ESO Signature Magazine: Apr/May 2017

APR/MAY 2017

rOad tO JOy

The YONA-Sistema year-end celebration

an all ludwig ShOw

Early Classics goes Beethoven

One Singular SenSatiOn

A Pops tribute to Marvin Hamlisch

POrter & PriOr

Tchaikovsky & Sibelius at the Masters

Photo: Eric Kozakiewicz

WE TAKE PEOPLE PLACES. BUT IT’S MUSIC THAT TRULY MOVES THEM. Official airline of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

signature Contents Volume 32, Number 7 | aPr / MaY 2017

publiSHEd For the edmonton symphony Orchestra at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music 9720 102 Avenue, Edmonton AB T5J 4B2 Administration: 780-428-1108 Box Office: 780-428-1414 Email: info@ winspearcentre.com Website: www.edmontonsymphony.com eso editor

D.T. Baker John Estacio & D.T. Baker

program notes

Letters to the editor, comments and/or suggestions are welcome.

publiSHEd by

wElcomE

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arTiSTic & lEadErSHip TEam

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EdmonTon SympHony orcHESTra 2016/17

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FEaTurE: road To Joy

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(Eddins, Petrov, McPherson, Uchida)

THE EdmonTon SympHony orcHESTra

2016/2017 SEASON

robbinS ligHTEr claSSicS FiFTEEn SoloiSTS (April 20)

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Sunday SHowcaSE TcHaikovSky & cHopin (April 23)

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robbinS popS a TribuTE To marvin HamliScH onE Singular SEnSaTion (April 28 & 29)

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ErS & SHErbrookE liquor STorE livE aT THE winSpEar bEnJamin groSvEnor in rEciTal (MAy 5) Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

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Symphony Orchestra, is published from September to June.

Contents copyright 2017 by Edmonton Symphony Orchestra/ Francis Winspear Centre for Music. No part of this publication should be reproduced without written permission.

lExuS Friday maSTErS / SaTurday maSTErS TcHaikovSky & SibEliuS (MAy 12 & 13)

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quikcard Early claSSicS midwEEk immorTal bEETHovEn (MAy 17)

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ESo board & SEnior STaFF

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our SupporTErS

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#300, 10339 124 Street, Edmonton, AB T5N 3W1 Inquiries: 780-990-0839 Fax: 780-425-4921 Email: sales@venturepublishing.ca Website: www.venturepublishing.ca publisher managing editor art director graphic designer vice president of sales director of sales senior account executive

Ruth Kelly Kim Tannas Charles Burke Andrew Wedman Anita McGillis Sue Timanson Kathy Kelley

Signature magazine, the official publication of the Edmonton

The end of each ESO season also marks the end of another year for the young musicians of the youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta-Sistema (yONA-Sistema) program. The road to Joy concert celebrates all that these remarkable students have achieved, in life and in music. This year’s version takes place June 13.

Find out more on page eight.

Robert Bernhardt, conductor soloists from the ESO

Alain Trudel, conductor Dasol Kim, piano / Rafael Hoekman, cello

Jack Everly, conductor Marissa McGowan, vocalist

Alexander Prior, conductor Simone Porter, violin

William Eddins, conductor & piano Robert Uchida & Eric Buchmann, violins / Rafael Hoekman, cello

Photo: Carmyn Joy Effa

On the COver APril/MAy 2017

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W T

Welcome

hE EnD Of EACh OrChEStrAl SEASOn givES uS mAny ChAnCES

to look back, and take a moment to say thank you. And one of our favourite ways of doing this has been our Road to Joy performances, a chance for you – our patrons – to see the good work being done with our Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta-Sistema (YONA-Sistema) program. As many of you know, I am a passionate believer in the myriad of important, positive impacts music has in our lives, and our YONA-Sistema students demonstrate that every day.

We hope you can join us on June 13 for this year’s Road to Joy, and hear the sound of nearly 80 young musicians from several city-centre schools as they share with you what they’ve learned this past year – and as they get a chance to make music with their heroes in the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. You can learn more about it on page eight, and of course learn all about the program at YONA-Sistema.com.

It’s only because of the nurturing, generous community we live in that a program such as this can have the impact it does on these remarkable young people, and we cannot thank you enough.

ESO / Winspear Centre Vision: Providing outstanding music experiences for individuals, families and the community and a place where those experiences evoke the height of personal emotion, adventure, and excitement.

Annemarie Petrov Executive Director Edmonton Symphony Orchestra & Winspear Centre

A Photo: D.T. Baker

he 2016/17 season marks the 12th and final season for William Eddins as Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Under his guidance, the orchestra has reflected his tremendous passion and enthusiasm, as well as his diverse musical curiosity – while establishing a major profile in the Edmonton cultural community.

His ESO tenure has sparkled with memorable performances, from Mozart concertos he has led from the piano to daring performances of Stravinsky (Petrushka, The Rite of Spring), Bartók (The Miraculous Mandarin), and Messiaen (L’Oiseaux exotiques). He conducted the ESO at its triumphant debut at Carnegie Hall in 2012, mentored Lucas Waldin as Conductor in Residence, and oversaw tremendous artistic growth in the orchestra itself. His time here has seen him conduct concerts in every subscription series in addition to galas and special performances. He continues

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s Executive Director of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, annEmariE PEtrov believes in the transformative power of music. She is privileged to oversee the administration of a flagship Canadian performing ensemble and an internationally renowned concert hall; one built 20 years ago by a community that embodied today’s Make Something Edmonton movement.

Over the past eight years, Annemarie has built a high-performing organization, integrating the operations of both the concert hall and symphony orchestra, and steadfastly growing their endowment funds. For Annemarie, people are an organization’s most valuable asset, especially when they understand

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ohn mcPhErson has been a multi-faceted professional

musician for over 40 years who is now increasingly making his mark as a notable Canadian composer. Commissions and grants have been received from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Recital Society, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Grande Prairie Regional College, and the Debut, Wild Rose, and Beau String Quartets.

His works have been performed by the ESO, Festival City Pops Orchestra, Mark Fewer, Bill Eddins, Robert Uchida, Hammerhead Consort, Take 3, Windrose Trio, NOWage Orchestra, Beau Quartet, XIA string quartet, and others. Many of these performances have been recorded and broadcast on programs such as Arts National, Two New Hours, and Alberta in Concert.

A native of Edmonton, John was a student of composer and trombonist Malcolm Forsyth. He has been Principal Trombone of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra since 1980,

that tradition in 2016/17.

Bill Eddins lives in Minneapolis with his wife Jen, a clarinetist, and their two sons Raef and Riley. He continues to be a passionate chamber musician as well as a guest conductor. Their home now boasts a state-ofthe-art recording studio, built

by Mr. Eddins himself. Bill caught the conducting bug while a piano student at the Eastman School of Music. In 1989, he began conducting studies at the University of Southern California with Daniel Lewis, followed by assistant conductorships at both the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony (the latter under Daniel Barenboim). For more, visit WilliamEddins.com

their part in a compelling strategic vision. The cornerstone of her vision for the Winspear Centre’s long-term plan is focused on four key strategies: being a true centre for music in our community, delivering exceptional experiences, inspiring musical creativity, and ensuring resiliency and sustainability.

The plan has resulted in milestones such as the orchestra’s return to Fort McMurray after two decades, the Winspear Centre’s Completion Project which will see the addition of smaller performance and program spaces, and the launch of the Tommy Banks Institute for Musical Creativity, delivering educational and community-based musical arts programs for all ages. This includes YONA-Sistema, the city-centre afterschool program that the ESO launched three years ago with the help of Rotary.

Annemarie has been recognized nationally with numerous awards for her visionary leadership.

having previously played with the Toronto Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, National Ballet of Canada, and Canadian Chamber Ensemble. In other areas, he has been a member of the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra, Bad for Business Big Band, Plumbers Union, and Albertasaurus.

Active as an educator, John recently co-created an educational outreach project for students in Fort McMurray and is the low brass instructor at the University of Alberta’s Department of Music. John is taking a leave in 2016/17 from his positions at both the ESO and the University of Alberta in order to devote his time to composing new works.

Composer in Residence program generously supported by 6 signature

www.Edmontonsymphony.com

Photo: Aaron Au

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Photo: Michael Woolley

artistic & leadership team

THE EdmonTon SympHony orcHESTra

William Eddins

2016/2017 SEASon

Photo: Bo Huang

Music Director

C

anadian violinist

RobeRt Uchida has been hailed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” (strings Magazine). a regularly featured guest soloist with many of canada’s orchestras and chamber music festivals, robert recently had the honour of performing Bottessini’s grand Duo concertante with bassist edgar Meyer under the direction of William eddins. concertmaster of the edmonton symphony Orchestra, robert previously held the same position with symphony nova scotia and during the 05/06 season robert performed as associate concertmaster of the rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. engagements as a guest leader have included projects with the netherlands radio chamber Philharmonic and the vancouver symphony Orchestra. He is a founding member of the toronto-based Xia Quartet. robert’s cD recordings include requiem 21.5: violin concerto by tim Brady for centreDiscs, which won classical recording of the Year at the ecMas, sonata for Unaccompanied violin by andrew violette for innova records, and the “alpine symphony” under edo de Waart as guest concertmaster of the royal Flemish Philharmonic. robert’s versatility has brought him to perform with baroque specialists such as Frans Brüggen, Jeanne lamon, and elizabeth Wallfisch and to work with composers such as John corigliano and richard Danielpour. robert serves on the faculty at the University of alberta and has held teaching positions at acadia University, the Manhattan school of Music, and the national arts centre’s Young artist Program. robert performs on an outstanding lorenzo ventapane violin made in naples, italy in 1820 and uses vision solo titanium violin strings by thomastikinfeld vienna.

[ FlUTE ] [ Violin i ] Elizabeth Koch 1 Robert Uchida, Shelley Younge 2 Concertmaster The John & Barbara Poole Family Concertmaster Chair [ oBoE ] lidia Khaner 1 5 Eric Buchmann, Suzanne lemieux 3 Associate Concertmaster Paul Schieman, 2 Virginie Gagné, The Steven & Day Assistant Concertmaster LePoole Assistant Broderyck olson Principal Oboe Chair Richard Caldwell Joanna Ciapka-Sangster [ ClARinET ] laura Veeze Julianne Scott 1 Anna Kozak David Quinn 2 Aiyana Anderson-Howatt neda Yamach [ BASSoon ] William Harrison 1 5 [ Violin ii ] 1 Matthew Howatt 3 Dianne new 2 Edith Stacey 2 Susan Flook Heather Bergen [ HoRn ] Pauline Bronstein 5 Allene Hackleman 1 Zoë Sellers Megan Evans 2 Robert Hryciw Gerald onciul 2 Tatiana Warszynski Donald Plumb 2 Murray Vaasjo [ ViolA ] Stefan Jungkind 1 Charles Pilon 2 5 Clayton leung 4 Rhonda Henshaw Andrew Bacon [ CEllo ] Rafael Hoekman, 1 The Stuart & Winona Davis Principal Cello Chair Brian Yoon 4 Ronda Metszies Gillian Caldwell Derek Gomez Victor Pipkin [ BASS ] Jan Urke 1 John Taylor 2 Janice Quinn Rob Aldridge

[ TRUMPET ] Robin Doyon 1 Frédéric Payant 2 [ TRoMBonE ] John McPherson 1 5 Erik Hongisto 3 Kathryn Macintosh 2 [ BASS TRoMBonE ] Christopher Taylor 1 [ TUBA ] Scott Whetham 1 [ TiMPAni ] Barry nemish 1 [ PERCUSSion ] Brian Jones 1 [ HARP ] nora Bumanis 1

The ESO works in proud partnership with the AF of M (American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada) Local 390.

APril/MAy 2017

1 PrinciPal 2 assistant PrinciPal 3 acting PrinciPal 4 acting assistant PrinciPal 5 On leave

lAUREATE & EMERiTUS ARTiSTS Uri Mayer, Conductor Laureate Charles Hudelson, Principal Clarinet Emeritus Alvin lowrey, Principal Trumpet Emeritus

oRCHESTRA PERSonnEl Eric Filpula, Orchestra Personnel Manager Aaron Christopher Hawn, Orchestra Librarian The following musicians may appear at performances in this issue: Curtis Appleton Banjo Aaron Au Viola Jim Cockell Violin Meran Currie-Roberts Cello Yue Deng Violin Jerrold Dubyk Saxophone Elizabeth Faulkner Flute Mary Fearon Horn Daniel Gervais Fiddle Andrew Glover Piano Joel Gray Trumpet leanne Maitland Viola Michael Massey Keyboards Matt nickel Bassoon Raj nigam Percussion Clint Pelletier Guitar Jean-François Picard Saxophone Ryan Pliska Percussion Brian Sand Trumpet Tom Van Seters Piano Martina Smazal Viola Jeremy Spurgeon Keyboards Alison Stewart Violin Dan Sutherland Clarinet Robin Taylor Saxophone Brian Thurgood Percussion Dan Waldron Oboe Robert Walsh Guitar

In addition to our own concerts, the ESO provides orchestral accompaniment for performances by Edmonton Opera and Alberta Ballet.

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BY Kim Tannas

Photo: D.T. Baker

Feature

YOna-sistema students take centre stage at this fourth annual year-end concert celebrating the achievements of these young musicians

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n June 13, students from the Youth orchestra

of Northern Alberta (YONA-Sistema) program will have a chance to showcase their talents at the highly anticipated year-end Road to Joy fundraising concert at the Winspear Centre.

Almost 80 students from four different schools in Edmonton will perform in front of a crowd of more than 1,600 people in what promises to be a memorable event.

For 12-year-old Zoe, who has been with the program since it started in 2013, it’s a highlight of the year. “This is always something that she looks forward to and it’s a big thing for the family because she cares so much about it,” says her dad, Dan Taylor.

While she still gets butterflies right before performing, the young violin player – who will be performing in her fourth Road to Joy concert – exudes an impressive level of confidence and comfort on stage that’s a testament not only to her talent but also the positive

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impact the program has had on her life. Zoe recently served as the first concertmaster of the La Bruyère Orchestra of YONA-Sistema, the program’s most experienced and advanced ensemble, says her dad.

YONA-Sistema is a community outreach program established by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra that offers after-school orchestral instruction as well as nutritious snacks, academic support and free play time to underserved students in city centre schools at no cost to the families. The program, which is entirely funded and supported through community donations, currently has students from Saint Teresa of Calcutta Elementary, Delton School, St. Alphonsus School, and Victoria School for the Arts.

“YONA has just been an amazing thing for Zoe, and it’s interesting to think about how deep an impact that’s had on her life, and she’s still excited about it every single day and wants to be part of it for years to come,” says Dan.

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

Photo: Carmyn Joy Effa

2016/2017 SEASON

“It’s a program designed for social change through music,” explains Elaine Warick, Director of Patron Development with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra/Winspear Centre. “It’s about giving kids an opportunity…It’s about creating the next generation of citizens…to be part of a community that’s bigger and better and more diverse and inclusive.”

“YONA has just been an amazing thing for Zoe and it’s interesting to think about how deep an impact that’s had on her life.”

– Dan Taylor

The Road to Joy concert is not only a chance to demonstrate the impact that YONA is having on these young lives but also how much the program has grown over the years thanks to support from all of its generous donors: from 20 students in the first year to four times that number today. The program has also recently expanded in terms of the number of instruments students can play, with a brass and woodwind section added this year.

Because the orchestra now numbers nearly 80 young musicians and a variety of instrumental ensembles, the format for this year’s concert is going to exclusively feature the YONA-Sistema musicians alongside the ESO. The ESO will perform special arrangements of works with the YONA-Sistema students, with those arrangements created for this concert by this year’s Composer in Residence (and Principal Trombone)

APril/MAy 2017

John McPherson, and by Lucas Waldin, YONA Conductor.

The 75-minute concert will also be a chance for attendees to learn more about the YONA-Sistema program and to hear some of the children from the program speak.

“I can’t give away too much because we want to surprise people, but it’ll be a top-notch, first rate ESO concert,” says Elaine, who adds that it will showcase the talents of YONA-Sistema in many ways other than through music.

“To actually sit in an audience and watch those kids playing their hearts out or walking on the stage and announcing something or speaking, it’s just an amazing thing for me personally.”

While the concert is free to attend, it’s also a major fundraising event for the donor-supported program. “These kids are worth it,” Elaine emphasizes. “We need help to continue. This is a great investment, not only in the program itself, but for what it says, what it means for our city’s future.”

The name “Road to Joy” comes from a moving rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” theme that was performed at the first concert in the inaugural year of the program (and repeated at subsequent Road to Joy concerts), but it also celebrates the joy that music brings to these young lives.

For Elaine, one of the highlights of the concert is watching YONA-Sistema students perform with the ESO music ambassadors, who serve as mentors throughout the program, and witnessing the connections they have formed with one another. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional musician or just a kid starting out, music connects you. I guess that’s the big message: music is a connector and it brings so much joy to both the professional and the student, and the people watching them.”

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RoBBiNS LiGHtER CLASSiCS Fifteen Soloists

Series Sponsor

Thursday, April 20 | 8 pm

GERSHWiN

Oh, Kay!: Someone to Watch Over Me (arr. Custer)

MoRRiCoNE

Theme from Cinema Paradiso (arr. Bateman)

WHitiNG

Hollywood Hotel: Hooray for Hollywood (arr. Williams)

HESS

Ladies in Lavender: Main Theme

WiLLiAMS

Midway: March

WiLLiAMS

Memoirs of a Geisha: The Chairman’s Waltz

FUCˇÍK

WiLLiAMS

GRANDJANY

MÁRQUEZ

ViVALDi

program subject to change

Entry of the Gladiators – March, Op.68 Aria in the Classic Style

Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major, RV 537: 3rd movement (Allegro)

MoZARt

Sinfonia concertante in E-flat Major, K.364/320d: 3rd movement (Presto)

RotA

Andante sostenuto in D Major for Horn

HAYDN

Divertimento in D Major: Allegro di molto (arr. Piatigorsky/orch. Dahl)

PUCCiNi

Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro (arr. Leon)

PoPPER

Dance of the Elves, Op.39

DiNiCU

Hora staccato (arr. Vladigerov) INTERMISSION (20 minutes)

RiMSKY-KoRSAKoV

The Tale of Tsar Saltan: Flight of the Bumblebee (arr. Strimer)

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Schindler’s List: Main Theme Conga del Fuego Nuevo

Artist BiOs

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Photo: D.T, Baker

The cast (in alphabetical order): Robert Bernhardt, conductor Eric Buchmann, violin Nora Bumanis, harp Robin Doyon, trumpet Virginie Gagné, violin Allene Hackleman, horn Rafael Hoekman, cello Erik Hongisto, trombone Clayton Leung, viola Frédéric Payant, trumpet Victor Pipkin, cello Jeremy Spurgeon, organ Robert Uchida, violin Laura Veeze, violin Brian Yoon, cello

ob bernhArdT

is now in his second decade with the Edmonton Symphony as of this season, continuing to bring his unique perspective, ability, and infectious enthusiasm to all genres he conducts.

It’s also a milestone with the Louisville Orchestra as he celebrates his 35th consecutive year and his 20th as Principal Pops Conductor there. Concurrently, he is Principal Pops Conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony, and is Principal Pops Conductor with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera (where he was Music Director for 19 seasons). This season is his 24th as a frequent guest conductor of the Boston Pops which he first conducted at John Williams’ invitation in 1992. He conducted two programs at Symphony Hall in Boston in June, and another in August on tour.

He has also been a frequent guest conductor of many American orchestras. A lover of opera, he conducted productions with

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

Kentucky Opera for 18 consecutive seasons, and for 19 seasons with his own company in Chattanooga, as well as many guest conducting engagements with the Nashville Opera. He received his Masters degree with Honours from the University of Southern California’s School of Music, studying primarily with Daniel Lewis. He received his Bachelors-Fine Arts degree from Union College in Schenectady, NY, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa cum laude, and an Academic All-American Baseball Player. He and his wife, Nora, both dog lovers, live in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, with their rescued cat, Shoogie.

Mr. Bernhardt last conducted the ESO in January 2017.

Note: Tonight’s soloists come from the ranks of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

You can find complete bios at EdmontonSymphony.com/about/meet-the-musicians.

In alphabetical order: eric Buchmann is Associate Concertmaster of the ESO. He joined the orchestra in 2006. nora Bumanis is Principal Harp. She joined the ESO in 1980. roBin doyon is Principal Trumpet. He joined the ESO in 2008. virGinie GaGné is Assistant Concertmaster. She joined the ESO

in 2006. allene hacKleman is Principal Horn. She joined the ESO in 2004.

PrOgraM NOTES

Y

ˇík ou have to feel a little sorry for Julius Fuc (1872-1916). He wrote a great march with a memorable tune, and gave it the martial title of Entrance of the Gladiators. However, it has come to be associated much more with clowns piling out of a little car than with armored warriors arriving in the arena. As a jaunty and fun way to begin our evening’s concert, however, it’s perfect.

Born and educated in Paris, harP virtuoso Marcel Grandjany (1871-1975) spent much of his later career in North America.

His time was mostly spent in New York, but for several years during the 1940s he was based at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal. He helped found and direct the American Harp Society, and we hear his delightfully backward-looking work, Aria in the Classic Style for organ and harp alone.

What Bach Was to the German lutheran church,

and Handel was to the English court, so Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was to the musical life of Venice. For many years, Vivaldi was the master of music for a number of churches, but also for the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for foundling girls who became famous throughout Europe for their skill as musicians. For them, Vivaldi had occasion to write hundreds of concertos. It’s interesting to note that there seems to be no concerto by Vivaldi for single trumpet, but there is a C Major Concerto for Two Trumpets. Its finale has the two trumpets chasing each other throughout a series of arpeggios, until they come together in warm harmony at the end.

rafael hoeKman is Principal Cello. He joined the ESO in 2015. nearly everythinG aBout the sinfonia concertante eriK honGisto is Acting Principal Trombone for this season. We

“borrowed” him from the Thunder Bay Symphony. clayton leunG is Acting Assistant Principal Viola for this season.

He joined the ESO in 2013. frédéric Payant is Assistant Principal Trumpet. He joined the

ESO in 2014. victor PiPKin is a member of the Cello section. He joined the ESO

in 1990.

Jeremy sPurGeon has been a member of the ESO’s extended family since coming to Edmonton in 1980 as Music Director at All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral. roBert uchida is Concertmaster of the ESO. He joined the orches-

tra in 2013. laura veeze is a member of the First Violin section. She joined the

ESO in 2014. neda yamach is a member of the First Violin section. She joined

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart (1756-1791) composed in 1779 is singular – except its instrumentation. After composing five violin concertos within a short span of each other in 1775, Mozart wrote no more such works for solo violin. In 1778, he completed a concerto for solo flute, and five years later, would finally write another solo concerto work.

But in between, he wrote six works (that we know of) – all for multiple solo instruments and orchestra. Four have survived to us intact, and the most assured and mature of these is the Sinfonia concertante, for one solo violin, and one solo viola. The final movement is all about having fun. There are opportunities for each soloist to “show off” separately, but also to make merry together. One of Mozart’s most graceful romps, there are clever twists and turns – even some brief minor-key variations – but the overriding sense of play is everywhere.

KnoWn Best for his many amazinG and Brilliant

film scores, Nino Rota (1911-1979) was also a prolific concert composer – and chameleon. More than once, he channelled the time and style of composers of the past to create fascinating pieces. His Andante sostenuto was written in 1958-59 to create a “bridge” between the opening Allegro and concluding Rondo of Mozart’s Horn Concerto, K.142 (which does not have a central movement in its original form).

Rota ingeniously recreates Mozart’s idiom, without using any of Mozart’s actual music.

the ESO in 2011. similar in size and voicinG to a Bass viol, the Baryton Brian yoon is Assistant Principal Cello of the ESO as of this season.

APril/MAy 2017

was an unusually-strung instrument that was in common use until

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rObbins liGhTer classics fifteen soloists about the end of the 18th century. It had six or seven strings (there was more than one type), strung along a fretboard, that would be bowed.

But it also had an additional set of wire strings that could either vibrate sympathetically with the bowed strings, or could be plucked separately.

Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) wrote over a hundred chamber works which included the baryton (his patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, played the thing), and in 1944, the great Russian-American cellist Gregor Piatigorsky arranged one of them, a Trio in D Major, for cello and piano. Ingolf Dahl orchestrated the work, and we will hear the third and final movement from this new version, an Allegro di molto.

O miO babbinO carO is one of the most famous arias in opera. From the opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini (18581924), the song was written for a soprano voice. Its popular melody has been transcribed by many musicians for many instruments. The particular arrangement to be heard at tonight’s performance was done

by Craig Leon, originally for an album called Romance of the Violin, by the famous American violinist Joshua Bell. Tonight’s version has been prepared for solo cello.

star, twin sisters Rosemary and Lola Lane played a Hollywood diva and her lookalike, Busby Berkeley, directed, and gossip columnist Louella Parsons made her movie debut! Even young rising star Ronald Reagan had a small part. But pretty much all anybody remembers from it is the song “Hooray for Hollywood,” with music by Dick Whiting (1891-1938) and lyrics by the legendary Johnny Mercer. It’s become an anthem for Tinseltown ever since, and no less than film-scoring giant John Williams did the arrangement we’ll hear tonight. the 2004 British film ladies in lavender was directed

by Charles Dance, and based on a short story by William J. Locke. It is the story of two sisters (played by no less than Maggie Smith and Judi Dench), who nurse back to health a young Polish victim of an accident at sea. He turns out to be a skilled violinist, and soon leaves to seek his fortune on the concert stage. Nigel Hess (b. 1953) wrote the score for the film. The autumnal nature of Ladies in Lavender lends a tender poignancy to the movie’s main theme, which is dominated by an expressive and bittersweet solo for violin. for many of us, the 1975 BlockBuster Jaws and the

a hora is a dance common to many countries,

including Romania, homeland of composer/violinist Grigoras¸ Dinicu (1889-1949). It is a circle dance, in which the dancers hold hands and make diagonal steps forwards and backwards, as the circle itself turns. Staccato is a musical term from the Italian word for “detached,” implying that all the notes in a phrase be heard separately. The Hora staccato, composed in 1906, was Dinicu’s most famous work – one that has been arranged for many different instrumental combinations.

Tonight’s orchestral version was prepared by Pancho Vladigerov, a Bulgarian composer and contemporary of Dinicu. nikOlai rimsky-kOrsakOv’s (1844-1908) opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan is not often performed. If it is known for anything, really, it is for a light instrumental interlude from the opera’s third act that is meant to musically capture the frantic, chaotic nature of a bumblebee in flight. But that interlude has developed a life of its own.

Because of the rapidity of its notes, the Flight of the Bumblebee has been adapted as a tour de force for any number of solo instruments. Al Hirt’s famous trumpet recording became the theme song of the TV series based on the comic The Green Hornet. Tonight we hear an orchestration of the work created by Joseph Strimer.

GeOrGe (1898-1937) and ira (1896-1983) Gershwin wrote their famous song Someone to Watch Over Me for their hit musical Oh, Kay!, which premiered in 1926. The song has rightfully gone on to a life of its own, and is a cornerstone of American music. Tonight’s version, for solo trombone, was arranged by Calvin Custer.

cinema ParadisO was a 1988 movie that was kind of a romance – about falling in love with movies. In it, a filmmaker returns to his native Italian village, and recalls how his friendship with the local theatre projectionist awakened his love for movies. The great Ennio Morricone (b. 1928) wrote the film’s bittersweet score, and Paul Bateman arranged its main theme for violin and orchestra. hOllywOOd hOTel (1937) was a middling musical comedy, despite several big names attached to it. Dick Powell was the

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1977 movie Star Wars made film composer John Williams (b. 1932) a bona fide star. But in between those projects, the World War Two movie Midway was released – also featuring a score by Williams. Starring Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, and other Hollywood heavyweights, the movie was a dramatization of the battle considered the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Like any good war movie score, a rousing march is a focal point of the music.

memOirs Of a Geisha , released in 2005 and directed

by Rob Marshall, was a lavish production which was only a modest success. The story of a girl stolen from her home, eventually to become the famous geisha Sayuri, the film featured tender music written by John Williams – much of it poignant music for violin solo, which was certainly one of the movie’s finer aspects. We hear The Chairman’s Waltz from that score. steven spielBerg released two films in 1993. one was

the popcorn blockbuster Jurassic Park while the other was the powerful and much lauded Schindler’s List. Its soundtrack earned one of the five Oscars awarded to composer John Williams. With music influenced by traditional Jewish music, the use of a solo violin evokes the sense of sorrow and suffering portrayed in the film, but also the sense of deeply-held tradition. arTurO márquez (B. 1950) is the son of a mariachi musician. He was born in Mexico, but raised in Los Angeles, and it was there he furthered his musical education. He went back to Mexico to attend conservatory there, earning a scholarship that took him to Paris as well. It is thought that the conga was introduced by African slaves in Cuba. It was popularized in the 1940s by Desi Arnaz and others, and enjoyed a second heyday in North American popular culture in the 1980s thanks to Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s hit single. Márquez’ Conga del Fuego Nuevo begins in a steady simmer, the pulsing, syncopated beat constantly underpinning the music. The work builds in intensity, its pace slowing unexpectedly about halfway through – but only briefly, as the orchestra then whips the dance up to a thrilling finish.

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

ERS Main Series 5

Robert Uchida violin Rafael Hoekman cello

with Eric Buchmann, violin; Milan Milisavljević, viola; Clayton Leung, viola; Meran Currie-Roberts, cello

SIGNATURE 1/4 V 3.625” x 4.875” pg. 13

Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 2 pm (Note special time)

Holy Trinity Anglican Church 10037 84 Avenue, Edmonton AB $35 (adult)/ $25 (senior)/ $10 (student)

2016 -2017 For more information, please visit www.edmontonrecital.com

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Special Thanks

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is proudly sponsored by

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S

sunday showcase Tchaikovsky & Chopin

U.K., U.S.A., Sweden, Italy, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Latin America. Mr. Trudel made his Opéra de Montréal debut in 2009 and conducted the live recording of their 30th anniversary gala. In 2010 he also made his debut at l’Opéra de Québec in 2011.

sunday, april 23 | 2 PM

alain Trudel, conductor dasol Kim, piano Rafael hoekman, cello

First known to the public as “the Jascha Heiftz of the trombone” (Le monde de la musique), Alain Trudel has been a guest soloist with orchestras worldwide including Philharmonique de RadioFrance, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Austrian Radio Orchestra, Festival Musica Strasbourg (France), Klangbogen Festival (Vienna), Akiyoshidai and Hamamatsu festival (Japan). He is also a respected composer with performances across America and in Asia. Mr. Trudel is the recipient of numerous awards including the Virginia Parker, Charles Cros (France), Opus prize, and Heinz Unger prize.

He has been named an Ambassador of Canadian Music by the Canadian Music Centre and received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2012. Alain Trudel is an international Yamaha artist.

Sunday Prelude, 1:15 pm Upper Circle (Third Level) Lobby with Julia dolman. sunday Encore, post-performance main Lobby with alain Trudel, dasol Kim & Rafael hoekman

Spring’s Promise – Orchestral Fanfare

TchaIKoVsKy

Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33

(10’)* (18’)*

MussoRGsKy

Saint John’s Night on the Bare Mountain

(orch. Rimsky-koRsakov)

Mr. Trudel last appeared with the ESO in May 2008.

(12’)*

K

orean pianist Dasol Kim brings “a refined artistry of incredible maturity” to his performances (North Germany Review). A sought-after soloist, he has appeared with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic in Seoul, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Concerto Budapest, and the Belgium National Orchestra. He has performed with notable conductors, including Alan Gilbert, David Zinman, Michael Sanderling, Marin Alsop, and Li Xincao. A frequent chamber player, Mr. Kim partners with prominent musicians including cellist David Geringas, violinist Svetlin Roussev, violist Maxim Rysanov, cellist Myung Wha Chung, and YCA’s violinist Paul Huang, among others.

INTERMISSION (20 minutes)

PRoKoFIeV

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, Op.10 allegro brioso andante assai allegro scherzando

(15’)*

choPIn

Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante in E-flat Major, Op.22

waGneR

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude

(14’)* (10’)*

ARTIST BIOS

P

raised by La Presse for his “immense talent as conductor, musician and performer,” Canadian conductor alain TruDel is Music Director of l’Orchestre symphonique de Laval and Principal Youth and Family Conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

He is also Principal Guest conductor of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, was Principal Guest Conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and guest musical advisor for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Trudel was also the CBC Radio Orchestra conductor, taking the orchestra to new heights of artistic quality.

He has conducted every major orchestra in Canada as well as orchestras in the

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Photo: Maude Chauvin

Program subject to change *indicates approximate performance duration.

Winner of the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Mr. Kim makes recital debuts in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Korean Concert Society Prize, and in New York, sponsored by the Peter Jay Sharp Concert Prize. This season, Mr. Kim also appears at the Port Washington Library and the Paramount Theatre.

Other accolades include First Prize in the 2010 Young Concert Artists European Auditions, First Prize in the 2011 Epinal International Piano Competition in France, Second Prize in the 2012 Géza Anda Competition in Zurich, and Third Prize at the 2011 ARD International Music Competition in Munich. He graduated from the Hannover Music School in Germany, where he studied with Arie Vardi and Gerald Fauth. His debut CD, Dasol Kim Plays Schumann, was released in May 2015 on the Universal Music Korea label.

This is Mr. Kim’s debut with the ESO.

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

Photo: Christian Steiner

esTacIo

H

ailed by the Toronto Star as a “young musician with a bright future” and noted for his “spirited and fiery performances,” Rafael Hoekman’s varied career as a soloist, teacher, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist has taken him on a journey across Canada. Originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Rafael Hoekman is currently Principal Cello of the Edmonton Symphony and a faculty member at the University of Alberta. He has been a featured soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, Québec Symphony, I musici de Montréal, and Newfoundland Symphony.

As a chamber musician and founding cellist of the Tokai String Quartet, Mr. Hoekman was a prize winner at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. Prior to joining the Edmonton Symphony, he was a member of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, held Assistant Principal positions with the Winnipeg and Windsor Symphonies, and performed with orchestras including the Toronto and Detroit Symphonies. Rafael has a Master of Music degree from the University of Toronto. His principal teachers were Yuli Turovsky and Shauna Rolston.

He lives in Edmonton with his wife, cellist Meran Currie-Roberts, and their children, Sam and Anastasia.

Program Notes Spring’s Promise – Orchestral Fanfare JoHn estacio

(b. Newmarket, Ontario, 1966) First performed: April 2, 2004 in Calgary Last ESO performance: June 2006 Program note by the composer:

C

omposed in tHe dead of winteR, tHis piece was

written in anticipation of spring. The opening of the piece is somewhat chilly and bleak. The violas, with their mutes on, introduce a simple little melody, which, as the piece progresses, will become the predominant theme. Each time this theme returns, it is presented in slightly warmer tones. Several of the woodwind players are located in the audience as well as on stage, and they call out to one another, freely, as though waking from a deep slumber. By the time the brass players begin their antiphonal fanfares, the somewhat dreamy and sleepy atmosphere that started the piece is wiped away.

The quiet little theme introduced at the beginning blossoms into a resplendent and colourful melody. Eventually the entire orchestra, including the musicians not on stage, plays together en masse to bring the piece to a ringing climax; spring has kept its promise and has returned to us once again.

APril/MAy 2017

Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op.33 piotR ilyicH tcHaikovsky

(b. Kamsko-Votinsk, 1840 / d. St. Petersburg, 1893) First performed: November 30, 1877 in Moscow Last ESO performance: March 2005

I

t was no suRpRise tHat tcHaikovsky, eveR one to

bear his soul in his music, should have been consumed with writing his Fourth Symphony during the dramatic time of his life at the beginning of 1877. He was very depressed, and his feelings of being oppressed

by Fate are everywhere in the turbulent score of the Fourth. What is surprising is that at this same time, he composed a work of grace and conviviality, almost an homage to his musical hero, Mozart. Dedicated to his friend and fellow professor at the Moscow Conservatory Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, the Variations on a Rococo Theme is Tchaikovsky’s only concertante work for cello.

The “rococo” was a French 18th-century artistic movement, so it was contemporaneous with Mozart, who lived from 1756 to 1791. The theme of the seven variations Tchaikovsky composed is an original one by the composer, but written in a rococo style. The orchestra is also one that Mozart would have recognized – the work is scored for pairs of woodwinds and horns, plus strings. After a brief orchestral introduction, the cello soloist presents the theme. The variations which follow exploit the full compass of the cello’s register, and together, “they proved to be one of his brightest and most carefree major compositions,” writes James Harding. “There is no trace of pique or disappointment from beginning to end.”

Saint John’s Night on the Bare Mountain (orch. RiMSKy-KORSAKOV) modest mussoRgsky

(b.Karevo, 1839 / d. St. Petersburg, 1881) First performed: October 26, 1886 in St. Petersburg Last ESO performance: March 2013

P

uRsued by doubts, depRession, and alcoHolism,

Modest Mussorgsky left many of his works incomplete by his death at age 42. The work which began with the name Saint John’s Night on Bare Mountain is a case in point. Mussorgsky actually finished the work in 1867, but the harsh assessment of it by his colleague Balakirev caused him to withdraw it. It was brought back in 1872, intended to be part of a collective stage work for the Imperial Theatre, combined with works by other composers. That project fell through. Determined not to give up on it, Mussorgsky then intended to include the piece as part of an opera. For that version, he appended a tender, gentle ending – a strong contrast to the violence and power of the rest of the work. That ending was intended to illustrate the dawn, and the tolling chime of a church bell, driving away the evil spirits. Also known popularly these days as A Night on Bald Mountain – a translation of the name of a real mountain near Kyiv, Ukraine – the work was never performed in Mussorgsky’s lifetime. His friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov took the version which included the beautiful, quiet ending, and orchestrated it, and it is this version which has become a standard part of the concert repertoire.

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SuNDAy SHOwCASE Tchaikovsky & Chopin

Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, Op.10 Sergei Prokofiev

(b. Sontsovka, 1891 / d. Moscow, 1953) First performed: August 7, 1912 in Moscow Last ESO performance: November 2005

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ergei Prokofiev’S firSt Piano ConCerto waS a Student work,

dedicated to his composition teacher Nikolai Tcherepnin. Yet it already displays several of the hallmarks that would become features of many Prokofiev works. It was first performed while he was still studying, and while more than a few claimed to be shocked at its modernity, it proved popular enough to be repeated at Prokofiev’s graduation in May 1914.

The piano part is formidable, and the entire concerto unfolds as a single continuous movement, although split into separate parts. The main theme is revealed at the outset, a repeating cascading motif out of which other ideas emerge. This main idea occurs three times – what Prokofiev called, “three whales that hold the concerto together.” After the first is a stern passage dominated by the solo piano; after the second is an Andante full of chromatic, even dissonant harmonies creating a haunting landscape. An mischievous Allegro scherzando leads into the concluding section, which begins quietly enough, but builds in energy and pace to the last, with another reminder of the main theme capping it off.

Andante spianato and Grande polonaise brillante in E-flat Major, Op.22 fryderyk ChoPin

(b. Żelazowa Wola, 1810 / d. Paris, 1849) First performed: April 26, 1835 in Paris Last ESO performance: November 1999

A

ll of ChoPin’S workS whiCh inClude orCheStra were youthful oneS,

and all were composed within a few years of each other. The Grande polonaise was the last, and the most unusually structured. The work exists in two versions: one for solo piano, one for piano with orchestra. Yet the piano music is the same for both! The Grande polonaise was composed first, a shorter work for which Chopin added the orchestra part to take advantage when the occasion to perform with other instruments arose. But he soon felt the work lacked heft, and so he added an introductory Andante for piano alone to precede the polonaise. The term “spianato” means, “smooth, even,” indicating the temperament in which to perform the opening section.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Prelude riChard wagner

(b. Leipzig, 1813 / d. Venice, 1883) Opera first performed: November 1, 1862 in Leipzig Last ESO performance of the Prelude: Symphony Under the Sky 2008

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V

ery Soon after he had written hiS mammoth tragiC oPera, triStan und Isolde, Richard Wagner began working on what can be thought of as the other side of the coin. While still mammoth, Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (“The Master Singer of Nuremberg”) is fond, touching, and comic. Yet it is also a work in which Wagner’s philosophy about art as man’s triumphant achievement, the thing which redeems man from his failings, is most clearly delineated. The Prelude contains many of the themes and moods that will appear throughout the entire work. We hear the music of the Master Singers, their apprentices, a reference to the comic villain Beckmesser, the love theme of Walther and Eva – and of course, the “Prize Song,” with which Walther will eventually win the hand of Eva.

Program notes © 2017 by D.T. Baker, except as noted 10432-82nd Avenue, Edmonton www.EdmontonSymphony.com

R RoBBinS PoPS

A Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch – One Singular Sensation

Series Sponsor

Friday & Saturday, April 28 & 29 | 8 pm

(Heather Johnson, Music Director) Members of Òran (Scott Leithead & Kathleen Luyk, Music Directors) Dancers from the Edmonton School of Ballet with: Mallory Chipman, vocalist Ariana Whitlow, vocalist

All music by MArvin HAMliscH, unless otherwise indicated

A Marvin Hamlisch Overture (arr. Zito)

“California Nights”/”Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” (arr. EvErly)

Suite from The Swimmer (arr. Zito)

The Entertainer (from the sting) Joplin (arr. HAMliscH)

Overture to Gypsy

stynE (arr. EvErly)

Good Morning, America Overture to The Goodbye Girl Somewhere (from West side story) BErnstEin (arr. pErEss)

Entr’acte to They’re Playing Our Song INTERMISSION (20 minutes) Entr’acte to They’re Playing Our Song Lydia the Tattooed Lady ArlEn/HArBurg

Excerpt from Anatomy of Peace (arr. Zito)

“Nobody Does It Better” (from the spy Who loved Me) “The Way We Were” (from the Way We Were) (arr. BArton)

Suite from Sophie’s Choice

April/MAy 2017

That’s How I Say Goodbye (from the sweet smell of success) “At the Ballet” (from A chorus line) Theme from Ice Castles “What I Did for Love” (from A chorus line) “One” (from A chorus line) Program subject to change

Artist BiOs

J

Ack EvErly is Principal Pops

Conductor of the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa). He will conduct over 90 performances in more than 20 North American cities this season. As Music Director of the American Memorial Day Concert and A Capitol Fourth on PBS, Maestro Everly proudly leads the National Symphony Orchestra on the National Mall. Mr. Everly led the ISO in its first Pops recording, Yuletide Celebration, Volume One, that included three of his own orchestrations.

Some of his other recordings include In The Presence featuring the Czech Philharmonic and Daniel Rodriguez; Sandi Patty’s Broadway Stories, the soundtrack to Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Everything’s Coming Up Roses: The Complete Overtures Of Jule Styne.

Originally appointed by Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mr. Everly was conductor of the American Ballet Theatre for 14 years, where he served as Music Director. In addition to his ABT tenure, he teamed with Marvin Hamlisch on Broadway shows that Mr. Hamlisch scored. He conducted Carol Channing hundreds of times in Hello, Dolly! in two separate Broadway productions. A graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Maestro Everly is a recipient of the 2015 Indiana Historical Society Living Legends Award and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Franklin College in his home state of Indiana. He is a proud resident of the Indianapolis community for over 14 years and when not on the podium you can find Maestro Everly at home with his family which includes Max the wonder dog.

mr. Everly last appeared with the EsO in November 2016.

M

AriSSA McGowAn had the honour to be chosen by Marvin Hamlisch to star as Stella Purdy in the world premiere of Mar-

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Photo: Michael Tammaro

Jack Everly, conductor & piano Marissa McGowan, vocalist Members of Cantilon Chamber Chorus

Robbins PoPs vin’s last musical The Nutty Professor (directed by the legendary Jerry Lewis), for which she won the “best leading actress” award in Nashville for her performance. Marissa has appeared on Broadway in the A Little Night Music revival alongside Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury (Original Cast Recording), Bonnie and Clyde (Original Cast Recording) and Les Misérables (revival and national tour) in which she performed both the roles of Eponine and Cosette, as well as Robber Bridegroom at The Roundabout Theatre Company.

Favourite regional roles include Magnolia in Show Boat at the Asolo Repertory Theatre, Maria in The Sound of Music with the Lyric Theatre, Petra in A Little Night Music at American Conservatory Theatre (Theater Bay Area Award for Outstanding Actress), Guinevere in Camelot and Mary Jane in Big River at the Goodspeed Opera House, Adelaide in Guys & Dolls, Bianca in Kiss Me, Kate, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha at the Weston Playhouse, and Johanna in Sweeney Todd at the Geva Theater. Television: Major Crimes (TNT), Odd Mom Out (BRAVO). She has also contributed to numerous recordings and readings of new works all over New York City. Concert work includes Lincoln Center (tribute to Marvin Hamlish, directed by Mike Nichols) Susan in Sweet Smell of Success in Concert (Hudson Theater NYC), guest soloist with Indianapolis Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Cape Cod Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Annapolis Chorale, Alpine Theatre Project, and the American Cancer Society Marvin Hamlisch tribute at the Hudson Theater in New York.

Marissa grew up on Long Island and attended Syracuse University, where she received a BFA in musical theater. www.marissamcgowan.com

folk music recorded during the choir’s first trip to England and Wales; and Bonny Wood Green. This disc includes music by prominent Canadian composers as well as Poulenc’s Petites Voix and Rautavarra’s “Suite” de Lorca.

The choir last appeared with the ESO in April 2016.

F

ounded in 2002, Òran began as an alumni offshoot of the Kokopelli Youth Choir, but it has since developed into a group made up of young adults from all over Edmonton and the surrounding area. Each brings a different viewpoint to the group, but all are united in their passion for singing. The choir stresses the same philosophical goals as its younger counterpart, striving to achieve musical excellence and artistic integrity, as well as combining new interpretive techniques with more traditional choral expertise. Above all, the group is dedicated to sharing joy in song with each other, with other choirs, and with audiences around Edmonton and across Canada. Òran was featured at the 2005 Festival 500 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and participated in the Laval International Choral Festival in Quebec in July 2009, as well as a cultural tour to Cuba in May 2011.

Members of Òran travelled to Europe for a tour in July 2012 including stops in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. In May 2014 Òran was delighted to perform as an invited ensemble in Halifax at Podium 2014, the biannual conference of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities. Plans for the upcoming season include a tour to the Gaspé peninsula in Québec in August 2017.

This is Ms. McGowan’s debut with the ESO.

he Cantilon Chamber Choir is widely recognized as

one of Canada’s leading children’s choral ensembles. Founded in 1999 by conductor Heather Johnson, this choir maintains a rigorous national and international touring schedule.

Since its inception, the Cantilon Chamber Choir has been honoured with numerous awards in national and international competitions. In July 2015 the choir was awarded first place in two categories of the Canadian National Music Festival, as well as the Paul Bourret award for the best performance of the festival. Also of note are honours in the Béla Bartók International Choral Competition in Debrecen, Hungary in both July 2013 and July 2006; the 65th International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales in 2011; second place in the EBU’s Let The Peoples Sing competition in 2007, and third place in the Children’s Choir category in the Tolosa International Choral Competition (2007).

In addition to its regular concert series, the Cantilon Chamber Choir regularly performs with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Pro Coro Canada, Alberta Ballet, Edmonton Opera, and Richard Eaton Singers. The Cantilon Chamber Choir has released four CDs: The Time of Snow; That Yongë Child, a collection of Christmas music including Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols; Blessed Is the World That Sings, featuring sacred and

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T

he edmonton SChool of ballet & the Vimy danCe Program offer dance training and performance at its best! The

school has exceptional training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, tap, hip hop, and flamenco. Our highly qualified staff and fantastic studios are unparalleled in the city. We offer dance classes to children through adults, starting at three years old. The Vimy Dance Program offers dance classes to students in academic Grades 7 through 12 by audition only.

The mission of the Edmonton School of Ballet & the Vimy Dance Program is to provide each student with professional training which enhances their interest, talent and enthusiasm in reaching their fullest potential. All dance instructors are highly qualified in their specific area of expertise. Our students get exceptional dance instruction with amazing results. Margaret Flynn, L.I.S.T.D. (Cecchetti Faculty), founded the school in 1967 and is its Artistic Director. The school has been recognized for its excellence in training and guiding students towards a career in dance. Many graduates of the ESB have gone on to careers as professional dancers and teachers.

Dancers from the Edmonton School of Ballet last appeared with the ESO in December 2016.

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

Photo: Resa Chyz

T

Members of Òran last appeared with the ESO in December 2016.

Thank you!

Every year during Canada’s National Volunteer Week we try to take a moment to reflect on just how deeply volunteers impact the work we do here. Whether you are here with us handing out programs or working in the background to keep us efficient, your welcoming smiles and passion for what we do sustains each of us here at the Winspear.

Your commitment lets our music live.

WE CAN’T BOTTLE UP OUR LOVE

FOR COMMUNITY PROUDLY SPONSORING

LIVE AT THE WINSPEAR

OR.COM KELIQU ERBROO H S | il rt Tra t. Albe 11819 S

19

E L SHERBROOKE LIQUOR STORE LIVE AT THE WINSPEAR

Edmonton Recital Society & Sherbrooke Liquor Store Live at the Winspear present Benjamin Grosvenor

Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor, Op.19 “Sonata-Fantasy”

Sonata in B-flat Major, K.333/315c “Linz” Allegro Andante cantabile Allegretto grazioso

BEETHOVEN

Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op.27 No. 2 “Moonlight” Adagio sostenuto Allegretto Presto agitato

INTERMISSION (20 minutes)

(7’)*

(22’)*

GRANADOS

Goyescas, Op.11: excerpts

Los Requiebros (Gallantries) El fandango del candil (A Fandango by Candlelight)

LISZT

Rhapsodie espagnole “Folies d’Espagne et jota aragonesa”

(13’)*

(15’)*

(14’)*

Program subject to change *indicates approximate performance duration

B

enjamin Grosvenor first came to prominence as the winner of the Keyboard Final of the 2004 BBC Young Musician Competition at the age of 11. Since then, he has become an internationally regarded pianist performing with prestigious orchestras and esteemed conductors around the world. At just 19, Benjamin performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the First Night of the 2011 BBC Proms. Benjamin appeared in 2015 at the Last Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop. Benjamin enjoys incorporating chamber music collaborations into his schedule, including performances with the Escher, Elias, and Endellion String Quartets, chamber ensembles of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the Naples Philharmonic.

In 2011 Benjamin signed to Decca Classics, becoming the youngest British musician ever to sign to the label, and the first British pianist to sign to the label in almost 60 years. His 2014 release Dances has been described as "breathtaking" (The Guardian), offering “performance after performance of surpassing brilliance and character” (Gramophone Magazine) and won the BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Award 2015. During his sensational career to date, Benjamin has received Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year and Instrumental Award, a Classic Brits Critics’ Award, UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent and a Diapason d’Or Jeune Talent Award.

He has been featured in two BBC television documentaries, BBC Breakfast and The Andrew Marr Show, as well as in CNN’s Human to Hero series. The youngest of five brothers, Benjamin began playing the piano at age six. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton and Daniel-Ben Pienaar, where he graduated in 2012 with the Queen’s Commendation for Excellence and in 2016 was made a Fellow. Benjamin has been supported since 2013 by EFG International, the widely respected global private banking group.

www.edmontonsymphony.com

Photo: Decca/Sophie Wright

MOZART

(12’)*

Andante Presto

Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

Arabesque in C Major, Op.18

Co-Presented by

SCRIABIN

Friday, may 5 | 7:30 PM

SCHUMANN

Live at the Winspear Series sponsor

L

Lexus Friday/saturday Masters Lexus Friday Masters Sponsor

Tchaikovsky & Sibelius

Friday Performance sponsor

Saturday Performance sponsor

Friday, may 12 | 7:30 PM Saturday, may 13 | 8 PM

Royal Opera House in Copenhagen. This was followed on November 2 by the premiere of La Traviata at the Leipzig Opera and in spring 2014 the premiere of the opera Mirandolina by Bohuslav Martinu˚ in a Bavarian State Opera production at Munich’s Cuvillé Theatre.

alexander Prior, conductor simone Porter, violin

Afterthoughts, Friday post-performance in Main Lobby with alexander Prior & simone Porter Prelude, 7 pm in Upper Circle (Third Level) Lobby with D.T. Baker, alexander Prior & simone Porter

Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.35 Allegro moderato Canzonetta: Andante Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

(35’)*

INTERMISSION (20 minutes)

LaNGGaard

Symphony No. 4 “Lovfald” (“Leaf Fall”)

Mr. Prior last appeared with the ESO in October 2016.

(24’)*

Rustle of the Forest (Allegro) Glimpse of the Sun (Quasi allegretto – Allargando espansivo) Thunderstorm (Allegro – Più lento – Allegro pastorale) Autumnal (Allegro con moto) Tired (Poco adagio) Despair (Allegro appassionato – Tranquillo – Comodo sempre) Sunday Morning Bells (Sostenuto pesante) At an End (Più con moto)

siBeLius

Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op.105

V

(21’)*

Aadagio – Vivacissimo – Adagio – Allegro molto moderato – Allegro moderato – Vivace – Presto – Adagio – Largamente molto – Affettuoso

ARTIST BIOS

A

lexander Prior is the Chief Conductor

Designate for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and begins officially in his new post for the 2017/18 season. A few words scarcely suffice to describe London-born Mr. Prior, who at 18 conducted the Dallas Symphony in the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, whose ballet Mowgli has been playing in Moscow for seven years, and who at 17 was the youngest student since Sergei Prokofiev to graduate with distinction as a conductor from the Conservatoire in St. Petersburg. In March 2013 Mr. Prior conducted five performances of the opera Carmen at the

APRIL/MAY 2017

Photo: Buffy Goodman

Program subject to change *indicates approximate performance duration

iolinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, musical integrity, and vibrant sound. The Los Angeles Times, after referring to her as a “future star,” wrote, “Let’s strike the word ‘future.’ She sounds ready. Now.” Her performances have been described as “bold” (The Seattle Times), “virtuosic” (The Times, London), and Ms. Porter herself has been praised as “a consummate chamber musician” (The Telegraph). At 20 years of age she has already appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with many renowned conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicolas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, David Robertson, and Donald Runnicles. Ms. Porter made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at age 13. In March 2015 she received an Avery Fisher Career Grant. www.simoneporterviolin.com This is Ms. Porter’s debut with the ESO.

PROgRAM NOTES Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.35 Piotr ilyich tchaikovSky

(b. Kamsko-Votinsk, 1840 / d. St. Petersburg, 1893) First performed: December 4, 1881 in Vienna Last ESO performance: May 2015

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Photo: Jeff Fasano

tCHaiKOVsKy

Alexander Prior calls himself a passionate “Nordic musician”; he speaks and writes Danish and Norwegian, often conducts in Scandinavia, and has an enormous wealth of repertoire by composers from the Nordic countries at his fingertips. Not surprisingly, he feels a similar close affinity with German-speaking composers such as Bruckner and Wagner. His career as a composer is also prodigious: in 2009, he conducted his Symphony No. 4 “Gogol” for vocal soloists, choir and orchestra – a commission for the department of culture in St. Petersburg – to mark the 200th birthday of the Russian author. Horizons for soloists and orchestra was premiered under his baton in 2010 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, while his Triple Concerto “That which must remain unspoken” received its premiere with the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra in 2011.

LexuS Friday/Saturday MaSterS tchaikovsky & Sibelius

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chaikovSky began working on hiS only violin

concerto as a way of getting over one of the darkest chapters of his life: his marriage. In a place and time where homosexuality was a crime, Tchaikovsky deluded himself into thinking he could somehow make his marriage work. But he eventually fled the relationship in October 1877 and went on an extended trip to Switzerland, Italy and Austria. It was during this trip that much of the concerto was written. The work was intended to be premiered by and dedicated to the celebrated soloist Leopold Auer, but he refused, deeming the work Tchaikovsky produced “unplayable.”

Instead, Adolf Brodsky performed the work for the first time.

Initial reaction ranged from cool to downright hostile. There is a famous critique by Eduard Hanslick, who wrote, “The violin is no longer played. It is yanked about. It is torn asunder. It is beaten black and blue,” which seemed to bode ill for the work. But soon, even Auer had taken up the piece, and it is now regarded as one of the pinnacles of the violin repertoire.

An orchestral crescendo and a brief passage for the solo instrument precede the first theme of the opening movement, presented by the violinist. After this material is developed, the soloist also introduces the second theme. By contrast, this theme is a long, extremely difficult passage for solo violin alone. The orchestra joins in for a coda full of verve and flash. Don’t be fooled by the dramatic, drawn-out ending of this movement, which lasts close to 20 minutes. The work is not done, so don’t leave just yet.

The second movement is a Canzonetta, and was in fact the second slow movement Tchaikovsky wrote for this concerto (he scrapped the original). The woodwinds begin it, but again the soloist states the principal first theme – a dreamy, melancholy air. A second subject is introduced, and the first theme returns at the movement’s conclusion.

With virtually no pause, the final movement suddenly bursts upon us. Its two principal themes are reminiscent of Russian gypsy melodies and passion. This section is full of of excitement, with an invigorating layer of tension bubbling just beneath the surface.

Symphony No. 4 “Lovfald” (“Leaf Fall”) rued langgaard

(b. Copenhagen, 1893 / d. Ribe, 1952) Composed 1916, revised 1920 This is the first work by Langgaard to be performed by the ESO

R

ued langgaard’S career certainly began with

great promise. It ended, however, in obscurity and disappointment. The son of musically-oriented parents, Langgaard impressed with both his musicianship and compositional prowess at a very young age, and seemed destined for great things. Langgaard's earlier works, while showing the influence of Liszt, Wagner, and Langgaard's countryman Nielsen, began to embrace the more modern school as time went on (as one would expect) – but when this modern esthetic ran against his own inner vision, which was informed in part by his religious conviction, he turned away once again, and composed in a more reactionary style.

This, and his own public criticism of the musical establishment, ostracized Langgaard, and he was repeatedly turned down for any post to which he applied. At the age of 46, he finally was offered the

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position of organist in the provincial town of Ribe, where he died all but forgotten at 59. Nevertheless, he was a prolific composer, writing, among his more than 400 works, 16 symphonies.

All his symphonies have descriptive nicknames given by the composer. The Fourth, the title of which is sometimes translated as “Leaf Fall” or “The Fall of Leaves,” was originally to be entitled “Nature and Thoughts,” a slightly more metaphysical sobriquet.

It was Langgaard’s intention that the music of the symphony symbolize a varying palette conjured by the season of autumn. It was composed in 1916, when he was but 23 and not yet on the outside of the mainstream. It unfolds in a continuous flow, though it is divided into many sections, each with its own descriptor (see page 21) – titles which, while certainly evocative of a particularly active autumn, also tie obviously enough to human feelings and moods.

Within a decade of his death, Rued Langgaard’s music began a process of re-evaluation and recognition. His fellow Danish composer Per Nørgård helped get it started, and his place in music has begun to emerge from the shadows.

Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op.105 Jean SibeliuS

(b. Hämeenlinna, 1865 / d. Järvenpää, 1957) First performed: March 24, 1924 in Stockholm This is the ESO premiere of the piece

F

or the laSt 30 yearS of hiS life, Jean SibeliuS lived

in a self-imposed isolated retirement, and among the last of his works presented to the public was his Seventh Symphony. For over a quarter-century, Sibelius composed all seven (an eighth was begun, but never finished), tracing a fascinating trail of compositional development and concision of thought which culminated in his last complete symphony. Originally, however, Sibelius did not call this work a symphony. It was first performed as Fantasia sinfonica No. 1, although immediately after this, its composer felt it should be deemed his Seventh Symphony. He had dabbled in unusual structures before: both his third and fifth symphonies weld movements together, making three-movement works from a template of four movements. But from the outset, the Seventh Symphony was conceived as a single-movement entity, moreover one in which he said, would contain, “joy of life and vitality, with appassionato sections.”

Conductor Alexander Prior regards this symphony as “the culmination of western art…perfect in its form, elegance, balance, and expression.” The Grove Dictonary of Music and Musicians terms it, “Sibelius’ most remarkable compositional achievement.” Nearly every important musical idea within the work begins in either C Major or C minor; variation is achieved through changes in tempo, dynamic, thematic contrast, and texture.

A trombone motto begins important moments through the course of the symphony, begun with a hymn-like character and concluding “with the grandest celebration of C Major there ever was,” writes Peter Franklin. While one could discern the framework of a compressed four-movement structure in the symphony, the net effect is one of grand contemplation, concluding with a glimpse into the eternal.

Program notes © 2017 by D.T. Baker

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

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Finland’s 100th Anniversary “The seventh symphony. Joy of life and vitality mixed with appassionato.”

- Jean Sibelius

The Finnish Society of Edmonton is honoured to celebrate Finland’s independence in 2017!

For the second year in a row the Finnish Society of Edmonton is proud to support the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the music of Jean Sibelius. All are welcome to experience an evening of Finnish culture and the celebration of Finland 100. Explore the Winspear Centre lobbies decorated with Finnish displays and enjoy the brilliant music of national hero Sibelius and his final Symphony No. 7.

The Finnish Society of Edmonton was established to provide cultural, sporting, and recreational opportunities for its members and the community, and to preserve Finnish customs and language. Some of these opportunities include: -Heritage Festival -Recreational & Sports Programs

-Senior Trips -Children’s Programs

Exploring, showcasing and celebrating Canadian Finnish heritage and culture.

Visit our website at http://finnishsocietyedm.com/

-Spirituality

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QUIKCARD EARLY CLASSICS MIDWEEK Immortal Beethoven

Early Classics Midweek Series sponsor

Wednesday, May 17 | 7:30 PM

ARTIST BIOS

E

William Eddins, conductor & piano Robert Uchida, violin Eric Buchmann, violin Rafael Hoekman, cello Elizabeth Koch, flute Matthew Howatt, bassoon

All music by Ludwig van BEETHOVEN

Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (“The Creatures of Prometheus”), Op.43: Overture

(5’)*

Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op.50

(8’)*

Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op.93

(26’)*

Allegro vivace e con brio Allegretto scherzando Tempo di menuetto Allegro vivace

INTERMISSION (20 minutes)

Romance cantabile in E minor

(5’)*

Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello in C Major, Op.56 “Triple”

(33’)*

Allegro Largo Rondo alla polacca

Program subject to change *indicates approximate performance duration.

Mr. Eddins & Mr. Uchida’s bios can be found on page six.

Mr. Hoekman’s bio can be found on page 15.

ric BuchMann studied

violin at the Conservatoire de Montréal and at the Université de Montréal where he earned a Bachelor of Music and a DESS degree. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles to continue his studies at the University of Southern California. Two years later he joined the New World Symphony in Miami Beach where he played under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas and many other music directors from all over the world.

His violin teachers include Sonia Jelinkova, Vladimir Landsman, Jean-François Rivest, William Preucil and Martin Chalifour.

Eric Buchmann joined the first violins section of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2006 and was appointed Assistant Concertmaster following auditions in 2009. Eric performs occasionally with the ESO as a soloist and is also a member of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble under the direction of Paul Schieman. When not playing with the orchestra in Edmonton, you can find him with his family in Montreal or Switzerland.

Traveling is one of his passions.

Mr. Buchmann last appeared as a soloist with the ESO in January 2017.

O

riginally from the Philadelphia area, ElizaBEth Koch has been Principal Flute with the ESO since 1987. She studied at the New School of Music in Philadelphia, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Blossom Festival School (summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra). Her teachers include David Cramer (Assistant Principal Flute, Philadelphia Orchestra), Jeffrey Khaner (Principal Flute, Philadelphia Orchestra) and Adeline Tomasone (Principal Flute, Philadelphia Opera). In the summer of 1987, Elizabeth was the only American flutist to play in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orkester under Leonard Bernstein.

Since arriving in Edmonton, Ms. Koch has been in demand as a soloist with the ESO, the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, ECHO, and the Arden Ensemble. Elizabeth was a founding member of the woodwind trio Take 3 which was heard regularly on CBC Radio from 1992-1998. She is on faculty at King’s University College and maintains a private studio. She is married to ESO violinist Murray Vaasjo. They have one son – and a number of cats.

Ms. Koch’s last appearance as a soloist with the ESO was in March 2015.

APRIL/MAY 2017

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QUIKCARD EARLY CLASSICS MIDWEEK Immortal Beethoven

M

atthew howatt began his studies in Ed-

monton with Diane Persson before graduating from the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Jesse Read. Other teachers include Christopher Millard, Ivor Rothwell, and Christopher Palmer.

He has been a member of the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra since 2012 and has been the acting principal bassoon with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra since 2014. In 2004 he co-founded WindRose Trio whose recording received a Western Canadian Music Award. Mr. Howatt has performed with the ESO in New York at Carnegie Hall and with WindRose Trio in Tokyo, Japan and Harbin, China.

this is mr. Howatt’s debut as a soloist with the eso.

on March 21, 1801 in Vienna. Its overture, following stern, portentous chords at the beginning, balances a lyrical lightness with a more noble character, befitting the many figures of classical Greek mythology who inhabit the ballet’s story.

Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op.50

B

eethoven caMe to vienna as Many others had –

because that was where you went to make your name in the musical world. He quickly established himself as a pianist, and not long after, as a composer of the first rank. Among his earlier works for Vienna are two Romances for violin and orchestra. They both arose as he worked at his one and only Violin Concerto. The notion of a “romance” differed in German and French schools of thought. Both of Beethoven’s Romances follow the French model, used as blueprints for slow movements of concertos. Beethoven’s Second Romance, in the key of F Major, would eventually be published as Op.50, though its 1798 composition predates the other Romance, which was published earlier. The F Major Romance is more lyrical, more graceful than its more serious cousin, and while led start to finish by the soloist, there is a balanced interplay between the violin and the orchestra.

Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op.93

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Program Notes Music of Ludwig van Beethoven

(b. Bonn, 1770 / d. Vienna, 1827)

Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (“The Creatures of Prometheus”), Op.43: Overture

I

n Between the first and second syMphonies,

Beethoven probably got some fine musical exercise with a commission to write a ballet score for Italian master Salvatore Viganò. Unlike the more serious orchestral writing he did for many of his works, ballets of the day were expected to be light, accessible pieces. Moreover, the story told in Viganò’s libretto makes its title character, the Greek titan Prometheus, into rather an age of enlightenment philosopher, who brings a human male and female to life from statues, and then introduces them to the higher arts and sciences. The ballet premiered

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y the tiMe of the eighth syMphony, Beethoven

was in the midst of working out his titanic Ninth Symphony.

And all that the latter work is – vast, serious, groundbreaking and philosophical – the Eighth is not. It is much more conventionally classical in its form, briefer than his previous few symphonies. It is also filled with humour and a cheeky élan. However, given what the Viennese had come to expect from the master, the Eighth Symphony’s unexpected nature probably had much to do with the tepid reception it received. “…the newest one, in F Major, (performed) twice. (It was performed, particularly the second time, entirely as might have been wished and yet pleased less than the other ones by this master. The second and third movements seemed to be received the best.),” went a review by Friedrich Rochlitz in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, 8 April, 1818.

There are few symphonies that begin with the joyous outburst with which this one does. That sense of “con brio” continues throughout the movement, which is dominated by two main melodic ideas. The second movement, where one would normally expect a slow section, is in fact marked by the continual pulsing rhythm which Beethoven biographer Schindler claimed was Beethoven’s gentle parody of his friend Maelzel’s invention: the metronome.

It was Beethoven who had dispensed with the conventional Minuet and Trio third movement Haydn used to use, but he brings it back in the Eighth Symphony, though with a more “modern” sensibility to it, rather than sheer nostalgia. The finale is dominated by humour. A persistent, out-of-key C-sharp keeps knocking the music slightly off kilter, and in fact comes close to steering it right out of key before the happy conclusion. It is worth noting that, while Beethoven himself referred to this as his “Little Symphony,” the final movement, at 503 bars, is the longest he had yet written.

www.EdmontonSymphony.com

Romance cantabile in E minor

N

aturally enough, most of Beethoven’s early

works were written for his own instrument, piano, or they at least featured piano – piano trios, quartets, and the like. He took a stab at a piano concerto at the age of 14, but abandoned it. Similarly, in 1786 or ’87 (around his 16th birthday), he began writing something for the unusual instrumental combination of flute, bassoon, piano, and orchestra. All we have of it today is a fragment known as the Romance cantabile in E minor, a five-minute movement in a Mozartean vein that was just not quite mature enough for the composer to flesh out into a fully formed concertante work. Much later in life, of course, he would eventually write a full “Triple” Concerto (see below), but for the more standard combination of violin, cello, and piano.

Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello in C Major, Op.56 “Triple”

T

he answer to the question, “why isn’t Beethoven’s

‘Triple’ Concerto performed more often?” depends on who one asks. For many, the answer would have to do with the necessary talent – three fine soloists willing to take on this ambitious work. But others might say that Beethoven may have overreached his vision with this work, and it does not rank with his finest concertante pieces.

The idea of the three instruments which make up the piano trio

being used as a concerto group was new, but not revolutionary. Beethoven’s inspiration was his admiration for certain French musical models.

Moreover, his own writing for cello – an instrument he did not play – was bringing soloistic music for this instrument into a whole new realm.

It is likely that Beethoven intended the piano part of the concerto for himself; the cellist was thought to be the old Anton Kraft (for whom Haydn had written); the violinist is believed to have been Georg August Seidler. It was written between 1804-05.

Balance, and the necessity of treating each solo instrument equally, was certainly a major challenge with the piece. One not only wants each instrument to have its own voice, but interplay among the three, and in combination with the orchestra, all have to be taken into account as well. It is thought that was part of the reason that Beethoven tempered his more complex orchestral designs in favour of something different. “Here he was probably seeking popular appeal by keeping the thematic material simple and sequential and by limiting any form of elaboration,” writes Lewis Lockwood in Beethoven: The Music and the Life.

The cello often gets to present important thematic material before the other soloists. The concerto is in the standard three-movement format, with a first movement in C Major as long as the other two together.

The second movement is a tender Largo in a remote A-flat; the finale is a Rondo marked “alla Polacca,” or “in the style of a polonaise,” a dance in triple time with roots in Poland.

Program notes © 2017 by D.T. Baker, except as noted

Thank You ESO and WinSpEar CEntrE dOnOrS! The impact of your gift can be found inside the pages of this program. Your donation gives life to the ESO, and provides a wide array of guest conductors, artists, and dynamic programming for your fellow symphony supporters.

In an effort to direct as much funding as possible to our event and education programs, we will be highlighting our donors in select editions of Signature Magazine in the 16/17 season.

A complete donor listing is also available in our Annual General Report.* Thank-you for ensuring that music continues to thrive in our community.

Sunday, May 7 at 2pm Winspear Centre Edmonton Youth Orchestra Gala Concert to celebrate 65th Anniversary for EYO, and 40th Anniversary year for Michael Massey

Concerto Grosso Vaughan Williams Young Florestan Schumann – Massey with special guests The Shumayela Choir “The Wind in the Willows” Symphonic Poem Michael Massey Pictures at an Exhibition Mussorgsky – Ravel $15 Adults $10 Seniors/Students

*online at www.edmontonsymphony.com/about/board or request a hard copy by calling Louise Bradbury at 780-401-2502

Tix on the Square

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65

YEARS

Conductor Michael Massey

1952 2017

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THE EdmonTon SympHony orcHESTra

Board & Staff

LIST of PAST BoARD CHAIRS

Mrs. Marion Mills Dr. H.V. Rice Mr. John D. Dower Mr. Gerry M. Wilmot Dr. A.o. Minsos Mr. E.M. Blanchard Mr. A.G. Culver Mr. D.D. Campbell Mr. D.M. Ramsay Mr. Merrill E. Wolfe Mr. Ken R. Higham Mr. George M. Peacock, Q.C. Mr. Ralph L. Horley The Honourable David C. McDonald Mrs. Madeline Williams The Honourable Tevie H. Miller Mr. Jack W. Kennedy The Honourable Roger P. Kerans Mr. Richard W. Palmer Dr. John R. Huckell Dr. John L. Schlosser Mr. J.R. Singleton Mr. D.A. Cox Mr. Ron Ritch Mrs. Margaret Clarke Mr. Brian Hetherington Mr. Charles T. Austin Mr. Neil Wilkinson Mr. Robert Binnendyk Mr. Ron Pearson Ms. Audrey Luft Mr. Andrew Hladyshevsky, Q.C. Mr. Douglas Noble Mr. D. Mark Gunderson, Q.C. Mr. W.D. (Bill) Grace, f.C.A. Mrs. Phyllis Clark Mr. Steven LePoole Jim E. Carter, P.Eng.

1952-53 1953-54 1954-56 1956-57 1957-58 1958-59 1959-60 1960-61 1961-62 1962-63 1963-65 1965-66 1966-67 1967-68 1968-69 1969-70 1970-71 1971-72 1972-73 1973-76 1976-77 1977-79 1979-80 1980-82 1982-84 1984-86 1986-88 1988-90 1990-93 1993-95 1995-97 1997-00 2000-01 2001-03 2003-04 2004-07 2007-11 2011-15

THE ESo AND WINSPEAR CENTRE WoRK IN PRoUD PARTNERSHIP WITH IATSE LoCAL 210 Warren Bertholet, head Lighting technician Jonas Duffy, head audio technician Alan Marks, head of Stage management Mike Patton, assistant head of Stage management 28 signature

Edmonton Symphony SociEty/ FranciS WinSpEar cEntrE For muSic

BoARD of DIRECToRS Reg Milley, chair Peggy Garritty, Vice chair Jim E. Carter, P.Eng., past chair Mary Persson, C.P.A., C.M.A., treasurer Craig T. McDougall, Secretary/Legal counsel Sheryl Bowhay Joanna Ciapka-Sangster Megan Evans Christine frederick Sam Jenkins oryssia Lennie Kathryn Macintosh Jim McKillop Mark Moran David yee Candace Chu (u of a Student intern)

EDMoNToN SyMPHoNy & CoNCERT HALL foUNDATIoN Phyllis Clark, chair John Brennan Jim Carter Bob Kamp Carol Ann Kushlyk, C.M.A., C.f.E. Jim McKillop Edmonton Symphony orchEStra / WinSpEar cEntrE / tommy BanKS inStitutE For muSicaL crEatiVity

EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP Annemarie Petrov Executive director

William Eddins music director

Rob McAlear, director of artistic operations Janice Moore, director of community investment Ally Mandrusiak, director of Events management Brian Alguire, director of Finance & operations Alison Kenny-Gardhouse, director of musical creativity Elaine Warick, director of patron development Barb Wilkes, Executive coordinator/Board Liaison complete staff listing can be found at WWW.EdmontonSymphony.com www.EdmontonSymphony.com

Thank YOu Community Support of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra & Winspear Centre The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is a registered charitable organization, incorporated under the Societies Act of the Province of Alberta on November 22, 1952. As Canada’s fourth-largest professional orchestra, the ESO is financed by ticket sales, grants from government agencies, and by contributions from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

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