University Symphony Orchestra French Finale!

Transcription

1 French Finale! Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at 8pm Lagerquist Concert Hall, Mary Baker Russell Music Center

2 Pacific Lutheran University School of Arts and Communication / Department of Music presents French Finale! Huw Edwards, conductor featuring Paul Tegels, organ with Alex Justice, Carl Johnson, Katherine Naksone, & Pablo Hernandez, student conductors Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at 8pm Lagerquist Concert Hall, Mary Baker Russell Music Center Welcome to Lagerquist Concert Hall. Please disable the audible signal on all watches, pagers and cellular phones for the duration of the concert. Use of cameras, recording equipment and all digital devices is not permitted in the concert hall. PROGRAM March of the Toreadors... Georges Bizet ( ) from Carmen Suite from Pelleas et Melisande, op Gabriel Fauré ( ) Prélude Entr acte, Fileuse Sicilienne La mort de Melisande Alex Justice, Carl Johnson, Katherine Nakasone, and Pablo Hernandez, student conductors Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, op. 78 ( Organ )... Camille Saint-Saëns ( ) Part I: Adagio Allegro moderato; Poco Adagio Part II: Allegro moderato Presto; Maestoso Allegro Paul Tegels, organ

3 Program Notes Georges Bizet composed numerous operas and stage works but he has become immortalized by his final opera Carmen, completed in (Sadly, Bizet died during its opening run of 37 performances.) This lauded score contains many great melodies, among which is the rousing March of the Toreadors, which the composer utilized as the Introduction to Act I of the opera. This wonderful piece by French composer Gabriel Fauré depicts the tragic tale of Pelléas and Mélisande through rich and colorful passages. This story was originally written by Maurice Maeterlinck and explores love at first sight, betrayal of brothers, and death to family. The first movement of this piece highlights everything that occurs in this story. From dark to light, from staccato to legato, to the joys of love to the dark watchful eye. In the second movement, which is from the third act of the play, we find a depiction of a spinning wheel played by the first violins while the rest of the ensemble illustrates the lovers hope and desire for each other, while the dark future in front of them starts to brew. The third movement is a dance in a lilting 6/8 meter from the second act in the play. This movement was not originally written for this play, but rather a comedic theatrical performance from another time. Fauré found it a good fit to depict the lovers when they first meet near a fountain. Fauré ends the suite with the Death of Mélisande. This movement depicts a dark funeral march which can leave any audience member feeling chills down their spines as we consider Mélisande died giving birth to an abnormally small child after her husband, Golaud, beats her for being with Pelléas, his brother. Program comments for Fauré by Carl Johnson Although it carries the designation Symphony No. 3, the op. 78 is the last of Saint-Saëns's five symphonies and the only one to have secured a place in the regular concert repertory. It should be remembered that French composers have never been prolific authors of symphonies: ballet music, opera, chamber works and varied pieces for the piano have been their forte, as they considered the "symphony" a thoroughly Germanic concept. Along with the advent of Wagner's expressive music drama, and Liszt's innovative brand of symphonic poem, the second half of the nineteenth-century was a time of turbulent change for the symphony. Saint-Saëns grew up in this transitional environment so his Third Symphony is somewhat different not to say radical in form and structure from traditional models. The C minor Symphony was commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London and first performed in the English capital on May 19, The Symphony was dedicated to Franz Liszt a big clue to "expect the unexpected" but Liszt never heard his friend's work performed, as he died in Bayreuth before the Symphony's première. The Third Symphony is only in two parts, but each part breaks down into two sections to give the outline of four discernible movements. It begins with a slow and mysterious introduction, which contains a pair of ideas a swooning phrase for the violins and a rising scale heard from the oboe which are critical to the work as a whole. The quicker Allegro section begins with a scurrying idea that also has an important bearing on the flow of the Symphony. Saint-Saëns loved Liszt's style of "thematic transformation" (hence the work's dedication) and the themes from the Introduction can be heard, with subtle transformations and in a brisker tempo during the course of the movement. The music is urgent and high in drama as these three key components are pitted against each other. The slower, second part of the movement follows without a pause another Lisztian device and includes a soft solo for the titular organ, like a dreaming rhapsody in church. The contours of the work's key components can be traced in this wonderful Adagio, which is like a long stream of tranquil melody. Calm is rudely interrupted by the rhythmic Scherzo which opens the Symphony's second part. Incisive string figures and seismic punctuations from the timpani provide the music with its invigorating energy, while the yearning and distraught mood from the first movement is recalled. The woodwinds chirp in the central Trio section (Presto) it is a transformation of the scurrying strings from the opening and ascending scales from the piano decorate the orchestra's upper register. The Scherzo material is then repeated. At its end the music veers off into new realms: the first theme from the opening movement is heard in the brass as the strings play a variation of the Adagio's arching melody. The music settles on an inconclusive chord when, suddenly, the organ thunders in with a blazing C major resolution to initiate the finale. After this majestic entrance the orchestra softens (listen for the rippling piano duet) and plays a tune that sounds like a hymn, but is in fact our old friend the scurrying theme transfigured into a gorgeous melody. This noble hymn-tune undergoes a further layer of cosmetic surgery when Saint-Saëns twists it into a demonic fugue-subject. Echoes from the Scherzo join in the tumult, and the Symphony arrives at a grandiose C-major conclusion when many of the works pivotal elements are hammered out by the brass, timpani, and copious power of the mighty pipe organ. Program comments for Bizet and Saint-Saëns, Copyright 2018 by Huw Edwards

4 About the Conductor Huw Edwards, conductor, is now in his 15 th Season as Music Director of the Olympia Symphony which coincides with the Orchestra s 65 th anniversary year. There has been a continued sense of excitement in Olympia about Huw s tenure and he is credited with greatly improving the quality of the Orchestra, selecting challenging yet rewarding programs and being very active in the community. Huw is also an adjunct professor at South Puget Sound Community College where he teaches music appreciation classes and presents music history classes at the South Sound Senior Center. Mr. Edwards was the Music Director of the Portland Columbia Symphony in Oregon from ; in June 2012 was immediately named the Orchestra s Conductor Emeritus and Principal Guest Conductor. From Mr. Edwards was Music Director of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras, and a faculty member at the Marrowstone Music Festival from Mr. Edwards moved to Seattle after seven wonderful seasons ( ) as Music Director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon. Active as a guest conductor and clinician, Mr. Edwards has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Eugene Symphony, Yakima Symphony and has worked with the symphony orchestras of Dallas and Memphis, as well as with ensembles in Illinois, New York, Idaho, Vermont, Utah, Minnesota, Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, and throughout the United Kingdom. Recent guest engagements have included Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers, the Symphony Orchestra at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the Junior Washington All-State Orchestra in Spokane, and he has served as the conductor of the Stradivari Academy Orchestra at the University of Portland the past four summers. Huw will be the conducting instructor at the lauded Birch Bay String Teachers Workshop in Bellingham in August, and was an adjudicator at the WMEA State competition in Ellensburg last April. Born in Wales, Great Britain, Mr. Edwards holds degrees from the University of Surrey in England and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Mr. Edwards was also a lecturer at Northwestern University and a Doctoral candidate ( ). Mr. Edwards has been active as a conductor since the age of 17 when he was appointed Music Director of the Maidstone G&S Society in England a post he held for six years and came to the United States in His principal teachers have been Simon Johnson and Barry Wordsworth (London), Anshel Brusilow and Eduardo Mata (Dallas), and Victor Yampolsky (Chicago). About the Artist Paul Tegels, a native of the Netherlands, is Associate Professor of Music, and serves as University Organist at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Organ Performance and Pedagogy and his Master of Arts Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Iowa, where he studied organ with Delores Bruch, and choral conducting with William Hatcher. Other degrees and awards include the Artist Diploma and the Master of Music Degree in organ performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston where he studied with Yuko Hayashi and William Porter. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship from the Netherlands-America Commission for Educational Exchange. He holds the teaching and performance degrees from the Stedelijk Conservatorium in Arnhem, The Netherlands, where he studied organ with Bert Matter and harpsichord with Cees Rosenhart. He has done extensive research on the organ and harpsichord concertos of Franz Joseph Haydn, and has played the first American performance of the Haydn Organ Concerto in D, Hoboken XVIII-2, of which he has prepared a performance edition. He has made several 4-hand organ arrangements of orchestral and keyboard works, contained in a collection called Out on Eight Limbs (for more information about these works, go to and click on Out on Eight Limbs ). He is past dean of the Tacoma Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and is past president of the Westfield Center for Keyboard Studies. Prior to his appointment at PLU, he taught at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS. Paul Tegels has performed extensively in solo and ensemble concerts in the United States, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. He has performed at National Conventions of the Organ Historical Society, and has played some of the most significant organs in the US. As a lecturer, he has presented numerous programs at chapter meetings of the American Guild of Organists, and at other conventions.

5 Huw Edwards, conductor Flute/Piccolo Katherine Nakasone* Meagan Gaskill Eri Yeomans Oboe/English Horn Marissa Dallaire* Sarah Seeman Clarinet/Bass Clarinet Karsten Hendrickson* Daniel Aliment Ingrid Smith Bassoon Thomas J. Mallos* Dylan Cummins Avery Floyd French Horn Alex Justice* Benjamin Johnson Serena Stieglitz Kyle Hurd Elena Bauer Trumpet Kyle Doughton* Devin Morris Andre Judd Georgia Eastlake Trombone/Tuba Quinn Vicars* Abigail Dean Ben Woodbury Timpani/Percussion Eric Zabala* Orion Schomber Josh Hansel Tim Hager Harp Alec Sjöholm Piano Olivia Crocker Marina Prots Violin I Sarah Swift* Julie Chu Hannah Gorham Bryn Benson Siobhan Warmer Kristina Inghram Alexander Johnson Erika Niemoller Hannah Jeffries Carl Johnson Violin II Kate Schneider* Jeeny Chung Kailee Shiraishi Hanying Zeng Cherish Scheidhauer Erika Query Hannah Peña-Ruiz Megan LeDuc Viola Sophie Robinson* Phyllis Jenkins Annika Thach Alyssa Selfridge Ethan Warwick Cello Kaitlynn Turner* Kyle Siemers Steven Moncado Darren Williams Alec Sjöholm Bass Adam Masucci* James Waltz Tomick Necessary Marc Harper Note: string players rotate chairs each concert and violins rotate between sections throughout the year. On Study Abroad Program: Kayleigh Peterson, oboe; Emily Fields, bass * Principal or Co-principal Community Member Steven Moncado, Orchestra Librarian Karsten Hendrickson, Logistics Manager

6 Spring Events at Pacific Lutheran University ALL MUSIC EVENTS ARE IN MARY BAKER RUSSELL MUSIC CENTER, LAGERQUIST CONCERT HALL AT 8PM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. FEBRUARY 4 February, 3pm WSMTA 4-Piano Benefit Concert, free admission 10 Saturday, 8pm Artist Series: Jason Gilliam, Euphonium 23 Friday, 8pm Showcase Concert, free admission 27 Tuesday, 8pm Regency Series: Camas Wind Quintet 28 Wednesday, 8pm Regency Series: Regency Jazz Ensemble MARCH 1 Thursday, 8pm Artist Series: Heather Lanners, piano 4 Sunday, 3pm Richard D. Moe Organ Recital Series: Iain Quinn, Organist. Tickets: $17 general admission; $10 seniors, PLU alumni, and military; $5 PLU community, students & 18 and under 4 Sunday, 5:30pm Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship Concert, free admission 7 Wednesday, 8pm Regency Series: Regency Voices 10 Saturday, 1pm Guitar Orchestra and Ensemble, free admission 10 Saturday, 5pm Artist Series: Guitar Faculty 11 Sunday, 3pm University Wind Ensemble 18 Sunday, 3pm Choral Union. Tickets: $17 general admission; $10 seniors, PLU alumni, and military; $5 PLU community, students & 18 and under 18 Sunday, 4:30pm Jill Felber Flute Masterclass. Jennie Lee Hansen Recital Hall, free admission 19 Monday, 8pm University Jazz Ensemble. Eastvold Auditorium, Karen Hille Phillips Center 20 Tuesday, 8pm : Student Showcase 21 Wednesday, 5:30pm Eliassen, trumpet & Isayevskaya, piano Masterclass. Jennie Lee Hansen Recital Hall, free admission 21 Wednesday, 8pm Artist Series: Eliassen, trumpet & Isayevskaya, piano, free admission 22 Thursday, 8pm Keyboard Students, free admission APRIL 7 Saturday, 8pm Regency Series: Regency String Quartet, Jennie Lee Hansen Recital Hall 8 Sunday, 3pm Richard D. Moe Organ Recital Series: Gregory Peterson, Organist. Tickets: $17 general admission; $10 seniors, PLU alumni, and military; $5 PLU community, students & 18 and under 13 Friday, 3:40pm Regency Series: Lyric Brass Quintet 17 Tuesday, 8pm Spanish Piano Festival, free admission 18 Wednesday, 8pm Choir of the West 19 Thursday, 6:30pm PLUtonic/HERmonic, MBR Amphitheater, free admission 22 Sunday, 3pm Artist Series: Malick Folk Performers. Eastvold Auditorium, Karen Hille Phillips Center, free admission APRIL, Cont. 24 Tuesday, 8pm University Singers and University Men s Chorus, free admission 25 Wednesday, 6:30pm Artist Series: Brahms and Beyond 27 Friday, 7:30pm and 28 Saturday, 7:30pm Opera Scenes. Eastvold Auditorium, Karen Hille Phillips Center MAY 1 Tuesday, 5pm Saxophone Quartets and Jazz Combos, AUC Cave, free admission 1 Tuesday, 8pm University Chorale 5 Saturday, 3pm Music for Flute and Harp Ensemble, free admission 5 Tuesday, 5pm Guitar Orchestra and Ensemble, free admission 8 Tuesday, 8pm 9 Wednesday, 8pm Steel Pan and Percussion Ensembles, free admission 10 Thursday, 8pm Keyboard Students, free admission 11 Friday, 8pm University Jazz Ensemble. Eastvold Auditorium, Karen Hille Phillips Center 12 Saturday, 3pm Woodwind Students, free admission 12 Saturday, 4:30pm Brass Students, free admission 12 Saturday, 8pm Artist Series: Sacraments of the Heart, free admission 13 Sunday, 3pm University Wind Ensemble 14 Monday, 7:30pm Artist Series: Ron Jones and Jazz Forest, Eastvold Auditorium, Karen Hille Phillips Center, free admission 15 Tuesday, 6pm Chamber Music Kaleidoscope, free admission 15 Tuesday, 8pm String Kaleidoscope, free admission 16 Wednesday, 8pm University Concert Band, free admission 17 Thursday, 8pm Piano Ensemble, free admission 18 Friday, 8pm Forestine Wise Monsen Scholarship Recital, free admission 19 Saturday, 1pm South Sound Saxophone Ensemble, free admission 19 Saturday, 4:30pm PLU Ringers, free admission 20 Sunday, 3pm Composers Forum, free admission 20 Sunday, 5:30pm Songwriters Workshop. Jennie Lee Hansen Recital Hall, free admission To Order Tickets: On Line: On Campus: PLU Concierge Desk (253/ ) At the Concert: Lobby Desk in Mary Baker Russell Music Center CONCERTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE All ticket sales are final - no refunds MUSIC EVENT TICKET PRICES: $10 GENERAL; $5 SENIOR CITIZENS (60+). MILITARY & PLU ALUMS; FREE TO PLU COMMUNITY, STUDENTS & 18 AND UNDER UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. CONCERTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND SOME CONCERTS MAY BE ADDED AFTER PUBLICATION. (updated April 17, 2018)