OPENING CONCERT! West Chester University Symphony Orchestra Joseph Caminiti, Director
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2019 EMILIE K. ASPLUNDH CONCERT HALL PHILIPS MEMORIAL BUILDING 3:00 PM
PROGRAM LA PERI FANFARE ........................................................................................................... P. Dukas (1865–1935)
OVERTURE TO LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, K. 492 ..................................................... W.A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Olivia Choi, Graduate Conductor
DER ROSENKAVALIER SUITE ...................................................................................... R. Strauss (1864–1949) INTERMISSION
SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN C MINOR, OP. 67 ........................................................ L. van Beethoven (1770–1827) I. II. III. IV.
Allegro con brio Andante con molto Scherzo. Allegro Allegro
Please silence, but reference cell phones and electronic devices.
PROLOGUE Richard Strauss himself espoused this harmonic palette most notably through his operas Salome and Elektra. However, on the heels of those daring works (1905 and The modernist view of the 20th century emphasized a growing technical complexity in music. The atonal innovations of Schönberg and his devotees became emblematic of this strain. 1909, respectively), Strauss was overheard to have said, “Now I shall write a Mozart opera.” Der Rosenkavalier (1911) was that opera. From this point on, his harmonic language follows that of his tone poems of the 1880s and ’90s, as well as the Vier Letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) of 1948 written a year before his death. Strauss was born into a well-to-do family and society, and his father, Franz, was the Principal Horn of the Bavarian Court Opera for more than 40 years. This, coupled with Richard’s extraordinary musical aptitude, largely led to his immense success as a composer. He was venerated in the musical world, and whenever he stepped in front of an orchestra, they played better for him than for anyone else. The Der Rosenkavalier Suite, though approved by Strauss himself, may not have been written by him but by conductor Artur Rodzinsky. The suite opens just as the opera does and proceeds through “The Presentation of the Rose”, a sequence of waltzes, the famous Terzette from the end of Act III, and a return to a quick waltz with a flamboyant ending. Mozart’s witty and exuberant overture to Le Nozze di Figaro (“The Marriage of Figaro”) of 1786 is a fitting pairing with the Strauss. The characters of Cherubino in Mozart’s opera and Octavian in Strauss’s are highly similar, both because they are trouser roles (male roles sung by women generally dressed as males), and because of the dubiousness of the characters’ identities so integral to the plots. Nearly every composer after Beethoven found him an intimidating figure to follow. While so many of his works have defined his greatness (string quartets, masses, overtures, chamber works), his symphonies in particular have become icons of his influence. In this the 250th anniversary of his birth, Symphony No. 5 might seem too obvious a choice. While it is often the case that the familiar becomes trite from overuse, Beethoven’s Fifth seems never to wear old.
The Fifth Symphony’s exceedingly famous opening still seizes performers and listeners. Many have speculated about the meaning of the short-short-short-long statements at the outset and continued throughout, some saying it stands for fate, others noting its Morse Code-like reference to “help.” It is further tempting to link Beethoven’s specific life experiences to his music. All of these musings are engaging for sure, and may be illuminating to a point, but in truth these great works of art transcend one-to-one relationships. If Beethoven wanted his music to be concretely interpreted, he would have supplied us with footnotes to that end. It is much more likely that he wrote what he did—employing the full extent of his intellect, artistry, and heart—without the encumbrances and shortcomings of concrete expression. If Beethoven were with us today and could deliver multiple performances of this symphony, it is certain he would have strong convictions about how it should sound. It is equally certain that all of the performances would be unique, not due to indecision, but due to the boundless depth of its expressive capacity. To render it with sameness is to cheapen its worth. What is unassailably evident, steering well clear of pigeon-holing the piece, is Beethoven’s particularity about the sounds he desired. As his craft matured, the score became increasingly populated with musical notations. Dynamics, articulations, tempo changes, and character words fill the pages. When deafness was descending upon him, he contended that of all human beings his hearing should be least compromised, given his unparalleled aural perception. This capacity is abundantly clear in the score, and our orchestra approaches it with respect and attentiveness. Questions to Consider: Why would composers choose musical sounds of expression over words? What does listening to music offer us that a conversation cannot? Why do these pieces, some of them quite old, receive repeat performances? Does experiencing these pieces in a live performance make you consider life differently? ~Notes by Joseph Caminiti
MUSICIANS VIOLIN I Ben Weaver, Concertmaster Olivia Choi Brian Robbins Abigail Stratton Amari Rickards Kyla de Guia Riley McGowan Isaac Linton VIOLIN II Sharon Chen, Principal River Cobain Michael Susan Altemose Katrina Cwiertniewicz Madeline DeBlois Sean Devers Katelyn Norman VIOLA Freddy Contreras-Romero, Principal Isaac Meyer Abigail Keebler Ruth Frazier Ardath Belzer Pam Jacobson CELLO Elisa Aquino Gomez, Principal Lia Crisuolo Taylor Cope Ally Paino Abigail Arnold Ceara Caisido Bonnie Calhoun Emily Zook Connor McPartland Lily Eckman
DOUBLE BASS James Devor, Principal Darby MacAdams Tim Ragsdale Caleb Sharp Grace Wible Saven Wright Sarah Rentz Brian Lynch Amber Kowal FLUTE Chloe Leed, Principal Allie Finney Katie Stidham OBOE Theoron Hershey, Principal John DeBiase CLARINET Tess Pierontoni, Principal Paige Rehill Jennifer Parziale BASS CLARINET Nadine Silverman BASSOON Meghan Freer, Principal Andrew Gifford HORN Felicia Quinn, Principal Michael Antonacci Destinee Bebout Thomas Lloyd Brittany Saunders
MUSICIANS CONTINUED TRUMPET Maeve Bartra, Principal Adrianna Korey Choe Francis Nick Neu TROMBONE Kyle Jackier, Principal Joe Carano Josh Ladonis TUBA Tim Goman TIMPANI Luke Thurston, Principal Timpanist
PERCUSSION Johnny Peacock, Principal Percussion Jon Partridge Adrianna Cunning Kelly Lawrie Jacob Scheidt Anton Saliaris Kris Nelson HARP Sarah Higgins-Benz, Principal Mike Rublesky CELESTA Elvira Kobzeva
CONDUCTOR BIOGRAPHY
Joseph Caminiti began his conducting career as the Assistant Conductor of the Ithaca College Symphony and Chamber Orchestras in 1996. After arriving in Philadelphia, he started the string ensemble, Solaris, before accepting the Music Director position with the Cairn Symphony Orchestra in 2001. In 2015 he served as the Music Director of the Philharmonia, an orchestra under the umbrella organization, Youth Orchestra of Bucks County. He is now Director of Orchestral Studies at West Chester University where he conducts the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, and teaches various other courses. He was also Music Director of the Delaware County Symphony from 2016 to 2019. Guest conducting appearances include the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra (2014), the Delaware Valley Wind Symphony (2014 and 2015), the PMEA District 12 Orchestra (2017 and 2020), the Delaware All-State Orchestra (2017), and many other youth orchestras. Joseph has collaborated with arts and charitable organizations such as Advocates For the Homeless and Those in Need, Esperanza, and ARTolerance to help support underserved communities. He further values his work with living composers and guest artists such as Judith Lang Zaimont, Kile Smith, Raoul Pleskow, Ricardo Morales, Udi Bar-David, Kimberly Reighley, Ching-Yun Hu, and Jennifer Montone. Committed to connecting with audiences through dynamic and thoughtful concerts, Joseph has created various performance formats including “Concerts in The Round,” smartphone-friendly features, in-concert conversations, multi-media elements, preconcert “round-tables,” and family concerts with instrument petting zoos for children. His recently launched the “Quad Concert” series of audience-selected film scores at West Chester University inspired CBS News to spontaneously run a spot on it. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Kirsten. They are active birders and savor hearty conversations over coffee.
UPCOMING WELLS SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS For full event details visit wcupa.edu/music or call (610) 436-2739
Monday, October 7, 2019, 7:30 PM Faculty Recital: Jonathan Fowler, tuba Philips Autograph Library Philips Memorial Building Thursday, October 10, 2019, 4:15 PM Wilkinson Lecture Series featuring Dr. Kevin Korsyn, Professor of Music Theory at the University of Michigan "Composing and Improvising Cadenzas to Mozart's Piano Concerti" Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building Thursday, October 10, 2019, 7:00 PM Guest Artist Recital: Rogerio Boccato Quartet Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building Monday, October 14, 2019, 7:30 PM Faculty Recital: Stephen Ng, tenor Philips Autograph Library Philips Memorial Building Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 8:15 PM New Music Series Concert Van Stiefel & Jacob Cooper, directors Ware Family Recital Hall Swope Music Building
*Tickets required for this event.
Events at the Wells School of Music are often supported by individual donors and organizations. Contributions to the Wells School of Music may be made out to: WCU Foundation, 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382 Please include “School of Music Deans Fund� in the memo line. For further information, please call (610) 436-2868 or visit wcufoundation.org A majority of performances are available to watch via live stream at Facebook.com/ArtsAtWCUPA and LiveStream.com/wcupa. Mr. Robert Rust, Audio & Visual Technician Steinway & Sons Piano Technical, Tuning and Concert Preparations by Gerald P. Cousins, RPT If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.
The Wells School of Music | West Chester University of Pennsylvania Dr. Christopher Hanning, Dean