A MUSICAL EVENING IN PARIS

Concert Presentation with Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and Qatar Music Academy Faculty Musicians Narration in French by Francophone Qatari Women Association

KATARA DRAMA THEATRE THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020, 7:30 PM

PROGRAMME

THE FIRST ‘GLIMPSE’

A SOIRÉE AT PAULINE VIARDOT’S

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to beautiful Paris! This evening we are at the Villa Viardot, Bougival, home of musician and muse, Pauline Viardot for a soirée featuring compositions by her contemporaries. Some are French, and others have adopted Paris as their home. The audience is comprised of nobility as well as the musical and artistic elite of her time.

Chopin 1810-1849 Polonaise in A flat Op. 53 ‘Heroic’ Performed by Denys Bodnar

First to perform is Chopin whose father was French and whose influence on the French school of piano playing and composers is immeasurable. He moved to Paris giving his debut performance there at the Salle Pleyel in 1832, where his genius was instantly recognized.

3 Duparc Fauré Bizet 1848-1933 1845-1924 1838-1875 Chanson triste Après un rêve, Op. 7/i Ouvre ton coeur Performed by Anna Dieterich

Duparc’s high standards led him to destroy many of his compositions, but what his oeuvre lacks in volume, it makes up for in quality. His preferred voice type was ‘capable of fluent, flexible phrasing and a real intensity of tone’and he liked accompaniment ‘that follows and envelops the voice like a garment, making one with it …’ Fauré was one of the very few composers of his generation who was not influenced musically by the great Wagner. For Ravel, Fauré actually saved French vocal music from the dominance of the German Lied. Après un rêve was published in 1878, after Fauré’s engagement to Viardot’s daughter Marianne ended. As Bizet lived next door to the Viardots, we can picture him popping by to perform this with Pauline for her guests! Ouvre ton coeur dates from 1859.

Dukas Enescu 1865–1935 1881–1955 Villanelle Balada Performed by Rachel Seay Performed by Lorena Manescu

Dukas’ most famous composition is Enescu came to Paris from Romania as a undoubtedly The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. young man where he studied composition and violin. He was renowned for his fine Villanelle was composed in 1906 as performances of Bach. a test piece for students at the Paris Conservatoire. The work includes a For cellist Pablo Casals, he was ‘the variety of elements of horn technique greatest musical phenomenon since required of students at the time including Mozart’. The Balada dates from 1895. natural horn, echo horn, and con sordino (with mutes).

Chabrier with his wife in 1882. 1841-1894 We hear many elements of the Spanish España music they would have heard, including the rhythms and energy of the dance. Performed by Belén Navarro and Juan Lago For Spanish composer de Falla, one of the most beautiful Jotas is found in this piece. España was composed by Chabrier for 2 The version you will hear today was made by pianos following a long trip through Spain composer André Messager.

~ INTERMISSION ~

THE SECOND ‘GLIMPSE’

A MEETING OF THE SOCIÉTÉ DES APACHES AT PAUL SORDES’ HOME AND BEYOND ...

Les Apaches used to meet regularly on Saturdays at the home of painter Paul Sordes, on rue Dulong, above Montmartre. Members of Les Apaches included Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Debussy, Ravel, the extraordinary Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes and a host of painters and writers.

5 Ravel Gershwin / Heifitz 1875-1937 1898-1937 1901-1987 Feria An American in Paris Performed by Belén Navarro Performed by Lorena and Juan Lago Manescu

Feria, from Ravel’s Rhapsodie Espagnole In 1928, Gershwin wrote this jazz- was composed in 1907 for 2 pianos inspired piece for orchestra to depict the during the same time as his operaL’heure energy of Paris following a visit there in espagnole. 1926. It creates a wonderfully exciting This transcription is by violinist Heifitz. Carnival atmosphere with dancing and tremendous fun.

Dutilleux Debussy 1916-2013 1862-1918 Sonatine 1. En bateau Nicole Preßler Performed by Anikó Kovács and Denys Bodnar 1. La terrasse des audiences 1. Allegretto du clair du lune 2. Andante 2. Feux d’artifice 3. Animé Performed by Debbie Armstrong The Sonatine is an early work of Dutilleux’s from 1943 and was written as Although he didn’t travel much, Debussy a test piece for the Paris Conservatoire. had the imagination to conjure up a Although the composer was never multitude of highly convincing settings. completely satisfied with it, it is He was a beautiful pianist; his recordings undoubtedly one of his most recorded manifest a gorgeous tone quality and compositions. lovely phrasing. With these pieces, Debussy brings us to the sea, to India where he marks the coronation of George V as emperor of India, and to a celebration of Bastille day.

THE MUSICIANS

Denys Bodnar

Born in 1989, Ukrainian pianist Denys Bodnar is a graduate of the National Academy of Music in Lviv and the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław. Among his teachers were renowned pianist and educators Ljubov Rzesznivetska, Prof. Teresa Starukh, concert pianist Jozef Ermin and Prof. Olga Rusina. He has taken part in many regional and international competitions, receiving a number of prizes and distinctions, including First Prize in the All-Ukraine Piano Competition, a diploma and ‘Sabin Dragoi’ prize in the Jeunesses International Piano Competition in Bucharest, and was a finalist in the International Hans von Bülow Piano Competition in Meiningen, Germany. Denys regularly performs in Qatar, Poland and Ukraine as a solo performer and as a soloist with orchestras Lviv Philharmonic, Wroclaw Philharmonic and in the following venues: Qatar National Theatre, Chopin Museum in Warsaw, etc. He is currently based in Doha (Qatar) where he holds position of piano teacher at the Qatar Music Academy.

Anna Dieterich

Anna Dieterich studied Opera singing with Maria Loidl in Vienna, and Lied and Oratorio under the tutolage of acclaimed prof. Walter Moore, which engendered a fascination with Lied that remains with her to this day. She continued her education with prof. Claudia Visca and took part in masterclasses of Ester Salaman, Verena Rein and Thomas Hampson. She sang in numerous ensembles and was part of the chamber choir Wiener Singakademie Kammerchor, which secured an award at the international A Capella competition in Corinthia. She sang under the baton of Bertrand de Billy, George Pretre, Christian Thileman and Ton Koopmann. Opera roles include Christel in Der Vogelhändler by C. Zeller, Gretel in Hänsel and Gretel by E. Humperdinck, Lauretta – Cara in Die Patin by R. Simma, Fantime in Abu Hassan, by C. M. v. Weber and Bastienne in Bastien et Bastienne by W. A. Mozart. Together with the Doha Baroque Ensemble she has performed Bach Cantatas, Händel’s Messiah, Bach‘s Christmas Oratorio and Pergolesi‘s Stabat Mater. Anna has been living in Doha for many years, teaching singing at Qatar Music Academy.

7 Debbie Armstrong

From Ireland, Debbie Armstrong studied piano and read music at Trinity College Dublin before pursuing postgraduate work in North America. This culminated in a doctoral degree in piano performance from McGill University in Montreal. Her teachers have included Marek Jablonski, Mabel Swainson and Kyoko Hashimoto.

While she enjoys playing a wide range of repertoire, she especially enjoys early twentieth century French music which brought her several times to where she worked with leading French pianists Pascal Rogé, Jacques Rouvier, Philippe Entremont and Fredéric Aguessy. Additionally, masterclasses with György Sebők, Joyce Rathbone, Valeria Szervánszky and Karl-Heinz Kämmerling greatly influenced her musical development. She has performed a wide range of repertoire to great acclaim as soloist and chamber musician on six continents and received notable awards for her playing in the U.S., Ireland and . She is presently accompanist and teacher of theory and musicianship at the Qatar Music Academy.

Rachel Seay

After graduating from high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Rachel Seay attended the University of , graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Horn Performance. She received her Master’s Degree in Horn Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of renowned brass pedagogue Randy Gardner. Other teachers include Julie Schleif, Ellen Campbell, Douglas Campbell, and John Ericson. Music-making has taken Rachel around the globe, with performances and teaching engagements in the , Mexico, , Australia, the Middle East and to her current position as Teacher of Brass, Ensembles, and Music Theory at the Qatar Music Academy in Doha, Qatar.

Lorena Manescu

Born in 1986 in Romania, Lorena Manescu grew up in a mountain village surrounded by an inspiring environment and her grandparents’ passion for music. She started to play the violin at the age of 5 under the tutorship of her grandfather, an enthusiast fiddler. Lorena then attended the primary and secondary music school in the town of her birth, Ramnicu-Valcea.

She has won many prizes at national and international competitions, performed concerts and recitals on some of the most famous stages in Europe and appeared in numerous television and radio broadcastings. In 2001 at a recital in Munich’s prestigious Gasteig Hall Lorena had her first encounter with Arabian culture through an Arabian composer and his family. Impressed at first by the beauty of the Arabic designs and music, a new passion started to take shape for Islamic culture. Since 2002 Lorena has been actively involved in chamber music projects including performances at the well-known George Enescu Festival. In 2005 Lorena graduated from Dinu Lipatti Music High School in Bucharest. Under the tutelage of renowned professors she graduated with distinction from the Vienna Conservatory in 2008. Lorena’s growing passion for the orient and its rich culture drove her steps to Qatar. Since 2008 she has proudly been a member of the first violin section of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Lorena truly believes in Qatar Foundation’s motto: “Unlocking human potential.”

Belén Navarro and Juan Lago

Belén Navarro and Juan Lago formed their duo in 1997 during the last stage of their training at the Amsterdam Conservatorium (The Netherlands), where they studied under pianists such as Jan Wijn, Hakon Austbo, Gyorgy Sebok and Eugen Indjic. Since then, they have offered recitals throughout Spain, European Union and the United States either for two pianos or four hands, covering a wide repertoire from Bach to Lutoslawski and showing their predilection for eclectic programs combining styles such as the Viennese Classicism of Mozart or Dave Brubeck’s American Jazz.

At the invitation of Zubin Mehta, they recently gave a critically acclaimed performance of the complete works by C. Debussy for piano duo at the «V Festival del Mediterráneo» at the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia.

9 Anikó Kovács

Anikó Kovács was admitted to the preparatory faculty of the Liszt Academy of Music Budapest at the age of 13. At the age of 18 she won the first prize at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the United States. After graduation from the Liszt Academy of Music Budapest in 1990 she was offered a scholarship to the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) by Professor Donald Weilerstein.

She became assistant concertmaster at the Aspen Music Festival and got her second artist diploma in 1992 at the CIM. Anikó Kovács was a founding member and concertmaster of the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. Her second solo CD was issued in 2008.

Nicole Preßler

Born in 1983 in Plauen, Germany, Nicole Preßler entered the University Mozarteum Salzburg to study with Professor Michael Kofler in 2002. As soloist and chamber musician, Nicole Preßler has appeared throughout Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East. She took part in chamber music festivals such as the Oleg Kagan Festival Kreuth, Chard Festival in England, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Bach Festival Leipzig, Aspekte Festival Salzburg and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, South Africa. In 1999 and 2000, she played as solo flutist in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim and in 2002 toured with the Verbier Festival Orchestra under James Levine and Charles Dutoit. Her radio and television coverage includes ORF, NDR, SWR, and MDR, in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Moscow and Beograd.

Nicole Preßler is a multiple federal-prize winner of Germany in the solo category. Shewas a scholarship holder of the German Competition of the Deutsche Musikrat. She was awarded 2nd place at the international music competition Pacem in Terris in Bayreuth and the International Flute Competition Krákow, and won the Special Prize for the best interpretation of the flute concerto of Penderecki.

11 Find the complete program of the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture online: www.institutfrancais-qatar.com www.qa.ambafrance.org www.yearsofculture.qa