VPO Classical Concert Program

CLASSICAL CONCERT -SERIESRACHMANINOFF & BEETHOVEN

The Sharon®L. Morse

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Dear Patron of the Arts,

Welcome to The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center!

Much like the building’s namesake, my grandmother, Sharon L. Morse, we love all varieties of the performing arts here. It is in her memory that I, along with my amazing team of artists and arts administrators, strive to bring many different types of the highest quality entertainment here to The Sharon.

Since opening in 2015, we have strived to establish your trust, that a show at The Sharon is a show worth seeing. Perhaps you find yourself here today to see a concert of one of your favorite musicians, or to take in the national tour of a Broadway show. Either way, we encourage you to consider trying out a new show that perhaps you haven’t heard of before, knowing that it has been intentionally curated by our team.

We welcome you to The Sharon: a place for you to see an old favorite, but also a place to discover your new favorite. I sincerely hope you enjoy the show today, and I look forward to seeing you here again soon!

See You at The Sharon,

W hitney Morse Artistic Director

Concert Sponsor:

Steinway Piano Gallery Tampa

Overture Magic Flute

Overture Magic Flute

Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

~ Intermission ~ L.V. Beethoven Symphony No. 5

In May 1791, Emanuel Schickaneder, impressario and manager of the Theaterauf-der-Wieden in Vienna, approached Mozart with a proposal to collaborate on a new opera in the German singspiel style called the Magic Flute. It was to be a comic musical with spoken dialogue based on an oriental fairy tale. Schickaneder did not offer Mozart any commission, but promised that he would get a share of the profits from all performances after the première - a promise that was never kept despite the huge success of the opera.

Most of the composition was completed by July, but Mozart was then busy writing two commissioned works: the opera "La Clemenza di Tito" and the infamous "Requiem Mass", and so the score was not completely finished until 28th September 1791, just two days before the opening night. The première was not an outstanding success. However the opera's reputation grew over the next few weeks, and by the end of October Mozart was delighted by the enthusiastic responses of the audiences, and the fulsome praise of distinguished musicians such as Antonio Salieri. However, his health was failing fast, and nine weeks after the first performance he died of kidney failure.

W.A. Mozart

The Overture to The Magic Flute contrasts the solemn music associated in the opera with the priesthood led by Sarastro, with the flighty and energetic music associated with his nemesis the Queen of the Night. Like many of his late compositions it is very concise in its use of melodic ideas, and quite extraordinary in its inventiveness. It is in sonata form with the slow introduction returning between the exposition and development. The allegro makes extensive use of counterpoint. It progresses with an infectious energy towards an exhilarating conclusion. A perfect introduction to the work which was to become Mozart's most successful, and perhaps most influential, opera.

Piano Concerto No. 2

The Second Piano Concerto of Sergei Rachmaninoff is one of the most recognizable, beloved pieces in the repertoire. It unfolds in the most natural, almost inevitable manner, featuring an enormous wealth of beautiful melodies and inspired moments. It is hard to believe it, but Rachmaninoff composed it while he was probably at his lowest, in the grip of a deep depression. His First Symphony, which premiered in 1897, had been a total fiasco. Rachmaninoff’s self-esteem was crushed, and he could not write anything for three years. During this time, he mainly performed as a pianist and conductor, and it wasn’t until he sought the help of Dr. Nikolai Dahl, in January of 1900, that he overcame this creative block. Dr. Dahl specialized in neurology, psychiatry, and psychology. Rachmaninoff saw him daily for more than three months and was treated through hypnosis and support therapy. The results were spectacular. Not only did Rachmaninoff resume composing, but he produced right away one of his most enduring, most perfect masterpieces: the Second Piano Concerto. He acknowledged the importance of Dr. Dahl by dedicating the Concerto to him.

Right from the very beginning, we hear bell-like sounds, reminiscent of the Russian Orthodox Churches, and the services he attended during his childhood. The main theme of the first movement is also likely influenced by Russian Orthodox chants.

The Concerto demands a lot from the soloist, also due to the very large handspan Rachmaninoff possessed, which he fully used in his music. However, the virtuosic challenges are never self serving. In fact, adjectives best describing this Concerto are: deep, passionate, romantic, nostalgic, and lyrical.

Symphony No. 5

Beethoven's fifth symphony is the iconic work of classical music. It pervades the whole world of symbols and imagery of musical art as an evocation of a welter of ideas. In a sad way it is almost impossible to escape all of these associations extrinsic to the work itself and to focus only on Beethoven's composition. But distancing one's self from it all and listening to the symphony as if for the first time can be a joy-as this writer has found, sitting in the best seat in the house (in the back of the orchestra).

By the time that Beethoven had composed this work he was a well-respected composer in Vienna, but certainly not hailed as a genius. The first three symphonies, three piano concertos, piano sonatas, string quartets -all had bolstered his growing reputation before he finished this symphony. It took him rather a long time, almost four years, as he interrupted his work frequently to produce some significant compositions: The Razumovsky string quartets, the fourth symphony and fourth piano concerto, and the first version of his only opera, Fidelio.

Beethoven was a practical man, and when a commission materialized, he shifted his work to where the money was. He finally ground out the completion of the fifth symphony and presented it on an ill-starred concert at the Theater an der Wien on December 22, 1808. It was an all-Beethoven affair, presenting the premières of not only the Fifth Symphony, but also the Sixth Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and the Choral Fantasy (a precursor to his Ninth Symphony), as well as various other compositions. The concert was four hours long and the hall was literally freezing. Moreover, Beethoven, who was conducting, had to start over in one work after a mistake derailed things. The proceedings were not helped by his awkward, grand-eloquent conducting which led to knocking over some lamps and accidentally smacking an unfortunate stagehand in the face. All of this was soon forgotten and the written record shows that Beethoven's fifth symphony was quickly accorded general acclaim, and was on its way to immortality.

The defining characteristics of the work are well known, and focus upon rhythmic vitality, a thitherto unknown sense of drama, and imaginative structural details-but most of all, upon a stunning coherence and economy of elements. The latter is the foundation of the first movement, famous for its four-note motto beginning and the "wringing" almost to death of every musical possibility of the short idea. Forget"fate knocking at the door," this is simply a dramatic tour-de-force of musical coherence. And even if one ignores the adroit manipulation of the melodic content of the opening idea, it is astonishing how well the movement stands upon its own feet from a purely rhythmic perspective.

The second movement is an elegant set of variations on two themes. The key of the movement is Ab, and even if most of us don't have perfect pitch, it just "sounds" fresh and unexpected when the violoncellos and violas enter with one

of Beethoven's most ingratiating melodies in that particular key. The second theme is a more triumphant one, in C major, another remote and refreshing key. The variations gracefully work themselves out with these contrasting themes in a movement quite different from the first.

The third movement is the traditional dance movement, here cast in Beethoven's innovative "scherzo" rhythm-the stately dance of his predecessors being sped up considerably. But it's not a rollicking good time to be had by all, here. Rather, it opens with a mysterious arpeggio in the low strings that ends shortly on some chords with enigmatic meaning.

Soon this is shatteringly interrupted by the unison horns in a virile melody that seems related to the opening of the symphony. The middle of the movement, called the "trio," is usually an opportunity for contrast, and we do get it. It starts out contrapuntally with a vigorous and challenging passage for the violoncellos and double basses -it's a famous one!

They snarl and shake it like a dog. Ultimately, a truncated version of the opening returns, but even softer, and here is where real magic occurs.

Beethoven "bridges" the transition into the last movement with a delicate solo passage in the first violins played over pianissimo sustained notes in the seconds and violas-the basses and timpani softly"throb." In one of the most eerie and tension-building passages in all the literature the melody snakes up and down in a crescendo that jubilantly leads to the C major theme that resolves all previous "troubled thought." For this glorious moment Beethoven brings in three trombones, contra-bassoon, and piccolo-thitherto found only in the opera orchestra. The last movement is long, as three themes are worked over, interrupted only by the striking innovation of a brief reference to the third movement. It's as if Beethoven is saying, "OK, we win, but it may be only a brief victory." The recapitulation ensues, followed by an enormous coda-longer than any other section so far. We hear the main three themes again, only in a kind of reverse order. The long coda is needed to erase all doubt as to what prevails over the diversions and dark moods of the other three movements.

Victory is ours, and the fifty or so measures of emphatic C major chords seal the finale.

MAESTRO

PASQUALE VALERIO, MAESTRO

Pasquale Valerio is the creator nurturer, mentor, and guiding light for the villages Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale.

Pasquale was born in Naples Italy and began his music studies at the age of nine he began studying Trumpet Performance at The N. Piccinni Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1985. His studies were not limited to trumpets but included complimentary piano studies, harmony, and lectures from maestro Filippo Veniero, who was his guide and mentor from 1976 to 1989 period his adult musical career began during his national service as a member of the Carabinieri (Italian Military Police). Fortunately for his musical development, most of this was with the band. After his discharge, he began playing trumpet at the Naples Opera House and he began studying conducting. Pasquale Valerio served as an apprentice under Sir Antonio Pappano for six years period Pasquale followed him around the world from 2006 to 2011 and learned directly from the conductor of the Royal Opera House in London period to that end, Pasquale believes fully in the music of education through music and that children are never too young to start discovering the power of harmony.

In 1996, Pasquale relocated to the United States to continue his conducting studies with Jay Whitney and Gunter Schmidt. In 2004 he became the founder and the musical director of Villages Philharmonic Orchestra where he continues to serve today. Maestro Valerio was the founder of the Lake Sumter Chamber Orchestra and the co-founder and conductor of the Florida Lake Symphony from 2005 to 2006. Pasquale has been regularly invited as a guest conductor at the Orchestra Philharmonic 900’, Teatro Regio, and Viotti International Music festival.

In 2023, Pasquale was appointed as a Conductor Visiting Professor LPMAM for London Performing Academy of Music.

FEATURED ARTISTS

ANTONIO POMPA-BALDI

Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi won the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 1999 and embarked on a career that continues to extend across five continents. A top prize winner at the 1998 Marguerite LongJacques Thibaud Competition of Paris, Pompa-Baldi also won a silver medal at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Pompa-Baldi appears at the world’s major concert venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Cleveland’s Severance Hall, Milan’s Sala Verdi, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Shanghai’s Grand Theatre and Paris’ Salle Pleyel, to name a few. He has collaborated with leading conductors including Hans Graf, James Conlon, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Theodore Kuchar, Benjamin Zander, Louis Lane and Keith Lockhart. He has performed with ensembles and colleagues such as the Takács String Quartet, trumpeter Alison Balsom, cellist Sharon Robinson, Juilliard Quartet violinist Areta Zhulla, and principals of The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, and New York Philharmonic, among others. With a concerto repertoire including more than 60 works, Pompa-Baldi has performed cycles of all the Rachmaninoff piano concertos, the five Beethoven piano concertos and both Brahms piano concertos, among many other mainstream works.

He also loves performing new scores, and lesser known ones, from premiering piano concertos by Italian composers Roberto Piana and Luca Moscardi, to resurrecting the early A minor Respighi Piano Concerto, the Howard Ferguson Concerto and the Cecile Chaminade Konzertstück, to name a few.

Pompa-Baldi has played recitals in most major venues over the world, attaining the same balance between featuring beloved works from the standard repertoire, and showcasing new or unjustly neglected masterpieces. Among recent stops on his tours, he performed in Vienna, Austria; Malaga, Spain; Nancy, France; New York; Cape Town, South Africa; Husum Festival, Germany; Duszniki Chopin Festival, Poland. Just before the pandemic, he toured China, playing in Beijing, Wuhan, Nanjing, Dalian, Guangzhou, as well as the Lang Lang festivals in Shenzhen and Hangzhou.

Mr. Pompa-Baldi has recorded over 30 CDs to date, for various labels including Centaur Records, Steinway, Brilliant Classics, Harmonia Mundi, TwoPianists, and Azica. Among them, the complete piano and chamber music works of Grieg, the Josef Rheinberger Piano Sonatas, the complete Hummel Piano Sonatas, and CDs dedicated to Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Respighi, and Rachmaninoff.

For the Steinway label, Pompa-Baldi recorded a disc of songs by Francis Poulenc and Edith Piaf, arranged for solo piano, to commemorate the 50th year of the

FEATURED ARTISTS

passing of both French musical icons, as well as a CD titled “Napoli”, which features new piano versions of famous Neapolitan songs. His latest releases feature Concertos for Violin, Piano and Orchestra by Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Hummel, as well as a CD of newly composed Opera Fantasies on La Bohème and Carmen, by Roberto Piana. The Steinway label also recently released Pompa-Baldi’s piano transcription of the Respighi B minor Violin Sonata, The score has been published by the Japanese publishing house Muse Press.

Antonio Pompa-Baldi is a Steinway Artist since 2003. He is often invited to judge international piano competitions such as the Cleveland, Hilton Head, E-Competition (Minneapolis), BNDES Rio de Janeiro, and Edward Grieg (Bergen), among many others. He serves as president of the jury and artistic advisor for the San Jose International Piano Competition since 2006. Pompa-Baldi is on faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music as Artist-inResidence and Distinguished Professor of Piano. His students have been prizewinners in important competitions such as Marguerite Long, Hilton Head, Isang Yun, and Gina Bachauer. He is regularly invited to teach masterclasses in countless universities, music schools, and festivals in the US and all over the world. He holds honorary professorships from the Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang Conservatories, as well as several other institutions.

From 2009 to 2012, Pompa-Baldi lead the Manuel Rueda program in Santo Domingo, working with Fundación por la Musica, mentoring young Dominican pianists.

In 2015, Pompa-Baldi founded the Todi International Music Masters festival, of which he is artistic director and faculty member. This summer festival takes place every August in the beautiful Italian town of Todi. It features 15 concerts in 15 days, masterclasses with internationally renown faculty members, and students from all over the world.

FLUTE

Nicolas Real, Principal

Tanja Agreiter

OBOE

Joshua Hall, Principal

Chanmi Kim

CLARINET

Jason Gibbs, Principal

Dominique Snider

BASSOON

Chris Eberle, Principal

Kevin Fuller

FRENCH HORN

Joseph Lewinsky, Principal

Chase DeCarlo

Dann O'Donnell

Nicholas Burner

TRUMPET

John DePaola, Principal

Tarcisio D’Addona, Co-Principal

TROMBONE

Andrea Rowlison, Principal

Jeremy Fielder

BASS TROMBONE

Anthony Hill

ORCHESTRA ROSTER

TYMPANI

Christopher Nolin

FIRST VIOLIN

Salvatore Lombardo, Concertmaster

Stewart Kitts

Marius Tabacila

David Dajiang

Michael De Jesus

Jose Guedez

Cindy Qi

Carlos Jaques

Baoling Xu

Iryne Usova

Elaina Cook

Ebert Ceballo

Dina Fedosenko

SECOND VIOLIN

Gregory Carreño, Principal

Sandy Kitts

Elizabeth Kitts

Luisamar Navarro

Vladimir Sklyarov

Eduardo Castro

Yenifer Laurens

Luisa Maria Zambrano

Natalie Kitts

Sheryl Genco

VIOLA

Angelo Goderre, Principal

Rafael Ramirez

Juan C Siviero

Angelo IOLLO

Andrea Oliveira

Francia Laurens

Joseph Henderson

CELLO

David Calhoun, Principal

Olga Beliaieva

Petar Kacenovici

George Alexander

Helen Lewis

Benito Liendo

DOUBLE BASS

Kevin Gallagher,Principal

Jonathan Ingram

Luis Luna

Michael Antony McCabee

Jordan Nashman

Blackston Financial Advisory Group

FMK Restaurant Group

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Havana Country Club & Legacy Restaurant at Nancy Lopez Country Club by Suleiman Family Restaurants

Royal Décor Company

Sheds N More

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ORCHESTRA CIRCLE

$10,000+

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ARIA CIRCLE Up to $99

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MEMORIAL DONATIONS

Bill Barnes: Susan Escobedo

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