Details

A diverse and lyrical concert showcasing our Principal Trombone John McPherson, as well as young Canadian violinist Maia Cabeza. Bill Eddins leads the performance, which includes Ottorino Respighi's sparkling suite The Birds (based on baroque dances), and one of Mozart's happiest symphonies, named in honour of the Czech city which was so close to his heart.

The Medicine Hat Academy Orchestra will perform in the main lobby beginning at 1:15 PM as part of our Musicians in the Making program, generously sponsored by TELUS.

Following the performance, join Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin and violinist Maia Cabeza in the main lobby for our Sunday Coffee Shop.

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague"
Glazunov: Violin Concerto
Respighi: The Birds
McPherson: Walk in Beauty for Trombone and Orchestra

$65 Dress Circle (A)
$53 Terrace (B)
$39 Orchestra (C)
$25 Upper Circle (D)
$20 Orchestra Front (F)
(click map for interactive version)

Tickets subject to applicable service charges.

Thank you to our series media sponsor:

The next Sunday Showcase performance is January 17, 2010.

Program Information

Program

Respighi: Gli uccelli ("The Birds") (20')*

Glazunov: Violin Concerto (21')*
Maia Cabeza, violin

Intermission

McPherson: Walk in Beauty (2000 ESO commission) (12')*
John McPherson, trombone

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" (25')*

*Indicates approximate performance duration.

Program Notes

Gli uccelli ("The Birds")
Ottorino Respighi
(b. Bologna, 1879 / d. Rome, 1936)

Composed: 1927-28
This is the ESO premiere of the work

Like Glazunov (see below), Italian composer Ottorino Respighi also studied with Rimsky-Korsakov in Russia, learning much about orchestration from him. It stood him in good stead, as many of Respighi’s best-known works are his elaborate and sparkling orchestrations of much older pieces. His three suites of Ancient Airs and Dances are probably the best known, but in 1927, he took five disparate Baroque harpsichord pieces, and fashioned them into a suite which he called Gli uccelli (“The Birds”). He added an element of unity to the suite by quoting from movements to come in the opening Preludio, similarly quoting from the Preludio in the suite’s final movement.

The Preludio is based on a piece by Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710). The next movement, “The Dove,” is an Andante believed to have been composed by French composer Jacques Gallot (1625-c.1695). The next movement, “The Hen,” comes from a harpsichord work by the famous French master Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). Next is “The Nightingale,” from an anonymous English source. Last is “The Cuckoo,” another work by Pasquini.


Violin Concerto in A minor, Op.82
Alexander Glazunov
(b. St. Petersburg, 1865 / d. Paris, 1936)

First performance: March 4, 1905 in St. Petersburg
Last ESO performance: March 1992

Glazunov’s lifeline straddled two great eras of Russian music. He was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the vanguard that brought Russian music to prominence; and he pre-dated the titans of the 20th century: Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. So his music perhaps does not get the attention it deserves. He wrote his only Violin Concerto for Leopold Auer, the Russian-based Hungarian violinist who had originally turned down the honour of premiering Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

Glazunov’s concerto is in three movements, played with no pauses between them. After only a measure or two, the principal theme of the first movement is introduced by the soloist. It is nostalgic, wistful, a theme which holds sway over both the first and second movements, though the middle movement has a definite romantic strain to it as well. A long and taxing cadenza leads straight into the finale. Here the work finally shakes its moribund shackles, with a sprightly theme heard as a dialog between the soloist and the trumpets. After a second subject, the work tears to a lively finish, with sparkling and difficult passages for the violin.


Walk in Beauty (2000 ESO commission)
John McPherson
(b. 1958)

First performance: February 6, 2000 by John McPherson and the ESO
This is the work’s second performance

Program Note by the composer

The term “walk in beauty” was introduced to me through the novels of Tony Hillerman. It’s an element of the traditional Navaho philosophy/spirituality that he intriguingly integrates into his stories.

My interpretation of this concept is that if we make our primary aim to achieve and maintain a balance between the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our lives, what arises is a state of equilibrium beyond fear, which allows us to journey through the world experiencing only its inherent beauty and harmony.

This is a noble and pragmatic goal, for a society that sees disharmony and fear as the true enemies would indeed be a healthy one.

Most interesting to me is that this is also the ideal state to be in to fully experience music, whether as a performer or listener. It allows us to use music to connect on the deepest level to the invisible mysteries of being human and explore the harmony, balance and grace that permeates the fabric of Life.

The intent of this work is to invoke a sense of journey, interaction and discovery – a passage of joy and fearlessness through a landscape at once familiar and unknown. And the principal strategy, to realize this objective, is to have the soloist, for the most part, improvise their part.

Just like “real life” we plan our day with a few things we “must do” and then make up the rest as we go along, and at the end of the day how successful we feel is likely directly related to the “attitude” we were able to maintain through our interactions with “the world”.

My desire is to relax some of the perceived boundaries between written and improvised music and to celebrate freedom and humanness. May you all “walk in beauty.”


Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K.504 “Prague”
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart
(b. Salzburg, 1756 / d. Vienna, 1791)

First performance: January 19, 1787 in Prague
Last ESO performance: June 2004

“No piece has ever caused such a sensation as the Italian opera (The Marriage of Figaro), which has already been given several times here with unlimited applause.” So went an article in the Prague Oberpostamtszeitun of December 12, 1786. Mozart’s opera was the talk of the town. “Here they talk about nothing but ‘Figaro’,” Mozart wrote home happily upon his arrival in Prague. “Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but ‘Figaro.’ Certainly a great honour for me!”

He arrived in the city in January, to capitalize on the success his opera was having. It was one of the happiest moments in his professional life. He attended a performance of his opera, had a chamber music concert of his music presented on January 12, and had an academy concert at the National Theater on the 19th, at which his newest symphony, named in honour of the city which had so welcomed him, premiered.

It is clear from archival records that Mozart had already composed much of the music that would eventually become his “Prague” Symphony before arriving in the Bohemian capital. The opening movement is considered to be one of Mozart’s most supreme technical accomplishments as a composer. The powerful Adagio introduction ambiguously shifts between D Major and D minor, and the Allegro which follows is a contrapuntal tour de force, with two secondary subjects, and a development section which darkens the mood considerably, while maintaining its vibrant pace.

The slow movement is in G Major, its gentle lilt in stark contrast to the rather sombre musical material. Another unique aspect of this symphony is that it is the only one of Mozart’s late symphonies not to have a Minuet movement, but moves straight from the Andante to its final movement. A dashing Presto, this is a demanding work for the orchestra, particularly the winds. The amiable main material is interrupted by passages of surprising power and drama, though the impetus of the music is always brisk and propulsive.

Program Notes © 2009 D.T. Baker, except as noted above

Program notes © 2009 by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and its respective annotators. All Rights Reserved. Program notes may not be printed in their entirety without the written consent of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra; excerpts may be quoted if due acknowledgment is given to the author and to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. For reprint permission, contact D.T. Baker, Music Resource, by email, dave.baker@winspearcentre.com.

These notes appear in galley files prepared for Signature magazine, official publication of the ESO, and may contain typographical or other errors, or may differ from the final print version. Programs and artists subject to change without notice.

Artist Information

William Eddins, conductor

 

William Eddins is in his fifth season as Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. A native of Buffalo, New York, he currently resides in Minneapolis with his lovely wife Jen, a clarinetist, and their two boys Raef (AKA Raefster; Munchers) and Riley (AKA Squeaky; The Imp; Dr. No).

 

Bill has been playing piano since he was five when his parents bought a Wurlitzer Grand piano at a garage sale. He started conducting during his sophomore year at the Eastman School of Music, and most of the '80s were spent trying to decide whether to pursue a career in conducting or piano. The quandary was answered for him when he realized that the life of a poor, starving pianist was for the birds. In 1989 Bill decided to study conducting with Dan Lewis at the University of Southern California, from whence he managed to land assistant conductor posts with the Chicago Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra in 1992.

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. Unfortunately, due to pianistic paranoia his days in the martial arts are long over.

Bill is committed to bringing classical music to the greater public. He has started a podcast – Classical Connections – which is dedicated to exploring the history of classical music and highlights live chamber music performances in which Bill has taken part (check it out for yourself at Bill Eddins' website). He has also produced a solo piano CD – Bad Boys, Volume I – which features Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata and Albright's Nightmare Fantasy Rag. His latest recording, on the Naxos label, features American music for cello and orchestra.

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Maia Cabeza, violin

 

Canadian violinist Maia Cabeza started violin studies in Toronto at the age of four. Accepted at 13, she is currently a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where Ida Kavafian and Joseph Silverstein are her violin teachers. She had her first soloist performance with orchestra at the age of 10, and more recently, she performed with the Reno Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony at Meadow Brook Music Festival, and with the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra. In 2004, she was loaned an 1892 Gragnani violin by the Stradivari Society of Chicago, and in 2005, she was awarded a fellowship from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development towards advancing musical studies. A finalist in the 2009 Albert M. Greenfield Philadelphia Orchestra Competition and a semi-finalist in the 2008 Yehudi Menuhin International violin competition, Ms. Cabeza has won prizes in numerous competitions.

Now 17, Maia Cabeza has performed as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Orquesta Academica del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Chapel Hill Philharmonia, the Duke String School Chamber Orchestra, the Danville Symphony, and the Triangle Youth Philharmonic. She was the concertmaster of the Triangle Youth Philharmonic for the 2005-2006 season, and has worked under conductors such as Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit as a member of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Past violin teachers include Patinka Kopec (Manhattan School of Music), Richard Luby (UNC), and Robert Lipsett. Maia has attended several prestigious summer festivals including the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland, Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, Encore School for Strings and the Aspen Music Festival and School.

This is Ms. Cabeza’s debut with the ESO.

 

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John McPherson, trombone

 

Since 1980 John McPherson has been Principal Trombone of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. A native Edmontonian, John has been both a trombone and euphonium soloist with the ESO. In addition, the orchestra has performed many of his compositions. Previous orchestral experience includes the Toronto Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, and the Canadian Opera Orchestra.

An active musician in many areas John has played with the Tommy Banks Band, the New Orleans Connection, the Canadian Hot Stars Dixieland Band, the Alberta Jazz Repertory Orchestra, the Bad for Business Big Band and many others. As a chamber musician John has performed and recorded as a member of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, the Malcolm Forsyth Trombone Ensemble, the Albertasauras Tuba Quartet, the Old Strathcona Town Band, and the Plumbers Union. He is a founding member of E-SWAT, a tactical musical strike team of the ESO which launches surgical attacks of music where it’s least expected.

As an educator John has been part of the ESO’s Adopt a Player program, taught at numerous music camps, and since 1985 has been Visiting Assistant Professor of Trombone and Euphonium at the University of Alberta.

Composition has become an increasingly important part of John’s career. He has received commissions from Grande Prairie Regional College, the Wild Rose String Quartet, and the Alberta Foundation for the Performing Arts. His works have been performed by such groups as the Edmonton Symphony, the Hammerhead Consort, Take 3, the NOWage Orchestra, the Beau String Quartet of Calgary, Basstiality of Toronto, and the Festival City Pops Orchestra. Many of these performances have been recorded and broadcast on programs such as Arts National, Two New Hours, and Alberta In Concert.

 

 

Media

ESO Principal Trombone John McPherson speaks about his composition "Walk in Beauty":

Hilary Hahn performs the Glazunov Violin Concerto: