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THE BEACH CITIES SYMPHONY
BARRY BRISK, MUSIC DIRECTOR
PRESENTS
ARTISTS OF THE FUTURE
MTAC CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNERS
Marsee Auditorium, El Camino College
Crenshaw Blvd. at Redondo Beach Blvd.
FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING
concert time: 8:15 P.M.
pre-concert lecture: 7:30 P.M.
Information: (310) 379-9725 or (310) 539-4649
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor (first movement)
Frédéric Chopin
Paul Cartianu, soloist
Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major (first movement)
W. A. Mozart
Hannah J. Kahng, soloist
Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major (first movement)
W. A. Mozart
Stacey Wallace, soloist
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major (first movement)
Dmitri Shostakovich
Rie Takahashi, soloist
Also featuring:
Coppelia Ballet Suite No. 1
Léo Delibes
and
Rienzi Overture
Richard Wagner
MUSIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA,
SOUTH BAY BRANCH CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNERS, 2002
Suite Number One from
Coppelia
Léo Delibes (1836-1891)
Léo Delibes is one of the group of
nineteenth-century French composers--such as Gounod, Saint- Saëns, Offenbach,
and Massenet--who were not really major figures but whose works, particularly
ballets and operas, were popular in their day and in some cases have
retained their status today. Delibes’ father worked for the postal service, but
his mother and several members of her family were musical and were
Delibes’ first instructors. He was admitted to the Paris Conservatory from which he
graduated without distinction. He worked as a church organist and composer
before finding his real niche in the theater.
The decisive advance in Delibes’
career came with his ballet Coppelia, which played at the Opera on May 2, 1870.
Based on E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story, it has remained one of the best loved
of all classical ballets and shows the composer’s gifts at their most
appealing. Six years later his ballet Sylvia enjoyed great success, as did the
opera Lakmé in 1883.
Concerto in A Major for
Violin and Orchestra, K. 219
Concerto in G Major for
Flute and Orchestra, K. 313
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
The A Major violin concerto is the
last of the five concertos Mozart composed
in 1775, and the last of his violin
concertos which survives in its original
state, unaltered by editors or
adaptors. It is also the ripest of the five in
emotional content and the most
fascinating in form. It was completed December
20 and first performed shortly
thereafter in Salzburg. These five authentic
concertos were very likely composed
for Mozart’s personal use, but we cannot
be certain since we do not know
exactly when or by whom they were first
performed. We do know that Mozart
performed them after 1775 and that they are
neither Austrian nor German nor
French nor Italian in style, but a highly
personal amalgam of all the styles
he had absorbed during his travels. They
may not be the greatest music Mozart
ever wrote, but these youthful works
have irresistible appeal. One is
tempted to believe that they will be heard
as long as there are violinists to
play them.
Like many of Mozart’s works, his G
Major flute concerto was composed for a
specific purpose. In this case the
purpose was frankly to make some badly
needed money for the long and
expensive trip from Salzburg to Paris. By the
end of October 1777, Mozart and his
mother had arrived at Mannheim, with its
celebrated orchestra and opera
house. The Mannheim court was not particularly
interested in the 21-year-old
genius; but at last an amateur flautist, De
Jean, a Dutch visitor to Mannheim,
came forth with a commission for a group
of easy flute concertos and
quartets. Mozart disliked the flute as a solo
instrument, so in spite of his
finances he procrastinated. When the Dutchman
left town in February 1778, the
commission was far from finished and Mozart’s
fee was reduced by half. But despite
his distaste for the flute, Mozart
seemed incapable of composing an indifferent
work. The Dutch patron received
a G-Major concerto far beyond the
amateur’s scope he had expected, but
instead an artistic delight for
flutists and their audiences for ages to come.
Concerto in E Minor, Opus
11, for Piano and Orchestra
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)
Chopin’s two concertos for piano and
orchestra are really student works,
having been written during his final
years at the conservatory. The E Minor
concerto, always designated as
Number One, is really the second concerto
because of a fluke in publishing. In
a letter of March 1830, Chopin mentions
that he is already at work on the
first movement, and in a letter of
September 22 to his dear friend
Titus Woyciehowski he writes that the
concerto is finished. Chopin was not
comfortable as an orchestrator and never
wrote anything for orchestra after
he was 21. Consequently, the orchestral
sections of both concertos are
rather basic. In fact, Chopin once played the
F Minor concerto as a solo,
apparently to the great satisfaction of all
concerned. Nonetheless, both
concertos have a charm and spontaneity unmatched
by many of his more mature works.
The E Minor concerto was first performed by
Chopin himself in Warsaw on October
11, 1839.
Concerto in F Major, Opus
102, for Piano and Orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906-1975)
Shostakovich composed his second
piano concerto early in 1957 for his son
Maxim, who gave its first
performance in Moscow on May 10, 1957 (his 19th
birthday), with Nikolai Anosov
conducting. Shostakovich’s music was out of
favor in the Josef Stalin era. But
after Stalin’s death in 1953, his music
began to return to favor and was
considered to exemplify Socialist Realism, a
doctrine which sought to impose
optimism and a minimum of dissonance on
Soviet music. Maxim, whom the family
always considered to be highly gifted,
was an advanced student at the
Moscow Conservatory at the time. The concerto
is infused with a youthful spirit.
Its carefree outer movements and
contemplative second movement were
obviously written for a young performer.
The first movement includes various
kinds of etudes that a young piano
student has to master: toccata,
fantasy, octaves, arpeggios, chromatic
scales, chords, and the like. The jaunty
second theme has been likened to the
American song “What Shall We Do with
a Drunken Sailor?”--a purely
coincidental resemblance.
Overture to Rienzi
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Richard Wagner’s reading of
Bulwer-Lytton’s novel Rienzi, the Last of the
Roman Tribunes in the summer of 1837
confirmed his intention of writing an
opera on the subject. He immediately
sketched an outline, followed by a prose
draft and then a verse draft. After
several fits and starts, the work was
completed with the Overture being
written last in October 1840.
The première lasted, according to
Wagner’s autobiography, more than six hours
(including intervals), but the work
was received with great enthusiasm. The
opera was subsequently given over
two evenings and in a truncated version
prepared by Wagner himself. In spite
of the practical problems it posed and
somewhat to the composer’s
embarrassment on account of its stylistic nature,
Rienzi was one of Wagner’s most
successful works in the latter years of his
life and up to the end of the
century.
Wagner’s conception of Rienzi was
that of a grand opera, one, moreover, that
should outdo all previous examples
with sumptuous extravagance. Deliberately
planned so that it could not be
given in a small theater, Rienzi is
generously endowed with marches,
processions, and ballets. The overture
continues to appear with some
frequency on orchestral programs.
As honorary President of the Beach Cities
Symphony Association, I have been
thrilled with this 52nd season’s
program. Tonight’s continuation of
presenting winners of the concerto
competition selected by the Music Teachers
of California, South Bay Branch, is
especially satisfying for the orchestra.
Not only does it give students an
opportunity to perform with the symphony,
but also it shows us musicians and
you, the audience, just how talented these
young people are. Thanks go to the
MTAC for their sponsorship of this
program, and also to the Target
store in Torrance for underwriting most of
the cost for tonight’s concert.
This concert, under the baton of
Music Director Barry Brisk, culminates our
52nd season of providing free
classical concerts for South Bay audiences. We
appreciate your continued support
and invite you and others to contribute
toward our 53rd season, which
resumes with a concert in the fall of 2002. It
means a great deal to musicians, to
music lovers, and to students to preserve
this heritage. We invite you to renew
your pledge and if possible to move up
to the next membership level or
higher as you write your check. All
contributions to the Beach Cities
Symphony Association are fully
tax-deductible.
In conclusion, thanks for these past
52 years. We look forward to seeing you
throughout year number 53!
PAUL CARTIANU, thirteen years old, is an eighth-grade student on the
honor
roll at Bert Lynn Middle School in
Torrance. He began his piano studies in
1998 at the George Enescu Music
Conservatory in Bucharest, Romania, and has
been Maria Demina’s student since
the summer of 2000. He won the ProPiano
International Competition,
Bucharest, in 2000, and the MTAC Scholarship and
Cypress College Piano Competitions
in 2001. As accompanist for the Bert Lynn
school chorus, he was nominated
Outstanding Musician at the Forum Festival
last spring.
Paul’s interests include playing tennis and video games, composing piano
music, writing short stories,
drawing, working with clay, and
especially
painting; in 2000, his art work
appeared in an exhibition at Bucharest’s
Schiller House.
HANNAH
KAHNG is a student
of violinist Elmer Su and a seventh grader at
Palos Verdes Intermediate School.
Now 12 years old, at age seven she was
invited to play in Salzburg and
several other cities throughout Europe. She
has also performed in and received
honors from many distinguished
competitions, including those of the
Bellflower Symphony, the Southwestern
Youth Music Festival, VOCE (Voice,
Orchestra instrumentalist, Chamber music,
Ensemble) Competition for the South
Bay Branch, American String Teachers
Association Solo Competition, and
the 2000 MTAC Scholarship Competition.
Hannah is a two-year member of the
Colburn School of the Performing Arts
Orchestra da Camera.
RIE
TAKAHASHI, born in
Yokohama, Japan, is 17 years old and a senior at
Chadwick School. Her piano studies
began at age nine, and she has been a
student of Edwin Deveny for 2-1/2
years. A past winner of the Bach
Festival, Rie has also been a Young
Artist trophy winner in 2000, 2001, and
2002 with appearances in the
Armstrong Theater. Her talents extend to
participation in musicals, plays,
and dance, and she plays violin in her
school orchestra.
Rie has many interests and talents in addition to musical ones. She was
first prize winner out of more than
20,000 entries from around the world in a
Japanese literature and poetry
competition sponsored by the Japanese
Educational Government. She has been
on the honor roll each semester at
Chadwick, where she is president of
both the Book Club and the Asian Culture
Club. She is also a member of the
Board of Directors at Community Helpline
and is part of Peer Mentors, a
community service of her school. In addition,
she enjoys sports and was named
honorable mention singles player on the
girls’ varsity tennis team.
STACEY
WALLACE, a
16-year-old junior at Palos Verdes Peninsula High, has
been studying flute with Verna Balch
for six years and also plays piano. She
has received awards at the Southwest
Youth Music Festival and the Bach
Festival, where she won the Complete
Works Competition. She was awarded the
“Most Outstanding Instrumentalist”
scholarship by the MTAC and placed second
at the statewide VOCE competition.
Stacey has played in the All-Southern
California Honor Band, the
Asia-America Youth Symphony, and in her school’s
advanced orchestra, concert band,
and marching band. She has also marched in
the Rose Parade with the Tournament
of Roses Honor Band, performed in Vienna
and Prague with the Vienna Honor
Orchestra, and soloed with the South Bay
Youth Orchestra. As well as being an
honor roll student, Stacey has
volunteered more than 300 hours at
Community Helpline since April of last
year. Eventually she plans to attend
college with a double major in music and
engineering.
*****
The Target Corporation
actively supports the arts in the communities
where they have stores. Target
particularly supports efforts to make the arts
affordable for families.
For this reason, they are especially pleased to
support our annual Artists
of the Future concert and our mission to bring
fine music to the community
without charging admission.
The Beach Cities Symphony Association is grateful to Target in
Torrance, their employee team, and
Team Leader Harold Whitehead for their continuing generosity to us, to the
young musicians we showcase, and to our audiences.
*****
November 2002
C. Debussy: Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra.
Bradley Cohen, soloist
J. Brahms: Song of Destiny (chorus and orchestra). El Camino
College Choirs
Debussy: Three Nocturnes
G. Verdi: Va Pensiero (chorus and orchestra)
January 2003: A Night at
the Opera
Arias & duets by
Bizet, Puccini, Verdi. Demetra George, soprano; Stephen Plummer, tenor
R. Wagner: Arrival of the Guests (Tannhäuser)
R. Strauss: Dance of the Seven Veils (Salome)
P. I. Tchaikovsky: Waltz (Eugene Onegin)
G. Verdi: Triumphal March & Ballet (Aida)
March 2003
M. Ravel: Mother Goose Suite
Ho Zhan Hao & Cheh Kang: The Butterfly Lovers. Elmer Su,
violin soloist
N. Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from The Golden Cockerel
May 2003
Charles Fernandez: Orchestral suite, title to be announced
(world première)
Artists of the Future soloists: to be announced
P. I. Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet
*****
As we conclude the 52nd season of the Beach Cities Symphony
Orchestra, we wish to thank you, our
audience and sponsors, for your generous support. A look at the list of names
in the program booklet and on our web site shows how many it takes to have a
successful series of concerts.
Like all non-profit organizations, we face increasing costs.
Therefore,
we are continually hoping
to add to the audience count and to those of you
who contribute each year to
make our performances possible . Your
satisfaction will come from
knowing you assisted in bringing symphonic music to many who could not
afford it otherwise. Also you will have the opportunity to bring your friends to
your symphony’s performance! Members’ benefits include our newsletter and
concert reminders, eligibility for prize drawings at intermission, and
invitations to our post-concert receptions as well as other special events. Your
contributions are fully tax deductible.
Plans for the 53rd season are underway; a tentative schedule
appears
below. You won’t want to
miss any of these four intriguing concerts. Maestro
Barry Brisk and the
Symphony Board will make certain that the high quality
shown this season continues
and improves. After a summer hiatus, we look
forward to resuming
rehearsals in September for our first performance in the fall.
Every year we lose some contributing members who move out of
the area or for various reasons are no
longer able to pledge their support. Please help us to continue our mission
by replacing them and, if possible, by upgrading your membership category.
An envelope is enclosed for your reply; your prompt response will ensure that
you will remain on our mailing list for the 2002-03 season. Whatever your level
of giving, we thank you for supporting the Beach Cities Symphony and hope
you will tell others about our free concerts at Marsee Auditorium on the El
Camino College campus.
Robert L. Peterson
President, Beach Cities
Symphony Association
*****
MARCH
MEMORIES:
Music from three centuries presented striking contrasts in
style and mood
at our March 29 concert.
Handel’s Suite from the Music for the Royal Fireworks opened the evening with
stirring brass and tympani passages, alternating with mellow string
interludes. Then followed what Daily Breeze reviewer Kari Sayers described as “The
highlight of the evening,” piano soloist Linda Love playing the
seldom-performed Symphonic Variations by César Franck. This meditative single-movement
concerto was followed by an equally dreamy, impressionistic solo, The
Maiden and the Nightingale by Enrique Granados. For the second half of the
program, Music Director Barry Brisk chose Richard Strauss’s 1886 tone poem Death
and Transfiguration, once again giving brass, woodwinds, and percussion a
chance to excel.
Out-of-town audience members included Lynne Boyle, who lives
and teaches in Ukiah, and her daughter,
Danica, a junior at La Sierra University in Riverside. Also in our
audience were students from Bishop Montgomery High’s Music Appreciation class,
whom teacher Mary Black had prepped for the concert by playing and discussing
recordings of all the works on the program. Chairman of the Board
Martin Wood acknowledged the class in his opening remarks that night. He also
paid tribute to two loyal supporters of the Beach Cities Symphony who had
recently passed away: Helen Grossman, Chairman of the Board for a number of
years, who died January 14; and Tom Wilson, former Board Chairman and violinist
in the orchestra, who died March 26. Tom taught music and directed the
choir at Redondo Beach Union High for many years. He also served as choir
director of Riviera United Methodist Church before retiring and moving from
the South Bay. We miss them both.
*****
WE WELCOME BILL JONES TO
THE BEACH CITIES SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION
MATCHING FUNDS CORPORATIONS:
Arco
Best Foods
Honeywell (Allied Signal)
Los Angeles Times
Mattel
TRW
Thank you for supporting
our organization!
Beach Cities Symphony
Association
Post Office Box 248
Redondo Beach CA 90277-0248
Information line: 310-379-9725 or
310-539-4649
Visit our web page: http://BeachCitiesSymphony.org
To receive e-mail reminders of
upcoming concerts, contact Dr. Peter Landecker: peter@BeachCitiesSymphony.org
Text: Toni Empringham
Graphics: Ralph Dame
Editor/Advisor: Margaret McWilliams
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