OKCPHIL program edition 1 for the 23-24 season

CLASSICS

Opening Night Gala

SEPT 9, 2023

Anastasiya Petryshak, violin PG. 27

CLASSICS

Gothic Midnight

OCT 7, 2023

Dmytro Choni, piano PG. 33

POPS

From China Town to La La Land

NOV 3-4, 2023

Brian Byrne, conductor PG. 41

CLASSICS

Folk Roots

NOV 11, 2023

Mark and Maggie O’Connor, violin PG. 45

JERROD SHOUSE, President Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Inc.

Welcome to the Oklahoma City Philharmonic! We are honored to welcome our faithful season subscribers, our dedicated community philanthropic partners, and our first-time attendees. This season marks 35 years of the OKCPHIL providing inspiration and joy for the community through orchestral music. We are proud of our legacy and so excited about our future.

Part of our vision is to enhance the cultural life of the community and to educate future generations about the value of music. Given that charge, the OKCPHIL is focused more than ever on programs and concert experiences bringing the entire community together. This season has something for everyone to enjoy through our Classics, Pops, and Discovery concerts, thanks to our Music Director, Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate and our dynamic and dedicated staff led by our new Executive Director Brent Hart. This season is the perfect opportunity to invite someone to a future Philharmonic concert who has not attended before.

On behalf of the entire Oklahoma City Philharmonic family, thank you for being here! Say “hello” to someone you have not met before, and come back soon!

DEBRA KOS, President Oklahoma City Orchestra League

The Oklahoma City Orchestra League welcomes you to the 35th season of the OKC Philharmonic. We are excited about the lineup presented by our wonderful Maestro, Alexander Mickelthwate, and our talented OKCPhil musicians!

I am honored to serve as President of the Orchestra League, and we will continue with our mission to educate, enrich, and inspire our community by supporting orchestral music and promoting volunteerism. Our social activities and fundraising efforts provide support to the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and our educational programs and instrumental competitions promote inspiration and inclusion to our community at large.

This year, the Orchestra League celebrates 75 years since our inception, and I am grateful to those who continue to contribute to our rich legacy.

To learn more about the Orchestra League or to become a member, please kindly visit www.orchestraleague.org or email league@okcphil.org.

DESIREE SINGER, President Associate Board

On behalf of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Associate Board, I am privileged and honored to welcome you to the 2023-2024 season! This season’s lineup beautifully returns to the traditional while highlighting diversity in musical expression, and even throws in some heart-pounding, gravity-defying action toward the end. Our hope is that you will leave each performance hearts full and feeling inspired.

The mission of the Associate Board is to build a space for young professionals to cultivate a love for the orchestral arts and connections with others who value what the arts add to our beautiful city. To do this, we have created the Overture Society, a three-concert package combined with opportunities to socialize, network and serve the community. Consider joining the Overture Society today and show your support for the arts in OKC. We are excited to have you!

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BRENT HART

On behalf of the entire OKCPHIL family, welcome to our 2023-24 Season! We are thrilled to present another year of phenomenal performances and programs, as we continue to serve our mission of providing joy and inspiration through orchestral music to our community

This season’s Inasmuch Foundation Classics Series features beautiful stories reflecting on the highs and lows of the human experience. The lineup features meditative and inspirational works by Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Brahms, Strauss and Respighi. We close the Classics Series with a powerful opera performed by our full orchestra on stage with internationally recognized singers from The Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

The Chickasaw Nation Pops Series offers something for everyone, from famous music from the movies, to Broadway, and Heroes and Villains. Our Christmas spectacular, A Very Merry Pops, features Sandi Patty and Take 6. We are excited to bring back the very popular Mariachi Los Camperos who wowed us in 2020. You won’t want to miss our final performance of the Pops season featuring Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters!

Here in the Civic Center Music Hall and across our region, the OKCPHIL continues its commitment to offering accessible music through a variety of Education and Community Engagement programs. From our free outdoor orchestral concerts at Scissortail Park, music education programs and Youth Concerts for elementary school students, Society of Strings program for adult amateur string players and Young Musician Competition for talented players, these initiatives continue to enhance the lives of thousands of Oklahomans of all ages.

We are deeply grateful for your ongoing loyalty, support and generosity which makes all of this possible. Your ticket purchases, season subscriptions and donations of all sizes allow us to deepen our impact in the community in numerous ways.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you at our concerts throughout the season!

MUSIC DIRECTOR

As he prepares for his sixth season leading the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate has become part of the community.

“It’s amazing, and also quite humbling,” Mickelthwate said. “My morning routine usually consists of studying at Harvey Bakery in Midtown. Quite often customers will approach me and say they saw me on television or on the side of a bus. To me, that signifies what we are doing at the OKCPHIL is resonating with the community, and making everyone feel welcome.”

The OKCPHIL has been a source of joy and inspiration for 35 years, enriching Oklahoma and its communities through orchestral music. When Mickelthwate came on board, he brought with him an eagerness to build on the successes of the past and pave the way for the future.

“Oklahoma City should be known as a breeding ground for fun and creativity,” he said. “That’s my thing. In our first season, we were always surprised how the audiences were really open to the contemporary. It’s crazy how embracing the audience is for adventurous, fun new things. This season, we are tempering the contemporary with traditional. I think audiences will be pleased with what they hear.”

Born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, Mickelthwate grew up in a home filled with classical music. He received his degree from the Peabody Institute of Music, and has worked with orchestras in Atlanta, Winnipeg and Los Angeles.

He is Music Director Emeritus of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Canada, and in 2022, accepted the position of Music Director for the prestigious Bear Valley Music Festival in Bear Valley, California. In early 2023, Mickelthwate traveled to Hanoi where he was Guest Conductor at the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.

Since he’s been in Oklahoma, Mickelthwate has received numerous awards and honors, including being twice-named “The Face of Music” by 405 Magazine. The OKC Friday newspaper named him one of the “Top 50 Most Powerful,” and the Ladies Music Club of Oklahoma City lauded him “Musician of the Year.”

Accolades aside, one of Mickelthwate’s goals is to tell Oklahoma stories through music.

“When I first came to Oklahoma City, I read Sam Anderson’s book, ‘Boom Town,’ and from there I began studying Oklahoma’s colorful history,” he said. “We have so many great stories, and seeing them come to life through music is aweinspiring. Two seasons ago, I programmed a Native American work by Jerod Tate. We commissioned a piece by Jonathan Leshnoff commemorating the Oklahoma City Bombing. And last year we told the story of local civil rights icon Clara Luper through music composed by Hannibal Lokumbe. I want to continue bringing more of these stories to our audiences.”

Mickelthwate lives in Oklahoma City with his wife of 25 years, Abigail, and sons Jack and Jacob. He is active in the community, and in high demand for speaking engagements from Rotary to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. When he’s not studying at Harvey Bakery, Mickelthwate is Artist in Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma where he enjoys working with the next generation of musicians, and conducting UCO’s symphony orchestra.

“My personal philosophy is that music has a way of reaching us in a way nothing else does,” Mickelthwate said. “It goes deep inside, creating and facilitating beauty in a harsh world. We want the Oklahoma City Philharmonic to be meaningful, to be fun and a place where we are all one. I have often said we feel the love, Oklahoma City. And we are giving it right back.

OKLAHOMA PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, INC

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Jerrod Shouse President

Jim Roth President Elect

Debbie McKinney Vice President

Kevin Dunnington Treasurer

Jennifer Schultz Secretary

Jane Jayroe Gamble Immediate Past President

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

John Allen General Manager

Jose Batty Music Librarian

Mark Beutler Director of Marketing & Public Relations

Blossom Crews Director of Development

Jared Davis

Customer Service Representative

Allison Demand

Concert Operations Assistant & Guest Artist Liaison

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Classical KUCO 90.1

Morningstar Properties

PHOTOGRAPHERS:

LIFETIME DIRECTORS

Jane B. Harlow

Patrick Alexander

DIRECTORS

Louise Cleary Cannon

Robert Clements

Joy Hammons

Kirk Hammons

Mautra Staley Jones

Debra Kos

Kristian Kos

Tom Lerum Matt Paque

Jeana Gering Education Manager

Daniel Hardt Finance Director

Brent Hart Executive Director

Judy Hill Administrative Assistant

Daryl Jones Senior Manager of Ticketing & Patron Data

Stephen Kelleher Box Office & Marketing Assistant

Oklahoma City Police Association

George Ryan

Craig Perry

Sam Rainbolt

Kelly Sachs

Amalia Miranda Silverstein

Desiree Singer

Doug Stussi

Geetika Verma

Evan Walter

Renate Wiggin

Wendi Wilson

Joel Levine

Archivist/Historian

Ashley Spears Development Associate

Robin Sweeden

Institutional Giving Coordinator

Corbin Taggart

Marketing Coordinator

Valorie Tatge

Orchestra Personnel Manager

Stubble Creative, Inc. The Skirvin Hotel

Titan AVL

Michael Anderson, Jesse Edgar Photography, Simon Hurst, Mutz Photography, and Shevaun Williams and Associates

THE OKLAHOMA PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, INC.

424 Colcord Drive, Ste. B

Tickets: (405) 842-5387

• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102

• Administration: (405) 232-7575 • Fax: (405) 232-4353

• www.okcphil.org

AFFILIATED PARTNERS

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation was established to provide leadership and endowment expertise to help ensure a stable financial base for orchestral music and musical excellence in Oklahoma City for generations to come. Distributions from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation provide a meaningful and secure source of annual income for the Philharmonic’s operations, continually confirming the importance of endowment in an organization’s long-range planning and overall success.

Current officers and directors of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation are:

OFFICERS

Douglas J. Stussi, President

Charles E. Wiggin, First Vice President

Jeff Starling, Second Vice President

Louise Cleary Cannon, Treasurer

Alice Pippin, Secretary

DIRECTORS

Steven C. Agee

Patrick B. Alexander

J. Edward Barth

L. Joe Bradley

Andre’ B. Caldwell

Teresa L. Cooper

Paul Dudman

Jane Jayroe Gamble

Mischa Gorkuscha

Jane B. Harlow

Jean Hartsuck

Michael E. Joseph

Harrison Levy, Jr.

Duke R. Ligon

Jessica Martinez-Brooks

Penny McCaleb

Michael J. Milligan

Erik Salazar

Patrick E. Randall, II

Richard Tanenbaum

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Debra Kos President

Geetika Verma President-Elect

Orchestra League Office 424 Colcord Dr., Ste. B

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102

Phone: (405) 232-7575

Fax: (405) 232-4353

e-mail: league@okcphil.org

OFFICERS

Desiree Singer President

James Hulsey President-Elect

Mady Hendryx Secretary

Kelsey Karper Marketing Chair

THE ORCHESTRA

ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, Music Director and Conductor

JOEL LEVINE, Founder and Music Director Emeritus

BRENT HART, Executive Director

FIRST VIOLIN

Gregory Lee, Concertmaster , Gertrude Kennedy Chair

Marat Gabdullin, Associate Concertmaster

Densi Rushing, Assistant Concertmaster

Yena Lee

Hong Zhu

Beth Sievers

Chandler Fadero

Min Jung Kim

Deborah McDonald

Lu Deng

SECOND VIOLIN

Katrin Stamatis*, Principal , McCasland Foundation Chair

Catherine Reaves, Assistant Principal

Sophia Ro

Sarah Sanford Brown

Corbin Mace

Angélica Pereira

Audrey Lee

Yajing (Cindy) Zhang

Lok-Hin Cheng

VIOLA

Royce McLarry, Principal

Mark Neumann, Assistant Principal

Joseph Guevara

Kelli Ingels

Steve Waddell

Donna Cain

Brian Frew

CELLO

Jonathan Ruck, Principal , Orchestra League Chair

Meredith Blecha-Wells, Assistant Principal

Valorie Tatge

Emily Stoops

Jim Shelley

Angelika Machnik-Jones

Jean Statham

BASS

Anthony Stoops, Principal

Larry Moore, Assistant Principal

Christine Craddock

Mark Osborn

Parvin Smith

FLUTE

Valerie Watts, Principal

Parthena Owens

Nancy Stizza-Ortega

PICCOLO

Nancy Stizza-Ortega

OBOE

Lisa Harvey-Reed, Principal

Rachel Maczko

Katherine McLemore

ENGLISH HORN

Rachel Maczko

CLARINET

Bradford Behn, Principal

Tara Heitz

Jim Meiller

BASS/E-FLAT CLARINET

Jim Meiller

BASSOON

Rod Ackmann, Principal

James Brewer

Barre Griffith

CONTRABASSOON

Barre Griffith

HORN

Kate Pritchett, Principal, G. Rainey Williams Chair

James Rester

Mirella Gable

Matt Reynolds

TRUMPET

Karl Sievers, Principal

Jay Wilkinson

Michael Anderson

TROMBONE

Philip Martinson, Principal

John Allen, Bass Trombone

TUBA

Ted Cox, Principal

TIMPANI

Jamie Whitmarsh, Principal

PERCUSSION

Patrick Womack, Principal

Stephanie Krichena

Roger Owens

HARP

Gaye LeBlanc, Principal

PIANO

Peggy Payne, Principal

*on leave for the 2023-24 season

PRODUCTION STAFF

John Allen, General Manager

Valorie Tatge, Personnel Manager

Jose Batty, Music Librarian

Allison Demand, Guest Artist Liaison/ Concert Operations Assistant

PLANNED GIVING

The Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Inc. is honored to recognize its EncoreSociety members — visionary thinkers who have provided for the future of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic through their estate plans.

Anonymous (3)

Steven C. Agee, Ph.D.

Linda and Patrick Alexander

Gary and Jan Allison

Louise Cleary Cannon

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Clements

Thomas and Rita Dearmon

Dr. and Mrs. James D. Dixson

Dr. Ralph and Lois Ganick

Hugh Gibson

Pam and Gary Glyckherr

Carey and Gayle Goad

Ms. Olivia Hanson

Jane B. Harlow

Dr. and Mrs. James Hartsuck

Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Joseph

THANK YOU

Joel Levine and Don Clothier

John and Caroline Linehan

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin C. Lunde, Jr.

Mrs. Jackie Marron

Mr. and Mrs. John McCaleb

Jean and David McLaughlin

W. Cheryl Moore

Carl Andrew Rath

Mrs. Cathy Reaves

Mrs. Lil Ross

Dr. Lois Salmeron

Mr. and Mrs. William F. Shdeed

Doug and Susie Stussi

Larry and Leah Westmoreland

Mr. John S. Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Don T. Zachritz

The Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Inc. is grateful for the support of caring patrons who want to pass on a legacy of extraordinary music to future generations. You can join this special group of music enthusiasts by including a gift for the OKC Philharmonic’s future in your own will or estate plan. For more information on how to become an Encore Society member, contact the Philharmonic’s Development Office at (405) 232-7575.

Trumpet

OKCPHIL Musician

Growing up, Karl Sievers remembers his parents always playing music.

“We had a big GE console ‘hi-fi’ system, and I played LPs of orchestral music constantly,” he remembers. “My parents took my brother, sister and me to military band concerts, and as early as age 6, I was enamored with the shiny instruments and the exciting sound. Especially the trumpets!”

Karl is Principal Trumpet for OKCPHIL, having won his audition in 1999.

“I was excited and profoundly grateful for the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream,” he says. “I had done most of my career in commercial music—live TV, Broadway shows, and in the recording studio. Now I had come full circle in that I was given a chance to play orchestral music full time.”

Music runs in the family, as Karl’s wife, Beth, sits in OKCPHIL’s 1st Violin section. When he’s not playing music, Karl is an avid motorcyclist, loves to fish, and is an avid runner.

“Having lived and worked in several cities throughout the USA, I am very aware how fortunate we all are to have this community of musicians and friends in a wonderfully supportive city,” he said.

Development Associate

OKCPHIL Staff

I am originally from Tulsa but have recently began calling OKC home since starting my Development Associate role with the OKCPHIL in October 2022. My fascination with music took off as a child when my grandparents were commonly seen playing the piano or singing around their house, encouraging us granddaughters to join in on the fun. I may have missed out on the musical gene, but my admiration and appreciation toward the music world continues to grow — often seen in my love for film scores and soundtracks.

I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2022, where I studied Creative Media Production and Nonprofit Organizational Studies. I am a film buff at heart, and a core element in cinema that excites me the most is the effect a music choice can have on setting the tone for an entire scene.

I have always been interested in a nonprofit career, and I am thrilled to have found a position that combines my love for nonprofit development with the arts. If you see me at an OKCPHIL concert or event, don’t be a stranger!

KARL SIEVERS ASHLEY SPEARS

GIFTS TO THE PHIL

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic gratefully acknowledges the commitment and generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies that support our mission. To help us provide inspiration and joy to the community through live orchestral performances and a variety of Education and Community Engagement programs, please contact the Philharmonic’s Development Office at (405) 232-7575.

This Annual Fund recognition reflects contributions made in the 2022-23 Season and contributions for the 2023-24 Season made through July 6, 2023.

If your name has been misspelled or omitted, please accept our apologies and inform us of the error by calling the phone number listed above. Thank you for your generous support!

CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT

Express their generous commitment to the community.

UNDERWRITER

$25,000 & Above

Ad Astra Foundation

E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation

Express Employment International

Scissortail Park Foundation

The Oklahoman

The Skirvin Hilton Hotel

GUARANTORS

$10,000 - $24,999

405 Magazine

American Fidelity Foundation

Devon Energy Corporation

HSPG and Associates, PC

I Heart Media

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores

MidFirst Bank

NvYA Technologies

OGE Energy Corp.

Tyler Media Co./Magic 104.1FM and KOMA

W&W Steel, LLC

BENEFACTORS

$5,000 -$9,999

BancFirst

Bank of Oklahoma

Bryan Garrett Injury Law Firm

Clements Foods Foundation

Heartland Payment Systems

Mekusukey Oil Company, LLC

Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation

The Metro

SUSTAINERS

$2,500 - $4,999

BNSF Railway Foundation

Morningstar Properties, LLC

OKC Friday

OK Gazette

Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic

The Black Chronicle

ASSOCIATES

$1,500 - $2,499

The Fred Jones Family Foundation

FRIENDS

$1,000 - $1,499

PARTNERS

$500 - $999

Tom Johnson Investment Management

MEMBERS

$250-$499

Harrison-Orr Air Conditioning

The Kerr Foundation

MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES AND FOUNDATIONS

Double the impact of an individual’s gift.

American Fidelity Foundation

Bank of America Matching Gifts Program

Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc.

The Boeing Company Inasmuch Foundation

GIFTS TO THE PHIL

MAESTRO SOCIETY

Providing leadership support.

Gerald and Jane Jayroe Gamble

Jane B. Harlow

Ed and Barbara Krei

Bill and Sally McNutt

Martha and Ronnie Bradshaw

Louise Cleary Cannon and Gerry Cannon

Mrs. Teresa Cooper

UNDERWRITER

$25,000 and above

The Estate of Dr. Jay Jacquelyn Bass

Dr. Lois Salmeron

Amalia Miranda Silverstein, MD

Mr. Richard L. Sias

GUARANTOR

$10,000 - $24,999

Linda and Patrick Alexander

Marilyn and Bill Boettger

Foundation Fund

Larry and Polly Nichols

Doug and Susie Stussi

BENEFACTOR

$5,000 - $9,999

Steven C. Agee, Ph.D.

Mo Anderson

Mrs. Betty D. Bellis-Mankin

John and Margaret Biggs

Dr. and Mrs. L. Joe Bradley

INDIVIDUALS

SUSTAINER

$2,500-$4,999

Anonymous (2)

Dr. and Mrs. Dewayne Andrews

Dr. and Mrs. John C. Andrus

Dr. Charles and Marilyn Bethea

Dr. and Mrs. Philip C. Bird

Mike And Dawn Borelli

Phyllis Brawley

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Browne

Phil G. and Cathy Busey

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Clements

Barbara Cooper

Mr. and Mrs. David C. DeLana

Sidney G. Dunagan

David and Druanne Durrett

Joseph and Yvette Fleckinger

The Crawley Family Foundation

The Estate of Lois Marie Fees

Darleene A. Harris

Dr. and Mrs. Patrick McKee

Ms. Elizabeth A. Whittaker

Kathy and Randy Buttram

The Ruth Mershon Fund

Lisa Carver Collins

Providing essential support for the Annual Fund.

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Janssen

Kim and Michael Joseph

Kathy and Terry Kerr

Mari Medley

Annie Moreau, MD

Richard and Gayle Parry

Jerry and Jan Plant

Mr. H.E. Rainbolt

Lance and Cindy Ruffel

Dr. and Mrs. Hal Scofield

Jeff and Kim Short

John and Katherine Spaid

Mr. and Mrs. John E. Stonecipher

John Stuemky and James Brand

Billie Thrash

Dr. James and Elizabeth Wise

Jeanise Wynn

ASSOCIATE

Christopher Anthony

Ms. Zonia Armstrong

Christie Barnes

Mr. J. Edward Barth

Dr. and Mrs. William L. Beasley

William Beck

Dr. Jack and Ruth Beller

Nels and Donna Bentson

Nick and Betsy Berry

Bart Binning

Larry and Sarah Blackledge

Carole and Deal Bowman

Mr. and Mrs. Del Boyles

Mrs. Carole S. Broughton

Mr. and Mrs. William Cameron

Dr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Carey

Ms. Janice B. Carmack

Jeff Caughron

Mr. and Mrs. Mike Cawley

Frank Goforth and Nancy Halliday

Dr. and Mrs. James M. Hartsuck

David and Vicki Hunt

Colonel (ret.) Dean and Mrs. Jeanne Jackson

$1,500 - $2,499

Virginia and Albert Aguilar

Nancy and Louis Almaraz

Ms. Beth M. Alonso

Drs. Fong Chen and Helen Chiou

Nancy Coleman

Ms. Betty Crow

Mrs. Patricia Czerwinski

RESTROOMS are conveniently located on all levels of the theater. Please ask your usher for guidance.

LATECOMERS and those who exit the theater during the performance may be seated during the first convenient pause, as determined by the management.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES must be turned off and put away during the performance (no calling, texting, photo or video use please).

BEVERAGES: Bottled water is permitted in the theater at the Classics Series concerts. Beverages are permitted in the theater at the Pops Series concerts; however, bringing coffee into the theater is discouraged due to the aroma.

SMOKING in the Civic Center Music Hall is prohibited. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic promotes a fragrance-free environment for the convenience of our patrons.

FIRE EXITS are located on all levels and marked accordingly. Please note the nearest exit for use in case of an emergency.

ELEVATORS are located at the south end of the atrium lobby of the Civic Center Music Hall.

CHILDREN of all ages are welcome at the Philharmonic Discovery Family Series and Holiday Pops performances; however, in consideration of the patrons, musicians and artists, those under five years of age will not be admitted to evening Classics and Pops concerts unless otherwise noted.

BOOSTER SEATS for children are available in the Civic Center lobby. Please inquire at the Box Office.

STUDENT RUSH are $11 each and available with a high school or university I.D. and email address at the Box Office, 1 hour prior to the start of each Philharmonic performance. Tickets are offered based on availability only and seats may be located throughout the theater.

VIDEO MONITORS are located in the lobby for your convenience.

WHEELCHAIR AVAILABLE SEATING – Persons using wheelchairs or with walking and climbing difficulties will be accommodated when possible. Those wishing to use the designated wheelchair sections may purchase the wheelchair space and a companion seat. Please inform the Philharmonic or Civic Center Box Office staff of your need when ordering tickets so that you may be served promptly and appropriately. Please request the assistance of hall ushers to access wheelchair seating.

HEARING LOOPS have been installed. Ask your audiologist to activate the telecoil in your hearing aid or cochlear implant. Due to the mechanics of the stage, the hearing loops do not reach the pit section but are available at the Box Office and the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre. The copper wire in the floor and telecoil work together to connect the hearing device to the theater’s sound system using a magnetic field which dramatically improves sound clarity for patrons using hearing devices.

LOST & FOUND is located in the Civic Center office (405-594-8300) weekdays 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

PHILHARMONIC TICKET OFFICE may be contacted by calling 405-TIC-KETS (405-842-5387) or you can visit the Philharmonic Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Arts District Garage at 424 Colcord Drive in Suite B. The Philharmonic Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by phone on concert Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

CIVIC CENTER BOX OFFICE hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and two hours prior to each performance. (405-594-8300)

ARTISTS, PROGRAMMING, AND DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

This season is about humanity. The deep-seated humanity of you, me, all of us. Humanity with all its emotional expressions. In our case, the deep-seated humanity of our heroes. Our geniuses. Our composers. Born with gifts. Imagining the most beautiful melodies and inspiring music. Yet fully human. With all their ups and downs.

OPENING NIGHT

Tchaikovsky the genius. His music is being played all over the planet to hundreds of millions of people. It inspires. It gives hope. But most of all it nurtures something deep, deep within us. Tchaikovsky, an enlightened prophet above all carnal woes?

Far from it. He wrote, despite his pains and insecurities. In every piece he transcended anew. He fought anew. And he was victorious anew. Each piece rooted in deep struggles. By composing, he is setting an example, lending reprieve to millions.

The first half of the program is his violin concerto with wonderful Ukrainian violin soloist Anastasiya Petryshak. I programmed the violin concerto in connection with Lyric Theater’s world premiere “Concerto,” an exciting new play about all the intriguing stories behind that famous work.

For a deeper understanding of concert programming, please, join Maestro Mickelthwate for his Preconcert Talk at 7pm in the auditorium. Open seating.

ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, CONDUCTOR

ANASTASIYA PETRYSHAK, VIOLIN

TCHAIKOVSKY .............. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

Allegro moderato—Moderato assai

Canzonetta. Andante

Finale. Allegro vivacissimo

Intermission

TCHAIKOVSKY............... Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique

Adagio—Allegro non troppo

Allegro con grazia

Allegro molto vivace

Finale: Adagio lamentoso

THIS CONCERT IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

In Memory of Dr. Paul Silverstein

Anastasiya Petryshak, violin

ANASTASIYA PETRYSHAK

Anastasiya was born in Ukraine in 1994. At the age of eight, she started performing in public, winning several competitions of national and international importance.

In 2005, she moved to Italy to continue her studies, becoming the youngest student of Maestro Salvatore Accardo at the “Walter Stauffer” Academy in Cremona for eight years.

Since 2016, she moved to Switzerland, graduated from ZHdK Academy in Zürich in the “Master Soloist” with Maestro Rudolf Koelman and continues to further affirm her art. Her international career allows Anastasiya to play all over the world: All European countries but also beyond, like United States of America, Mexico, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, South Africa.

She performs in the most important theatres: Sala Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy; Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Spain; Teatro Politeama in Palermo, Italy; Metropolitan Pavilion in New York, USA; Teatro Conjunto Santander in Guadalajara, Mexico; Quirinale palace and Senate in Rome, Italy; etc., with renowned orchestras (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London; Real Orquesta Sinfonica de Sevilla; Orquesta Sinfonica Sinaloa de las Artes; etc.) and conductors like Vasily Petrenko, Michel Tabachnik, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Luigi Piovano, Giuseppe Finzi, and Miguel Salmon del Real. Since 2010, Anastasiya is regularly collaborating with Andrea Bocelli.

In 2018, she has recorded her first CD “Amato Bene” with “Gli Archi dell’Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia”, playing the Stradivari “Il Toscano”, issued by Sony Classical. Anastasiya continues her collaboration with Sony and publishes her second album in 2023, “Ange Terrible”, focused on the French masterpieces of the early twentieth century. Anastasiya acquired an immense experience while performing with the best historical instruments (Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri) of Cremona’s “Museo del Violino” collection. She played and recorded on more than 60 of these instruments for research purposes. She had the privilege to play Paganini’s violin “Il Cannone” performing his violin concerto n.1 during a concert at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.

In addition to her concert activities, she is also engaged in teaching as she teaches at the “Yamaha Music School” in Zurich and is regularly invited to give masterclasses in various countries.

She received the “European Personality in the Classical Music” award in 2016. In 2022, she was recognized “Woman of the Year” and received the international “Profilo Donna” award (32nd edition). Anastasiya regularly plays for world class projects like presidential state visits or “Il Grande Mistero” wanted by Pope Francis in European religious landmarks such as Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

She has been featured in several documentaries and TV programs, including “Petruska”, “Festival di Sanremo”, “60’ Minutes” broadcast by CBS USA, EBS International, “Telethon”. She also got invited to the renowned annual Christmas Concert at the Basilica Superiore di San Francesco d’Assisi, organized by the RAI, for their 35th edition (2020).

Anastasiya is a Pirastro artist and regularly plays a violin especially made for her by Roberto Regazzi in 2012.

PROGRAM NOTES

Using him as an emissary, she made contact with Tchaikovsky and in February 1877 proposed to support him—insisting, however, that they must never meet in person. For the next 13 years they exchanged a flood of effusive correspondence and she deposited 500 rubles in Tchaikovsky’s bank account every month, an act of benefaction that freed him to pursue his artistic goals without having to undertake “work for hire” to pay the bills.

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

First Performance: 2/27/1944

Violin: Zino Francescatti

Last Performance: 2/3/2018

Violin: Chee-Yun Kim

Born: April 25 (old style)/May 7 (new style), 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia

Died: October 25/November 6, 1893, in St. Petersburg, Russia

Work composed: March 5/17 through March 30/April 11, 1878

Work premiered: November 22/December 4, 1881, in Vienna, with violinist Adolf Brodsky and the Vienna Philharmonic, Hans Richter conducting

Instrumentation: Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings, in addition to the solo violin

By 1877, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stood at the forefront of his generation of Russian composers thanks to such works as his first three symphonies, his Shakespearean overture-fantasy Romeo and Juliet, his Dante-inspired tone poem Francesca da Rimini, his Piano Concerto No. 1, his Variations on a Rococo Theme (for cello and orchestra), his ballet Swan Lake, and his three string quartets. That year two things occurred that had a decisive influence on the direction his path would take. Both were fraught with problems.

The first was the consolidation of his relationship with Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck. Musically adept, immensely wealthy (thanks to the commercial success of her recently deceased husband, an engineer from Riga), and maternally productive (with 18 children to her credit), she had positioned herself in Moscow society as a patron of the arts and, specifically, as a collector of musicians. She had recently added to her entourage the young violinist Iosif Kotek, a former pupil of Tchaikovsky’s.

Then a second bizarre thing happened. Tchaikovsky got married, on the spur of the moment. Perhaps it had to do with anxiety about his quite overt homosexuality; perhaps it was an exploit of filial devotion to an 81-year-old father who viewed marriage as the principal goal of a man’s life. In any case, he had some sort of nervous breakdown only weeks after the wedding and abandoned his wife, though they would never divorce.

The First Dedicatee

Leopold Auer, the Hungarian violinist for whom Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto, came to rue the day he had questioned its value. In truth, he admired many things about Tchaikovsky—both the man and his music. In his memoirs, My Long Life in Music (1924), he recalled the composer with unmistakable warmth:

In my mind’s eye I see once more the great figures of those days. There is Tchaikovsky, with the personality and the manners of a French marquis of the eighteenth century; but very modest, with a modesty which could not be mistaken for a pose. He was too intelligent ever to attempt playing a part among his artist comrades, to whom, incidentally, he was always most cordial. ... Tchaikovsky was excessively sensitive; modest and unassertive in his dealings with all, he was deeply appreciative of any interest shown in him or in his works.

—JMK

As part of his recovery, he took a trip to Switzerland with Kotek at the outset of 1878. They played through a lot of music together, including Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, a violin concerto in all but name; and it was that work which inspired Tchaikovsky to write a violin concerto himself. He composed it in a heat of inspiration, with Kotek offering

PROGRAM NOTES

technical advice on the solo part. When Tchaikovsky sent the score to von Meck, she wrote back that she didn’t like it. To his credit, the composer, who was often given to self-doubt, defended his piece, although he did decide to replace his original slow movement. (The earlier one lives on as a standalone Méditation for violin and orchestra or piano, and it was eventually repurposed as the opening movement of his suite Souvenir d’un lieu cher.) Further objections came from the violinist Leopold Auer, to whom Tchaikovsky wanted to entrust the premiere: he declared it unplayable, much as the pianist Nikolai Rubinstein had dismissed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 four years earlier. Too bad for Auer; the honor of the premiere instead went to Adolf Brodsky, who worked on the concerto for more than two years before he dared to perform it. For this he was rewarded with the concerto’s official dedication, which had originally been destined for Auer. Eventually Auer changed his mind. He not only performed this piece but also taught it to his students, many of whom became leading interpreters of this work, too—names of legend such as Elman, Heifetz, Milstein, Shumsky, and Zimbalist.

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto wasted little time staking a place in the repertoire. It is an overwhelmingly lyrical work that rarely ventures into the stormy outbursts that can characterize his symphonic pieces. The first movement, by turns balletically graceful and comparatively urgent, makes difficult technical demands, but the fireworks generally sparkle as counterpoint to the overall gentility. The slow movement is elegiac but not depressive (Tchaikovsky could easily fall into that trap), and the Finale emerges without a break, serving up a dazzling array of pyrotechnics.

Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

First Performance: 11/24/1941

Conductor: Victor Alessandro

Last Performance: 1/9/2016

Conductor: Joel Levine

Work composed: February through August 1893

Work premiered: October 16/28, 1893, at the Hall of Nobles in St. Petersburg, with the composer conducting

Instrumentation: Three flutes (third doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam (ad lib.), and strings

Most subtitles attached to symphonies are appended after the fact without the composer’s involvement. True to form, the name Pathétique (to be understood in the classic connotation of “infused with pathos” rather than the modern sense of “sadly inept”) was suggested after this work was first heard, but barely. Tchaikovsky’s brother Modest proposed the subtitle Pateticheskaia the day after the premiere, and the composer embraced it enthusiastically—for about 24 hours. Then he shot off a note to his publisher, Pyotr Jurgenson, asking that the name not be printed on the title page, a request the publisher ignored.

In any case, it was an improvement on the title that had identified the work at its premiere: Program Symphony. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov said that at the concert he asked Tchaikovsky what the program was, to which Tchaikovsky replied that “there was one, of course, but he did not wish to announce it.” Months earlier, Tchaikovsky had told his nephew, Bob Davidov (to whom the symphony is dedicated), that the piece would have “a program of a kind that would remain an enigma to all ..., [a] program saturated with subjective feeling.” Subjective feeling was as mother’s milk to Tchaikovsky, and it is abundantly displayed in this work; but even without the composer’s intimation, the listener would suspect that something specific was being suggested through this symphony. Tchaikovsky, however, had his way: the exact program remains a mystery.

The satisfaction he expressed in a letter to Jurgenson leaps off the page: “I give you my word of honor that never in my life have I been so contented, so proud, so happy in the knowledge that I have written a good piece.” The other shoe was bound to drop, and it did two months later, with the premiere. “It was not exactly a failure,” Tchaikovsky

reported, “but it was received with some hesitation.” He should not have been surprised. What was an audience to make of a symphony so unorthodox as this, so redolent of private agony, so mysterious that its ending dies away in a whimper of nearly inaudible pianissississimo?

The symphony had emerged slowly from nothingness 45 minutes before, with the unusual sound of divided double basses and a solo bassoon, then enriched by divided violas, then with melancholy comments from the woodwinds, before breaking into a nervous Allegro non troppo. Tenderness, too, inhabits this movement, in the ardent theme for strings that all but quotes the “Flower Song” from Bizet’s Carmen, an opera Tchaikovsky admired greatly; and this gives way to a blustery section that quotes a Russian liturgical chant, surely connected in some way to the composer’s unrevealed plot.

Quirkiness continues with the second movement, which one would be tempted to call a captivating waltz were it not for the fact that it is in 5/4 meter. Choreographers of that time would have demanded the composer’s head on a platter if he had required dancers in one of his ballets to count out five beats to a bar. The movement’s wistfulness is swept away by the ensuing scherzo, growing from quiet fluttering into a march that crashes relentlessly to its deafening conclusion.

Were it not for its sinister overtones, one might take the march for the symphony’s conclusion. The real Finale is a curious appendage, the opposite of a “victory ending.” Its overriding emotion is despair, underscored by descending melodic sighs, an insistence on the minor mode (or, at least, a failure of major-mode passages to break through the gloom), and the final page that disappears into nothingness. What could it all mean?

Tchaikovsky died nine days after the Pathétique’s premiere, apparently the victim of cholera (though suicide has been suggested—and endlessly debated). Three weeks later, his final symphony received its second performance. “This time,” Rimsky-Korsakov wrote, “the public greeted it rapturously, and since that moment the fame of the symphony has kept growing and growing, spreading gradually over Russia and Europe.”

In the Composer’s Words

In 1892, before he began to set any notes down on manuscript paper, Tchaikovsky wrote a cursory sketch toward a scenario for his impending symphony: “The ultimate essence of the thirst for activity. Must be short. (Finale DEATH—result of collapse.) Second movement, love; third, disappointments; fourth ends dying away (also short).” First thoughts often give way to editing, and this would be no exception; but at least it is clear that some vague narrative informed this enigmatic symphony from its very beginning, its movements plotting a journey through human aspirations and emotions.:

—JMK

JAMES M. KELLER

James M. Keller is the longtime Program Annotator of the San Francisco Symphony and was formerly Program Annotator of the New York Philharmonic and a staff writer-editor at The New Yorker. The author of Chamber Music: A Listener’s Guide (Oxford University Press), he is writing a sequel volume about piano music. Portions of these notes previously appeared in the programs of the New York Philharmonic and are used with permission.

This season is about humanity. The deep-seated humanity of you, me, all of us. Humanity with all its emotional expressions. In our case, the deep-seated humanity of our heroes. Our geniuses. Our composers. Born with gifts. Imagining the most beautiful melodies and inspiring music. Yet fully human. With all their ups and downs.

In this program we blend Halloween with French composer Hector Berlioz. The roots to Halloween stem from the early Middle Ages. On “All Hallows Eve,” Christians placed flowers on the graves of their loved ones. Spirits and fairies were supposed to be more active, and many different traditions developed all the way to our time of witches, skeletons and ghouls.

This concert features masterworks with otherworldly associations. Which leads me to the main piece of the program. Berlioz was born in 1803, right after the French Revolution. The topic of his most famous work, the Symphonie fantastique, are his love escapades and opium trips, ending with the famous “Witches Sabbath.” Very appropriate for a program titled “Gothic Midnight.”

For a deeper understanding of concert programming, please, join Maestro Mickelthwate for his Preconcert Talk at 7pm in the auditorium. Open seating.

LISZT ......................

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major (1830-56)

Allegro maestoso: Tempo giusto

Quasi adagio

Allegretto vivace—Allegro animato

Allegro marziale animato

Dymtro Choni, piano

Intermission

BERLIOZ ................ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (Fantastic Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist)

Reveries, Passions: Allegro agitato e appassionato assai— Religiosamente

A Ball: Valse: Allegro non troppo

Scene in the Fields: Adagio

March to the Scaffold: Allegretto non troppo

Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath: Larghetto—Allegro

Mr. Choni appears by arrangement with the Cliburn.

THIS CONCERT IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

OKCPHIL SPOTLIGHT SCHOOL: Southeast High School, OKCPS

J.S. BACH, ............... Toccata and Fugue in D minor arr. Stokowski

ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, CONDUCTOR

DYMTRO CHONI, PIANO

GOTHIC MIDNIGHT

DMYTRO CHONI

Dmytro Choni took home bronze at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June 2022, only the second Ukrainian pianist to medal at the prestigious contest. He won hearts and accolades with a compelling and colorful musicality that is fortified by a genuine, immediately engaging stage presence. As one critic noted: “Each time he strode onstage, it was with winning confidence and a big smile. He’s clearly an accomplished, assured... and communicative—pro” (Dallas Morning News).

Stand-out Cliburn performances were manyfold: Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 that “[leapt] off the page in a stunning display of musical intelligence and keyboard athleticism” and showcased “contrasting sections of lush lyricism with blazing paroxysms and helter-skelter runs—a compelling performance from start to finish” (Classical Voice North America, Musical America). Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, which was “exceptional for its elegance, but even more so for the emotional arc that he created from beginning to end” (Seen and Heard International). And a set of Debussy (“Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut” from Images, Book II, and L’isle Joyeuse) where he “created the hypnotic, static beauty in the former and revealed the joyful sense of motion and ecstasy in the latter” (Onstage NTX).

His Cliburn prize builds on an already impressive resume. He has garnered top prizes and awards at, among others, the Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition (Spain 2018), the Leeds International Piano Competition (Great Britain 2021), and the Bösendorfer USASU (USA 2019). He has collaborated with renowned orchestras, such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, RTVE Symphony, Seongnam Philharmonic, Ukraine National Symphony, Castilla y León Symphony, Liechtenstein Symphony, and Dominican Republic National Symphony Orchestras, working with conductors Andrew Manze, Marin Alsop, Nicholas McGegan, Oksana Lyniv, and others. His performances in major halls and festivals—among them, the Kissinger Sommer, Verbier Festival, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Wigmore Hall, Musikverein Vienna, Carnegie Hall, and Teatro Colón Buenos Aires—have made a lasting impression on his musical development. Also a devoted chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Quartetto di Cremona, Calidore String Quartet, violinists Rudens Turku and Jack Liebeck, clarinetist Sharon Kam, and violist Nils Mönkemeyer.

Highlights from Dmytro’s 2022–2023 inaugural tour as Cliburn medalist include Beethovenfest Bonn, the Duszniki International Chopin Piano Festival (Poland), Salle Cortot (Paris) and Palau de la Música (Barcelona); concertos with the Hamburger Camerata and Silesian Philharmonic; and a recital tour across the United States.

Dmytro’s debut album was released by Naxos in 2020; it received a “Supersonic Award” from Pizzicato and was highly acclaimed by the international critics, one raving he “could be one of the 21st century’s most outstanding pianists” (David’s Review Corner).

Dmytro Choni began piano in his native Kyiv when he was 4 years old. After a particularly meaningful performance at the age of 14, which he calls “a turning point,” his lifelong journey of professional musicianship began. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine under the guidance of Yuri Kot, then moved to Austria in 2015 to study with Milana Chernyavska at the Kunstuniversität Graz. In March, he told the Fort Worth Report that music is “always kind of a hideaway from what’s going on in the world. Through the music, you can try to project the best possible emotion, the optimism, the hope.”

PROGRAM NOTES

Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565

Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Leopold Stokowski

First Performance: 1/9/1949

Conductor: Victor Alessandro

Last Performance: 5/20/2006

Conductor: Joel Levine:

Born: March 21, 1685, in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany

Died: July 28, 1750, in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany

Work composed: Not known

Leopold Stokowski

Born: April 18, 1882, in London, England

Died: September 13, 1977, in Nether Wallop, England

Arrangement made: 1926-27

Arrangement premiered: February 1927, at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, with Leopold Stokowski conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra

Instrumentation: Four flutes, three oboes and English horn, three clarinets and bass clarinet, three bassoons and contrabassoon, six horns, three trumpets, four trombones, tuba, timpani, celesta, two harps, and strings

Although the Toccata and Fugue in D minor is one of most famous pieces in all of classical music, we know nothing about its origins, and even its authorship is questionable. The great Bach life-and-works studies of the past—by Johann Nicolaus Forkel (1802), Philipp Spitta (1873-80), and Albert Schweitzer (1905/08)—all approach this organ solo analytically rather than historically. As the 20th century progressed, musicologists reached the general consensus that Bach produced it towards the beginning of his career, when he held a succession of positions as a church organist in the cities of Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, and Weimar. Bach research has advanced vigorously in the past several decades, and a number of leading scholars now believe

that the Toccata and Fugue in D minor is not by Bach at all. The musicologist David Humphreys has suggested that it was the work of Johann Peter Kellner, a Thuringian organist who knew (and maybe studied with) Bach; Peter Williams has proposed that it may have started life as a work for unaccompanied violin written (not by Bach) around 1750; and Rolf-Dietrich Claus has accepted the piece as an original organ work while disassociating it from Bach entirely. There is room for doubt. We lack a manuscript of the piece in Bach’s hand, the earliest copy having been written out by Johann Rinck (or Ringk), a pupil of Kellner’s who is thought to have fobbed off other composers’ music under Bach’s name, and the work exhibits stylistic incongruities that are atypical of Bach, including famous instances of consecutive fifths, a no-no every music theory student learns to avoid.

From the Arranger

Stokowski’s comment about Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor appears as a preface in the published score:

Of all the music of Bach this Toccata and Fugue is among the freest in form and expression. Bach was in the habit of improvising on the organ and harpsichord, and this Toccata probably began as an improvisation in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig. In this lengthy, narrow, high church the thundering harmonies must have echoed long and tempestuously, for this music has a power and majesty that is cosmic. One of its main characteristics is immense freedom of rhythm, and plasticity of melodic outline. In the sequence of harmonies it is bold and pathbreaking. Its tonal architecture is irregular and asymmetric. Of all the creations of Bach this is one of the most original. Its inspiration flows unendingly. In spirit it is universal, so that it will always be contemporary and have a direct message for all men..

—JMK

The flamboyant conductor Leopold Stokowski styled himself to be an exotic Pole. He did indeed issue from Polish and Irish parentage, but he was born Leopold Anthony Stokowski in London and employed his Slavic accent only for effect. He was trained as an organist and included in

PROGRAM NOTES

his résumé stints as the organist at St. James’, Piccadilly in London and St. Bartholomew’s in New York before moving on to what would be a major conducting career. He served as the New York Philharmonic’s principal guest conductor from 1947-49 and as its co-conductor (with Dimitri Mitropoulos) in 1949-50, but the orchestra with which his name is most firmly attached is The Philadelphia Orchestra, which he led from 1912-36, the last two years as co-conductor with his successor, Eugene Ormandy.

As an organist, Stokowski was intimately familiar with the D-minor Toccata and Fugue, which in his day was not doubted to be by Bach. When Stokowski moved on from being an organist to being a conductor, he was not willing to leave this piece behind—nor, indeed, quite a few of Bach’s organ works—and he created an opulent orchestration of it, which he unveiled with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1927. Although purist voices shrieked in protest, this became one of Stokowski’s signature pieces. When Walt Disney approached him about collaborating on the 1940 animated film Fantasia, it seemed natural that the opening tableau should be this transcription—with Stokowski conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra, of course. It set the scene for that movie’s phantasmagoria not only through its colorful sounds but also by the animated imagery, including a memorable section in which Stokowski’s own profile was imaginatively deconstructed into musical notes.

It has been alleged that at least some of Stokowski’s orchestral transcriptions were ghost-written by Lucien Cailliet, a clarinetist in The Philadelphia Orchestra from 1918-37 who later worked as a professional arranger. Cailliet, however, insisted that, at least during the 1920s (when this transcription was made), he served strictly as a copyist for Stokowski, who sketched out the arrangements entirely on his own, with detailed instructions about the orchestration, and relied on Cailliet to turn them into good manuscript form. We may not be sure about who wrote the Toccata and Fugue in the first place, but at least it seems pretty clear that Stokowski was indeed the arranger.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major

Franz Liszt

First Performance: 1/26/1941

Piano: Dalies Frantz

Last Performance: 1/10/2009

Piano: Barry Douglas

Born: October 22, 1811, in Raiding, Hungary

Died: July 31, 1886, in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany

Work composed: Begun around 1830, mostly composed from the late 1840s through 1853, revised in 1855-56

Work premiered: February 17, 1855, in Weimar, Thuringia, Germany, with Hector Berlioz conducting the Staatskapelle orchestra and the composer as soloist

Instrumentation: Two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, triangle, cymbals, and strings, in addition to the solo piano

Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was composed, recomposed, and revised over the course of a quarter of a century. In part this reflects that he was an unusually busy man, traversing the salons and concert halls of Europe as the most celebrated piano virtuoso of his day. But this is only part of the explanation for the piece’s prolonged gestation. Liszt could turn out facile piano solos at the drop of a hat, after all; in fact, he had no trouble improvising dazzling showpieces on the spot. On the other hand, he tended to anguish over those of his works that he envisioned more for posterity, works in the “big” forms of the symphony or the concerto, for example.

He completed two full-scale concertos for piano—his Second, in A major, would follow this work in 1861, also after a long gestation period—but he also composed about twenty other pieces for piano with orchestra including such still-programmed pieces as his Hungarian Fantasy and Totentanz. (A third piano concerto, also in

E-flat major, was unearthed in 1988, pieced together from pages in libraries in Leningrad, Weimar, and Nuremberg. It dates from roughly the same period as Liszt’s other two concertos—it was penned largely in the 1830s—but the composer never signed off on it in a finished state, never published it, and never performed it.) He jotted down the opening theme of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1830 and on December 12 1832, he reported in a letter, “I have prepared and worked out at great length several instrumental compositions, among others ... a concerto after a plan that I think will be new and whose accompaniment remains to be written.” This is generally taken to refer to the concerto played here, which in 1834 Liszt brought to a tentative conclusion. But this early version was never performed, and Liszt set it aside until 1839 when he rewrote the piece almost entirely, though retaining the imposing principal theme. At that point he turned his concerto into a singlemovement piece—or, if you prefer, a piece in which the disparate movements were fused into a single span. (In the final edition of the score, the music is in fact divided into four movements, but performing tradition reflects the piece’s musical logic, which is to continue from one section to the next without any substantial pause.) He was also struggling with his A-major Piano Concerto No. 2 at the time—plus, it seems, his other E-flat-major Concerto-and would set all these projects aside to germinate more fully. The Piano Concerto No. 1 would undergo a great deal of further evolution until it reached an almost-finished state in 1853; and then following the work’s premiere, in 1855, the composer continued to alter some of its details.

A single theme dominates the entire concerto. Liszt later attached to this melody the words: “Das versteht Ihr alle nicht” (None of you understand this)—or perhaps it was the conductor Hans von Bülow, depending on which version of the story you subscribe to. As the piece progresses, the melody undergoes all manner of thematic transformation; it is massaged into such disparate shapes that a casual listener would hardly notice that the notes and contours are indeed related. What in the opening measures seems the musical equivalent of a furious shaking of the fist becomes in the Quasi adagio a weightless cavatina worthy of Bellini or Chopin and, in later sections, both a pondering recitative and a triumphant march. Liszt had learned this technique from certain works of Schubert and, more immediately, from Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, which was premiered precisely when Liszt set down his first sketch for this concerto. As it happens, the Symphonie fantastique was also on the program at this concerto’s premiere, an event that occasioned a public intersection of Berlioz (as composer and conductor) and Liszt (as composer

and pianist). Béla Bartók would later call this piece the “first perfect realization of the cyclical sonata form with common themes, treated in the manner of variation form.”

Listen For: The Triangle

Liszt’s First Piano Concerto achieved notoriety for employing the triangle prominently in its Allegretto vivace section. It’s an exposed and persistent solo, beginning as an alternation with dazzling passagework from the solo piano, against which the only other sounds are quiet strings. The influential Viennese critic Eduard Hanslick condemned this detail as “a lapse in taste.” The composer protested, in a letter to his own cousin Eduard (not to Hanslick), that it all came down to how the instrument is played. “Concerning the triangle,” Liszt wrote, resignedly, “I do not deny that it will give offense—particularly if it is struck too hard and without precision.” In the event, the score is careful to underscore Liszt’s point at the beginning of the Allegretto vivace, where the triangle part is notated pianissimo and an attached instruction cautions: “The triangle is here not to be beaten clumsily, but in a delicately rhythmic manner with resonant precision.” —JMK

Symphonie fantastique (Fantastic Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist), Op. 14 (1830, rev. 1832)

Hector Berlioz

First Performance: 3/9/1954

Conductor: Guy Fraser Harrison

Last Performance: 2/6/2016

Conductor: Robert Moody

Born: December 11, 1803, in La Côte-Saint-André, Isère, France

Died: March 8, 1869, in Paris, France

Work composed: 1830, incorporating some material sketched previously; revised 1832

Work premiered: December 5, 1830, in the Salle du Conservatoire in Paris, with François-Antoine Habeneck conducting an orchestra comprising members of the orchestras of the Nouveautés, ThéâtreItalien, and Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. Berlioz’s revised version (which is nearly always heard today) was unveiled on December 9, 1832, again with Habeneck conducting.

Instrumentation: Two flutes (second doubling piccolo), two oboes

(second doubling English horn), two clarinets (first doubling E-flat clarinet), four bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, two cornets, three trombones, two ophicleides (in modern orchestras, those parts are played by tubas), timpani, bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, bells, two harps, and strings

There can be no doubt that Hector Berlioz was a genius, but genius does not always ensure a calm passage through life. Berlioz’s biography makes extraordinary reading, especially when liberally peppered with accounts lifted from his beautifully written and often hilarious Mémoires (which have been vividly captured in English translation by David Cairns). His father was a physician in a town not far from Grenoble, within view of the Alps; and since the father assumed to a certainty that his son would follow in the same profession, the son’s musical inclinations were largely ignored. As a result, Berlioz never learned to play more than a few chords on the piano, and his practical abilities as a performer were limited to lessons on flute and guitar, on neither of which he achieved true virtuosity. His unorthodox musical background surely contributed to his nonconformist musical language. He was sent to Paris to attend medical school, hated the experience, and enrolled instead in private musical studies and, beginning in 1826, the composition curriculum at the Paris Conservatoire. The seal of approval for all Conservatoire composition students was the Prix de Rome, and in 1830 (in his fourth consecutive attempt) he was finally honored with that prize.

The work that won him this distinction, the cantata La mort de Sardanapale, is long forgotten; in fact, only a fragment of it survives. Ironically, Berlioz had already composed earlier in the same year the work that would most consistently forge his place in posterity, the Symphonie fantastique. It would be the first of four Berlioz symphonies, all of which leave the abstract realm of Beethoven’s symphonic ideal for the programmatic terrain that would

find fruition later in the 19th century in the new genre of the symphonic poem.

The originality of Berlioz’s achievement in the Symphonie fantastique is simply astonishing; it has been truly observed that this must be the most remarkable First Symphony ever written, not to be rivaled in this regard until the appearance of Mahler’s six decades later. Even those rare listeners familiar with the excellent but neglected symphonies of Berlioz’s predecessors in Paris, including Etienne-Nicolas Méhul and Luigi Cherubini, will be compelled to acknowledge that those works do little to prepare the ear for Berlioz’s accomplishment. Programmatic symphonies had been written before— Beethoven’s Pastoral is a famous example—but in the Symphonie fantastique the images are depicted with such vibrant specificity as to become downright cinematic. Furthermore, Berlioz’s sense of the programmatic goes well beyond the “merely” descriptive to enter the realm of the psychological—the image of a state of mind, one that is far from stable and that spills into hallucinations. (It is doubtless no coincidence that the modern Berlioz revival, which shows no sign of abating, began in the acid-tripping 1960s.) The Symphonie fantastique is an extraordinary example of self-exploration and self-expression, a work of autobiography underscored by the subtitle Episode in the Life of an Artist.

Berlioz described the symphony’s narrative in a long and detailed program essay. The action is often accompanied by an idée fixe, a musical theme that surfaces throughout the piece in various transformations. It is first played by flute and violins at the beginning of the opening movement’s “Passions” section (following the “Reveries” introduction), and pervades the ensuing material. In succeeding movements, the artist finds himself in a ballroom, where he waltzes with his beloved, and in the Alpine countryside, where memories of his beloved disturb his peace. Under the influence of a narcotic drug, he imagines himself being led to the scaffold, where he is executed for murdering his beloved, and finally to a Witches’ Sabbath convened in honor of his death, at which the idée fixe now appears as a grotesque dance heard along with a parody of the funeral chant Dies irae.

James M. Keller is the longtime Program Annotator of the San Francisco Symphony and was formerly Program Annotator of the New York Philharmonic and a staff writer-editor at The New Yorker. The author of Chamber Music: A Listener’s Guide (Oxford University Press), he is writing a sequel volume about piano music. Portions of these notes previously appeared in the programs of the New York Philharmonic and are used with permission.

FROM CHINATOWN TO LA LA LAND

BRIAN BYRNE, CONDUCTOR

PROGRAM TO BE ANNOUNCED FROM THE STAGE

THIS CONCERT IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

BRIAN BRYNE

Golden Globe nominated composer Brian Byrne moved to Los Angeles from Ireland in July 2003 to expand his career as a film and television composer. Since then, he has consistently worked as a composer, conductor, producer, arranger and pianist in the US and in Europe and has twenty-four film and television scores to his credit.

Brian is a two-time World Soundtrack Awards and a Satellite Award winner for his music to the song “Lay Your Head Down” lyrics by Glenn Close and score for the Academy Award nominated movie “Albert Nobbs.” The song also earned him his Golden Globe nomination. He received his third World Soundtrack Award nomination for Best Original Song “True Love Avenue” lyrics by Kasey Jones in 2016 for the film “Jenny’s Wedding.” Brian is a three-time Irish Film and Television Award winner for his scores to the Irish Sci-Fi comedy “Zonad,” “Albert Nobbs,” and “The Secret Scripture.”

Brian’s American conducting debut came in 2004 at Carnegie Hall with Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan. Subsequently, he was commissioned to write all the arrangements and conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the release of Ronan Tynan’s first solo album. In 2012, he released a classical album “Tales from the Walled City,” also with the RTE Orchestra. Even though living in the United States, Brian conducts and arranges many Pops Concerts and TV shows for both the RTÉ and the BBC Ulster Orchestra. He was Artist in Residence with the RTE Concert Orchestra in Ireland from 2012-2018. Brian has collaborated with international luminaries such as Katy Perry, Bono, Pink, Lisa Stansfield, Van Morrison, The Corrs, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Luis Miguel, Vince Gill, Gladys Knight and has composed and conducted original songs for Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Alanis Morrisette, Kelly Clarkson, Sinead O’ Connor and Kurt Elling. He also conducts many scoring sessions in Hollywood for such projects as the Academy Award Winning animation film “Piper” for Disney Pixar, “Modern Love” for Amazon and most recently, “Ireland” for IMAX.

Brian was educated at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and graduated in 1997 with first-class honors. He attended the Berklee College touring faculty in Scotland and received their Outstanding Musicianship Award as well as winning the PRS Sir Arthur Bliss Prize Scholarship for composition that enabled him to study film composition at London’s Royal College of Music.

Brian is married to Oklahoma writer Kasey Jones. They have two small children and divide their time between Oklahoma, Los Angeles and Ireland.

This season is about humanity. The deep-seated humanity of you, me, all of us. Humanity with all its emotional expressions. In our case, the deep-seated humanity of our heroes. Our geniuses. Our composers. Born with gifts. Imagining the most beautiful melodies and inspiring music. Yet fully human. With all their ups and downs.

FOLK ROOTS

It’s fascinating to discover the musical roots of composers. What are musical roots? Why could a certain piece of music only have been written by a certain composer at a specific time in history?

The first half of our November concert focuses on musical roots in the Americas.

Mark O’Connor is a three-time Grammy award winning fiddle player and composer whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. I worked with Mark in Winnipeg several years ago and was so blown away I thought it’s time to have him here in Oklahoma!

Also on the program are works by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz and Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. For a deeper understanding of concert programming, please, join Maestro Mickelthwate for his Preconcert Talk at 7pm in the auditorium. Open seating.

ORTIZ, Gabriela ....................... Kauyumari*

O’CONNOR, Mark.................... The Improvised Violin Concerto*

I. Fire

IV. Earth

V. Faith

Mark O’Connor, violin

O’CONNOR, Mark.................... Double Violin Concerto*

I. Swing

Mark and Maggie O’Connor, violins

Intermission

BARTOK .....................................

Concerto for Orchestra

Introduzione (Introduction)

Giuoco delle coppie (Game of Couples)

Elegia (Elegy)

Intermezzo interrotto (Interrupted Intermezzo)

Finale

*First Performance on this series

Mark and Maggie O’Connor use D’Addario Strings and Equipment

Listen to a broadcast of this performance on KUCO 90.1 FM on Thursday, December 7 at 7pm and Saturday, December 9 at 8 am on “Performance Oklahoma”.

THIS CONCERT IS GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:

ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, CONDUCTOR

MARK AND MAGGIE O’CONNOR, VIOLINS

Simultaneous internet streaming is also available during the broadcast.

Photo Credit Maia Rosenfeld

OKCPHIL SPOTLIGHT SCHOOL: El Sistema Oklahoma

GUEST ARTISTS

MARK O’CONNOR

Mark O’Connor began his creative journey at the feet of American fiddling legend Benny Thomasson, and the iconic French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Today, he has melded these influences into a new American classical music, and is perpetuating his vision of an American School of String Playing. Mr. O’Connor has won three Grammys, seven CMA awards and several national fiddle, guitar and mandolin champion titles. Mr. O’Connor has composed nine concertos and two symphonies recorded by the Baltimore Symphony, London Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony among others. O’Connor is well-known for his chamber music including his million-selling composition “Appalachia Waltz” featuring Yo-Yo Ma for the Sony Classical label. His current album is Life After Life, an Americana music collection of his original songs and some classics he sings with his wife Maggie O’Connor who is featured on lead vocals. In 2023, O’Connor released his memoir, Crossing Bridges: My Journey from Child Prodigy to Fiddler Who Dared the World.

Mr. O’Connor has authored a series of educational books called the O’Connor Method and is now the fastest growing violin method in the country. The O’Connor Method features American music styles, creativity, cultural diversity and western classical technical training.

MAGGIE O’CONNOR

American violinist/fiddler and vocalist, Maggie O’Connor performs a variety of musical styles throughout the U.S. and beyond, most recently as a member of the Grammy award-winning bluegrass group, the O’Connor Band. She spends most of her time now performing with her husband, violinist and composer Mark O’Connor. Together they have appeared as guest soloists with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, and appeared in violin duo performances in such prestigious settings as the Yehudi Menuhin Centennial celebration at the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Lockenhaus, Austria Musikfest, and the Leopold Auer Festival in Hungary. In an Americana duo setting, the couple tours music from their new album, Life After Life, a collection of original songs and classics. Along with performing, Maggie continues to work as co-director with Mr. O’Connor at O’Connor Method String Camp currently taking place in Charlotte, NC featuring the lesson book series that is rising in popularity each year.

Information on Mark and Maggie O’Connor can be found at www.markoconnor.com and www.maggieoconnorviolin.com

Information on the O’Connor Method for violin and strings is available at www.oconnormethod.com

For Mr. O’Connor’s downloadable sheet music and recordings on his own OMAC Records label, please visit www.markoconnor.com and www.omacrecords.com

Photo Credit Maia Rosenfeld

Photo Credit Alex Chapman, Southern Reel

Kauyumari

Gabriela Ortiz Torres

First Performance on this series

Born: December 20, 1964, in Mexico City, Mexico

Residing: Mexico City

Work composed: 2021, on commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Work premiered: October 9, 2021, at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic

Instrumentation: Two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, seed pod rattle, claves, jawbone, tambourine, metal güiro, sistrum, tam-tam, suspended cymbal, xylophone, glockenspiel, bass drum, snare drum, shaker, log drum, bongos, harp, and strings

Gabriela Ortiz was born into music; her parents were members of Los Folkloristas, an ensemble committed to preserving the traditional music of Mexico and Central America. She began playing Mexican music on the guitar and at nine started piano lessons. At the age of 15 she trained her sights on becoming a composer. “I started by listening,” she told interviewer Victoria Looseleaf of San Francisco Classical Voice, “and by intuition I started composing melodies and rhythms and thought that this is incredible. When I started studying Bartók, it was an open music to the new music world, an open window; and I thought that this is what I want to do—be a composer, rather than a pianist.”

After studying with the composers Mario Lavista and Federico Ibarra in Mexico and graduating from the Escuela Nacional de Música (Mexico City), she carried out advanced study at the Guildhall School of Music in England, worked for a year with composer Jacques Castérède at the Paris Conservatoire, and earned a Ph.D. in electro-acoustic composition from the City University

in London. She returned to Mexico City, where she has taught at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México since 2000. Her work has been recognized with numerous composition awards in Mexico and abroad. In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes, in 2019 was welcomed into the Academía de Artes, and in 2022 became the first woman composer inducted into El Colegio Nacional.

A number of her works grapple with Mexico’s social issues. This is the case with her three operas: drug wars in Únicamente la verdad (Only the Truth, nominated for a Latin Grammy as best classical contemporary composition), immigration between Mexico and the United States in Ana y su sombra (Ana and her Shadow), and the student unrest of 1968 in Luciérnaga (Firefly). In an interview with Tom Moore of Opera Today, she explained: “When I compose, I am not trying to sound Mexican. ... It is like an inner force that is just there, and I have to express that in sound. It probably has a Mexican identity, because it’s me, I live in Mexico, and I like my country.” And in an interview with Erika P. Bucio of the Mexico City newspaper Reforma, she explained that her Mexican roots and her European training join to create a unique space for her creativity: “My music navigates between those two worlds, but never in a literal way; I don’t dedicate myself to writing mambos. If there is an influence, it will be very decoded by my ear, my aesthetics and my own voice; I do not imitate, it is not literal.”

Traditional Mexican cultural practices do inform or inspire many of her works. These include a number of works situated in spiritual realms suggested by semi-staged presentation, such as her 1997 Altar de Muertos (Altar of the Dead) for string quartet (wearing masks in the final movement) and pre-Hispanic water drums, performed in a theatrical set evoking the Día de los Muertos.

She nonetheless casts her net wide and accepts musical influences with an open mind. “I have lots of influences,” she told Looseleaf. “I use everything that gives me some fuel for my creativity. I don’t think I should restrict myself to certain kinds of influences, because everything could give me ideas. I like folk music and pop and jazz. I have my favorite composers—Bartók, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel. I also like Thomas Adès and Kaija Saariaho. Everything that stimulates my creativity, it’s going to be there.”

Many listeners may think of Copland at the opening of her Kauyumari, its fanfare-like brass phrases sounding over a deep, dark-hued background. The music breaks into infectious rhythms and repeating motifs, with a rich percussion section adding much to the ever-increasing momentum, the melodic phrases gradually morphing

PROGRAM NOTES

in their specific contours while maintaining the work’s vibrant, hypnotic character.

From the Composer

Gabriela Ortiz provides this comment about her piece:

Among the Huichol people of Mexico, Kauyumari means “blue deer.” The blue deer represents a spiritual guide, one that is transformed through an extended pilgrimage into a hallucinogenic cactus called peyote. It allows the Huichol to communicate with their ancestors, do their bidding, and take on their role as guardians of the planet. Each year, these Native Mexicans embark on a symbolic journey to “hunt” the blue deer, making offerings in gratitude for having been granted access to the invisible world, through which they also are able to heal the wounds of the soul.

When I received the commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to compose a piece that would reflect on our return to the stage following the pandemic, I immediately thought of the blue deer and its power to enter the world of the intangible as akin to a celebration of the reopening of live music. Specifically, I thought of a Huichol melody sung by the De La Cruz family— dedicated to recording ancestral folklore—that I used for the final movement of my piece Altar de Muertos (Altar of the Dead), commissioned by the Kronos String Quartet in 1997.

I used this material within the orchestral context and elaborated on the construction and progressive development of the melody and its accompaniment in such a way that it would symbolize the blue deer. This in turn was transformed into an orchestral texture which gradually evolves into a complex rhythm pattern, to such a degree that the melody itself becomes unrecognizable (the imaginary effect of peyote and our awareness of the invisible realm), giving rise to a choral wind section while maintaining an incisive rhythmic accompaniment as a form of reassurance that the world will naturally follow its course.

—JMK

The Improvised Violin Concerto “Swing” from Double Violin Concerto

Mark O’Connor

First Performance on this series

Born: August 5, 1961, in Seattle, Washington Residing: Charlotte, North Carolina

Works composed:

The Improvised Violin Concerto in 2010, on commission from the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra; “Swing” in 1997

Works premiered:

The Improvised Violin Concerto on March 6, 2011, at Boston’s Symphony Hall, with Federico Cortese conducting the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra

“Swing” on August 12, 2000, at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, with Christoph Eschenbach conducting the Chicago Symphony, O’Connor and Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg as soloists

Instrumentation: For The improvised Violin Concerto, two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, tambourine, agogo bells, wood block, snare drum, conga drums, crash cymbals, bass drum, triangle, glockenspiel, ride cymbal, hi-hat, piano, celeste, harp, and strings, in addition to the solo violin; for “Swing,” two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, english horn, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon, three horns, two trumpets and bass trumpet, two trombones and bass trombone, tuba, timpani, cymbal, and strings.

The very definition of a crossover musician, Mark O’Connor has cultivated a style that draws from American country music, bluegrass, jazz, folk, and classical concert music. He began studying guitar at the age of five, and at 11 he veered toward the violin. He made prodigious progress, and at the age of 12 he signed a contract with Rounder Records. He embarked on the competition circuit, winning many awards on violin, mandolin, and guitar. He embarked on a full-time music career immediately after graduating

Photo Credit Jim McGuire

PROGRAM NOTES

from high school, appearing at the age of 17 at Carnegie Hall with jazz violin legend Stéphane Grappelli. It was the beginning of action-packed decades of music-making that so far have yielded 45 feature albums, as well as guest or sideman participation on nearly five hundred others, in the course of which he has earned

From the Composer

Mark O’Connor has provided these thoughts about the three movements from The Improvised Violin Concerto played in this concert

I dedicate each of the ... movements to basic, widely interpretable elements rather than specific thoughts or images. “Fire,” the first movement, is passionate, intense, and otherworldly—an excellent launching point. The fourth movement, “Earth,” invokes blues, rock and heavy metal to convey what I call the “salt of the Earth.” This movement represents the relationship between Earth and humanity. The final movement manifests what I call the fifth element, “Faith.” It is an invention of humanity, a celebration of the human spirit. After a series of hymnic chord sequences, the movement proceeds through Southern Gospel refrains before morphing into Gospel hoedowns and Buzzard Lope dances. It culminates in a throwdown Jubilee.

The sheet music for the solo violin part contains chord symbols (BAug, Gmaj7, and so on) rather than notes. These chord symbols indicate the harmonies in the orchestra. Otherwise, the solo part contains standard types of information: time signatures, measure numbers, rehearsal letters, tempi, and descriptions of individual sections (like “Impending inferno” and “Evaporation”) that inform the soloist’s ideas and mood.

—JMK

three Grammy awards. He was named Musician of the Year by the Country Music Association six years in a row (from 1991-96) and in 2009 was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame. He toured six continents as a cultural representative of the United States Information Agency and served as artist-in-residence at UCLA in 2008-2009 and at the University of Miami from 2010-15.

He has also proved to be an adept entrepreneur. His O’Connor Method, a series of instructional books, has been adopted by aspiring fiddlers nationwide, and it has led to his establishing an annual O’Connor Method String Camp, which he oversees with his wife, the fiddler Maggie O’Connor, near their home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the 1990s he became active as a composer of concert music. He has written three string quartets, various orchestral pieces exploring American folk traditions, and nine violin concertos, including his much-performed Fiddle Concerto, the Double Violin Concerto (which he and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg premiered in 2000, with the Chicago Symphony) and The Improvised Violin Concerto (introduced in 2011). In 1996 he composed The Olympic Reel for the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and in 1997 he wrote and performed music for the PBS series Liberty! The American Revolution.

When the subject of improvisation comes up today, many people think automatically of jazz, which does indeed allow for and rely on extemporaneous music-making. In earlier times, improvisation was very much a part of the classical musician’s arsenal, too, and even today audiences expect improvised input from organists and from early-music specialists. Although improvisation gradually disappeared from the training and practice of other classical musicians during the 20th century, ample documentation clarifies how central it was in early times, including 18th- and 19th-century instructional tomes and accounts of pianist-composers premiering concertos for which they had not yet written down the solo part—Mozart and Beethoven among them.

“The Improvised Violin Concerto,” writes O’Connor, “unites two disciplines: symphonic composition and improvisational performance art.” Over the course of about forty minutes—he calls it “the longest improvisation ever called for in a classical setting”—the featured violinist improvises a solo part, guided by predetermined harmonic progressions, playing against an orchestral background that is entirely written out. “I cannot envision designing a stable, long-form piece around orchestral improvisation,” he explains. “However, I do score ambient sounds and noise effects, which sound improvisational and thus serve as a link between the orchestra and the soloist. ... The violin part must be entirely improvised. Even if a small portion of the solo part were composed, the piece would not live up to its title. The violin must be unbridled, free to introduce its own ideas at any time. ... The orchestra must introduce and develop themes to provide form and logic. Its score must be essentially symphonic. This affords the violin the

PROGRAM NOTES

ultimate freedom to experiment with and respond to the themes and other musical materials. To emphasize this sense of freedom, I allow for extreme dynamic variation in the solo part. ... On the other hand, the violin has the right to remain silent in the softest moments.”

We also hear the first movement, “Swing,” from O’Connor’s Double Violin Concerto, which he composed as a vehicle for himself and violinist Nadia Salerno Sonnenberg. Each of the concerto’s three movements stresses a distinct musical style. “In this piece, I wanted to explore the jazz, swing, and blues side of my background,” O’Connor said. Premiering it with a mainstream classical violinist invited broad interpretative possibilities. “With this music,” he observed. “it becomes each of ours in a different way.” The “Swing” movement includes a large-scale cadenza in which the soloists alternate in telescoping segments, their parts eventually melding. O’Connor explains, “Each instrument has eight-bar solos, then four bars, then two bars each, then playing together. ... The other violin is playing written music, and I’m improvising, responding to the other violinist’s performance.”

Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra Instrumentation: Three flutes (third doubling piccolo), three oboes (third doubling English horn), three clarinets (third doubling bass clarinet), three bassoons (third doubling contrabassoon), four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, side drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, two harps, and strings

Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra towers as one of the summits of 20th-century symphonic music, but it is something of a miracle that the piece was written at all. Bartók had been trained at the Budapest Academy of Music, had immersed himself in the traditional music of Hungary and the Balkans (and of regions as distant as North Africa), and had found liberation in the harmonies and orchestration of contemporary French composers. While his distinguished countryman Zoltán Kodály drew on folklore to develop a distinctly Hungarian “classical” style, Bartók used the same influences to transcend borders, to achieve a sort of idealized universality.

There was a price to pay for this, and he often complained of being underappreciated by audiences and of experiencing financial trouble. He grew increasingly desperate as National Socialism overtook Central Europe in the 1930s, but he felt compelled to stay in Hungary to look after his adored mother. When she died, in 1939, Bartók wasted little time in preparing his exit, and in the fall of 1940 he and his family arrived in New York, where he spent the five years that remained to him.

Concerto for Orchestra

Béla Bartók

First Performance: 3/16/1969

Conductor: Guy Fraser Harrison

Last Performance: 4/9/2005

Conductor: Joel Levine

Born: March 25, 1881, in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary (now Sânnicolau Mare, Romania)

Died: September 26, 1945, in New York City Work composed: August 15 to October 8, 1943 Work premiered: December 1, 1944, in Boston’s Symphony Hall, with

The 59-year-old Bartók felt depressed and isolated in his new surroundings. He lacked energy and was plagued by ill health, the first symptoms of the leukemia that would kill him. He gave some concerts and received a grant from Columbia University to carry out research on Yugoslav folk music, but he became convinced that his career as a composer was over. Others gave in less easily. His English publisher, Ralph Hawkes, proposed that Bartók write a series of concertos for solo instruments and string orchestra along the lines of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, but nothing came of that suggestion until the summer of 1943. By then, Columbia’s grant money had run out and Bartók was in such precarious health that he was confined to a hospital.

At the instigation of two of Bartók’s similarly displaced Hungarian friends, the conductor Fritz Reiner and the violinist Joseph Szigeti, Serge Koussevitzky (the conductor of the Boston Symphony and a champion of contemporary music) dropped by the hospital to offer the composer a thousand-dollar commission for a new symphonic work. This was obviously an act of charity: Bartók’s weight had fallen to 87 pounds, and he was all but bankrupt. Resistant to handouts, he refused on the grounds that he doubted he

PROGRAM NOTES

could deliver the piece. But Koussevitzky, without missing a beat, improvised the white lie that his foundation required him to give Bartók a check for half the amount in order to secure the commission—a risk they wanted to assume—and that the remaining half would wait until the piece was completed. Bartók accepted the plan and the much-needed check, and during the summer and early fall of 1943 he managed to write the entire Concerto for Orchestra at a rural mountain getaway at Saranac Lake, in upstate New York.

It is ironic that Koussevitzky should have been the instigator of this masterpiece, since he had not been a particular aficionado of Bartók’s music previously. The new work converted him. What Koussevitzky got for his money was a splendid showpiece for his orchestra—for many of the solo wind-players and percussionists, as well as for the ensemble as a whole. Bartók provided a comment to help the listener: “The general mood of the work represents, apart from the jesting second movement, a gradual transition from the sternness of the first moment and the lugubrious death-song of the third to the lifeassertion of the last one.” These three movements are the “big” sections of the piece, with the second and fourth movements being more lightweight intermezzos.

Bartók attended the premiere in Boston against his doctors’ advice, and the enthusiastic cheering would be a highlight of his career. “It was worth the while,” he reported succinctly. After the premiere he revised his Concerto for Orchestra, lengthening the Finale (which he considered too abrupt) and bringing this masterpiece into the form in which it is nearly always presented today.

Why a Concerto?

The word “concerto” generally signifies a work in which a featured soloist, or sometimes a group of soloists, is pitted against the full orchestra in dramatic back-and-forth. But in the 20th century, composers began devising the so-called “concerto for orchestra,” in which individual players or sections of the symphony orchestra are given sequential moments in the spotlight. Hindemith wrote what may have been the first of these pieces in 1925, and in ensuing years “concertos for orchestra” were written by such figures as Walter Piston, Zoltán Kodály, Michael Tippett, Ulysses Kay, Witold Lutosławski, Roger Sessions, Joan Tower, and Robin Holloway, in addition to Béla Bartók, who commented: “The title of this symphony-like orchestral work is explained by its tendency to treat single orchestral instruments in a concertante or soloistic manner. The ‘virtuoso’ treatment appears, for instance, in the fugato sections of the development of the first movement (brass instruments), or in the perpetuum mobile-like passage of the principal theme in the last movement (strings), and especially in the second movement, in which pairs of instruments consecutively appear with brilliant passages.”

—JMK

JAMES M. KELLER

James M. Keller is the longtime Program Annotator of the San Francisco Symphony and was formerly Program Annotator of the New York Philharmonic and a staff writer-editor at The New Yorker. The author of Chamber Music: A Listener’s Guide (Oxford University Press), he is writing a sequel volume about piano music. Portions of the Bartók note appeared previously in the programs of the San Francisco Symphony and are used with permission.

GIFTS TO THE PHIL

The OKCPHIL gratefully acknowledges the generosity of individuals who have chosen to return concert tickets as a donation. This recognition reflects contributions made in the 2022-2023 concert season and are listed through July 20, 2023.

Anonymous (1)

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Sue Ann and Dudley Hyde

Mrs. Earl Ingram, III

Christina Jefferson

Rita Jencks

Cathy and Frank Keating

Linda Knox

Tom and Carolyn Kupiec

Mr. Forrest Lacy

Mary Jane Lawson

Kathy Leithner

Robert Leveridge

Virginia Locke

Gabriella Martin

Dr. Carol McCoy, Ph.D.

Mr. Robert O. McDonald

Elizabeth McGuiness

John and Anna McMillin

Abigail J. Moore

Judy and Wes Morrison

Annette Munson

Mr. Joe Muzarol

Debra and Don Nevard

Mr. Tim Newville

Charles L. Oppenheim

Chintan Parikh

Tiffany and Corey Phelps

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Pickard

William R. Powell

Richard Pralle

Mary and Bill Price

Jack B. and Rebecca Rackley

Sandy Raffealli

Mrs. Paul G. Rasmussen

Valerie Reimers

Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon M. Reznik

Ms. Ruthie Riggs

Jim and Claudia Robertson

Dr. and Mrs. Michael Fred Robinson

Kyle Rogers

Lyla Rousseau

Dr. Linda Rowland Woody, Ph. D.

Carl J. and Deborah Rubenstein

Dr. Lois Salmeron

Dr. and Mrs. Olaseinde Sawyerr

Hank and Anne Schank

Elizabeth Schumacher

Pam and Bill Shdeed

Jerrod and Jamie Shouse

Cecil Smith

Ms. Kathy Smith

Dr. Richard V. Smith and Jan J. Smith

Tom and Venita Springfield

Fred Staker

Amy Stephens

Dr. and Mrs. James B. Stewart, Jr.

Jonathan and Andrea Stone

Dennis and Marianne Stover

Reta and Richard Strubhar

Greg Taber

Tisha Thompson

Mr. Phillip S. Tomlinson

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Towell

Sarah Tracy

Carol Troy

Mrs. June Tucker

Ms. Anita Wallinger

Stephen Wanger

Phillip and Ashton Whaley

Mr. Philip Winters

Patty Woodbridge

Ms. Marcia E. Woodward

Jim and Polly Worthington

Odile Wright

Carolyn T. and Don T. Zachritz

GIFTS TO THE PHIL

INDIVIDUALS

Continued from page 21

Mr. Charles B. Darr, III

Mr. Charles Darr

Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Dearmon

Tony and Pam Dela Vega

Vickie Dennis

Gary and Fran Derrick

Kevin and Alisha Dunnington

Nancy Payne Ellis

Dr. and Mrs. Royice B. Everett

Kristen and AJ Ferate

Dr. Thurma J. Fiegel

Debbie Fleming

Mr. and Mrs. Kelly George

Natalie Kurkjian and Christopher Geyer

Ann Felton Gilliland

Drs. Stephen and Pamela Hamilton

Kirk Hammons

Brent Hart and Matt Thomas

Walt and Jean Hendrickson

Frank and Bette Jo Hill

Mr. and Mrs. Joe R. Homsey, Jr.

Thomas and Elizabeth Hrubik

Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Johnson

Zach Johnson

Margaret and Drake Keith

Mike and Kay Kellogg

Ms. Claren Kidd

Debra and Kristian Kos

Mike and Kay Lacey

Linda and Duke R. Ligon

Barbara Masters, M.D.

Mr. and Mrs. Tom J. McDaniel

Mr. and Mrs. John A. McCaleb

Cindy and Johnny McCharen

Debbie McKinney

John and Anna McMillin

Mr. and Mrs. K. T. Meade, Jr.

Sandra Meyers

Tom and Katherine Milam

Tom and Peggy Miller

Jason Milner

Betsy Mitschke and Steven Helt

Gene Muse

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Norick

Edward Oliver

Charles L. Oppenheim

Deann Merritt Parham

Tiffany and Corey Phelps

Mary and Bill Price

Larry Reed

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Rees

Tracy Romberger

Mrs. Lil Ross

Mr. Donald Rowlett

Kathryn Ryan

Ernesto and Lin Sanchez

Larry and Patricia Sanford

Fred and Maria Schmitt

Jeff Scott

Mr. and Mrs. John M. Seward

Pam and Bill Shdeed

John Shelton

Robert and Susan Shoemaker

Jerrod and Jamie Shouse

Ms. Jeanne Hoffman Smith

Dr. Richard V. Smith and Jan J. Smith

Rick and Amanda Smith

Donald J. Smock, M.A.

Jeff and Sally Starling

Susan Sutter

Jane Tubb

Robert and Sharon Varnum

Drs. Bobby and Geetika Verma

Mrs. Janet Walker

Ron and Janie Walker

Robert and Tammy Weiss

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth K. Wert

Larry L. and Leah A. Westmoreland

Rainey Williams

Mrs. Carol Wright

M. Blake and Nancy Yaffe

FRIEND

$1,000 - $1,499

Anonymous (2)

H.G. and Sharon Adams

Tom and Fran Ayres

Dr. Sterling and Cheryl Baker

Rev. Dr. Carl Bosteels, D.Min.

Barbara J. Bunce

Louise W. Cheek

Dr. Thomas Coniglione

Dr. William Cook

Sean Cummings

Mr. Joel Dixon

Melinda Finley

Sue and John Francis

Dr. Ralph and Lois Ganick

Nina Gaugler

Melvin and Bobbie Gragg

Sam and Joy Hammons

David and Sandra Haskett

JoAnn H Holden

Claudia and John Holliman

Lois and Roger Hornbrook

Mary Lu Jarvis

Lauren and Rich Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. L.J. Johnson

Kent and Brenda Johnson

Mrs. Lou Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc.

Mary Jane Lawson

Sharon and Ken Lease

Brad and Janet Marion

Anita R. May

Dr. Scott McCalla

Mrs. Barbara Pirrong

Elizabeth Ryan

Mary Sherman

Ms. Jeanne Hoffman Smith

Chris Steves

Dr. and Mrs. James B. Stewart, Jr.

Jonathan and Andrea Stone

Mr. Phillip S. Tomlinson

Mrs. June Tucker

Katherine Walker

Rainey and Casey William

PARTNER

$500 - $999

Dr. Gillian Air

Dr. Mary Zoe Baker

Mr. and Mrs. Van A. Barber

Mrs. Gail Beals

Ms. Pamela Bloustine

Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Calvert

Mrs. Jo Carol Cameron

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Cloer

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Couch

Kay and Kraettli Epperson

Bruce W. and Joanne Ewing

Mr. and Mrs. John E. Frank

Charles Gilbert

Mr. and Mrs. Keith G. Golden

George M. and Jo Hall

Dr. Nancy K. Hall Collins

Dr. Nancy and Capt. George Hector

David and Marilyn Henderson

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Johnson

D. Benham and Cheryl Kirk

Mr. and Mrs. Joe A. McKenzie

Annette Munson

Jim Murtaugh

Mr. Tim Newville

Michael and Ginger Penn

Sandra Peyton

Susan and Steve Raybourn

Jim Roth

Carl J. and Deborah Rubenstein

Kelly and Andy Sachs

John and Hattie Santore

Lee Allan Smith

John and Katherine Spaid

Dennis and Marianne Stover

Reta and Richard Strubhar

Ms. Judie Webb

Dick Wegener

Linda and Mike Zeeck

Flashdragon Investments

GR PRO LLC

MEMBER

$250 - $499

Anonymous (2)

John and Nancy Alsup

Judy Austin

Mr. Paul D. Austin and Jane Ford Austin

Judy Barnett

Sherry K. Barton

Brent D. Bell, D.O.

Jackie and Jerry Bendorf

Dr. and Mrs. Harry Boyd

Ryan Bunyan

Jean C. Burke

Linda Burrows

Ms. Carol Combs

Merle and Elizabeth Davis

Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Davis

Dr. Nancy Dawson

Carole Doerner

Brandon Downey

Mr. David J. Feroli

Mrs. Betty Foster

Mr. George R. Francis, Jr.

George R. Francis, Jr.

Steven Graham and Vicky Leloie Kelly

Lauren and Rich Johnson

Rosemary and Paul Lewis

Allison Matoi

Mrs. M. Geraldine Mayes

Ms. Rebecca L. McNeese

Frank McPherson

Terry L. Mock

Monireh Mohamadi

Kevin Pitcock

Jack B. and Rebecca Rackley

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Reaves

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Rus

Jody and Pat Smith

Rick Spence

Greg Taber

Ken Thiele

Bethany Toombs

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Towell

Ms. Xiao-Hong Sun and Mr. Xiaocong Peng

GIFTS TO THE PHIL

SPECIAL GIFTS

Honor loved ones, celebrate occasions, recognize achievements and support the Philharmonic’s mission.

In Memory of Priscilla Braun

Linda and Patrick Alexander

Jeanne Blair

Jordan Braun

Brian Burgher

Fountaingate Homeowners Association

John and Susan Frank

H&L Exploration Company, LLC

Mrs. Jane B. Harlow

George S. Johnson and Jerri L. Johnson

Susan Kivel

Melinda and Henry Musselman

Mona Preuss

Dawn and Mitch Rubinstein

Linda and Floyd Skarky

Providence Home Care

In Honor of Joan Bryant

Beth and James Hammack

In Memory of William B. and Helen P. Cleary

Steven C. Agee, Ph.D.

Marilyn and Bill Boettger

Louise Cleary Cannon

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Evans, II

In Memory of James Crawley

Charles Gilbert

Mr. H.E. Rainbolt

In Memory of Herschal Crow

Ms. Betty Crow

In Honor of Marti Ferretti

Sondra and Steve Balaban

In Honor of Jane Jayroe Gamble

Dr. Nancy K. Hall Collins

In Memory of Grandmother

Cornelia Hogg

Jane Hogg Krizer

In Memory of Drake Keith

Mr. and Mrs. Van A. Barber

Armida Corral

Ms. Betty Crow

P.J and F.R. Deer

Dr. and Mrs. Ronald C. Elkins

Mrs. Jane B. Harlow

KC Hasenbeck

Dr. and Mrs. James Lowe

Donna McCampbell

Hugh T. McDonald

Kerry Moravec

Penn and Quill Book Club

GR PRO LLC

Mrs. Lil Ross

Marc & Susan Silver

Martha Tracey

Dr. Don and Eleanor Whitsett

Allen B Wright

In Honor of Katherine A. Kirk

D. Benham and Cheryl Kirk

In Honor of Linda Mason

Anonymous

In Honor of June H. Parry

Anonymous

In Memory of William Ross

Inasmuch Foundation

In Memory of Bobbie Robbins

Ronald T. and Linda Rosser

McDaniel

In Memory of Marilyn Rohleder

Betty Garabedian

In Honor of Paulette Schroeder

Shirley Jones

In Memory of Dick Sias

Linda and Patrick Alexander

Nancy B. and Bob Anthony

Joe and Nancy Bradley

Sandra Cleary, Patty Lewis, and Kemi Harris

Mr. Sean Cummings

John and Susan Frank

Dr. Geraldine Gesell

Mrs. Jane B. Harlow

Kim and Michael Joseph

Kris and Peter Markes

Oklahoma Youth Orchestras

Catherine D Sconzo-Blackburn

Doug and Susie Stussi

Ralph and Barbara Thompson

The Fortune Club

The Kerr Foundation, Inc.

In Honor of Emily Stoops

Betsy Banks

In Memory of Dr. Kenneth Tucker

Mrs. June Tucker

In Memory of Tristan Van Allen

Thomas Allen

In Memory of Donna

Kennedy-Vogel

Kelly Feroli

Mrs. Jane Harlow

Margret and Drake Keith

Donna McCampbell

In Honor of Valerie Watts

Mary Margaret Holt

In Honor of Renata Wiggin

Dr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Carey

In Memory of Ruth Youngheim

Karen Ross

In Honor of Hong Zhu

Larry and Leah Westmoreland