MASTERS OF THE

James Sherlock, , conductor soprano

www.joensuu.fi/kaupunginorkesteri THU 12TH OF MARCH 2020 AT 19, CARELIA HALL MASTERS OF THE OPERA James Sherlock, conductor Angelika Kirchschlager, soprano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Jules Massenet Overture from Méditation from the opera Thaïs KV492 Georges Bizet Symphony C major Movements from Le Bourgeoise Allegro vivo gentilhomme op. 60 Adagio V Das Menuett des Lully Menuetto (Scherzo) VI Courante Allegro vivace (Finale) VII Auftritt des Cléonte

Richard Wagner Wesendonck Lieder WWV 91 Der Engel Stehe still! Im Treibhaus Schmerzen Träume

INTERMISSION Duration of the concert is about 2 hours ARTISTS James Sherlock | conductor Medal at the Marcello Galanti International Organ Competition. He studied at the Sibelius James Sherlock’s passionate and fearless Academy, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, approach to both Contemporary music and Trinity College Cambridge and the Georg Solti historically-informed performance place him Accademia, where his teachers included Atso at the forefront of emerging conductors. He is Almila, Hannu Lintu, Sakari Oramo, Jorma the Assistant Conductor of the Finnish Radio Panula, Pamela Lidiard, Graham Johnson, Symphony Orchestra, and over the past two Ronan O’Hora and Joan Havill. seasons has made debuts conducting the English Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Angelika Kirchschlager | Concert Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Jyväskylä Sinfonia and Ensemble Nyky. He soprano was selected by the London Symphony and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras as the Angelika Kirchschlager enjoys an young British conductor to take part in their international career dividing her time International Artists Academy in Berlin and between recitals and opera in Europe, North Aix-en-Provence, and works regularly at the America and the Far East. She is internationally Royal Danish Opera and the Opéra national recognised as one of the foremost interpreters de Paris. of Richard Strauss and Mozart. A pianist and organist by training, with For the Wiener Staatsoper her roles include a special interest in historical keyboard Dorabella (Mozart Cosi fan tutte), Octavian instruments, he performs alongside many of (Strauss ) and Clairon (Strauss today’s most important vocal artists of our ). For House, Covent time include Dame , Angelika Garden her roles include Mélisande (Debussy Kirchschlager, Sir , , Pelléas et Mélisande), Sophie (Maw Sophie’s Dame Sarah Connolly and Dame Shirley Choice), Hänsel (Humperdinck Hänsel und Bassey. This has taken him to diverse venues Gretel) and Octavian. including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie, In 2007 the Austrian government awarded Barbican and Wigmore Halls, the Schubertiade Angelika the title of Kammersängerin for her Schwzarzenberg and the Musikgebouw outstanding contributions to the State Amsterdam. Opera. In 2009 she became an Honorary Member James won top prizes at the Royal Overseas of the in London. League Competition, Das International She has a wide discography on the Sony Song Competition, BBC Performing Arts Trust, Masterworks label which have won numerous the Award for Young Concert Artists and Gold awards including a Grammy. the couple of minutes hectic sprint the moods INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC fluctuate from one end to the other. W. A. Mozart: Overture from The Marriage of Figaro Richard Strauss: Le Bourgeoise gentilhomme ’s (1756–1791) The Marriage of Figaro is one of the most performed The German Richard Strauss (1864–1949) is ever. The premier of the opera was in known for his operas. He was active both in 1786 in Vienna and the story tells how the clever the 19th and 20th centuries and his works servants Figaro and Susanna manage to get represent mainly the late romanticism. At married despite of count Almaviva’s resistance. the end of 19th century, Strauss became The opera’s libretto is based on a play of same interested in composing operas and in year name by Pierre Beaumarchais which was 1905 was born the modernist opera Salome. considered revolutionary because of its critisism Even further he went later in Elektra. After for society system. these two operas he changed his style to more conventional direction but continued The Marriage of Figaro was the first opera composing operas until year 1942. created in collaboration with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte and later the succesfull cooperation Today we have a possibility to hear less known continued in and Così fan tutte. Strauss: Movements from an orchestral suite Le The Marriage of Figaro didin’t get a massive Bourgeois gentilhomme. The idea behind the success because the aristocratic audience wasn’t work is interesting: Strauss and his friend Hugo excited about being criticised openly. Only in the von Hofmannsthal wanted to revive Molier’s next year Mozart found out that the opera was play The Bourgeois gentilhomme from 1670. hugely popular in Prague. Mozart left the city They designed a combintion where the play with a new opera commission, Don Giovanni. with Strauss’ music was performed first and after that Strauss’ opera where the The overture of the opera was finalised only two librettist was Hofmannsthal. The combination days before the premiere. The overture is not lasted finally more than six hours so it was way using the themes of the opera but it crystallizes too long. excellently the ambiance of the it: wittiness and The play and the opera were separated to sarcastic humour. The overture begins with a individual works but only the Ariadne auf Naxos hasty buzzing and humming before the whole has remained in the repertoires. From the play’s orchestra plays the energetic theme. During music Strauss made an orchestral suite from which we hear today three movements. The house in Bayreuth where many of his operas music is atypically neoclassical but on purpose got the premiere. of course. The movements we hear today are based on Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste In addition of operas (Parsifal, Tannhäuser, Lully’s instrumental compositions. Lully was The Flying Dutchman, Tristan and Isolde…), the composer of the original play of Molière. Wagner has a couple of other compositions as Das Menuett des Lully (Lully’s menuet) creates the Wesendonck Lieder we hear today. Originally a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere while the composed for a female voice and piano, these solo violin carries the ornamented melody. songs were born at the same time Wagner was Courante is a graceful dance in triple meter working with Tristan and Isolde. The songs are where the orchestra’s rich tone is especially set in Mathilde Wesendonck’s poems. Mathilde enjoyable. Auftritt des Cléonte (Cléonte’s was the wife of Wagner’s wealthy patron entrance) consist of festive and slow music and and rumours told that they had a romantic a fast section which alternates. relationship. Anyhow, the music of these five songs is intensive and one can find the subjects : Wagner was developing in his opera. Wesendonck Lieder Jules Massenet: Méditation Tonight’s second German composer Richard Wagner’s (1813–1883) impact on the opera from the opera Thaïs world and to the entire music history has been tremendous. Active in the 19th century, The French Jules Massenet (1842–1912) was Wagner revolutionized the opera by his also a remarkable composer of romantic Gesamtkunstwerk concept (total work of art). An opera. The most performed today are Manon opera had to be a synthesis of poetry, visuality, (1884) and Werther (1892). Contrary to drama and music. A fine example of this is his Wagner, Massenet composed also other music opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung. than operas, for example oratorios, ballets, orchestral works and songs. Already as a Wagner’s music is multilayered with broad schoolboy, Massenet was accepted to study harmonies and splendid use of the orchestra. On music at the Paris Conservatory. During his someones’ opinion his music is already daringly lifetime, he made his way as a leading French romantic and excessive. In any case, the duration opera composer with his wide output which of his operas may be up to four hours. Wagner is consist of comic operas, extensive serious also known for using the Leitmotivs: the opera operas and romantic comedies. characters, venues or objects have their own musical subject. Wagner build his own opera In this concert we hear a beautiful excerpt The symphony’s music is quite skillful and the Méditation from his opera Thaïs. This lyrical work deserves to be performed. Symphony’s comedy is based on the novel of Anatole opening movement’s first subject condenses France. The opera is located in Egypt under to three-note demanding motif while the Roman rule where a monk is trying to convert second subject is more relaxed. The second courtesan Thaïs to Christianity. Méditation in subject dominates the development section. an interlude for solo violin and orchestra but it is often heard as an independent concert In the slow second movement, the oboe piece. The long-lined violin melodies are in singing an oriental inspired melody. The embracing the world and during the journey calmness is interrupted in the middle of the we experience one passionate scene before movement when we hear a fugal section. returning to the ethereal feeling. The Scherzo is full of folk music melodies and rhythms. The agile final movement bursts with youthfull energy and enthusiasm.

Georges Bizet: Sinfonia C-duuri Written by Outi Mustonen

The cavalcade of renowned opera composers continues! One of the world’s most popular operas, , is by French Georges Bizet (1838–1875). Also active in the 19th century, Bizet didin’t get remarkable success with his works during his lifetime. The scandalous Carmen remained his last composition because Bizet died soon the opera was completed and he didin’t see the work getting world-famous. Today we hear his early work, Symphony in C major, which the composer himself didn’t appreciate a lot. Bizet showed significant musical talent while studying and he was granted the Prix de Rome award. Symphony in C major got its premiere only in 1935 when the work’s manuscript suddenly appeared from archives. Eero Lehtimäki, taiteellinen johtaja Konstantin Mishukov, sello Mariko Matsumoto, konserttimestari Claire Lacey, sello Viacheslav Grikurov, vuor. konserttimestari Heikki Helske, kontrabasso äj Paweł Domański, II konserttimestari Kari Räsänen, kontrabasso Juha Ikonen, I viulu äj Alexander Viazovtsev, huilu äj Heli Untamala, I viulu Alice Thompson, huilu Anton Solonen, I viulu Joona Parkkinen, oboe Ilona Piirainen, II viulu äj Guillem Calpe Almela, oboe Elina Jalas, II viulu Petri Vallius, klarinetti äj Merja Riihola, II viulu Elina Pyykönen klarinetti Grażyna Wendland-Górzyńska, II viulu Lauri Mykrä, fagotti äj Alina Hiltunen, II viulu Hannu Vähäkainu, fagotti Sławomir Górzyński, alttoviulu äj Jonathan Nikkinen, käyrätorvi äj Ulla-Riikka Karvinen, alttoviulu Hannu Korkalainen, käyrätorvi Boris Popov, alttoviulu Kyösti Varis, trumpetti äj Katri Hänninen, alttoviulu Matti Raijas, trumpetti Erkki Hirvikangas, soolosellisti Ari Varpula, tuuba äj Piotr Sobczak, sello äj Hannu Porkka, lyömäsoittimet äj

LISÄKSI ORKESTERISSA TÄLLÄ VIIKOLLA SOITTAVAT: Hilda Kunnola, harppu | Pyry Kannisto, käyrätorvi

YHTEISTYÖSSÄ: