SHEPHERD SCHOOL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

LARRY RACHLEFF, Music Director ROBERT J. GARZA, III, Percussion and

Saturday, February 9, 2013 8:00 p.m. Stude Concert Hall PROGRAM

Symphony No.1 in , Op.25, Sergei Prokofiev “Classical ” (1891-1953) Allegro con brio Larghetto Gavotte: Non troppo allegro Finale: Molto vivace

Take Two (2012: premiere) Karl Blench A micro-concerto for percussion/piano (b. 1981) and chamber orchestra Prologue. Mechanical Landscape (Chaconne). Slow and transparent Dialogues. Looming Epilogue. Contemplative, relaxed Robert J. Garza, III, soloist Thomas Hong, conductor

INTERMISSION

Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 Allegro con brio (1770-1827) Andante con moto Scherzo. Allegro Allegro

The reverberative acoustics of Stude Concert Hall magnify the slightest sound made by the audience. Your care and courtesy will be appreciated. The taking of photographs and use of recording equipment are prohibited. SHEPHERD SCHOOL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA String seating changes with each concert. Winds, brass, percussion and harp listed alphabetically.

Violin I Horn Eric Gratz, Nicholas Cathcart, Andrew Du Comb concertmaster principal Emily Nagel Sarah Arnold David Connor John Turman Andy Liang Robert Nelson Nathanael Udell Dorothy Ro Michael Ehrenkranz Meghan Nenniger Ling Ling Huang Flute Eric Hennies Geoffrey Herd Jessica Anastasio Andrew McCormick Jacqueline Kitzmiller Aaron Perdue David Sedgwick Ben Odhner Christen Sparago Amulet Strange Harp II Emily Klein Emily Nebel, Piccolo principal Jessica Anastasio Timpani Rieho Yu Amulet Strange Lindsey Pietrek Niccoló Muti Colin Ryan Rachel Shepard Xin Liu Xiaodi Liu Orchestra Manager and Librarian Rebecca Reale Kelly Mozeik Kaaren Fleisher Yeojin Joo Michelle Pan Ioana Ionita Emily Snyder Production Manager Mandy Billings Allyson Goodman, principal Zachary Gauvain Assistant Production Manager Yvonne Smith Ran Kampel Brian Figat Wosool Cho Juan Olivares Chris Lee Leah Kovach Francis Schmidt Aaron Conitz Daniel Wang Joseph Grimmer Jeffrey Nesrsta Michael Severance Coleman Itzkoff, principal Clara Yang Joseph Grimmer Annamarie Reader Jeffrey Nesrsta Antoinette Gan Scott McCreary

PROGRAM NOTES

Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 . . . . . Sergei Prokofiev “Classical Symphony” Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev is famous for his five piano concer- tos, seven , and nine piano sonatas. Unlike his contemporary Dmitri Shostakovich, Prokofiev did not spend all of his life in modern-day Russia. Instead, he moved to the United States in 1918, then to Germany and France. The composer finally resettled in the Soviet Union in 1936, where he was forced to comply with Stalin’s regime. Prokofiev wrote his Symphony No. 1 in D Major, also known as the “Clas- sical Symphony”, between 1916 and 1917, and conducted its premiere in Petrograd on April 21, 1918. This short symphony, emulating the style of Haydn, represents one of the first neoclassical compositions. Prokofiev explains the Classical nature of this piece: “I called it the ‘Classical Symphony’ in the first place because it was simpler, and secondly, for the fun of it, to ‘tease the geese,’ and in the secret hope that I would prove to be right if the symphony did turn out to be a classic.” It is neither a copy of the Classical style, nor a parody. Rather, it is more like a tribute to the musical period. Prokofiev wrote the fifteen-minute work during a holiday in rural Russia, where he did not use a piano. He believed the orchestral colors would be “clearer and cleaner” without its influence. The first movement is a light-hearted miniature with a few whimsical changes. The recapitulation begins in the wrong key by Classical standards, and occasionally a beat is left out. The slow, second movement is in and features a graceful and quiet melody high in the . Instead of a traditional minuet for the third movement, he chooses a Gavotte, a French Baroque dance in duple meter. Prokofiev concludes his symphony with an energetic sonata-form finale. – Note by Emily Boudreaux

Take Two ...... Karl Blench In 2011 I wrote a piece for viola and percussion/piano, called Second Take, as part of a project that focused on the creation of new works for this uncon- ventional duo. After the initial performance of the work, Robert Garza was involved in several performances of the piece, thus beginning our collabora- tion. He asked me if I would consider transforming the five short movements of Second Take into a four-movement concerto. In order to make a work origi- nally intended for 2 people into one for a soloist and orchestra, I composed new music for almost all of the movements and was then able to expand the orches- tration. I also changed the title to Take Two. This title is not only a play on the idea of combining percussion and piano into a single unit, but also a play on the process of taking takes in a film. The first movement, Prologue, introduces the melodic ideas that permeate the work and establishes the roles and characteristics of the soloist and orchestra. Landscape, the second movement, is a chaconne. The third movement, Dia- logues, is a progressive argument between the soloist and the orchestra. After the argument is finished, the third movement leads directly into the calm and somber Epilogue. – Note by the composer

Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 . . . . Ludwig van Beethoven Perhaps the most famous piece of classical music ever composed, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor is a masterwork of the genre. Nearly every person in the Western world can hum its famous short-short-short-long motif. Commercials, television shows, and films, including 1985’s The Break- fast Club, use its celebrated first movement. Musically, it has been recycled in a number of pop adaptations—from musical theater to rock and even disco. A comic “sports” commentary on the first movement appears on P.D.Q. Bach in Houston: We Have a Problem (2006), taped in Rice University’s own Stude Concert Hall. How does one write about a work with such a monumental reputation? I sympathize with composer Johannes Brahms, who, due to his fear of not measuring up to Beethoven’s music, delayed completion of his first symphony until he was well into his career. Writing music after Beethoven, and even writing about his music, is a daunting task. Composed between 1804 and 1808, the fifth symphony belongs in Beethoven’s Heroic Period, a time when he was losing his hearing. It premiered at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien on December 22, 1808, as part of a four-hour concert of Beethoven pieces. Interestingly, Beethoven’s sixth symphony, which debuted at the same event, was performed before the fifth symphony. He dedicated the work to two of his patrons, Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz and Count Razumovsky. The first movement is in sonata form, opening with the famous C-minor motif. A series of imitations and sequences follows the four-note motif, and, as they stumble upon each other rhythmically, they seem to form one melody. This powerful motif permeates the entire work, though subtly, giving the symphony a sense of naturalness and unity. The more lyrical second theme is in E-flat major, the key of the relative major, and features the opening motif in the string accompaniment. Modulation, sequences, and imitation fill the development section. Shortly after the start of the recapitulation, a solo oboe unexpectedly plays, sounding almost out of place before Beethoven closes the opening move- ment with a long coda. The slow, second movement, in A-flat major, features a double variation form--two themes are presented and varied in alternation. The sweet, melodic first theme is introduced in the and over a bass, and the second theme sounds heroic in the and horns. The third movement is a scherzo and trio and begins with an ascending arpeg- gio that recalls the final movement of Mozart’s Symphony no. 40 in G minor. While the movement opens with a dark C minor , the horns soon play a heroic four-note phrase, much like the motif of the first movement. There is some controversy about the form of this movement. Beethoven’s autograph score suggests an ABABA’ plan, but it is traditionally played as ABA, omitting the extra repetition of the trio and scherzo sections. After an astonishing transition built on a steady pattern in the tympani, the finale begins without a break from the third movement. It is in sonata form and C minor, like the first movement, but at the end of the development section the music stops on a loud half cadence. Then, the piece continues with a reprise of the theme from the scherzo of movement three. A long coda follows the reca- pitulation, and the symphony ends triumphantly with 29 measures of C-major chords, possibly alluding to a victory of good over evil.

–Note by Emily Boudreaux BIOGRAPHIES A native a Brownsville, TX, ROBERT JAY GARZA, III received his under- graduate degrees in both Percussion Performance and Music Theory at Rice University in 2012. As a developing percussionist, Garza studied with Richard Brown at Rice and Tim Genis in Boston, MA and was later accepted into John Haas’ studio at The Aspen Music Festival and School. Garza is the first solo percussionist to have won the Shepherd School Concerto Competition. Garza's passion for conducting has allowed him to lead and collaborate with ensem- bles such as the Percussion Ensemble at the Shepherd School, Opera Vista, The Campanile Orchestra at Rice University, The Macon Symphony Orches- tra, and The Eastman Wind Ensemble. As a composer, Garza has completed several commissions and has had works performed at Rice University. Current commissions include pianist Tal Zilber, who will be performing a piano sonata this June for the Felicia Blumental Music Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, violinist Nick Baker, who be performing a violin concerto this summer with The Scor- datura Music Society in Houston, TX, and cellist Reenat Pinchas and violinist Tema Watstein, who will be performing a violin and cello duo this fall in New York City. Along with his primary studies as a performer and theorist, Garza studied violin, piano, composition, voice, and conducting at the Shepherd School of Music.

KARL BLENCH’s music has been performed throughout the United States (including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall) and Europe. Recent en- gagements include performances of his work by the h2 Saxophone Quartet, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the University of New Hampshire Wind En- semble, and the University of Houston Wind Ensemble. Notable prizes include the 2003 H. Robert Reynolds Composers’ Competition, the 2007 Cooper Prize from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice, in 2010, an ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and in 2011 he was the winner of the Marilyn Glick Competition. He is also a conductor, has played , and was a teacher in the public school system of West Springfield, MA. Karl hails originally from Ware, Massachusetts. His undergraduate degrees are from the University of New Hampshire, and his MM and DMA are from Rice University. His teachers include Samuel Adler, Karim Al-Zand, Andrew Boysen, Shih-Hui Chen, Arthur Gottschalk, Pierre Jalbert, Christopher Kies, and Kurt Stallmann.

THE SHEPHERD SOCIETY This performance is made possible in part by members of The Shepherd Soci- ety. Their gifts provide merit-based scholarships that attract the most prom- ising young classical musicians to study at Rice. With your support, we can continue to offer our students the highest level of training from the finest faculty in the field. We hope you’ll take a moment to review the opportunities for sup- port and the benefits of membership at www.theshepherdsociety.org. To join The Shepherd Society, call 713-348-3492 or visit the website above.

UPCOMING ORCHESTRA CONCERTS Fri., Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m., Sun., Mar. 17. 2:00 p.m., and Tues., Mar. 19, 7:30 p.m. – SHEPHERD SCHOOL OPERA and SHEPHERD SCHOOL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Richard Bado, conductor PROGRAM: Händel - Ariodante Admission (general seating): $12; students and senior citzens $10. Ticket sales begin February 11. For tickets call 713-348-8000.

Sat., Mar. 16, 8:00 p.m. – SHEPHERD SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Larry Rachleff, conductor PROGRAM: Verdi - Overture from La forza del destino; Schuller - Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee; and Schubert - Symphony No.9 in C Major, D. 944, “The Great C Major”. Stude Concert Hall. Free admission.