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| About this Concert In a unique night, the ESO presents the same program they will take to the stage of New York’s acclaimed Carnegie Hall with several outstanding soloists who hail from Edmonton. John Estacio’s Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello was written for the ESO’s inaugural performance at the Winspear Centre in 1997. Allan Gilliland’s Dreaming of the Masters III was composed for Edmonton’s celebrated trumpet virtuoso Jens Lindemann. The ESO’s new Composer in Residence Robert Rival will also write a new work for this memorable concert. Join us in the Upper Circle lobby at 7:15 pm for Symphony Prelude, hosted by D.T. Baker. Featured Repertoire ESTACIO: Triple Concerto GILLILAND: Dreaming of the Masters III for Trumpet MARTINŮ: First Symphony RIVAL: Lullaby |
Additional Performances Fri, May 4, 2012 Next Landmark Classics Performance June 9, 2012 Angela Cheng plays Brahms Thank you to our sponsors!  Series Sponsor |
Ticket Information$75 Dress Circle (A)$65 Terrace (B) $52 Orchestra (C) $38 Upper Circle (D) $28 Gallery (E) $20 Orchestra Front (F) Tickets subject to applicable service charges. |
| This performance is part of the Landmark Classic Masters series. |
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Program Info
Program
RIVAL
Lullaby (World premiere of an ESO commission) (5’)*
ESTACIO
Triple Concerto (1997 ESO commission) (30’)*
John Estacio previews his work in the following audio clip:
GILLILAND
Dreaming of the Masters III (2010 ESO commission) (15’)*
Allan Gilliland previews his work in the following audio clip:
INTERMISSION
MARTINŮ
Symphony No. 1 (39’)*
Program subject to change
*indicates approximate performance durationProgram Notes
Lullaby (World premiere of an ESO commission)
Robert Rival (b. Calgary, Alberta, 1975)
Robert Rival joins the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Composer in Residence as of the 2011/12 season. Critics have described his work, written in a contemporary tonal style, as "well crafted", "engaging," "immediately appealing," "melodic and accessible," "memorable" — and his song cycle, Red Moon and Other Songs of War, as "an unequivocal hit". His music for orchestra, chamber ensemble, voice and the stage has been broadcast on CBC radio and performed by the Gryphon Trio and other leading Canadian musicians, ensembles and orchestras. His orchestral works include a one-movement Symphony "Maligne Range," inspired by a hike through the Rockies, and a children's work, Maya the Bee, based on the classic tale. Committed to music education and appreciation, he has taught theory and composition to students of all ages, at several universities as well as privately, and has written liner and program notes for major festivals, presenters and record labels. Dr. Rival holds a doctorate in composition from the University of Toronto. In his spare time you will find him playing shinny hockey at the local rink or out for a run. He lives with his wife Chantal-Andrée Samson, a realist oil painter, and their son Raphaël. www.robertrival.com
Of his work Lullaby, Dr. Rival writes:
I sketched this piece in the weeks following the birth of my son. As a first-time father it was a period of emotional extremes. I found myself elated and proud one moment, frightened and defeated the next. Nothing prepares you for the responsibility of caring for fragile, new life. Needless to say I spent a great deal of time attempting to comfort my son by cradling him in my arms, gently rocking him as I wandered around the house. My mind wandered, too, and I began to experiment with the metre of my rocking. I soon discovered that regularity in metre (staying in two or three, for instance) mattered less than regularity in pulse. So instead of a consistent 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 etc. I could rock in constantly changing metres, such as 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2, 1, 1-2 and so on, each “1” receiving a slight downbeat stress.
It is precisely with this rhythm that the piece opens (in the double basses). But it never repeats, the calming, steady pulse combining with metric unpredictability to create a floating sensation. The first five notes simultaneously introduce the lullaby’s basic melodic idea, D-A-F-E-G, a cipher derived from my son’s name, Raphaël.
While Brahms’s legacy lives on in all crib mobiles, many lullabies—the more stylized, less soporific—are, as one observer aptly put it, “certainly not intended to lull a child to sleep but to remind each adult listener of his own childhood”. The abundant ornamentation in Chopin’s Berceuse, Op. 57 and the prickly dissonances in Ravel’s Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré, to take just two examples, are more rousing than pacifying. If these lullabies recall our childhoods, then perhaps mine brings solace to the anxious parent.
Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano (1997 ESO commission)
John Estacio (b. Newmarket, Ontario, 1966)
First performance: The work was commissioned for, and performed at, the grand opening of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music in Edmonton, on September 13, 1997.
This is the work’s second performance.
One of Canada’s most frequently performed and broadcast composers, John Estacio has served as Composer in Residence for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, and the Calgary Opera. These residences yielded several works, many of which can be found on the CD Frenergy, the Music of John Estacio. This CD earned Estacio two JUNO nominations and a Western Canadian Music Award. His frequent performances and broadcasts have earned him several SOCAN Concert Music Awards. Mr. Estacio is the recent recipient of the National Arts Centre Award for Composers which resulted in three commissioned works for the National Arts Centre Orchestra. His most recent opera, Lillian Alling, premiered in Vancouver in 2010. His first opera, Filumena, has been remounted five times and was filmed for television. His works have been performed by the Houston Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the Manila Symphony. To learn more about John Estacio, please visit him at his website: www.johnestacio.com.
Of his concerto, Mr. Estacio writes:
During the summer of 1997, I saw every sunset and every sunrise while feverishly working on my Triple Concerto for the September opening of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music in Edmonton. My commissions prior to the concerto had taken much longer than anticipated – consequently, the time to sit and expansively ponder the greater meaning of the concerto had long since evaporated. By spring of that year, it was quite simply “go” time.
Since this piece was commissioned to commemorate the opening of a much anticipated new concert hall, my initial inspiration was the human spirit’s desire to construct beautiful edifices to celebrate the making of exquisite music. I thought of the old venue where the Edmonton Symphony used to perform, a building designed for many activities but not necessarily acoustic live music making. I recalled all the concerts I had attended there - I toyed with the idea of including an electronic component to the concerto comprised of taped segments of ghostly music that had floated off into the rafters of the old venue, never to be properly heard by an audience. The tape idea never came to fruition, but the idea of a memory piece took hold.
As the concerto begins to unfold and the various musical themes are individually introduced and then undergo variations and development by the three soloists, it’s as though the melodies are memories, and each of the soloists has a slightly different recollection of the memory. And when the soloists go into a foggy harmonic dream-cloud of sorts, it is the orchestra that often conveys a sense of lucidity with a direct and clear statement of the melody.
With a concept to inspire me and a design for a three movement structure to contain it all, I set about composing the piece in April ‘97. Without any warning, July suddenly came along and my proposed third movement had to be amputated due to insufficient time. (The scrapped third movement would later become a piece called Frenergy.) My concept for a three movement structure turned into one long movement comprised of several sub movements. It wasn’t exactly how I intended the piece to go, but the sunrises and sunsets passed by furiously and quickly - there was precious little time to argue with myself. By mid July, I had completed the soloist’s parts and a short score of the orchestra, riddled with gaps. With only weeks to spare, I feverishly orchestrated the piece, composed the gaps, and forwarded manuscript pages to my copyist, Allan Gilliland, who worked until the wee hours of the morning inputting the information into the music software. The piece was completed with days to spare.
The concerto was performed at the opening of the Winspear Centre on September 14, 1997 with great aplomb. It has not been performed since.
Fast forward 13 years later - while rehearsing my third opera, I received a phone call informing me that the ESO was travelling to NYC and wanted to revive my concerto. My initial excitement was tempered by the fact that I promised myself to revise the concerto if it were ever to be performed again. Structural revisions aside, there were rewrites and corrections that happened during rehearsals that hadn’t even been incorporated into the score.
So with a little more time to spare than in 1997, I set about revising the score. My biggest beef with the original version was that it seemed a bit episodic – there was too much “stop and go”. A couple of those episodes have been removed. I’ve cut about 60 measures of music and added a couple more to sew the seams together. Also, some choices that seemed inspired in 1997 by the 31 year old composer now seemed entirely inorganic and have been corrected by the 45 year old. I didn’t add any significant music – I merely tried to edit and improve what was already there. It would be easy to fall down the slippery slope of revision – a changed note here, an additional phrase there, suddenly entire sections are being rewritten - it would be akin to replacing towel racks, only to have your bathroom and the entire home remodeled and redecorated, with an addition for good measure.
And so this concerto sees the light of day again in an updated guise. I’m grateful and fortunate that this piece will be performed at Carnegie Hall. I’m amused that it’s the music I wrote when I was 31 years old that takes me to this revered venue of music making. (Frenergy, the discarded last movement of the concerto, was performed at Carnegie Hall in 2011). This brings me to my own personal variation on the old anecdote “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
Write a composition when you’re 31, then wait 15 years.
Dreaming of the Masters III (2010 ESO commission)
Allan Gilliland (b. Darvel, Scotland, 1965)
First performance: September 17 & 18, 2010
Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Allan Gilliland has had his music performed, recorded, or broadcast by ensembles around the world including the Boston Pops, Canadian Brass, Camerata Romeau (Havana), St. Lawrence String Quartet, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Edinburgh String Quartet, and the brass section of the New York Philharmonic. For five years (1999-2004) he was Composer in Residence with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, writing 11 works for the ESO including concertos for violin, trumpet, two harps, piano, and clarinet. Other highlights include the one-act operas Hannaraptor and The Untimely Death of Whatsisname. In 2002, his orchestral work On the Shoulders of Giants took First Prize at the prestigious Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s Centara New Music Festival Composers Competition.
Dr. Gilliland holds a diploma in Jazz Studies (trumpet) from Humber College, a Bachelor of Music degree in performance and a Master of Music degree in composition from the University of Alberta, his PhD in Composition from the University of Edinburgh. His teachers have included Violet Archer, Howard Bashaw, Malcolm Forsyth, and Nigel Osborne. Allan has taught at the University of Alberta, the University of Edinburgh, and Red Deer College. He is presently Head of Composition at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Of his work, Dr. Gilliland writes:
My Dreaming of the Masters series arose from a desire to combine my experience as an orchestral composer with my background as a jazz composer and performer. I wanted to write a series of concertos for soloists who were comfortable in both classical and jazz idioms. Each concerto would be inspired by the jazz greats of the instrument I was writing for and though fully notated, would allow the player the option to improvise. Dreaming of the Masters I was a clarinet concerto written for James Campbell and Dreaming of the Masters II was a piano concerto written for William Eddins.
The inspirations for Dreaming of the Masters III are not as clear-cut as the other two concertos. The obvious choices would have been Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie but I think because I'm a trumpet player myself they seemed too obvious. The piece is more of a homage to the trumpet in popular music rather than any real individuals. Also, because I know Jens’ playing so well, I really wanted to write a piece that was tailor-made to his incredible virtuosic skills.
The three movements are titled 101 Damnations, Prayer, and Lower Neighbours. 101 Damnations pays homage to the trumpet in jazz starting with a slow New Orleans style blues that moves into1940s big band swing. The title comes from when I was a young child struggling to pronounce my “L’s” properly. So I was always asking to see my favourite Disney movie 101 Damnations. The inspiration for Prayer came from wanting to showcase Jens’ beautiful flugelhorn playing. It starts and ends with short cadenzas surrounded by ethereal orchestration. The middle section has a slow groove that allows Jens a chance to improvise. Lower Neighbours pays homage to 20th century cornet virtuosos and the great Latin tradition of the trumpet. I like to think of it as Herbert L. Clarke meets Tito Puente. The title refers to both the melodic gestures played by the cornet; the opening virtuosic section contains many upper and lower neighbour notes, as well as the fact that Latin music comes from our neighbours to the south.
Symphony No. 1
Bohuslav Martinů (b. Polička, Bohemia, 1890 / d. Liestal, Switzerland, 1959)
First performance: November 12, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Last ESO performance: December 2006
As a child, Bohuslav Martinů’s prodigious talent on violin was enough for the town council of his native Bohemian village of Policka to pay for his admission to the Prague Conservatory. The problem is, not only did he not finish his schooling there, he was expelled – twice. But while there, his early forays in composition began to blossom, and as he took on various violin-related work (as a sessional player with the Czech Philharmonic, for example, and teaching), he composed steadily and prolifically. By 1920, he was a regular member of the Czech Philharmonic second violins, but in 1923, he left for Paris, to study composition with Albert Roussel.
For the next 17 years, he scrabbled together a freelance living in Paris, his reputation as a composer slowly gaining a foothold. The outbreak of World War Two led him on a dangerous four-month journey through Europe, finally arriving in the United States in March 1941, where he settled in New York. And one of the first works he wrote in his new homeland (he became an American citizen in 1952) was his First Symphony. He was 51, and “finally prepared,” he felt, to take on the symphony as a compositional form. He would compose four more in the next five years.
A quite discernible sonata form is in evidence in the opening movement, which begins out of arpeggiated and glissando mists. A gently syncopated rhythm, over which the upper strings present a soaring melody, dominates the opening minutes, though soon enough counter melodies play against the central idea. A secondary theme, first heard in the woodwinds and more mercurial than the first, is answered by an insistent string figure. The development does not alter the rhythmic or melodic ideas, but creates variety in the shimmering orchestral palette Martinů employs, including important moments for orchestral piano. The recapitulation presents a compacted version of the opening, though just when it seems as if we’re building to an ending of high drama, the movement ends slowly, out of the same arpeggiated mists from which it began.
The second movement is a three-part Scherzo, in which a strongly rhythmic opening and closing section, bristling and driving, bubbles and eddies to a strongly stated climax. The central contrasting section (one hesitates to attach the formal title of a Trio) is filled with a more quiet bustling – still rhythmic and driving, but less overtly boisterous. The Largo third movement begins ominously, with the lower strings presenting a dirge-like figure taken up by the other strings. The song broadens out, builds to a climax, and then a varied version is heard, under which can be heard the arpeggios of the opening movement’s introduction. A secondary subject in the brass relieves the tension momentarily, though short statements from both the English horn and piano bring back the music of the movement’s beginning. Another climax is reached, the opening movement’s arpeggio figure returns much more obviously here, and the ending is one of quiet repose.
In the finale, rhythm is again to the fore, as a mischievous opening ushers in one of the most persistent, driving, and vital symphonic movements of the 20th century. Even the quiet moments have a barely-contained rhythmic drive, and while there are engaging melodies throughout, much of them are set to music which seems impossible to constrain in its enthusiasm and sheer verve.
Program notes © 2012 by Robert Rival, John Estacio, Allan Gilliland, and D.T. Baker. Edited by D.T. Baker.
Artist Info
William Eddins, conductor
William Eddins is in his seventh season as Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure, he has made it a priority that he conduct performances in nearly every subscription series the orchestra has presented, as well as a wide variety of special concerts and galas.
Bill Eddins began playing the piano at age five, but was bitten by the conducting bug while in his sophomore year at the Eastman School of Music. In 1989, he decided to begin conducting studies with Daniel Lewis at the University of Southern California. Assistant Conductorships with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony (the latter under the leadership of Daniel Barenboim) honed his skills even further.
Mr. Eddins has many interests outside music. He is fond of biking, tennis, reading, pinball, and cooking. He recently completed building his own recording studio at his home in Minneapolis, where he lives with his wife Jen (a clarinetist), and their sons Raef and Riley. While conducting has been his principal pursuit, he continues to perform on piano in Edmonton and elsewhere. He accepts a limited number of guest appearances each year. In 2008, he conducted a rare full staging of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess for Opéra de Lyon, which won him great acclaim, leading to a repeat engagement in Lyon in July and September 2010, as well as Edinburgh in August 2010, and in London in September 2010. During August 2009, Bill toured South Africa, conducting three gala concerts with soprano Renée Fleming and the kwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jens Lindemann, trumpet
Born in Germany and raised in Edmonton, Jens Lindemann is hailed as one of the most celebrated soloists in his instrument's history and has played in every major concert venue in the world. His career has ranged from appearing internationally as an orchestral soloist, performing at London's Last Night of the Proms, and recording with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, to playing lead trumpet with the renowned Canadian Brass and a solo Command Performance for the Queen of England. Mr. Lindemann has also won major awards ranging from Grammy and Juno nominations to winning the prestigious Echo Klassik in Germany as well as receiving an honorary doctorate. A prodigious talent, Jens Lindemann performed as a soloist with orchestras and won accolades at numerous festivals while still in his teens. A prizewinner at numerous competitions including the prestigious ARD in Munich, Mr. Lindemann also placed first, by unanimous juries, at both the Prague and Ellsworth Smith (Florida) International Trumpet Competitions in 1992. Since then, he has performed solos with orchestras including the London Symphony, Philadelphia, Beijing, Bayersicher Rundfunk, Buenos Aires Chamber, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Montreal, Toronto, National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Vancouver, Warsaw, Welsh Chamber, I Musici de Montréal, St. Louis, and Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center. As one of the world's most exciting trumpet soloists, the Los Angele- based artist is internationally endorsed by the Yamaha Corporation and performs exclusively on 24K gold plated trumpets.
Mr. Lindemann last appeared with the ESO in November 2011.
Angela Cheng, piano
Consistently praised for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty and superb musicianship, Canadian pianist Angela Cheng is one of her country’s national treasures. In addition to regular guest appearances with virtually every orchestra in Canada, she has also performed with the Alabama Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Saint Louis Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Utah Symphony, and the Israel Philharmonic. In 2009, at the invitation of Pinchas Zukerman, Ms. Cheng toured both Europe and China with the Zukerman ChamberPlayers. She joined them again in spring 2010 for a U.S. tour. Subsequent seasons have seen multiple tours of Europe and South America, including performances at the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and at the Schleswig-Holstein and Ravinia festivals.An avid recitalist, Angela Cheng appears regularly on recital series throughout the United States and Canada and has collaborated with numerous chamber ensembles. Ms. Cheng's debut recording of two Mozart concertos with Mario Bernardi and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra received glowing reviews. Other CDs include Clara Schumann's Concerto in A Minor with JoAnn Falletta and the Women's Philharmonic for Koch International; for CBC Records, four Spanish concertos with Hans Graf and the Calgary Philharmonic, both Shostakovich concertos with Mario Bernardi and the CBC Radio Orchestra, a solo disc of selected works of Clara and Robert Schumann; and, most recently, an all-Chopin recital for Universal Music Canada. Angela Cheng has been Gold Medalist of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition, as well as the first Canadian to win the prestigious Montréal International Piano Competition. Other awards include the Canada Council’s coveted Career Development Grant and the Medal of Excellence for outstanding interpretations of Mozart from the Mozarteum in Salzburg. For more information, please visit www.pianistangelacheng.com.
Ms. Cheng returns to conclude the ESO season in Edmonton on June 8 & 9, 2011.
Juliette Kang, violin
Born in Edmonton, Juliette Kang began her violin studies at age four. At nine she began studying with Dr. Jascha Brodsky at the Curtis Institute of Music, from which she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 1991. In 1993 she earned her Master’s Degree from The Juilliard School, where her teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang and Robert Mann. She came to international attention as winner of First Prize in both the Yehudi Menuhin and Indianapolis International Competitions and is also a Young Concert Artists winner. An especially accomplished recitalist, Ms. Kang’s has performed at New York's Carnegie Hall, Frick Collection, Rockefeller University and 92nd Street Y; Paris' Théâtre Châtelet, Tokyo's Suntory Hall, Boston's Gardner Museum, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Toronto’s “Onstage at the Glenn Gould” series, as well as in Seoul, Taipei, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. In addition she has participated at Canada’s Festival International de Lanaudière and Festival International d’Été; the Spoleto, Bravo! Colorado, Ventura, Moab, and Marlboro Festivals; and France’s Colmar Festival. Ms. Kang’s recording debut--a recital on the Discover International label, including the premiere recording of Lutoslawski’s Subito, was issued to rapturous acclaim and followed by a recital CD recorded “live” at Carnegie Hall. On the CBC label is her orchestral recording debut, Schumann and Wieniawski concertos with Sergiu Comissiona and the Vancouver Symphony. Ms. Kang has also been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, was assistant concertmaster of the Boston Symphony, and in 2005-2006 joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as First Associate Concertmaster. Ms. Kang has been profiled in The Strad, The Indianapolis Star, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and many other publications.
Ms. Kang last appeared with the ESO in November 2011.
Denise Djokic, cello
Cellist Denise Djokic has earned world-wide acclaim for her sincere, powerful interpretations and her bold command of the instrument. Recognized for her "arrestingly beautiful tone colour" (The Strad), Ms. Djokic's 2011-12 season includes a tour with the Academic Orchestra of Zurich, and the release of a new recording on the ATMA label of the Chopin and Rachmaninoff sonatas with pianist David Jalbert. Ms. Djokic recently made her New York City concerto debut at Lincoln Center with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and Alondra de la Parra, as well as her European concerto debut with the Aachen Symphony Orchestra under Marcus Bosch. Immediately following the release of her debut recording on the Sony Classical label, Ms. Djokic was a featured performer at the 2002 Grammy Awards. Her following recording, Folklore (Allegro/Endeavor), received a JUNO nomination as well as an ECMA, and made the Billboard chart's top 15 Classical CDs. Folklore was also featured on NPR's All Things Considered. Ms. Djokic's most recent recording - the complete Britten Solo Suites for the ATMA label - has received critical acclaim from renowned publications such as Fanfare and The Strad. The recording was declared "easily able to stand alongside the great recordings of Rostropovich and Wispelwey" by AllMusic.com.Denise Djokic has been the subject of a BRAVO! TV documentary entitled Seven Days, Seven Nights, and has also appeared as a speaker at IdeaCity in Toronto, and at the Women In Leadership Conference at Queen's University. MacLean's magazine named her one of the top "25 Canadians who are Changing our World", and ELLE declared her one of "Canada's Most Powerful Women." Having grown up in a large musical family, Ms. Djokic first began to learn the cello with her uncle and aunt, cellists Pierre Djokic and Michelle Djokic. Her parents, Lynn and Philippe, and brother Marc, are all musicians. She continued her studies in Cleveland with Richard Aaron and in Boston with Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz. Ms. Djokic gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Ms. Djokic last appeared with the ESO in April 2007.
Multimedia
ESO Composer in Residence Robert Rival speaks about his piece Lullaby:
My Winspear COMMUNITY
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