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Experience… HAPPINESS, LOVE, HOME, DISCOVERY, INSPIRATION, POWER, INFINITY with the Vancouver Island Symphony.
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4 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Message from the Artistic Director................................7 Artistic Director Pierre Simard......................................... 9 Members of the Orchestra................................................11 About the VI Symphony.....................................................11 CONCERT ~ January 18, 2019 Origins Symphony Matinee - Origin Opus #2 Programme.............................................................................. 13 Programme Notes................................................................ 14 CONCERT ~ January 19, 2019 Symphony at the Sid Series #2 ESCAPE with Scheherazade Programme.............................................................................. 15 Programme Notes................................................................ 18 CONCERT ~ January 19, 2019 DISCOVERY! a Tribute to Women Composers Programme.............................................................................. 17 Guest Artist............................................................................... 16 Programme Notes................................................................ 14 Message from the VIS President.................................. 19 VIS Board of Directors & Admin Team....................... 19 CONCERT ~ January 28, 2019 Tafelmusik Programme..............................................................................23 Symphony Champions ......................................................26 Community Partners...........................................................27 CONCERT ~ February 15 & 16, 2019 INSPIRATION! Schumann and Mozart Programme..............................................................................29 Guest Artist...............................................................................28 Programme Notes................................................................30 CONCERT ~ February 17, 2019 Symphony at the Sid Series #3 ESCAPE with Mozart Programme..............................................................................33 Programme Notes................................................................30 Greeting from our Season Sponsor............................35 VIS Heart Strings Program............................................... 37 Greeting from our Season Sponsor............................33 CONCERT ~ March 9, 2019 POWER! Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Programme..............................................................................39 Guest Artist...............................................................................38 CONCERTS ~ March 21, 2019 Symphony SoundBites Series #2 BACH’S GOLDBERG VARIATIONS Programme.............................................................................. 41 Programme Notes................................................................42 CONCERT ~ April 26, 2019 Origins Symphony Matinee - Origin Opus #3 Programme..............................................................................45 Programme Notes................................................................46 CONCERT ~ April 27, 2019 INFINITY! Star Wars and Holst’s Planets Programme..............................................................................47 Programme Notes................................................................46 Vancouver Island Symphony Foundation............... 51 PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE PHOTO CREDITS PHOTOGRAPHS OF VIS PERSONNEL AND EVENTS AND OTHER IMAGES ON PAGES 3, 7, 9, 11, 19, 43, 51 BY HEYDEMANN ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
A MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Passion might very well be the most important driving force for any artist, performing or otherwise. In this fast-paced age, filled with fleeting satisfactions, maintaining and nurturing passions seems to become paramount. For the Vancouver Island Symphony’s 24th season, we mean to give Passion heightened meanings, and explore all of its possible levels! From a musical perspective, passion can be expressed for a specific genre of music, or a particular instrument, or an intention of capturing and experiencing a type of emotion. Are you coming to the concert for the passionate performing of our musicians? Or maybe for the intense feelings one can find in the sublime compositions of another time? Yet again, it might be for the simple but still passionate act of connecting with other concertgoers - also as passionate as you are - on the occasion of a performance. My own passion as artistic director and conductor is equally divided between the expert playing of our VIS musicians, and that which I feel about every single page of every single piece we perform! From Classical to Rock, from Baroque to Modern, the reasons to be passionate about music, and music-making, are endless. Our Winter, main series programs speak of Passion through an incredible array of styles, genres, forms and combinations. In January, we take a stand for women composers, with romantic and contemporary works, including the reprise of one of the concertos commissioned by the VIS a few years ago. Then, February features two masterworks by Schumann and Mozart, and a visit from Vancouver Islander and pianist, Carter Johnson. Have you ever seen a head-banging conductor? - it might happen for our March concert featuring Jeans N’ Classics and the music of Led Zeppelin - a rock group whose music filled my walkman cassette tapes during my teenage years (!). And finally, in April, we take you to the stars with both music and visuals, a space extravaganza featuring the music from the Star Wars saga and Holst’s Planets, accompanied by a choreography of breathtaking NASA animations. We also maintain both our Origin Matinee Series, a three-concert, afternoon series featuring main repertoire from Saturday evening programs, and our Symphony Soundbites Series - with a Winter concert featuring the celebrated Sitkovetsky transcription for strings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations - also an occasion for us to unveil our recently acquired VIS Sperrhake-Passau harpsichord, bequested to us. We are excited to return to the Comox Valley this winter for two Symphony at the Sid concerts: on January 19 Escape with Scheherazade and February 17 Escape with Mozart. The Vancouver Island Symphony is a true gem on the Island. I am honoured and excited to be part of it, and happy to further its being a creative asset in our community, along with our VIS team. Live symphony performances are essential in enhancing our lives through the universal and powerful language of music. Join us at every concert; experience Live Music at its finest, experience our PASSION! Pierre Simard, Artisitic Director
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If you have a couple of spare hours and would be willing to assist the Symphony - please give us a ring. Tasks can be completed at home, at rehearsals, in our office or out in the community. Call the VIS Office 250-754-0177
Upcoming Feature Exhibit Nanaimo Mysteries (Feb 16- Sept 3 2019)
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Where Wisdom Meets Knowledge Courses ranging from 1 day up to 8 weeks offered in Nanaimo & Parksville for those 50 or better.
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Caring and nurturing environment Centrally located We offer: Suzuki Programs • Ensemble Classes • Individual Lessons RCM Exam Preparation and Musicianship Caring and• Theory nurturing environment Award Winning Youth Choir • Spring Break Musical Theatre Centrally located Kindermusik for Babies and Toddlers
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registrar@ncmusic.ca | www.ncmusic.ca Suzuki Programs
NCM is a proud member of the BC Association of CommunityEnsemble Music Schools Classes
8 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
PROFESSIONAL, HIGHLY QUALIFIED INSTRUCTORS
Individual Lessons
BIOGRAPHIES
PIERRE SIMARD, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ACCLAIMED IN CANADA and internationally, Pierre Simard is a prominent conductor, composer and arranger. Artistic and Music Director with the Vancouver Island Symphony (BC) and formerly Associate and Resident Conductor with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (AB) and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (BC), Pierre Simard’s artistry is versatile, compelling and nuanced, performing every masterwork with remarkable musicianship. A guest conductor with major symphonies and ensembles in North America and Europe, Pierre Simard is namely invited with the Milwaukee Symphony (MI), the Tucson Symphony (AZ), for the Hot Springs Music Festival (AR), the Toronto Symphony, at the Ottawa’s Jazzfest with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, at Lanaudière’s International Music Festival, and with symphony orchestras in Edmonton, Victoria, Kingston, Okanagan, Hamilton, Trois-Rivières, Québec’s Les Violons du
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Roy and Montréal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. He is a former Artistic and Music Director with the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville (QC). Pierre Simard guest conducts performances with virtuosi and solo artists of all genres, notably trumpet legend Chris Botti, singers Colin James, Chantal Kreviazuk and Nikki Yanofsky, Cirque du Soleil acts as well as classical stars such as Jan Lisiecki,Angela Cheng, Alexandre Da Costa, Ian Parker, Benjamin Grosvenor and other accomplished international soloists. Amongst many distinctions in Canada and the United States, Pierre Simard was granted an Award in Orchestral Conducting from the Canada Council for the Arts, two Opus Prizes from the Quebec Council of Music, and many prizes recognizing his outstanding artistic contribution. Pierre Simard holds a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore (MD) and five prizes from Montréal’s Conservatory of Music. An accomplished composer and arranger, his works are notably performed by the Tasmanian Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic and Montreal-based Ensemble Pentaèdre. Pierre Simard’s warm personality on and off stage combined with his unwavering commitment to music performance have drawn concertgoers of all generations to celebrate a large and diversified repertoire.
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SYMPHONY CHAMPIONS
Help Your Symphony Keep Music Live for our Community!
2018-2019 GOAL!
$150,000 $125,000
We are just over one third of the way towards meeting our operating needs for the 2018-2019 season! Please help us reach our goal of $150,000 in donations from individuals just like you - so we can continue to provide great performances for our community and deliver our Grade 4 Education Program annually. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations over $20.00. Thank you for considering a gift of music.
$100,000
$75,000
$50,000
$25,000
3 Projects to SUPPORT your Community! VI Symphony Education Shows ALL GRADE 4’s ATTEND THE SYMPHONY!
2000 9 Year Olds at the Symphony
We believe that children are an integral part of a thriving arts organization and a creative community. Education Shows allow ALL Grade 4 students, their teachers and chaperones a opportunity to hear a LIVE symphony performance. vancouverislandsymphony.com
Support Your Symphony!
KEEPING MUSIC LIVE FOR YOU - IN YOUR COMMUNITY! The Vancouver Island Symphony has built a foundation of support from year to year, with our loyal audience however ticket sales (even if we are sold out!) - cover less than half of the costs to produce a symphony concert.
Send A Symphony Musician to School BRINGING MUSICAL EXPERIENCES TO CHILDREN!
Teaching!
A VIS musician will visit every school in School Districts #68 (Ladysmith-Nanaimo) and #71 (Comox Valley) prior to our Vancouver Island Symphony Education Shows. vancouverislandsymphony.com
There are many ways to donate: 4 Donate monthly or in one annual gift to the VIS 4 Call our office with your Credit Card 4 Mail a cheque to our office 4 Bring a cheque to a concert 4 Send an e-transfer to info@vancouverislandsymphony.com 4 Donate through Canada Helps visit: www.vancouverislandsymphony.com
Box 661 | Nanaimo, BC V9R 5L9 T. 250.754.0177 | F. 250.754.0165 www.vancouverislandsymphony.com
Thank you for your support!
All information collected by the Vancouver Island Symphony is confidential and will not be released. Charitable Tax #119050813RR0001
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SYMPHONY PERSONNEL
Vancouver Island Symphony ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
VIOLA
FLUTE
TROMBONE
Pierre Simard
Manti Poon*†
Paolo Bortolussi*† Emily Nagelbach†
Andrew Poirier*† Andrew Clayden Justin Chiang Matt McConchie Mike Wade
The Joyce Clarke Honourary Conductor’s Podium FIRST VIOLIN
Calvin Dyck*, Concertmaster Eveline O’Rourke Honourary Concertmaster Chair
Li-Ling Liao† Associate Concertmaster
Alana Lopez† Erin Dorfer† Llowyn Ball Hannah Chung Susan Cosco Jeremy Ferland Carol Hur SECOND VIOLIN
Samuel Tsui*† James Mark† Kathleen Hovey† Ji In Kim Julia Lim Larisa Lebeda Molly MacKinnon Karl Rainer Nick Ross
Betty St. Jean Memorial Chair
Guyonne Le Louarn† Ju Dee Ang Jenny Ho Peter Ing Henry Liang Steven Lin
OBOE
Geronimo Mendoza*† Dr. Marjorie S. Holmes Memorial Chair
Akane Setiawan† CLARINET
CELLO
Christopher Lee*† Krystal Morrison †
Open*†
BASSOON
Judy Fraser Memorial Chair
Laine Longton† Doug Gorkoff Helena Jung Alexandra Lee DOUBLE BASS
Mark Beaty*† Michael Vaughan† Mark Haney Alex Olson Leanna Wong
Musicians listed will perform on one or more Vancouver Island Symphony concerts this year.
Anthony Averay*† Olivia Martin† FRENCH HORN
Andrew Clark*† Carl Saarinen Memorial Chair
BASS TROMBONE
Scott MacInnes*† TUBA
Eric Morton*† PIANO / KEYBOARD
Andrea Wood PERCUSSION
Jonathan Bernard*† Martin Fisk Richard Lang Gael Chabot Leclerc
Keon Birney† Karen Hough† Heather Walker†
TIMPANI
TRUMPET
Lani Krantz*†
Stevan Paranosic*† Mark D’Angelo† Merrie Klazek Jeremy Vint
Mark Beaty
Personnel Manager
Karl Rainer
Librarian
Nicole Arendt*† HARP * Principal † VIS Core Musician
Jim Kent
Technical Director
Our Story UNDER THE ARTISTIC DIRECTION of our noted conductor, Pierre Simard, the Vancouver Island Symphony is a professional Canadian orchestra - one of only two on Vancouver Island. Now in its 24th year, the VIS presents a 14-concert season of world-class orchestral performances at the beautiful harbour setting of Nanaimo’s Port Theatre. In addition, this Season the VIS presents a three concert Season at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay and two concerts at the Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River. New this season the VIS will present a concert at the Cowichan Theatre in Duncan.
By attracting professional musicians and soloists from across the country, offering special education and community concerts and programming and engaging active volunteers and donors, the VIS serves as a creative asset to the many communities of the growing Central Island area. Its wide-reaching audience and commitment to education are helping to Keep Music Live and foster the next generation of audiences and performers. The VI Symphony values the continued support it receives from its patrons through tickets sales and donations.
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ACTIVE LIFESTYLE COMMUNITY
What do you want to do today?
Origin at Longwood is a proud supporter of The Vancouver Island Symphony. We believe in people persuing their passions their way. Come and see what life is like at our Active Lifestyle Community. To experience Origin for yourself call
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE COMMUNITY
6205 Oliver Road (at Uplands)
1-855-401-3352 www.originlongwood.ca
12 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
ORIGIN SYMPHONY MATINEE SERIES #2
PROGRAMME
Symphony
Matinee Series
18 FRIDAY
ORIGIN OPUS #2
JANUARY 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Conductor: Pierre Simard Joan Tower (1938- ): For the Uncommon Woman Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Scheherazade, op. 35 1. 2. 3. 4.
SEASON SPONSOR
The Sea and Sindbad’s Ship The Tale of Prince Kalendar The Young Prince and the Young Princess The Festival at Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock SERIES SPONSOR
See Page 14 for Programme Notes
Join us for Tea & Treats in the Lobby after the show!
PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
KRISTIN M.J. RONGVE
BARRISTER & SOLICITOR
Proud Sponsor of the Vancouver Island Symphony! Phone: 250-390-3157 | www.kristinrongve.ca | email: info@kristinrongve.ca
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DISCOVERY! PROGRAMME NOTES
Joan TOWER: For the Uncommon Woman All four”Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman” are dedicated to women who are adventurous and take risks. The first Fanfare was inspired by Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and is scored for the same instrumentation of 3 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones, tuba and percussion. This fanfare was premiered by the Houston Symphony as part of their Fanfare Project in 1987 with Hans Vonk conducting. The fourth fanfare, « For the Uncommon Woman », is scored for full orchestra and was commissioned by The Kansas City Symphony with funding from AT&T. - Joan Tower (excerpted) Cécile CHAMINADE: Flute Concertino Chaminade represents the paradoxical composer; on the one hand, she can be claimed to be one of the most famous female composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; and on the other, she is almost completely forgotten. Her music is deeply attractive and elegant, however, and the Concertino is a staple of the flute repertoire. Chaminade’s mother, a pianist and singer, provided the young Cecile with her earliest musical instruction, who began to experiment in composition around the mid-1860s. Paternal disparagement prevented her from attending the Paris Conservatoire, so instead she studied privately with members of its faculty. From the early 1880s Chaminade began to compose in earnest, and these varying scale works were well-received. However, from 1890, she composed mainly character pieces and salon melodies, perhaps due to financial, aesthetic or discriminatory factors. Even these became popular, especially in England and the USA, and Chaminade promoted sales through extensive concert tours: she frequently performed for Queen Victoria. Her reputation as a composer declined sharply as the twentieth century progressed, with simple and accessible music receiving less favour and critical acclaim than the increasingly complex musics that were emanating from Germany. Chaminade refused to advance her style however, and this is probably one of the main reasons that her music became forgotten; the exception to this being the Concertino, commissioned by the Paris Conservatoire for their annual Concours competition - R. Corney (excerpted) Jennifer HIGDON: blue cathedral Jennifer Higdon is one of America’s most acclaimed figures in contemporary classical music, receiving the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, a 2010 Grammy for her Percussion Concerto and a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto. Higdon enjoys several hundred performances a year of her works, and blue cathedral is one of today’s most performed contemporary orchestral works, with more than 600 performances worldwide. Her works have been recorded on more than sixty CDs. Higdon’s first opera, Cold Mountain, won the International Opera Award for Best World Premiere and the opera recording was nominated for 2 Grammy awards. She holds the Rock Chair in Composition at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Blue...like the sky. Where all possibilities soar. Cathedrals...a place of thought, growth, spiritual expression...serving as a symbolic doorway in to and out of this world. Blue represents all potential and the progression of journeys. Cathedrals represent a place of beginnings, endings, solitude, fellowship, contemplation, knowledge and growth. As I was writing this piece, I found myself imagining a journey through a glass cathedral in the sky. Because the walls would be transparent, I saw the image of clouds and blueness permeating from the outside of this church. In my mind’s eye the listener would enter from the back of the sanctuary, floating along the corridor amongst giant crystal pillars, moving in a contemplative stance. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18... The stained glass windows’ figures would start moving with song, singing a heavenly music. The listener would float down the aisle, slowly moving upward at first and then progressing at a quicker pace, rising towards an immense ceiling which would open to the sky...as this journey progressed, the speed of the traveler would increase, rushing forward and upward. I wanted to create the sensation of contemplation and quiet peace at the beginning, moving towards the feeling of celebration and ecstatic expansion of the soul, all the while singing along with that heavenly music. This is a story that commemorates living and passing through places of knowledge and of sharing and of that song called life. - J. Higdon Jocelyn MORLOCK: Ornithomancy Ornithomancy is the practice of divination by observing the activity and flight patterns of birds. Though I’m not convinced of their ability to predict the future, I have a long-held fascination with birds of all kinds. Their energy, flight and songs are beautiful and strange, and thus a fertile subject for a flute concerto. Ornithomancy is a single-movement piece, about 15 minutes long, in three roughly equal sections. The first section is slower and more mysterious than the rest of the piece – it is somewhat sneaky, and the music is quite chromatic. The second section is fast
14 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
SERIES SPONSOR
MEDIA SPONSOR
ESCAPE! with
SCHEHERAZADE SATURDAY JANUARY 19 2:00 PM - Reception to follow
Sid Williams Theatre, Courtenay Conductor: Pierre Simard
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Scheherazade, op. 35 1. 2. 3. 4.
The Sea and Sindbad’s Ship The Tale of Prince Kalendar The Young Prince and the Young Princess The Festival at Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock
See Page 18 for Programme Notes
Proud Sponsor of
ARTS in the Community
470-D FIFTH STREET COURTENAY | 250-338-5811
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FEATURED ARTIST
PAOLO BORTOLUSSI, FLUTE Flutist Paolo Bortolussi is a soloist, chamber artist, and new music pioneer. Dedicated to championing music by living composers, he has premiered over 150 works for flute, including concerti written for him by Dorothy Chang, Jocelyn Morlock, Jian-Ping Tang, and Aaron Gervais. Paolo is artistic director of the Nu:BC Collective, a new music ensemble in residence at the University of British Columbia. Firmly established as one of the premier interpreters of contemporary music in Western Canada, Nu:BC has performed at festivals across Canada, the US and Asia, and has premiered works by some of Canada’s leading composers including Brian Cherney, Gabriel Dharmoo, Michael Oesterle, Chris Paul Harman, Dorothy Chang, Owen Underhill, Aaron Gervais, John Oliver, Keith Hamel, and many more. *Beyond Shadows, *Nu:BC’s debut CD, as well as Paolo’s recent solo release *Israfel* have received multiple nominations at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Paolo is principal flutist of the Vancouver Island Symphony, and has also performed with the Vancouver and Victoria Symphonies, the Okanagan Symphony, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Turning Point Ensemble, and many other ensembles. A member of the VIS since 2003, he is the driving force behind the Canadian Concerto Project, which has commissioned, premiered, and recorded five new concerti by Canadian composers for principal players of the orchestra. Over the next three seasons, Paolo will also oversee the Vancouver Island Symphony’s ambitious commissioning plan to partner three composers from across Canada with Nanaimo’s Poet Laureate, Tina Biello, in creating and premiering new works for voice and orchestra.
Dr. Ansel CHIROPRACTIC
250-585-4455 120 Black Powder Trail, Nanaimo, BC V9S 3G6
dransel.com 16 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
Raised in Halifax, Dr. Bortolussi is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and the Indiana University School of Music. He serves on the faculties of the University of British Columbia, where he directs the Contemporary Players Ensemble, as well as Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Trinity Western University. He is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician, and has presented masterclasses across North America as well as in Korea and Taiwan.
PROGRAMME
DISCOVERY!
JANUARY 19, 2019
19
SATURDAY
JANUARY 7:30 PM
PRE-CONCERT TALK 6:30 PM
DISCOVERY! a Tribute to Women Composers
SERIES SPONSOR
Conductor: Pierre Simard Guest soloist: *Paolo Bortolussi, flute Joan Tower (1938- ): For the Uncommon Woman
PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
*Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944): Flute Concertino in D major, op. 107 Jennifer Higdon (1962blue cathedral
):
*Jocelyn Morlock (1969- ): Ornithomancy (concerto for Flute)
INTERMISSION Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Scheherazade, op. 35 1. 2. 3. 4.
The Sea and Sindbad’s Ship The Tale of Prince Kalendar The Young Prince and the Young Princess The Festival at Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock
See Page 14 for Programme Notes
SEASON SPONSOR
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DISCOVERY! PROGRAMME NOTES continued
and nervous (one might say flighty), rhythmically punchy and precise. In the final section, there is a sense of expansion, flight, and reverie. In keeping with the idea of bird-like flocking activities, rather than one extended cadenza, it features short solos and soloistic playing from numerous members of the orchestra. JUNO Award-nominated composer Jocelyn Morlock’s music is hailed as “airy but rhythmic, tuneful but complex” with “uncanny yet toothsome beauty” (Alex Varty, Georgia Straight.) “A lyrical wonder, exquisite writing” with “an acute feeling for sonority” (David Gordon Duke, Vancouver Sun), her music is recorded on 21 CDs including newly-released Halcyon, and Cobalt, whose title track won the 2015 WCMA for Classical Composition. Morlock’s music has received accolades including Top 10 at the 2002 International Rostrum of Composers, winner of the 2003 CMC Prairie Region Emerging Composers competition, five nominations and one win for Classical Composition/Recording of the Year at the WCMAs, and a JUNO Nomination for Classical Composition of the Year (2011.) She recently won the Mayor’s Arts Award for Music in Vancouver (2016.) Morlock is Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Composer-in-Residence; she began her term in 2014, following her term as inaugural Composer-in-Residence for Music on Main. Much of Jocelyn’s music has been inspired by birds, insomnia, or a peculiar combination thereof. Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade, op. 35 The fantastic collection of tales known as The Arabian Nights, or A Thousand and One Nights, has captivated readers for centuries. The ancient stories, mostly of Arabic, Indian, or Persian origin, were first presented to European readers in an early 18th-century French translation by Antoine Galland. In the late 19th century, British explorer Sir Francis Richard Burton created a popular English-language version. To this day, the tales of Aladdin, Sinbad, and Ali Baba continue to weave their magical spell. Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov created his Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite after “A Thousand and One Nights,” in the summer of 1888. The composer proudly acknowledged: “my orchestration had achieved a considerable degree of virtuosity and bright sonority.” The composer led the first performance of Scheherazade in St. Petersburg on November 3, 1888. Several musical themes recur throughout the work’s four movements. However, Rimsky-Korsakov emphatically cautioned: “In vain do people seek in my suite leading motives linked unbrokenly with ever the same poetic ideas and conceptions. On the contrary, in the majority of cases, all these seeming leitmotives are nothing but purely musical material or the given motives for symphonic development. These given motives thread and spread over all the movements of the suite, alternating and intertwining each with the other. Appearing as they do each time under different illumination, depicting each time different traits and expressing different moods, the self-same motives and themes correspond each time to different images, actions and pictures. » Nevertheless, the composer did acknowledge that the famous recurring violin solo, which makes its initial appearance at the beginning of the first movement, is symbolic of the heroine Scheherazade, “telling her wondrous tales to the stern sultan.” As a preface to his score, Rimsky-Korsakov provided the following program for Scheherazade: The Sultan Schahriar, convinced of the perfidy and faithlessness of women, vowed to execute each of his wives after the first night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her own life by interesting him in the tales she told him through 1001 nights. Impelled by curiosity, the Sultan continually put off her execution, and at last entirely abandoned his sanguinary resolve. Many marvels did Scheherazade relate to him, citing the verses of poets and the words of songs, weaving tale into tale and story into story. - K. Meltzer (excerpted)
18 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
Welcome to one of Vancouver Island’s gems! As we approach our 25th year Anniversary Season (2019/20), we can take pride in the work of so many important, committed volunteers who not only brought the idea of our very own professional orchestra to our region, but also laid the foundation for its sustainability. They bestowed a remarkable vision in the late 20th century when so many other orchestras were failing. Not only have we been able to build on that legacy, but we have also collectively achieved acclaim as an accomplished, progressive, innovative orchestra, one of Canada’s leading regional symphonies. That success certainly rests with our past committed Boards and volunteers. But, even more so, the continued legacy thrives because we have been able to attract accomplished and dedicated musicians who believe in the work of the VIS and the leadership of Maestro Pierre Simard. Under his impassioned baton and with the musicians’ significant commitment to excellence and our orchestral model, we approach year 25 with much cause to celebrate. None of that celebration could be possible, however, without the significant financial commitment of our Corporate Sponsors and Symphony Champions. It is through the dedication of all our VIS ‘friends’ that we can keep the music alive. On behalf of the Board and our audiences, thank you for that! Dr. David Witty President
SYMPHONY ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM CEO Margot Holmes
BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT David Witty
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
TREASURER Blake McGuffie
Christine McAuley
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Kimberly Plumley
Elizabeth Brimacombe, Joyce Clarke, Zinda Fitzgerald, Dean Philpott, Andrea Rosato-Taylor, Larry Rumming, Marianne Turley
OFFICE MANAGER
Melanie Meades
EDUCATION & OUTREACH MANAGER
Mark Beaty
250.754.0177 phone | 250.754.0165 fax | Box 661, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5L9 info@vancouverislandsymphony.com | www.vancouverislandsymphony.com All VIS tickets, unless otherwise stated, are sold through the Port Theatre Ticket Centre 250.754.8550 | www.porttheatre.com | 125 Front Street, Nanaimo
NEW MUSIC & COMMISSIONS COORDINATOR
Paolo Bortolussi
HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR
Kate Hynes
GRAPHIC DESIGN/WEBSITE
Liza Taylor
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Box 269 1‐16 High Street Ladysmith, BC V9G 1A2 Phone 250.245.9375 | Fax 250.245.8164 Unit 112 50 Tenth Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 6L1 Phone 250.716.5221 | Fax 250.716.5222
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(250) 824-0816 NanaimoLincoln.com 20 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
2019 Lincoln MKC
Our Symphony Donors’ gifts enable powerful, moving, and exceptional live music experiences, making live classical music accessible to the people in our community, including thousands of our area’s children and youth. Gifts of any amount are needed and most appreciated for the Vancouver Island Symphony’s activities in our community. KEEPING MUSIC LIVE SYMPHONY DREAM CIRCLE ($5000+) • An all access Symphony Lovers Pass to rehearsals and behind the scenes Symphony events. • 4 complimentary tickets to any performance • A private dinner with Pierre Simard • Plus everything listed below. MAESTRO’S CIRCLE ($2000+) • Annual Dinner Party hosted by Artistic Director Pierre Simard. • Plus everything listed below. CONCERTMASTER’S CIRCLE ($1000+) • An invitation to the Concertmaster’s Party hosted by Calvin Dyck. • An invitation to all Saturday evening concert receptions with the musicians and sponsors. • Plus everything listed below.
ENCORE CIRCLE ($500+) • Friday, November 16, 2018, 4pm - 5:30 pm: Opportunity to enjoy coffee with our Musicians backstage and then sit on stage (or in the audience) during the rehearsal for LOVE - the Cirque Spectacular! • Plus everything listed below. BRAVO CIRCLE ($250+) • A Guest Pass for two to attend a Symphony Rehearsal of your choice. • Plus everything listed below. APPLAUSE CIRCLE ($120+)
$10/month makes a difference! • Recognition in encore! magazine — the VIS Concert Programme and Hot Notes distributed at each VIS Event. • (Donations received from May 2018– April 2019) • A tax receipt for your generous gift.
I am a Symphony Champion! Here is my contribution to keeping the music playing in my community. My annual donation in the amount of $______________ OR I would like to make a monthly donation in the amount of $______________. s NAME (as you would like it listed in the programme)
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SIGNATURE Box 661 | Nanaimo, BC V9R 5L9 T. 250.754.0177 | F. 250.754.0165
Thank you for your support! All information collected by the Vancouver Island Symphony is confidential and will not be released. Charitable Tax #119050813RR0001
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SPECIAL CONCERT JANUARY 28, 2019
PROGRAMME
28 MONDAY
JANUARY 7:30 PM
TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE ORCHESTRA Elisa Citterio, Music Director Western Canada Tour 2019
J.S. Bach: The Circle of Creation
Conceived, programmed, and scripted by Alison Mackay Directed by Elisa Citterio Kevin Bundy Narrator Marshall Pynkoski Stage Director Glenn Davidson Production Designer Raha Javanfar Projections Designer Jane MacRae Film Editor
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Sinfonia to Cantata 249a Sonata for 3 violins in C Major, after BWV 1005: I. Adagio Orchestral suite no. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066: Ouverture Chorale tune “Gloria laus et honor” Orchestral suite no. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066: Bourrée & Forlane Sinfonia in G Minor, BWV 797, for solo harpsichord Prelude in C Major, BWV 933, for solo harpsichord Suite no. 3 for violoncello in C Major, BWV 1009: Sarabande Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: I. Allegro Adagio, after Cantata 202/1: “Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten” (Depart, melancholy shadows) Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: II. Allegro
INTERMISSION Andante, after Cantata 208/9: “Schafe können sicher weiden” (Sheep may safely graze) Partita for violin in D Minor, BWV 1004: Allemande Tish Nign (18th-century Klezmer tune) Cantata 140: Chorale “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Awake, calls the voice to us) Orchestral suite no. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: Gavotte Sonata for 2 violins and continuo in G Major, BWV 1039: Adagio & Allegro ma non presto Canons on the first 8 notes of Goldberg Variations, BWV 1087 Simplex – Duplex a 4 – Duplex a 5 Excerpts from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 Air – Variation #18: Canone alla sexta – Variation #22: Alla breve Canon triplex on the first 8 notes of Goldberg Variations, BWV 1087/13 Adagio, after Cantata 42/3: “Wo zwei und drei versammlet sind” (Where two and three are gathered together) Sinfonia, after Cantata 11/1: “Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen” (Praise the Lord in his riches) Movements from Cantatas 249a, 202, 208, 42, & 11, and Goldberg Variations #18 & 22 transcribed & arranged by Alison Mackay. Sonata BWV 1005 arranged by Christopher Verrette Tafelmusik’s Western Canada Tour 2019 is generously supported by:
See Hot Notes Insert for additional programme notes
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Vancouver Island Symphony Exclusive Book any 7-night or longer cruise or land tour* with CruisePlus and receive 2 complimentary symphony tickets to an upcoming performance!
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IN THE COMMUNITY
Supporting the Arts in Downtown Nanaimo! OUR VISION: Making connections for the future.
OUR MISSION: By focusing on education of youth, Women of Note promote the Vancouver Island Symphony through nurturing and building collaborative relationships with our community members. WOMEN OF NOTE COMMITTEE: Zinda Fitzgerald, Rosemarie Sherban, Marianne Turley www.dnbia.ca 250-754-8141
WOMEN OF NOTE are women in our community that believe that the arts make our lives better and produce thriving communities that are more enjoyable places to live for everyone. For the last 20 years the Vancouver Island Symphony has brought thousands of children to hear the Symphony. Women of Note donate $10+ a month and this goes directly to support the Symphony’s Education Spring (Feb 17 - Sep 5): concert - soFeature no child Exhibit is left behind.
Canada 150: Centennial Stories JOIN US TODAY! Centennial Stories Presentation (Mar 1) ONLINE REGISTRATION: Spring Break Programs (Mar 20 - Apr 1) vancouverislandsymphony.com/WON INFORMATION: nanaimomuseum.ca •250.753.1821 won@vancouverislandsymphony.com PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED! WOMEN OF NOTE EVENT: THURS FEB 14
Valentine’s Day Light Lunch with Musicians 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. followed by rehearsal 3 - 4 p.m. if women wish to stay. Price TBD
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January — April 2017
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OUR SUPPORTERS
SYMPHONY CHAMPIONS! THANK YOU FOR OUR GIFTS TO THE VANCOUVER ISLAND SYMPHONY! Names are listed for gifts made since May 2018
DREAM CIRCLE (5,000+) Anonymous Stephen & Debbie Neil Randle Jones Craig & Joyce Clarke Dietmar & Sharon Seibt Jim & Marianne Turley Rosemary Wilkinson MAESTRO CIRCLE ($2,000+) Hal & Donna Baldwin Steve & Laurie Beveridge Bob Bevis & Marie Emery Richard & Lynne Bowen Lori Broadfoot Chris & Gill Campbell Les Dickason Calvin Dyck Bruce & Betty Forward Allan & Diana Gould Margot Holmes Mary Magrega Eveline O’Rourke Robert & Dolores Saarinen Rosemarie Sherban Pierre Simard Douglas & Wendy Smiley Michael & Cheryl Warsh John & Christine Whitelaw Dave Witty & Cindy Shantz CONCERTMASTER CIRCLE
($1000+)
Anonymous Jackie Clabon Jim & Bettyanne English Zinda & Robin Fitzgerald Richard & Phoebe Heyman Brad & Christine McAuley Ross Fraser Ursula Riedel Jean Smythe The Bald Guy Real Estate Team Sheila Thompson Audrey Ty Bill Walker & Jae Valentine David Whitaker Dorothy Woodhouse
indicates VIS musician/staff.
ENCORE CIRCLE ($500+) Anonymous Tony & Wilma Arruda Paolo Bortolussi & Dorothy Chang Stephen Chatman Bill & Diane Cornish Tony & Phyllis Feigel Rudolph Friesen John & Gladys Gorosh David & Pat Helem Timothy & Patricia Huntsman Arlene Juby Keith & Doreen Ketchen William & Frances McColl Patricia H. McLeod Ken & Pam McCready Carolyn Morrisey Bob & Susan Murphy Larry & Alfonsa Rumming Bob & Marge Sorochan Joan Stelling Joy Vikstrom Christine Yeomans BRAVO CIRCLE ($250+) Anonymous Len & Joan Beaty Don Butt John & Shirley Charnetski Barbara & Jerry Hardy Tatjana Hayes Bill Hedges Sid Jenner Lynne Lepin Don Luke Joseph & Lee Lukian Helmut & Mary Mark Emme Matte Wendy McLean Suzannah Mills Joan E. Nolting Derrill Prevett Betty Reynolds Sharon & Roy Richmond Marion Rivers Richard & Rosemary Spratt Roger Taylor Joris Wiggers Peter Wong
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APPLAUSE CIRCLE ($120+) Anonymous John Ayres Patricia Barnes Leslie Lynne Bechdoldt Gwen Boyd Robert & Lorna Calderwood Judi Davison Ralph & Lucy Frank Margaret Frederick-Pim Richard Freed Alan & Marlene Gustafson Anne Henderson Grant Hepburn Barbara Hourston Muriel James Kathryn Karr Mari Lyn Kelly Heinz & Christel Kolke Elizabeth Kung Mary Laanela Ken & Margaret Mann Bea Meston Joan E. Nolting Bill Sands Teri Smith Dieuwke Steenstra Don Tamelin Brian & Shirley Winkler Edna Woolfenden Kathleen Whyte
Ways to Keep the Music Playing INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS are gratefully accepted monthly or annually by cheque, credit card, e-transfer or online. LEGACY GIVING Remember VIS in your will for a musical legacy. Donate to the VIS Foundation. SECURITIES Donate shares or publicly traded securities and be exempt from the capital gain tax. Tax receipt for the shares’ value. MEMORIAL & HONOURARY GIVING Pay tribute to a special person or occasion. Tax receipt for your donation; at your request, we will inform the honoree of the gift. VOLUNTEER Your gift of time is valuable to our work in the community! Call our office today at 250.754.0177 to make your gift arrangements! Or donate online at www.vancouverislandsymphony.com Donations to VIS are tax deductible. Charitable Tax #119050813RR0001
OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Thank you for helping us Keeping Music Live! WOMEN OF NOTE (WON)
Suzanne Andre Trisha Barnes Linda Bartz Lynne Bowen Gill Campbell Reta Chlan Joyce Clarke Maureen Cunningham Bettyanne English Joan Ethier Solveig Farquharson Karen Fife Zinda Fitzgerald Ruth Goodbody Cathryn Gunn, Aspengrove School Donna Hardstaff Tatjana Hayes Kathryn-Jane Hazel Gerda Hofman Daria Holmboe Janet Humes, Sands and Associates Phoebe Heyman Diana K. Johnstone Sasha Koerbler Melissa Lavoie Coastal Community Private Wealth Group Sophia Maher, Nanaimo Museum Mary Mark Anu Mayer Del McBurney Suzannah Mills, Elements Spa Arla Jean Murch Susan Murphy Eveline O’Rourke Heather Pastro Rosemarie Sherban Lize-marie Smith Wendy Smitka, Maggie Snee Judy Stephan Nanaimo Magazine Debbie Trueman Marianne Turley Jae Valentine Cable Cove Inn Joy Vikstrom Christine Whitelaw Deborah Zorkin
SEASON SPONSOR Coastal Community Private Wealth Group
OFFICIAL TRAVEL PARTNER CruisePlus Travel & Tours
SERIES SPONSORS Coast Bastion Hotel Helijet Origin at Longwood Windsor Plywood
Presenting Sponsors:
SYMPHONY BY THE SEA Windsor Plywood Columbia Cabinets Community Sponsors:
PERFORMANCE SPONSORS Berwick on the Lake Retirement Community Bold Knight Steak & Seafood Country Grocer Dr. Ansel Updegrove, Chiropractor Fairwinds Kristin M.J. Rongve, Barrister & Solicitor Warsh Law Woodgrove Chrysler BUSINESS LEADERS CIRCLE SPONSOR OF SOUNDBITES Dog n’ Suds Pet Services Ltd. Lobelia’s Lair Panago Rhonda Heaslip Real Estate Manning Law Corporation
Helijet Nanaimo Port Authority Thrifty Foods FOUNDATIONS DK Brown Foundation L.D Foundation Pearson Butterfly Fund Windsor Plywood Foundation CORPORATE SEASON TICKET PROGRAM Frank Allen Group Bodacious Clothing Dan Morris Real Estate Manning Law Dr. A. L. Pastro Rhonda Heaslip Real Estate Steve Marshall Ford Wellness News Western Financial Group
COMMUNITY VIS CHILDREN’S CHOIR & PARTNERS NOTEWORTHY KIDS PROGRAMS Budget Car & Truck Rental Presenting Sponsor: Harbour City Bingo TD Bank Nanaimo Ambassadors Program Sponsors: Program Volunteers Bellamy Orthodontics Port Theatre Long & McQuade Rotary Club of Nanaimo North Musical Instruments Paradise Island Cheese SYMPHONY COMMUNITY DAYS FESTIVAL NANAIMO Presenting Sponsor:
Title Sponsor:
Long & McQuade Musical Instruments
McDonald’s
GRADE 4 EDUCATION PROGRAM Azrieli Foundation Beech Foundation CIBC Wood Gundy Lohn Foundation S.M. Blair Foundation Women of Note (WON) OFFICIAL FLORIST Turley’s Florist OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER Heydemann Art of Photography
PirateFest Sponsor:
Country Club Centre
Festival Partners:
Nanaimo Hospitality Association Nanaimo Airport Authority Tourism Nanaimo MEDIA & PRINT PARTNERS Nanaimo News Bulletin KKP Printing Nanaimo Magazine/ Vancouver Island Voyager What’s On Digest All information collected by the Vancouver Island Symphony is confidential and will not be disclosed. Tax receipts issued for donations over $20.
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FEATURED ARTIST
CARTER JOHNSON, PIANO Praised for his sensitivity and artistic integrity, twenty-two-year-old Carter Johnson has established a reputation as one of Canada’s most promising young pianists. In 2018, Johnson won the top prize in two of Canada’s most important competitions, winning both Grand Prize in the Concours OSM Manuvie as well as First Prize (along with the prize for the best performance of the test piece) in the CMC Stepping Stone competition. He has performed with orchestras including l’Orchestre Métropolitain, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Northern New York, and his playing has been broadcasted by Medici TV and Radio-Canada. Johnson’s extensive competition experience also includes competitions such as in the Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition (Guangdong, China), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (South Carolina, USA), the International J.S. Bach Competition (Leipzig, Germany) and the Julia Crane International Piano Competition (New York, USA), where he won second prize at the age of 16. Johnson’s other competition prize winnings include second prize in the ensemble round of the New York International Piano Competition, first place in the Art Song Competition of Vancouver (with Marie Civitarese, soprano), Second Place (along with the Baroque and chamber music prizes) in the CFMTA National Piano Competition (Regina) at age 14, the award for the best interpretation of the imposed work at the 2015 Concours OSM Manuvie (Montréal), third prize in the Shean Piano Competition (Edmonton), and many awards at Performing Arts B.C., including First Prize in all four Canadian divisions.
WINTER 2019 NEWSLETTER
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PROGRAMME
INSPIRATION!
FEBRUARY 15 & 16, 2019
15 FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 7:30 PM
TIDEMARK THEATRE CAMPBELL RIVER
16
SATURDAY
INSPIRATION! Schumann and Mozart Conductor: Pierre Simard Guest soloist: *Carter Johnson, piano Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Overture in the Italian Style, in C major, D. 591 *Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54 1. Allegro affettuoso 2. Intermezzo (Andantino grazioso) 3. Allegro vivace
INTERMISSION Jared Miller (1988- ): Nerรณ: A Concertino for Small Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Symphony no. 40 in G minor, KV 550 1. Molto allegro 2. Andante 3. Minuetto and Trio 4. Finale (Allegro assai) See Page 30 for Programme Notes
FEBRUARY 7:30 PM
PORT THEATRE NANAIMO
PRE-CONCERT TALK 6:30 PM
SEASON SPONSOR
SERIES SPONSOR
PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
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INSPIRATION! PROGRAMME NOTES
Franz SCHUBERT: Overture in the Italian Style, D. 591 Throughout his short life, Franz Schubert hoped to make a name for himself in opera, the most prestigious musical genre. He began his attempts at a tender age but continually experienced difficulties selecting appropriate plays and librettos in keeping with the public taste. None of his eight operas ever succeeded. In fact, most never made it to the stage in his lifetime, and those that did, usually folded after a few performances. With all due respect, however, while Schubert has now taken his place in the pantheon of the great Viennese composers, he was the proverbial “prophet ignored in his own land.” Born into the lower-middle class with no prospects higher than that of a mere schoolteacher, he lacked the social connections that could have set his career on a successful course. Not only were his operas – complete and incomplete – failures, but his Lieder and instrumental works fared little better outside his own circle of friends. Some of his greatest works saw their first public performance and publication well after his death. By 1817, writing successful opera posed a particularly difficult hurdle for any composer. A true “opera war” raged in Vienna between the adherents of the German style whose principal proponent was Carl Maria von Weber, and the boosters of the new Italian style of the young Gioacchino Rossini. That year, sensing which way the wind was blowing and adhering to transalpine manners, Schubert composed two overtures “In the Italian Style.” The Overture in C is the second of the two (The other is in D Major, D. 590.) Its spirited tempo and colorful orchestration shows that Schubert learned his lesson well. While the opening short Adagio could have been from any traditional symphonic work, the following Allegro points clearly south of the border. While no match for Rossini in popularity, Schubert and his Italian rival shared one characteristic: both of them could churn out such overtures in a matter of hours. - J. and E. Kahn (excerpted) Robert SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto in A minor Before 1840 Robert Schumann had made his contribution largely through the keyboard, with works that revolutionized the musical language of his day. “My highest wish is that Robert should compose for orchestra,” wrote Clara Wieck in her diary in 1839, the year before their marriage. “His imagination cannot find sufficient scope on the piano. ... His compositions are all orchestral in feeling.” The year 1840 was crucial to Robert and Clara for several reasons, most notably because it was the year that the couple finally won three-year court battle against Herr Wieck, who opposed their marriage. They were married, and Robert’s first response to his new conjugal happiness was a passionate flood of song, including such masterworks as the Dichterliebe and the Liederkreis sets, Opp. 24 and 39.
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Finally in 1841, Clara succeeded in wooing him into the symphonic genre; later in the year Robert completed the Symphony in B-flat, which we now know as the « Spring ». Anxious to please his new bride - who was one of Europe’s most respected pianists - he next composed a Phantasie in A minor for piano and orchestra. Clara was delighted with the piece that would, later to become the A-minor Concerto’s first movement; it was clearly written with Clara’s singular virtuosity in mind. In 1845 Schumann decided to add two movements onto the dynamic Phantasie, and make it into a more marketable piano concerto. He completed the third movement - a dashing Allegro vivace in the key of A major - then
INSPIRATION! PROGRAMME NOTES
worked out a lyrical slow movement in time for Clara to perform the whole Concerto in Leipzig, on January 1, 1846, with Robert at the podium. The piece was published that year and rapidly gained popularity. “I am very glad about it,” Clara wrote of the concerto upon first acquaintance, “for I always wanted a great bravura piece by him.” - P. Horsley (excerpted) Jared MILLER: Neró Translating to “water” in Greek, Neró depicts the voyage of water from its liquid state on earth as part of rushing rivers and undulating seas to its gaseous state in the sky, in the form of clouds, mists and thunder. The piece is divided into two sections, each one respectively named after the appropriate Greek deity: “Poseidon” for water on Earth and “Zeus,” the god of the sky Throughout the work, each member of the orchestra will harness their god and goddess-like abilities as players to tackle a plethora of technical and musical challenges in this virtuosic “concertino” for orchestra. - Jared Miller Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Symphony no. 40 in G minor, KV 550 During the summer of 1788, when Mozart was beset by financial woes, declining popularity, illness of his wife, and the failure of his latest opera, Don Giovanni, to impress the fickle Viennese, he wrote his last three symphonies-three of the greatest ever written by anyone-with no apparent prospect of a performance. This is startling enough in itself, for in Mozart’s time one wrote to order-or not at all. Until recently, it was believed that Mozart never heard any of these masterpieces played, although we are now fairly certain there was at least one performance of the G-minor symphony, since it exists in an alternate orchestration with added clarinets and different oboe parts (the version usually performed today). Startling also is the speed with which these symphonies were composed-all three within the space of about ten weeks, along with other material. There is more that sets the G-minor symphony apart from nearly all others. For one thing, it opens not with a theme, but with an accompaniment pattern (violas). Even more unusual is the dynamic marking at the opening: piano (softly), something almost unheard of in a classical symphony unless there was a slow introduction, which is not the case here. Moreover, use of the minor tonality was rare at the time-listeners liked their music jolly and good-natured. Only two of Mozart’s symphonies are in a minor key (the other is No. 25, also in G minor). Minor in itself usually signaled music of stress, anxiety and dark passions, but in this symphony Mozart raises the bar considerably in its tone of urgent pathos, the use of short motivic fragments rather than extended themes (much as Beethoven was to do so forcefully in the first movement of his Fifth Symphony), and the general level of dissonance, boldness of modulations and chromaticism in the harmonic progressions. Then there is the almost obsessive concentration on the home key, on what Boston Symphony annotator Steven Ledbetter calls “the unrelieved ‘minor-ness’ of the symphony.” Three of the four movements are in G minor, and they stay in G minor for much of their length. There is no concession to a happy ending; G minor persists right up to the final measure. This symphony is regarded by virtually the entire civilized world as one of the icons of musical classicism as well as a potent harbinger of the romantic era looming on the horizon. It has generated more eloquent commentary and learned analyses than just about any symphony in the repertory. To the musicologist Bernard Jacobson, this is the “most intensely expressive of all Mozart’s symphonies. To hear this music is to be dumbfounded afresh that the nineteenth century-and even some recalcitrant persons in the twentieth-could regard its composer as nothing more than a charming miniaturist. ... Its nature seems to stake out new territory for the symphonic medium.” - R. Markow (excerpted) hello gorgeous
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Proud to Support the Incredible Talent of the Vancouver Island Symphony
Michelle Stilwell MLA Parksville-Qualicum
@Stilwell4BC
facebook.com/MichelleStilwell4BC
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SERIES SPONSOR
PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
ESCAPE! with
MOZART SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17 2:00 PM - Reception to follow
Sid Williams Theatre, Courtenay Conductor: Pierre Simard
Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Overture in the Italian Style, in C major, D. 591 Jared Miller (1988- ): Nerรณ: A Concertino for Small Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Symphony no. 40 in G minor, KV 550
See Page 30 for Programme Notes
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Greetings from our Season’s Sponsor
I have always loved the communal experience of going to the Symphony. This season, Artistic Director Pierre Simard has put together a marvelously inclusive program honouring passion—for music, for hard work, and for the many ways we enjoy artistic expression. From the Noteworthy Kids Music Club to this year’s tribute to women composers, the Vancouver Island Symphony creates innovative programming that unifies our island communities. At Coastal Community Private Wealth Group, we share that commitment to building relationships with families across the islands. Like the Symphony, we care about what is important to you, and our experts are passionate about drawing on local and global resources to create individually tailored solutions to help you and your family achieve the goals you have set for yourselves. Our relationship with the Symphony is based on a mutual belief in the value of building healthier communities. On behalf of our team at Coastal Community Private Wealth Group, we are privileged to be partnering with Vancouver Island Symphony for the third consecutive season and thankful for the power and passion they bring to our lives. Enjoy, Melissa Lavoie Regional Manager - Private Wealth / Investment Advisor Coastal Community Private Wealth Group / Credential Securities Coastal Community Private Wealth Group is a division of Coastal Community Financial Management Inc., which is a wholly-owned wealth management subsidiary of Coastal Community Credit Union.
Do you have a favourite Musician or instrument in the Symphony? Did you know you can name a Symphony Chair in memory of a loved one, as tribute to a friend or just because you enjoy hearing one of our talented musicians perform? To Name a Symphony Chair for a four year period requires a donation of $4000. A Tax receipt will be issued for your donation. Please call Margot Holmes or Christine McAuley at the Symphony office, 250-754-0177 to name a Symphony Chair
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40 | encore! January — April 2017 2019 36 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL
IN THE COMMUNITY ď Ą
The Vancouver Island Symphony believes that music is for everyone, regardless of social, physical or financial barriers. Music tugs at your heartstrings. That is why this year we have partnered with the following agencies to give the gift of music: to heal, inspire, enlighten and share our joy. Big Brothers Big Sisters facilitates life-changing relationships that inspire and empower children and youth to reach their potential, both as individuals and citizens. cvi.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca The Nanaimo Brain Injury Society is a registered non profit society and registered charitable organization. They are a progressive society providing support, education and rehabilitation to people living with brain injury since 1988. nbis.ca VIMHS is a charitable Vancouver Island based organization demonstrating excellence in psychosocial rehabilitation for adults with mental health and addictions concerns, and/or cognitive challenges. They engage communities through programs that promote recovery, social inclusion, safe housing, and public education. www.vancouverislandmentalhealthsociety.org
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FEATURED ARTIST
JEANS ‘N CLASSICS
Michael Shotton Lead Vocals
Now in their 24th year performing their catalogue of over 50 shows with symphonies across North America, Jeans ‘n Classics is a star performer in the arts and entertainment scene. While most definitely not a tribute act, the band and singers of world class act Jeans ‘n Classics faithfully interpret the music of legendary rock and pop albums and artists, with their own special and signature flair.
MICHAEL SHOTTON Born in Newcastle England, Burlington OntarDave Dunlop io-based Renaissance man Michael Shotton is a Guitar human dynamo! With an almost impossibly wide vocal range, he plays, sings, and entertains. He Steve Lucas also writes, engineers, and produces. From the Electric Bass moment he discovered The Beatles at the ripe old Don Paulton age of three, Michael accumulated years of expeKeyboards rience playing drums (southpaw!), and eventually Jeff Christmas singing in countless original, top-40 and specialDrums ty acts. In 1988, Michael signed to Herb Alpert’s label, A&M, with the pop-based group “Diamond Life”, and signed with EMI records worldwide in 1991 with his own original hard rock band, “Von Groove”. In 2001 he wrote, produced and released a 911 fund-raiser track entitled, “The Heart of America”, part of a compilation album alongside the likes of Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen. In 2007 Michael had the honour of writing and co-producing “I Believe”, theme for the annual Canadian Special Olympics. Michael has also found time to develop his own TV show for pre-schoolers, called “Mike’s Garage”, featuring a kaleidoscope of songs ad characters, adapted for television with support from Bob McGrath of “Sesame Street” himself. He has also created various side projects with Gordon Deppe (The Spoons), Tom Lewis (Partland Brothers, Alan Frew), Canadian Hall of Fame icon Rik Emmett, and has also been the voice behind radio and television commercials for Coke, Labatts, Coors, Crunchie, Fosters, The Bay, and many more. Michael’s charismatic stage presence, astonishing appetite and lust for life all shinethrough in the multitude of things he does.
Woodgrove Chrysler
Proud Sponsor of the Symphony for 24 Seasons! 6800 Island Highway North Nanaimo, BC V9V 1A3 250-390-3030 www.woodgrovechrysler.com
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PROGRAMME
POWER!
MARCH 9, 2019
9
SATURDAY
MARCH 7:30 PM
POWER!
SEASON SPONSOR
Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Conductor: Pierre Simard Guest Artist: Jeans ‘N Classics In The Evening Dancing Days The Ocean All Of My Love Dazed And Confused D’yer Mak’er When The Levee Breaks / Black Dog Good Times Bad Times INTERMISSION
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40 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
SYMPHONY SOUNDBITES SERIES #2
PROGRAMME
SOUNDBITES 21
THURSDAY
MUSIC + FOOD!
A UNIQUE TAKE ON HAPPY HOUR!
BACH’S GOLDBERG VARIATIONS
MARCH 5:00 PM
Conductor: Pierre Simard Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) arr. Dmitry Sitkovetsky: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 1. Aria 2. Variations 1 - 30 See Page 42 for Programme Notes
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SOUNDBITES PROGRAMME NOTES
Johann Sebastian BACH / orch. D. Sitkovetsky: Goldberg Variations When I first wrote my transcription of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for String Trio, in 1984, it was both a labour of love and an obsession with the 1981 Glenn Gould recording. For two months I probably had the time of my life, musically speaking, being in the constant company of Johann Sebastian Bach and Glenn Gould. Generally, at that time, transcriptions were out of fashion and I recall that my own colleagues and managers were sceptical about such an audacious idea. Since then my transcriptions have been played all over the world, and moreover they have opened the floodgates of new interpretive possibilities for the piece which have included solo harp, wind instruments of all kinds, saxophone quartets, Renaissance viols and even a fascinating concoction of Uri Caine, among many others. By the time 2009 arrived I felt that this was the right moment to re-visit and somewhat re-examine my original transcription. It was 25 years after the piece was first transcribed, I had performed it many times and heard different adaptations of it, so I felt the need to return to a simpler version with hardly any repeats at all. I have made some changes in orchestration, probably influenced by my String Orchestra transcription of 1992, but most of all I tried to inject some fresh, youthful energy to propel the piece from the beginning to end. As a result there was still room left for my old/new friends, 15 Sinfonias, which have always been in my mind to be played and recorded, and this was a welcome bonus for me and my talented young colleagues, Yuri Zhislin and Luigi Piovano. I hope listeners will share in my life-long journey through the Goldberg Variations and my love of the music, indeed in the very first publication of the Variations, in 1742, J. S. Bach states that the spirit of the piece is “for the enjoyment of music lovers”. - Dmitry Sitkovetsky
42 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
2 Programs for Grades 4 - 7!
MUSIC CLUB
Join the Symphony’s Noteworthy Kids Music Club! A Club for kids that love music! Come and learn more about what happens behind the scenes at the Symphony. Open to any child in Grades 4-7. PRESENTING SPONSOR
VIS CHILDREN’S CHOIR Join the Vancouver Island Symphony’s
CHILDREN’S CHOIR Patricia Plumley, CHORAL CONDUCTOR
A very exciting opportunity available to students in Grades 4-7 is to sing in the VIS Children’s Choir. The Choir performs with the Symphony and at Symphony, school and community events throughout the year. PROGRAM SPONSOR
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44 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
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ORIGIN SYMPHONY MATINEE SERIES #3
PROGRAMME
Symphony
Matinee Series
26 FRIDAY
ORIGIN OPUS #3
APRIL 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Conductor: Pierre Simard Visuals: *Voyage of Discovery Excerpts will be played from the pieces below John Williams (1932- ): Star Wars 1. Episode IV (A New Hope): Main Title 2. Episode II (Attack of the Clones): Across the Stars (Love Theme) 3. Episode VI (Return of the Jedi): Yoda’s Theme 4. Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back): The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) *Gustav Holst (1874-1934): The Planets 1. Mars, the Bringer of War 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
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See Page 46 & 48 for Programme Notes
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INFINITY! PROGRAMME NOTES
John WILLIAMS: Music from “Star Wars” Which composer’s music do you think has been heard by more people than any other? Bach? Mozart? Beethoven? Tchaikovsky? The correct answer is none of these. It’s John Williams, still living and working at the age of 84. Through more than one hundred film scores, many of them blockbusters like the Indiana Jones trilogy, three of the Harry Potter series, E.T., Superman, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and especially the seven episodes of Star Wars, the music of John Williams is familiar to countless millions of people in some two hundred countries around the world. It all happened through the sophisticated, highly artistic synchronization of sound and image. Of all the major forms of artistic expression – music, painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, literature, theater – only one is unique to our century and the one just past – film, and the use of music to enhance, complement, supplement or even contradict visual images on the screen goes back to the earliest days of the “silents.” John Williams’ underlying approach to the music for Star Wars was based on the « leitmotif » compositional procedure invented by Richard Wagner, using it extensively in all his Star Wars scores. For example, the motif associated with Luke Skywalker (also at times with Obi-wan Kenobi and with the Force itself) is first heard as a long, arching, melodic line in the solo horn ̶ softly glowing, a touch nostalgic perhaps, but also infused with quiet confidence and a sense of wonder. Or take Princess Leia’s theme, introduced by a somewhat sinuous figure in the flute that then turns into a full-fledged melody. The ominous, malevolent Darth Vader requires something entirely different. There is nothing gentle or endearing about him; his music (also known as the Imperial March) is brutal, rigid, militaristic, unrelenting in its forward momentum. In 2005, the American Film Institute chose Williams’ score for the first Star Wars film as the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to Star Wars was additionally preserved by the Library of Congress into the National Re- cording Registry for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.” - R. Markow (excerpted) CONTINUED ON PAGE 48...
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46 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019
PROGRAMME
DISCOVERY!
APRIL 27, 2019
27
SATURDAY
APRIL 7:30 PM
PRE-CONCERT TALK 6:30 PM
INFINITY! Star Wars and Holst’s Planets
SEASON SPONSOR
Conductor: Pierre Simard Visuals: *Voyage of Discovery John Williams (1932Star Wars
SERIES SPONSOR
):
1. Episode IV (A New Hope): Main Title 2. Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back): The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) 3. Episode II (Attack of the Clones): Across the Stars (Love Theme) 4. Episode VII (The Force Awakens): Scherzo for X-Wings 5. Episode VI (The Return of the Jedi): Yoda’s Theme 6. Episode VII (The Force Awakens): The Jedi Steps and Finale
INTERMISSION *Gustav Holst (1874-1934): The Planets 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Mars, the Bringer of War Venus, the Bringer of Peace Mercury, the Winged Messenger Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age Uranus, the Magician Neptune, the Mystic
PERFORMANCE SPONSOR
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INFINITY! PROGRAMME NOTES continued
Gustav HOLST: The Planets “As a rule I only study things which suggest music to me ... recently the character of each planet suggested lots to me, and I have been studying astrology ...” Thus, writing to a friend in 1913, did Holst confirm the source of inspiration for his Suite for Large Orchestra - a reminder, if any were needed, that Holst’s “planets” are not the celestial objects.* Today’s audiences know and love The Planets, yet it’s always new for somebody. So this synopsis, while short, is hopefully sweet: 1. Mars, the Bringer of War hammers a fearsome, relentlessly jagged 5/4 rhythm. Long, baleful phrases contrast glittering martial fanfares, epitomising the “horror” and the “glory”. In the middle, an apparently poleaxed War remorselessly rises again, amplified, like the Apprentice’s enchanted broom sporting an X-certificate. Just like the real thing, Holst’s horrific vision of War seems not to know how, or when, to end. 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace inhabits a tranquil garden engendered by the glowing, rounded contours of two alternating subjects. The first ascends on horn, reflected by descending woodwind chords, and becoming an undulating procession. Sinuous cellos preface the second, appearing on intimate solo violin. Decibels are limited to blissful wellings, the scene finally fading in a tinkling of Arcadian fountains. 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger whirls around the orchestra in scurrying figurations. The central section is an amazing succession of eleven repetitions of a counter-subject, kaleidoscopically scored: this Mercury doesn’t just flit on scented zephyrs, he stirs storm-clouds in his wake. Finally these themes intertwine, before he “pops off” into the blue. 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity. Coruscating textures disgorge luxuriant themes of cholesterol-packed bonhomie. The movement’s heart harbours a grandiloquent tune, intended to portray Jupiter taking his ease (apparently, Holst was not thrilled to see this hijacked for a patriotic hymn), and recalled briefly during the resplendent coda. 5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age. Venus’s vibrant undulations degenerate to pale plodding. When a “tune” does surface, it is a dirge urging the creaking aged towards the gates of Hades. Following the awful climax, this depressing Proud image becomes transfigured, to portray the other side of the coin Leonard of old age: autumnal serenity. Krog, M.L.A. 6. Supporter Uranus, the Magician casts a four-note spell, brazen(Nanaimo) ancestor of the ferocious motto of Vaughan Williams’s Fourth Symphony. The main tune develops from lolloping bassoons to a brilliant climax, thence to a march-like melody Room 201 Crescent of isthe which whipped up still more brilliantly. The four-note motive, active throughout, echoes alone in4-77 the Victoria spell-binding coda. Parliament Buildings
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5B9
V8V phrase, 1X4 250mutation 714-0630of 7. Vancouver Neptune, the Mystic is virtually devoid of melody andVictoria, rhythm.BC A bare likeTelephone: a refrigerated Phone: 250 953-4698 Facsimile: 250 714-0859 Uranus’s motive, is merely a frame supporting ethereal harmony and icily glistening colours. In this sterilised atmosphere Facsimile: 250 387-4680 youIsland imagine voices. Then, in the emerging second part, you gradually become aware that there are voices. But, what voices! A chilling, remote siren-song dissipates the orchestral texture until only that eternal chorus remains, beckoning as e-mail: Leonard.krog.mla@leg.bc.ca Symphony it recedes into the infinite unknown.- P. Serotsky (excerpted) web: www.leonardkrog-mla.ca
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48 | • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 30 encore! January — April 2017 2019
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ENJOY THE SHOW RAMSAY LAMPMAN RHODES Legal Excellence. Island Values.
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50 • encore! JANUARY - APRIL 2019 www.vancouverislandsymphony.com
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THE VANCOUVER ISLAND SYMPHONY FOUNDATION
Did you Know? Did you know that the Vancouver Island Symphony has a Foundation (VISF)? This public foundation is dedicated to ensure the long-term sustainability of our Symphony. The VISF exists to support the Vancouver Island Symphony by creating, maintaining and implementing a short and long-term, financial development strategy to sustain the Symphony.
What else does the VISF do?
• The VISF encourages and facilitates planned giving through gifts, bequests and estates. • The VISF develops, invests and preserves capital for the long term security of the Vancouver Island Symphony • The VISF honours the wishes of each individual donor who contributes to the VISF
Who is in charge of the VISF?
The VISF is governed by an independent Board made up of members from the community, the CEO and Development Manager of the Vancouver Island Symphony, along with an appointed liaison from the Vancouver Island Symphony Board of Directors.
How can you support the VISF?
• Any donation, big or small is so important to the longevity of the Vancouver Island Symphony. • The Future is Now: Help orchestrate the next 25 years with a special 25th Anniversary donation. • We will be entering into our 25th season in 2019/2020. Keep the Music Live for another 25-100 years!! • Leave a Legacy Gift: Keep the music alive for future generations by leaving a bequest or a planned gift to the Vancouver VANCOUVER ISLAND SYMPHONY Symphony Foundation FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS • Legacy Gifts may include: CHAIR Sharon Seibt • A bequest in your will VICE CHAIR Blake McGuffie • An insurance policy with the VIS as TREASURER Gill Campbell beneficiary or policy owner SECRETARY Mary Magrega • A charitable gift annuity DIRECTOR Judi Carter • A charitable remainder trust VIS BOARD REPRESENTATIVE Joyce Clarke • Gifts of securities • Gifts of real estate
Want more information? Contact Christine McAuley, Development Manager at 250-754-0177 or email at visadmin@vancouverislandsymphony.com
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5TH ANNUAL
MARCH 1 - 31, 2019
Signature Events
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