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About this Concert Your ESO adds Mediterranean spice with irresistible songs and dances from Spain, featuring the sultry and mesmerizing Megan Azulita, Sean Harris and Bob Sutherby, back by popular demand with their new troupe Compañía Azul and a brand new show. Join us for a fiery night of rhythms, colour, and energy. Olé! Add this concert to my calendar

Next Robbins Lighter Classics March 7, 2013 The Russian Soul Thank you to our sponsors! Bill & Mary Jo Robbins Series Supporters

Ticket Information $79 Dress Circle (A) $69 Terrace (B) $56 Orchestra (C) $38 Upper Circle (D) $28 Gallery (E) $20 Orchestra Front (F) Tickets subject to applicable service charges.

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Program Info

Program

TRADITIONAL / COMPAÑÍA AZUL (Orchestrated by Daniel MacNeil)
“Soleá” (16’)*
(Choreography: Azulita / A. Gabaldón)
 
SERRADELL (Arranged by Carmen Dragon)
La Golondrina  (4’)*
 
MASSENET
Le Cid: Aragonaise (2‘)*
 
DANIEL MacNEIL
Bulerías (7’)*

COMPAÑÍA AZUL (Orchestrated by Daniel MacNeil)
“Alegría” (5’)*
(Choreography: Azulita)

GIMENEZ
La Boda de Luis Alonso: Intermedio (6')*
 
INTERMISSION
 
MÁRQUEZ
Danzon No. 2 (10')*

TRADITIONAL / COMPAÑÍA AZUL (Arranged by Rafael de Carmen)
“Tarantos” (11’)*
(Choreography: Azulita)

PEREZ-FREIRE (Arranged by Carmen Dragon)
Ay, Ay, Ay (4’)*
 
DANIEL MacNEIL / SEAN HARRIS (Orchestrated by Daniel MacNeil)
“Martinete” / “Seguiriya” (11’)*
(Choreography: Azulita)

*Indicates approximate performance duration.
Program subject to change.

Program Notes

A Soléa is one of the most basic forms or palos of Flamenco music, and is usually accompanied by a single guitar, though tonight we will hear it in an orchestration by Compañía Azul member Daniel MacNeil. At the end of the Soléa will be a Bulérias section with words sung to it, written by Sean Harris.
 
While the Bulerías, which originated in Jerez during the 19th century, is typically a fast, upbeat ending to a Soléa or Alegría (as we will hear it tonight), it can also be presented on its own. Tonight’s was written by Daniel MacNeil.

One of the structurally strictest forms of flamenco, a traditional Alegría must contain a salida (entrance), paseo (walkaround), silencio (similar to an adagio in ballet), castellana (upbeat section), zapateado (Literally "a tap of the foot"), and bulerías. Both the Alegría (with words by Azulita) and the concluding Bulerías (words by Sean Harris) have sung portions. The story, as told in the piece, is explained by Megan “Azulita” Matheson Hamilton:
“This  Alegrías tells a story of how Sean and I got out start in flamenco. It talks about a red headed boy from Newfoundland being swept up by ‘El Viento,’ and of a dark haired  girl from a fishing village joining ‘El Viento’ when they passed through her town (this actually happened, they performed at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival). It references the loss of my father, and how I sought my solace in flamenco. Flamenco gave me a ground to stand on and place to put my sadness. The Bulerías that Sean wrote is for Evelyne Benais, who for many of us, started it all. Evelyne's nickname is ‘cigüeña’."

Rhythm, naturally, is an essential part of flamenco. While the metre is typically in strict forms, there are freer forms as well. The Tarantos is an example of the latter, and we will hear a traditional Tarantos tonight, performed without the orchestra as arranged by Compañía Azul.

Martinete is a flamenco form which is usually sung with no accompaniment. In some dance shows for the stage, though (including tonight), it is accompanied by percussion played with the compás (metre) of a Seguiriya. The Seguiriya is a form of flamenco music belonging to the cante jondo (“deep singing”) tradition. Its style is among the most important in flamenco. Sean Harris supplied the lyrics to both the Martinete and Seguiriya, which he explains:
“I wanted to explore the role of the fisherman and the struggle to survive his life on the sea to provide for his life at home - both demanding his attention. A step further took me to the idea of his sea life as his temperamental mistress. A relationship he has grown to love and fear. His wife at home knows the dangers of his life at sea, understanding full well it is not something he can just quit. During a storm he is taken into the sea’s embrace. A final dance...this is all translated into the choreography of the piece.”


Notes on the other works:
Mexican physician and composer Narciso Serradell Sevilla (1843-1910) was exiled to France early on in life, where he taught music and Spanish in Paris. On his return to Mexico in 1865, he took up his profession as a doctor, while continuing to conduct military bands. Today, he is remembered chiefly for his song La golondrina (“The Swallow”), which we will hear in the arrangement for orchestra by Carmen Dragon.

“That little fellow is about to walk all over us,” mused Georges Bizet of Jules Massenet (1842-1912). Fabulously successful during his lifetime, few of his works hold the stage today. He gave the Parisian audience exactly what they wanted: spectacle. Le Cid premiered in 1885, and tells the story of a Spanish hero who repels a Moorish invasion and hopes to win back the love of the woman whose father he killed in a duel. As with many French grand operas of the day, Le Cid features a lavish ballet in Act II, complete with several Spanish dances. The Aragonaise, a jota in 6/8, naturally from the Aragon region, from that ballet will be presented tonight.

Jerónimo Giménez (1854-1923) was an important conductor and composer, most famous for some of his works written in the zarzuela style – a well-established Spanish opera form that began to regain popularity with the emergence of Spanish nationalism. A number of excerpts from his zarzuela operas continue to hold the stage in Spain, while excerpts are popular in concert. La boda de Luis Alonso is a zarzuela that premiered in January 1897, from which we will hear an orchestral interlude.

The name of Arturo Márquez (b. 1950) is not known widely outside his native Mexico, but there he is held in high regard. In fact, this afternoon’s work, Danzón No. 2, is regarded by some as Mexico’s second national anthem. The dance begins quietly, on a clarinet (Julianne Scott) accompanied by percussive sticks and piano. Other woodwind instruments eventually join in, and the sound expands broadly from there. A second section, one of urgency and drive, turns into a vivacious orchestral dance with strong brass accents. There is a more tender middle section recalling the opening, though featuring the strings much more prominently. After a brief pause, the passionate pace picks up once again, with a vibrant trumpet solo (Robin Doyon) ushering in a rousing finish.

Osmán Pérez Freire (1878-1930) was born in Santiago, Chile to Argentine parents. When he was only eight years old, the family moved to Mendoza, in a desert region of western Argentina. Freire moved to Spain in the 1920s. As with Narciso Serradell (above), Freire’s lasting legacy today seems to rest with one song. Ay, Ay, Ay was written in 1913 in the traditional cuyana style of Argentina, and is subtitled Reminiscencias cuyanas (“Memories of Cuyo,” the region of western Argentina in which Freire grew up). Tonight’s orchestration is by Carmen Dragon.

Program Notes © 2012 by D.T. Baker, with thanks to Compañía Azul

Artist Info

Compañía Azul

Compañía Azul has a heart split between the coasts of Atlantic Canada and the dry earth of Andalusia. Drawn to the beauty of the music, movement and rhythms of flamenco, Compañía Azul creates a passionate, stunning display of emotion, sound, and colour. Founded by dancer Megan "Azulita" Matheson in 2010, the company strives to bring a new voice to flamenco, melding diverse backgrounds in various musical styles, while remaining grounded in the flamenco traditions and inspired by the rawness of the art form. Many of its members spend significant time immersing themselves in the cradle of flamenco, southern Spain. Having been brought up in the most unlikely of flamenco places, including Cape Breton, St. John's, NFLD, and Lunenburg, the companies' dedication to flamenco is evident in their proficiency and passion.
 
Compañía Azul is a Company in Residence at Halifax Dance and is supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. Azulita is sponsored by Arte Fyl (Flamenco Shoe Company, Spain) and Lunares Flamenco (Brazil).

Megan "Azulita" Matheson, Sean Harris, and Bob Sutherby performed with the ESO in September 2010. They are back with the ESO debut of the new company.

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William Eddins, conductor

Now in his eighth season as Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, William Eddins has a captivating energy, a magnetic stage presence, and an adventurous musical curiosity that continues to propel the orchestra to unique, new and exciting achievements. His commitment to the entire spectrum of the ESO audience brings him to the podium for performances in every subscription series, as well as for a wide variety of galas and specials.

A distinguished and versatile pianist, Bill was bitten by the conducting bug while in his sophomore year at the Eastman School of Music. In 1989, he began conducting studies at the University of Southern California with Daniel Lewis, and Assistant Conductorships with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony (the latter under the leadership of Daniel Barenboim) followed.

Bill has many non-musical hobbies including cooking, eating, discussing food and planning dinner parties. He is also quite fond of biking, tennis, reading and pinball. He recently complete building a state-of-the-art 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 as pianist, organist and harpsichordist. He has conducted the ESO from the keyboard on many occasions, and in 2007, joined then-ESO concertmaster Martin Riseley and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Brahms' Piano Trio No. 1 at a gala concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Winspear Centre. In 2008, he conducted Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess for Opéra de Lyon, leading to repeat performances in Lyon, London and at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2010. Other international highlights include a 2009 tour of South Africa, where Bill conducted three gala concerts with soprano Renée Fleming and the kwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra. On May 8, 2012, Bill made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the ESO at a memorable concert featuring four Canadian soloists, and music by three Canadian composers alongside Martinů's rarely-performed Symphony No. 1.

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