FACULTY OF MUSIC

U of T Orchestra Uri Mayer, conductor

with Jennifer Tran, alto 2018-19 UTSO Concerto Competition Winner

Saturday, October 5, 2019 7:30 pm MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen’s Park

The UTSO concerts are made possible in part by a generous gift from Neville Austin.

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land. University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Uri Mayer, conductor

PROGRAM

As Quiet As Michael Colgrass (1932-2019)

1. A Leaf Turning Colors 2. An Unihabited Creek 3. An Ant Walking 4. Children Sleeping 5. Time Passing 6. A Soft Rainfall 7. The First Star Coming Out

Légende, Op. 66 Florent Schmitt (1870-1958)

Nocturnes (1862-1918)

i. Nuages ii. Fêtes

Lorenzo Guggenheim, conductor

Intermission

Symphony No. 7, Op. 92 in A major Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

i. Poco sostenuto - Vivace ii. Allegretto iii. Presto iv. Allegro con brio

Please note that photography and recording are strictly prohibited during the performance. Kindly turn off all electronic devices as a courtesy to the performers and your fellow patrons. U OF T SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Violins Janise Tin Wing Ku Ilinca Stafie David Baik, concertmaster Lyndon Kwan Dia Tam Felipe Luzuriaga, Tsz Pan Gretchen Lee Shin Yu Wang concertmaster YuBin Lee Justin Azerrad-Kendall Michelle Liu Trumpets Emily Bosenius Brendan Rogers Charlotte McIntosh Grace Choi Else Sather Declan Scott Thea Coburn Eliza Wei Charles Watson Diana Dawydchak Ness Wong Miguel Esteban Trombones Eleanor Hector Double Basses Bien Carandang Claire Heinrichs Peter Eratostene, principal Nathaniel Jenkins Juliana Hentosz Mikka Choi Benjamin Storm Claire Hur Luke Chrysochou Heather Huynh Chiara Culmone Tuba Lexi Li Hannah Godfrey-Clarke Mike Liu Amelia McNiven Fontani Shaun Rogers Céline Murray Timpani/Percussion Matthais Ng Flutes Alland Gordon Fry IV Jess Ng Nerses Amirkhanyan Samuel Kerr Isaac Poon Karen Chiang (piccolo) Mateen Mehri Adelaide Sanchez Ricci Ebron Jacob Valcheff Lucy Warren Michelle Hui (piccolo) Meilin Wei Sophia Won Marcus Wong Oboes Harp Jisu Woo Bradley Duffy (Eng. horn) Justine Azar Peter Daniel Wowk Daniel Mok Nicole Chang Saba Yousefi-Taemeh Ciara Wheeler (Eng. horn) Kayla Falkenholt Lucia Yu Christina Kant May Yu Clarinets Marco De Conno (bass) Keyboards Violas Adriana Elizabeth Michelle Lin Woosol Cho, principal Jankovic Andrew Chan Bruce Luo (bass) Lorenzo Guggenheim, Matthew Chan assistant conductor Jocelyn Choi Bassoons ______Samuel Edwards Douglas Fleming MacMillan Theatre Emelia Findlay Rae Pauze Ian Albright, technical Madeleine Kay Michael Quigley director Vena Lin Zachary Senick (contra) Les Stockley, technical Raphael Salonga assistant Horns Ross Hammond, Cellos Noah Hawryluck production assistant Madeleine Smith, principal Lucy Nesbitt Maxwell Darlington Paolo Rosselli Performance Collection Karen Wiseman, librarian PROGRAM NOTES As Quiet As was inspired by the Légende by Florent Schmitt (1870– answers of fourth-grade children 1958) is a rhapsodic ballad that is asked by their teacher to complete the masterfully coloured through the sentence beginning “Let’s be as quiet interweaving of solo saxophone within as…” From the 21 answers completed the orchestral fabric. The work was by Constance Fauci and printed in the commissioned by Elise Boyer Hall New York Times in December, 1961, (1853–1924), a Parisian-American I chose seven that seemed to make a saxophonist, who dedicated her life’s nature study as might be perceived by work in promoting the saxophone as a child. My purpose was to depict the a classical solo instrument. Légende is very nature of each metaphor, as if I one of 22 commissioned works in her were demonstrating to a blind person collection. the essence of a leaf as it changes color, of a creek abandoned even by Composed in 1918, just shortly before birds, and of an ant – or many ants the end of World War I, this piece skittering about. was a means to escape the reality of wartime France by whisking the Children Sleeping and Time Passing listener off to a dreamlike existence, are like a dream sequence. Following transcending physical limitations light breathing and heartbeats, a through music. Schmitt travelled sonatina written by Beethoven as a extensively during his lifetime in child appears through a montage of studying composition, and his music “sleeping sounds”, and then re-appears is greatly influenced by memories of fragmentarily in musical styles from Northern Italy, Paris, Bayreuth, Zürich 1800 to the present – Haydn, Sibelius, and many more. His ability to evoke Ravel, Stravinsky, Count Basie – as if imagery of distant locations with one were taking a fleeting glance at ease stems from his fascination of music history moving through time. The the works by César Franck, Frédéric jazz is interrupted by a distant sound Chopin, Gabriel Fauré and Claude which ends the dream, and the last Debussy, to name a few. Through setting (Webern) is in post-war style. these compositional decisions, such as focusing on local colour, chromatic A Soft Rainfall and The First Star harmonic flourishes, metric ambiguity, Coming Out are the spring and the timbre of the solo instrument itself summer counterparts of the autumnal and more, Schmitt presented his take leaf and creek, and are related on French exoticism. musically as well. The creek is now a rainfall, and the leaf a soft blanket of The impressive colours drawn from night across which stars flicker like a the orchestra with the intertwining million raindrops turned to crystal. As melodic lines in the saxophone offer Quiet As is dedicated to children, with both mesmerizing calmness and love and with hope. overwhelming bursts of emotion.

Program note by the composer. Program note by Jennifer Tran. Debussy’s Nocturnes are a music and luminous dust participating paradigmatic work in the orchestral in the cosmic rhythm.” repertoire and the history of music. The very beginning of Nuages (the first of Program note by Lorenzo Guggenheim. the Nocturnes) presents an ambiguous tonality and unusual instrumentation called Beethoven’s which caused the first listeners to be Symphony No. 7 “the apotheosis of absolutely surprised. Debussy was the dance.” No doubt he was referring often inspired by other arts; in this to the sheer rhythmic drive that propels case the title of this composition was the symphony forward. It is the fastest influenced by a cycle of paintings titled of Beethoven’s nine : there Nocturnes by James McNeill Whistler. is no real slow movement (the second The connection between music and movement is marked “Allegretto”) painting is such that musicians often and the third movement scherzo is talk about colours to refer to the the fastest of Beethoven’s symphonic sounds of an instrument, a section scherzi. Composed between 1811 and of instruments, or a specific chord. 1812, the symphony was famously Sometimes this can sound quite premiered in 1813. Immensely popular arbitrary but when referred to this work, from the start (the second movement we understand the correlation of sound had to be encored before the and colour, music and painting. symphony was allowed to go on), it is one of Beethoven’s most well-known The first two movements ofNocturnes , works. which we perform tonight, were premiered in Paris in 1900, leaving The symphony opens with the grandest the third movement Sirens for 1901. of Beethoven’s introductions. This About them Debussy wrote: “The title stately introduction anticipates two Nocturnes is to be interpreted here in important observations. First, its a general and, more particularly, in a length and internal structure nearly decorative sense. Therefore, it is not qualifies it as a separate movement meant to designate the usual form of in itself. Seen through this lens, the the Nocturne, but rather all the various introduction’s duple time signature impressions and the special effects of (4/4) is similar to the second and light that the world suggests. Nuages fourth movements (both in 2/4 time) renders the immutable aspect of the and in contrast to the first and third sky and the slow and solemn motion of movements (in a triple-feeling 6/8 and the clouds, fading away in gray tones 3/4 time, respectively) – an alternating lightly tinged with white. Fêtes gives structure of duple and triple meters. us the vibrating, dancing rhythm of the Second, despite the symphony being atmosphere with sudden flashes of in A major the introduction explores light. There is also the episode of the F major – “pre-hearing” the third procession (a dazzling fantastic vision) movement scherzo. The first movement which passes through the festive scene proper, critic David Hurwitz describes, and becomes merged with it. But the is not only “monothematic” (with one background remains persistently the main musical idea throughout) but also same: the festival with its blending of “monorhythmic” (that is, that there is BIOGRAPHIES one main rhythmic motif throughout). Uri Mayer, Professor and Director of The idea of a single rhythm weaving Orchestral Studies at the University of its way through a piece applies too in Toronto, has taught on the faculties of the second movement, where the main the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, idea is built by repeating a two-bar Rice University Shepherd School of rhythm. Robert Schumann describes Music in Houston, McGill University this movement as “a rustic wedding,” in Montreal and at the Glenn Gould although conductors have been known School of the Royal Conservatory to turn it into a dirge by taking it too of Music. Renowned for his strong slowly. The third movement brings command of broad symphonic, a boisterous scherzo (literally, joke) operatic and ballet repertoire, Uri with its lively tunes juxtaposed with has guest conducted many of the flashy interjections. The joke lies in the leading orchestras around the world movement’s construction: the scherzo including Canada’s Montreal, Toronto, appears three times, separated by Winnipeg and Vancouver symphonies, two trios. On the surface, it appears the Houston and Utah symphonies as if the movement circles endlessly. in the U.S., London Mozart Players Careful observation, however, reveals and the English Symphony Orchestra, that each repetition of the scherzo NDR Philharmonie in Hannover, is cleverly truncated. When at the Slovak Philharmonic, Budapest, end, the trio tries to appear for a third Belgrade and Sophia Philharmonics, time, it is comically booted out the Israel Philharmonic, NHK Orchestra door. And finally, the fourth movement and Osaka Symphony in Japan and culminates the symphony by National Symphony of Taiwan. He synthesizing the spirit of the previous served as Principal Conductor of the three movements – driving rhythms, Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in brilliant orchestration, and boisterous Osaka, Japan and Artistic Director of texture. Given the brevity of the finale the Israel Sinfonietta. In Canada, Mayer (some interpretations place it as the was Music Director of the Edmonton shortest of the four movements), Symphony and Orchestra London. condensing all these ideas gives it tremendous density, a fitting close to Uri has led numerous the “apotheosis to the dance.” productions in Canada, the U.S., the Netherlands, Hungary and Israel Program note by Matthew Poon. including The Barber of Seville, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Coming up: The Flying Dutchman, and The Cunning Little Vixen. Some of U of T Symphony Orchestra the distinguished soloists who have Thu Oct 17 at 7:30 pm collaborated with him include Elly with pianist Michelle Lin, Ameling, Kathleen Battle, Maureen 2018-19 UTSO Concerto Forrester, Frederica von Stade, Competition winner Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman,

Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Program includes Mozart, Claudio Arrau, Emanuel Ax and Sir Ravel, Tchaikovsky & Kulesha András Schiff. He has recorded for the Arabesque, CBC, Denon Japan, Maiden from the Sea in collaboration Hungaroton and Koch labels. Under with the composer. Lorenzo his direction the Edmonton Symphony Guggenheim holds a Master’s degree became one of Canada’s most from the University of Washington and frequently played orchestras on radio. is currently a doctoral student under They were awarded the Grand Prix du the mentorship of Uri Mayer thanks to a Disque-Canada for Orchestral Suites scholarship from the Faculty of Music. of the British Isles and nominated for www.lorenzoguggenheim.com a Juno Award for their Great Verdi Arias with Louis Quilico. In 2009, the The ever-evolving saxophonist Jennifer University of Western Ontario conferred Tran enjoys a musical life as a soloist, on Uri Mayer a Doctor of Music Honoris chamber musician, and educator. She causa in recognition of his contribution is a Vietnamese-Canadian musician to the musical life in Canada. from Brampton, the site of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas Lorenzo Guggenheim, hailed as of the New Credit. She is a promising “one of the promises in orchestral saxophonist who strives to enhance conducting in Argentina with the reception of contemporary classical international projection,” is recognized music and saxophone repertoire. This for leading opera, new music and past summer, she was invited to study the broad orchestral repertoire. He and perform at the Toronto Creative performed in the world-famous Teatro Music Lab, Université Européenne Colón at age 23 and with the Orquesta de Saxophone and the Hamamatsu Sinfónica de Chile in 2014, after which International Wind Instrument Academy he moved to Seattle to collaborate and Festival. Jennifer performs annually with Seattle Symphony’s Prokofiev and as a featured young artist for the Shostakovich Festivals in 2016-18, and Brampton Concert was twice a Fellow with Music Director Series directed by Dr. Koichi Inoue. Ludovic Morlot. She is also the soprano saxophonist of Dialectica, an all female quartet Past engagements include the that performs and procures original, Orquesta Sinfónica de Mar del Plata, Canadian music. Their work was Entre Ríos, University of Washington recently featured in filmmaker, Atom Symphony Orchestras, Opera and Egoyan’s newly released filmGuest Modern Ensemble, Miami Music of Honour at the 2019 Toronto Festival, and Orchestra Toronto. In International Film Festival. Jennifer 2018 Guggenheim moved to Toronto Tran is pursuing her Master of Music where he co-founded the U of T in Saxophone Performance at the Campus Philharmonic Orchestra University of Toronto under the and conducted the North American supervision of Dr. Wallace Halladay. premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s The

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