SCHUMANN'S Coffee Concert on Friday, November 16, 2018 at 11am Friday, November 16 & Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 7pm UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, Jemison Concert Hall Carlos Izcaray, Conductor Shai Wosner, Piano ASO Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Philip Copeland

JOHANNES BRAHMS Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), Op. 54 (1833-1897) PAUL HINDEMITH Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter)* (1895-1963) I. Engelskonzert (Angelic Concert) II. Die Grablegung (Entombment) III. Versuchung des heiligen Antonius (Temptation of St. Anthony)

INTERMISSION

ROBERT SCHUMANN Concerto in A minor, for Piano & (1810-1856) Orchestra, Op. 54* (Shai Wosner, piano) I. Allegro affettuoso II. Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso III. Allegro vivace 2018-2019 SEASON *At the Coffee Concert, all pieces represented with an asterisk will be performed

This weekend's performances generously supported by the Symphony Volunteer Council, Thank you to media partner WBHM. OPUS I Out of courtesy to the performers and those around you, please silence or turn off all electronic devices. Concert title, conductor, artists, and repertoire subject to change. 43 44 OPUS I 2018-2019 SEASON PROGRAM NOTES symphony. concluding the entire symphony with a glorious brass hymn sing”), and voice thy plainchant up lift (“Sion, salvatorem” the Sion “Lauda uses and Hindemith artist. temptations the the of trials to compared is scenes) Altarpiece Isenheim the of (one Anthony St. of temptation the finale, Mathis’s his daughter. sorrow following the death of In the follows—in theopera, ashortelegiacpieceexpressing “Es sungen drei Engel” (“Three angels sang”). “Entombment” song, folk German the of use Hindemith’s from comes title Concert," serves as the opera's overture and appears here intact; its "Angelic movement, first The overture. isthe opera’s Concert,” “Angelic movement, first The symphony. Its three-paneled structure ismirrored inthethree-movement masterpiece, histriptychknownastheIsenheim Altarpiece. Hindemith hadleft thecountry.) after 1938, until debut public its make not did opera (The conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler.only attheinsistenceof opera premiered before theopera inBerlin in 1934, andthen MALER HINDEMITH'S MATHIS DER DESTINY) OF (SONG BRAHMS' SCHICKSALSLIED hi srtn, h smhn Hneih rae fo the from created Hindemith symphony the scrutiny, their of result a As stance.Hindemith’s of aware well were Nazis The Germany. 1930s own in topic and one’s salient particularly ideals—a obligation societal between conflict the contemplating was specifically,musician.” Hindemith More “the of exploration the musicandthemoral obligationsof ethical imperatives of an as Grünewald, Matthias painter Renaissance German of story the Maler, der Mathis opera be hisgreatest choral work. to considered generally is it Requiem, German Brahms’s of 1871, conducting. withBrahms himself With theexception 1871. The piecepremiered inKarlsruhe onOctober18, the pieceshouldend, anddidnotcomplete workuntilMay activity,initial burstof Brahms couldnotdecideexactly how day, onlytobefoundelsewhere composing. this Inspiteof and reportedly disappeared during a beach walk the same depths,” Brahms begantosetthepoemmusicatonce— Wilhemshaven 1868. “stirred tohis in thesummerof Declaringhimself at friends visiting while Hyperion, novel, Hölderlin's from Schicksalslied,” “Hyperions poem, the to situation with when he was first introduced you’re sitting onabeach furiouslycomposing. Suchwasthe ahs e Mlr s ae i pr o Grünewald's on part in based is Maler der Mathis his behind motivation the described Hindemith Paul One minute you’re chatting withfriends, thenext ©Program Notesby Jennifer More 2018 that pair unified brings Schumann’s ownaestheticideals a to life. form orchestra and soloist orchestra, from beingavirtuosicmaverickthatromps freely overthe Minor. Far A in Concerto Piano his of movement first the as other.” About fouryears later, Schumannreworked thispiece onewithoutthe the orchestra; itisimpossible tothinkof in herdiary, piano is mostskillfully interwoven with “The performance in which Clara played the solo part, she wrote phantasie” forpianoandorchestra. After aprivate Schumann composed a single-movement “concert something else.” that Ican’twriteaconcertoforvirtuosiandhavetothinkof Schumann, “Concerning , I’vealready saidtoyou And ashemusedtohiswife, thepianovirtuosoClara Wieck spectator, mayinterweave itsmanifoldfacetsintothescene.” instrument andhisart, whiletheorchestra, nolongeramere dominant atthekeyboard, his mayunfoldthewealth of how orchestra andpianomaybecombined, howthesoloist, genius whowillshowusinanewerandmore brilliantway the await must time…[W]e some for coming seen have we thepianofrom theorchestraseparation issomething of issue inan1839essay onthepianoconcerto, writing, “[The] little more than a minor role. Schumann confronted this flashy showpiece for the soloist in which the orchestra played ensemble, the genre evolved in the nineteenth century into a concerto centered more ontheinterplaybetweensoloistand was somewhatfraught. While thebaroque andclassical CONCERTO IN A MINOR SCHUMANN'S PIANO After manyabortedefforts inthegenre, in1841 For Robert Schumann, theconcerto thegenre of For Carlos Izcaray's Bio Izcaray's Carlos For please see page 6 page see please THE ARTISTS

For Carlos Izcaray's Bio please see page 6

SHAI WOSNER Pianist Shai Wosner has attracted international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity, and creative insight. His performances of a broad range of repertoire—from Beethoven and Schubert to Ligeti and the music of today—reflect a degree of virtuosity and intellectual curiosity that has made him a favorite among audiences and critics, who note his “keen musical mind and deep musical soul” (NPR’s All Things Considered ). Described as a “Schubertian of unfaltering authority and character” by Gramophone, Mr. Wosner continues his career-long, critically acclaimed engagement with composer’s music, including performances of his latest recital series, Schubert: The Great . The series comprises Schubert’s last six piano sonatas, highlighting works that Mr. Wosner describes as “thick novels, rich with insight about the human condition.” Recitals take place at the Konzerthaus companion works gravity and after gravity. Additional in Berlin, and include a residency at Cal Performances in collaborations include performances Berkeley as well as appearances in Buffalo, Fresno, and with the Emerson Quartet presented by the Chamber Cambridge (MA). In the spring, he brings this series to Music Society of Lincoln Center; Philharmonic the recording studio for a new double album on Onyx musicians at David Geffen Hall; cellist Stephen Isserlis comprising the composer’s Sonatas in A minor, D. 845; and violinist Laura Frautschi as part of Orpheus Chamber G major, D. 894; C minor, D. 958; and B-flat major, Orchestra’s Twilight at Tarisio series, and a program from D. 960. With this release, he completes the series his Bridge to Beethoven series with violinist Jennifer of Schubert’s final six sonatas on recording, having Koh on Baltimore’s Shriver Hall Concert Series. released the Sonatas in A major, D. 959 and D major, Mr. Wosner records for Onyx Classics, and his D. 850 “Gasteiner” on previous albums. Mr. Wosner’s recordings have been widely praised for their inventive recital repertoire this season also includes works from his pairings of classical and modern masters. In addition to latest solo recording, Impromptu (Onyx Classics), which Impromptu , releases include concertos and capriccios features an eclectic mix of improvisationally inspired by Haydn and Ligeti with the Danish National Symphony works by composers from Beethoven and Schubert conducted by Nicholas Collon, an all-Schubert solo to Gershwin and Ives. The pieces range from true album featuring a selection of the composer’s folk- improvisations to such stylized miniatures as Schubert’s inspired piano works, solo works by Brahms and Four Impromptus, D935, and together they reflect Schoenberg, and works by Schubert paired with new Mr. Wosner’s interest in exploring subtle connections works by Missy Mazzoli. Mr. Wosner has also recorded between works of contrasting styles and time periods. Beethoven’s complete sonatas and variations for He performs music from the album at the Chopin Society and piano with for Onyx Classics, in St. Paul and elsewhere. as well as works by Bartók, Janáček, and Kurtág with Mr. Wosner’s concerto performances this season violinist Jennifer Koh for Cedille Records. include appearances with the Detroit and Toronto Mr. Wosner is a recipient of Lincoln Center’s Symphony Orchestras (Mozart’s Concerto No. 21); the Martin E. Segal Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (Brahms’ Concerto No. and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award—a prize he used to 2), and Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the Alabama commission Michael Hersch’s concerto Along the Ravines Symphony Orchestra, Musikalische Akademie of the , which he performed with the Seattle Symphony and 2018-2019 SEASON National Theater Orchestra Mannheim, Symphoria Deutsche Radio Philharmonie in its world and European (Syracuse), and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. premieres. He was in residence with the BBC as a New He also embarks on a six-city U.S. tour (including a Generation Artist, during which he appeared frequently performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC)

with the BBC orchestras, including conducting Mozart OPUS I playing works for 4-hands and two with longtime concertos from the keyboard with the BBC Scottish friend and collaborator Orion Weiss, on a program Symphony Orchestra. He returned to the BBC Scottish 45 pairing works by Schubert and Brahms with David Lang’s Symphony in both subscription concerts and Proms 46 OPUS I 2018-2019 SEASON THE ARTISTS Opher Brayer and Emanuel Krasovsky, as wellas education from a very early age, studying piano with Born in Israel, Mr. Wosner enjoyed a broad musical Bridge toBeethoven recitals withviolinist Jennifer Koh. presented bytheKammerakademie Potsdam; and Berg’svenues; aperformance of Chamber Concerto other among Hills, Beverly in Arts Performing the for in Washington, D.C., andthe Wallis Annenberg Center with cellistRalph KirshbaumatthePhillipsCollection Bonn andKunstfreunde Wiesloch; Beethovenrecitals presented bytheInternationaleBeethovenfeste in chamber musicengagementsinclude performances France, andtheSantaFe ChamberMusicFestival. Recent Oregon BachFestival, thePiano Aux Jacobins festivalin Portland, the Jerusalem ChamberMusic Festival, the in Northwest Music Chamber including festivals, music Music Society Two andperformsregularly atvariouschamber Chamber Center's Lincoln of member former in The SchubertEffect recital series. Mr. Wosner isa Quartet Parker Award-winning Grammy the including also collaborated withleading chamberensembles, has He Zukerman. Pinchas and Tetzlaff, Christian Lin, Cho-Liang Koh, Jennifer Kirshbaum, Ralph Dietrich Henschel, Harrell, Lynn Fröst, Martin Argerich, Martha chamber musicianwithnumerous artists, including partnership,spirit of Mr. Wosner hascollaborated as a Widely soughtafter bycolleagues forhisversatilityand with the West-Eastern DivanOrchestra. Workshop ledbyMr. Barenboim andtoured assoloist summers, hewasinvolvedinthe West-Eastern Divan Center, andRavinia Festival. For several consecutive Lincoln Mozart at Festival Mozart Mostly Diego, Mainly San in Festival Festival, Music Teton Grand festival, Music Festival, ChautauquaMusicFestival, Bravo! Vail summer festivalsincludingtheBowdoinInternational Tate, and Yan Pascal Tortelier, andhasperformedat Jeffrey Slatkin, Peter Leonard Mehta, Runnicles, Donald Zubin Oundjian, Judd, James Herbig, Gunther Barenboim,Bělohlávek,Conlon,JamesJiří Gilbert, Alan Mr. Wosner hasworked withsuchconductorsasDaniel concert thatwasbroadcast on American Public Radio. having conductedthelatter from thekeyboard ina2010 Orpheus,St. Paul, Orchestras,LosChamber and Angeles among others. Mr. Wosner hasalsoappeared withthe Staatskapelle Berlin, andthe Vienna Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Orchestre National de Belgique, Nieuw Orchestra, Centre Arts National Luke’s, St. Symphony,LSO Gothenburg Symphony, Radio Frankfurt the Barcelona Symphony, BournemouthSymphony, to the BBC orchestras, he has performed abroad with Pittsburgh, andSanFrancisco, , amongothers. Inaddition Milwaukee, Angeles, Los Indianapolis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Berkeley, Chicago, Cleveland, , the U.S., Mr. Wosner has appeared with the orchestras of in soloist concerto a As Hall. Bridgewater Manchester's with theBBCPhilharmonicinalivebroadcast from performances withDonaldRunnicles andappeared toshaiwosner.com Wosner, please visithisfanpageonFacebook and go his wifeandtwochildren. For more informationonMr. Yorkwith New in resides He Boston. in Music of School Longy the at faculty with the on is School Wosner Mr. Ax. Emanuel Juilliard The at studied later André He with Hajdu. improvisation and theory, composition, Highland Presbyterian Church, and father of triplet triplet of 13-year olddaughters:Catherine, Caroline, andClaire. father and Church, Presbyterian Highland Samford University, Director Music of Ministries at South also is Associate Professor Choral He andDirectorActivities at of masterworks. choral in Chorus Orchestra performers andfullydeveloptheirmusicalpotential. will engagethemosttalentedandcommitted choral masterpieces. To accomplishtheseobjectives, we treasuredpresenting choral/orchestral alegacyof the Alabama Symphonypartner of Orchestra injointly ourcommunity;andtobetheindispensable fabric of and fosterourmusicalheritage, andenrichthecultural choral musicthatnurture thehumanspirit, preserve great artistically worthyand inspiring performances of Symphony Orchestra Chorus. The ASOC exists topresent of part a being the Alabama Symphony andbecamethe Alabama into merged officially Chorale the International Cathedral MusicFestival. in , and also to England to participate in the performances for City YorkNew to traveled has Chorale Alabama Symphony Orchestra.” Inrecent years the the of Chorus Official “The as designated formally was the the rebirthASO, of theBirminghamConcert Chorale former Alabama Symphony Orchestra. In1997, with Gibbs, Timothy Banks, DavidSmith, andMarkRidings. Chorale. Past directors have included Hugh Thomas, Tom the namewaschangedtoBirminghamConcert 1977, In Montevallo. of University the of Tolbert Bruce as theBirminghamCivicChorusunderdirection of the BirminghamConcert Chorale wasfoundedin1966 CHORUS ASO Philip Copeland prepares the Alabama Symphony Starting withthe2010-2011concertseason, The Chorale enjoyedalongassociation withthe The Alabama Symphony as Chorusformerlyknown