An Evening of Song: ​From Schubert to Verdi Logan Campbell, bass-baritone Deb Watts Elliott, piano UIS Faculty Series Illinois Symphony Orchestra Guild Event February 20, 2021 7:00 pm University of Illinois - Springfield Performing Arts Center Program Order “La Vendetta” from ​Le Nozze di Figaro M​ ozart ​(1756-1791) “Bois épais” from ​Amadis L​ ully ​(1632-1687) “Quia fecit mihi magna” from ​Magnificat Bach ​(1785-1750) “Der Doppelgänger” from ​Schwanengesang S​ chubert ​(1797-1828) “Romans” from ​3 Songs for Bass Voice Sjögren ​(1853-1918) INTERMISSION “Some Enchanted Evening” from ​South Pacific R​ odgers and Hammerstein ​(1902-1979) (1895-1960) “Il lacerato spirito” from ​Simon Boccanegra V​ erdi ​(1813-1901) Old American Song Set #1 C​ opland The Dodger ​(1900-1990) Long Time Ago Simple Gifts I Bought Me A Cat Performer Biographies Logan Campbell​, ​ ​bass-baritone, ​ ​is a recent addition to the faculty at The University of Illinois - Springfield as Music Director and Conductor of the UIS Orchestra. Campbell enjoys a budding career as a conductor, equally at home with Symphonic repertoire, Pops, Opera, and Musical Theatre. He is presently in his first season as Assistant Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestras.Logan has worked as a guest conductor, rehearsal conductor, or cover conductor with area orchestras like the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Scruffy City Orchestra, Morristown Community Orchestra, and Brevard Philharmonic. As a student at UT, he worked with the UT Symphony Orchestra, UT Opera Orchestra, UT Chamber Orchestra, VolOpera, and UT Opera Theatre. Logan performed with the UT Opera Theatre from 2018-2020 in productions of La Finta Giardiniera​ and ​Carmen​, with the Knoxville Opera in ​Lucia di Lammermoor​, the Furman Lyric Opera in ​Die Zauberflöte​, and the Franco-American Vocal Academy in ​Le Nozze di Figaro​ and ​Bastien und Bastienne ​in. He was the Bass soloist with the UT Chamber Singers in Beethoven’s​ Ninth Symphony​, performed at the Tennessee Theatre in February 2020, and Handel’s ​Messiah​, performed in December 2019. Logan has also performed internationally, mostly in Germany. Selected as an ambassador for the State Department funded program, The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, he lived in Leipzig, Germany for a year and studied German language, politics, and music. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Furman University, and holds a double Masters of Music degree in Voice Performance and Orchestral Conducting from the University of Tennessee. Logan is the recipient of the Thomas Fulton Career Development Award for his outstanding work as a conducting and voice student at UT. His primary conducting teachers were James Fellenbaum, Dr. Leslie Hicken, Dr. Hugh Floyd, and Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel with the Greenville Symphony. Deb Watts Elliott​, piano,​ ​is pianist, organist, and music coordinator at Laurel United Methodist Church and leads the Westminster Presbyterian Church Jazz Trio for the Saturday evening service there. She has participated as a vocal director and pit musician for many area musical theatre productions, and also works as a legal assistant at Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen & Cochran, Ltd. Deb enjoys spending time with her husband, John, and her children and grandchildren, as well as travel. Program Notes & Translations “La Vendetta” from ​Le Nozze di Figaro M​ ozart ​(1756-1791) Composed in 1786, ​Le Nozze di Figaro​ has remained a classic in the operatic repertoire. The libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, librettist for 28 operas including ​Don Giovanni​ and ​Così fan tutte​, tells the story of two servants, Susanna and Figaro, who through love wish to marry. This is a problem for Count Almaviva who aims to foil these plans through seduction despite his marriage with the Countess. Nevertheless, through scheming and careful planning, the Count is exposed and taught the lesson of fidelity. This day of madness serves as the setting for numerous dramatic circumstances to unfold. One of the first is the entrance scene of Dr. Bartolo and Marcellina, Bartolo’s old housekeeper. Through this unique introduction, we are revealed to Bartolo’s vengeance for Figaro, hence the title “La Vendetta.” Figaro had previously borrowed money from Marcellina and agreed to marry her should he be unable to repay her at the appointed time. Having failed to fulfill his side of the bargain, she plans on enforcing the promise by suing him. This conveniently aligns with Bartolo’s frustration with Figaro for thwarting his attempt at marrying Countess Rosina who is now married to Count Almaviva. Bartolo agrees to represent Marcellina in her legal action for free so he can also get his revenge, too. Bene, io tutto farò, Good, I’ll take care of everything, senza riserve, tutto a me palesate. without reservation, everything will be revealed to me. (Avrei pur gusto di dar in moglie, (I would like to give my old servant, la mia serva antica a chi mi fece, to the man that made me un dì rapir l’amica.) lose my Rosina.) La vendetta, oh, la vendetta, Vengeance, oh vengeance È un piacer serbato ai saggi. is a pleasure for the wise. L'obliar l'onte, gli oltraggi, Forgetting shames and insults è bassezza, è ognor viltà. is a sign of lowness and cowardice, Coll'astuzia... coll'arguzia, With cunning, with wit, col giudizio, col criterio with wisdom, with common sense, si potrebbe… It could be done... il fatto è serio, The case is serious ma credete si farà. But believe me, it will be done. Se tutto il codice dovessi volgere, Even if I had to turn all the law-code, se tutto l'indice dovessi leggere, Even if I had to read all the index con un equivoco, con un sinonimo, By using a misunderstanding, by using a synonym qualche garbuglio si troverà. We will find a tangle. Tutta Siviglia conosce Bartolo, All Seville knows Bartolo; il birbo Figaro vinto sarà! Figaro, the rascal, will be defeated! “Bois épais” from ​Amadis L​ ully ​(1632-1687) A century earlier than the work you previously heard, ​Amadis ​was first performed in 1684. Jean-Baptiste Lully collaborated with Phillippe Quinault to produce this five act ​tragédie en musique​ based on the original text, ​Amadís de Gaula​. This complex plot depicts love and chivalry through the faithful love of Amadis and Oriane. It is opposed by the sorcerer family of Arcabonne and Arcalaus, and still other subplot circumstances add to the action. This particular aria is found in the second act where the main character, Amadis, is alone. It is a prime example of an ​air de cour​, or “court air.” This forest pastoral scene is where he sings of his suffering. Bois épais, redouble ton ombre; Deep woods, increase your shade; Tu ne saurais être assez sombre, You could not be dark enough, Tu ne peux pas trop cacher You could not conceal too well Mon malheureux amour. My unhappy love. Je sens un désespoir I feel a despair Dont l'horreur est extrême, Whose horror is extreme, Je ne dois pas plus voir ce que j'aime, I am to see no longer what I love, Je ne veux plus souffrir le jour. I no longer want to bear the light of day. “Quia fecit mihi magna” from ​Magnificat Bach ​(1785-1750) A Magnificat is a presentation depicting the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, as she responds to Elizabeth. In this passage of Luke 1:46-55 we hear the words of Mary to her cousin, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary is rejoicing with the privilege of giving birth to the promised Messiah and glorifying God for His power, holiness and mercy. In this particular verse, Luke 1:49, she exclaims His power and His compassion for her. The entire Magnificat is unique in the way Bach divides the verses into each movement. He makes movements 3 and 4 out of only one verse, Luke 1:48, and separates the doxology into two sections of the 12th movement. Quia fecit mihi magna For the mighty one has done Qui potens est, great things for me, Et sanctum nomen eius. And holy is his name. “Der Doppelgänger” from ​Schwanengesang S​ chubert ​(1797-1828) Schubert’s ​Schwanengesang​, or Swan Song, is a collection of 14 songs composed at the end of his life and published posthumously. It was intended to serve as Schubert’s final testament, as it was titled by its first publisher, Tobis Haslinger. Unlike previous song cycles, three poets are used for ​Schwanengesang, ​which may or may not have been Schubert’s desire. Nevertheless, all 14 songs were composed in 1828 during the final year of Schubert’s life. Der Doppelgänger​ is the tenth song in the cycle and the text was written by Heinrich Heine. In Heine’s ​Buch der Lieder​, or Book of Poems, we find this text. Divided into five sections, Schubert selects only poems found in the third; a section entitled ​Die Heimkehr​ (The Homecoming). The order of Heine texts is rearranged for Schubert’s cycle and many argue it should remain in the same order for dramatic intent. Through-composed, each stanza is unique to the text, with an overarching passacaglia established by the piano accompaniment in the first four bars. Schubert paints the text with chords and growing anguish as the narrator reveals his awareness of his own form in the moonlight. Still ist die Nacht, es ruhen die Gassen, The night is quiet, the streets are calm, In diesem Hause wohnte mein Schatz; In this house my beloved once lived: Sie hat schon längst die Stadt verlassen, She has long since left the town, Doch steht noch das Haus auf demselben Platz.