AN EVENING OF BRAHMS MOORES SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRAS MONZER HOURANI, GUEST CONDUCTOR
Johannes Brahms
SATURDAY April 30th, 2022 at 7:30 Moores Opera House An Evening of Brahms 1
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the Moores Opera House. Situated in the one of the largest and most diverse cities in the nation, the Moores School of Music is dedicated to the success of our students and faculty through music education, performance, and scholarship. Our mission is to make a positive impact through music; our values are based on respect for each other, and a sincere desire to learn and grow with the members of our community. This incredibly rich learning environment, combined with our commitment to providing a complete and comprehensive music training experience, has led our graduates to extraordinary careers and it makes Moores the ideal destination for musical creativity and education. I invite you to become a member of the Moores Society in support of our student scholarships and programs by visiting uh.edu/music. Also, be sure to check our concert calendar regularly for one of our many upcoming events. The music never stops at Moores! Enjoy the concert! Sincerely,
Hannah Deplazes Dr. Courtney Crappell 2909 Hayes Rd APT 904, Houston, TX 77082 Director, Moores School of Music 701-509-2559 veazey.7@hotmail.com October 28th, 1998; 22
Employers Teacher’s Assistant for the Aural Skills and Music Theory Departments of University of Houston, August 2021-current I aid in research, grade papers, and tutor for several courses including Aural Skills I a III, Theory I and III, and Introduction to Large Forms. An Evening Music teacher at Destiny Childcare, Minot, ND; August 2020-July 2021 of Brahms 3 I offered introductory classes about instruments, rhythm, notation, solfege, and
MONZER HOURANI MONZER HOURANI attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he earned degrees in Structural Engineering and Architectural Studies in 1969. In 1971, Mr. Hourani founded M. Hourani and Associates Consulting Engineers and other companies. He was involved in engineering innovations of many building techniques and engineering concepts that have had great impact on the construction and economy of the building industry in the U.S. A major accomplishment as an engineer was Mr. Hourani’s development of the state-ofthe-art system in post-tension foundation, for which he was awarded Engineer of the Year in Houston (1973). His other inventions include an oil skimmer for major oil spills, the patented Hurricane Window Brace for wind forces over category 4 or 5, and most recently the Biodefense Indoor Air Protection System, IVP. He received the 2021 Outstanding Award of Excellence and Newsmaker of the Year for 2020 from Engineering News-Record for his warp speed invention to help fight COVID-19. As the CEO and founder of Medistar Corporation, Monzer Hourani currently directs the successful operations of one of the most dynamic medical real estate development companies in the U.S. Medistar develops all types of healthcare facilities throughout the U.S., primarily acute-care hospitals, teaching hospitals, long-term acute care facilities, integrated medical facilities, ambulatory and outpatient buildings, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, cancer treatment centers and imaging centers. Medistar is also very involved in mixed-use developments throughout the U.S. The philosophy which Mr. Hourani has always followed in each of his development endeavors is to develop, design and construct very economical and modern buildings while maintaining a superior, quality product and to complement the latest advances in technology and medicine.
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Mr. Hourani would like to dedicate tonight’s performance to two very special people in his life – Glenda Perryman, who is celebrating her birthday today, April 30th, and the late, great United States Senator, Orrin Hatch, who has been his best friend for the past 45 years.
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MOORES SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, Director of Orchestras MONZER HOURANI, Guest Conductor SATURDAY April 30th, 2022 at 7:30 Moores Opera House PROGRAM Remarks Dr. Andrew Davis, Dean, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73 I.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio non troppo III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andantino) IV. Allegro con spirito Hungarian Dance No. 2 in D Minor
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Johannes Brahms Arr. Andreas Hallén
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PROGRAM NOTES BRAHMS SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN D MAJOR, OP. 73 It is a strange thought indeed that mere decades had passed between an era in which composers like Haydn and Vanhal spun out dozens of symphonies, each more seemingly-effortless than the last – and one in which Brahms, the master symphonist of the late 19th century, struggled mightily with the genre, tossing sketch after sketch into the fire as he struggled to create in the shadow of Beethoven. In any case, he finally managed to finish a brilliant symphony in 1876, after over a decade of work on the piece. While the piece was a modest success, the composer himself was less than fully satisfied, and it is perhaps this feeling which proved the greatest impetus for his return to the genre soon thereafter. Amidst rising adulation in both Germany and abroad, the years following the premiere of his first symphony found Brahms writing some of his most enduring works, among them the Violin Concerto, the Academic Festival and Tragic Overtures, and this, his second symphony. In the summer of 1877, Brahms, while on his way to Vienna, paused for the night in the Austrian retreat town of Pörtschach am Worthersee, an idyllic locale set, as its name suggests, next to a sprawling lake. As he would later write to Clara Schumann, he found the place so wonderful and calming that he decided to stay, and returned each summer thereafter for several years. Summers on the lake tend to be wet, so Brahms would have found himself indoors watching the changing weather. Perhaps it was the dramatic juxtaposition of the rain and the warm sun that led to the piece’s overall mood, one which Brahms later referenced in regard to “the black wings [of melancholy that] are constantly flapping above us.” The symphony was scheduled to be premiered in early December 1877, with the Wiener Philharmoniker under Hans Richter. Unfortunately, melancholy (or bad luck) struck, and the premiere had to be delayed until the 30th, as the orchestra needed extra time to learn Das Rheingold.
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PROGRAM NOTES BRAHMS HUNGARIAN DANCE NO. 2 The nineteenth century was an era of upheaval and discovery, as the growth of popular national identities and globe-spanning empires reached new heights. In Europe, these twin movements were reflected in modes of cultural expression which celebrated art from both home and abroad. As part of the former, we see celebratory and deeply-felt pieces reflecting national pride from a wide range of nations and peoples, resulting in a library’s worth of mazurkas, variations on national anthems, and character pieces reflecting landscapes and folk dances. But with the delivery of tea from India and goods from East Asia came souvenirs of those cultures as well, leading eventually to music celebrating what was viewed as “exotic.” With these changes came challenges, however, and some of the the various surges of national identity led to conflict, such as in the Hungarian uprising in 1848. While the Hapsburgs successfully stamped out the revolution, Hungarian national identity continued at a fever pitch. The toll of the uprising was heavy, however, and before long neighboring countries began to see a steady stream of refugees. Composers, especially those in Germany, were quick to notice the vibrancy of the music these Hungarian refugees brought, and were soon composing new works in that style. As a young musician in Hamburg, Brahms would have heard such tunes played by folk musicians on street corners and in various cafés, but it was from Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi, with whom he toured, that he began to immerse himself in the music. Brahms began writing his own Hungarian Dances, scored for piano four-hands, which he described not as entirely original compositions, but instead “genuine [Roma] children, which I… brought up with bread and milk.” These quickly became wildly popular, and as a set were orchestrated by Brahms and others.
Program Notes by Mark Buller (MSM DMA ’15) www.MarkBullerComposer.com
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MOORES SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, Director of Orchestras FLUTES WEN-HSIU LAI, principal TABYTHA DONNELLY RACHEL MADDEN OBOES MATTHEW HARMS, principal MATTHEW GLATTFELDER CLARINETS ADAM BOSWELL, co-principal HAROLD GOMEZ MONTOYA, co-principal DANIEL MILLAN BASSOONS DIMA SAVITSKI, co-principal DANIEL WESTERFIELD, co-principal HALEY HOUK ANYA JOHNSON HORNS ADAM HARRINGTON, co-principal JOEY TROIA, co-principal GENNY EIFLER DAVID HOLTGREWE ALEX MATA NICHOLAS SILVA TRUMPETS NICK ENGLE, co-principal RYAN MCARTHUR, co-principal MICHAEL REMISH BRIAN MENDEZ TENOR TROMBONES STEVEN LUONG, co-principal JULIAN TRINIDAD, co-principal BASS TROMBONE KATJANA NAGEL, principal TUBA JOSE C. MARTINEZ, principal TIMPANI BRANDON FURMAN, co-principal ARTHUR GILLIGAN, co-principal
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PERCUSSION JACOB KLINE, principal CAMERON BOUDOUSQUIE CARISSA LEDESMA MAX STEWART TYLER SUTTON FIRST VIOLINS JONATHAN ANDINO, concertmaster BERNINI CHAN, associate concertmaster JULIA TONDERA, assistant concertmaster SAMANTHA ARIZPE ISABELLA BENGOCHEA JASON CHAVIERS LAURA CIVIDINO EMILY GLADSTONE MIRANDA HOLLINGSWORTH BRIAN HOWE GILYOUNG KANG MARCIO MARTINEZ MCKENNA MILLER RICARDO JIMENEZ MONTOYA LUIS OSORIO DANIEL TORRES
VIOLAS YUXUAN ZHANG, principal NATHAN SMITH, associate principal HAOQIN CHENG, assistant principal MELISSA BALLI MILES BI BRIAN BIRES MELISSA ESCOBAR MAGGIE LYTLE BENJAMIN PETREE NICHOLAS WYNN VIOLONCELLI MITCHELL WRIGHT, principal SAMUEL LINZAN, associate principal HANNAH DEPLAZES, assistant principal STEPHANIE AGUILAR BRANDON ENGLAND YIBO GUAN JOSHUA LOPEZ GRACIE MARTINEZ HENNA MOHAMED JULIAN MONTEZ KAYLA NGUYEN ELIZABETH SPENCER ADDIE SWANN GIDEON WEAVER EMILY YEH
SECOND VIOLINS MING-WEI HSIEH, principal second IWONA AUGUSTYN, assistant principal second JESSIKA ALBUQUERQUE JAVIER CASTRO CONTRABASSI DUSTIN CUNNINGHAM SHARON MONTES, principal JORDAN EFIRD REID RONSONETTE, associate principal ALEXANDER GARCIA MAGGIE BISHOP, assistant principal LIZBETH GARCIA-GOMEZ ELI DRAKE NATALIE MANN LAVELLE FLORENCE MOJGAN MISAGHI MACKENZIE GIBBONS ALYSSA PASAOL NATALIE LINARES LUIS RAMIREZ BRUCE MANNING NAYELI SANCHEZ BELLA TRIMINIO DANIELA YEPES ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING STUDIO CHARLES JEONG, DMA, Assistant Conductor RINGEL SAT, MM, Assistant Conductor
GENERAL STAFF AIDAN SMERUD, General Manager MYLES NARDINGER, GM Emeritus & Consultant PAUL RECKER, Staff Assistant
The Moores School Symphony Orchestra is conducted by UH Director of Orchestras, Franz Anton Krager. As a major ensemble with over 110 members, the orchestra performs is a leading ensemble in the area of new music as well as being an important repository for the standard literature, presenting works from all major orchestral genres including full orchestra, chamber orchestra, opera, oratorio and ballet. The orchestra collaborates on a regular basis with the Moores Opera Center, MSM choirs and the Houston Ballet Academy. The high level of its performances has been hailed by international artists and critics alike as a student ensemble of professional quality and versatility. For furthre information, visit our website at uh.edu/orchestra.
SPECIAL THANKS The Moores School Symphony Orchestra would like to thank the following faculty and staff members for their invaluable assistance in helping to prepare this concert: Mark Buller Courtney Crappell Andrew Davis Eric Dowding Karina Duran Kristin Johnson Ornella Santee Katherine Turner Tobin Wright
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