Vancouver Symphony Orchestra 2018-19 Fall & Winter Concert Guide

SALVADOR BROTONS, CONDUCTOR

GUEST ARTIST

GUEST ARTIST

GUEST ARTIST

Mayuko Kamio, violin

Dimitri Zhgenti, piano

Susannah Mars, Broadway Star

FA L L & W I N T E R C O N C E R T P R O G R A M G U I D E

VANCOUVERSYMPHONY.ORG

Featuring

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THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

from

MAESTRO BROTONS

WELCOME TO OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON!

It is because of your enthusiasm and love for this orchestra that we had such a fantastic year filled with world-renowned guest artists, moving music, and entertaining and educational events throughout the community. As we begin our 40th season, I am so happy to be able to share this historic moment with you.

As always, we hope to deliver thrilling performances by our musicians, playing with passion and artistry.

This season, I am proud of the group of gifted and distinguished guest artists who will visit our stage, starting with the dazzling return of violinist Mayuko Kamio who will be performing the impressive Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber. Our local piano sensation, Dimitri Zhgenti returns in November to perform Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto. Broadway star Susannah Mars is joined by the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus in January, piano extraordinaire, Ignasi Cambra performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in February, and of course, our amazing young artists return in April. I am pleased to announce that the US premiere of my very own composition, Concerto for Violin and Cello, featuring VSO concertmaster Eva Richey and principal cellist Dieter Ratzlaf, will close our 40th season in June!

Our 25th Annual Young Artist Competition will be held on January 13th, our fourth annual Evening of Jazz will be in March, and we are very excited to continue our VSO Chamber Music Series, now with seven amazing concerts at the Kiggins Theatre.

Once again, I am delighted to report that the state of the orchestra is as robust as ever as we continue to create programs that challenge the orchestra, as well as showcase its expertise in more familiar pieces. I would like to thank all of our incredible musicians, our board of directors, staff, Friends, and volunteers for all of their continuing hard work to keep the music alive.

For 28 seasons now, I have felt your love and I hope that I have returned the favor. When I take the podium to conduct your

orchestra, I feel a deep appreciation for your support and excitement. I know our 40th Anniversary will be a season to remember.

Salvador Brotons Music Director & Conductor Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

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CONCERT DATES

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MUSIC FOR ALL

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BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS

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MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

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MUSICIAN'S & STAFF

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SEPTEMBER CLASSICAL CONCERT

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NOVEMBER CLASSICAL CONCERT

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FRIENDS OF THE VSO

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DONOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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DECEMBER CLASSICAL CONCERT

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JANUARY CLASSICAL CONCERT

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DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS

VANCOUVERSYMPHONY.ORG

I would like to thank you for being with us for another year of extraordinary music. Our 2017-2018 season was a huge success, from the return of violin virtuoso Anne Akiko Meyers, pianist Alexander Toradze, and our Evening of Jazz with famed jazz saxophonist and clarinetist Ken DR. SALVADOR BROTONS Peplowski, to trombonist David Music Director & Conductor Rejano and our talented young artists. Each year, I am ever grateful for our passionate audiences that make my time on the podium so memorable.

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THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

we love this music

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Classical Concerts 2018-2019

SKYVIEW CONCERT HALL | 1300 NW 139TH STREET, VANCOUVER, USA SATURDAYS AT 3PM & SUNDAYS AT 7PM

SEPTEMBER 2018

29-30

O PENI NG CE LEB R AT I ON

Enjoy the compositions of the Classical era headliners, starring piano virtuoso Ignasi Cambra, first place recipient of some of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

Delight in these symphonic musings of Beethoven and Mozart in what is sure to be an incredible performance.

ODYSSEY OVERTURE........................................................... BUETTI VIOLIN CONCERTO | Mayuko Kamio, violin. . ..................... BARBER SELECTIONS FROM "WEST SIDE STORY" AND "CANDIDE" . . ...................................................... BERNSTEIN

THE MAGIC FLUTE OVERTURE............................................. MOZART PIANO CONCERTO NO.3 | Ignasi Cambra, piano........... BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO.4. . ......................................................... BEETHOVEN

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S COTT I SH SYMPHONY NO.3

Experience the return of local piano extraordinaire Dimitri Zhgenti in Khachaturian’s exciting and dramatic Piano Concerto. Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 features the styles of Scottish folk music, providing gorgeous brass chorales within the majestic string sections.

ROMAN CARNIVAL OVERTURE............................................ BERLIOZ PIANO CONCERTO | Dimitri Zhgenti, piano............. KHACHATURIAN SYMPHONY NO.3 . . ...................................................... MENDELSSOHN DECEMBER 2018

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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T HE "B IG T WO" OF VIEN N A

Maestro Brotons and the VSO celebrate Leonard Bernstein’s 100 anniversary with excerpts from some of the composer’s most beloved masterworks. VSO welcomes back critically acclaimed violin virtuoso, Mayuko Kamio, Gold Medalist of the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

NOVEMBER 2018

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FEBRUARY 2019

8-9

HOLI DAY POP S CE LEB R AT I ON

VSO presents Holiday Favorites in partnership with Columbia Dance Company. Share in our merriment and cheer through musical celebration, elegant dance, and holiday spirit.

JANUARY 2019

26-27

VS O GOES TO BROADWAY!

VSO salutes to Broadway featuring Portland’s musical theater Golden Girl, Susannah Mars, with special appearance of Portland Gay Men’s Chorus and other local celebrities.

"AMERICAN IN PARIS" . . ................................................... GERSHWIN

APRIL 2019

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YOUN G ART ISTS C ON C ERT

Help welcome to the stage the Gold Medalists of our 25th annual Young Artists Competition. Plus witness the performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s legendary Scheherazade, an extraordinary musical adaptation to the epic tale of One Thousand and One Nights.

SCHEHERAZADE.................................................... RIMSKY-KORSAKOV JUNE 2019

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A GALLERY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Experience the iconic Pictures at an Exhibition, Mussorgsky’s suite that EVA RICHEY takes viewers on a musical tour through an art gallery with each movement. Join the VSO in the premiere of Maestro Salvador Brotons’ work, Concerto for Violin and Cello, co-starring VSO Concertmaster Eva Richey and Principal cello, Dieter Ratzlaf.

DIETER RATZLAF

CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN & CELLO. . ..................................... BROTONS PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION...................................... MUSSORGSKY

Chamber Music Series 2018-2019

HISTORIC KIGGINS THEATRE | 1011 MAIN STREET, VANCOUVER, USA ALL CONCERTS ARE SUNDAYS AT 3PM Join us for our eighth Chamber Music season, which will once again feature innovative programs and stunning performances, all in the intimate setting of the historic Kiggins Theatre in downtown Vancouver.

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OCTOBER 2018

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A preview of upcoming guest soloists for the Vancouver Symphony’s 40th Anniversary Classical Concert series, featuring local piano virtuoso Dimitri Zhgenti, pianist Dr. Michael Liu, and VSO principal musicians.

The VSO “Goes Back to the Movies” featuring a silent film and live chamber music accompaniment with Rodney Sauer.

FEBRUARY 2019

Second installment of The VSO “Goes Back to the Movies” with a live chamber ensemble and musical arranger, Rodney Sauer.

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MARCH 2019

“Legacy Young Artist Showcase Recital” featuring our young artist competition finalists from years past as they share their incredible talent that has been fostered within our community.

APRIL 2019

Third installment of The VSO “Goes Back to the Movies” with silent film featuring the VSO chamber ensemble and Rodney Sauer.

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M AY 2 0 1 9

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40TH ANNIVERSARY: "CELEBRATING OUR LEGACY" ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA

September 29th, 2018 | Royal Oaks Country Club, Vancouver, WA Enjoy our third annual Piano Extravaganza, “Return of the Duo Grand Pianos.”

NOVEMBER 2018

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Special Events

25TH ANNUAL YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION January 13, 2019 | Trinity Lutheran Church, Vancouver, WA FREE ADMISSION

The return of an internationally renowned cello virtuoso, prize winner of Casals and Tchaikovsky International competitions, Ko Iwasaki.

Chamber Music Concert, Kiggins Theatre

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SEPTEMBER 2018

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MUSIC FOR ALL in 2018-2019 THE VSO CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

THE VSO YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION

Welcome to our eighth season, following in the footsteps of another star-studded season in 2017-2018. The stage of Vancouver’s iconic Kiggins Theatre came alive with six concerts of depth and intensity, featuring remarkable musicians, like soprano Christina Kowalski. The season was filled with whimsy and incredible musicianship, and even included two presentations of classic silent film comedies with live accompaniment.

Our gifted young artists are back for the 25th consecutive season. The appearance of so many of the area’s brightest musical stars has always brightened our lives with a burst of creativity that leaves us breathless.

Once again, under the direction of Dr. Michael C. Liu and Dr. Igor Shakhman, some of the area’s best musicians will join with international guest stars to present chamber music in a very intimate setting, all to benefit The VSO. “I can hardly believe it has been eight years since our first Chamber Series concert at Trinity Lutheran Church,” said VSO Chair Kathy McDonald. “Every season, the quality of our programs and artists increases, and our growing audiences seem to really love the variety and incredible musicianship in such an intimate setting.”

Individual tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students.

Generous package deals and individual concert tickets are available at vancouversymphony.org or (360) 735-7278.

As always, artists up to the age of 18 apply by performing one recorded piece that is judged by a panel of musical experts in the late fall. The top nine are then chosen and perform in concert in front of a large audience at Vancouver’s Trinity Lutheran Church in February. The three gold medalists are then selected to win scholarships and perform their thrilling winning pieces with The VSO at our April 13 & 14 concerts.

Open to young artists from OR and WA, this annual event is a gathering for outstanding student talent who often use it as a launching pad for a life-long career in music. From Maestro Brotons to the orchestra and audience members, the Young Artists Competition resonates with everyone associated with the event.

From the fall Call for Entries to the big performances in April, The VSO Young Artists offer a window into true talent and the sheer joy of music.

EVENING OF JAZZ Ken Peplowski is back and he’s bringing some talented friends with him in March. In what is always a real crowd-pleaser, legendary jazz saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Peplowski is returning to Vancouver for a fourth consecutive year, for a fundraiser guaranteed to get everyone talking. Mr. Peplowski has recorded approximately 50 CDs as a soloist, and close to 400 as a sideman. He travels at least half of every year, playing clubs, concert halls, colleges, and pops concerts. He has headlined the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Club amongst many other venues.

Prior to every symphonic concert, the VSO offers a 30-minute educational pre-concert talk, where Maestro Brotons and other expert musicologists discuss the music that will be performed, demonstrate recordings of musical excerpts, and answer questions from the audience. These informative talks are very popular and well-attended.

CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

VANCOUVERSYMPHONY.ORG

PRE-CONCERT TALKS

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THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

A celebration of thinkers, makers and doers.

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YOUR BOARD VSO CHAIR

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY!

Community partnership and strong leadership is the winning combination that has brought us to where we are today— celebrating 40 years. It’s been like a marriage: a few ups and downs, some bumps in the road, and a lot of laughter that pulls us together in a strong bond. We kicked off our 40th season with July’s Concert in the Park, partnering with Portland State University’s Maestro Ken Selden. It was a wonderful turnout, despite temperatures in the high 90’s, with toe-tapping music and the lovely voices of Opera Quest Northwest. We are thankful to our faithful donors who made this year’s free concert in the park possible—Loti and Paul Christensen, Ann Bardacke and David Wolf, and Steve and Jan Oliva. And, a special “thank you” to Riverview Bank for hosting the concerts in the park every year and allowing The Vancouver Symphony to be a part of this great community tradition.

This season, we are focused on a theme of “Celebrating our Legacy.” Our mission is to pass on the love of classical music to the next generation. We continue to spend a great amount of our energy on educating our youth and the Maestro will be in music classrooms around the county throughout the year. Then the Young Artists Competition will be the feature of our April concert.

Be sure not to miss this concert—it is always the highlight of the year for me!

Thank you for being a vital part of getting us to our 40th year, you are a very important part of our VSO family! And a special

thank you to our major sponsors: OPB, All Classical Portland, Michelle’s Pianos, Dick Hannah Dealerships, Homewood Suites, The Columbian and the Community Foundation. We are grateful to all our supporters listed in your concert guide.

Now relax and enjoy the concert,

Kathy McDonald VSO Board Chair

THE VSO

Mission Statement To enhance the quality of life in Southwest Washington by providing symphony music of the highest caliber in live performances and through music education in schools, concert halls and throughout the community.

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In 1972 several musicians came together under the leadership of Larry Hirtzel. They played their first concert at Clark College in a combined program with the college band under the direction of Dale Beacock.

After that, Hirtzel’s group became a standalone, twentymember ensemble which came KATHY McDONALD to be known as the Vancouver VSO Board Chair Chamber Orchestra, later as the Vancouver Community Orchestra.

In 1978, Walt Cleland began meeting with a group of five string musicians who combined with musicians from the Vancouver Community Orchestra forming the Vancouver Symphonette—later renamed The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Cleland served as conductor from 1978 to 1990. In 1990 Mr. Cleland retired, and after a season of several guest conductors, Maestro Salvador Brotons was chosen to lead The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

He has built the Vancouver Symphony into a highly regarded, internationally known professional orchestra with over 75 musicians and an ever-increasing audience.

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For the 2018-19 Concert Series

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December 8 & 9

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June 1 & 2

MESSAGE from THE MAYOR GREETINGS!

Mayor, City of Vancouver

It’s always a treat to sit in the back rows, calm down from a busy week of work and household chores and lose ourselves in the joy of music. But mostly, I enjoy watching Maestro Brotons as he dances with the orchestra. His energy pours out over the stage and we’re rewarded with a beautifully choreographed performance.

It is a privilege to have a worldclass organization like the VSO call Vancouver home, and we’re grateful that we have been able to host such a pillar of culture for over four decades!

VSO is building a legacy of leaders through music, education and community partnerships. Indeed, this promises to be an exciting experience for all of us. Consider bringing a friend to the next performance.

The VSO has been an integral part of our community, and we look forward to the Symphony continuing to perform and inspire us for many years to come. It serves many thousands of individuals each year through its concert and chamber series, local Young Artists annual competition, and educational and community engagement efforts. VSO is changing lives through music.

The VSO, once again, filled Esther Short Park when they performed in the “Six to Sunset” concert series. VSO’s Facebook page shows over 116 photos of the warm, but beautiful evening spent listening to our professional musicians, dressed in their black and whites. Sleeves were rolled up, blankets were spread on the grass, and people rode their bikes to the park to relax and listen to the soothing sounds of cellos, brass, violas, and operatic voices. Look at the photos to see the smiles of little ones in their summer outfits and some of our older souls dancing!

Their Instrument Petting Zoo continues to be a wonderful opportunity for music lovers of all ages to get a close-up, hands-on experience with real instruments. The ‘Zoo’ truly is an experience unlike any other. One that fosters and encourages a lifelong appreciation of the arts.

My husband, Terry, and I just previewed the trailer of the starstudded upcoming season. There are seven Classical concerts and seven Chamber Music concerts. The Opening Celebration will honor Leonard Bernstein’s 100 year anniversary. The guest artists are impressive: award winning violin virtuoso Mayuko Kamio, extraordinary pianists Ignasi Cambra and Dimitri Zhgenti, along with “Golden Girl” of stage and screen, Susannah Mars.

We plan to share in the joy of excerpts from the Nutcracker and Swan Lake with the Columbia Dance Company in December with our younger family members. And, as always, we’ll again welcome the Gold Medalists of the 25th annual Young Artists Competition in April. Something new to us will be the opportunity to enjoy a musical tour through an art gallery in June, with Modest Mussorgsky’s suite.

Enjoy the season! Welcome back, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra!

Anne McEnerny-Ogle Anne McEnerny-Ogle Mayor, City of Vancouver

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ANNE McENERNY-OGLE

Welcome to the 2018-2019 season of The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. This year marks the Symphony’s 40th season, and Maestro Salvador Broton’s 28th season leading The VSO!

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Musicians & Staff 2018-2019

VIOLIN 1 Eva Richey, Concertmaster Stephen Shepherd, Associate Concertmaster Don Power Kirsten Norvell Elizabeth Doty Elizabeth O'Mara Carol Kirkman Viet Block* Eri Nogueira Matt Mandrones Ricki Hisaw

VIOLIN 2

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Tracie Andrusko, Principal Sara Pyne, Assistant Principal Diana Taylor-Williams Maria Powell Lisa Hanson Joan Hamilton Denise Uhde-Freisen Carolyn Shefler Lanette Shepherd Olivia Myers

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* on leave of absence

VIOLA

OBOE

PERCUSSION

Angelika Furtwangler, Principal Jeremy Waterman, Assistant Principal Jim Garrett Brenda Liu Emilie Berdahl Keely McMurry

Alan Juza, Principal Kris Klavik

Brian Gardiner, Principal Isaac Rains Diana Hnatiw

CELLO Dieter Ratzlaf, Principal Erin Ratzlaf, Assistant Principal Annie Harkey-Power Suzanne Rague Hannah Hillebrand Lauren Vanderlind Kristopher Duke

BASS Garrett Jellesma, Principal Edward Sale

ENGLISH HORN Kris Klavik

TIMPANI Florian Conzetti, Principal

CLARINET Igor Shakhman, Principal Steve Bass Barbara Heilmair-Tanret

BASS CLARINET Barbara Heilmair

BASSOON Margaret McShea, Principal Nicole Buetti

CONTRABASSOON Nicole Buetti

FLUTE

HORN

Rachel Rencher, Principal Corrie Cook Darren Cook

Dan Partridge Wendy Peebles James Cameron

PICCOLO

TRUMPET

Darren Cook

Bruce Dunn, Principal Scott Winks

TROMBONE Greg Scholl, Principal Graham Middleton

BASS TROMBONE Douglas Peebles, Principal

TUBA Mark Vehrencamp, Principal

PIANO/CELESTE Michael C. Liu

ORCHESTRA MANAGER/ LIBRARIAN Igor Shakhman

STAGE MANAGER Ron Christopher

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kathy McDonald, Chair Dr. David Smith, Immediate Past Chair Michael Kelly, Treasurer Victoria Tullett, Secretary Paul Christensen Elizabeth Dendy Dr. Michael C. Liu Dimitri Zhgenti Will Kitchen Amey Laud Kari Hebble

STAFF Dr. Salvador Brotons, Music Director & Conductor Dr. Igor Shakhman, Executive Director Joe Galante, Office Manager Christina Beningfield, Marketing Officer Carol Lee Merwin, Administrative Assistant Barbara Coman, Friends of The VSO Chair ASK Advertising, Graphic Design

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OUR MUSICIANS TRACIE ANDRUSKO Principal 2nd violin Tracie began her music training at the age of 5, on both violin and piano, developing a love of music as she watched both her parents play in their church orchestra. She studied with Portland string teachers James Eoff and Catherine Peterson and graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a music degree in violin performance and music education.

Following college graduation, Tracie married the university orchestra’s lead trumpet player and they’ve now been married for 28 years. Their three sons have each developed a love for piano, brass and percussion, as well as the U.S. military. She is now is in her 27th season with The VSO. In addition to the symphony, Tracie plays electric violin with a country rock band, The Usual Suspects and her church band. She credits Maestro Brotons with giving the orchestra vision, direction and inspiration to reach new benchmarks.

DR. FLORIAN CONZETTI Principal timpani Florian Conzetti is artistic director of Northwest New Music, a Portland-based contemporary chamber music ensemble.

He has appeared as a chamber music collaborator at the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival (David Finckel and Wu Han, artistic directors), the Astoria Music Festival, Cascadia Composers Concerts, CalPerformances, and Stanford Lively Arts, and has recorded solo and chamber music works for the Innova, Albany, and Music@Menlo LIVE labels.

Conzetti was formerly on the faculty of UC Berkeley and currently teaches percussion, musicology, ethnomusicology and music theory at Portland State University and Linfield College. He studied at the Konservatorium für Musik in Bern, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory, where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree as a student of musicologist John Spitzer and marimbist Robert van Sice.

BRUCE B. DUNN THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Principal trumpet

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Now in his 20th year as The VSO’s principal trumpet, Bruce B. Dunn is an accomplished freelance trumpeter who holds performance degrees from both Washington State University (BM, cum laude) and Portland State University (MM) and was a recipient of the prestigious Presser Foundation Scholarship.

He can be heard in venues across the Northwest.

He is has performed in groups across the region including the Portland Opera, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, the Big Horn Brass, the Portland Festival Symphony, the Bach Cantata Choir and many others. He is also a founding member of the Columbia River Brass Ensemble.

In addition to performing, Bruce is a National Board Certified Teacher and the Director of Bands at Covington Middle School, Sunset Elementary and Silver Star Elementary in the Evergreen School District. He has also taught at Evergreen High School, Mountain View High School and Pacific Middle School.

DR. ANGELIKA FURTWANGLER Principal viola Angelika holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin and has lived and worked in the Portland/ Vancouver area for the last 10 years. In addition to The VSO, she performs regularly with Portland Opera Orchestra, Oregon Ballet Theatre (Principal Viola) and arcadia PDX String Quartet. She has also performed frequently with the Detroit Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Portland Summerfest Opera Orchestra and Astoria Music Festival. She has a private music studio filled with violin and viola students and teaches strings at Lake Oswego Schools and Oregon Episcopal School in SW Portland. Angelika earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Munich Musikhochschule and a Master of Music degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

DR. BRIAN GARDINER Principal percussion Dr. Brian Gardiner is a versatile percussionist, having performed throughout the U.S. and Canada with professional orchestras, rock bands, dance and choral groups, as well as chamber ensembles. He is a member of the Portland Opera Orchestra and currently freelances in Portland, where he performs regularly with the Oregon Symphony, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Columbia Symphony, and Portland Gay Men’s Chorus. He has performed under the batons of such conductors as Gerard Schwarz, Carlos Kalmar, Roberto Abbado, David Robertson, and Michael Stern.

Dr. Gardiner has been a highly sought-after drum set artist in Oregon, performing with regional and national recording artists such as Federale.

He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Music at Concordia University, Warner Pacific College and Portland Community College. He also teaches privately at Revival Drum Shop in Portland. Brian received his Doctor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

GARRETT JELLESMA Principal bass Now in his 14th season with The VSO, Garrett grew up in Milwaukie, OR where he was a violinist in the youth symphony. His bass career began in high school where his first teacher was Dave Anderson. He’s performed with the Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theatre, the Linfield Chamber Orchestra and many others. He is also a freelance musician performing and recording with musicians in many different music genres.

When not performing, he is an orchestra teacher at H.B. Lee Middle School in the Reynolds School District, where he has taught since 2000.

He is proud of his groups that have won many awards over the last several years.

He received his Bachelor of Music from Portland State, where he played under Maestro Brotons, and his Master’s in Music from the University of Portland. Garrett likes to spend his spare time with his family, traveling, fishing, and watching movies.

ALAN JUZA

DR. SALVADOR BROTONS

Principal oboe

Music Director & Conductor

Principal bassoon Margaret hails from Texas, where she received a bassoon performance degree from the University of Texas in Austin. She and her trombonist husband, Greg Scholl, moved to the Pacific Northwest and are never moving again!

Margaret has been The VSO’s principal bassoon since 1995, and performs with other regional symphonies, including Columbia Symphony and Portland Festival Symphony. A well-rounded musician, Margaret also plays the piano and banjo and had “a brief dalliance with the alto sax in junior high,” but feels the bassoon is the right fit for her, which is good for us.

When not playing music and working as a law firm administrator, she’s in the great outdoors, gardening or camping and hiking with family and friends.

DOUGLAS PEEBLES Principal bass trombone Born and raised in Portland, Douglas came from a musical family, playing piano from the first grade through his senior year at David Douglas High School in SE Portland.

He started playing trombone in the fourth grade and in three years was performing in a local dance band, The United Attractions, with his brother, which helped propel his development as a professional musician and entertainer. After attending college at the University of Nevada-Reno and playing bass trombone in the Reno area, he returned to Portland.

Douglas has performed with the Oregon Symphony and the Carlton Jackson-Dave Mills Big Band, and has played with the Woody Hite Big Band for over 25 years. Other appearances have been with Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd, Peggy Fleming, the Manhattan Transfer, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole and Don Rickles. He was also the drummer with the Cowboy/Jazz group Los Cowtones. Currently, his day job is driving a semi-truck for ABC Transfer and Delivery.

DIETER RATZLAF Principal cello Portland cellist Dieter Ratzlaf grew up in a musical family. He began cello studies at the age of seven and performed with the Portland Youth Philharmonic for six years, touring Europe with the orchestra in 1989. Dieter completed his undergraduate studies in Economics and German at Willamette University on a music scholarship. He went on to receive his Master of Arts in

Now in his 28th season leading The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Music Director and Conductor, musicians and classical music enthusiasts still delight in having Dr. Brotons lead them.

Salvador Brotons was born in Barcelona into a family of musicians. He studied flute with his father and continued his musical studies at the Barcelona Music Conservatory where he earned advanced degrees in flute, composition and conducting. In 1985 he won a Fulbright scholarship and moved to the U.S. where he obtained a doctorate in music from Florida State University.

As a composer, he has written more than 140 pieces, mostly orchestral and chamber works, and has won major composition awards, including the “Premio Orquesta Nacional de España” (1977), for his Cuatro Piezas para Cuerdas, the prize “Jove d’Or” (1980), the “Premio Ciutat de Barcelona” (in 1983 for his first symphony, and in 1986 for his piece Absències for narrator and orchestra), “SoutheasternComposers League Award” for his Sinfonietta da Camera (1986) “The Madison University Flute Choir Composition Award” (1987) for his Flute Suite and the “Premio Reina Sofia de Composición” (1991) for his piece Virtus for orchestra. He has also received many commissions.

Many of his works have been published and recorded on several CDs in Europe and in the U.S. for labels such as Naxos, EMI, Auvidis, Naxos, Albany Records, Keys, Harmonia Mundi and RNE. Currently he combines a busy schedule as a conductor and composer of a number of commissions of various genres. Since 2001 he has been a professor of composition and orchestra conducting at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC).

In Spain he has been the music director and conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears “Ciutat de Palma” (1997-2001, 2009-2013) and the Orquestra Simfónica del Vallés (1997-2002), and is presently the conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band. In 2005, he received the “Arts Council” award by the Clark County and the city of Vancouver and the Kiwanis Rose Award.

He has guest-conducted orchestras internationally in countries like the US, Israel, France, Germany, China, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, as well as the most prestigious Spanish orchestras.

Dr. Brotons resides in Barcelona with his wife, Dr. Melissa Brotons, renowned music therapist and Director of the inter-university Master’s in Music Therapy in Barcelona. Their daughter, Clara, is a recent graduate of New York University.

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MARGARET McSHEA

Photo Credit: Paul Quackenbush Photography

Alan is an active musician in the Portland area. He is a member of the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra, Portland Opera Orchestra and Oregon Coast Music Festival Orchestra, and has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Peter Britt Music Festival, and Houston Symphony, among many others. Alan currently teaches oboe at Pacific University in Forest Grove, and works as Facilities Manager for the Montessori School of Beaverton. He is thrilled to be a member of the Vancouver Symphony!

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GREG SCHOLL Principal trombone Greg Scholl has played principal trombone in The VSO since 1995. He is also principal trombone in the Portland Columbia Symphony and the Newport Symphony. Greg plays in the Portland Brass Quintet and the Portland Festival Symphony. He has performed with the Oregon Ballet Theatre, the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera and the Portland Chamber Orchestra. Greg is presently the trombone and low brass instructor at Pacific University. He enjoys both teaching and giving the pre-concert lectures he’s provided before each VSO concert for the past few years. He obtained a trombone performance degree at the University of Texas at Austin and also plays guitar and trombone with many local bands.

Cello Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, also on scholarship, where he was a student of Bonnie Hampton. He has appeared with multiple arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest including the Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Portland Opera Orchestra (18 seasons) and the Oregon Ballet Theater Orchestra (10 seasons). Dieter was appointed principal cello of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2005 and the Hood River Philharmonic in 2012, positions he currently still holds.

In addition to his performance commitments, Dieter is in demand as a teacher, adjudicator, and studio artist.

RACHEL RENCHER Principal flute Rachel Rencher is a freelance flutist in the Portland area. She is the principal flutist for The VSO, for which she has played since 1993.

Rachel is also a member of the Portland Opera Orchestra and Portland Chamber Orchestra.

She has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Oregon Ballet Theatre and several area summer music festivals, including the Sunriver Music Festival, Astoria Festival of Music and the McCall Summer Music Festival. She maintains two active flute studios in the Portland area.

EVA RICHEY

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Concertmaster

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Eva Richey began her violin studies at age 8.

She earned Bachelor and Master's degrees in violin performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Eva began her career playing regularly with several orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony, Columbus Symphony, West Virginia Symphony and Kentucky Symphony.

She toured South America with the New World Symphony and played briefly with the Cape Town Symphony in South Africa. She attended the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals, learning from such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, and Eiji Oue. Eva has also enjoyed playing popular music in concert events with The Moody Blues, Yes, Harry Connick Jr. and Rod Stewart.

In 2001, Eva moved to the Northwest. She began working with the Oregon Symphony as Associate Music Librarian, as well as holding two one-year positions in the second violin section.

Currently, Eva is on the adjunct faculty at Clark College as violin instructor and concertmaster of the Clark College Orchestra. She plays regularly with the Portland Opera, Portland Chamber Orchestra and Oregon Ballet Theatre.

During most business days, Greg can be found practicing law as the Director of the Public Defender’s office in Hillsboro. He enjoys camping, hiking, comic books, parenting the fabulous Ben Scholl and being married to The VSO’s incredible principal bassoonist, Margaret McShea.

DR. IGOR SHAKHMAN Principal clarinet Igor has been heard in recitals, chamber music concerts and concert appearances throughout Europe and the US. As an orchestral clarinetist, he has performed with the Colorado and Oregon Symphony Orchestras, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Colorado Opera Orchestra, Russian State Symphony Orchestra and the chamber orchestras of Moscow Virtuosi and Moscow Stars.

As a chamber musician and soloist, Igor has played in international music festivals in Oregon, Colorado, France, Greece, Russia and Switzerland.

Igor has participated in two critically acclaimed Broadway tours: the first national tour of Oklahoma! and as principal clarinetist and on-stage soloist in the North American tour of Fiddler on the Roof. He received his B.A. in Music from Kharkov Music College, his Master’s from the Moscow Conservatory and his Doctorate from the University of Colorado.

He teaches at the University of Portland and is the Oregon state chair for the International Clarinet Association. In addition to being principal clarinet, he’s also the orchestra’s Executive Director.

MARK VEHRENCAMP Principal tuba Mark grew up in Southern California, but moved north to attend the University of Oregon. He received his BM in music education and became the band and orchestra director at Oregon City High School.

He began playing the piano, then violin, but found his true calling first with trombone, then tuba. Mark joined The VSO in 1999 and recently expanded his tuba collection to seven, each with its own special musical purpose.

In addition to The VSO, Mark has played with the Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Portland Columbia Symphony, Portland Festival Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra and Big Horn Brass.

An accomplished jazz musician, Mark has played with Barney Bigard, Ed Garland and most recently Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski and Rebecca Kilgore.

He’s the proud father of two and for the past 39 years has exercised his daytime passion as a locomotive engineer for the Southern Pacific/Union Pacific Railroad.

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September CONCERT

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH at 3 pm & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH at 7 pm SKYVIEW CONCERT HALL — Vancouver, WA SALVADOR BROTONS, Conductor

ODYSSEY OVERTURE ........................................................................................................Nicole Buetti (b. 1979) CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA , OP.14 ....................................Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

Allegro molto moderato

Andante sostenuto

Presto in moto perpetuo

Mayuko Kamio, violin

15-Minute Intermission SUITE FROM "CANDIDE" (ARR. CHARLIE HARMON) .............................................Leonard Bernstein SYMPHONIC DANCES FROM "WEST SIDE STORY" .................................................Leonard Bernstein

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All program notes ©2018 by J. Michael Allsen

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

We gratefully acknowledge our Season Sponsors:

Zubin Mehta, and in Japan with the German SWR Symphony Orchestra under François-Xavier Roth. Other orchestral highlights include appearances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Jiri Belohlavek, the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, NHK Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Israel Philharmonic under Yaron Traub, and the Calgary and the Colorado Springs philharmonics. Her international career as a recitalist has taken her to New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Frankfurt, Warsaw, and Tokyo.

The youngest artist ever to win the Menuhin International Violin Competition, Ms. Kamio performed with the Orchestre National de Lille, with Menuhin conducting. She was awarded first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and received the first Monte Carlo Violin Masters Competition medal. She also garnered the gold medal at the first International David Oistrakh Violin Competition in Ukraine.

Mayuko Kamio VIOLIN

Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio*, the gold medalist of the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, is widely praised for her luxurious silken tone, long expressive phrasing and virtuoso techniques. The New York Times has called Ms. Kamio an “exciting young musician” and “a radiant talent.” Ms. Kamio made her concerto debut in Tokyo at the age of ten under the baton of Charles Dutoit, in a concert broadcast on NHK television. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops conducted

by Keith Lockhart, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich with Mstislav Rostropovich, and the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta.

Engagements for the 2017-18 season feature a return to Symphony Silicon Valley, performances with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, and at the Brevard Music Festival.

Kamio’s previous seasons included guest appearances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Nihon Philharmonic, Symphony Silicon Valley, Seattle Symphony under Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Buffalo Philharmonic, as well as recitals with Chamber Music San Francisco, Chamber on the Mountain, and at Merkin Hall in New York City. She has toured with the National Philharmonic of Russia conducted by Vladimir Spivakov, the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer, the Munich Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the Prague Philharmonic, the BBC Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, and the Oviedo Symphony Orchestra of Spain.

She has appeared in Japan as soloist with the Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, NHK, Osaka, Sapporo and Yomiuri Nippon symphony orchestras; and the Japan, Tokyo and Tokyo City philharmonics.

She has toured with the Israel Philharmonic under Ludovic Morlot, in South America with the Munich Philharmonic under

Ms. Kamio was born in Osaka, Japan and began to play the violin at the age of four. Her early teachers were Chikako Satoya, Machie Oguri and Chihiro Kudo, and she worked with Koichiro Harada at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. She studied in the U.S. with Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki at the Aspen Music Festival and in the pre-college division of The Juilliard School.

She completed artist's diploma studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Zurich, where she worked with Zakhar Bron.

Ms. Kamio received a grant from the Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts, and is a recipient of the prestigious Idemitsu Music Award. Mayuko Kamio currently plays the Antonio Stradivari 1731 “Rubinoff" on a generous loan from Munetsugu Collection. *[pronounced My-YOU-ko KA-me-o]

PROGRAM NOTES

by Michael Allsen

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra celebrates the opening of its 40th anniversary season with a work by one of our own, the sci-fi-inspired Odyssey Overture by composer and VSO bassoonist Nicole Buetti. Japanese violinist Mayuko Kamio, gold medalist in the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, then joins the orchestra to perform the emanding Barber Violin Concerto. 2018 marks the centenary of the birth of one of America’s greatest musicians, Leonard Bernstein, and we conclude the program with two selections from his stage works. His operetta Candide is wonderfully sarcastic, taking aim at both traditional opera and 1950s American society. We will perform both its delightfully snarky little overture, and an orchestral suite from the operetta.

We end with the challenging Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story”—richly-orchestrated music from Bernstein’s greatest Broadway show.

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GUEST ARTIST

She has released four recordings on the SONY and BMG labels, a sonata recording of Franck, Brahms and Strauss, a concerto recording of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev Concerti, a collection of violin solo works with piano of Chausson, Stravinsky, Szymanowski, Waxman and Paganini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin.

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NICOLE BUETTI (B. 1979) Odyssey Overture

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Buetti completed an early version of this work in 2014, when it was performed by the University of Northern Colorado Orchestra. An extensively revised version of the score is premiered at these concerts.

Duration 8:00.

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Nicole Buetti composes extensively for chamber ensembles and large ensembles of various configurations, as well as children’s music and music for media. She spent several years in the Los Angeles area working as a composer in the film and television industries, and has had music commissioned and licensed for use all over the world. She has been honored for her film scores at the Wild Rose International Film Fest, Dodge Grant Association, and Telly Awards, and was honored with an Independent Music Award Nomination and Fan Favorite win. Her music has been featured in TV promos for Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Battlestar Gallactica, movie trailers including Big Hero 6 and Fred Clause, and TV shows including The Today Show, NFL Presents and The View. Buetti co-owns Goes to Eleven Media, a music and media company specializing in children’s educational music and videos as well as music for film, television and theme parks. In 2017, she released her sixth album of songs for kids called Just Be You! which was just honored by both the Parent’s Picks Awards “Top 5 Best Preschool and Elementary Music CDs of 2018” and “2017 Educational CD of the Year” by Creative Child Magazine. Buetti was appointed “Composer in Residence” for the Assisi Performing Arts Music Festival in Italy in 2013. In addition to her work as a composer, she is the contrabassoonist and second bassoonist for the Vancouver Symphony, and has performed with many other groups in the area, including the Oregon Symphony, Oregon Ballet, Portland Columbia Symphony, Yakima Symphony, and the Tacoma Symphony. She provides the following note on her Odyssey Overture:

“The genesis of the Odyssey Overture is connected to my love of science, space, astronomy, and especially my favorite genre of film, science fiction. The main theme of Odyssey began as a simple piece of sci-fi music, written for my demo reel while I was working in Hollywood. When I played it for my father Anthony, a physicist and also a big fan of science fiction, he encouraged me to expand it into a piece for orchestra. Several years later, while completing my Master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado, I created an orchestral version that was performed by the university orchestra in 2014. When Maestro Brotons heard a recording of the 2014 version, he encouraged me to expand and revise the piece for the Vancouver Symphony. After consultations with the Maestro, I’ve added several minutes of new material, reworked the existing themes, and adjusted some instrumentation. I also took the opportunity to enhance the contrabassoon part, which I’m very excited to play with the orchestra!

“Odyssey Overture is in three sections. The opening is a dark, sinister introduction, featuring extended techniques in the brass section, and a haunting melody and countermelody in the winds and strings. This leads into a faster and lighter section in 5/8 time, showcasing the technical facility of many sections, most notably woodwinds and trumpets. The final section features the original theme, now a soaring melody in the brass. Odyssey Overture leaves the audience free to imagine their own story and imagery to go along with the music. The piece is dedicated to my father Anthony and my mother Anne for all of the support they have given me over the years.”

SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981) Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op.14

Barber composed this work in 1939-40. The public premiere was played on February 7, 1941 by the Philadelphia Orchestra, with violinist Albert Spalding.

Duration 25:00.

In May 1939, Barber received a commission for a violin concerto from the American soap magnate Samuel Fels, on behalf of the violinist Iso Briselli. Briselli, born in Ukraine, had come to the United States in 1924 as a 12-year-old prodigy studying with Carl Flesch at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute. Fels later served as a guardian and patron to the young violinist. (Briselli, in turn, would later administer the Fels philanthropic foundation.) At the time, Barber was living in a small Swiss village, where he completed the first two movements of the concerto. When war broke out in Europe, Barber returned to Philadelphia to take a teaching post at the Curtis Institute of Music, and he submitted the first two movements to Briselli. There is a well-known—if incorrect— story about the concerto’s history from this point onwards.

According to this version of events, Briselli complained that these movements were not quite the technical showpiece that he had in mind, and when Barber obliged with the brilliant third movement, the violinist returned it as “unplayable.” The third movement was vindicated when a young violin student named Herbert Baumel played it for a committee of Curtis teachers after working for only a few hours on the challenging solo part.

Later biographers Barbara Heyman and George Diehl reconstructed the events somewhat differently. Briselli, it seems, was in fact quite enthusiastic about the first two movements. The controversy over the last movement was not about “playability,” but about its extreme contrast with the first two movements: an almost frantic Presto that seemed at odds with the lyricism that preceded it. He suggested revisions to the form that would bring it into more traditional lines, but Barber refused. Eventually the commission was withdrawn, and Barber retained his rights to the concerto. There was a private performance by the Curtis Orchestra, with Baumel as soloist. After a few minor revisions,

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Helping our community stay in tune

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In Memoriam Dee Berberick Aileen Bratton Lawton Alder “Chic” Hull Dan Ogden Connie Ryan

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Barber offered the concerto to violinist Albert Spalding, who premiered it in Philadelphia in early 1941.

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The opening movement (Allegro molto moderato) begins with a broad and lyrical theme laid out by the solo violin and strings.

The movement continues as a rather gentle dialogue between soloist and orchestra, moving towards a grand Romantic pinnacle near the end, but coming to a rather quiet conclusion. This understated tone continues in the second movement (Andante sostenuto), which begins with a long, songlike melody presented by the solo oboe. When the solo part enters, it presents a somewhat more impassioned melody, before picking up the oboe’s theme. Once again, the movement moves towards a climactic moment near the end, only to close quietly.

Several of Barber’s biographers have pointed to the Violin Concerto as a turning point in his career: as the work in which he turned away from the essentially Romantic style of his early music towards a more austere style. The third movement was composed some months after the first two—after his return from Europe— and there is certainly a distinct difference between the mild quality of the two opening movements, and the hard-edged finale.

The last movement, marked Presto in moto perpetuo, begins with the soloist moving at a furious pace, above oddly-placed accents in the orchestra. The violin passes the baton to the woodwinds near the middle of this movement, only to pick it up again, at the same pace, after a brief rest. The motion of this movement stops only at the very end, just before one final burst of solo fireworks.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1991)

Suite from Candide (arr. Charlie Harmon) Bernstein’s operetta Candide was completed in 1956, and it premiered on Broadway on December 1 of that year.

The suite heard here was prepared in 1998 and introduced by the Minnesota Orchestra in January 1999.

Duration 5:00 and 16:00.

In 1759, the French playwright and satirist Voltaire published his Candide, a stinging indictment of the then-fashionable “philosophical optimism” of Leibnitz. Inspired in part by a horrible earthquake that had destroyed much of the Portuguese city of Lisbon in 1755, the play describes the philosophical awakening of Candide, a young student of the savant Dr. Pangloss. After interminable (and hilarious) tribulations, Candide sheds his optimism and concludes that “to grow one’s own garden” should the primary aim of life. Candide’s satirical rejection of boundless optimism and philosophical approaches to world problems—beloved ideals of the Age of Enlightenment—caused an understandable stir at the French court and elsewhere in Europe, and it was promptly placed in the Vatican Index of banned books.

(Despite this prohibition, Candide was popular enough to warrant at least thirteen editions prior to Voltaire’s death in 1778!)

The history of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide dates from 1950, when playwright Lillian Hellman suggested the Voltaire play as a possible subject for collaboration. Bernstein’s setting of Hellman’s libretto, completed six years later, had a double purpose. The broad parody of the quartet finale to Act I, and arias such as “Oh Happy We” mocks the conventions of opera and operetta. In a broader sense, however, Candide was a satire of the parochialism of America in the 1950s—more specifically the political paranoia that had threatened Hellman and many of Bernstein’s acquaintances with blacklisting and worse. Candide was not completed until 1956, four years after Hellman had been called to testify at the McCarthy hearings, and two years after the humiliation of Senator McCarthy himself. Shortly after its premiere Bernstein described Candide as a “...political comment in the aftermath of Joe McCarthy,” and political figures are indeed the most bitterly lampooned characters in the operetta.

The suite brings includes orchestral arrangements of several numbers from the operetta, beginning with “You Were Dead You Know,” a duet between Candide and his long-lost fiancé Cunegonde. He had thought she was dead, but finds her living the high life in Paris, where she is the mistress of both a Marquis and a Sultan (who thoughtfully visit her on alternate days!). The “Paris Waltz” accompanies a scene of Cunegonde’s glittery life in Paris. “Bon Voyage” is a bit of pure Gilbert & Sullivan—a chorus of farewell as Candide leaves Surinam for a voyage to Venice.

The ship promptly sinks, and “Drowning Music/The Kings’ Barcarolle” accompanies the rather ridiculous following sequence, in which Candide is picked up by a passing galley, and is reunited with Pangloss, now a galley slave. The passengers include five repentant kings who discuss their plans to renounce luxury and power in a rather loopy barcarolle. “Ballad of Eldorado” is sung by Candide, who finds Eldorado, the legendary City of Gold in Act II. “I Am Easily Assimilated” comes from Act I, where Candide, Cunegonde, and an Old Lady flee Paris to Cadiz after Candide accidentally kills both the Marquis and the Sultan. The three are penniless, and the Old Lady sings this hilarious and slightly suggestive tango as payment for their supper. “The Best of All Possible Worlds” comes from near the beginning: a lesson taught

by Pangloss, whose crack-brained logic supports a frantically optimistic view of the world. Both operetta and suite end with

“We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we’ll do the best we know.

We’ll build our house and chop our wood and make our garden grow.”

LEONARD BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Bernstein’s West Side Story was composed in 1956-57, and this orchestral suite was completed in 1961. The suite was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in February 1961.

Duration 21:00.

Bernstein, like many of his predecessors, was attracted to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as subject-matter for a stage work—the tragic story of lovers from two warring clans has universal appeal and relevance. Bernstein was particularly intrigued when playwright Arthur Laurents suggested that he write the music for an “updated” version of the tragedy, set not in 16th-century Verona, but in modern New York City. The doomed lovers in West Side Story are a Puerto Rican girl named Maria, and a Polish-American boy named Tony. In place of warring Montagues and Capulets, there are two rival gangs fighting for territory. The Sharks are Puerto Rican immigrants, and the Jets are an “American” gang, primarily Tony’s Polish-American buddies. Using Puerto Rican culture in the characters of Maria, Anita, and the Sharks allowed Bernstein to introduce Caribbean instruments into the score. He also makes subtle use of Caribbean rhythms in many numbers—basing the hilariously sarcastic “America” on the huapongo, and introducing the syncopated beguine in Tony and Maria’s love duet “Tonight.”

Bernstein was also attracted by the idea of writing a truly serious score for the Broadway stage. In 1956, when he had just begun work on West Side Story, he wrote in his diary: “Chief problem: to tread the fine line between opera and Broadway, between realism and poetry, ballet and ‘just dancing,’ abstract and representational. Avoid being ‘messagy.’ The line is there, but it’s very fine and sometimes it takes a lot of peering around to discern it.” Bernstein had already composed relatively “operatic” Broadway shows—his On the Town (1944) and Wonderful Town (1952) contained serious undercurrents and had a integrated approach to drama, music and dance. His opera Trouble in Tahiti (1952) and his operetta Candide (1956) approached the “fine line” from the opposite direction, adapting elements of Jazz and popular song. West Side Story, completed in 1957, was an amazingly successful synthesis of classical and Broadway elements. It was also a thoroughly successful collaboration between Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and choreographer Jerome Robbins. The show opened on Broadway on September 26, 1957 and ran for 973 performances.

The Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story” date from 1961.

The music is “symphonic” in a couple of ways. Bernstein takes the ballet music of West Side Story out of the crowded confines of the orchestra pit and expands his score to include a full symphony orchestra. It is also “symphonic” in that he uses a few basic musical ideas, transformed over and over again, to represent the actions and emotions of the story. The score provides the following outline of the dramatic action portrayed in the Symphonic Dances: “Prologue (Allegro Moderato) — The growing rivalry between two teenage gangs, the Jets and Sharks.

‘Somewhere’ (Adagio) — In a visionary dance sequence, the two gangs are united in friendship. Scherzo (Vivace leggerio) — In the same dream, they break through the city walls, and suddenly find themselves in a world of space, air and sun. Mambo (Presto) — Reality again; competitive dance between gangs. Cha-cha (Andantino con grazia) — The star-crossed lovers see each other for the first time and dance together. Meeting Scene (Meno mosso) — Music accompanies their first spoken words. ‘Cool,’ Fugue (Allegretto) — An elaborate dance sequence in which the Jets practice controlling their hostility. Rumble (Molto allegro) — Climactic gang battle during which the two gang leaders are killed. Finale (Adagio) — Love music developing into a procession, which recalls, in tragic reality, the vision of ‘Somewhere’.”

MUSIC DIRECTOR RAÚL GÓMEZ

2018-19 Downtown Concert Series Symphony Orchestra A R L E N E S C H N I T Z E R CO N C E R T H A L L AT 7 : 3 0 P M

VIVA ITALIA: Berlioz, Rossini & Tchaikovsky • NOV 11 Newmark Theatre CANTANDO • JAN 6 In Partnership with Pacific Youth Choir

FIREBIRD: Respighi & Stravinsky • MAR 3 AMERICA’s FLORENCE: Price, Symphony No.1 • MAY 21 Featuring world premieres from fEARnoMUSIC’s Young Composer’s Project TICKETS & AUDITION INFO: 503.239.4566 PLAYMYS.ORG

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“Make Our Garden Grow”—a fervent ensemble for Candide, Cunegonde, and the entire ensemble.

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November CONCERT

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD at 3 pm & SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH at 7 pm SKYVIEW CONCERT HALL — Vancouver, WA SALVADOR BROTONS, Conductor

OVERTURE THE ROMAN CARNIVAL, OP.9 .................................................... Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA ........................................ Aram Khachaturian (1903-1976)

Allegro maestoso

Andante con anima

Allegro brillant

Dimitri Zhgenti, piano

15-Minute Intermission SYMPHONY NO.3 IN A MINOR OP.56 (“SCOTTISH”) ........................Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Andante con moto — Allegro un poco agitato

Vivace non troppo

Adagio

Allegro vivacissimo — Allegro maestoso assai

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All program notes ©2018 by J. Michael Allsen

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

We gratefully acknowledge our Season Sponsors:

PROGRAM NOTES

by Michael Allsen

This program begins with the blustering Roman Carnival Overture

by Berlioz. We then welcome back Vancouver-based pianist Dimitri Zhgenti, last performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra two years ago, performing the Piano Concerto No.1 by Prokofiev. On this program he performs forceful piano concerto of Prokofiev’s Soviet colleague Aram Khachaturian. Rounding out this concert is Mendelssohn’s fine third symphony, inspired by the composer’s youthful visit to Scotland.

HECTOR BERLIOZ (1803-1869) Overture The Roman Carnival, Op.9

Dimitri Zhgenti

PIANO

Dimitri Zhgenti was born in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. At the age of nine he began studying with Medea Javahia and later with one of the prominent professors of the Tbilisi State Conservatory, Rusudan Hodjava. In 2002, Dimitri moved to Vancouver, WA and in 2004 began studying with renowned American concert pianist and artist-teacher Joanna Hodges at the Joanna Hodges Piano Studio where he currently serves as an associate instructor.

Mr. Zhgenti was accepted into the Alexander Toradze Piano Studio at Indiana University, where he studied under world renowned concert pianist Alexander Toradze and concert pianist and Senior Lecturer of Music Ketevan Badridze. There he completed both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Starting in 2011, Dimitri began studying with American award-winning pianist and teacher Mark Westcott and has completed additional study at the SUNY New Paltz Piano Summer Festival under the artistic direction of Vladimir Feltsman.

Dimitri was one of the top prize winners of the Gonzaga University Music Festival in Spokane and was the first prize winner in the WSMTA competition. Dimitri regularly performs in the studios of Toradze, Hodges and Westcott. He enjoys organizing recitals and benefit concerts and attracting musicians from around the world.

When Berlioz’s first opera, Benvenuto Cellini, was given its premiere at the Paris Opéra in 1838, it was a complete flop: the Opéra cancelled the production after only four performances.

Berlioz said of the premiere that “…the overture was received with exaggerated applause, but the rest was hissed with admirable energy and unanimity.” Berlioz blamed the conductor, Habeneck, for the opera’s failure—he and Habeneck argued constantly about tempos and points of interpretation during rehearsals, and Berlioz later suggested that the conductor deliberately sabotaged the performance. The composer was particularly annoyed at Habaneck’s lugubrious reading of the Saltarello from Act II. According to Berlioz, the members of the corps de ballet complained to him about being unable to dance the lively, hopping steps of the Saltarello to Habaneck’s “dragging time.” The argument between composer and conductor that ensued led to a broken violin bow and several more harsh words.

Given Berlioz’s sense of being wronged in the production, it is not surprising that he attempted to resurrect parts of the opera five years later in the concert overture The Roman Carnival. The title refers to the setting of Benvenuto Cellini (Rome, during the Carnival season of 1532), and the overture is built around music from two of the opera’s scenes. The main themes are based on Benvenuto’s Act I aria “O Teresa, vous que j’aime” and the Saltarello that had caused so much trouble in 1838. This time, the premiere went smoothly—despite the fact that the orchestra was sightreading at the concert. According to the composer’s memoirs: “Not a single mistake occurred. I started the Allegro at the right tempo, the whirlwind tempo of the Roman dancers. The audience encored it; we played it again; it went even better the second time.” To Berlioz, it was poetic justice that Habeneck was

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Berlioz completed this work in 1843, and conducted the first performance in Paris on February 3, 1844.

Duration 8:00.

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present at this concert, hoping to hear the Saltarello fall apart.

Berlioz noted in a letter that he saw Habaneck after the concert and told him: “Now that is how it ought to go!”

The Roman Carnival, written soon after Berlioz completed his well-known book on instrumentation, shows his mastery of orchestral scoring, with a rich variety of orchestral effects. After a brief opening reference to the opera’s Tarantella, Berlioz sets Benvenuto’s love song as a haunting English horn melody that is answered by the violas, and lightly accompanied by strings and woodwinds. Woodwind flourishes lead from this slower tempo into the Saltarello, a sprightly 6/8 dance. There is a brief contemplative episode in the middle, but the lighter feeling of the Saltarello soon returns. The overture ends with a robust fugato on the Saltarello theme.

ARAM KHACHATURIAN (1903-1976) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Knachaturian’s Piano Concerto was composed in 1936. The first performance took place at an outdoor concert in Moscow on July 12, 1937. The piano soloist was Lev Oborin, to whom the score is dedicated. Duration 33:00.

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There are three composers of the old Soviet Union whose works are generally known to American audiences: Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Khachaturian. Of the three, Armenian-born Khachaturian was the one who moved most comfortably in the repressive artistic atmosphere of imposed in the era of Stalin—one biographer has characterized his music of as “Socialist Realism at its best.” Soviet doctrine was that music should be optimistic and uplifting, and should further the goals of the State, but all too often it became a means of censure and even punishment of composers who failed to toe the line. Khachaturian’s work is not entirely free of the “formalist” elements (dissonance, intellectualized forms, and characteristics generally considered bourgeois) that got Prokofiev and Shostakovich in such trouble (Khachaturian himself was censured for a few years after World War II), but his style has a natural directness and immediate mass appeal. Unlike the music of many lesser Soviet composers, he also produced works that have proved to have lasting value. His musical style is generally romantic, drawing on the music of Liszt, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Borodin, but he also absorbed the melodic style and rhythmic vitality of Armenian music.

His Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is generally considered to be his first mature composition, and it was the first Khachaturian work to be widely known outside of the Soviet Union. It was performed frequently in England and the United States by the early 1940s. He began the work soon after completing his degree at the Moscow Conservatory. He was apparently inspired by the great success of Soviet pianists on the world stage at this time—he

knew and particularly admired Emil Gilels and Lev Oborin. The result was a sprawling and showy work, very much in the tradition of Liszt and Tchaikovsky. Oborin explained the concerto’s appeal as the result of “…a mighty temperament, originality, and the brilliant virtuosity of the solo piano and orchestra.”

In the first movement (Allegro maestoso), a short orchestral introduction sets up the first piano entrance, an almost savage theme filled with heavily accented syncopation—a melody based upon Armenian folk material. A contrasting idea, introduced by solo oboe, is gentler in character, and is expanded in a piano cadenza. The overall organization of this movement is a conventional sonata form, with a long and intense development.

A long crescendo in the recapitulation leads to a more extended cadenza and a wild coda.

The second movement (Andante con anima) also has roots in folk music: its main theme is based upon a widely-known Caucasian melody. (Although Khachaturian later remarked that the tune was so completely transformed in his setting that few folk musicians recognized it!) This theme is preceded by an espressivo solo for the bass clarinet over muted strings. The body of the movement is a set of increasingly passionate variations. One interesting bit of instrumentation in the center of this movement is the flexatone—a rarely-used percussion instrument that has much the same haunting sound as a musical saw. A second statement of the bass clarinet theme frames the end of the movement.

The finale (Allegro brillante) begins with crashing piano chords.

The trumpet introduces a furious little figure that that becomes the basis for increasingly wild piano passages. The movement culminates in an enormous solo cadenza—almost a movement in itself—and finally a grand restatement of the first movement’s opening theme by full orchestra.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Symphony No.3 in A minor Op.56 (“Scottish”)

Mendelssohn began this work in 1829 and completed it in 1842.

He led the first performance in the Leipzig Gewandhaus on March 3, 1842. Duration 40:00.

As the heir of a wealthy German family, Mendelssohn was able to indulge in the “grand tour”—years of wandering Europe during his young adulthood. This was no idle tourism, however: he intended to refine his skills, and to pick up musical influences from across the Continent. Well-known as a musical Wunderkind, he presented concerts, and wrote music wherever he went. He met a particularly enthusiastic reception when he arrived in London in the spring of 1829, presenting concerts of his own works, and appearing as a piano soloist. That summer, he and a friend left for

an extended tour of Scotland. Mendelssohn was deeply affected by this visit, sketching landscapes, writing enthusiastically to family and friends, and in a couple of cases, finding inspiration for musical works: The Hebride, and his “Scottish” symphony.

That he found Scotland so attractive is hardly surprising: the Romantics loved Scotland. Its history and craggy landscape were the background for countless works of Romantic literature, poetry, painting, ballet, and music. Soon after arriving in Edinburgh, Mendelssohn visited Holyrood Abbey. He wrote to his parents that: “The chapel beside it has now lost its roof, it is overgrown with grass and ivy, and at the broken altar Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything is ruined, decayed, and open to the sky. I believe I have found there today the beginning of my Scottish Symphony.” Apparently that same day, he sketched out the opening theme of the Andante introduction. The work was largely set aside for more than a dozen years, however. It was not until late 1840, while Mendelssohn was engaged as a conductor in Berlin, that he began serious work on the symphony. He worked on it through most of the next year, finishing it in time for its premiere in Leipzig in the spring of 1842. This was to be his last completed symphony, and many agree that is also his finest.

the program as Allegro guerriero—a “warlike Allegro.” Warlike associations are there to be sure: an insistent pulsing background, and an almost angry theme. A more peaceable contrasting idea bears a clear family resemblance to the first movement’s main theme. This idea is quickly swept away by more intense music several times, until it finally wins out in a long duet for clarinet and bassoon. This introduces the final section (Allegro maestoso assai), where low strings introduce a broad theme. This is quickly taken up by the full orchestra to bring the symphony to a stirring conclusion.

Mendelssohn was clearly uncomfortable about writing a symphony that could be understood as purely “programmatic,” but a few musical elements of the symphony would clearly have been recognized as distinctly “Scottish” in character: the “Scotch snap” (a reverse dotted rhythm), the occasional use of bagpipe-style drones, and the clarinet’s folk-dance melody at the beginning of the second movement. As a whole, however the symphony works perfectly in purely musical terms: most of the musical material grows organically from the opening motive. He also specified that the movements be played without pauses.

The scherzo (Vivace non troppo) opens with a playful dance theme introduced by the clarinet. In place of the usual contrasting trio, there is a rather agitated development section that again fades suddenly to provide a transition to the next movement. The Adagio’s main idea is a lovely long-breathed melody spun out by the strings. This sublime mood alternates with uneasy march-like music from the brasses and woodwinds.

The beginning of the fourth movement is the only abrupt transition in this symphony. Though the opening of this movement is marked Allegro vivacissimo in the score, Mendelssohn suggested in his preface that this be described in

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The first movement begins solemnly (Andante con moto), with an intonation of the theme Mendelssohn sketched out in 1829. This introduction leads almost seamlessly into the main body of the movement (Allegro un poco agitato). Both main themes are derived from Mendelssohn’s 1829 idea: a restless melody introduced by the low strings and flutes, and an almost hesitant closing theme played by the violins. The development focuses on the main Allegro theme, working it out in an intensely contrapuntal manner. The recapitulation is conventional enough, but the end is a surprise: after a sudden storm, the movement rather suddenly dies away, and there is a reminiscence of the opening bars before it segues to the scherzo.

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FRIENDS of the VSO YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE FRIENDS

Over the years many have worked very hard and we need to offer our deepest gratitude for all that they have done. In this exciting 2018-2019 season we would like to offer any of who are interested, the opportunity to become either active members, or members who just donate their membership in order to allow us to continue doing the work we do. As a member you are always invited to attend the post-concert receptions and are guaranteed to have fun being a part of this winning team.

Come and join in on the merriment and joy of music. We extend an invitation to visit us at our lobby table to learn more about what we do.

Membership in The Friends of The VSO is $50 for a single and $75 for a family for the entire concert season. We are self-supporting and welcome donations that are tax deductible.

For more information, visit our website at vancouversymphony.org/friends, contact us by e-mail at FriendsofVSO@vancouversymphony.org, or call (360) 735-7278.

FRIENDS OF THE VSO

FRIENDS OF THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY 2018-2019 Barbara Coman, Chair Anthony Ho, Vice Chair Norm Krasne, Secretary Sue Egloff, Treasurer Valerie Alexander Kelly Lindgreen Litonya Allen & Shawn Standley Linda Bullard Ann Borowiak Diane & Art Brandenburg Barbara Coman Margaret Chan Laura & Ron Croft Richard Dubrow Donna Egan Sue Egloff Joe Galante Maruth Gruver Mary Jo & Robert Harris Sam & Barbara Hendrix Anthony Ho Sandy Hoyt Nien-Wei Hsiano & Michael Liu

Norm Krasne & Sarah Duvall Joy Lasseter Joel & Ann Littauer Penny & Tim McLaren Sandra & Ken Miller Nancy Lee Overpeck James Palmer Cheryl & Brian Partridge Hildegard & Walter Pistor Sondra & Lee Powel Pat Reiter Donna Roberge-Nozel & Jack Nozel Diana Yee-Stauffer & Peter Stauffer Dr. John Soelling & Harriet Willson Judith & Jim Youde Joan Winton Jane Elder Wulff Joan Winton

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The Friends of The VSO are an integral part of the success of the orchestra and organization. You may not see this team of volunteers when they are sponsoring a post-concert reception and meals on rehearsal nights for the orchestra, or participating in the educational program, fundraisers and working side by side with the VSO Board. The joy of the Friends is the opportunity to mingle with orchestra members, Maestro Brotons and guest musicians. You‘ll find that it is such a pleasure to give back to those that have given so much.

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Photo Credit: Paul Quackenbush Photography

THANK YOU DONORS

WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY. YOU ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR SYMPHONY AND CRUCIAL TO OUR SUCCESS. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT NOW AND FOR THE PAST 40 SEASONS.

July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 MAESTRO $25,000 and Above Paul and Loti Christensen Loren Parks

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December CONCERT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8TH at 3 pm & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9TH at 7 pm SKYVIEW CONCERT HALL — Vancouver, WA SALVADOR BROTONS, Conductor

Our holiday concert will feature dancers from the Columbia Dance Academy in the performance of excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s fairytale ballet Swan Lake.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will perform holiday favorites, including Vienna waltzes, polkas and much more.

Full program notes by Michael Allsen will appear as an insert to the program in December.

This concert is generously sponsored in part by Loti and Paul Christensen

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We gratefully acknowledge our Season Sponsors:

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In perfect tune for over a decade...

The Vancouver GUEST ARTIST

Columbia Dance Co.

Symphony Orchestra and Dick Hannah Dealerships

Since its founding, in 1987 by Wendy de la Harpe and Jan Asai, Columbia Dance Company has been engaged in bringing quality dance to the greater Vancouver Washington area.

Under the direction of Artistic Director, Jan Hurst, Columbia Dance Company celebrates its fifteenth season. Columbia Dance excels in offering a positive, rigorous and nurturing environment where young artists will be inspired to fully embrace their creative potential. Standards of excellence in teaching and performance create an atmosphere for life enrichment through developing every dancer’s unique artistic voice.

dickhannah.com

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This valuable cultural resource not only offers a variety of training and performing experiences for aspiring dancers, but also reaches into the community by providing outreach and community service. The school provides professional quality instruction in classical ballet and other pertinent dance forms in an environment that nurtures technical excellence and artistic sensibilities in a rigorous and supportive atmosphere. The Company maintains two performing ensembles determined by appropriate age and technical ability.

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January CONCERT

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26TH at 3 pm and SUNDAY, JANUARY 27TH at 7 pm SKYVIEW CONCERT HALL — Vancouver, WA SALVADOR BROTONS, Conductor

In our January program, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra goes to Broadway! We welcome Portland Gay Men’s Chorus for this program, to sing excerpts from Ragtime, Oklahoma!, and other Broadway favorites. The VSO has its own feature in Gershwin’s picturesque An American in Paris. Our featured guest artist is Portland-based actress and singer Susannah Mars. She takes the stage to sing familiar songs from Hello Dolly, A Chorus Line, Anything Goes, and Candide.

Full program notes by Michael Allsen will appear as an insert to the program in January.

This concert is generously sponsored in part by William Dickey

THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

We gratefully acknowledge our Season Sponsors:

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Portland Gay Men's Chorus After attending a San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus concert in the spring of 1980, Portland native Mark Richards asked friends Mark Jones and Gary Coleman if they thought Portland would support a similar Chorus. An ad in the local gay newspaper proved there was interest, and—with just 26 singers—the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus was born, one of the first gay men’s choruses in the nation.

Today, PGMC is a thriving arts organization comprised of over 140 singers. The Chorus performs to packed houses in Portland and beyond, and considers outreach to be an important part of its mission. The Chorus will be the first gay performing group to tour China in the fall of 2018.

Susannah Mars BROADWAY STAR

Over the years, PGMC has supported many non-profit organizations in our community by performing for their benefit.

Such groups include the Cascade AIDS Project, OHSU, Portland State University, Equality Foundation, Our House, Metropolitan Community Church, Christ Church, and St. Stephen’s Episcopal. It has also performed for the Inaugural Celebrations for numerous state elected officials including Governor Roberts and Kitzhaber to name just a few.

Susannah Mars is thrilled to be joining the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Salvador Brotons. A lifelong performing artist, Ms. Mars is a resident artist at Artist Repertory Theatre. Recently she appeared at Portland Opera as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeny Todd. She was Margaret at Portland Playhouse in The Light In The Piazza, in addition to playing Mistress Hibbins in Scarlet. At Portland Center Stage she was Golde in their production of Fiddler on the Roof. Other favorite roles at Portland Center Stage include Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Mother in Ragtime, Mama Rose in Gypsy and Merideth in Bat Boy. At Artists Rep she has performed her holiday show Mars On Life for three seasons, and also appeared as Diana in Next To Normal, Dinah in The Quality of Life, Julia in Holidazed, Becca in Rabbit Hole, Mabel in Chaps, and Karen in Dinner with Friends. Most recently there she was Mary Todd Lincoln in A Civil War Christmas, and will soon appear in Small Mouth Sounds as Joan. She was Frieda and Betty at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre in Sunday in the Park with George, and was also Susan in their production of Company. You may also have also seen her on NBC’s Grimm as Drew Wu’s psychiatrist, Dr. Richet. Ms. Mars is the proud recipient of six Portland Drama Critics awards two Portland Area Music Theatre Awards, and two Regional Arts and Culture Council Grants. Her most recent recording Susannah Mars, Call It Home; The Music of Richard Gray is available, along with her first, the MAC nominated Take Me To The World, on LML Music.

She is also the host of Artslandia’s Adventures in Artslandia.

Subscribe to Adventures In Artslandia on itunes. Learn more at www.susannahmars.com.

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Concert Introducing the Steinway Model D

Grand