Details

Monday, September 7, 2009 at 2 pm

From Trumpets to Tchaikovsky
Robert Bernhardt, conductor
Jens Lindemann, trumpet
Alvin Lowrey, trumpet
William Dimmer, trumpet
Lucas Waldin, conductor
Members of the 20th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

Favourite Edmonton son Jens Lindemann brings extraordinary musicianship and a disarming stage presence to the festival’s final afternoon, presenting a dynamic mix of virtuosity and lyricism, in music by Gershwin, Haydn, and Bizet. Our 2009 Young Composer, Jia Jia Yong, will have her piece premiered at this performance. And as ever, the guns of the Royal Canadian Artillery supply the awe-inspiring cannonades to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture in the weekend’s grand finale.

Adult Reserved $27 / Grass $18
Child Reserved $13 / Grass free

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Program Information

Monday, September 7, 2009 at 2 pm

From Trumpets to Tchaikovsky
Robert Bernhardt, conductor
Jens Lindemann, trumpet
Alvin Lowrey, trumpet
William Dimmer, trumpet
Lucas Waldin, conductor
Members of the 20th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery

Program

LAVALLÉE
O Canada (arr. Gilliland) (1’)*

ARNE (attr.)
God Save the Queen (arr. Chapman) (1’)*

BERLIOZ
Roman Carnival: Overture (8')*

HUMPERDINCK
Hansel and Gretel: Evening Prayer and Dream Pantomime (8')*

PROTO
A Carmen Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra (13')*
Jens Lindemann, trumpet

WILLIAMS
The Olympic Spirit (4')*

INTERMISSION

JIA JIA YONG (5')*
A Celebration of the Solstice
Young Composers Project Premiere

HAYDN
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major: III - Allegro (5')*
Jens Lindemann, trumpet

COWELL
Roller Coaster (3')*
Jens Lindemann, trumpet

GERSHWIN
Someone to Watch Over Me (arr. Turin/Christmas) (4')*
Jens Lindemann, trumpet

TRADITIONAL
Carnival of Venice (arr. Lindemann) (4')*
Jens Lindemann, trumpet

TCHAIKOVSKY
“1812” Overture, Opus 49 (14')*

*indicates approximate performance duration

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Program Notes

Roman Carnival, by one of the first truly Romantic composers, Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), used music the composer had previously written, fashioned into this highly successful concert piece. The first main them is taken from an aria Berlioz had written for his opera Benvenuto Cellini, assigned in this overture to the English horn (Paul Schieman).

The 1893 opera Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) quickly established itself as one of the most popular operas ever written, earning the distinction of being the first opera to be broadcast on radio, in 1923. At a key moment in the opera, the titular characters are alone in the woods, where Angels watch over them during the Evening Prayer and subsequent Dream Pantomime sequence.

Though he is proud to say he is - and we are quick to claim him as - an Edmontonian, Jens Lindemann now lives in Los Angeles. Since moving there, he has become friends with a man he regards as one of his idols, Doc Severinsen. Doc’s influence on Mr. Lindemann is not only heard in the muscular, bold sound of his playing, but also (for better or worse) in the famous bandleader’s rather distinctive wardrobe. For Severinsen, Frank Proto (b. 1941) wrote A Carmen Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra, based on a work originally written by Proto for an eight-piece jazz ensemble. The work premiered in 1989 on a recording with Doc Severinsen and the Cincinnati Pops. It is in four sections, all based on many of the best-known melodies from Bizet’s opera Carmen, and while it features a rich orchestral texture, there is no doubt that it is intended as a spectacular vehicle for a master of the trumpet such as Doc Severinsen – or Jens Lindemann.

American composer John Williams (b. 1932) is best known for the many soundtracks he has composed for Hollywood. The Olympic Spirit was written for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. It is a regal and athletic work – equal parts homage to the baroque brass sound, and rousingly, dynamically modern.

Jia Jia Yong (b. 1991) is an aspiring young composer. She first started composing four years ago for the harp, with the encouragement and support of her music teacher, Keri Zwicker. Since then, Jia Jia has won first place in the Provincial Creative Music Competition, in the 16 and under category. She has also been nominated for the Stantec Youth Artist Award. Ms. Yong was born in Malaysia, but currently lives in Edmonton. She is a graduate of M.E. Lazerte High School, and she plans to pursue a post-secondary education at the University of Alberta.

Of her work, A Celebration of the Solstice, Ms. Yong writes:

A common question asked about A Celebration of the Solstice is: which solstice is the piece based upon? This piece is largely inspired by the warmth and rhythm of summer. However, the celebration lies more in the idea behind the solstices; the balance between the longest and the shortest days of the year. A celebration of life and sun.

The Trumpet Concerto in E-flat by Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) is one of the most famous works for trumpet in all of music. Mr. Lindemann has performed it before with the ESO (he played the entire concerto in January 2003, and performed this movement in April 2008). The trumpet Haydn wrote for did not have the valves and keys of the modern instrument, so the vivacious melody had to be written in such a way that the player could manoeuvre through all the notes using breath and tongue control.

Canadian Johnny Cowell (b. 1926) was largely self-taught as a trumpeter, though his father and three of his uncles played in bands. He played in the Toronto Symphony for two decades before resuming a solo career in the mid-1970s. Roller Coaster (1959) was a TSO commission from the days when Seiji Ozawa was its Music Director. Designed purposely as a flashy encore piece for three trumpets, Jens Lindemann presents it this afternoon accompanied by two of his former teachers – ESO Principal Trumpet Emeritus Alvin Lowrey and Assistant Principal William Dimmer.

George (1898-1937) and Ira (1896-1983) Gershwin wrote their famous song Someone to Watch Over Me for their hit musical Oh, Kay!, which premiered in 1926. The song has rightfully gone on to a life of its own, and is a cornerstone of American music. The version Jens performs this afternoon, for solo trumpet and strings, was arranged by Joseph Turrin and Jeff Christmas.

Carnival of Venice is a familiar traditional tune, and moreover one which has been a favourite for trumpet players to showcase their virtuosity. Variations on the song have been written for trumpet by a number of people, perhaps most famously by Jean-Baptiste Arban. Jens Lindemann has arranged his own set of tongue-in-cheek variations.

1882 marked the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Napoleon’s army at Borodino. That same year, the consecration of the new Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was to take place, built as a memorial to the Russian victory. Nikolas Rubinstein asked to his friend Piotr IlyichTchaikovsky (1840-1893) to write a ceremonial piece for chorus and orchestra. Never one to find particular inspiration in commissions which restricted his artistic expressiveness, the composer accepted reluctantly, and dashed off the work in less than a week, having little hope that such an occasional piece would have any enduring appeal.

“The Overture will be very noisy,” Tchaikovsky wrote to his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, “I wrote it without much enthusiasm. It has no great artistic value.” Time proved him wrong, however, and the only person who persisted in feeling this way about the 1812 Overture was Tchaikovsky himself. While certainly a programmatic piece, the overture does not follow a chronological sequence. It opens with the hymn God Preserve Thy People, and gradually, the two great armies (represented by nationalistic songs) come together. The famous march of the overture is first heard quietly, and with great skill and momentum, Tchaikovsky combines all these disparate elements – including two cannonades – building the work to a glorious climax. The Tsar’s Hymn gradually defeats La Marseillaise, church bells ring out the victory, and the rousing march theme ushers in the final volley of cannons, leaving no doubt as to the victor in the conflict.

Program Notes © 2009 D.T. Baker

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

Robert Bernhardt, conductor

 

Robert Bernhardt is the second Music Director in the history of the combined Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, and is currently in his 16th season with the company. Concurrent with his CSO tenure, Bernhardt holds the additional title of Principal Pops Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra where he is currently in his 28th season. He began his professional career there in 1981 as Assistant Conductor, and has worked with the Orchestra every year since. He was the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic (1995-98), Music Director and Conductor of the Tucson Symphony (1987-95), Principal Guest Conductor of Kentucky Opera (1991-96), and Music Director of the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra (1985-1987). His vast symphonic repertoire covers most of the standard canon and his commitment to the music of our time is significant.

 

This season, Robert Bernhardt will make his guest conducting debut with the Houston Symphony, and returns to the podiums of the Pacific Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and the Chattanooga Ballet. He has guest conducted the Detroit, St. Louis, Seattle, Phoenix, Nashville, Colorado, Pacific and Iceland Symphony Orchestras among others, and has been a frequent guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Tucson Symphony, and the Boston Pops. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1978. In addition to his work with the CSO, he has conducted the Opera Companies of Nashville and Birmingham. He has also conducted the Louisville Ballet, the North Carolina Ballet, the Jacksonville Ballet and the Lonestar Ballet. Born in Rochester, NY, Robert Bernhardt holds a Master's Degree with Honors from the University of Southern California School of Music where he studied with Daniel Lewis. He was a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Union (NY) College, where he was an Academic All-American Baseball Player.

Since making his ESO debut in May 2006, Robert Bernhardt has become a favourite guest conductor of both the orchestra and its audience. The 2009 Sobeys Symphony Under the Sky is the fourth consecutive edition of the festival led by Mr. Bernhardt. He will conduct several more performances in the 09/10 season, including Oktoberfest! on October 6, 2009, Our Favourite Mozart on October 8, 2009, and Classics of the Silver Screen on May 20, 2010.

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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). Mr. Lindemann 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 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.

Raised in Edmonton, and classically trained at the renowned Juilliard School in New York, Jens Lindemann 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 prize-winner 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. As one of the world’s most exciting trumpet soloists, Los Angeles-based Jens Lindemann is internationally endorsed by the Yamaha Corporation and performs exclusively on 24K gold plated trumpets.

Mr. Lindemann last appeared with the ESO in April 2008.

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Lucas Waldin, ESO Resident Conductor

 

The 2009/10 season marks the first for Lucas Waldin as Resident Conductor for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. This mentorship position is made possible through the Canada Council for the Arts. 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.

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Jia Jia Yong, 2009 Young Composer

Jia Jia Yong (b. 1991) is an aspiring young composer. She first started composing four years ago for the harp, with the encouragement and support of her music teacher, Keri Zwicker. Since then, Jia Jia has won first place in the Provincial Creative Music Competition, in the 16 and under category. She has also been nominated for the Stantec Youth Artist Award. Jia Jia was born in Malaysia, but currently lives in Edmonton. She is a graduate of M.E. Lazerte high school, and she plans to pursue a post-secondary education at the University of Alberta.

Of her work, A Celebration of the Solstice, Ms. Yong writes:

A common question asked about A Celebration of the Solstice is: which solstice is the piece based upon? This piece is largely inspired by the warmth and rhythm of summer. However, the celebration lies more in the idea behind the solstices; the balance between the longest and the shortest days of the year. A celebration of life and sun.

Media

Festival conductor Bob Bernhardt talks about Sobeys Symphony Under the Sky:

After the performance, let us know what you thought! Send your review to esofeedback@winspearcentre.com.