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| Symphony Under the Sky 2011 has concluded. Please check out Symphony Under the Sky 2012! About this Concert Symphony Under the Sky fan favourite Bob Bernhardt opens Edmonton’s end of summer festival with a night full of well-known and best loved pieces from some of the greatest composers – Mozart, Handel, and Brahms. Featured Repertoire HANDEL: Suite from Water Music MOZART: Concerto for Flute and Harp BRAHMS: Second Symphony |
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Program Info
Program
LAVALLÉE (Arr Gilliland)
O Canada (1’)*
HANDEL (Arr Harty)
Water Music Suite: Excerpts (9’)
MOZART
Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major, K299 (27’)*
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Elizabeth Faulkner, flute
Nora Bumanis, harp
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INTERMISSION
BRAHMS
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 73 (40’)**Indicates approximate performance duration
Program subject to change.
Program Notes
Water Music: selections (arr. Harty)
George Frideric Handel (b. Halle, 1785 / d. London, 1759)
On July 17, 1717, at the invitiation of Baron Kielmansegge to his friend King George I of England, barges filled with nobility were taken on a pleasure ride down the Thames. Another barge was constructed expressly for the orchestra which performed music by the King’s favourite composer, George Frideric Handel. “A City Company’s Barge was employ’d for the Musick, wherein were 50 Instruments of all sorts, who play’d all the Way from Lambeth…the finest Symphonies, compos’d express for this Occasion, by Mr Hendel (sic); which his Majesty liked so well, that he caus’d it to be plaid over three times in going and returning.” So read The Daily Courant on July 19, 1717.
The music which caused such delight among the river party that day has done so ever since, and is now known as the Water Music. The work’s popularity led to numerous transcriptions and arrangements throughout Handel’s life – although the manuscript of the original work is now lost. The three suites by which we now know the music best were pieced together from two harpsichord versions prepared by Handel’s copyist and friend, J.C. Smith the Elder. This evening’s performance features three movements chosen from among the suites arranged for a modern-sized symphony orchestra by Irish composer/conductor Hamilton Harty (1879-1941).
Concerto for Flute and Harp in C Major, K.299
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart (b. Salzburg, 1756 / d. Vienna, 1791)
What Mozart sought his whole, brief life, was a court appointment – a steady and prestigious job that would set him up for life. “I will no longer be a fiddler,” he once wrote his father, “I want to conduct at the clavier and accompany arias.” It was not to be, however, and he was dependent upon commissions his entire career. So it was on a trip to Paris in 1777-78 that the Count de Guines commissioned the 21-year-old Mozart for a concerto for the Count and his daughter. Mozart’s father encouraged his son to take the commission, as the Count, he had been told, was well connected to Marie Antoinette herself. The Count played the flute, his daughter the harp – both instruments for which Mozart had expressed, to be kind, antipathy.
Nevertheless, he admired the talents of these serious amateurs, and wrote a charming concerto very much in the French court style, full of delightful melodies in all three movements, with plenty of challenges for both soloists. The harp of Mozart’s day, it must be remembered, was a single-action instrument with limited ability to modulate. The final movement is a particularly clever one, with Mozart setting the rondo to the French court dance the gavotte. It is worth noting that not only did the commission not lead to any appointment to French nobility, it took the Count many months before he even paid Mozart for his work.
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op.73
Johannes Brahms (b. Hamburg, 1833 / d. Vienna, 1897)
At last! It had taken Johannes Brahms the better part of two decades to finally bring a symphony before the public. Faced with the extraordinary pressure of producing a symphony worthy of the musical successor to Beethoven – as the music world had regarded him - Brahms had laboured and second-guessed the long, tortuous road that had finally yielded his First Symphony in 1876. But with that finally behind him, Brahms wrote a second symphony with surprising ease, and in only months, not years.
Composed during an idyllic summer in 1877 spent at the village of Pörtschach, near Lake Worth in the Austrian Alps, the Second Symphony is widely considered Brahms’ most serene, his most contented. But there is a grey undercurrent amid the serenity, one borne of a mature and seasoned composer who, that same summer, had written a motet titled, “Wherefore is the light given to them that toil?”.
All four movements of the D Major Symphony are in major keys, yet as often as not, tonality is suggested more than dwelled upon. There is much harmonic and rhythmic interplay and subtlety at work throughout the symphony, which begins with an almost hymn-like theme in the trombones before the mood turns more rich and romantic. A theme which comes to dominate the movement first occurs about two and a half minutes in – listen for what almost sounds like the opening of Brahms’ famous Lullaby. Moods contrast greatly throughout this movement, often by using fragments of the two main themes subjected to cross rhythms and unsettled harmonies. There are some moments of intense passion, but the movement itself ends almost playfully, with pizzicato (plucked) strings leading to a demure ending.
The second movement is the longest slow movement in any Brahms symphony, and opens with much the same mood as the first does. The development section offers a strong contrast in both mood and tempo, and moves through many keys. An emotional climax ebbs away as quickly as it arrives, ending the movement on a hush. The third movement’s main song is a tripping Ländler (the rustic precursor to the Viennese waltz), contrasted with a skittish, scurrying theme in 2/4 – the string writing has the feel of Mendelssohn’s gossamer string sound. These two main subjects alternate, or are combined in ingenious ways by Brahms in this good-naturedly off-kilter movement.
With the opening measures of the finale, we now momentous things are imminent. But at first, the buoyant outbursts from the orchestra sound almost as if the happiness is contrived. A clarinet begins a new song, which is followed in the strings by one reminiscent of the third movement’s Ländler. Fragments of these melodies come and go, but there is a forward momentum to the music; the brass dominate the proceedings as the coda begins, and at last, the joy is as irrepressible as it is unbounded, leading to one of the most ebullient endings of any Brahms work.
Program notes © 2011 by D.T. Baker
Artist Info
Robert Bernhardt, conductor
Robert Bernhardt served as Music Director and Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera for 19 seasons. He was the second Music Director in the combined company’s history, and is now the first with the title Emeritus. A lover of all genres of music, he is equally at home in symphonic, operatic, pops, and educational performances. He also nears another milestone in his career with the Louisville Orchestra, with this year representing his 30th consecutive season with the LO, and his 15th as Principal Pops Conductor. 2010-2011 saw Mr. Bernhardt make his conducting debuts with the Houston Symphony and Cincinnati Pops, and returning twice to the Boston Pops. His vast symphonic repertoire covers most of the standard canon and his commitment to the music of our time is significant. He has been a frequent guest conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, and the Boston Pops. He has also been a guest with the Seattle Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the Iceland Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, and others. He has recorded for Vanguard, First Edition, Carlton Classics, and RPO record labels. 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 Honours 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. His son, Alex, lives and works in Seattle with his wife and new daughter, and his daughter, Charlotte, is a resident of New York City. He and his wife, Nora, live on Signal Mountain.
Robert Bernhardt holds a special place in the hearts of Edmonton Symphony Orchestra musicians and audiences. This year’s Symphony Under the Sky marks his sixth consecutive as the festival’s conductor, and he frequently leads the ESO in subscription series performances at the Winspear Centre. He last conducted the ESO in December 2010, and returns to kick off the Robbins Lighter Classics series on October 6, 2011.
Festival Info
Parking
Park your vehicle for only $5 at the U of A’s Stadium Car Park (116 St & 89 Ave), and ride ETS buses for free directly to Hawrelak Park! Parking is very limited at Hawrelak Park and not guaranteed. Free, supervised bike racks will also be available at Hawrelak Park, courtesy of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society.
Park 'n' Ride Shuttle Hours
Friday, September 2nd: 5 pm - 10:30 pm
Saturday, September 3rd: 12 pm - 11:30 pm
Sunday, September 4th: 12 pm - 11:30 pm
Monday, September 5th: 12 pm - 5:30 pm
On-site Box Office
The on-site Box Office Tent is cash only. There will be an ATM machine on site.
On-site Box Office Hours
On-site Box Office Hours
Friday, September 2nd: 5 pm - 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 3rd: 12 pm - 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 4th: 12 pm - 7:30 pm
Monday, September 5th: 11:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Food & Drink
Food vendors will be located in the Heritage Amphitheatre and the Winspear Concession stand will offer snacks, hot and cold drinks, wine & beer.
Symphony Under the Sky Online
Stay tuned to festival updates by connecting with us on Facebook and Twitter!Twitter: @edmsymphony (festival hashtag is #yegSUTS)
Facebook: facebook.com/edmontonsymphony
Weather
In case of inclement weather, festival concerts will take place at the Winspear Centre. If at all possible, all performances will remain at Hawrelak Park. The decision about whether to change venues will be made 3 hours prior to the performance. Venue change information will be announced on 92.5 JOE FM, posted on the front page of this website, and noted at 780-428-1414 and 1-800-563-5081.
Festival Supporters
Thank you to our festival supporters The City of Edmonton through the Edmonton Arts Council and The REALTORS® Association of Edmonton.
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Comments
Thanks for your inquiry. The performance begins at 7pm - all times listed on our website are performance start times. The gates to the amphitheatre will open approximately 1 hour prior to each performance starting.
Cheers,
-Phil Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
Can you tell me if the Symphony Under the Sky performances on rain or shine? Friday's weather sounds like it could be cool and wet.
Thanks. Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
Concerts always go ahead if at all possible. We have the option of moving a performance to the Winspear Centre if the weather is too cold for the instruments or if the weather is particularly poor, but that decision will only be made three hours prior to a performance. If it is moved, the website will be updated and it will be announced on 92.5 Joe FM at that time.
Phil Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
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