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Christian Knapp, conductor
Christian Knapp is known for his dynamic stage presence and energy on the podium. He has performed in festivals and concerts throughout the world and collaborated with renowned artists. Last season, Knapp successfully stepped in on short notice to conduct the Pacific Symphony and made successful debuts with the Phoenix 18 www.houstonsymphony.org
Knapp served as associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra (SSO) from 2004 to 2006. He continues work with the SSO, conducting special concerts in collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, subscription concerts and a Beyond the Score performance. An equally accomplished operatic conductor, Knapp was associate conductor of Broomhill Opera in London (2000-2003) and helped create its sister company in South Africa whose innovative productions brought international recognition and led to several worldwide tours. A passionate proponent of new music, Knapp conducted the world premiere of Paul Dresher’s opera The Tyrant with the Seattle Chamber Players (2005), the U.S. premiere of Zona with the International Contemporary Ensemble in New York as part of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival (2006) and a program of Philippe Hurel music at Columbia University. Knapp received bachelor’s degrees in piano performance from the New England Conservatory and in philosophy from Tufts University. He studied conducting at Siena’s Accademia Musicale Chigiana and earned a post-graduate diploma in conducting from Russia’s St. Petersburg State Conservatory. In 1999, Knapp won a prize in the Third International Prokofiev Conducting Competition and was awarded the prestigious Paul Woodhouse Junior Fellowship in Conducting from the Royal College of Music in London. He participated in the National Conducting Institute with the National Symphony Orchestra (2003) and was awarded a grant from the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation with the Seattle Symphony (2005).
Yulia Van Doren, soprano
Russian-American soprano Yulia Van Doren is a rising star among Baroque specialists. Winning top prizes in all four North American Bach vocal competitions, she will make her debut solo recording with the American Bach Soloists, featuring a program of Bach, Harbison and Britten. Upcoming debuts include the Mostly
Mozart, Ravinia and Tanglewood festivals, performances with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, China’s Macau International Music Festival, Opéra de Nice and Opera Lafayette (including a tour and a recording for Naxos). A winner of Astral Artists’ 2009 National Auditions, she makes her Philadelphia recital debut in January 2012 on Astral’s concert series.
Van Doren
Biographies. ...............
Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Eastern Music Festival.
Knapp
ened by the fact that Handel starts this guffawing fugue in the low, heavy bass section of the choir. Where mockery brings on the tragedy of Christ’s crucifixion in the three poignant recitatives and arias sung next by the tenor, that sentiment turns to gentle consolation in three numbers dealing with his resurrection and the fulfillment of his mission to spread the word of God. Here, the changing mood from defeat to victory is quietly bridged with the recitative, “He was cut off,” the poignant aria, “But Thou didst not leave His Soul in Hell,” setting the stage for the short but florid chorus, “The Lord gave the word” and the lovely soprano aria, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.” The bass voice returns chosen to depict righteous anger in the solo aria, “Why do the nations so furiously rage together?” The verb of that text is key to Handel’s inspiration here, for the piece is a “rage” aria typical of the whole tradition of baroque opera. It is the most operatic piece in the oratorio and, together with the more famous bass aria, “The trumpet shall sound” in Part Three of Messiah, this challenging piece sets the requirement for a very powerful, technically nimble bass voice in the cast of any Messiah performance. Just rage is also the dominant emotion in the intense tenor aria, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.” All of these arias depict God as the Old Testament deity of power and vengeance rather than the New Testament deity of forgiveness and redemption. The music turns to a spirit of triumph in the exultant “Hallelujah” chorus that forms the climactic conclusion to Part Two of Messiah. With the drama of redemption essentially completed at this point, the mood changes to one of consolation and gratitude in Part Three. It opens with the lyrical soprano aria, “I know that my redeemer liveth,” and the gentle, poised character of that aria is typical of Handel’s treatment of the solo soprano voice in Messiah. A direct chordal style is Handel’s choice for “Worthy is the Lamb,” which begins the closing choral piece in the oratorio. As this concluding number progresses, the composer again turns to fugal devices, both in the martial setting of “Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto him,” and in the swelling “Amen” chorus which brings Messiah to a joyous ending. ©2011, Carl R. Cunningham
At the New England Conservatory, she began appearing as a soloist with the majority of the North American baroque festivals and orchestras, and is featured on several Grammy®nominated opera recordings with the Boston Early Music Festival. She regularly appears with Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dido and Aeneas. She was a featured artist of the 2011 Cartagena International Music Festival performing nationally televised performances of Bach’s Mass in B minor with soprano Dawn Upshaw and the City of London Sinfonia. She was invited to be in the inaugural class of Upshaw’s graduate program at Bard College and Van Doren graduated in 2008. Born in Moscow and raised in the U.S., Van Doren was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival and Académie Musicale de Villecroze (France). She has received numerous academic scholarships, including the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. As the recipient of a Frank Huntington Beebe Grant for Advanced European Study, she will spend the 2011-12 season in Paris.
Malin Fritz, contralto
Contralto Malin Fritz has been praised by Opera News for her “dignity and excellent vocalism.” This season, in addition to this performance with the Houston Symphony, Fritz sings the Messiah with the Pacific Symphony. Her evergrowing passion for concert and recital work continued recently with her return to Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, a recital at Stanford University and a concert of opera arias with the Santa Rosa Symphony. Among Fritz’ operatic successes are performances of Moses und Aron with the Metropolitan Opera, as well as the role of Schwertleite in Die Walküre in the company’s tour to Japan; Amneris in Aida with Syracuse Opera and the Brevard Music Festival; and the title role in Carmen with