University Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase PLUSO Goes Outdoors

Transcription

1 University Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase PLUSO Goes Outdoors Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 8pm Lagerquist Concert Hall, Mary Baker Russell Music Center

2 Pacific Lutheran University School of Arts and Communication / Department of Music presents University Symphony Orchestra Student Showcase PLUSO Goes Outdoors Huw Edwards, conductor featuring Meagan Gaskill, flute Dalton Rouse, composer Tuesday, March 20, 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 Symphony No. 6 in F Major, op Ludwig Van Beethoven ( ) Mvt. I Allegro ma non troppo (Awakening of happy feelings on arriving in the country) Wisp and Willow... Dalton Rouse (b. 1995) World Premier Dalton Rouse is the winner of the Student Composition Competition Flute Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, op Wilhelm Bernhard Molique ( ) Andante Allegro Meagan Gaskill, flute Meagan Gaskill is one of three winners of the Student Showcase Competition Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major... Anton Bruckner ( ) Mvt. I Bewegt, nicht zu schnell (Moving, not too fast)

3 Program Notes More a matter of feeling than painting in sounds. This was Beethoven s view of his Symphonie pastorale. Like his exact contemporary, the poet William Wordsworth, Beethoven was captivated by the interplay of mind and imagination in man s naturalistic surroundings. Beethoven was a great lover of nature: he once exclaimed, I love a tree more than a man, and the Pastoral symphony the Sixth in F major, completed in 1808 was sketched during numerous walks in the verdant countryside outside of Vienna. For Beethoven, there was something sublime, if not even religious about the outdoors, and we know that he was often moved to a palpable fervor by the beauty of natural scenes. (In 1815, seven years after the Pastoral, Beethoven wrote in his diary: God, what majesty is in woods like these! In the heights there is peace peace to serve Him. ) Given the composer s pantheistic background, it is obvious from the outset that the Pastoral Symphony is a ventilation of something inward and profound. On the one hand, it is a free and open work, naive almost primitive in feel yet, at the same time, there is a spiritual loftiness and rhythmic complexity about it. In this serene first movement which Beethoven headed Awakening of happy feelings on arriving in the country there is a tension created by such surface jollity and the deep satisfaction of inner contentment that such refreshing feelings bring. There is a beguiling newness about the Pastoral, which creates a drama as masterful and powerful as anything in the Eroica or Ninth Symphonies. It possesses a joie de vivre like few others and Beethoven s spontaneous outpouring of feeling is a tonic for the soul, as well as for the mind and senses. - Huw Edwards Wisp and Willow began as an experiment in non-functional chord progressions. The chords which comprise most of the pitch material are various four-note sonorities. The wisps, heard mostly in the harp and high woodwinds, arpeggiate quickly up and down these chords. With a lack of strict tonal harmony, thematic material must be carefully positioned upon chords with common tones. The main theme, which first appears in a solo bassoon line, constantly adjusts its sense of tonality, resulting in a peculiar yet satisfying melody. - Dalton Rouse Bernhard Molique was only 21 years old when he wrote his Concerto in D Minor for Flute and Orchestra. Molique was a violin prodigy who began his career as a concertmaster in Munich, Germany at the age of 18. He had a successful solo career and eventually settled in London as a professor at the London Academy where he taught composition. This concerto was written for flutist Theobald Böhm, who is credited with inventing the modern flute, and was originally premiered in Over 40 years later, Molique published a second version of the piece with a completely different Andante movement in a new meter and key. This new Andante movement is in a slow, triple meter. It is simple and expressive with the flute playing flowing melodies over light accompaniment from the orchestra. Each time the first melody is heard, it is embellished further and has more dynamic contrast and expression. The movement ends with the only cadenza in the concerto that juxtaposes a louder, fast moving line with a return to the quiet, simple melody and is followed by a short coda. The first movement of the concerto, Allegro, is a more traditional opening movement in sonata allegro from. The orchestra begins with a bold introduction of the first theme that is taken over by rising sixteenth note scales. The orchestra drops out as flute begins the exposition with a dramatic, descending passage. Throughout the exposition, Molique contrasts bold virtuosity alternating with lyrical expression. The beginning of the development is marked with a restatement of the opening theme by the orchestra. Themes that have been heard throughout the piece are varied and altered as the flute navigates flourishes of 16th notes. The recapitulation begins just as the movement started but transitions from D minor into D major when the flute enters. The themes from the exposition are presented again followed by a final virtuosic passage that concludes the movement. - Meagan Gaskill I often hear that Bruckner s music is an acquired taste. I cannot hide my affection for Bruckner s music it has become something very dear in my life and I hope this movement from his Symphony No. 4 (1874) will whet your appetite to discover more music by this underrated and much-maligned composer. Bruckner was a fabulous organist and his compositional style was governed by the sound of an organ resonating in a vast space most notably the Abbey at St. Florian outside of Linz a place Bruckner referred to as my spiritual home. The sustained tone of the organ is perpetually imitated in Bruckner s orchestral writing. An inordinately devout Catholic, Bruckner s music was shaped by the texts of the mass and Marian prayers, and his symphonic music is similarly singing in style the orchestra is divided into choirs of instruments including many antiphonal effects that he would have heard from choirs singing around many sacred spaces. Bruckner s music is also shaped by the rustic byways of his native Upper Austria, with its numerous plateaus and pinnacles: chromatic coloration, brass-chord foundations and slow harmonic motion are Brucknerian

4 hallmarks, and his music is never hurried Bruckner was never one to make a long story short! as it is a reflection of the pace of life around St. Florian and its expansive landscape. The Fourth Symphony was penned in 1874 during a period of homesickness and depression in Vienna. It opens with a horn call over shimmering strings the radiance of which pervades the whole work. It is a little known fact that Bruckner was a train buff (he kept it quiet in case it was viewed as idol worship ) and the opening was inspired by the sound of train whistles he would have heard echoing around the valley near Linz. (The traditional Austrian locomotive whistle sounded a fifth higher than the reply from the new American Pullman carriage at the rear of the train.) The full orchestra plays an expansion of the main theme, which is built upon Bruckner s favorite rhythm. The second theme, what Bruckner called the Gesangperiode, or singing paragraph, is like a folksy-sounding Polka. There are some magical moments of hushed calm in this movement and the development opens with an ecstatic chorale based on the main theme, with a garlanding descant in the violas. The breadth and power of this music is like no other and this outpouring of praise is followed by moments of meditative prayer. The coda (the strings sound like a train cruising along the tracks) builds slowly and the horns proudly orate the main theme in the closing measures. - Huw Edwards

5 University Symphony Orchestra Huw Edwards, conductor Flute/Piccolo Katherine Nakasone* Meagan Gaskill Eri Yeomans Paige Balut Oboe/English Horn Marissa Dallaire* Sarah Seeman Clarinet/Bass Clarinet Karsten Hendrickson* Daniel Aliment Bassoon Thomas J. Mallos* Dylan Cummins French Horn Alex Justice* Benjamin Johnson Serena Stieglitz Kyle Hurd Trumpet Kyle Doughton* Devin Morris Andre Judd Georgia Eastlake Trombone/Tuba Quinn Vicars* Abigail Dean Mark Burch Ben Woodbury Timpani/Percussion Eric Zabala* Orion Schomber Josh Hansel Tim Hager Harp Alec Sjöholm Violin I Alexander Johnson* Kate Schneider Julie Chu Cherish Scheidhauer Hanying Zang Hannah Pena-Ruiz Jeeny Chung Erika Query Kristina Inghram Megan LeDuc Mark Jasinski Violin II Sarah Swift* Hannah Gorham Carl Johnson Bryn Benson Kailee Shiraishi Hannah Jeffries Siobhan Warmer Erika Niemoller Leah Foster-Koth Viola Sophie Robinson* Phyllis Jenkins Annika Thach Ethan Warwick Alyssa Selfridge Cello Kaitlynn Turner* Darren Williams Kyle Siemers Steven Moncado Alec Sjöholm Bass Adam Masucci* Tomick Necessary James Waltz Marc Harper Note: string players rotate chairs each concert and violins rotate between sections throughout the year. * Principal or Co-principal Community Member/Alumnus On study abroad program Kayleigh Peterson, oboe Emily Fields, bass 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 University Symphony Orchestra: 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 10 Tuesday, 8pm University Symphony Orchestra: KammerMusikeren 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 University Symphony Orchestra 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 13 Sunday, 3pm University Wind Ensemble 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 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 March 5, 2018)