2014/2015 CONCERT SERIES NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC VESPERS SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 1 NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC JOIN US FOR THE 2014/2015 CONCERT SERIES Tickets on sale now! THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S WELCOME Ritual is at the heart of musical expression in most cultures, whether sacred or secular. They mark the passage of time, helping us to celebrate or remember significant moments in life and death. Even rituals from cultures and faiths that WHISPER differ greatly from our own can still resonate deeply, precisely because we innately recognize their common function in putting markers on the road of life. OPERA Such is the case with Vespers, which literally means “evening” and has attracted the attention of many composers: not only Monteverdi, but also Vivaldi, Mozart, FEB 26 – MAR 1, 2015 Bruckner, Rachmaninov, and others. While all these settings of Vespers are part of the Christian liturgy, each transcends its own boundaries of a particular belief, THE THEATRE CENTRE time, and place to be able to speak to us in a universal language. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang explores Through ritual this program crosses borders and breaks down barriers in extraordinary the tension between our private and online selves. ways. Our program compares and contrasts settings of the same text of Vespers Soprano Tony Arnold and New York’s International by composers who lived nearly 400 years apart: Claudio Monteverdi (1610) and Gilles Tremblay (1986). The orchestra for Monteverdi, true to the original, is Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)—make their Canadian performed on period instruments, while that of the Tremblay on modern instruments, debuts in an opera so quiet, so delicate, that it can be resulting in two seemingly distinct sound worlds. experienced by just 52 people at a time. But just as Monteverdi had drawn upon the heritage of mediaeval church plainchant, Gilles Tremblay drew upon these very same sources, reflecting them through his own 20th century sensibility. The juxtaposition of these two singularly striking works is indeed proof of the old adage that the more things change, the more SONG FOR ENCUENTROS they stay the same. PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP ATHENE WITH THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY’S Lawrence Cherney 21C MUSIC FESTIVAL Artistic Director APRIL 16, 2015, AT 8:00 PM MAY 24, 2015 AT 3:00 PM TRINITY-ST. PAUL’S KOERNER HALL, CENTRE TELUS CENTRE For tickets call 416-504-1282 or visit soundstreams.ca SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 3 NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC ABOUT SOUNDSTREAMS NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC Soundstreams An International Centre for New Directions in Music STAFF Led by Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney and Lawrence Cherney Executive Director Susan Worthington, Soundstreams ARTISTIC DIRECTOR is a Toronto-based music presenter that commissions, Susan Worthington develops, and showcases the work of contemporary EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Canadian composers and their international counterparts. Sarah Baumann DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & These innovative collaborations are performed by EXTERNAL RELATIONS the finest artists from Canada and around the world, Kyle Brenders ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE and are presented in an annual concert series, our Salon 21 series at The Gardiner Museum, in national Ben Dietschi ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR and international tours, and through a variety of OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS education and outreach activities. To mark our 30th Caroline Hollway anniversary season in 2012/13, Soundstreams launched PRODUCTION MANAGER SoundMakers, an innovative website and iPad app Lindsay Marshall that invites music lovers to explore Soundstreams’ COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE commissioned works, create new works of their own, and share them with the online community. BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEW DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC Bernie Schiff, PRESIDENT Over the past three decades, Soundstreams Daniel Weinzweig, VICE PRESIDENT commissions have added more than 150 works Jim Doherty, FCIS, FSA, TREASURER to the musical repertoire worldwide, reflecting a Katherine Smalley, SECRETARY diverse variety of genres and cultural traditions. John Ing Soundstreams has also presented a number of Ellen Karp Larry Smith festivals and conferences such as the Northern Grace Westcott Encounters Festival, University Voices, Norman Woo Toronto Fanfare Project, and the Cool Drummings percussion festival and conference, as well award- ADVISORY COMITTEE winning operas including Thomson Highway and Andrea Alexander Melissa Hui’s Cree opera Pimooteewin: The Journey Lois Lilienstien and R. Murray Schafer’s site-specific opera Elaine Gold The Children’s Crusade. Hy Sarick Alan Convery 4 2014-2015 CONCERT SERIES SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 5 VESPERS David Fallis, conductor Choir 21 Shannon Mercer, soprano Period Chamber Orchestra Modern Chamber Orchestra Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 8:00 pm Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St W. PROGRAM Claudio Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) (1567-1643, Italy) Choir 21 Period Chamber Orchestra 1. Deus in adjutorium 6. Lætatus sum 8. Nisi dominus 12. Ave maris stella 13. Magnificat INTERMISSION Proud to support the Gilles Tremblay Envol (1986) (b. 1932, Canada) Leslie Newman, flute Les Vêpres de la Vierge (1986) 2014/15 Season. Choir 21 Shannon Mercer, soprano Modern Chamber Orchestra 1. Première partie 2. Deuxième partie We are working together with 3. Troisième partie Soundstreams to make a difference in our communities. SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 7 ® The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. M05234 (0314) PERIOD CHAMBER ORCHESTRA MODERN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Violin I Flute PROGRAM NOTE Stephen Marvin Leslie Newman By David Jaeger Doug Miller Violin II Tristan Durie Edwin Huizinga Oboe Viola I Colin Maier Emily Eng English Horn Viola II Melissa Scott Brandon Chui Trumpet Cello James Gardiner Margaret Gay Barton Woomert The Christian service of Vespers, or evening that would be compatible with the emerging prayers, refers to the earliest office in the Roman Baroque style that he was creating almost Contrabass Trombone Catholic Liturgy, dating from the second century. singlehandedly. And although with Tremblay it Joëlle Morton David Martin It was also referred to as the Office of Lights, was 20th century modernism to be reconciled given that it was celebrated at the hour that with plainchant, the artistic task was notably Theorbo Contrabass candles were lit in the Church, not only for light, similar. Both Marian Vespers were written when Sylvain Bergeron Joëlle Morton but for symbolic purposes. Vespers liturgy also these composers were mature artists and their exists in the Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, and achievement with these works stands among Cornetto Portatif Organ Lutheran churches. The basic structure of the their most significant religious compositions. Matt Jennejohn Paul Jenkins Kiri Tollaksen service is the singing of psalms interspersed Percussion with congregational responses and hymns.Over Alto Sackbut Ryan Scott its long history, Soundstreams has presented “THERE’S SPECULATION David Martin Dan Morphy other Vespers, most notably those of Sergei Mark Duggan Rachmaninoff (recently sung by the Latvian THAT MONTEVERDI’S Tenor Sackbut Radio Choir in our 2012 presentation). In the Peter Christensen case of this evening’s Marian Vespers, the choices INTENTION WITH THIS of texts are made to celebrate the Holy Virgin WORK WAS TO IMPRESS Bass Sackbut Mary, including Mary’s song, the Magnificat. Mack Ramsey THE POPE AND WIN Tonight’s concert, featuring Choir 21 and conductor Portatif Organ David Fallis, presents two contrasting Marian AN APPOINTMENT AT Paul Jenkins Vespers, namely those of 17th century Italian THE VATICAN” master, Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1648) and CHOIR 21 contemporary Canadian composer, Gilles Tremblay Soprano Alto Tenor Bass (b. 1932). As different as these two works are, Claudio Monteverdi published his Vespro della Dawn Bailey Diane English* Larry Beckwith Bryan Martin* given their separation in history and the circumstances Beata Vergine of 1610 as he was coming to Joanne Chapin* Valeria Kondrashov Charles Davidson Paul Oros relating to their creation, there are also some the end of his time as court conductor for the Michele DeBoer Alison Roy* Robert Kinar John Pepper striking parallels. Both Monteverdi and Tremblay court of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga in Mantua and Teri Dunn Christina Stelmacovich Mitchell Pady* Graham Robinson* sought to unify the musical language of plainchant subsequently becoming conductor at San Marco Gisele Kulak* Loralie Vancourt* Bud Roach David Roth* with their own new stylistic approaches. In in Venice. The work is dedicated to Pope Paul Meghan Moore Graham Robinson* David Yung* Monteverdi’s case it was a matter of finding a V (1605–1621). There has been speculation way to use Gregorian psalm settings in a manner that Monteverdi’s intention with this ambitious Emily Wall* *Performing in Tremblay only (Cont.) 8 2014-2015 CONCERT SERIES SOUNDSTREAMS.CA 9 is equally so, especially in its use of a modern orchestration. Tremblay uses percussion, winds “TREMBLAY’S PIECE, and brasses as the sonic signature for his vespers, COMPOSER BIOGRAPHIES COMPLETED IN 1986, although he does include the portatif organ and a double bass among the accompanying WAS PERFORMED IN ensemble. Tremblay’s Les Vêpres de la Vierge was completed in 1986 and performed in FRANCE AT THE ABBEY France at the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Sylvanès OF NOTRE-DAME DE on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of its founding. Tremblay wrote that, “The spoken TH SYLVANÈS ON THE 850 word served as my guide, with all the flexibility afforded by duration, space, repetition, melisma ANNIVERSARY OF ITS and silence, so as to intensify and magnify a FOUNDING.” word in the manner of the ornamentation of Gregorian chant. In Les Vêpres de la Vierge, I endeavored to articulate this enduring relevance WE ARE GLAD Claudio Gilles sacred work was to impress the Pope and win as it had been done throughout history. I was YOU’RE HERE! Monteverdi Tremblay an appointment at the Vatican. However, when astonished to discover the harmonious affinity he succeeded with the appointment in Venice he between the Gregorian and modern idioms Welcome to may have in fact found himself in a more liberal and how they complemented each other.