early as 1824 or so. The difference is normal cello (“violoncello piccolo”), with an additional not negligible in Schubert’s short, rapidly evolving life. string, tuned a perfect fifth above the normal A. Cellists Certainly its mood is vivid, bold and colourful, rather can play the suite on a modern, four-string cello, but different from the reflective works of his last years. He this requires them to use very high positions on the knew he did not have long to live, and some of his finger-board for some of the top notes – not impossible, music reflected this. Despite the incredible speed with but something of an acrobatic feat. The character of the which Schubert worked, the Trio in B-flat is a polished, music provides additional challenges with its cadenza- elegantly finished work in the best classical manner. It like, virtuosic passages. also shows many examples of his characteristic “magical” harmonic twists, as well as his tendency towards Maurice Ravel leisurely repetitiveness – part of the ambience of a Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano is a late work. By the society of cultured, musically aware people in the Vienna late 1920’s, Ravel was finding composition increasingly of the 1820’s. burdensome. His frequent tours were exhausting and his mental state alternated between lethargy and irritability. More and more, he turned to orchestrating his own piano pieces and those of others as an alternative to original creative work. Perhaps he had less incentive to compose than when he was younger. He was famous and admired, and could afford a fairly luxurious life. His Sonata for Violin and Piano, completed in 1927, was his 25

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Highlight Concert 2 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Tuesday, May 27, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Marcie-Ann Gilsig

Hot Sonata, for Saxophone and Piano Ervin Schulhoff (1894–1942) 1. MM = 66 2. MM = 112 3. MM = 80, Lamentuoso, ma molto grotesco 4. MM = 132 Tristan De Borba, saxophone Simon Docking, piano Terzetto in C Major, for Two Violins and Viola, Op.74 Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Introduzione, Allegro ma non troppo Larghetto Scherzo: Vivace – Trio: Poco meno mosso Tema con variazioni: Poco adagio – molto allegro – moderato (quasi recitativo) moderato e risoluto – molto allegro Elissa Lee and Benjamin Bowman, violins Sharon Wei, viola Quartet for Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Violin and Piano, Op.22 Anton Webern (1883–1945) Sehr mässig Sehr schwungvoll Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet Tristan DeBorba, saxophone Airi Yoshioka, violin Simon Docking, piano 26

Hout, for Tenor Saxophone, Marimba, Guitar and Piano Louis Andriessen (born 1939) Tristan De Borba, saxophone Tim Borton, marimba Geordie Haley, electric guitar Simon Docking, piano INTERMISSION Pictures at an Exhibition Modeste Mussorgsky (1839–1881) Introduction: Promenade Gnome The Old Castle Tuileries: Children’s Quarrel After Play Bydlo Ballet of Unhatched Chicks Two Polish Jews, Rich and Poor Limoges: The Market Catacombs The Hut of the Baba-Yaga The Heroes’ Gate at Kiev Peter Allen, piano

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Ervin Schulhoff In his day, Schulhoff was a widely respected pianist and composer, but after his death his works were seldom performed until recently. This renewed interest stems partly from the plans of various concert organizations to revive music that had been declared entartet,, “debased” by the Nazi regime. Schulhoff was born in Prague; his parents belonged to the German-Jewish community there. His musical talent was recognized early, by Dvořák among others. He studied composition with various German masters, and after World War I was swept up in the German avant-garde movement. In the 1920’s he turned away from atonal techniques and took up jazz and also neo-classical forms and began to incorporate east-European folk elements in his music. He abandoned all this in the 1930’s, turned to communism, and from then on composed only “proletarian” music, including a choral setting of the Communist Manifesto. He intended to move to the Soviet Union, but was arrested after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, and died in a concentration camp.

what one might expect of a piece for amateurs to play at home. The opening introduction leads directly into the larghetto. The scherzo is the most characteristically Czech movement, with the cross-rhythms of a fuiant, a Bohemian folk dance. The finale is a set of variations on a fragmented theme, starting in C minor, only at the end returning to the major key. Anton Webern Webern was a member of the “Second School of Vienna”, the very influential group founded by Arnold Schoenberg. Together they developed the serial method of composition, replacing the traditional major and minor scales with a “tone-row”. This consists of all twelve semitones of the octave, their order and intervals newly invented for each piece or movement. Much of the “serious” music from 1920 on was influenced by this method. Webern was particularly skilled in the use of this technique, creating concentrated, intense examples.

Webern’s Quartet was composed in 1928–1930. It went through several different forms before reaching the published one, which we are hearing now. While Schulhoff was a brilliant improviser on the piano, adhering strictly to the serial idiom, the melodies particularly in jazz. His Hot Sonata was commissioned in 1930 by a Berlin radio station. The English word “hot” area often “splintered” by giving successive notes to different instruments. This became a characteristic had become a synonym for jazz, and the saxophone feature of Webern’s later works. The Quartet had its was the quintessential jazz instrument. The sonata premiere performance in Vienna in 1931. The critics incorporates various aspects of jazz idiom. In the composer’s view, no one at that time had yet successfully were uniformly scathing, to the point of rudeness. On the other hand, Webern’s colleagues of the Second blended jazz and art music. Here was his attempt to School, who knew what to listen for, considered it a do so. The Hot Sonata was believed to be lost for many great achievement, outstandingly original. Schoenberg years, and was rediscovered in 1988. himself called it “fabulous”. More than eighty years later, Antonín Dvořák it still demands concentrated attention to appreciate its A generation after Smetana, Antonín Dvořák followed in beauties. his footsteps, developing a musical idiom incorporating the rhythms and melodies of Czech folk tunes in his symphonies and chamber music. He visited England repeatedly, and spent several years in the United States. Audiences outside Bohemia found his music somewhat exotic, but fascinating. The Terzetto we are hearing, composed in 1885, was intended to be played by two friends, Josef Kruis (a chemistry student and amateur violinist), Jan Pelikán (his violin teacher) and Dvořák himself on viola. The violin part proved to be too difficult for Kruis, so Dvořák obligingly composed a less demanding one for amateurs, but kept the Terzetto as a concert piece. It is in fact a serious work, not at all 27

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Louis Andriessen Louis Andriessen is the foremost, internationally recognized Dutch composer. A member of a prominent musical family, he began his studies with his father, and went on to work with Luciano Berio, among others. His eclectic, experimental musical style, influenced by Stravinsky, American minimalism and jazz has been described as “post-modern”. In a paper on Andriessen by his fellow composer, Michael Zbysyński has written “The music of Louis Andriessen speaks in a voice, often aggressive, which challenges the expectations of the listener. Relentlessly repetitive, it is rarely peaceful, even the more subdued moments are tense.” Hout was composed in 1991, and had its premiere in Amsterdam. The composer has written as follows about his work: “Hout (Wood) was written for Loos at the request of Dirk Simons. Although the whole work is in principle a strict canon, the successive voices are so close together that it is more like a unison melody with ramifications. Ramifications and branches are the same word in Dutch. This especially refers to the branches of a tree, so the use of wooden instruments – marimba and woodblocks – help explain the title of the work.” Modeste Mussorgsky Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is probably his most important instrumental work. His real love was songs and opera, so it comes as no surprise that the explicitly descriptive programme of this work should bring out his best effort. The pieces seem to imply orchestral colours, and to many listeners they are most familiar in Ravel’s orchestral transcription. Mussorgsky, however, was a brilliant pianist, and the Pictures are full of pianistically effective touches. The work was composed in 1874 as a tribute to the memory of Mussorgsky’s friend, the artist Viktor Aleksandrovitch Hartmann; it is a set of musical impressions of a collection of his pictures. The introductory Promenade returns in various forms between several of the pictures, as it were reflecting the responses of the viewer as he moves through the gallery. Most of the titles are selfexplanatory. No. 4 represents a ponderous Polish cart with huge wheels. No. 9 represents the Baba-Yaga, a fantastic witch-like creature of Russian folk-lore, a hideous woman who lives in a hut supported on chicken legs, and who rides through the air in an iron mortar propelled by a pestle. 28

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Recital 1 Giora Schmidt & Lynn Stodola Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Wednesday, May 28, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Judith Grant Jelek, játékok és üzenetek (Signs, Games) Piano Sonata, Op.1 Alban Berg (1885–1935) Lynn Stodola, piano Sonata for Piano and Violin No.1 in A minor, Op.105 Robert Schumann (1810–1856) Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck Allegretto Lebhaft Lynn Stodola, piano Giora Schmidt, violin INTERMISSION Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major César Franck (1822–1890) Allegro ben moderato Allegro Ben moderato: Recitative-Fantasia Allegro poco mosso Giora Schmidt, violin Lynn Stodola, piano Caprice in Waltz Form, after Camille SaintSaëns, Op.52, No.6 Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931) Giora Schmidt, violin Lynn Stodola, piano

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Alban Berg Alban Berg was born and lived all his life in Vienna. His teacher, Arnold Schoenberg, his fellow student Anton Webern, together with Berg constituted what has become known as “The Second School of Vienna”, who set music on an entirely new course in the early years of the twentieth century. The Piano Sonata is Berg’s Op.1, but is not his first composition. As an amateur, he had composed songs in a manner derived from Schumann until he met Schoenberg in 1904. He studied with him until 1910, but continued to revere him and to submit his works to him for criticism. In all, Berg composed only about a dozen major works, including however two large-scale operas, Wozzek and Lulu. He worked very slowly, with meticulous care for the overall design as well as the fine detail of his scores. Even after he adopted the serial, atonal idiom, he developed a melodious style, making his music more accessible to listeners than much of the music of the Second School and their successors.

Robert Schumann Schumann, of the same generation as Mendelssohn and Chopin was one of the founders of the German Romantic school, and a major influence on the music of the nineteenth century. He was steeped in the literature of the period, and found much of his inspiration there. In his early works he sought to depart from the musical forms of the past, to allow his imagination to roam freely, giving expression to his personal feelings. As he matured, he returned to some of the structures of earlier composers, but strived to embody the Romantic, personal intensity within these forms. His violin sonatas are significant examples of these somewhat conflicting tendencies.

Schumann’s First Violin Sonata was composed in 1851, typically at great speed. He had recently taken up the position of music director of the orchestra in Düsseldorf on the Rhine. It was his first (and last) job with a regular salary. Up to this time his family was mainly supported by the earnings of the wife, Clara as The exact date of the composition of the Piano Sonata a concert pianist. He now had an orchestra to play his is not known, but it was complete by 1909. Like his music, and devoted himself to composition in larger teacher, Berg was at that time still composing in the forms. His tenure at Düsseldorf was brief: he was not late-romantic manner, carrying on the tradition of a competent conductor, and resigned after a couple Wagner, Richard Strauss and Mahler. Although the music of years. The First Violin Sonata is a fine example of his is highly chromatic, a sense of key or tonal centre (B new approach. The title of the first movement can be minor in this case) is still there. Listeners since before translated as “with impassioned expression”. Schumann 1700 had learned to expect that the structure of a piece has retained the outline of classical sonata form, but the of music could be understood by the regular resolution traditional signposts – the change of key for the second of dissonances onto recognized chords. This is still so subject, the recapitulation, and so on – are much less in Berg’s Piano Sonata. Tonality was about to crumble obvious. Schumann pointed the way towards the even away, but not just yet. Berg and Schoenberg together greater freedom of Liszt’s piano sonata. The sonata was grew in musical stature, and together they developed performed for the first time by Clara Schumann (who the atonal idiom. The sonata, like all of Berg’s early works else?) and Ferdinand David. Significantly, its title is was dedicated to his fiancée, Helene. “I did the very best Sonata for Pianoforte and Violin, rather than the other I was capable of, so that I could dedicate them to you.” way around. Schoenberg called it “a very beautiful and original piece.” Berg originally intended to add two more movements, but when he could not find suitable ideas, Schoenberg suggested he had said all that was necessary, complete as a single movement.

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César Franck César Franck was born in Liège, Belgium, but spent most of his life in Paris, first as a student at the Conservatoire, then as organist at the church of Sainte-Clothilde, and finally as professor of organ at the Conservatoire. He was a notable improviser on the great Cavallé-Coll organ at his church; Liszt heard him play, and said that next to J.S. Bach, he was the greatest improviser. Not surprisingly, many of his most important works are for organ, although he also composed operas, chamber music and a symphony. The sound of the organ seems to pervade his orchestral works. His symphony, not often heard nowadays, was a mainstay of concert programmes during World War I, when German and Austrian music was not performed in England or America. Franck’s most enduring legacy was as the teacher of the next generation of French composers, including Vincent d’Indy, Gabriel Fauré and Ernest Chausson. Via his students and their successors, he renewed and reinvigorated French music. Franck’s Violin Sonata was composed in 1886 as a wedding present for the brilliant young violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe, who played the premiere and kept it in his repertoire for the rest of his life. The form of the sonata (like that of his symphony) is cyclical: the same richly romantic melodies recur in each of the movements. Its first performance was one of the few completely successful events of Franck’s life as a composer; he had only a few years left to enjoy it. It has held its place in the repertoire of most violinists to this day, Franck’s most often played work.

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène Ysaÿe was known as “The King of the Violin”, or sometimes as “The Tsar”. He was born and educated in Belgium, and became an internationally renowned virtuoso performer, as well as a prolific composer, teacher and conductor. In 1898, he was approached by the New York Philharmonic to become its music director, but declined because he was still an active performer. Several years later, in failing health, he took up the same position with the Cincinnati Symphony. His Caprice is a fantasy based on one of Saint-Saëns’ piano etudes. The title says it all: a playful, whimsical trifle, designed to show off the performer’s skill, using all the technical resources of the instrument. Most of Ysaÿe’s more serious compositions are forgotten, but this one lives on, widely played, often as an encore.

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Recital 2 Lynn Harrell & John Novacek Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Thursday, May 29, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Peggy Corkum

Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 in A Major, Op.69 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Allegro ma non tanto Scherzo – Allegro molto Adagio cantabile Allegro vivace Lynn Harrell, cello John Novacek, piano Sonata for Cello and Piano Claude Debussy (1862–1918) Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto Sérénade: Modérément animé Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux Lynn Harrell, cello John Novacek, piano INTERMISSION Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op.19 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) Lento – Allegro moderato Allegro scherzando Andante Allegro mosso Lynn Harrell, cello John Novacek, piano 34

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Ludwig van Beethoven Beethoven composed his Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major in 1809, at the height of his powers, between the 6th and 7th symphonies. He had experimented with this medium several years earlier, but now turned with full confidence to an understanding of the tonal balance problems presented by this combination. Surviving sketches of the first movement show that he considered very carefully the distribution of melodies between the two instruments, rewriting sections to improve them. The sonata was dedicated to Baron von Gleichenstein, an easygoing young friend, whom Beethoven subsequently persuaded to act as intermediary in one of his unfortunate affairs of the heart. The structure of the work is somewhat unusual: the scherzo comes directly after the opening movement. This is followed by what would be expected to be a slow movement, but this is only a brief fragment, which scarcely develops its melodic interests before giving way to the finale. The overall tone of the work is sunny and cheerful.

Sergei Rachmaninoff Rachmaninoff is remembered principally as a virtuoso pianist and composer of large-scale works for orchestra and piano. In the Sonata for Cello and Piano we hear him in an unusual vein; it is one of his few chamber works, generally regarded as his best. In 1910, Rachmaninoff was recovering from a period of despondency under the treatment of Dr. Dahl, a psychologist who used suggestion and hypnosis. The result was a burst of creative activity which led to the composition of the Second Piano Concerto (undoubtedly his best-known work), and this sonata. The sonata, like the concerto, is in a full-blown late-romantic manner, with large-scale virtuoso writing for both instruments, in traditional form.

Claude Debussy Debussy’s Sonata for Cello and Piano is the first of a projected set of six for various combinations of instruments, of which only three were ultimately written. (The other two are for flute, viola and harp, and for violin and piano). The cello sonata was written in 1915 under difficult circumstances: the composer was already ill with the disease of which he was to die within two years, and the cataclysm of war weighed heavily on him. Despite this, Debussy created a work which, though not cheerful, has undertones of irony. His response to his troubles was to style himself “musicien français”, and to turn to neo-classical forms. For almost the first time in his life, as a kind of patriotic gesture, he wrote “pure” music inspired by the French masters of the eighteenth century, particularly François Couperin. The sonata begins with a brief declamatory prologue, followed by a somewhat bitter serenade in the spirit of Harlequin or Pierrot. This is joined without a break to the finale, which has some of the character of French folk song. Although he was not a cellist himself, Debussy made use of a number of unusual techniques peculiar to the instrument.

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Highlight Concert 3 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Friday, May 30, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

O’Regan’s

Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op.45 Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) Allegro molto ed appassionato Allegretto espressivo alla Romanza Allegro animato Airi Yoshioka, violin John Novacek, piano Micro-Concerto for Percussion and Mixed Quintet Steve Mackey (born 1966) Chords and Fangled Drum Set Interlude #1 Vibes Solo Click, Clak, Clank Interlude #2 Marimba and Cello Tune in Seven Tim Borton, solo percussion Heemin Choi, violin Norman Adams, cello Patricia Creighton, piccolo, flute and alto flute Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet Eileen Walsh, bass clarinet Peter Allen, piano Johannes Debus, conductor

INTERMISSION Appel interstellaire, for Solo Horn Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) David Parker, horn La création du monde, Op.81a Darius Milhaud (1892–1974) Overture The Chaos before Creation The slowly lifting darkness, the creation of trees, plants, insects, birds and beasts Man and woman created The desire of man and woman The man and woman kiss (Coda) The Scotia Festival Chamber Orchestra Johannes Debus, conductor

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Edvard Grieg At the time of Edvard Grieg’s birth in 1843 in Bergen, Norway was just beginning to become aware of its national identity. Even the Norse language had to be constructed from the dialects of the various isolated communities in the rugged western half of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Grieg played a prominent part in the growth of Norway, not only musically but politically. The characteristic colours and rhythmic patterns of Norse folk music are blended in Grieg’s works with techniques derived from the German romantics, particularly Schumann. Although in later years he described his student years in the Leipzig Conservatory as useless, much of his technique, both as a pianist and as a composer is rooted in his experiences there. Grieg composed three violin sonatas, in 1865, 1867 and 1886-7. They can be seen as somewhat autobiographical. He described them in the following terms:”The first is ingenious, full of new ideas, the second nationalistic, the third turned towards broader horizons”. The Violin Sonata No. 3 is the most modern in style, in the manner of the “New German School”, the avant garde of its day, though still incorporating Norwegian ideas in its melodies. Grieg played the premiere in Leipzig with the famous Russian violinist, Alfred Brodsky. It was immediately hailed as a triumph, and taken up by many prominent violinists. Steve Mackey Steve Mackey is a British bass guitar player in rock bands, singer-songwriter, keyboardist and record producer. Micro-Concerto was composed in 1999, and had its premiere in New York. The composer has provided the following notes about his work:

timbres produced by a gamut ranging from finely crafted instruments to kitchen utensils and hobby shop paraphernalia. “In addition to providing a virtuoso vehicle for the percussionist, Micro-Concerto also explores a variety of more complex roles that the individual can play in relation to the ensemble. “In Movement I, the rhythm is front and centre. I imagine that the piano chords harmonize the rhythm instead of measuring the harmonies. Movement II is a short, lyrical ballad. In Movement III, the percussionist is neither an accompanying rhythm section nor leading melody. I think of it as a contextualizing and interpreting narration spoken in some imaginary tongue clicking language. In Movement IV, the two instruments are completely co-dependent; the story is told only by their interplay. In a sense they are a single instrument with timbres no more disparate than the clickers and samba whistle that are part of the percussionist’s instrument in Movement III. The movement flows without pause into Movement V. In the first half of the movement the percussionist returns to the ‘fangled drum set’ and shifts the focus back to what must be (along with singing) the most fundamental form of musical expression – hitting things in time. “The two interludes are played on big, standard pieces of percussion ‘furniture’, but the main movements focus on small moves and subtle distinctions. They are full of fussy descriptions of how to play some hand-held ‘toy’ just so. This micro-management of small muscle groups, and the fact that the concerto soloist is accompanied by the smallest orchestra imaginable, suggested the title.”

“Several years ago I attended the Percussion Arts Society Olivier Messiaen National Convention. There I witnessed a ninetyAppel interstellaire is part of a gigantic cycle of twelve minute clinic on state of the art techniques for playing movements entitled Des canyons aux étoiles. Alice crash cymbals. I confess that there was something Tully commissioned this work from Messiaen to humorously esoteric about the event, but I left inspired commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the to imagine particular ways to coax sounds out of pieces American Declaration of Independence. In preparation of wood, metal and skin instead of simply hitting things. for undertaking this task, the composer took a trip It also woke me to the fact that the first step in writing in 1972 to the canyons of Utah, “the most marvellous for percussion is to invent the instrument and a playing natural phenomenon in the United States”. As was his technique. Percussionists tend to have an adventurous wont, he notated bird songs he heard, and allowed attitude about this. If they can reach it with an arm or the vivid colours of the rocks “red-violet, red-orange, leg, or hold it in the mouth it is fair game. I’m fascinated rose, dark red carmine, scarlet red, all possible varieties by the one-man band mentality of juggling contrasting of red” to suggest musical colours. And as always, his 37

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intense devotion to the Roman Catholic faith also found expression in this work. The result was Des canyons aux étoiles, “a cycle of meditations on the majesty of God in all his creation … the unanswered cries of Man’s anguish … Only through adoration is God’s presence felt and his help received.”The cycle, for forty-four soloists takes about an hour and a half for a complete performance. It had its first performance in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, in 1974. Appel interstellaire, the sixth movement, is for solo horn. Darius Milhaud Milhaud came from a very old Provençal Jewish family. Despite increasingly severe arthritis, which ultimately confined him to a wheelchair, he travelled very widely, and absorbed musical influences from many cultures, including Brazil and North America, blending them with his own southern French and Jewish background in a wide-ranging, experimental idiom. He first heard jazz in London in 1920. In 1922-3 he visited New York and experienced authentic Black jazz in Harlem; he was particularly struck by the sound of the saxophone in this music. As a Jew, he felt drawn to the culture of another people who were similarly oppressed. Paris in the early 1920’s was the home of Le jazz hot, the singer Josephine Baker, Pablo Picasso’ paintings and sculptures inspired by African masks; African and Afro-American fashion was sweeping Paris. La création du monde is a jazz chamber work, composed in 1923, commissioned by the Swedish Ballet of Rolf de Maré. The story is based on African creation myths. From a dark mass of dancers, one by one trees and animals emerged, and ultimately man and woman. After a kiss of fertility, the work ends with a return to the simpler colours of Milhaud’s native Provence. It was probably the first piece of serious music making extensive use of jazz idioms, a few months before Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. We hear this work today as a classic of the jazz age of the 1920’s.

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Recital 3 Francis Colpron The Peggy Corkum Music Room 6181 Lady Hammond Road Sunday, June 1, 2:00 pm

This concert is a tribute to Stephen Pedersen upon his retirement from The Chronicle Herald as its music critic with thanks from our musical community.

Sponsored by

Hugh Creighton

Variations on the Gavotta from Corelli’s Sonata Op.5 No.10 Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770) Partita for Solo Flute in A minor, BWV 1013 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Allemande Courante Sarabande Bourrée anglaise Variations on Les folies d’Espagne Marin Marais (1656–1728) Minimal Music Markus Zahnhausen (born 1965) Encantamiento, for Two Alto Recorders and One Player Daniel Catán (1949–2011) Rotations Jan Rocus van Roosendael (1960–2005)

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Giuseppe Tartini Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713) was the most admired, influential violinist of the early eighteenth century. His violin sonatas were reprinted many times over the decades following his death, and continued to be played by almost all the violinists of the period. However, the notes Corelli wrote down were usually just a skeleton, inviting the performer to improvise an ornamented version of the basic melody. (When Jeanne Lamon visited Halifax earlier this year, she performed and discussed several of these improvisations, as published by later violinists). Tartini was an exceptionally brilliant violinist. He founded an important violin school about two generations after Corelli, where he wrote an important treatise and developed original theoretical concepts about music. He is known to us mostly for his fiendishly difficult “Devil’s Trill” sonata. What we are hearing this evening is Tartini’s elaborations of a movement from one of Corelli’s sonatas (obviously very popular, since they were published in Paris in 1747, 1758 and again in 1798). For technical reasons, Mr. Colpron is performing these pieces transposed from the original key of F major to B-flat major.

composers over the centuries. Marain’s variations are from the second of these volumes, published in Paris in 1701. In their original form, they are in D minor, for viola da gamba and basso continuo; Mr. Colpron is performing them as a recorder solo in B minor. Markus Zahnhausen Markus Zahnhausen is one of the most prominent European recorder players and composers for his instrument. Since 2002 he has been based at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, and has frequently worked as instructor in many other parts of Europe as well as the United States. He performs as a soloist and also as a member of the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera. His compositions include orchestral music, an oratorio and chamber music in addition to works for recorder.

Daniel Catán Daniel Catán was a Mexican composer, of Russian Sephardic descent. His musical education was in England and the United States. He is best known as a composer of operas. His instrumental music reflects the late-Romantic, lyrical style of Johann Sebastian Bach these operas. Catán said of his own music “I have inherited Much of J.S. Bach’s instrumental music was composed during a very rich operatic tradition. In my work, I am proud to say, his years as the music director at the court of Anhalt-Cöthen, one can detect the enormous debt I owe to composers from Monteverdi to Alban Berg. But perhaps the greatest of my 1717–1723. Among his other works from this period were debts is having learnt that the originality of an opera does sets of six partitas, sonatas or suites (all three terms mean not involve the rejection of our tradition – which would be the same thing) for solo violin and solo cello. These have like blindly embracing the condition of an orphan – but been recognized as masterpieces for many years. But there rather the profound assimilation of it, so as to achieve is only a single similar work for solo flute. It was neglected the closest union between a text and its music.”The title for a long time, eventually published in 1917. Why is there Encantamiento is Spanish for “Enchantment” or “Incantation”. only one flute partita? Did Bach, as was the usual custom of the time, compose a set of six? Perhaps the other five are waiting to be discovered in an obscure, disorganized library Jan Rocus van Roosendael somewhere in Germany. (Mr. Colpron is playing this partita Jan Rokus van Roosendael was a Dutch composer, who frequently took his inspiration from non-Western music. His transposed to C minor). works have been performed by various ensembles devoted Marin Marais to avant-garde music. In an obituary, he was described in Marin Marais worked for most of his life at the courts of Louis the following words: “Van Roosendael was a seeker and a creator in the most literal sense of the word. Steeped as he XIV and XV. Marais composed in a variety of forms, but his was in the knowledge that after World War II, all links with most significant achievement is five volumes of pieces for viol produced over the years from 1686 to 1725. They include the Western tradition were brutally cut, he systematically around 550 works for one, two or three bass viols, the most created a musical universe that incorporated modal elements important contribution to the repertoire for this instrument. and concepts from the music theory of other cultures. As Les folies d’Espagne, or La follia in Italian is a simple, ancient though seeking to lightly review the whole of music history, tune, thought to have originated as a Portuguese folk dance. his interests went from homophony to polyphony and from polyphony to harmony.” It has served as the basis for sets of variations by scores of 41

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Highlight Concert 4 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue

Jack and Joan

CRAIG

Sunday, June 1, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

The Craig Foundation

Eight Duets for Violin and Cello Reinhold Glière (1875–1956) Prelude Gavotte Berceuse Canzonetta Intermezzo Impromptu Scherzo Etude Giora Schmidt, violin Lynn Harrell, cello String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27 Edvard Grieg (1843–1907) Un poco andante – Allegro molto ed agitato Romanze. Andantino Intermezzo. Allegro molto marcato – Più vivo e scherzando Finale. Lento – Presto al saltarello Benjamin Bowman and Elissa Lee, violins Sharon Wei, viola Blair Lofgren, cello

INTERMISSION Trio in B-flat for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op.97 (“The Archduke”) Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Allegro moderato Scherzo – Allegro Andante cantabile ma però con moto – Poco più adagio Allegro moderato – Presto John Novacek, piano Giora Schmidt, violin Lynn Harrell, cello

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Reinhold Glière Glière was born in Kiev, the son of a German-Ukrainian instrument maker. He became a prominent Soviet composer, conductor, teacher and pianist, whose heart, however, belonged to the pre-revolutionary tradition of large-scale romantic and epic works, particularly ballets. He is regarded as the founder of the Soviet school of ballets on revolutionary subjects. His grand, accessible music was accepted by the cultural commissars of the Soviet Union, who gave him many awards. As a result, he was somewhat resented by other musicians, whose music was often vilified and banned. His Duets for Violin and Cello are miniatures in a variety of styles, composed in 1909.

above all at bringing out some of the instruments for which it is written. I intended to write this as a study.” It proved to be widely admired and influential. Debussy seems to have had it in the back of his mind when he composed his own string quartet in 1893, in the same key, and like Grieg’s, in cyclical form.

Ludwig van Beethoven The “archduke” of the nickname of Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat, Op.97 was the Archduke Rudolph of Hapsburg, brother of the reigning emperor, Francis I. He was a serious young man, who took holy orders and became Archbishop of Olmütz (now Olomouc, in the Czech Republic) in 1818, and ultimately Cardinal Archbishop of Austria in 1823. From the age of 16, in 1804, he Edvard Grieg took lessons in piano and composition with Beethoven. It was the most enduring personal relationship of Grieg, Norway’s foremost composer based much of Beethoven’s life, despite the underlying conflicts arising his music on the folk melodies and rhythms of his between his Imperial Highness and the ruggedly native land. He was, however schooled in the German Romantic tradition, and felt the need to compose larger plebeian composer with his powerful sense of personal works than short piano pieces and songs. His first major superiority. The age of the musician as servant was success was his piano concerto, which so impressed Liszt waning, but as yet no accepted position had developed for him in post-Napoleonic society. Beethoven dedicated that he found a way to get Grieg a grant to relieve him of the need to teach and conduct in Christiania (the old some fifteen works to Rudolph, including some of his name of Oslo). He took the opportunity to take a holiday most important – the fourth and fifth piano concertos, at Hardinger, a picturesque spot on the western coast of several sonatas, the Missa Solemnis (intended for Norway. Although Grieg had other troubles at the time, Rudolph’s installation as archbishop), and of course this Trio. Rudolph reciprocated the compliment by dedicating he was able to compose some of his best music, most one of his own compositions to his teacher. notably the String Quartet in G minor. This was the only major work Beethoven completed in In 1877, Grieg had composed a string quartet in his 1811. His pace of composition had been declining, and youth, and started but did not finish another one he had begun to experiment with what was to become afterwards. The quartet we are hearing is therefore his his introspective “late” style. But for this Trio he returned only mature work of this kind. Although it is in four to the manner of his “middle” period, producing a grand, movements, it is cyclical; all the movements share the flamboyant work. As late as 1815, he played the piano same melodic motto. This is the song, Spillemænd, the part of this trio in public. With his increasingly severe first of a set of six settings of poems by Henrik Ibsen, published by Grieg as his Op.25 in 1876. The title of the deafness, however, his judgment of the force needed song is translated as “Fiddlers”, or sometimes “Minstrels”. on the keys was insecure – the loud passages were It tells the story of a Norwegian folk tale: A water sprite intolerably harsh, and soft ones inaudible. Although the work appeared on concert programs in later years, teaches the narrator to play the fiddle, so that he can attract a pretty girl. But a curse is attached to the bargain Beethoven did not try to play it again. His career as a piano virtuoso, which had initially brought him to the – the girl marries the narrator’s brother, leaving him disconsolately playing his fiddle alone. The same poem attention of the Viennese public, was over. impressed two other significant composers, Frederick Delius and Alban Berg, who each set it to music in their own way. Grieg wrote of his quartet “It is not intended to deal in trivialities. It aims at breadth, movement, and 43

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Highlight Concert 5 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Monday, June 2, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Pratt and Whitney Canada

Quartet for Piano and Strings in G minor, K. 478 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Allegro Andante Rondo Benjamin Bowman, violin Sharon Wei, viola Blair Lofgren, cello Peter Allen, piano Three Pieces for Piano Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor, Op.26 Impromptu No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op.102 Nocturne No. 13 in B minor, Op.119 John Novacek, piano INTERMISSION Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano György Ligeti (1923–2006) Andante con tenerezza Vivacissimo molto ritmico Alla marcia Lamento. Adagio David Parker, horn Elissa Lee, violin Simon Docking, piano 44

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In 1785, shortly before the premiere of The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart and his publisher, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, settled a contract for a set of three quartets for piano and strings. Mozart duly composed the work in G minor, the one we are hearing this evening. The sales were disappointing, however, and Hoffmeister released Mozart from his side of the agreement in order not to lose more money. However, Hoffmeister had apparently already engraved the parts of the second quartet (the one in E-flat Major) and later sold the plates to another publisher. Perhaps the extraordinary power of the G Minor Quartet, which is today regarded as one of Mozart’s finest works, made it difficult for the Viennese public to accept. A newspaper a few years later pointed out that “many another piece can sustain a mediocre performance; this product of Mozart’s is, however, scarcely bearable if it is performed by mediocre dilettante hands and carelessly presented … what a difference, when this much-discussed work of art was played in a quiet room by four skilled musicians who have studied it well, where the suspense of each and every note did not escape the attentive listener’s ear”. The writer of this report recognized the quartet for what it is – an entirely original conception. The work is not just a miniature piano concerto, although the writing for piano is as difficult as that in many concertos of its time. It is true chamber music, in which all four players share in the musical discussion. The key of G minor is associated in Mozart’s works with passionate, restless moods; the opening movement of this quartet has affinities with both of his G minor symphonies. The middle movement is in a much more relaxed vein, in B-flat major, and the finale is in a cheerful, sunny G major. Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Fauré’s long life spanned enormous changes in music. When he was born, Schumann, Chopin and Mendelssohn were alive; when he died, the atonal revolution of Schoenberg was nearly twenty years old. He started from very humble beginnings in the south of France, and went to Paris to be educated as a church musician. He spent much of his life as a church organist, and became famous for his improvisations on his instrument. However, his real love was the piano, which he felt was capable of subtleties the organ

could not achieve. Fauré’s early compositions were influenced by Saint-Saëns, whom he admired. Later on he travelled widely, particularly to Germany, where he became aware of the music of Wagner and Liszt. When he was appointed professor of composition, and from 1905 principal of the Paris Conservatoire, he set about modernizing it. His later works were at the forefront of the music of their time, incorporating atonality and approaching jazz. Fauré’s compositions for piano are extremely difficult. Even Liszt found them a struggle to perform. For one thing, he was ambidextrous, and his hands were unusually large, but it is also said that his customary fingerings were more suited to the organ than the piano. The titles of Fauré’s piano works were attached to them at the urging of his publisher. His own preference would have been to call them simply “Piano Piece No. X”. Barcarolle No.1 was composed in 1880; Impromptu No. 5 dates from 1909; and Nocturne No.13, his last piano work, and one of the greatest, from 1921. György Ligeti Ligeti was a Jewish Hungarian, educated in Hungary, but born in Transylvania, which was and still is part of Romania. During his early years he worked in Hungary under a regime which frowned on artistic innovation. Not only was Ligeti expected to conform to musical standards established by a repressive government, but he was only dimly aware of developments in the rest of the world. Almost the only contemporary music he knew was by Bartók and Stravinsky. Even radio broadcasts from the west were usually jammed. All that changed when he escaped from Hungary during the abortive revolution of 1956. He moved to Austria and then Germany, made the acquaintance of prominent musicians there and quickly established himself as one of the foremost modern composers. He worked for a time in electronic music, but eventually decided that he could not really do justice to this kind of composition without extensive study, and returned to acoustic instruments as the means by which to express his musical ideas. Ligeti’s Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano, composed in 1982, is subtitled “Hommage à Brahms”. Ligeti expressed great admiration and affection for Brahms’ trio for the same forces, but was determined not to imitate it in 45

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any way. He felt very strongly that there was nothing to be achieved in trying to retrace Brahms’ steps. That said, however, there is some similarity in the tunes assigned to the horn by the two composers, since they both preferred to allow the horn to play its natural notes, avoiding the extra notes available on the modern instrument. Unlike Brahms, Ligeti also explored some of the out of tune higher partials of which the horn is capable, as well as the asymmetric rhythms of the folk music of his native region. This Trio is regarded as a turning point in Ligeti’s musical development. In his own words, it is “neither modern nor post-modern”, opening up what he called his “third way”.

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SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Highlight Concert 6 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Tuesday, June 3, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Eastlink

th Fountain

THE CHESTER EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Suite for Solo Cello – TBA Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Young artist cello competition winner Requiem in F-sharp minor for Three Cellos and Piano, Op.66 David Popper (1843–1913) Norman Adams, Blair Lofgren and Hilary Brown, cellos Simon Docking, piano Kol Nidrei, Adagio on Hebrew Melodies for Violoncello and Four Cellos Op.47 Max Bruch (`1838–1920) Lynn Harrell, solo cello Norman Adams, Hilary Brown, and Blair Lofgren, cellos

Mary Lu MacDon

INTERMISSION Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op.119 Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) Andante grave Moderato Allegro, ma non troppo Blair Lofgren, cello Simon Docking, piano Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, for Voice and Eight Cellos Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) Aria (Cantilena) Dança (Martelo) Allison Angelo, voice Norman Adams, Hilary Brown, Blair Lofgren and young artists, cellos Peter Allen, conductor

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Johann Sebastian Bach Like almost all of Bach’s purely instrumental works, the Suites for Solo Cello come from his period as Kapellmeister at the court of Cöthen (1717–1723). Since the official religion there was Calvinist, music for the church was not required, and Bach was able to concentrate his efforts on secular music. When Bach composed his sonatas and partitas for solo violin, similar pieces already existed, which he could use as models. But with the suites for solo cello, he was striking out on his own – they represented a completely new genre. Until early in the eighteenth century, the six-stringed, fretted viola da gamba was the standard low-pitched solo string instrument. The technical problems with the cello are quite different, and the sound is bolder. The solo cello suites are demanding works both for the performer and for the listener, although they are less polyphonic, and make less use of multiple stopping than Bach’s works for solo violin. The forms of the cello suites resemble Bach’s orchestral suites and the English suites for harpsichord. After a prelude in which the player sounds as though he were improvising or testing the tuning, a series of movements in dance rhythms follows. After the allemande, courante and sarabande, Bach inserts either a minuet or a bourrée, referred to as “galanteries”. Each suite then concludes with a gigue. In Bach’s hands these movements become emotionally charged music, very far removed from their origins as accompaniments for dancing. The cello suites remained unpublished until well into the nineteenth century, and even then were generally considered mere technical exercises. The great Spanish cellist, Pablo Casals, in the first half of the twentieth century established their place as recital pieces. This in turn led many modern composers to add to the repertoire for solo cello in their own way.

for several concertos by others, as well as a large number of short show-pieces. His music was largely forgotten in the later years of the twentieth century, at least partly because of the anti-Semitic attitudes of the times. His book of cello etudes is still widely used by advanced students of the instrument. Popper’s best known work is his Requiem, originally for three cellos and orchestra, more often heard in a piano transcription of the orchestral part. It was composed in 1892, in memory of Daniel Rahter, a music publisher of Hamburg and St. Petersburg. Max Bruch Max Bruch was a German teacher, conductor and composer in the Romantic tradition. He held various positions in Germany, and from 1880 to 1883 he was the director of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, where he conducted the orchestra and the choral society. His most frequently performed work is the first of his three violin concertos. Bruch’s interest in folk music led him to compose many orchestral works, including a Scottish fantasy, a serenade on Swedish folk melodies, a suite on Russian themes, as well as Kol Nidrei, a set of variations on the traditional melody of the chant at the beginning of the synagogue service on the evening of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. The composition of Kol Nidrei was started in Berlin in 1880, and completed in Liverpool in 1881. Bruch was not Jewish, but he learned about Jewish music from his friend, Abraham Jacob Lichtenstein, the cantor at a Berlin synagogue. In its original form, Kol Nidrei was scored for solo cello and orchestra; we are hearing it in an arrangement in which the orchestra is replaced by four cellos. The solo cello at the beginning and again at the end imitates the voice of the cantor uttering the words (in Aramaic, not Hebrew) of a solemn declaration cancelling earlier vows.

David Popper David Popper was born in Prague, the son of the cantor at a synagogue. He studied at the Prague Conservatory and developed into the most prominent virtuoso cellist of the late nineteenth century. He toured widely as a soloist, and eventually was appointed to a teaching position at the Conservatory in Budapest. There he took up playing chamber music, with Brahms among others. Like most soloists of his era, Popper was also a prolific composer. He wrote four cello concertos and cadenzas 49

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Sergei Prokofiev Prokofiev’s education and early career were Russian, and although he left after the Revolution in 1918 and toured the world as a piano virtuoso, he always remained a Russian composer at heart. He settled in Paris in 1922, and went back to the Soviet Union by gradual stages in the 1930’s. Commentators on Prokofiev’s music have been sharply divided. In general, Western critics have admired his sophisticated works in modern idiom, while Soviet writers were almost unanimous in condemning them, praising instead his “popular” works, which he wrote after his return to Russia. In his own view, all of his music was in the classical, tonal idiom, with a bit of dissonance added for flavour. As he put it, “There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major.”

Heitor Villa-Lobos Villa-Lobos was an avid collector of Brazilian folk music of all kinds. The diversity of its origins – Portuguese, African and Native American – fascinated him. He was never able to endure the discipline of formal study in composition, but learned his craft in his own way from itinerant popular musicians. In due course, however, he became a respected and influential musician and administrator in Brazil, as well as a musical ambassador for his country, conducting his works all over the world. Bachianas Brasileiras is a series of nine works, dating from 1930 to 1945 for a wide variety of vocal and instrumental combinations. Each is a kind of suite, the movements with two titles, one evocative of classical models, the other Brazilian. Villa-Lobos referred to the Bachianas as “homage to the great genius of Johann Sebastian Bach, whom I consider a kind of universal folkloric source, rich and profound, linking all peoples.” The two movements of No. 5 were composed in 1938 and 1945 respectively. This is the most frequently performed of the Brachianas, and probably Villa-Lobos’ most popular work. It has been adapted for numerous different instrumental combinations, by the composer himself and others. The Aria consists of a wordless vocalise, followed by a setting of a Portuguese poem about sunset, and a repeat of the vocalise. The haunting melody is thought perhaps to have been linked in the composer’s mind to the Air (the so-called “Air on the G string”) in Bach’s third orchestral suite. The Dança is based on Brazilian folk rhythms, representing birds of Brazil; the text concerns birds as messengers of love.

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Highlight Concert 7 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Wednesday, June 4, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Fred and Elizabeth Fountain

Scotia Festival Orchestra, Bernhard Gueller conductor Concerto for Viola and Strings in G Major Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) Largo Allegro Andante Presto

Symphony No. 2 (Sinfonia intima) Einojuhani Rautavaara (born 1928) Quasi grave Vivace Largo Presto

Sharon Wei, viola

El amor brujo Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) Introdución y escena (Introduction and scene) En la cueva (In the cave) Canción del amor dolido (Song of suffering love) El aparecido (The apparition) Danza del terror (Dance of terror) El circulo mágico (The magic circle) A media noche: los sortilegios (Midnight: sorcery) Danza ritual del fuego (Ritual fire dance) Escena (Scene) Canción de fuego fatuo (Song of the willow-the-wisp) Pantomima (Pantomime) Danza del juego de amor (Dance of the game of love) Final – las campanas del amanecer (Finale – the bells of sunrise)

Concerto Grosso No. 1, for Two Violins, Harpsichord, Prepared Piano and Strings Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998) Preludio (Andante) Toccata (Allegro) Recitativo (Lento) Cadenza Rondo (Agitato) Postlude (Andante) Giora Schmidt and Ben Bowman, violins Simon Docking, harpsichord and prepared piano INTERMISSION

Allison Angelo, voice

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Georg Philipp Telemann Telemann was perhaps the most prolific composer ever. The sheer abundance of his works may have led him to be valued less seriously than he deserves. However in his own lifetime, he was a very successful, widely admired (also imitated and plagiarized) musician. When the city of Leipzig needed a new music director in 1722, the first choice of the selection committee was Telemann. (He had worked there some years earlier, in 1701–1706). He turned down their offer, but used it to bargain for an increased salary at his prestigious position in Hamburg. Leipzig had to make do with J.S. Bach, clearly considered second best. To us, this outcome seems wrong-headed, but one can see their point. Telemann was a more forward-looking composer than Bach, his music easier to enjoy, more up-to-date. Hardly anyone nowadays would argue that he was the equal of Bach, let alone superior. But he was a sound musician, and his tuneful, conversational manner is very appealing. Telemann wrote concertos for almost every instrument available to him, including this one for viola. The viola’s position in the orchestra or in chamber music is generally rather inconspicuous, filling in the harmony but seldom given important tunes. Until modern times few composers thought it worthy of consideration as a soloist. Telemann’s Viola Concerto is the earliest known concerto for this instrument. (The so-called viola concerto by Handel is a nineteenth century fake). It was probably composed sometime between 1716 and 1720, during his period as court composer in Eisenach. It has survived for 300 years, and continues to be performed quite often.

number of different styles in the course of composing film scores. He has been described as “the father of Soviet post-modernism.”Travel outside the Soviet Union was severely restricted until 1977; Schnittke was not allowed to attend Western premieres of his works. He eventually left the Soviet Union behind and settled in Germany in 1990. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church in 1980 and began to compose religious music. (His parents, who were loyal Communists were by definition atheists.) Despite his rapidly deteriorating health, his last ten years were extremely productive; unable to travel, he composed more than ever. Schinttke’s Concerto Grosso No. 1 had its premiere in Leningrad in 1977. The “preparation” of the piano consists of inserting coins between the strings to imitate the sound of church bells. For the first Western performance of this work in Vienna, the composer wrote as follows: “I dream of the Utopia of a unified style, where fragments of ‘U’ (Unterhaltung, i.e. ‘Entertainment’) and ‘E’ (Ernst, i.e. ‘Serious’) are not used for comic effect but seriously represent multi-faceted musical reality. That’s why I’ve decided to put together some fragments from my cartoon film music: a joyful children’s chorus, a nostalgic atonal serenade, a piece of hundred-percentguaranteed Corelli (Made in the USSR), and finally, my grandmother’s favourite tango played by my greatgrandmother on a harpsichord. I am sure all these themes go together very well, and I use them absolutely seriously.”

Einojuhani Rautavaara Rautavaara is one of the most important Finnish Alfred Schnittke composers after Sibelius. His education began in Finland, Alfred Schnittke was born in the Volga German Republic but he also studied at the Juilliard School in New York of the Soviet Union, settled by German immigrants in City. He is a prolific composer – eight symphonies, the eighteenth century. His parents spoke German at twelve concertos, several operas, chamber music, etc., home, and although Alfred considered himself Russian, in a variety of contemporary styles. In his own words, he believed his music to be influenced by German “If you wish to surrender to the music, as if to a lover, ideas. In part this may be because his first contact then experience the message whole, not as a narrative with serious music was in Vienna in 1946 - 8, where description, but as the creation of the world itself.”This his father worked for a newspaper for the Soviet army rather cryptic statement may be regarded as a warning of occupation. When Schnittke started to study music not to approach his music too analytically, but just to let back in Russia, Soviet policy prohibited consideration of it sweep over the listener. His “Intimate Symphony” was contemporary Western music, described as “bourgeois”, composed in 1957, and slightly revised in 1984. “formalist” and “idealist.” Schnittke developed his own idiom, quoting freely from the classics, exploring a 53

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla is said to have remarked that the best Spanish music was composed by Frenchmen. He probably meant Debussy and Ravel, who both composed very effective music infused with Spanish spirit, but Falla himself was unquestionably the greatest Spanish composer of his time. Although he was not Andalusian himself, much of his music is influenced by the characteristic sound of the folk music of the southernmost part of Spain, with its lingering traces of the time when it was inhabited by the Moors. Falla was born and worked in Spain, but spent the years from 1907 to 1914 in Paris, where he became acquainted with French composers, as well as Igor Stravinsky, whose influence can be heard in some of his works. He went into exile in Argentina after the victory of Francisco Franco in the Spanish civil war. Although he was offered inducements to return to Spain, he never did.

El amor brujo (usually translated as “Love the Magician”) was commissioned in 1914 by a famous flamenco dancer as a gitanería, or gipsy piece. It had its premiere in Madrid in 1915. Several different versions exist; the most frequently heard is a ballet, dating from 1924. The plot is fairly simple: Candelas, a beautiful young gipsy woman has a wicked, jealous lover. After he dies, Carmelo, a handsome young man tries to attract her, but the ghost of her previous lover intervenes. In the end, the evil spirit is seduced by Lucia, another young gipsy, and Carmelo can finally kiss Candelas. Life triumphs over death and over the past.

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SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Highlight Concert 8 Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Friday, June 6, 7:00 pm Sponsored by

Universal Properties Marcie Ann Gilsig

Hugh Creighton

String Quartet in F-sharp minor, No.7, Op.108 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) Allegretto Lento Allegro – Allegretto Elissa Lee and Benjamin Bowman, violins Sharon Wei, viola Blair Lofgren, cello Septet for Strings and Winds in E-flat Major, Op.20 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Adagio – Allegro con brio Adagio cantabile Tempo di Menuetto Tema con variazioni (Andante) Scherzo (Allegro molto e vivace) Andante con moto alla Marcia – Presto Philippe Djokic, violin Susan Sayle, viola Hilary Brown, cello Max Kasper, bass Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet Ivor Rothwell, bassoon David Parker, horn 56

Elizabeth Huxtable

INTERMISSION Trio for Piano and Strings, in D minor, Op.49 Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) Molto allegro ed agitato Andante con moto tranquillo Scherzo – Leggiero e vivace Finale – Allegro assai appassionato John Novacek, piano Giora Schmidt, violin Lynn Harrell, cello

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Dmitri Shostakovich Shostakovich’s relations with the Soviet regime were complex, and not necessarily easy to understand. He was twice denounced, in 1936 and 1948, his music condemned as “formalist” and “anti-proletarian”; performances were prohibited, and he was dismissed from his employment. At other times he was awarded prizes and appointed to significant positions. Outside Russia, views of his music are also divergent, some praising his originality, others regarding his works as derivative.

commission from a prominent clarinetist, who specified that it should resemble Beethoven’s Septet. The result was Schubert’s Octet, in the same key, and very much in the same manner. Beethoven by that time had moved on; this was the period of his late quartets, the Ninth Symphony and the Missa solemnis.

Felix Mendelssohn In 1835, aged only 26, Mendelssohn was appointed to the most prestigious position to which a German musician could aspire – music director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. Conducting as we Shostakovich composed fifteen string quartets, spanning know it today was in its infancy. Mendelssohn set the years from 1938 to 1974. The Seventh Quartet about building a repertoire of what became standard dates from 1960. Stalin had died in 1953, and the classics, as well as contemporary works, and molded Khrushchev “thaw” was in progress. Composers and them with his interpretations. He was also in constant artists in general felt free to express themselves more demand as a guest conductor elsewhere in Germany openly. Shostakovich produced a series of major works, and England, with the result that he was very busy, including his eleventh symphony and two string indeed overworked. He was married in 1837, and craved quartets. The Seventh is in several ways unusual. It is by time to spend with his wife and young children. So his far his briefest quartet. The three movements are not time for composition was considerably restricted, and linked, but the direction “attacca” ensures that there are he produced less music than in his younger days. His no gaps between them. Some commentators have used Piano Trio in D minor, the earlier of his two works for this the word “ironic” to describe the mood of this quartet. combination, was composed in 1839. Mendelssohn Its dedication is odd: “To the memory of Nina”, his wife was a compulsive reviser of his music; hardly anything of 26 years, who had died nearly six years before. In he wrote satisfied him. Many of his works remained the meantime, Shostakovich had been in and out of a unpublished in his lifetime, in his view in need of further second marriage. improvement. This trio was revised on the advice of his friend, Ferdinand Hiller, who suggested that the piano Ludwig van Beethoven part should be made more brilliant. As a result, it is now We often think of Beethoven as the composer of almost a small piano concerto. It is frequently played, emotionally-charged, titanic works, but he had his probably Mendelssohn’s most popular chamber work. lighthearted moments too. The Septet is an exceptionally It was on the programme on the very first concert of amiable example. It was composed in 1799, dedicated the Scotia Festival in 1980, and again in 2002 and 2012. to the Empress Maria Theresa. It might equally well The music is vigorous and romantic, by turns lyrical and have been entitled “Serenade” or “Divertimento”, the passionate. The slow movement (in B-flat Major) is a easy-listening music of its time – unpretentious, tuneful peaceful Song Without Words. The scherzo (in D Major) and rather extended. It immediately became very is Mendelssohn in his Midsummer Night’s Dream vein. popular, resulting in arrangements for various other The last movement returns to the more sombre colour of combinations of instruments, sometimes by Beethoven the first, but the work ends with an optimistic D Major himself. He pirated the minuet, using it in the familiar flourish. easy piano sonata, Op.40, No.2. The theme on which the variations of the fourth movement are based is perhaps a folk-song from Beethoven’s native Rhineland, but it is equally likely that the tune is Beethoven’s own; the words to which it is sometimes sung were probably added later. This work continued to be played long after it first appeared. Schubert, in 1824 received a 57

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Gala Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, 6101 University Avenue Sunday, June 8, 2:00 pm Sponsored by

BMO Financial Group

Scotia Festival Orchestra, Bernhard Gueller conductor Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64 Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) Allegro molto appassionato Andante Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace Giora Schmidt, violin Le tombeau de Liberace Michael Daugherty (born 1954) Rhinestone Kickstep How do I love thee? Sequin Music Cadenza Candelabra Rhumba John Novacek, piano INTERMISSION Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op.104 Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Allegro Adagio ma non troppo Finale: Allegro moderato Lynn Harrell, cello

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

Felix Mendelssohn It is sometimes said that Mendelssohn burned himself out at an early age. Certainly some of his most vivid works are from his teenage years, but among quite a lot of rather lack-lustre works from his maturity, some real gems sparkle. The Violin Concerto is one of the brightest of these. Like many of his later works, this concerto had a long gestation. As early as 1835, he had promised his friend, Ferdinand David a concerto, but the first concrete ideas did not take shape until 1838. A little while later, Frederick William IV ascended the throne of Prussia. One of his first acts was to appoint Mendelssohn to the position of director of music at the newly-created Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin. He moved there from Leipzig and took up his post in 1841; after three frustrating and unproductive years, he resigned. And so it was not until 1844 that the Violin Concerto was finally completed. David had been in contact with Mendelssohn during its composition, providing technical advice, a procedure many later composers followed when working on concertos for a virtuoso on an instrument not their own. When David played the premiere, Robert Schumann told him “You have played the concerto you always wanted to compose yourself.” Indeed, this most familiar of all violin concertos is a violinist’s dream: an ideal blend of warm lyricism and elegant virtuoso display. The fact that most of us have heard it dozens of times before should not blind us to its very real originality and freshness. Listen for example to the linking passages between the movements. (Mendelssohn disliked the practice, common in his time, of applauding between movements, and forced his audiences to remain silent in this way). Notice too the cadenza in the first movement, an integral part of the structure, leading to the recapitulation instead of being tacked on at the end. This is light music at its very best, a masterpiece of its kind.

French composers to write tombeaux, memorial pieces in honour of deceased musicians, goes back to early in the seventeenth century. The composer has provided the following notes about this work: “Wladziu Valentino Liberace (1919–1993) was an American icon of the 1950’s. A pianist and entertainer, he was known for his pompadour hair style, his constant grin, and outrageous costumes. He was famous for performing polkas, Broadway tunes, and arrangements of the classical piano repertoire accompanied by a Las Vegas show band. In my tribute to Liberace, I do not treat popular music as a foreign intrusion into the abstract idiom of contemporary classical composition. I have composed Le tombeau de Liberace as a meditation on the American sublime: a lexicon of forbidden music. “The first movement, Rhinestone Kickstep, conveys the feeling of strutting down the glittering cement streets of Las Vegas, in boogie-woogie rhythms. The second movement, How do I love thee? comes from the wellknown sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, frequently recited by Liberace in his performances. In Sequin Music, the arpeggiated piano riffs are based on a sequence of musical notes I noticed on the wall of Liberace’s famous piano-shaped swimming pool. The effect of the Cadenza is dodecaphonic: after all, Liberace’s Los Angeles mansion was not all that far from Schoenberg’s neighbourhood. The composition concludes with Candelabra Rhumba, a pianistic tour de force that recreates the excitement of a Vegas showband, keeping the candles on Liberace’s candelabra lit.”

Antonín Dvořák In 1892 Dvořák, already an internationally renowned composer, took up the position of Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, at the princely salary of $15,000 per year (which was not always paid Michael Daugherty on time, however). He devoted himself assiduously to Michael Daugherty is the son of a dance-band drummer, teaching and the development of an American musical idiom, but his heart remained Czech. His Cello Concerto the oldest of five brothers, all of them professional was the last work completed in New York before his musicians. He is a wide-ranging composer in many return home in 1895. He had admired Victor Herbert’s different genres, currently professor of composition at second cello concerto. (Yes, Victor Herbert, known the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). He composed Le tombeau de Liberace in 1996 on commission from the today as the composer of sentimental operettas, was an London Sinfonietta. It is one of a series of mock-serious outstanding cellist, the principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic). Dvořák had played chamber music with compositions in honour of American icons, including Elvis, Jackie O, James Cagney and others. The tradition of another fine cellist, Hanuš Wihan, to whom he dedicated 59

SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

the concerto. Wihan, however declined to play the premiere, because it did not include a flashy cadenza. (The premiere was played by the English cellist, Leo Stern, in London in 1896, but Wihan did play subsequent performances). Although the cello is the main solo instrument in this concerto, it is not the only one; it has often been described as a concerto for orchestra with obbligato cello. The orchestra is a large one, including trombones, tuba and piccolo, but Dvořák uses his forces very subtly. The orchestra is often reduced to a chamber group of woodwinds plus cello. The memorable, lovely tune which serves as the second subject in the first movement is given to the horn, and flute and solo violin also share in the soloist’s role. At the same time, the nearly vocal, lyrical lines have led some to describe this concerto as operatic. Perhaps some of the tunes might have originally been intended for an opera based on

Hiawatha, a project which was urged on Dvořák, but which never progressed beyond sketches. It has been suggested that in writing this concerto, Dvořák was looking forward longingly to his return home. Although he finished it in New York, back in Bohemia, he changed the ending to include quotations from the first two movements. Many years before, Dvořák had composed a cello concerto, and was doubtful that the instrument was really suited to a solo role. Testimony that he solved the acoustical problems inherent in a cello concerto comes from Brahms, who said “If I had known that such a concerto could be written, I would have tried to compose one myself.”

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SCOTIA FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2014

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

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