ECMSA EMORY CHAMBER MUSIC. SOCIETY OF ATLANTA William Ransom, artistic director JAZZ MEETS CLASSICS SONGS OF LOVE

Transcription

1 17 ECMSA 18 EMORY CHAMBER MUSIC EMERSON S E R I E S SOCIETY OF ATLANTA William Ransom, artistic director JAZZ MEETS CLASSICS SONGS OF LOVE BRADLEY HOWARD, TENOR WILLIAM RANSOM, PIANO JOHNAYE KENDRICK, JAZZ VOCALIST GARY MOTLEY, JAZZ PIANO SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017, 8:00 P.M. EMERSON CONCERT HALL SCHWARTZ CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS

2 PROGRAM Widmung Robert Schumann ( ) Mondnacht Du bist wie eine Blume Ich grolle nicht It Could Happen to You Jimmy Van Heusen ( ) Johnny Burke ( ) Only Trust Your Heart Benny Carter ( ) Sammy Cahn ( My One and Only Love Guy Wood ( ) Robert Mellin ( Morgen Richard Strauss ( ) Spring Waters Sergei Rachmaninov ( ) Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most Tommy Wolf ( ) Fran Landesman ( ) Say It s Not Too Late Veronica Motley (b. 1965) Gary Motley (b. 1961) Nessun dorma from Turandot Giacomo Puccini ( ) INTERMISSION 2

3 PROGRAM (CONTINUED) La vie en rose Louis Guglielmi ( ) Marguerite Monnot ( ) lyrics by Edith Piaf Les chemins de l amour Francis Poulenc ( ) Girl from Ipanema Antonio Carlos Jobim ( ) O Mistress Mine Roger Quilter ( ) My Funny Valentine Richard Rogers ( ) Lorenz Hart ( ) It Was a Lover Gerald Finzi ( ) You re So High Johnaye Kendrick (b. 1982) Come Ready and See Me Richard Hundley (b. 1931) Misalliance Michael Flanders ( ) Donald Swann ( ) Baby It s Cold Outside Frank Loesser ( ) 3

4 Widmung (Dedication) You my soul, you my heart, You my bliss, o you my pain, You the world in which I live; You my heaven, in which I float, O you my grave, into which I eternally cast my grief. TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS You are rest, you are peace, You are bestowed upon me from heaven. That you love me makes me worthy of you; Your gaze transfigures me; You raise me lovingly above myself, My good spirit, my better self! F. Rückert Mondnacht (Moonlit Night) It was as if heaven had silently kissed the earth, so that she, the earth, in the shimmer of blossoms could only dream of him (heaven). The breeze went through the fields, the ears of corn waved gently, the forests rustled softly, the night was so clear with stars. And my soul spread out wide its wings, flew through the still lands, as if it were flying home. Du bist wie eine Blume (You Are Like a Flower) You are like a flower, So fair and pure and fine; I gaze on you, and sadness Steals through my heart. It is, as though I should gently Lay hands upon your hair, Praying that God, keep you So fine and pure and fair. Joseph von Eichendorff Heine 4

5 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Ich grolle nicht (I Bear No Grudge) I bear no grudge, even when my heart is breaking, eternally lost love! I bear no grudge. Even though you shine in diamond splendor, there falls no light into your heart s night, that I ve known for a long time. I bear no grudge, even when my heart is breaking. I saw you, truly, in my dreams, and saw the night in your heart s space, and saw the serpent that feeds on your heart, I saw, my love, how very miserable you are. I bear no grudge Morgen (Tomorrow) And tomorrow the sun will shine again and on the way that I will go, she will again unite us, the happy ones amidst this sun-breathing earth, and to the beach, wide, wave-blue will we still and slowly descend silently we will look in each other s eyes and upon us will sink the mute silence of happiness Spring Waters The fields are still white with snow But the waters of spring are rising already, Flooding the sleeping earth, Sparkling beneath the sky. They call across the earth: Spring is coming, spring is coming! We are the young spring s messengers, The heralds of her advance. Spring is coming, spring is coming! The bright, soft days of May return, And moving in a crimson dance They gladly throng to join the spring. Heine Mackay Tyutchev 5

6 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Nessun dorma (No One Sleeps) Nobody shall sleep!... Nobody shall sleep! Even you, o Princess, in your cold room, watch the stars, that tremble with love and with hope. But my secret is hidden within me, my name no one shall know... No! No! On your mouth, I will tell it when the light shines. And my kiss will dissolve the silence that makes you mine! Vanish, o night! Set, stars! Set, stars! At dawn, I will win! I will win! I will win! Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni Les chemins de l amour (The Paths of Love) The paths that lead to the sea where we passed by have retained the flowers with fallen petals and the echoes of both our bright laughs. Alas! Gone are the days of happiness, radiant joys now flown. I wander without finding their trace again in my heart. Paths of my love, I still seek you. Lost paths, you are no more. And your echoes are hollow. Paths of despair paths of memory, paths of the first day, divine paths of love. If one day I have to forget it, life effacing everything, I wish, in my heart, that one memory should remain stronger than the other love. The memory of the path, where trembling and utterly bewildered, one day, upon me, I felt your hands burning. Paths of my love... Anouilh 6

7 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS O Mistress Mine O Mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, stay and hear; your true love s coming. That can sing both high and low: Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lovers meeting, Ev ry wise man s son doth know. What is love? Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What s to come is still unsure: In delay, there lies no plenty; Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty; Youth s a stuff will not endure. William Shakespeare It Was a Lover and His Lass It was a lover and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, That o er the green cornfield did pass, In springtime, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. Between the acres of the rye, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, Those pretty country folks would lie, In springtime, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. This carol they began that hour, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, How that a life was but a flower In springtime, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. And therefore, take the present time, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, For love is crownèd with the prime In springtime, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. William Shakespeare 7

8 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Come Ready and See me Come ready and see me, No matter how late Come before the years run out, I m waiting with a candle No wind will blow out, But you must haste By foot or by sky For no one can wait forever Under the bluest sky I can t wait forever For the years are running out. James Purdy Misalliance The fragrant honeysuckle spirals clockwise to the sun, And many other creepers do the same. But some climb anti-clockwise, the bindweed does, for one, Or Convolvulus, to give her proper name. Rooted on either side a door, one of each species grew, And raced towards the window-ledge above. Each corkscrewed to the lintel in the only way it knew, Where they stopped, touched tendrils, smiled, and fell in love. Said the right-handed honeysuckle to the left-handed bindweed, Oh, let us get married, if our parents don t mind, we d Be loving and inseparable, inextricably entwined, we d Live happily ever after said the honeysuckle to the bindweed. To the honeysuckle s parents it came as a shock. The bindweeds, they cried, are inferior stock! They re uncultivated, of breeding bereft, We twine to the right and they twine to the left. Said the anti-clockwise bindweed to the clockwise honeysuckle, We d better start saving, many a mickle macks a muckle, Then run away for a honeymoon and hope that our luck ll Take a turn for the better said the bindweed to the honeysuckle. A bee who was passing remarked to them then, I ve said it before and I ll say it again, Consider your offshoots, if offshoots there be, They ll never receive any blessing from me. Poor little sucker, how will it learn, When it is climbing, which way to turn? Right, left, what a disgrace, Or it may go straight up and fall flat on its face! 8

9 TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS Misalliance (continued) Said the right-hand-thread honeysuckle to the left-hand-thread bindweed, It seems they re against us, all fate has combined. Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Colombine, Thou art lost and gone forever, we shall never intertwine. Together, they found them, the very next day, They had pulled up their roots and just shrivelled away. Deprived of that freedom for which we must fight, To veer to the left or to veer to the right! Flanders and Swann Baby It s Cold Outside I really can t stay (but baby, it s cold outside) I ve got to go away (but baby, it s cold outside) This evening has been (been hoping that you d drop in) So very nice (I ll hold your hands, they re just like ice) My mother will start to worry (beautiful, what s your hurry?) My father will be pacing the floor (listen to the fireplace roar) So really I d better scurry (beautiful, please don t hurry) But maybe just a half a drink more (put some records on while I pour) The neighbors might think (baby, it s bad out there) Say, what s in this drink? (no cabs to be had out there) I wish I knew how (your eyes are like starlight now) To break this spell (I ll take your hat, your hair looks swell) I ought to say, no, no, no sir (mind if I move in closer?) At least I m gonna say that I tried (what s the sense in hurting my pride?) I really can t stay (baby, don t hold out) Ah, but it s cold outside I simply must go (but baby, it s cold outside) The answer is no (but baby, it s cold outside) Your welcome has been (how lucky that you dropped in) So nice and warm (look out the window at this dawn) My sister will be suspicious (gosh your lips look delicious) My brother will be there at the door (waves upon the tropical shore) My maiden aunt s mind is vicious (gosh your lips are delicious) But maybe just a cigarette more (never such a blizzard before) I ve got to get home (oh, baby, you ll freeze out there) Say, lend me your coat (it s up to your knees out there) You ve really been grand (thrill when you touch my hand) Why don t you see (how can you do this thing to me?) There s bound to be talk tomorrow (think of my life long sorrow) At least there will be plenty implied (if you caught pneumonia and died) I really can t stay (get over that hold out) Ah, but it s cold outside Oh, baby, it s cold outside Oh, baby, it s cold outside Frank Loesser 9

10 PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES With a career spanning classical and modern choral works, solo recitals, and opera roles, tenor Bradley Howard has gained recognition as a multifaceted artist, performing under the batons of renowned conductors Seiji Ozawa, William Fred Scott, Christian Badea, Riccardo Muti, Joesph Flummerfelt, Yoel Levi, John Mauceri, and Robert Spano. A passionate educator, he joined the faculty of Emory University as director of vocal studies in 2011, and he is a member of the distinguished faculty of the Amalfi Coast Music Festival. Howard began his career as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center when his performance brought him to the attention of conductor Seiji Ozawa. Further operatic successes include Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Beppe in I Pagliacci, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Peter Quint in Britten s Turn of the Screw and Albert in Albert Herring. He has performed at various festivals including Spoleto, Chautauqua Opera, the Ohio Light Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival, and Breckenridge Music Institute. Howard brings depth and excitement of an expansive repertoire to his solo recitals, handling the florid style of Bach and the fragmented tonalities of Britten and Menotti with equal aplomb. His concert engagements have included a long-time collaboration with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO). As soloist with the ASO, Weill s Seven Deadly Sins, Beethoven s Choral Fantasy, Christmas with the ASO, and, most recently, Saint Saens s Samson and Dalila are among his performances. Recording credits include the ACA Digital production of the Atlanta Opera s Mozart Requiem and Telarc s La Bohème with the ASO. A noted educator, Howard s students have been accepted to undergraduate and graduate programs in voice performance and musical theater at the Julliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin College, University of Cincinnati, University of Michigan, Florida State University, Carnegie Mellon, New York University, Roosevelt University, Bard College, Indiana University, and many others. They have been accepted to and participated in young artist programs such as Interlochen, CCM Opera Boot Camp, Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Houston Grand Opera s YAVA, and Castleton Festival. His students consistently place as finalists in young artist competitions including NATS auditions. Howard s BM and MM degrees in music and voice from Baylor University and the University of Cincinnati opened the doors to America s musical stage. Howard is an active adjudicator and clinician, and he has presented masterclasses and clinics at the University of Washington, Whitman College, Sam Houston State University, Emory University, Georgia State University, Valdosta State University, and Ohio State University. 10

11 Pianist William Ransom appears as soloist with orchestras, and as recitalist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America, and throughout the United States. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and television in the United States, Argentina, Poland, and Japan. He regularly collaborates with musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman, William Preucil, Stephen Isserlis, and Zuill Bailey; with members of the Juilliard, Tokyo, Cleveland, American, St. Petersburg, Borromeo, Parker, Ariel, and Lark string quartets; the Empire Brass Quintet; Eroica Trio; and the percussion group Nexus; among others. As a master teacher, he has also performed and given masterclasses at numerous schools of music and universities around the world. He has recorded for ACA Digital and Rising Star Records. Ransom is the Mary Emerson Professor of Piano at Emory University in Atlanta where he is director of piano studies and founder and artistic director of the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the University of Michigan, in the summers, Ransom is artistic director of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina and he was recently named artistic director for Juneau Jazz & Classics in Alaska. For a decade he was an artist-faculty member at the Kamisaibara Pianists Camp in Japan. Ransom was recently named one of Musical America Worldwide s 30 Musical Innovators for Johnaye Kendrick was born and raised in San Diego. She has a bachelor s degree in music from Western Michigan University. During her time at Western Michigan, she received a DownBeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist, and she was featured in an honors recital with pianist Fred Hersch. Kendrick was then accepted to the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. While attending the Monk Institute, Kendrick worked with many outstanding jazz musicians, including Terence Blanchard, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Danilo Perez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Brian Blade. She received an artist s diploma from the Monk Institute and a master s degree in jazz studies from Loyola University. After graduating from the Monk Institute, Kendrick was immediately hired by trumpeter Nicholas Payton, who raves Johnaye has the potential to be a vocalist of the highest order; the likes of which we have seen seldom since the grande dames of the golden era of jazz roamed about the earth. She s got it! In addition to her many travels with the Nicholas Payton Sextet, Kendrick has also been a featured vocalist with the Ellis Marsalis Quartet and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. The orchestra won a Grammy Award (2009) for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category for their release Book 1 on which Kendrick is featured. 11

12 Kendrick has performed at numerous festivals, concert halls, and jazz clubs, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; Rio das Ostras Jazz Festival; Burghausen Jazz Festival; International Jazz Festival Bern; Playboy Jazz Festival; Jazz at Lincoln Center s Dizzy s Club; Jazz Gallery; Chicago Symphony Center; Snug Harbor; and Birdland with Nicholas Payton, Ellis Marsalis, Sean Jones, or John Ellis. She has also performed with her own band at the Earshot Jazz Festival, Lima Jazz Festival, Royal Room, Tula s, Festival Sundiata, NW African American Museum, Chihuly Gardens, and other venues. Kendrick performs her own original compositions as well as fresh interpretations of beloved jazz and blues compositions. She focuses on graceful renditions of jazz standards and composes music and lyrics where she often accompanies herself on harmonium, violin, viola, and percussion. The legendary Jimmy Heath says that Johnaye is not just a vocalist. She is a complete musician with a beautiful instrument and open ears. A dedicated educator, Kendrick resides in Seattle where she serves as an associate professor of jazz voice at Cornish College of the Arts. In 2013, she was nominated for an Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award as Northwest Vocalist of the Year. In 2014, she recorded, produced, and released her debut CD, Here, for the johnygirl label. Featuring twelve of Kendrick s original compositions, Here finds her supported by pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Chris Symer, and drummers Byron Vannoy and D Vonne Lewis. Gary Motley is a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, and the American Composers Forum. Motley has also been featured on National Public Radio s Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland. Motley began studying the piano as a young child in Alabama and would later be exposed to jazz as a teenager. While attending the University of Montevallo, Motley honed his skills as a jazz pianist, playing with numerous regional bands. It was soon thereafter that he would decide to make music his life s endeavor. During his career, Motley has established a professional association with many of today s leaders in jazz. He has worked with artists ranging from Dave Brubeck to Clarke Terry. His recording credits range from his premier CD Peaceful Moments (1994) to his latest recording, No Reservation Required (2017). In 2000, Motley collaborated with actress Debbie Allen and director Kenny Leon for the Alliance Theater s production of Blues in the Night and the premiere of Soul Possessed. Motley can also be heard on the Debbie Allen- Phylicia Rashad documentary The Old Settler on PBS. He also recorded music with Whoopi Goldberg for the Broadway production of Ma Rainey s Black Bottom and collaborated with Kenny Leon, providing music for Sean Combs s 2004 Broadway Production of A Raisin in the Sun. 12

13 Notable performances include the premiere of Motley s first orchestral work titled The Artist and the Visionary; duo performances with pianists Dave Brubeck and Kenny Baron; and concerts with Jon Faddis, Eddie Daniels, and Benny Golson. Motley s recordings include Compassion (2001), The Gary Motley Trio featuring Veronica Tate (2001), Keypers (2004), Everything I Love (2005), Renaissance (2009), Seasoning (2012), and Departure (2014). He is the recipient of Creative Loafing magazine s Critics Choice Award for Best Jazz Artist and was selected by the American Composers Forum to serve as an artist in residence resulting in his second composition for string orchestra and jazz trio titled The Resolution of a Dream. Motley s Highland Summit: A Suite for String Quartet and Jazz Quartet was premiered at the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival with the Vega String Quartet in Motley also performed his work Suite Odyssey with the Vega String Quartet at Carnegie Hall in He returned to Carnegie Hall in 2008, performing with clarinetists Andy Firth and Buddy DeFranco. In 2010, a composition based on the work of Toni Morrison premiered at the Sixth Biennial Tony Morrison Conference in Paris. Motley s arranging skills can also be heard on the title track of Jennifer Holiday s 2014 album The Song Is You. Other engagements include the 2014 National Black Arts Festival salute to Wynton Marsalis with Marcus Belgrave and the annual Emory University Jazz Festival with violinist Regina Carter (2015), Anat Cohen (2016) with bassist Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Carl Allen. Motley recently returned from Colombia, South America, where he participated in a jazz education outreach initiative for the Centro Colombo Americano, and he also traveled to Havana, Cuba, with the Victor Goines Sextet as a part of the Horns to Havana Education Exchange Project. In addition to his work as an artist, Motley is committed to jazz education and awareness. As professor of performance and director of jazz studies at Emory, Motley has developed the Robert Strickland Jazz Studio an innovative interactive teaching facility that integrates the rich heritage of American jazz with today s technology practices. Motley is also a member of the Jazz Education Network and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Arts at Emory Box Office/Audience Information arts.emory.edu IN CONSIDERATION Please turn off all electronic devices. PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDINGS Not permitted without advance permission. COUGH DROPS Available in the lobby. USHERS Members of Music at Emory Volunteers and Alpha Phi Omega, a national service and social fraternity. Call for ushering opportunities. EVENT AND PROGRAM INFORMATION Available online at arts.emory.edu. BACK COVER PHOTOS Courtesy of Emory Photo/Video. TREE LIGHTS AND EXTERIOR IN-GROUND BUILDING LIGHTS Made possible by a generous gift from Donna and Marvin Schwartz. 13