MUSIC of the Impressionists
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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016 I ISSUE 1 MUSIC OF THE Impressionists OPENING NIGHT: JOSHUA BELL THE SPY WHO LOVED ME WITH SHEENA EASTON ORGAN SPECTACULAR Claude Monet, Soleil Levant wso.ca I 204-949-3999 MESSAGE FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR Welcome to another season of your Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra! Every year, we push ourselves to program the best concert experiences we can, and we are starting this season with two blockbusters – Beethoven’s 7th, and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with non-other than Joshua Bell. To have this international star with the WSO in a special opening night gala is thrilling and a splendid way to open our season. From there, we open the Air Canada Pops series with the best of spy music from the realms of film, television, pop, and even Broadway, with pop idol Sheena Easton, who is a true bond girl. Then, we move into our fall festival – Music of the Impressionists. When I go to a museum, I am always drawn to the impressionist wing. I want to see Monet, Seurat, Van Gogh; the most beautiful and the most expensive these days. I wanted to recreate this in the musical world and create a festival where we perform impressionist musical paintings. I’m so looking forward to rehearsing with the orchestra in La mer to bring out all those musical colours, reflections of light and shadow that require a very different playing technique by the musicians compared to Beethoven, and Wagner later in the season. Then with Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, we’ve created this completely contemporary version with images and video. It’s really 21st century creativity. Throughout the festival we will have talks, food, wine, mini-concerts and many ways to get into the music. Here’s to another wonderful year of live music. Auf Wiedersehen, Alexander Mickelthwate Music Director September – October 2016 I OVERTURE 1 WSO SPONSORS, FUNDERS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The WSO proudly acknowledges the ongoing support of the following sponsors, media and funders: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PARTNER EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN MEMORY OF PETER D. CURRY POPS KIDS CONCERTS CLASSICS A SERIES SERIES SERIES WSO IN BRANDON INDIVIDUAL CONCERTS MARTY & MICHELLE ARNOLD & MYRA WEINBERG AND FAMILY FRIEMAN CARMYN ALESHKA & GREG FETTES POWER SMART SOUNDCHECK POPS PRESENTING OFFICIAL RADIO STATION HOLIDAY TOUR PROGRAM MEDIA PARTNER OF THE WSO CLASSICS PIANO RAFFLE CAR RAFFLE CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY Women’s Committee of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra FUNDERS September – October 2016 I OVERTURE 3 CONDUCTORS Alexander Mickelthwate, Music Director German conductor Alexander Mickelthwate is renowned for his “splendid, richly idiomatic readings” (LA Weekly),“fearless” approach and “first-rate technique” (Los Angeles Times). Critics have noted Alexander’s extraordinary command over the Austro-Germanic repertoire, commenting on the “passion, profundity, emotional intensity, subtlety and degree of perfection achieved” in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 as “miraculous” (Anton Kuerti, 2011). Following on from his tenure as Assistant Conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he completed in 2004, Alexander Mickelthwate was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for three years, under the direction of Essa-Pekka Salonen. Now in his tenth season as Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Alexander has significantly developed the orchestra’s profile through active community engagement and innovative programming initiatives like the annual Winnipeg New Music Festival and the Indigenous Music Festival. Chosen to perform at the Carnegie Hall Spring For Music Festival in New York, May 2014, due to “creative and innovative programming” (CBC Manitoba Scene), the orchestra was the only Canadian ensemble in the showcase. As well as significantly contributing to the Winnipeg New Music Festival and Indigenous Festival, Alexander led the orchestra’s first out of province tour since 1979 to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, launched the international conducting masterclasses, the New Music Festival 2012 film project and played a major part in the acoustic overhaul of the Centennial Concert Hall. Photographer: Grajewski Fotograph Inc. Julian Pellicano, Resident Conductor Julian Pellicano’s boundless musical appetite makes him a formidable interpreter of the symphonic repertoire as well as a versatile conductor in a wide range of genres. He is currently the Resident Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Artist in Residence at the Norfolk Chamber Music festival, and Music Director of the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra. Pellicano has built his career by following an unconventional path.The creation, with Dr. Paul Lehrman, of a new performance edition of George Antheil's Ballet Mecanique first brought Pellicano to the public’s attention. From 2009 to 2013 he served as Music Director of the Longy School of Music Conservatory Orchestra where he established a rigorous and distinctive new orchestral program. Pellicano has conducted the Orquestra Sinfonica de Porto Alegre (Brazil), Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony, New Britain Symphony,The Kallisti Ensemble, Boston’s Dinosaur Annex Ensemble and Milwaukee's Present Music. He has worked in masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Peter Eötvös, Zsolt Nagy, Martyn Brabbins, and Carl St. Clair. As a young musician he played drums, percussion, organ, and accordion in rock, blues and jazz groups. An autodidact, he was accepted to the Peabody Conservatory as a percussionist without typical classical training. He also holds degrees from the Royal College of Music (Stockholm), and the Yale School of Music where he was awarded the 2008 Presser Music Award and the Philip F.Nelson Award. He premiered Martin Bresnick’s critically acclaimed opera My Friend's Story at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and has conducted at Carnegie Hall with the Yale Philharmonia Orchestra. Photographer: Nardella Photography Inc. 4 OVERTURE I September – October 2016 WINNIPEG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2016-2017 SEASON MUSIC DIRECTOR CELLOS TRUMPETS Alexander Mickelthwate Yuri Hooker, Principal Isaac Pulford, Acting Principal Leana Rutt, Assistant Principal Paul Jeffrey RESIDENT CONDUCTOR Alex Adaman Brian Sykora The Patty Kirk Memorial Chair Julian Pellicano Arlene Dahl Carolyn Nagelberg TROMBONES COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE Emma Quackenbush Harry Stafylakis Steven Dyer, Principal Sean Taubner Keith Dyrda FIRST VIOLINS BASSES BASS TROMBONE Gwen Hoebig, Concertmaster Meredith Johnson, Principal Julia McIntyre, Principal The Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt- Andrew Goodlett, Assistant Principal Gramatté Memorial Chair, endowed Travis Harrison TUBA by the Eckhardt-Gramatté Foundation Paul Nagelberg Chris Lee, Principal Karl Stobbe, Associate Concertmaster Bruce Okrainec Mary Lawton, Assistant Concertmaster TIMPANI Daniel Perry Chris Anstey Mike Kemp, Principal Mona Coarda Rodica Jeffrey FLUTES PERCUSSION Hong Tian Jia Jan Kocman, Principal Frederick Liessens, Principal Meredith McCallum Martha Durkin Jane Pulford HARP Julie Savard PICCOLO Richard Turner, Principal Jun Shao Martha Durkin Endowed by W.H. & S.E. Loewen SECOND VIOLINS OBOES ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Jeremy Buzash, Principal Beverly Wang, Principal Robin MacMillan MANAGER Elation Pauls, Assistant Principal Chris Lee Karen Bauch ENGLISH HORN Kristina Bauch PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN Robin MacMillan, Principal **Teodora Dimova Raymond Chrunyk *Elizabeth Dyer Bokyung Hwang CLARINETS ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN Takayo Noguchi Micah Heilbrunn, Principal Laura MacDougall Claudine St-Arnauld Michelle Goddard Susan McCallum BASSOONS *On Leave **Temporary Position VIOLAS Alex Eastley, Principal Daniel Scholz, Principal Kathryn Brooks Please note: Non-titled (tutti) Anne Elise Lavallée, string players are listed HORNS Assistant Principal alphabetically and are seated Patricia Evans, Principal Laszlo Baroczi according to a rotational system. Margaret Carey Ken MacDonald, Associate Principal Richard Bauch James Robertson Fred Redekop is the official Piano Greg Hay The Hilda Schelberger Memorial Chair Tuner and Technician of the WSO. *Merrily Peters Caroline Oberheu Mike Scholz Michiko Singh September – October 2016 I OVERTURE 5 The Official Radio Station for the WSO Masterworks Series. Winnipeg’s only dedicated classical & jazz music station Opening Night: Joshua Bell CLASSICS Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor Joshua Bell, violin Fanfare to La Péri Paul Dukas (1865-1935) Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Poco sostenuto – Vivace Allegretto Presto Allegro con brio - INTERMISSION - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Op. 35 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Allegro moderato Canzonetta: Andante Finale: Allegro vivacissimo Joshua Bell appears by arrangement with Park Avenue Artists (www.parkavenueartists.com) and IMG Artists (www.imgartists.com). Mr. Bell records exclusively for Sony Classical. Tuesday, September 20 7:00 p.m. Official Radio Station of the WSO Classics: September – October 2016 I OVERTURE 7 Mälzel further tempted Beethoven with flee Moscow to recuperate at PROGRAM NOTES the prospects of some repeat concerts Modeste’s home in St. Petersburg. by James Manishen for profit, which Beethoven liked in view Over a few months the composer of his yet-to-be-performed Symphony in settled down and was able to work La Péri A major composed the previous year. on his Fourth Symphony as well as Paul Dukas the opera Eugene Onégin. The evening was grandiose and b. Paris / October 1, 1865 successful.The orchestra consisted of Modeste felt a further