yale philharmonia
Peter Oundjian principal conductor
Thursday, November 21, 2019 | 7:30 pm Woolsey Hall
Robert Blocker, Dean
Program Claude Debussy 1862–1918
Nocturnes, L. 91 I. Nuages (Clouds) II. Fêtes (Festivals) III. Sirènes (Sirens) with treble voices of Yale Schola Cantorum
Carl Maria von Weber 1786–1826
Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 75 I. Allegro ma non troppo II. Adagio III. Rondo. Allegro Eleni Katz, bassoon
intermission
Nikolai RimskyKorsakov 1844–1908
Scheherazade, Op. 35 I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship. Largo e maestoso – Allegro non troppo II. The Legend of the Kalendar Prince. Lento – Andantino – Allegro molto – Con moto III. The Young Prince and the Princess. Andantino quasi allegretto – Pochissimo più mosso – Come prima – Pochissimo più animato IV. Festival at Baghdad. The Sea. Ship Breaks upon a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman. Allegro molto – Vivo – Allegro non troppo maestoso
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Artist Profiles Peter Oundjian, principal conductor
Yale Schola Cantorum
Toronto-born conductor Peter Oundjian has been an instrumental figure in the rebirth of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since his appointment as Music Director in 2004. In addition to conducting the orchestra in dynamic performances that have achieved significant artistic acclaim, he has been greatly involved in a variety of new initiatives that have strengthened the ensemble’s presence in the community and attracted a young and diverse audience.
SOPRANO Cora Hagens Adrienne Lotto Sarah Noble Phoebe Oler Sofia Schroth-Douma Camilla Tassi Maura Tuffy Andrea Walker
In addition to his post in Toronto, from which he stepped down in 2018, Oundjian served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2010 and played a major role at the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York between 1997 and 2007. In 2012 he was appointed Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Oundjian was the first violinist of the renowned Tokyo String Quartet, a position he held for fourteen years. Since 1981, he has been on the Yale School of Music faculty. He was awarded the School’s Samuel Simons Sanford Medal for distinguished service to music in 2013 and named Principal Conductor of the Yale Philharmonia in 2015. He is Professor (adjunct) of Music and Orchestral Conducting at the School of Music.
ALTO Antonia Chandler Rhianna Cockrell Evanna Lai Katharine Li Meghan Stoll Joy Wang Karolina Wojteczko Madeleine Woodworth
Yale Schola Cantorum is a chamber choir that performs sacred music from the sixteenth century to the present day in concert settings and choral services around the world. It is sponsored by Yale Institute of Sacred Music and conducted by David Hill; Masaaki Suzuki is principal guest conductor. Open by audition to students from all departments and professional schools across Yale University, the choir has a special interest in historically informed performance practice, often in collaboration with instrumentalists from Juilliard415. Schola was founded in 2003 by Simon Carrington. In recent years, the choir has also sung under the direction of internationally renowned conductors Matthew Halls, Simon Halsey, Paul Hillier, Stephen Layton, Sir Neville Marriner, Nicholas McGegan, James O’Donnell, Stefan Parkman, Krzysztof Penderecki, Helmuth Rilling, and Dale Warland. In addition to performing regularly in New Haven and New York, the ensemble records and tours nationally and internationally. Schola’s 2018 recording on the Hyperion label featuring Palestrina’s Missa Confitebor tibi Domine has garnered enthusiastic reviews. A live recording of Heinrich Biber’s
1693 Vesperae longiores ac breviores with Robert Mealy and Yale Collegium Musicum received international acclaim from the early music press, as have subsequent CDs of J. S. Bach’s rarely heard 1725 version of the St. John Passion and Antonio Bertali’s Missa resurrectionis. A recording on the Naxos label of Mendelssohn and Bach Magnificats was released in 2009, and recent years have seen the release of two CDs by Delos Records. Most recently, Hyperion released Schola Cantorum performing a chamber version of the Brahms Requiem; recordings of the music of Roderick Williams and Reena Esmail are forthcoming. On tour, Schola Cantorum has given performances in England, Hungary, France, China, South Korea, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Japan, Singapore, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, India, Spain, and Scandinavia.
Chamber Music Festivals, Brevard Music Center, and Chautauqua Institution, and played with the National Repertory Orchestra in 2018. Currently, she is pursuing a master of music degree at the Yale School of Music under Professor Frank Morelli. Other influential mentors include Dr. Benjamin Coelho and Jeff Robinson. In Eleni’s free time she enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, and cooking with friends. Tonight, Eleni would like to thank her friends, family, collaborators, and all of her mentors in the Yale School of Music. Yale Philharmonia The Yale Philharmonia is one of America’s foremost music-school ensembles. The largest performing group at the Yale School of Music, the Philharmonia offers superb training in orchestral playing and repertoire.
Eleni Katz, bassoon An Iowa native, Eleni Katz is a bassoonist who has always loved the art of performance. In addition to her work as a soloist, she is an avid chamber, and orchestral musician and has appeared in concerts across the country. Eleni received her bachelor of music degree from the University of WisconsinMadison, under the mentorship of Professor Marc Vallon. In the past three years, She was a semi-finalist in the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, winner in the UWMadison Symphony Concerto Competition, runner-up in the Marquette Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition, and winner of the Irving Shain Woodwind Collaborative Piano Competition. Eleni has participated in the IMANI Winds, Madeline Island, Norfolk, and Lake George
Performances include an annual series of concerts in Woolsey Hall, as well as Yale Opera productions in the Shubert Theatre. The Yale Philharmonia has also performed on numerous occasions in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Program Notes by Bel Ben Mamoun Nocturnes debussy
Bassoon Concerto in F major weber
“I love music passionately, and because I love it, I try to free it from the barren traditions that stifle it… it is a free art, gushing forth, an open-air art, an art boundless as the elements; the wind, the sky, the sea!” — Claude Debussy
By the start of the 19th century, Carl Maria von Weber was in high demand. Thanks to improvements in instrument construction and performance techniques, woodwinds were seen increasingly as solo instruments, fully capable of competing with the sound and depth of a symphony orchestra. In addition, the incredible popularity of Weber’s Concertino for clarinet in April of 1811 lifted Weber into the public eye, and the wind players of the Munich court orchestra took to begging the composer for new solo works. Luckily, the request of bassoonist Georg Friedrich Brandt came to fruition: composed over just three days, Weber’s operatic and dramatic bassoon concerto displays an incredible sensitivity to the bassoon’s wide spectrum of timbres, technical abilities, and range, which come together to form one of the most important concertos for modern bassoon repertoire.
Inspired by the Nocturnes of James Whistler, a series of dark paintings depicting scenes of the night, Debussy began recomposing his discontinued Twilight Scenes for full orchestra in 1897, which he described to Ysaÿe as “an experiment, much the same way a painter might make a study in various shades of grey.” Written as a series of distinct musical poems, each of Nocturnes’ three movements captures a separate impression of natural life, bordering on the mystical. The first movement is “Nuages,” a love song to the clouds. Through the light, shifting textures of the woodwinds, Debussy depicts the clouds as they trace across the sky in a haze of grey and blue. In contrast, the animated “Fêtes” whirls and dances through festivities, recalling the bright, anticipatory energy of crowds pressing against each other to see the Bois de Boulogne festival. Bright brass fanfares and tittering woodwind melodies sing above the perpetual motion of the strings, as the procession of the Garde Nationale passes its animated audience. Finally, “Sirènes” depicts the ceaseless rhythm of water as it spills against the shore, waves “silvered by moonlight” rolling perpetually along the coast. An all-treble choir sings the mysterious, textless song of the Sirens, laughing and luring just above the twilight sea.
The first movement opens in a militaristic exposition, eight timpani strikes heralding a triumphantly dotted theme. The bassoon’s proud acclamation is quickly decorated with running scales and trills before the emergence of a second theme, fluid and melodic. Throughout the movement, the bassoon shifts capriciously from stately, dotted rhythms into brilliant runs, leaping between its low and high registers until its final, dramatic high D (D5). The second movement is an aria for the bassoon’s tenor register: a sung, lyrical melody decorated with florid ornamentation and appoggiaturas over the orchestra’s
harmonic background. At times, the bassoon falls dramatically across octaves, singing through a sweet duet with the horns before finishing in an expressive cadenza. A playful and effervescent final theme opens the virtuosic rondo, a joyful exposition of the soloist’s technical ability. The soloist leaps through scales and arpeggiates across registers, returning again and again to the lighthearted theme before a final flurry of arpeggios carries the concerto into its ebullient conclusion. Scheherazade rimsky-korsakov With its rich orchestral colours, bright rhythmic textures, and well-loved melodic motifs, Scheherezade carries the listener on a musical journey through Rimsky-Korsakov’s retelling of the narratives of One Thousand and One Nights. Popular characters such as Sinbad, Aladdin, and Ali Baba all appear in the original text, each story recounted but not completed until the following night by the clever Scheherazade, who leaves the Sultan with cliffhangers in order to preserve her life for over one thousand and one nights. It is from this historical text that RimskyKorsakov bases his fantasy of the Orient; a dazzling orchestral suite consisting of various episodes and characters from One Thousand and One Nights. Scheherezade’s trance-like motif carries her voice from each movement to the next, her narratives weaving together to create a kaleidoscope of Middle Eastern characters and stories. Unlike Antar, Rimsky-Korsakov’s previous orchestral suite, which drew explicitly
from Salvador-Daniel’s Collection of Algerian Melodies, the composer instead chose to invent an “oriental” sound for Scheherezade based on his interpretations of non-Western musics. In his orchestral scoring, florid embellishments, dark brass unisons, and bright woodwind ornaments bring RimskyKorsakov’s fantasy of the Orient to life. Most notable are the motifs of his two principle characters: the Sultan, depicted by the dark, proclamatory brass, and the sweet, lyrical melody of Scheherezade, first introduced by the violin, and later echoed by the bassoon and clarinet in the subsequent movements.
Yale Philharmonia Roster Peter Oundjian, principal conductor Violin I Ariel Horowitz Rebecca Benjamin Wei Zhu Yiming Mao Erin White Cheuk Ching Tse Ye Jin Yoon Dustin Wilkes-Kim Jisun Lee Hikaru Yonezaki Julia Mirzoev Yebeen Seo Shenae Anderson Anna Leunis Violin II Albert Yamamoto Xiaoxuan Shi Jessie Chen Eva Wetzel Beatrice Hsieh Yun Jae Choi Boyu Li Michael Ferri Cameron Daly BingYang Li Charissa Leung Ann Cho Viola Bethany Hargreaves Charlie Galante Emma Wernig Rubina Lee James Yoon Alexander McLaughlin Minji Kim Chris Rogers-Beadle Minkyoung Lee Harris Bernstein
Cello Atticus Mellor Goldman Bo Bae Lee Samuel Walter Hye-In Lee Harry Doernberg Yun Han Josephina Kim Sein Lee Bass Matthew Peralta Ying-Yin Chia Ziying Hu Ross Wightman Max Mulpagano Seojin Kim
Horn Henry Bond 1 Griffin Botts Nivanthi Karunaratne Gabriel Mairson Olivia Martinez 2 Nathan Peebles 3 Kyle Thompson Trumpet Kenny Chauby 3 Connor Holland 2 Connor Jenkinson 1 Trombone Danny Alford 3 William Karceski Lyman McBride Ryan Murray 1
Flute Cameron Cullen 1 2 Bass Trombone Brendan Dooley 3 Samuel Anderson 3 Lucas Guedes Oliveira Jordan Crimminger 1 Piccolo Tuba Cameron Cullen Michael Fleming Lucas Guedes Oliveira 1 3 Timpani Oboe Kevin Zetina 1 Elise Conti 2 Shiqi Zhong 2 3 3 Soo Min Ha Jillian Honn 1 Percussion Amelia Merriman Russell Fisher 1 Laurel Wellman Zach Gutierrez Lauren White Doug Perry Arlo Shultis 3 English Horn Kevin Zetina Laurel Wellman 3 Lauren White 1 Harp Héloïse Carlean Jones 3 Clarinet Violetta Norrie 1 Richard Adger 1 Cesar Palacio 3 1 Principal on Debussy 2 Bassoon Principal on Weber Philip McNaughton 1 2 3 Principal on RimskyMolly Murphy Korsakov Andrew Sledge 3 Tamara Snyder
Philharmonia Staff Manager Jeffrey M. Mistri Assistant Manager Samuel Bobinski Conducting Fellow Ryan Tani Office Assistant Andrew Sledge Stage Crew Héloïse Carlean Jones Gabriel Mairson Andrew Sledge Lucas Guedes Oliveira Arlo Shultis Cameron Daly Anna Leunis William Karceski Matt Peralta Michael Fleming Nathan Peebles Chris Rogers-Beadle Seojin Kim Tamara Snyder David Lassila Library Alex McLaughlin Aidan Zimmerman Jillian Honn Elise Conti Sam Zagnit Claudia Ng
Yale Philharmonia 2019–2020 Season jan 24
Peter Oundjian, principal conductor The 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth is celebrated with a performance of the composer’s Choral Fantasy, with the Yale Glee Club and faculty pianist Boris Berman; the Triple Concerto, with violinist and YSM alumna Sunmi Chang, faculty cellist Paul Watkins, and faculty pianist Melvin Chen; and the revolutionary Third Symphony, “Eroica.”
Feb 28
Philharmonia in Sprague YSM conducting student Ryan Tani leads the Yale Philharmonia, with percussionist Ji Su Jung, in a concert in Morse Recital Hall.
MAR 8 Sun 4 pm free
David Hill, guest conductor David Hill leads the London Bach Choir, Yale Schola Cantorum, baritone David Pershall, faculty pianist Robert Blocker, and the Yale Philharmonia in a performance of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on the “Old 104th” Psalm Tune, Stanford’s Song to the Soul, Op. 97b, and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.
Samplers 2019–2020 Season Save up to 15% off single-ticket prices when you purchase a Pick 3 package. Samplers are available now.
Apr 3
Carlos Kalmar, guest conductor Carlos Kalmar, whose Carnegie Hall debut with the Oregon Symphony was described by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross as “one of the most gripping events” of that season, leads the Yale Philharmonia in a performance of faculty composer Aaron Jay Kernis’ “Too Hot” Toccata, Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, with Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition winner Emily Switzer, and Schoenberg’s orchestral arrangement of Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor.
Fridays at 7:30 pm in Woolsey Hall unless noted music.yale.edu/philharmonia
Free Student Tickets Student tickets for the Yale Philharmonia are free for the entire season. Orchestra section only. Limit 2 student tickets per ID. For the Oneppo Chamber Music Series, Horowitz Piano Series, and Ellington Jazz Series, free student rush tickets will be offered at the box office for students with a valid ID. When available, tickets will be distributed starting thirty minutes before each concert. One ticket per ID, subject to availability.
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charles ives circle $600 & above Serena & Robert Blocker John Marsden Hunt Victor Vu paul hindemith circle $250–$599 Richard H. Dumas Edwin M. & Karen C. Duval Francesco Iachello Patty & Tom Pollard Julia Reidhead Mary-Jo Worthey Warren Ransom Wilson & Walter Foery horatio parker circle $125–$249 Cecle & Josef Adler Roger & Linda Astmann Henry & Joan Binder Derek & Jennifer Briggs Mindy & Stan Brownstein Leo Cristofar & Bernadette DiGiulian Cynthia Cummiskey Paul Gacek Dolores M. Gall Carolyn Gould Eduardo Groisman Lawrence Handler Judy Long Ann Marlowe Arthur T. Rosenfield & Wilma Ezekowitz
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Upcoming Events dec 3
Horszowski Trio Oneppo Chamber Music Series An ensemble The New Yorker says “seems destined for great things” performs Dvořák’s “Dumky” Trio, Carter’s Epigrams, and Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $28, students $13
jan 22
Boris Slutsky Horowitz Piano Series An all-Schumann program featuring the Arabeske, Kreisleriana, and the Symphonic Etudes (including posthumously published variations). 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $15, students $7
jan 28
dec 11
Catherine Russell Ellington Jazz Series “One of jazz’s most celebrated vocalists, an incandescent performer who can make a century-old blues song as fresh and bracing as tomorrow’s bad news.” — San Francisco Chronicle 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $22, students $10 dec 17
Melvin Chen Horowitz Piano Series A performance of Janaček’s In the Mists, faculty composer Hannah Lash’s Six Etudes and a Dream, and Shostakovich’s infrequently performed Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $15, students $7 Brentano String Quartet Oneppo Chamber Music Series A performance of Bruce Adolphe’s Coiled and the work on which it’s based, Beethoven’s “Serioso” Quartet, along with music by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $28, students $13 Hung-Kuan Chen Horowitz Piano Series Faculty pianist Hung-Kuan Chen pays tribute to Beethoven with a performance of the composer’s last six sonatas. 7:30 pm | Morse Recital Hall Tickets start at $15, students $7 feb 12
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