Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 117, 1997

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 117, 1997 i 1 997-98 SEASON Symphony Orchestra SEIJf OZAWA, Music Director r f SMfc . The Fund Market,Inc Over 2.500 Funds From 2'X> Fund Families 6l7.555.937I Fax: 1. 6:7. 555. 4679 Voice Mad: 1617.5s5.i5 Mortgage &17. 5.55.3719 126 Revere Way, Boston, MA 021 19 A Member of AGF Banx Corp. BostonPlus 1' a u 1 S i 1 v e r m a n 1-800-BBX-PLUS Direct: 413.555.1346 Voice Mail: 413.555.4769 Ife BankBoston SM BostonPlus will dramatically simplify your finances, because this one account provides all the services you need. Call BostonPlus Specialist at 1-800-BBX-PLUS. t's Amazing What You Can Do Securities and Mutual Funds: Mutual funds and securities are offered through BankBoston • Not FDIC Insured «No Bank Investor Services, Inc. (member NASD/SIPC), a wholly Guarantee • May Lose Value owned subsidiary of BankBoston, N.A. Member FDIC ~M Seiji Ozawa, Music Director Bernard Haitink, Principal Guest Conductor One Hundred and Seventeenth Season, 1997-98 Trustees of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc. R. Willis Leith, Jr., Chairman Nicholas T. Zervas, President Peter A. Brooke, Vice- Chairman William J. Poorvu, Vice-Chairman and Treasurer Mrs. Edith L. Dabney, Vice-Chairman Ray Stata, Vice-Chairman Harvey Chet Krentzman, Vice-Chairman Harlan E. Anderson Nader F. Darehshori Julian T. Houston Robert P. O'Block, Gabriella Beranek Deborah B. Davis Edna S. Kalman ex-officio James F. Cleary Nina L. Doggett George Krupp Vincent M. O'Reilly John F. Cogan, Jr. Charles K. Gifford, Mrs. August R. Meyer Peter C. Read Julian Cohen ex-officio Richard P. Morse Hannah H. Schneider William F. Connell Avram J. Goldberg Mrs. Robert B. Margaret Williams- William M. Crozier, Jr. Thelma E. Goldberg Newman DeCelles, ex-officio Life Trustees Vernon R. Alden Nelson J. Darling, Jr. Mrs. George I. Kaplan Richard A. Smith David B. Arnold, Jr. Archie C. Epps George H. Kidder Sidney Stoneman J. P. Barger Mrs. John H. Fitzpatrick Irving W. Rabb John Hoyt Stookey Leo L. Beranek Dean W Freed Mrs. George Lee John L. Thorndike Abram T. Collier Mrs. John L. Grandin Sargent Other Officers of the Corporation Thomas D. May and John Ex Rodgers, Assistant Treasurers Daniel R. Gustin, Clerk Board of Overseers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc. Robert P. O'Block, Chairman Mrs. Micho Spring, Vice-Chairman Molly Beals Millman, Secretary Phyllis Dohanian, Treasurer Mrs. Herbert B. Abelow Goetz B. Eaton Susan Beth Kaplan Keizo Saji Helaine B. Allen William R. Elfers William M. Karlyn Roger A. Saunders Joel B. Alvord George M. Elvin Nan Bennett Kay Carol Scheifele-Holmes Amanda Barbour Amis Edward Eskandarian Frances Demoulas Cynthia D. Scullin Marjorie Arons-Barron Pamela D. Everhart Kettenbach Elizabeth T. Selkowitz Caroline Dwight Bain J. Richard Fennell Robert D. King Roger T. Servison Sandra Bakalar Lawrence K. Fish Mrs. Gordon F. Kingsley Ross E. Sherbrooke Lynda Schubert Bodman Nancy J. Fitzpatrick David I. Kosowsky L. Scott Singleton William L. Boyan Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Arthur R. Kravitz Thomas G. Sternberg Jan Brett M.D. Florence Ladd Jacquelynne M. Robin A. Brown Eugene M. Freedman Mrs. William D. Stepanian Samuel B. Bruskin A. Alan Friedberg Larkin, Jr. Samuel Thorne, Jr. Mrs. Marshall Nichols Dr. Arthur Gelb Barbara Lee Bill Van Faasen Carter Mrs. Kenneth J. Thomas H. Lee Loet A. Velmans Earle M. Chiles Germeshausen Edward Linde Paul M. Verrochi Eric D. Collins Charles K. Gifford Edwin N. London Stephen R. Weber William H. Congleton Mark R. Goldweitz Frederick H. Lovejoy, Jr. Robert S. Weil Martha H.W Michael Halperson Diane H. Lupean Stephen R. Weiner Crowninshield John P. Hamill Barbara Jane Macon Robert A. Wells Diddy Cullinane Ellen T. Harris Joseph C. McNay Mrs. Joan D. Wheeler Joan P. Curhan Daphne P. Hatsopoulos William F. Meagher, Jr. Reginald H. White Tamara P. Davis Deborah M. Hauser Nathan R. Miller Mrs. Florence T. Betsy P. Demirjian Ronald A. Homer Paul C. O'Brien Whitney + JoAnne Walton Phyllis S. Hubbard Norio Ohga Margaret Williams- Dickinson F. Donald Hudson Louis F. Orsatti DeCelles Harry Ellis Dickson Lola Jaffe Gloria Moody Press Robin Wilson Mitchell L. Dong Mrs. Robert M. Jaffe Millard H. Pryor, Jr. Kathryn A. Wong Hugh Downs Dr. Hisashi Kaneko William D. Roddy, Jr. Richard Wurtman, M.D. Francis A. Doyle Martin S. Kaplan Edward I. Rudman •"Deceased Overseers Emeriti Mrs. Weston Adams Mrs. Haskell R. Benjamin H. Lacy Mrs. Jerome Rosenfeld Bruce A. Beal Gordon Mrs. Hart D. Leavitt Mrs. William C. William M. Bulger Susan D. Hall Laurence Lesser Rousseau Mary Louise Cabot Mrs. Richard D. Hill Mrs. Charles P. Lyman Angelica L. Russell Mrs. Levin H. Campbell Susan M. Hilles Mrs. Harry L. Marks Francis P. Sears, Jr. Johns H. Congdon Glen H. Hiner Hanae Mori Mrs. Carl Shapiro Phyllis Curtin Marilyn Brachman Patricia Morse Mrs. Donald B. Sinclair Harriett Eckstein Hoffman Mrs. Hiroshi H. Nishino Ralph Z. Sorenson Katherine Fanning H. Eugene Jones Andrall S. Pearson Mrs. Arthur I. Strang Peter H.B. Mrs. Louis I. Kane John A. Perkins Luise Vosgerchian Frelinghuysen Leonard Kaplan David R. Pokross Mrs. Thomas L.P Mrs. Thomas Mrs. S. Charles Daphne Brooks Prout Whitney Galligan, Jr. Kasdon Robert E. Remis Mrs. Donald R. Wilson Mrs. James Garivaltis Richard L. Kaye Mrs. Peter van S. Rice Mrs. John J. Wilson Jordan Golding Robert K. Kraft John Ex Rodgers Business Leadership Association Board of Directors William F. Connell, Chairman Leo L. Beranek, James F Cleary Charles K. Gifford, President and Harvey Chet Krentzman, Nader F Darehsori, Vice-President Chairmen Emeriti Robin A. Brown Nancy J. Fitzpatrick Robert J. Murray Malcolm L. Sh( Diane Capstaff Bink Garrison Patrick J. Purcell Ray Stata Martha H.W John P. Hamill William D. Roddy, Jr. Thomas Tierney Crowninshield Michael J. Joyce Cynthia D. Scullin William Van Faasen Francis A. Doyle J. Kent McHose Roger T. Servison Paul M. Verrochi Ex-Officio R. Willis Leith, Jr. • Nicholas T. Zervas • Robert P. O'Block Officers of the Boston Symphony Association of Volunteers Margaret Williams-DeCelles, President Charlie Jack, Treasurer Goetz Eaton, Executive Vice-President Doreen Reis, Secretary Mary Blair, Resource Judith Cook, Tanglewood Phyllis Hubbard, Nominating Development Association Michael Murphy, Development Marilyn Brigham, Public Noni Cooper, Adult Education Barbara Steiner, Youth Activities Relations Ginger Elvin, Tanglewood Erling Thorgalsen, Membership Linda Clarke, Fundraising Association Eva Zervos, Fundraising Nancy Ferguson, Hall Services The Commissioning History of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Currently on display in the Cohen Wing display cases is an exhibit that traces the origins and history of works commis- sioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Drawing on materials preserved in the BSO Archives, including photographs, correspon- dence, and manuscript scores, the exhibit traces the BSO's commissioning activity back to the years directly preceding the BSO's fiftieth anniversary, when then BSO Music Director Serge Koussevitzky urged the Board of Trustees to commission new works in celebration of that anniversary. Shown here are Serge Koussevitzky, who was music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949, and the manuscript first page of Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, a BSO fiftieth-anniversary commission which became one of the most significant works in the orchestral repertory. Programs copyright ©1998 Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc. Cover design by Jaycole Advertising, Inc. Cover portrait of Seiji Ozawa by Christian Steiner/Philips Classics. BSO photos by Steve J. Sherman. Administration Mark Volpe, Managing Director Daniel R. Gustin, Assistant Managing Director and Manager of Tanglewood Anthony Fogg, Artistic Administrator Thomas D. May, Director of Finance and Business Affairs Nancy Perkins, Director of Development Caroline Smedvig, Director of Public Relations and Marketing Ray F. Wellbaum, Orchestra Manager ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF/ARTISTIC Dennis Alves, Artistic Coordinator, Boston Pops • Faith Hunter, Executive Assistant to the Managing Director • Karen Leopardi, Artist Assistant/Secretary to the Music Director • Vincenzo Natale, Chauffeur/ Valet • James O'Connor, Assistant to the Artistic Administrator • Brian Van Sickle, Executive Assistant to the Manager of Tanglewood ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF/PRODUCTION Christopher W. Ruigomez, Operations Manager, Boston Symphony Orchestra Scott Schillin, Operations Manager, Boston Pops Felicia A. Burrey, Chorus Manager • Nancy Cohen, Auditions Coordinator/Administrative Assistant, Orchestra Personnel • Jana Gimenez, Operations Coordinator/Assistant to the Conductor, Boston Pops • Diane A. Read, Production Coordinator BOX OFFICE Russell M. Hodsdon, Manager of Box Office Mary J. Broussard, Clerk • Cary Eyges, Clerk • Lawrence Fraher, Clerk • Kathleen Kennedy, Assistant Manager of Box Office • Arthur Ryan, Clerk BUSINESS OFFICE Sarah J. Harrington, Budget Manager Craig R. Kaplan, Controller Roberta Kennedy, Manager, Symphony Shop Gerald Blum, Staff Accountant • Yaneris Briggs, Cash Accountant • Christopher Fox, Budget Analyst • Michelle Green, Executive Assistant to the Director of Finance and Business Affairs • Ian Kane, Accounting Manager • Scott Langill, General Accountant • John O'Callaghan, Payroll Accountant • Debra Reader, Payroll and Accounting Clerk • Sharon Sherman, Accounts Payable Supervisor DEVELOPMENT Daniel P. Breen, Director of Administration for Development Madelyne Cuddeback, Director of Corporate Programs Julie H. Diaz, Campaign Director John C. Marksbury, Director of Foundation and Government Support Joyce M. Serwitz,
Recommended publications
  • The Wedding of Kevin Roon & Simon Yates Saturday, the Third of October
    The wedding of Kevin Roon & Simon Yates Saturday, the third of October, two thousand and nine Main Lounge The Dartmouth Club at the Yale Club New York City Introductory Music Natasha Paremski & Richard Dowling, piano Alisdair Hogarth & Malcolm Martineau, piano Welcome David Beatty The Man I Love music by George Gershwin (1898–1937) arranged for piano by Earl Wild (b. 1915) Richard Dowling, piano O Tell Me the Truth About Love W. H. Auden (1907–1973) Catherine Cooper I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady music by Frederick Loewe (1901–1988) lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner (1918–1986) Elizabeth Yates, soprano Simon Yates, piano Sonnet 116 William Shakespeare (1564–1616) Lilla Grindlay Allemande from the Partita No.4 in D major, BWV 828 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Jeremy Denk, piano Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi Eileen Roon from Liebeslieder Op. 52 Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) text by Georg Friedrich Daumer (1800–1875) translations © by Emily Ezust Joyce McCoy, soprano Jennifer Johnston, mezzo-soprano Matthew Plenk, tenor Eric Downs, bass-baritone Alisdair Hogarth & Malcolm Martineau, piano number 8 Wenn so lind dein Auge mir When your eyes so gently und so lieblich schauet, and so fondly gaze on me, jede letzte Trübe flieht, every last sorrow flees welche mich umgrauet. that once had troubled me. Dieser Liebe schöne Glut, This beautiful glow of our love, lass sie nicht verstieben! do not let it die! Nimmer wird, wie ich, Never will another love you so treu dich ein Andrer lieben. as faithfully as I. number 9 Am Donaustrande On the banks of the Danube, da steht ein Haus, there stands a house, da schaut ein rosiges and looking out of it Mädchen aus.
    [Show full text]
  • Programmealtham Wilpshire Great Harwood Ramsgreave Hapton Brownhill Huncoat Rishton
    A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF 200 YEARS OF THE CANAL! Barrowford Stonyhurst Newchurch in Pendle Barrow Fence Hurst Green A RHAPSODY TOSabden THE Nelson Brockhall Higham Village LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL Whalley Brierfield Billington Simonstone Padiham Langho ProgrammeAltham Wilpshire Great Harwood Ramsgreave Hapton Brownhill Huncoat Rishton Church Oswaldtwistle Guide Crawshawbooth Lumb Waterside Rossendale Haslingden Rawtenstall Newchurch Darwen Hoddlesden Waterfoot Helmshore Cowpe Edenfield SUPER SLOW WAY: A RHAPSODY TO THE LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL CONTENTS 3 Foreword 12 Biographies Laurie Peake, Super Slow Way 12 Ian McMillan, Words and Narration Richard Parry, Canal & River Trust 13 Ian Stephens, Composer 14 Clark Rundell, Conductor 4 A Rhapsody to Leeds 14 Ian Brownbill, Producer 15 Amanda Roocroft, Solo Soprano & Liverpool Canal 15 Jonathan Aasgaard, Solo Cello 16 Kuljit Bhamra, Solo Tabla 16 Farmeen Akhtar, Narrator 17 Lisa Parry, Narrator 17 Super Slow Way Chamber Choir 18 Children’s Voices of Blackburn 19 Blackburn People’s Choir 19 Brighouse and Rastrick Band superslowway.org.uk Foreword 3 LAURIE PEAKE The Leeds & Liverpool Canal was the artery that fed the Industrial Revolution, forever changing the lives and landscape of the north of England. Its history spans 200 years and, like its meandering path through the countryside, there have been many twists and turns along the way. Super Slow Way: A Rhapsody to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is a celebration of the history, people and stories of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal through music, using a series of poems specially written by celebrated Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan. The canal was ofcially opened in Blackburn in October 1816 when, for the frst time, the journey could be made from the coalfelds of Yorkshire, through the weaving mills of Lancashire to the port of Liverpool, bringing work and industry to the towns along the way, making them centres of the Industrial Revolution and the towns we see today.
    [Show full text]
  • La Traviata at Its 1956 London Language of the Russian Court, While the Act III Ball in Premiere
    CHOThe magazinRe of Opera HoUlland Park | AuStumn 2019 CHORUS AUTUMN 2019 page 2 Discovery matinee Dates On Sunday 21 June, we will be hosting our first Discovery matinee. This performance of Rigoletto will be aa relaxed performance with Touch for your Tour, audio-description and accessible ticket pricing, to allow newcomers to calendar Dates for your diary discover opera. 2020 Season at a glance February 27 Young Artists’ Circle Launch The Gore London ● Eugene Onegin, 7.30pm YA Young Artists performance ● Rigoletto, 7.30pm ● Discovery matinee, 2pm March ● The Merry Widow , 7.30pm 11 Young Artists Masterclass with Amanda Roocroft Pushkin House ● Margot la Rouge / Le Villi, 7.30pm 18 Monstrous and sublime: Verdi's Rigoletto Italian Cultural Institute ● Royal Ballet School, 7.00pm ● matinee, 2pm 25 Supporters’ Spring Reception Chris Beetles Gallery ● Pirates of Penzance , 7.30pm 31 Waltz, schmaltz, cash and champagne: Lehár's The Merry Widow Mathiessen Gallery May June 30 Eugene Onegin Dress Rehearsal Opera Holland Park Theatre Mon Tues Weds Thur Fri Sat Sun June 4 Rigoletto Dress Rehearsal Opera Holland Park Theatre 1 2 345 6 7 ● ● ● 9 Pre-show Talk with Lada Valešová Opera Holland Park Theatre 8 ●9 ●10 ●11 ●12 ●13 14 18 Pre-show Talk with Dane Lam Opera Holland Park Theatre 15 16 17 18 YA 19 20 21 23 Pre-show Talk with Professor Jeremy Black Opera Holland Park ● ● ● ● ● Theatre 22 ●23 ●24 ●25 ●26 ●27 28 29 30 July 16 The Merry Widow Dress Rehearsal Opera Holland Park Theatre 17 Margot la Rouge / Le Villi Dress Rehearsal Opera Holland Park Theatre July 23 Pre-show Talk with Martin Lloyd-Evans Opera Holland Park Theatre Mon Tues Weds Thur Fri Sat Sun 30 Pre-show Talk with Tim Ashley Opera Holland Park Theatre 1 ●2 ●3 ●4◗ 5 678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 ●18 19 Opera Holland Park 20 ●21 ●22 ●23 ●24 ●25 26 Christmas Concert 2019 27 ●28 ●29 ●30 ●31 Toast the festive season with Opera Holland Park at our Christmas Concert on Saturday 7 December, 7pm , at St August Columba's Church in the heart of Knightsbridge.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Booklet
    MONTEVERDI © Lebrecht Music & Arts Photo Library ???????????? Claudio Monteverdi (1567 – 1643) The Coronation of Poppea Dramma musicale in a Prologue and two acts Libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, English translation by Geoffrey Dunn Prologue Fortune Barbara Walker soprano Virtue Shirley Chapman soprano Love Elizabeth Gale soprano Opera Ottone, most noble lord Tom McDonnell baritone Poppea, most noble lady, mistress of Nero, Janet Baker mezzo-soprano raised by him to the seat of empire Nero, Roman emperor Robert Ferguson tenor Ottavia, reigning empress, repudiated by Nero Katherine Pring mezzo-soprano Drusilla, lady of the court, in love with Ottone Barbara Walker soprano Seneca, philosopher, preceptor to Nero Clifford Grant bass Arnalta, aged nurse and confidante of Poppea Anne Collins mezzo-soprano Lucano, poet, intimate of Nero, nephew of Seneca Emile Belcourt tenor Valletto, page of the empress John Brecknock tenor Damigella, lady-in-waiting to the empress Iris Saunders soprano Liberto, Captain of the praetorian guard Norman Welsby baritone First soldier Robin Donald tenor Second soldier John Delaney tenor Lictor, officer of imperial justice Anthony Davey bass Pallas Athene, goddess of wisdom Shirley Chapman soprano Chorus of Sadler’s Wells Opera Orchestra of Sadler’s Wells Opera Raymond Leppard 3 compact disc one Time Page Act I 1 Sinfonia 2:55 p. 30 Prologue 2 ‘Virtue, go hide yourself away’ 7:16 p. 30 Fortune, Virtue, Love Scene 1 3 ‘Again I’m drawn here’ 8:32 p. 31 Ottone, Soldier 2, Soldier 1 4 ‘My lord, do not go yet!’ 9:54 p. 32 Poppea, Nero Scene 2 5 ‘At last my hopes have ended’ 6:38 p.
    [Show full text]
  • ONLINE CONCERT DECEMBER 6TH 2020 in Aid of St Lawrence Seal
    ONLINE CONCERT DECEMBER 6TH 2020 In aid of St Lawrence Seal and St Margaret’s Underriver Church funds Produced by John Morris Presented by The Clemence Charitable Trust (Reg no: 283114) Featuring Lauren Joyanne Morris (Mezzo Soprano) Greg Tassell (Tenor) Jo Ramadan (Piano) David Flood (Organ) The two churches, which are a joint benefice, have a record of producing live concerts. Most of the performers at Underriver have been students of music, who have been supported in their studies by The Clemence Charitable Trust and Greg Tassell and David Flood have frequently performed at St Lawrence. Lauren and Greg are well-known to concert audiences at our two churches and they will be performing a wide range of music to suit all tastes. Lauren’s accompanist is Jo Ramadan, who will be familiar to St Margaret’s patrons and Greg will be accompanied by David Flood, who will also contribute to the concert a short recital on the newly-rebuilt Canterbury Cathedral organ. This year has been difficult for professional musicians with the cancellation of engagements and also for our churches with the closure of buildings and the cancellation of fund-raising events. This concert will enable the musicians to earn a fee. It will also raise essential funds for the two churches and it will provide a much- needed lift as Christmas approaches. The concert will be available on YouTube from 6pm on December 6th until Christmas and ticket holders will be advised of the access link ahead of the concert. Tickets are priced at £15 per household (£20 for any one outside Europe) and are available by application on the attached form from John Clemence on which you can also include a donation.
    [Show full text]
  • None but Thelonelyheart Amanda Roocroft Malcolm Martineau Tchaikovsky | Debussy | Strauss CD Booklet-Final 24/9/07 17:33 Page 2 CD Booklet-Final 24/9/07 17:33 Page 3
    CD Booklet-Final 24/9/07 17:33 Page 1 None but theLonelyHeart Amanda Roocroft Malcolm Martineau Tchaikovsky | Debussy | Strauss CD Booklet-Final 24/9/07 17:33 Page 2 CD Booklet-Final 24/9/07 17:33 Page 3 Amanda Roocroft has secured an international reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting singers, in opera, concert, and in recital. In concert she has appeared with leading orchestras throughout Europe and North America with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Mariss Jansons, Ivor Bolton, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniele Gatti, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Charles Mackerras, Valery Gergiev and Bernard Haitink. She enjoys a close relationship with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Glyndebourne Festival, the English National Opera, the Welsh National Opera and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, and her roles in these houses have included Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Desdemona (Otello), Amelia (Simon Boccanegra), Mimì (La Bohème), Eva (Die Meistersinger), Ginevra (Ariodante), Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), Jenifer (The Midsummer Marriage), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin) and the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Kát’a Kabanová and Jenu˚fa. Recent opera highlights include Elisabetta (Don Carlo) in Amsterdam (Riccardo Chailly/Willy Decker); Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes) in Salzburg (Sir Simon Rattle/Trevor Nunn); a tour of Japan as the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro) with the Bayerische Staatsoper and Zubin Mehta; and the title role in Jenufa in Berlin, Barcelona and, most recently, at the English National Opera for which she won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
    [Show full text]
  • Koor Singers & Players
    KOOR SINGERS & PLAYERS www.koor.app present Beethoven Mass in C ​ Beethoven Overture, ‘Zur Namensfeier’ ​ Live-streamed from Blackheath Halls www.blackheathhalls.com December 16th, 2020 Tonight’s performance will be without interval Tonight’s performers Charlotte Shaw SOPRANO Martha McLorinan MEZZO SOPRANO Laurence Kilsby TENOR Jonathan Brown BASS KOOR SINGERS & PLAYERS Sarah Sexton LEADER Simon Capet CONDUCTOR David Clegg ARTIST ADMINISTRATOR Programme Beethoven Overture, ‘Zur Namensfeier’ ​ Beethoven Mass in C ​ Notes Overture, ‘Zur Namensfeier’ (Name Day), Opus 115 Beethoven’s “Namensfeier” Overture, Op. 115 was a result of the composer's long compositional process. It began with ideas the composer sketched in 1809. These fragments resurfaced around 1811 when Beethoven first became interested in creating a musical setting of Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.” Schiller’s liberating words reached epic new heights in the final movement of the Ninth Symphony, written some thirteen years later. Beethoven’s first attempt at the “Ode to Joy” sprang to life in this fleeting, fun-loving Overture. It was originally scheduled to be performed on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the name day of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. Beethoven failed to complete the work in time and it was premiered on Christmas Day, 1815 instead. As with the Choral Fantasy, you can hear seeds of the Ninth Symphony in this music. Yet, there is nothing serious, profound, or earth-shattering here. Instead, it is a festive, celebratory romp—an “ode to joy” that delivers pure, unsophisticated fun. Out of the bombast leaps a frolicking cast of instrumental voices. At moments, strange, quirky dissonances seem to anticipate the sounds of the twentieth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Booklet
    Most recitals for voice and piano follow a traditional pattern of programming – they comprise a few song cycles or groups of songs per concert, exploring the musical world of no more than four or five composers. Anyone who has had the good fortune to see Amanda Roocroft perform in opera will know that, in addition to her obvious gifts as a singer, she is an extraordinary actress. When we began working together in 2009 it occurred to us that we could tell a story through songs, similar to the way in which a story is told through opera. Taking my cue from cycles such as Frauenliebe und -leben by Loewe and Schumann, and inspired by more modern ways of programming (an obvious influence is Graham Johnson’s Songmaker’s Almanac), I thought we could explore one protagonist’s emotional journey by juxtaposing thirty or so songs. I was careful not to pick songs in which our two central characters moved from or into different social classes: we never learn his name, and her name is mentioned for the first time in the last song. Everything is kept in the first person so that the words sung are always from the point of view of the girl (subtleties in the music comment on his mental state, but he never speaks directly – only in reported speech through her). It is a story which communicates themes of love and loss, the joys and pains of a relationship. One of the delights of such programming is that a song, when placed in a new and challenging context, is often further illuminated, its power to communicate made new.
    [Show full text]
  • SIR EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934) AMANDA ROOCROFT KONRAD JARNOT REINILD MEES Complete Songs for Voice and Piano Vol
    28610ElgarMeesbooklet 12-11-2009 12:11 Pagina 1 CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS SA 28610 SIR EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934) AMANDA ROOCROFT KONRAD JARNOT REINILD MEES Complete Songs for voice and piano vol. 2 28610ElgarMeesbooklet 12-11-2009 12:11 Pagina 2 As we noted in the first volume of this survey publishers of the day. A Soldier’s Song, styled of Elgar’s songs, like most composers his first as ‘Op 5’ dates from 1884 and although it was attempts at composition were with anthems sung at the Worcester Glee Club in March that and small chamber and piano pieces, though year it had to wait for publication until 1890 unlike many young composers of his day, when it appeared in The Magazine of Music – strangely Elgar wrote few songs until his and 1903, when renamed A War Song, Boosey various love affairs from his mid-twenties on- took it on, doubtless with the public’s wards. Elgar’s early life as a composer was one preoccupation with the Boer War in mind. of constantly hawking salon music and Another American, Colonel John Hay popular short pieces round publishers – a provided the words for Through the Long situation that gradually changed in the 1890s Days, which dated ‘Gigglewycke (his friend as his early works for chorus and orchestra Charles William Buck’s Yorkshire home) on were heard. But it took Elgar a long time to 10 Aug 1885 was sung in London at a St become established, the Enigma Variations James’s Hall ballad concert in February 1887 only appearing when he was 41.
    [Show full text]
  • The Royal Opera 2005/6 Season
    THE ROYAL OPERA 2005/6 SEASON Contents: Page 1. Antonio Pappano Introduction 2 2. The Royal Opera 2005/6 Repertory 4 3. Vilar Young Artists 34 4. The Royal Opera 2005/6 Season Opera at a Glance 35 5. The Royal Opera Performance Dates 39 6. Press Office Contacts 41 Telephone, personal and online booking on http://www.roh.org.uk opens 28 June 2005. Supported by Arts Council England 1 Introduction to the 2005/6 Royal Opera Season – Antonio Pappano I’m really thrilled with the unusual mix of work the new Season offers. We open with concert performances of Donizetti’s last opera, Dom Sébastien. It’s one of Donizetti’s greatest achievements and yet it’s rarely heard. It’s bigger than the Donizetti we know and love and probably sounds more Verdian to our ears, but it’s an unusual piece in that it has a significant role (Zayda) for a mezzo-soprano instead of the usual soprano – we have Vesselina Kasarova singing the part. Piero Faggioni’s production of La fanciulla del West is an old Covent Garden favourite from the last 30 years and one I’ve always wanted to revive. It’s a piece that otherwise rarely comes up, and it deserves a renaissance. The Wild West setting seems so improbable but it works so well – we all love to see a Western, and Puccini’s music is very cinematic, brilliantly conjuring up the locale and colours of America. It’s one of his most sophisticated scores, as sophisticated, if not more so, than Turandot.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cast Mark Jowett
    Contact Bruce Edwards: 0415 726 778 Proudly supported by or email [email protected] THE CAST UNDERGROUND OPERA WHERE MINING MEETS THE MUSIC It all started from talk of a Mine in Tasmania, many years ago, that was pre- pared to hurdle the boundaries of unique entertainment and allow an Opera company to produce a show Underground! Unfortunately it hasn’t been done since. When a little known contract miner and thespian, Bruce Edwards, heard of this about three years ago he saw the perfect opportunity to mix two passions of his to launch the most unique, maybe insane, productions Australia has heard of. Underground Opera; literally! The Underground Opera Company was started to produce professional Opera, Classical Music and Broadway concerts throughout Australia. Catering more so for the mining and construction indus- tries, UOC provides an opportunity for communities to experience some of the finest performers that Australia has to offer in a venue that is as exciting as the performances, without the expense of an air- fare to Sydney and the ticket price of the Opera House. In an endeavour to provide these communities with such productions, UOC has been working feverishly on securing support from the Mining and Construction industries to source appropriate venues and ensure the ticket prices can remain as afforda- ble as possible. Mr Edwards says “ I have lived and worked in these communities for the last fifteen years where there has been little or no entertainment, not only for the miners themselves but for their wives, families and the communities supporting these areas.
    [Show full text]
  • The Complete Recitalist May 25- June 24, 2019
    ROSEMARY RITTER Director THE COMPLETE RECITALIST MAY 25- JUNE 24, 2019 “Bright is the ring of words when the right man rings them.” –Robert Lewis Stevenson SongFest 2019 is lovingly dedicated to Janet Loranger and John Ritter. ©Jeanine Hill Photography “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” –Mary Oliver Welcome to SongFest 2019 “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, you can. Boldness has a genius, magic and power to it.” – Goethe ©Jeanine Hill Photography Our SONGFEST mission, under the all-encompassing Californian skies, is to bring together the old and new where the study of masterpieces from the past enhances the vitality and relevance of contemporary music. Many of the singers and pianists have come here because they already sense that art song has brought depth and refinement to their lives, both as musicians and human beings. Younger performers at Colburn find themselves crossing a summer threshold that will lead to lifelong fealty. Teachers and students share a devotion to a genre that is too easily labelled “elitist” or simply “boring”. These golden weeks, shining with youthful energy, purpose and enthusiasm, demonstrate that art song is impossible to belittle or dismiss – old hands inspired by fresh and questing talent pass on a tradition rich in the articulation of many of civilisation’s most precious values. If art can make men see things in a different way, one should never underestimate the power of great poetry from many countries in tandem with great music to touch a hitherto unresponsive heart and make a difference.
    [Show full text]