presents The Amazing Tale of Gibson TSO Education Concert Featuring the story The Amazing Tale of Gibson written by Jennifer Compton©2015 Wednesday 19 October 2016 Federation Concert Hall, 11:30am Teacher Resource Booklet Prepared by Sharee Bahr, Carolyn Cross and Di O’Toole CONTENTS Page The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 2 The Amazing Tale of Gibson 8 Teaching Ideas A What’s an Orchestra 12 B Emotion in Music 14 C Texture in Music 20 D Patterns from the Program 34 E Cross-Curricular Possibilities 38 1 TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA What is a Symphony Orchestra? An orchestra is a group of musicians that play together on various instruments. In a symphony orchestra the instruments are divided into families: woodwind, brass, percussion and string. The word ‘symphony’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘sounding together’. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Established in 1948 and declared a Tasmanian Icon in 1998, the TSO gives more than 70 concerts annually including seasons in Hobart and Launceston, and appearances in Tasmanian regional centres. In addition to its core activity of giving subscription concerts, the TSO endeavours to broaden its imprint by forging links with other arts organisations. Recent partnerships have included collaborations with the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), the Australian Ballet, the Australian National Academy of Music, Terrapin Puppet Theatre, Festival of Voices and Kickstart Arts. Julia Lezhneva with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, a collaboration with Hobart Baroque, was awarded Best Individual Classical Performance at the 2014 Helpmann Awards. Over the years, international touring has taken the orchestra to North and South America, Greece, Israel, South Korea, China, Indonesia and Japan. Resident in Hobart’s purpose-built Federation Concert Hall, the TSO has a full complement of 47 musicians. Marko Letonja is the orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director. 2 FOR THIS PERFORMANCE THE INSTRUMENTATION OF THE TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WILL CONSIST OF: 2 Flutes 2 Oboes 2 Clarinets 2 Bassoons 4 French Horns 2 Trumpets 2 Trombones 1 Bass Trombone Timpani Percussion 8 - 1st Violins 6 - 2nd Violins 5 Violas 4 Cellos 3 Double Basses The musicians will be wearing coloured shirts to help students identify the four sections of the orchestra. Woodwind = dark blue Brass = green Percussion = light blue Strings = red 3 WOODWIND FAMILY CLARINET BASSOON FLUTE OBOE 4 BRASS FAMILY FRENCH HORN HORN TRUMPET TROMBONE TUBA PERCUSSION FAMILY BASS TROMBONE 5 PERCUSSION FAMILY CYMBALS CYMBALS SNARE DRUM TAMBOURINE TIMPANI 6 STRING FAMILY VIOLIN S VIOLA DOUBLE BASS CELLO 7 The Amazing Tale of Gibson Marc Taddei conductor Emma McGrath violin Allison Farrow presenter and narrator This concert traces the story of an amazing violin, one that survived theft and neglect before finding glory in the hands of one of the world’s most famous violinists. Marc Taddei Celebrated for his “magnificent contribution as Music Director” by The Press, and lauded as “a real interpreter of boldly romantic inclinations” by the Dominion Post, conductor Marc Taddei was appointed Music Director of Orchestra Wellington in 2007 and Music Director of the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra in 2016. Marc frequently conducts every professional orchestra in New Zealand, often working with the national ballet and opera companies and adding to his extensive discography. He is a regular guest conductor in Australia. Two years ago he made his mainland China debut, and last year he debuted with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. See www.marctaddei.com He now divides his time between Auckland, Wellington and San Francisco, when not on the road to other destinations in the US, Australia and Asia. Allison Farrow Allison has enjoyed a successful and varied career in the performing arts – as a singer, actress and more recently as a producer and director. She has worked in many fields including music theatre, opera, cabaret, drama, film and concert work and has made several recordings. She has performed throughout Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia and has been involved in festivals worldwide. In recent times Allison has been enjoying entertaining children and their families, providing the voice for ‘Betty Bug’ in Blue Rocket’s animated television series Buzz Bumble and narrating Roald Dahl and Paul Patterson’s quirky retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. In 2015 she narrated Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra with the TSO for their Family Classics series. Allison performs regularly with her jazz quintet Allison Farrow & Friends. 8 Emma McGrath TSO Concertmaster Heralded as a “First-magnitude star in the making” by the Seattle Times, British violinist Emma McGrath made her London debut aged 10 in the Purcell Room and at 14 she performed Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, in the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Howard Shelley, broadcast live on Classic FM. She has since performed with numerous professional ensembles and orchestras, and has played in France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Brunei, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Russia, Israel, the UK and the USA as a soloist. Emma graduated with a BMus (Hons) First Class from the Royal College of Music where she was a Foundation Scholar and Concertmaster of every ensemble and orchestra. She studied violin with Ani Schnarch and singing with Margaret Cable. Emma has also received awards from the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, the Edmund Castle Trust, the Musicians Benevolent Fund, the Tillett Trust and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. Emma completed her MMus and Artist Diploma in America at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, studying with Andrés Cardenés. Emma comes to Tasmania from the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Seattle Opera Orchestra where she was Associate Concertmaster from 2009. In her pre-Seattle career, Emma was Assistant Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, and toured Australia and Japan with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Emma and family arrived in Tasmania in early March and she went straight into rehearsals for the first Hobart Master Series concert for the year, From Fair Verona with Love. 9 A LITTLE OF THE HISTORY BEHIND THE STORY OF “THE AMAZING TALE OF GIBSON” The narration that you will hear during the performance of The Amazing Tale of Gibson was written by Jenny Compton and is loosely based on the history of the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius. The following links provide more information: Orchestra of Exiles http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1906443/ - This is a documentary about Huberman who owned the Gibson Stradivarius and Jenny makes reference to Huberman playing for Brahms when Huberman was a boy and also the famous night when the Gibson Stradivarius was stolen. The Gibson Stradivarius is now owned by Joshua Bell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Stradivarius - a concise history of the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius https://rhapsodyinwords.com/2015/08/24/the-astonishing-300-year-history-of-the-gibson-ex- huberman-stradivarius/ - this is an in-depth look at the 300 year history of the Gibson ex- Huberman Stradivarius https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5aLHuk0PUU Joshua Bell the renowned concert violinist has owned his pride and joy, a Stradivarius violin for over a decade, it is over 300 years old. The story of the theft, return, and subsequent acquisition by Bell is told in the 2013 documentary The Return of the Violin, directed by Haim Hecht. Bell's first recording made with the Gibson ex Huberman was Romance of the Violin (for Sony Classical Records) in 2003. A FURTHER LINK TO JOSHUA BELL AND HIS VIOLIN … SO WHAT’S GIBSON DOING NOW? In a 2007, violinist Joshua Bell went busking in an experiment to see if the public would recognise one of the finest talents in the classical world. It did not work out like that. http://www.classicfm.com/artists/joshua-bell/guides/busking-subway/#f3SIwmaVeQdq5xPV.97 In September, 2013 The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson illustrated by Dušan Petričić from Annick Press was published. It tells the story of the Washington Press’s experiment where they asked Joshua Bell to play in the subway incognito. This link provides https://vimeo.com/65555503 information about the book. CONCERT REPERTOIRE Please note: a) Most of these pieces are either extracts or abridged versions, omitting repeats, to keep the durations in the 2.00 – 3.00 minutes range. b) Most are readily available on YouTube and/or iTunes/Spotify. The YouTube clip links have been included in this resource booklet. 10 Composer/ Title Country Year Written Duration HUANG Saibei Dance from Saibei Suite No 2, Op 21 China 1975 4’00 TRAD ARR. SHAWCROSS Australia 2015 1’00 Ai Hai Yo CORELLI Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op 6, No 8 Christmas Concerto Italy 1690 2'00 II Allegro; III Adagio VIVALDI Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op 8 Italy 1723 3'00 No 2 in G Minor L’estate (Summer) III Presto BACH Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 Germany 1717 –1723 1'15 II Largo MOZART Serenade No 13 in G Major, KV 525 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Austria 1787 3'00 IV Rondo BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 61 Germany 1806 3'00 I Allegro ma non troppo MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 4 in A Major, Op 90 Italian Germany 1833 2'30 I Allegro vivace SAINT- SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Op 28 France 1863 3'30 LALO Symphonie espagnole in D Minor, Op 21 France 1874 2'20 I Allegro non troppo TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 35 Russia 1878 4'20 I Allegro moderato; III Finale: Allegro vivacissimo BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 27 Germany 1878 2'00 II Adagio BRUCH Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, Op 26 Germany 1866 0'30 I Vorspiel: Allegro moderato; II Adagio HOLST St.