THE EDMONTON CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY PRESENTS Isabel Bayrakdarian, Soprano Serouj Kradjian, Piano Friday, October 25, 2013 at 8:00 pm McDougall United Church, Edmonton Sponsored by: PROGRAM Die drei Zigeuner Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Tre sonetti di Petrarca, S. 270, No. 1: Pace non trovo, Sonnet No. 134 Tre sonetti di Petrarca, S. 270 No. 3: I vidi in terra angelici costumi, Sonnet No. 156 Songs and Sonnets to Ophelia Jake Heggie (1961 - ) Ophelia’s Song Women have loved before Not in a silver casket Spring La mort d’Ophelie, H. 92a Opus 18 No. 2 Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Chanson Perpetuelle Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) ~INTERMISSION~ Armenian Folk Songs Gomidas Vartaped (1869-1935) Ah, Dear Maral Call to the Sea Lullaby Apricot Tree Cinco Canciones Negras Xavier Montsalvatge Cuba dentro de un piano Punto de habanera Chevere Cancion de cuna para dormer a un negrito Canto negro El Dia que me quieras Carlos Gardel (1890-1935) Che tango che Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) Beautiful Dream (Tchknagh Yeraz) Arno Babadjanian (1921-1983) AsTHE a courtesy PERFORMERS to the artists and your fellow patrons, please turn off all cell phones, pagers and similar electronic devices. Speaking on cell phones, texting, emailing and playing electronic games are forbidden during the performance. AnyTHE form ARTISTS of photography, video or audio recording during the performance is prohibited without the prior written consent of The Edmonton Chamber Music Society. Isabel Bayrakdarian, Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is an eagerly anticipated visitor to opera houses and concert halls the world over. She revels in an artistic scope ranging from operas old, new, and in-between to art, folk and pop songs of many lands, languages, and genres. She is as celebrated for her beauty, presence, intelligence and style as for her strikingly multihued voice. On the opera stage a notable early success occurred in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s world premiere production of William Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge, followed a year later by first prize in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition. Significant debut appearances quickly followed at San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Mozart became a specialty that took her to new houses including Houston, Salzburg, Los Angeles, and London, but she refuses to be hemmed into a particular period or style. Her roles at the Canadian Opera Company range from Gluck’s Euridice to Debussy’s Mélisande to Poulenc’s Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites; and she shines as Monteverdi’s Poppea in Barcelona, Handel’s Romilda (Serse) in Dresden, and Janáček’s Vixen. Isabel has appeared in concert with the premier orchestras of New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Paris, London, Vienna, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal under an imposing array of leading conductors. Her recitals are widely applauded for their eclectic repertoire and unfailing communicative grasp of language and style. Ms. Bayrakdarian’s Juno and Grammy Award-winning discography includes projects as diverse as baroque arias about Cleopatra, 19th- century songs of Pauline Viardot-Garcia, Mozart arias and duets; Spanish, Brazilian and Argentine songs; works of the Armenian composer Gomidas Vartabed; Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2; the soundtracks to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Ararat; and a dance remix with the trance band Delerium. Born in Lebanon, Ms. Bayrakdarian is proudly Armenian by heritage; Eileen Thalenberg’s television film A Long Journey Home, which movingly traced Isabel’s first visit to her ancestral homeland, won a Best Documentary nomination in Canada’s 2006 Gemini Awards. Serouj Kradjian, Piano Canadian pianist and composer Serouj Kradjian has established himself as a versatile artist whose readiness to break boundaries and explore different styles has made him an exciting voice on the international music scene. The New York Times has described Juno award winning and Grammy- nominated Kradjian's playing as a "persuasive balance between elegance and spirit". The Globe and Mail called him "a keyboard acrobat" of "crystal virtuosity", and the Frankfurter Allegemeine said he had a "fiery temperament and elegant sound" with "a technique to burn”. Mr. Kradjian has appeared with the Vancouver and Edmonton Symphonies, Madrid Symphony, Göttingen Symphony, Russian National Orchestra, the Armenian Philharmonic and the Thailand Philharmonic under the baton of such eminent conductors as Bramwell Tovey, Stéphane Denève, Anne Manson, Gudni Emilsson and Raffi Armenian. Solo and chamber music recitals have taken Mr. Kradjian to many prestigious venues around the world, including Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall (Toronto), Carnegie Hall (New York City), Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver), Spivey Hall (Atlanta), Herbst Theatre (San Francisco), Jordan Hall (Boston), Cultural Center (Chicago), Wigmore Hall (London, UK) Salle Gaveau (Paris, FR). He has been invited to esteemed festivals, amongst them, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Bergen Festival, Savannah Music Festival, Colmar Festival and the Festival Del Sole- Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy. As a busy collaborative artist he has appeared in concert with sopranos Dawn Upshaw, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Hasmik Papian, baritone Russell Braun, tenor Michael Schade, violinists Lara St. John, Jonathan Crow and Ara Malikian. the Pacifica Quartet, and the Arthur LeBlanc Quartet. Serouj Kradjian's discography includes the highly acclaimed Transcendental Etudes and Piano Concerti by Franz Liszt on the Warner Music Spain label, "Miniatures", an anthology PROGRAM NOTES Die Drei Zigeuner The Three Gypsies Drei Zigeuner fand ich einmal Three Gypsies I found once Liegen an einer Weide, lying by a willow, Als mein Fuhrwerk mit müder Qual as my cart with weary torture Schlich durch sandige Heide. crawled over the sandy heath. Hielt der eine für sich allein One, for himself alone, was In den Händen die Fiedel, holding Spielt', umglüht vom Abendschein, his fiddle in his hands, Sich ein lustiges Liedel. playing, as the sunset glow surrounded him, a merry little tune. Hielt der zweite die Pfeif' im Mund, The second held a pipe in his Blickte nach seinem Rauche, mouth Froh, als ob er vom Erdenrund and watched his smoke Nichts zum Glücke mehr brauche. with cheer, as if from the world he required nothing more for his happiness. Und der dritte behaglich schlief, And the third slept comfortably: Und sein Zymbal am Baum hing; from the tree hung his cymbalom; Über die Saiten der Windhauch over its strings the wind's breath lief, ran; Über sein Herz ein Traum ging. in his heart a dream was playing. An die Kleidern trugen die drei On the clothing those three wore Löcher und bunte Flicken; were holes and colorful patches; Aber sie boten trotzig frei but, defiantly free, they made Spott den Erdengeschicken. a mockery of earthly fate. Dreifach haben sie mir gezeigt, Trebly they showed me Wenn das Leben uns nachtet, how, when life grows dark for us, Wie man's verschläft, verraucht, one can smoke, sleep or play it vergeigt, away, Und es dreifach verachtet. and thus trebly to scorn it. Nach den Zigeunern lange noch At the Gypsies, longer yet Mußt ich schaun im Weiterfahren, I had to gaze in passing, Nach den Gesichtern dunkelbraun, at their dark brown faces, nach den schwarzlockigen at their black-locked hair. Haaren. Pace non Trovo I Can’t Find Peace I can’t find peace and don’t know Pace non trovo, e non ho da far how to fight, guerra, I fear, and hope, and burn and am E terno, e spero, ed ardo, e son un like ice, ghiaccio: I fly over the skies and lie on E volo sopra 'l cielo, e giaccio in earth, terra; And I grasp nothing though all the E nulla stringo, e tutto 'l mondo world embrace. abbraccio. She who holds me captive neither Tal m'ha in priggion, che non locks me in nor lets me out, m'apre, nè serra, Nor claims me for her own or Né per suo mi ritien, né scioglie il unties the knot. laccio, Love neither kills me nor does it E non m'uccide Amor, e non mi set me free, sferra; Neither does he want me to live Né mi vuol vivo, né mi trahe Nor to get me out of trouble. d'impaccio. I see without eyes, I can’t find Veggio senz'occhi; e non ho lingua words e grido; And yet I cry out, E bramo di perir, e cheggio aita; I wish to die and I seek help; Ed ho in odio me stesso, ed amo I hate myself and love another; altrui: I feed on grief and laugh amidst Pascomi di dolor; piangendo rido; my tears; Equally death and life displease Egualmente mi spiace morte e me, vita. To such a state you have brought In questo stato son, Donna, per me, woman. Voi. Vidi in Terra Angelici Costumi I Saw on Earth Heavenly Qualities I vidi in terra angelici costumi, E celesti bellezzo al mondo sole; I saw on earth heavenly qualities; Tal che di rimembrar mi giova, e And celestial beauties unique in dole: the world; Che quant'io miro, par sogni, So that to remember pleases me ombre, e fumi. and hurts me, E vidi lagrimar que' duo bei lumi, That what I look at seems dreams, shadows and smoke. Ch'han fatto mille volte invidia al And I saw weeping those two sole; beautiful eyes, Ed udì sospirando dir parole Which have made a thousand Che farian gir i monti, e stare i times jealous the sun; fiumi. And I heard her sighing, say words Amor! senno! valor, pietate, e That would move mountains and doglia stop rivers. Facean piangendo un più dolce Love, wisdom, virtue, compassion concento and pain D'ogni altro, che nel mondo udir si Form weeping a more sweet soglia.