Metamorphoses Curated by Claire Chase Soundbox
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
METAMORPHOSES CURATED BY CLAIRE CHASE SOUNDBOX 1 “Each of the pieces on this program explores, in different ways, the idea of metamorphosis, transformation, transfiguration—the ways that we take on new forms and ultimately transcend what we were before.” —Claire Chase 2 Esa-Pekka Salonen SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTOR San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen has, through his many high-profile conducting roles and work as a leading composer, shaped a unique vision for the present and future of the contemporary symphony orchestra. Salonen recently concluded his tenure as Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor for London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and he is Artist in Association at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. He is a member of the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he developed and directs the pre-professional Negaunee Conducting Program. Salonen is the Conductor Laureate for both the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he was Music Director from 1992 until 2009. Salonen co-founded— and from 2003 until 2018 served as the Artistic Director for—the annual Baltic Sea Festival. 3 The Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen, Music Director SECOND VIOLINS CELLOS Michael Tilson Thomas, Music Director Laureate Dan Carlson, Principal Vacant, Principal Herbert Blomstedt, Conductor Laureate Dinner & Swig Families Chair Philip S. Boone Chair Daniel Stewart, San Francisco Symphony Youth Helen Kim, Associate Principal Peter Wyrick, Associate Principal Orchestra Wattis Foundation Music Director Audrey Avis Aasen-Hull Chair Peter & Jacqueline Hoefer Chair Ragnar Bohlin, Chorus Director Jessie Fellows, Assistant Principal Amos Yang, Assistant Principal Vance George, Chorus Director Emeritus Vacant Vacant The Eucalyptus Foundation Second Century Chair Lyman & Carol Casey Second Century Chair FIRST VIOLINS Raushan Akhmedyarova Barbara Andres Alexander Barantschik, Concertmaster David Chernyavsky The Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation Naoum Blinder Chair John Chisholm Second Century Chair Nadya Tichman, Associate Concertmaster Cathryn Down Barbara Bogatin San Francisco Symphony Foundation Chair Darlene Gray Phylis Blair Cello Chair Wyatt Underhill, Assistant Concertmaster Stan & Lenora Davis Chair Jill Rachuy Brindel 75th Anniversary Chair Amy Hiraga Gary & Kathleen Heidenreich Second Century Chair Jeremy Constant, Assistant Concertmaster Kum Mo Kim Sébastien Gingras Mariko Smiley Kelly Leon-Pearce Penelope Clark Second Century Chair Paula & John Gambs Second Century Chair Eliot Lev David Goldblatt Melissa Kleinbart Isaac Stern Chair Christine & Pierre Lamond Second Century Chair Katharine Hanrahan Chair Chunming Mo Carolyn McIntosh Yun Chu Polina Sedukh Elizabeth C. Peters Cello Chair Naomi Kazama Hull Chen Zhao Anne Pinsker In Sun Jang Yukiko Kurakata VIOLAS BASSES Catherine A. Mueller Chair Jonathan Vinocour, Principal Scott Pingel, Principal Suzanne Leon Yun Jie Liu, Associate Principal Daniel G. Smith, Associate Principal Leor Maltinski Katie Kadarauch, Assistant Principal Stephen Tramontozzi, Assistant Principal Sarn Oliver Vacant Richard & Rhoda Goldman Chair Florin Parvulescu Joanne E. Harrington & Lorry I. Lokey S. Mark Wright Victor Romasevich Second Century Chair Lawrence Metcalf Second Century Chair Catherine Van Hoesen Gina Cooper Charles Chandler David Gaudry Chris Gilbert David Kim Brian Marcus Christina King Wayne Roden Nanci Severance Adam Smyla Matthew Young 4 FLUTES TRUMPETS SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CHORUS Tim Day, Principal Mark Inouye, Principal Members of the American Guild of Musical Artists Caroline H. Hume Chair William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Chair Robin McKee, Associate Principal Aaron Schuman, Associate Principal SOPRANOS Catherine & Russell Clark Chair Peter Pastreich Chair Cheryl Cain, Michele Kennedy, Ellen Leslie, Linda Lukas Guy Piddington Jennifer Mitchell, Natalia Salemmo, Daphne Touchais, Alfred S. & Dede Wilsey Chair Ann L. & Charles B. Johnson Chair Cindy Wyvill, Angelique Zuluaga Catherine Payne, Piccolo Jeff Biancalana ALTOS The Rainbow Piccolo Chair Terry Alvord, Karen Carle, Silvie Jensen, TROMBONES Margaret (Peg) Lisi, Brielle Marina Neilson, OBOES Timothy Higgins, Principal Leandra Ramm, Dr. Meghan Spyker, Merilyn Telle Vaughn Eugene Izotov, Principal Robert L. Samter Chair Edo de Waart Chair Nick Platoff, Associate Principal TENORS James Button, Associate Principal Paul Welcomer Seth Brenzel, Michael Desnoyers, Elliott JG Encarnación, Pamela Smith Vacant, Bass Trombone Samuel Faustine, Kevin Gibbs, Michael Jankosky, Dr. William D. Clinite Chair Jimmy Kansau, David J. Xiques Russ deLuna, English Horn TUBA BASS Joseph & Pauline Scafidi Chair Jeffrey Anderson, Principal Adam Cole, Mitchell Jones, Clayton Moser, James Irvine Chair Matthew Peterson, Chung-Wai Soong, Michael Taylor, CLARINETS David Varnum, Nick Volkert Carey Bell, Principal HARP William R. & Gretchen B. Kimball Chair Douglas Rioth, Principal Vacant, Associate Principal & E-flat Clarinet Vacant TIMPANI Jerome Simas, Bass Clarinet Edward Stephan, Principal Marcia & John Goldman Chair BASSOONS Bryce Leafman, Assistant Principal Stephen Paulson, Principal † Acting member of the San Francisco Symphony Steven Dibner, Associate Principal PERCUSSION Vacant Jacob Nissly, Principal Steven Braunstein, Contrabassoon James Lee Wyatt III The San Francisco Symphony string section utilizes revolving seating Bryce Leafman on a systematic basis. Players listed in alphabetical order change seats periodically. HORNS Stan Muncy† Robert Ward, Principal Second Century Chairs are supported in part by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Foundation, ensuring the ongoing artistic excellence Mark Almond, Associate Principal LIBRARIANS of the San Francisco Symphony’s string sections. Bruce Roberts, Assistant Principal Margo Kieser, Principal Alexander Barantschik plays the 1742 Guarnerius del Gesù violin, on Jonathan Ring Nancy & Charles Geschke Chair loan from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Jessica Valeri John Campbell, Assistant Daniel Hawkins Matt Gray, Assistant Daniel Stewart’s appointment as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra is generously supported by the Paul L. and Phyllis Wattis Endowment Fund. 5 Soundbox: metamorphoses Claire Chase curator KAIJA SAARIAHO Terrestre Vimbayi Kaziboni conductor Claire Chase flute Melissa Kleinbart violin Amos Yang cello Douglas Rioth harp Bryce Leafman percussion PAUCHI SASAKI Sanagi Jacob Nissly percussion Suzanne Leon violin Jonathan Vinocour viola Barbara Bogatin cello Charles Chandler double bass MARCOS BALTER Excerpts from Pan Death of Pan · Processional · Pan’s Flute · Echo Claire Chase flute Members of the San Francisco Symphony Members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus Valérie Sainte-Agathe artistic director Steven Condiotti director Taylor Joshua Rankin editor Luke Kritzeck director of lighting Adam Larsen projection designer Yee Eun Nam co-designer SoundBox: Metamorphoses is sponsored by Trine Sorensen and Michael Jacobson. 6 Thank You to Our Concert Sponsors SOUNDBOX: METAMORPHOSES IS SPONSORED BY Trine Sorensen and Michael Jacobson 7 8 CLAIRE CHASE ON METAMORPHOSES By Steve Holt What’s behind Metamorphoses, the theme of this SoundBox program? Coming out of this long and very challenging pandemic period, I hope that all the pieces on this program will invite us to explore the idea of transformation and of becoming anew. Kaija Saariaho Sasaki Pauchi Let’s talk about the music. Tell us about Kaija Saariaho. Kaija is an astonishing artist, a composer who is rhythmically intricate, and teeters between ebullience uncompromising in her vision and dedication to craft, and utter frenzy. The second section is by contrast and whose compositional voice is unlike any other atmospheric, melancholy, almost achingly so. It that I know. She has also paved the way for so many depicts the flight of the bird as a kind of “infinite female-identifying composers and performers in satellite” into the ether, and we sense the transformation younger generations. It was a joy to play her music that comes with a bird’s orbiting and searching for with members of the Orchestra, and she’s someone I new skies. hope we will be hearing a lot more of in San Francisco You’re not performing in the next piece, Sanagi. in the coming years! Yes, for this one I get to sit back and listen to the How would you describe Terrestre? San Francisco Symphony players rock it! I chose this It’s stunning, sparkling, soulful, and just a little bit piece because I believe fiercely in this young dangerous. Terrestre is actually a reduction of the last composer, Pauchi Sasaki, and because the work itself movement of Kaija’s concerto for flute and orchestra, is so enchanting and such an interesting counterpoint Aile du songe or Wing of Dream. [The full work will to the other pieces on the program. Pauchi is a be heard next season in performances led by Esa- Japanese-Peruvian artist, and she is blazing new trails Pekka Salonen with Claire Chase as soloist, October as an interdisciplinary artist who defies categorization: 14-17.] This miniature version is scored for a beautiful she is equally adept as a violinist, composer, improviser, and colorful instrumentation: solo flute with violin, sound artist, electronic music pioneer, and instrument- cello, harp, and a widely varied battery of percussion. builder. She is one to watch. It’s extremely important The first section is based on a tale of a bird that to me to represent voices in the upcoming generation sings so wildly