Details
A spectacular evening of baroque brass features two of Edmonton’s finest trumpet players. Principal Trumpet Robin Doyon is joined by his teacher, the always entertaining Jens Lindemann in brilliant works by Bach, Vivaldi, and more. Famous and not-so-famous baroque treats are in store, including ESO Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin’s own arrangement of Purcell’s famous Chacony.
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Trumpets
J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
Purcell: Chacony (Arr. Waldin)
Baldassare: Sonata for Trumpet and Strings
Ticket Information
$65 Dress Circle (A)
$53 Terrace (B)
$39 Orchestra (C)
$25 Upper Circle (D)
$20 Orchestra Front (F)
Tickets subject to applicable service charges.
Subscriptions to the Midweek Classics series are currently available.
The next Midweek Classics performance is Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony on November 24, 2010.
Our Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin appears in part thanks to the support of Enbridge.Program Info
MOZARTIdomeneo, K367: Ballet Music (14’)*
PURCELL
Chacony in G minor (Arr Waldin) (7’)*
HANDEL
Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV74 (“Eternal Source of Light Divine”) (4')*
JS BACH
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV1047 (13’)*
INTERMISSION
JS BACH
Morimur (Chaconne in D minor, BWV1004 with chorales) (14')*
BALDASSARE
Sonata No.1 in F major for Cornetto, Strings and Continuo (6’)*
VIVALDI
Concerto for Two Trumpets in C major, RV537 (7’)*
JS BACH
Cantata No. 34, BWV34: I “O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe” (4’)*
*Indicates approximate performance duration
*Indicates approximate performance duration
Program Notes
The program notes for tonight’s concert do not follow concert order.
Of the eight works on tonight’s program, seven are from the Baroque era – and three of those are by the great Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). One is a vocal work, one is purely instrumental. And the other is a unique and modern combination of the two. In the music of Bach, we have the culmination of Baroque music; its complexity often hides a deeper level of complexity, based on Bach’s fascination with musical numerology, and his profound Lutheran faith.
Bach held several appointments as Kapellmeister in several German churches – the most famous was his position with the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. He wrote hundreds of cantatas for all the days in the church year, with scriptural texts that accompanied that service’s Biblical readings. His hundreds of cantatas were written for a wide variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles – he had to adapt to the musical forces he had at hand. Cantata 34 is thought to be one of the last Bach wrote, though it was adapted from another work Bach wrote in 1726. Its present version dates from the mid-1740s, written for Whitsuntide. It is scored for an unusually large orchestra (by Bach cantata standards), including three trumpets. The title of the opening chorus translates as “O eternal flame, O fount of love,” and indeed we hear the flickering of the flame in the first violins, and the music for the voices is especially vivid and dramatic.
Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos can be whimsically thought of as the most magnificent job application in history. The absolute pinnacle of the “concerto grosso” form (a musical form in which a larger ensemble, the “ripieno,” is set against a smaller but very important group, the “concertino”), Bach dedicated these works to the Margrave of Brandenburg and sent him the autograph scores around 1721, with the hope of securing a position in the court there. It didn’t happen, and there is no evidence the Margrave even looked at the scores – but his oversight has nothing to do with the merit of these amazing works. The second concerto of the set pits strings and harpsichord (the ripieno) against a concertino made up of a solo violin, solo recorder, solo flute, and solo trumpet. The Baroque trumpet plays in a higher tessitura than the modern trumpet, and its brilliance stands out among its fellows, particularly in the radiant final movement.
Bach wrote three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin as a set. Within that set, the key sequence, the progression of notes in certain key passages – even the quotations from other Bach compositions – has fascinated many scholars as to hidden meanings; “coded messages,” in the music. One such scholar is Helga Thoene, who in 1985, released an exhaustive study of hidden meanings in the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. Her research led her to the conclusion that the famous chaconne (see the paragraph on Purcell below for a definition of chaconne) which concludes the Second Partita is in fact an elaborately coded “epitaph in music” for Bach’s first wife, Maria Barbara. Certainly, there are quotes in the work from a number of Bach’s sacred works concerning death and resurrection. Based on that research, violinist Christopher Poppen and the singers of the Hilliard Ensemble crafted a version of the work for a 2001 recording in which the choral references within the chaconne are sung, with a violin still as the lone instrumental accompanimnet. The work, titled Morimur (taken from the three-part Latin expression of faith which translates as, “We are born from God, we die in Christ, we are reborn through the Holy Spirit”) receives its Edmonton premiere this evening.
Like Bach, George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) shared the same birth year, and was also German. But while Bach spent his life in Germany, largely as a church composer, Handel spent most of his career in England, as the most celebrated composer in that country. A favourite of the royal court, Handel was commissioned to write many works for special national occasions. By the time of his 1712 arrival, composers who enjoyed court favour were expected to provide works for occasions – such as the birthday of the queen. Handel’s Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne was written for the 1713 anniversary of her February 6 birthdate, and its text pays homage to her role as a peacemaker. The ode’s opening chorus, “Eternal source of light divine,” presents Anne as a beacon, the date of her birth a great day for peace.
Handel’s place as the pre-eminent composer in England came about in part because of the premature death of one of the greatest English-born composers, Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Highly respected even during his lifetime, Purcell wrote many works for both the English court and the church. Among his instrumental compositions, one which has gained a newfound popularity among audiences these days is a chaconne, which he gave the varied spelling as “Chacony.” A chaconne is a musical form in which a repeated figure in the lower voices forms a foundation over which a series of variations of that figure is presented in the upper voices. ESO Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin has arranged Purcell’s music for tonight’s performance, using three violas and a bass continuo.
What Bach was to the German Lutheran church, and Handel was to the English court, so Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was to the musical life of Venice. For many years, Vivaldi was the master of music for a number of churches, but also for the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for foundling girls, who became famous throughout Europe for the prowess as musicians. For them, Vivaldi had occasion to write hundreds of concertos to realize the skills his students possessed on all manner of instruments – and combinations thereof. It’s interesting to note that there seems to be no concerto by Vivaldi for single trumpet, but there is a C Major Concerto for Two Trumpets. Its bright opening movement features music for the soloists derived from the material given the strings. The slow movement is non-existant – a mere six bars serving as a transition to the finale, in which the two trumpets chasing each other throughout a series of arpreggios, until they come together in warm harmony at the end.
With apologies to Pietro Baldassare, not much information is known about his life or work. We know that he was Master of Music in the Italian city of Brescia, and it is though that he was born around 1690, and died after 1768. Nearly all of his music is lost, but among that which survives is the attractive Sonata No. 1 in F for Cornetto – the high-pitched Baroque member of the trumpet family. It opens in an air of elegant celebration in the first movement, while the call-and-response slow movement is stately and dignified. The brief final movement is a light and courtly dotted-rhythm dance. Jens Lindemann, by the way, has recorded this work, available on his 2007 Marquis Classics recording, The Classic Trumpet.
The presence of all these Baroque composers means that Wolfgang Amadé Mozart (1756-1791), who died 219 years ago, is the most modern composer on tonight’s program. His opera Idomeneo premiered in 1781, and tells the tale of love, sacrifice, and honour on the island of Crete at around the time of the Trojan war. One of the few works which did not seem to flow almost organically from Mozart’s astounding mind, his many cuts and changes to the manuscript do not provide conclusive ideas for where exactly he intended the ballet music he wrote for the opera to appear. There is some evidence to suggest that the various dances which make up the ballet segment were to be sprinkled throughout the action of the work. The Köchel catalog of Mozart’s music (the “K” in the numbering of his pieces refers to Ludwig von Köchel, who assembled the first attempt at chronologically cataloguing Mozart’s music) gives the Idomeneo Ballet Music its own “K” number of 367, right after the opera itself as K.366.
Artist Info
Jens Lindemann, trumpet
Jens Lindemann is hailed as one of the most celebrated soloists in his instrument's history and was recently named "International Brass Personality of the Year" (Brass Herald). Jens has played in every major concert venue in the world: from the Philharmonics of New York, Los Angeles, London, and Berlin to Tokyo's Suntory Hall and even the Great wall of China. His career has ranged from appearing internationally as an orchestral soloist, performing at London's 'Last Night of the Proms', 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. Jens 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.Classically trained at the renowned Juilliard School in New York, Jens' proven ability to perform as a diverse artist places him at the front of a new generation of musicians. He has performed as soloist and recording artist with classical stars such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Angel Romero, Doc Severinsen, Charles Dutoit, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue, Bramwell Tovey and Jukka Pekka Saraste. Having recorded for BMG, EMI , CBC and the BBC, Jens is helping to redefine the idea of the concert artist by transcending stylistic genres and the very stereotype of his instrument by performing with "impeccable attacks, agility and amazing smoothness" (The Clarin, Buenos Aires).
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, Jens 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, Vancouver, Warsaw, Welsh Chamber, I Musici de Montreal, St. Louis, and Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center.
Heralded internationally as an outstanding artist, critics have stated: "He played with golden timbre and virtuosic flair" (New York Times)", "a world-class talent" (Los Angeles Times), "it was one of the most memorable recitals in International Trumpet Guild history" (ITG), "performed brilliantly in the North American premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Concerto with the Toronto Symphony" (Toronto Star), and "he gave the virtuoso highlight of the evening with the Montreal Symphony".
As one of the world's most exciting trumpet soloists, Los Angeles based Lindemann is internationally endorsed by the Yamaha Corporation and performs exclusively on 24K gold plated trumpets.
Lucas Waldin, conductor
The 2010/11 season marks the second for Lucas Waldin as Resident Conductor for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This mentorship position is made possible through the Canada Council for the Arts and Enbridge. Mr. Waldin graduated in 2006 from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a Masters in Conducting. He has performed with L'Orchestre du Festival Beaulieu-Sur-Mer (Monaco), Staatstheater Cottbus (Brandenburg), and Bachakademie Stuttgart. Lucas was assistant conductor of the contemporary orchestra RED (Cleveland), director of the Cleveland Bach Consort, and a Discovery Series Conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival. In 2007, he was invited to conduct the Miami-based New World Symphony Orchestra in masterclasses given by Michael Tilson Thomas. In Lucerne in 2009, he also participated in a masterclass led by Bernard Haitink, with the Lucerne Festival Strings.
A native of Toronto, Lucas Waldin has spent summers studying in Europe, including studies at the International Music Academy in Leipzig, the Bayreuth Youth Orchestra, and the Acanthes New Music Festival in France. On this continent, he has studied under the renowned Bach conductor Helmut Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival, and has attended conducting masterclasses with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Toronto. Mr. Waldin received a Bachelor of Music degree in flute performance from the Cleveland Institute, studying with Joshua Smith.
The ESO would like to thank Enbridge Pipelines for their commitment to the arts and this program by matching the funding provided by the Canada Council for the Arts.
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Eric Buchmann, violin
Eric Buchmann studied violin at the Conservatoire de Montréal and at the Université de Montréal where he earned a Bachelor of Music and a DESS degree. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles to continue his studies at the University of Southern California. Two years later he joined the New World Symphony in Miami Beach where he played under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas and many other music directors from all over the world. His violin teachers include Sonia Jelinkova, Vladimir Landsman, Jean-François Rivest, William Preucil and Martin Chalifour.
Eric Buchmann joined the first violins section of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2006 and was appointed Assistant Concertmaster following auditions in 2009. Eric performs occasionally with the ESO as a soloist and is also a member of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble under the direction of Paul Schieman.
When not playing with the orchestra in Edmonton, you can find him with his family in Montreal or Switzerland. Traveling is one of his passions.
Robin Doyon, trumpet
A native of East Angus, Québec, Robin Doyon was appointed Principal Tumpet of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in September 2008. He received his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Classical Interpretation at the University of Montréal with Jean-Luc Gagnon. He has studied with many masters of the trumpet, including Allen Vizzutti, Jens Lindemann, and James Thompson. In 2002, he was Laureate of the National Music Festival, the Montréal Symphony Orchestra Competition, and the Radio-Canada Young Artists Competition.
Mr. Doyon has also been the recipient of numerous other prizes, including the 2007 prix avec Grande distinction from the Montréal Conservatory of Music. He has been a member of the Grand Ballet of Canada Orchestra and is a regular performer with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Laval, Longueuil, and the Metropolitan orchestras. He also performed with the Contemporary Ensemble of Montréal and the Contemporary Music Society of Québec. Robin Doyon was also a Professor at the University of Sherbrooke.
Lidia Khaner, oboe
Lidia Khaner has performed as Principal Oboe with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra since 1996. She studied oboe in her native Poland at the Warsaw Academy of Music and graduated With Distinction in 1987. As a member of the Sinfonia Varsovia and the Polish Chamber Orchestra, she toured around the world playing both orchestral parts and solo concerts. During a sabbatical, she studied in Germany at the Stuttgart Hochshule für Musik with Ingo Goritzki and played with the Deutsche Kammerakademie.
Lidia played Principal Oboe with the Sinfonia Helvetica from 1992 to 1997. She has recorded works for the KOS label, the Polish radio and television network, CBC and Arktos Recordings. Lidia has performed and recorded solo concerti with the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and soloed with the Edmonton Symphony and the Edmonton Chamber Orchestras.
In 2003 she released two CDs, of oboe and piano music with Janet Scott Hoyt and Mozart chamber music for oboe and strings. Her latest release Inspiration, on Edmonton's Arktos Recordings label, unites her once again with Janet Scott Hoyt in music by Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Britten and Lai. Ms. Khaner has earned her First Dan black belt in Tae Kwan Do.
Photo: Stephen Joe
Megan Chartrand, soprano
Local soprano Megan Chartrand has recently graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance under Jolaine Kerley. As a soloist, Ms. Chartrand has sung with the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, VoiceScapes, the Madrigal Singers and Ariose Women's Choir in works such as Handel's Messiah and Crudel Tiranno Amor, Berlioz’ Veni Creator Spiritus, Hasse's Miserere in D and Vic Nees' Singet dem Herrn. Most recently, she has sung with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in their Esso Symphony for Kids production Mozart, Boy Genius. This past summer, Megan Chartrand participated in the Early Music Vancouver Baroque Vocal Programme with Ellen Hargis and competed in the National Music Festival in Montreal, placing third.
Ms. Chartrand last appeared with the ESO in March 2010.
Terri Hron, recorder
Recorder player and composer Terri Hron comfortably migrates from performance to composition, exploring acoustic and electronic sounds in both written and improvised situations. As a performer, her particular way of playing her instruments and working with technology inspires others to write for her: Bird on a Wire is her ongoing project to commission, perform and record new pieces for recorder and live electronics. The first album was released in 2009 and she is currently collaborating with nine composers on the second instalment – this time in multi-channel. Her performance groups include the multi-disciplinary SpaceMelt with Sam Davidson and Michael Markowsky, the "early & new" consort Forbidden Fruit and duos with Robbert van Hulzen (Rara Avis) and Jorrit Dijkstra. Ms. Hron’s interest in working with live electronics in multi-channel situations has led her to a research collaboration with NOTAM, the Norwegian Center for Technology and Music in Art. Terri Hron is the recipient of numerous awards, prizes and residencies. She is a graduate of the Amsterdam Conservatory of Music (2004) and is currently a doctoral student in Composition at the Université de Montréal.
Òran
Founded in 2002 as part of the Kokopelli Choir Association, Òran began as an alumni offshoot of the Kokopelli Youth Choir, but it has since developed into a group made up of young adults from all over Edmonton. Each brings a different viewpoint to the group, but all are united in their passion for singing. The choir stresses the same philosophical goals as its younger counterpart, striving to achieve musical excellence and artistic integrity, as well as combining new interpretive techniques with more traditional choral expertise. Above all, the group is dedicated to sharing joy in song with each other, with other choirs, and with audiences around Edmonton and across Canada. Òran was featured at the 2005 Festival 500 in St. John’s Newfoundland, and more recently, participated in the Laval International Choral Festival in Quebec in July 2009. The choir is now in its ninth season.
Òran last appeared with the ESO in April 2009.
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