Sponsored by Pat Zimmerman & Paul Dinu

Saturday, May 21, 2016, 7:30 pm Monday, May 23, 2016, 8 pm Mahler’s Symphony Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hal No. 3

Carlos Kalmar, conductor Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano Susan Platts Women of the Portland State Chamber Choir and Vox Femina Ethan Sperry, music director Pacific Youth Choir Mia Hall Miller, music director

GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 3 in D minor Part I Introduction—Forcefully and decisively Part II Tempo di menuetto—Moderately—Commodo— Scherzando—Unhurriedly—Very slow— Mysteriously—Joyous in tempo and jaunty in expression—Slow—Calm—Deeply felt Susan Platts Women of the Portland State Chamber Choir and Vox Femina Pacific Youth Choir

THE CONCERT CONVERSATION, conducted one hour before each performance, will feature Music Director Carlos Kalmar and Robert McBride, host for the stations of All Classical Portland. You can also enjoy the Concert Conversation in the comfort of your own home. Visit the website allclassical.org to watch the video on demand.

Oregon Symphony | 23 Biographies

SUSAN PLATTS choir competitions, including the Tolosa ritish-born Canadian mezzo-sopra- International Choral Contest in Spain in no Susan Platts brings a uniquely November 2014; the International Choral Brich and wide-ranging voice to con- Kathaumixw in Powell River, Canada, in cert and recital repertoire for alto and mez- June 2014; and the Seghizzi International zo-soprano. She is particularly esteemed Competition for Choral Singing in Gorizia, for her performances of Gustav Mahler’s Italy, where they became the first Ameri- works. can choir ever to win the Grand Prize in In May of 2004, as part of the Rolex the competition’s 52-year history. The Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, world- Chamber Choir’s 2012 CD A Drop in the renowned soprano Jessye Norman chose Ocean was favorably reviewed and featured Ms. Platts as her protégée from 26 inter- in both Fanfare and Stereophile magazines, national candidates, and she has continued and was a finalist for the 2012 American to mentor her ever since. Prize in Choral Music. Their latest CD, Into Ms. Platts has performed at Royal Al- Unknown Worlds, was named a “Recording bert Hall, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro di San (Chicago Philharmonic), Mahler’s Second to Die For” by Stereophile magazine. It was Carlo, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, Symphony (Montreal Symphony Orches- the first ever student recording to receive as well as with the Philadelphia, Cleveland tra), and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony (Roy- this distinction and was a finalist for the and Minnesota orchestras, Orchestre de al Scottish National Orchestra). 2014 CARA Award for Best Classical Al- Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra, National Ms. Platts has recorded Das Lied von bum. Recordings are available at iTunes, Arts Centre Orchestra, Montreal, Toronto, der Erde for Fontec Records with Gary Amazon, CDBaby, and at our concerts. In American, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Bertini, conducting the Tokyo Metropoli- December 2015, the Chamber Choir was and Houston symphonies, Les Violons du tan Orchestra, a CD of art songs with pia- honored to perform Handel’s Messiah with Roy, Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, nist Dalton Baldwin, Mahler’s Lieder eines the Oregon Symphony under the baton of as well as the Los Angeles and St. Paul fahrenden Gesellen with the Smithsonian Carlos Kalmar. chamber orchestras. Chamber Players and Santa Fe Pro Musica She has collaborated with many of to- for Dorian Records, Brahms’ Zwei Gesänge PACIFIC YOUTH CHOIR day’s leading conductors, including Marin with Steven Dann and Lambert Orkis, a ounded in 2003 by Artistic Director Alsop, Roberto Abbado, Sir Andrew Davis, solo disc of lieder by Robert Schumann, Mia Hall Miller, PYC has in its short Ludovic Morlot, Leon Botstein, Andreas Clara Schumann, and Johannes Brahms Fhistory established a reputation for Delfs, John Adams, Christoph Eschen- on the ATMA label and, most recently, she quality that has led to continuing collabo- bach, Jane Glover, Jeffrey Kahane, Bernard recorded the chamber version of Das Lied rations with Oregon’s top musical organiza- Labadie, Keith Lockhart, Kent Nagano, von der Erde for the Naxos label. tions, including the Oregon Symphony, Or- Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Roger Nor- egon Ballet Theatre, Pink Martini, Portland rington, Peter Oundjian, Itzhak Perlman, WOMEN OF THE PORTLAND Youth Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Bramwell Tovey, Osmo Vänska, and Pin- STATE CHAMBER CHOIR Whitebird Dance, Portland Chamber Or- chas Zuckerman. Ms. Platts has appeared AND VOX FEMINA chestra, and Trinity Choir. The choir is on many distinguished art song series, in- horal music at Portland State Uni- made up of 280 singers in 11 different choirs cluding Vocal Arts Society at the Kennedy versity now includes six choirs with serving singers ages 5 to19 from all over the Center in Washington, D.C., Ladies Morn- Cover 200 singers. Vox Femina is Portland Metropolitan area. ing Musical Club in Montreal, Aldeburgh an auditioned women’s ensemble founded PYC enjoys regional and national rec- Connection in Toronto, and both the Frick in the Fall of 2011. Vox Femina regularly ognition. The choir performed four times in Collection and Lincoln Center “Art of the combines with the PSU Chamber Choir, six years for the American Choral Directors Song” series in New York City. Man Choir and Orchestra performing Association’s regional and national confer- Ms. Platts’ recent highlights include Mozart’s Requiem in February 2013 and ences. In 2009, PYC was invited to work her London and Berlin debuts in John Samuel Barber’s The Lovers in February with Chanticleer for their National Youth Adams’ Nixon in China (BBC Symphony), 2015. Both ensembles also joined The Choral Festival in San Francisco, leading to her staged opera debut as Florence Pike Oregon Symphony and their music di- continual opportunities to work with Matt in Britten’s Albert Herring (Pacific Opera, rector, Carlos Kalmar, for performances Oltman, former artistic director of Chan- Vancouver Opera), Erda in Wagner’s Das of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on New ticleer. The choir appears with Pink Mar- Rheingold (Pacific Opera), and Bernstein’s Year’s Eve 2014 and 2015 and Beethoven’s tini and is featured on four of their recent A Quiet Place (Montreal Symphony Or- Choral Fantasy with soloist Thomas Lau- albums, including Joy to The World (gold chestra). In addition, she has performed derdale. The Portland State Chamber award). Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (North Choir is the top choral ensemble at Port- The choir’s programming embraces Carolina Symphony, Florida Orchestra), land State. Since its founding in 1975, the musical education and performance. It Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Seattle Chamber Choir has performed and com- challenges singers with pieces that force stu- Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary peted in venues across the country and dents to work hard and expand, including a Philharmonic), Elgar’s Sea Pictures (Lou- around the world. The Chamber Choir number of world premieres. More informa- isville Orchestra), Mahler’s Rückertlieder has earned over 30 medals and awards in tion is available at pacificyouthchoir.org.

24 | Oregon Symphony Program Notes

GUSTAV MAHLER Second Part: tents below the surface of this seemingly de- Symphony No. 3 in D minor (1906 What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me lightful dance. An orchestral version of the revision) What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me song “Ablösung im Sommer” (Relief in sum- What Humanity Tells Me mer), from Des Knaben Wunderhorn follows, THE VITAL STATS What the Angels Tell Me in the form of a scherzo. Although Mahler What Love Tells Me had abandoned this movement’s original COMPOSER: Born July 7, 1860, Kalischt, [now Kalištˇe, Jihlava, in the title, “What the Animals in the Forest Tell Czech Republic], Bohemia; died May However, by the time the Third pre- Me,” we can clearly hear birds and animals 18, 1911, Vienna. miered, in 1902, Mahler removed all ex- cavorting through the hot, languid days of WORK COMPOSED: 1895–96, rev. planations of the music from the score, summer. A solo posthorn, heard from off- 1899, 1906. including the movement titles. “Beginning stage, heralds Pan’s arrival. with Beethoven, there is no modern music In the fourth movement, which WORLD PREMIERE: Mahler conducted the first complete without its underlying program,” Mahler Mahler originally titled, “What Humanity performance, with contralto Luise wrote to critic Max Kalbeck. “But no mu- Tells Me,” a contralto sings the Midnight Geller-Wolter, at the Festival of the sic is worth anything if you first have to tell Song from Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophi- Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein at the listener what experience lies behind it, Krefeld on June 9, 1902. respectively, what he is supposed to experi- MOST RECENT OREGON SYMPHONY ence in it.—And so yet again: pereat [per- Portland State PERFORMANCE: June 3, 2003; ish] every program!—You just have to bring Vox Femina James DePreist, conductor. along ears and a heart and—not least— INSTRUMENTATION: SATB chorus, willingly surrender to the rhapsodist. Some ETHAN SPERRY AND youth choir, mezzo-soprano, 4 flutes residue of mystery always remains, even STERLING ROBERTS, conductors (all doubling piccolo), 4 oboes (one for the creator.” At the same time, Mahler Marla Alverson Evi Bissen doubling English horn), 5 clarinets recognized that listeners would instinctively Yiqing Chen Corrin Coffey (2 doubling E-flat clarinet and one fashion their own “program” or interpre- Elena Duggan Shigemi Getter doubling bass clarinet), 4 bassoons tation of what they heard. As he wrote to Sarah Hall-Dolezal Madison Howard (one doubling contrabassoon), Joan Johnson Stephanie Koffroth 8 horns, posthorn (offstage), 4 conductor Josef Krug-Waldsee, “These titles Chantelle Krause Emily Lindley trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, 2 … will surely say something to you after Emily Lucas Brittany McPheeters timpani, bass drum, chimes, cymbals, you know the score. You will draw intima- Sarah Mini Claire Patton glockenspiel, rute, snare drum, tam- tions from them about how I imagined the Marissa Reisen Lisa Riffel tam, tambourine, triangle, 2 harps, steady intensification of feeling, from the Laura Rosas Salgado Kristina Settje and strings. indistinct, unbending, elemental existence Abigail Silva Maeve Stier ESTIMATED DURATION: 92 minutes Hannah Verbruggen Lila Yang (of the forces of nature) to the tender for- Rebekah Bennett Grace Carroll mation of the human heart, which in turn Elise Christian Bethany Dugan “My symphony will be something the like of points toward and reaches a region beyond Chalise Fisher Sharayaha Guy which the world has never yet heard! In it all itself (God). Please express that in your own Audrey Hewitt Erin Irish of nature finds a voice.” words, without quoting those extremely in- Jessica Juday Cassandra Kraft —Gustav Mahler adequate titles, and that way you will have Anna Krytenberg Jaie Livingstone Alexa Mansur Emelia McPherson acted in my spirit.” Savannah Panah Josie Petersen erhaps no other composer wrestled Although he dispensed with the move- Brooke Rencher Gina Rizk more with the concept of program ment titles, Mahler retained the overall Arielle Scena-Shifrin Gwen Shusterman Pmusic than did Gustav Mahler. When two-part structure of the Third Symphony. Helen Soultanian Lifia Teguh Mahler began composing his third sympho- Part I consists solely of the first movement, Amy Weakland Skyland Yerkes ny, he was initially inspired, according to one of the largest single movements in the scholar Constantin Floros, by “a tiered ar- orchestral repertoire (it lasts approximately rangement of creation (plant world, animal 30 minutes). Mahler’s penchant for heroic Women of Portland world, human world, and angel world).” horn themes declares itself in the opening State Chamber Choir Accordingly, Mahler mapped out an outline melody (the score calls for eight horns), featuring multiple movements, each with its which combines a simple design with a vig- ETHAN SPERRY, conductor own title reflecting this cosmic hierarchy. As orous, militaristic quality. A series of march- Lily Breshears Vanessa Burnham the music took shape, Mahler’s concept of es, interspersed with delicate interludes, Hanaa El-Warari Michelle Fernandez the symphony grew and changed; he made follows; the music seems to do battle with Jimmie Herrod Karolina Legkun and discarded seven different scenarios for itself, darkness combatting light. Genna McAllister Joanna Meline the symphony’s movements and eventually The movements of Part II are corre- Grace Skinner Rue Wildeman settled on this format: spondingly shorter and less abstract, like Marina Bubnova Jaclyn Casabar a series of character pieces. The graceful Saori Erickson Alex Habecker First Part: minuet presents delicate melodies for strings Sarah Hotz Emmalyn Luna Pan Awakes. Summer Comes Marching In punctuated by energetic, almost breathless Ashley McCullar Lisa Riffel (Bacchic procession) bursts of agitation that hint at ominous por- Bryanna West Rebecca Yakos

Oregon Symphony | 25 Program Notes cal novel, Also Sprach Zarathustra. The text sus’ intercession on Peter’s behalf, heavenly ity, and Mahler’s use of the strings to slowly describes the great pain and even greater joy is likewise bestowed upon all humanity. swell and build upon all that has come be- joy of the world, a joy seeking eternal ex- The angelic chorus rings with merriment, a fore conveys this eternal, changeless love in pression. Mahler’s accompaniment has a burbling childlike happiness, as the soloist a profound manner. near-motionless quality, as of deep water intones Peter’s confession of sin. Critics responded to the Third Sym- flowing almost imperceptibly. Mahler segues The tempo markings for the closing phony with a wide spectrum of opinions. immediately into the next movement, for Adagio serve as the most complete descrip- Scholar Peter Franklin sums up the reviews: contralto and both women’s and children’s tion of the music: slow, calm, deeply felt. “On the positive side, we read of the excit- choruses. This song, unlike many of the Mahler’s original title for this movement, ing new work of an original genius, a prodi- Wunderhorn texts, has a religious theme. “What Love Tells Me,” refers to agape, a gious, absolute master of the orchestra, who Three angels rejoice in the redemption of Christian concept of the highest form of writes in a ‘clear and intelligible’ language, Peter through Jesus, and that through Je- love, the reciprocal love of God and human- with ‘modesty … and naivety.’ The ‘utterly serious’ work is described as … achieving a ‘glorious victory for the composer. On the Fourth Movement negative side, we read of the stupefying and Text from Friedrich Nietzsche’s Also sprach Zarathustra: the “Midnight Song” disconcerting first movement, banality, a lack of melodic invention and originality, O Mensch! Gib Acht! O Man! Take heed! linked to eclecticism and an absence of any Was spricht die tiefe Mitternacht? What says the deep midnight? sense of ‘inner necessity’ about the music. “Ich schlief, ich schlief—, “I slept, I slept—, It included ‘bizarre and trivial elements,’ aus tiefem Traum bin ich erwacht:— from a deep dream have I awoken:— atrocious cacophony, ‘incomprehensible platitudes’ and rudely garish sounds which Die Welt ist tief, the world is deep, added up to chaos, even the order of the und tiefer als der Tag gedacht. and deeper than the day has thought. movements seeming arbitrary.” Tief ist ihr Weh—, Deep is its pain—, When Arnold Schoenberg first heard Lust—tiefer noch als Herzeleid. joy—deeper still than heartache. Mahler’s Third Symphony in Vienna, he Weh spricht: Vergeh! Pain says: Pass away! wrote to Mahler, “I felt the struggle for il- lusions; I felt the pain of one disillusioned; I Doch all’ Lust will Ewigkeit—, But all joy seeks eternity—, saw the forces of evil and good contending; —will tiefe, tiefe Ewigkeit —seeks deep, deep eternity! I saw a man in a torment of emotion exert- ing himself to gain inner harmony. I sensed a Fifth movement human being, a drama, truth, the most ruth- Text from Des Knaben Wunderhorn less truth!” © 2016 Elizabeth Schwartz Es sungen drei Engel einen süßen Gesang, Three angels sang a sweet song, mit Freuden es selig in dem Himmel klang. with blessed joy it rang in heaven. Recordings Recommended by Sie jauchzten fröhlich auch dabei: They shouted too for joy Michael Parsons Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 daß Petrus sei von Sünden frei! that Peter was free from sin! Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano Und als der Herr Jesus zu Tische saß, And as Lord Jesus sat at the table Bernard Haitink–Chicago Symphony mit seinen zwölf Jüngern das Abendmahl aß, with his twelve disciples and ate the evening meal, Orchestra da sprach der Herr Jesus: “Was stehst du denn hier? Lord Jesus said: “Why do you stand here? 2-CSO Resound 901701 or

Wenn ich dich anseh’, so weinest du mir!” When I look at you, you are weeping!” Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano “Und sollt’ ich nicht weinen, du gütiger Gott? “And should I not weep, kind God? Leonard Bernstein–New York Philharmonic Ich hab’ übertreten die zehn Gebot! I have violated the ten commandments! 2-Deutsche Grammophon 427328 Ich gehe und weine ja bitterlich! I wander and weep bitterly! Ach komm und erbarme dich über mich!” O come and take pity on me!” “Hast du denn übertreten die zehen Gebot, “If you have violated the ten commandments, so fall auf die Knie und bete zu Gott! then fall on your knees and pray to God! Liebe nur Gott in all Zeit! Love only God for all time! So wirst du erlangen die himmlische Freud’.” So will you gain heavenly joy.” Die himmlische Freud’ ist eine selige Stadt, The heavenly joy is a blessed city, die himmlische Freud’, die kein Ende mehr hat! the heavenly joy that has no end! Die himmlische Freude war Petro bereit’t, The heavenly joy was granted to Peter durch Jesum und allen zur Seligkeit. through Jesus, and to all mankind for eternal bliss.

26 | Oregon Symphony