05-23 DCINY DelMar_CH Rental 5/8/14 10:21 AM Page 1 Friday Evening, May 23, 2014, 8:00 Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Iris Derke, Co-Founder and General Director Jonathan Griffith, Co-Founder and Artistic Director presents A Breath of Fresh Air ALICE HIGH SCHOOL HONORS BAND ARNOLD GARZA, Director HENRY FILLMORE The Circus Bee FRANK TICHELI Angels in the Architecture ELIZABETH ELIZONDO, Soprano ZACHARY VILLARREAL, Trumpet MICHAEL TORRES, Bassoon RUBEN NAJERA, Flute LAUREN RODRIGUEZ, Clarinet ALEXANDRA CHAPA, Clarinet PAVEL TSCHESNOKOFF Salvation is Created JORDAN GONZALEZ, French Horn PYOTR ILYICH Finale from Symphony No. 4 TCHAIKOVSKY COURTNEY SCHMIDT, Oboe DEL MAR MASTER CHORUS AND CONCERT CHOIR CORPUS CHRISTI CHORALE ALICE HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE DENNIS S. RICHARDSON, Director BOB CHILCOTT Canticles of Light Te lucis ante terminum Christe, qui, splendoret dies O nata lux de lumine Intermission PLEASE SWITCH OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES. 05-23 DCINY DelMar_CH Rental 5/8/14 10:21 AM Page 2 DEL MAR MASTER CHORUS AND CONCERT CHOIR CORPUS CHRISTI CHORALE ROSS C. BERNHARDT, Director ROSS C. BERNHARDT In Memoriam (World Premiere) In Paradisum Postuma Ofrenda The Choir Invisible HOPE FAIRCHILD THACKER, Mezzo-soprano KHORIKOS JESSE MARK PECKHAM, Director GUILLERMO MARTINEZ No llores, paloma mía KILE SMITH Where Flames a Word Before your late face Conversation in the Mountains I know you, you are the deeply bowed FRANK LA ROCCA Miserere NICK OMICCIOLI A Song of Joys Please hold your applause until after the final movement of each work. We Want to Hear From You! Upload your intermission photos and post-show feedback to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! #BreathofFreshAir | @DCINY 05-23 DCINY DelMar_CH Rental 5/8/14 10:21 AM Page 3 Notes ON THE PROGRAM HENRY FILLMORE The Circus Bee The title of this piece comes from the lifelong interest in circuses and his name of an imaginary circus news- experiences while touring with five dif - paper. The work reflects Fillmore’s ferent big top shows. FRANK TICHELI Angels in the Architecture Angels in the Architecture was commis - work unfolds as a dramatic conflict sioned by Kingsway International, and between the two extremes of human received its world premiere at the existence—one divine, the other evil. The Sydney Opera House on July 6, 2008, work’s title is inspired by the Sydney by a combined band of young musicians Opera House itself, with its halo-shaped from Australia and the United States, acoustical ornaments hanging directly conducted by Mathew George. The above the perfor mance stage. PAVEL TSCHESNOKOFF Salvation is Created Subtitled A Chorale Prelude , this compo - con ductor, teacher, and composer with sition is based on a beautiful Russian more than 400 choral works to his credit. Orthodox chorale. Pavel Tschesnokoff This composition retains the clarity of (1877–1944) was a Russian choral harmony that characterized his works. PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Finale from Symphony No . 4 The Finale to the Fourth Symphony is a very near the beginning, in the course of tumult of vivacious gaiety—as Tchaikov- the principal theme itself, is sufficiently sky himself designated: “the joy of see - individual to serve as a subordinate ing others happy and jolly.” The theme. The rhythmic treatment of this Russian folk melody, though introduced popular tune is ingenious. BOB CHILCOTT Canticles of Light Can ticles of Light was commissioned song for the morning, anticipating the in 2000 by Winchester Music Club in renewed strength and hope that the day celebration of the 75th anniversary of will bring. its foundation by Sir George Dyson. The piece is comprised of three ancient The work is written for chorus and Latin hymns that were in widespread small orchestra, with a significant part use at least as early as the 10th century. for a choir of trebles or young voices, The first two are evening hymns that who in the two outer movements chant ask for God’s protection and comfort plainsong-like phrases above the main through the night. The third hymn is a chorus. There are further parallels with 05-23 DCINY DelMar_CH Rental 5/8/14 10:21 AM Page 4 the ancient and timeless art of plain - expert synthesis of these seemingly dis - song in the scale-wise melodic contours parate elements has resulted in a musi - and rhythmic independence of the main cal language of considerable expressive choral writing, whilst, at the other end power, eloquently conveying in these of the musical timeline, Chilcott’s expe - three short pieces a reassuring message rience as a member of the King’s of hope and renewal. Singers is readily apparent in his skillful use of close-harmony techniques. His —Program note by John Bawden ROSS C. BERNHARDT In Memoriam (World Premiere) In Memoriam had its origin as a single- journey into paradise. The rhythmic movement choral work. A couple of structure captures the unmetered flow of years ago, the Corpus Christi Chorale chant, emphasizing the importance of had a silent auction fundraiser. For my natural speech declamation. contribution to the auction, I offered to write a new choral piece for the The original single movement became the Chorale on a text of the buyer’s choice. second movement of this extended work. The winner of my item, Elvia Carranza, I used a traditional Spanish chord pro - requested that I set a poem written by gression as the centerpiece of the work, her mother entitled Póstuma Ofrenda , moving voice parts down stepwise at dif - or “Final Offering.” I was enchanted ferent times to create dissonances evoking by the poem’s expression of the desire the word duerma or “sleep.” The mezzo for remembrance after death, as well as soloist is the voice of the poem’s author, the musical imagery evoked in the text. displaying a reverent wistfulness. After I began working on the composi - tion, I was approached by Dennis In the final movement, The Choir Richardson about collaborating on a Invisible , Eliot’s text refers to the invi s- Carnegie Hall performance with DCINY, ible souls that still sing in our lives collec - including writing a new extended work to tively after their individual deaths. I used be performed on the program. Since the more traditional harmonies in this move - program was near Memorial Day, I real - ment to create a more “American” choral ized that the text I was currently setting sound in the vein of Aaron Copland or would be ideal as one movement of a Randall Thompson. The duerma theme multi-movement work. I selected addi - of the second movement returns, but in tional texts from the Catholic Requiem reverse, signifying the soul’s journey and the poetry of George Eliot. from sleep to eternal life in our memo - ries. The chant material from the first The first movement, In Paradisum , con - movement also reappears and is inter - tains both text and musical material twined with the new themes to unify the from the Gregorian chant setting of the three movements of In Memoriam. Requiem mass. I wrote harmonies with ethereal structures to evoke the soul’s —Program note by Ross C. Bernhardt 05-23 DCINY DelMar_CH Rental 5/8/14 10:21 AM Page 5 GUILLERMO MARTINEZ No llores, paloma mía No llores, paloma mía or “Do not express the emotions of their story. The weep, my dove” tells the tale of two music’s mood ranges from gentle and young lovers whose fate is shattered by sweet, to chaotic and powerful, beauti - betrayal. Martinez weaves together fully expressing the tumult of the young three popular melodies of Cantabria to lovers’ relationship. KILE SMITH Where Flames a Word Where Flames a Word uses text by the Smith used an excerpt of a prose piece poet Paul Celan, which he translated into by Celan, titled Conversation in the English from the original German. The Mountains . Two cousins meet on a first and third movements are settings of hiking trail, and their seemingly incon - the poems “Before Your Late Face” and sequential conversations reveal very “I Know You, You Are the Deeply deep truths about themselves and Bowed.” For the second mov ement, about the world. FRANK LA ROCCA Miserere Miserere , Latin for “Have Mercy on David expresses great remorse and Me,” is a work that holds deep personal deep repentance in the first part of the meaning for La Rocca and is one of the text, and then as things evolve, he most challenging pieces he has begins to experience a sense of peace. written. It recounts a biblical episode King David realizes that admitting his in the life of King David, in which he crime also opens himself to the possibility is caught in a heinous crime. King of forgiveness. NICK OMICCIOLI A Song of Joys A Song of Joys is based on Walt possibility. The poem is rich with Whitman poem of the same name from imagery, and captures the beauty of his collection Leaves of Grass . The simple acts, such as boiling a lobster or poem is a vast description of all of life’s rowing on a river. In setting the text to joy, and extols the virtues of nature, music, Omiccioli chose excerpts that he love, and nostalgia. Whitman praises felt best summed up Whitman’s inspi - the lives of farmers, soldiers, mothers, rational message. The music reflects the firemen, and people of all back - joyful mood of the poetry, yet e mbraces grounds, uplifting their everyday work the pensive side of Whitman’s work into a celebration of humanity and as well. 05-23 DCINY DelMar_CH Rental 5/8/14 10:21 AM Page 6 Texts and Translations Canticles of Light BOB CHILCOTT Texts : Hymn at Compline from Liturgia Horarum and Hymn at Laudes Te lucis ante terminum Before the end of day Te lucis ante terminum, Before the end of day, Rerum Creator poscimus, creator of all things, we ask you, ut solita clementia, with your wonted kindness, sis praesul ad custodiam.