The VSO's Festival of Remembrance
The VSOs Festival of Remembrance, featuring cellist Raphael Wallfisch and Brittens War Requiem
Vancouver BC The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents a Festival of Remembrance: a series of performances surrounding Remembrance Day that commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I. The concerts take place on November 8th, 15th and 17th at 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre and November 10th at 8pm at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey.
Outstanding cellist Raphael Wallfisch will be featured in the November 8th and 10th concerts that commemorate the 70th anniversary of Krystallnacht, that horrific night of riots when the extreme racial policies of the Third Reich came harshly and suddenly to the worlds attention. He will perform Blochs beautiful, moving Schelomo (Solomon): Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra. Maestro Tovey leads the orchestra in a concert featuring repertoire and composers who were banned in Nazi Germany, including the Bloch piece, Meyerbeers Le Prophte: Coronation March, Mendelssohns Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Mahlers Symphony No.5: Adagietto, Weills Threepenny Opera: Suite and Offenbachs Gait Parisienne: Suite.
The epic concerts of November 15th and 17th present Benjamin Brittens extraordinary War Requiem, one of the most important works of the twentieth century. This seminal work was commissioned for the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral in 1962. Britten took the commission for the War Requiem as a platform for expressing his anti-war sentiments and pacifist views, and did so stridently and profoundly. Shocked by the horrors of war, Britten created the War Requiem, truly one of the most important works of the twentieth century, as something timeless, and as a warning to future generations about the futility and evil of war; the work is as fresh and relevant and important in todays world as it was in 1962. The orchestration for the War Requiem is unique as well, breaking down the orchestra and vocalists into three distinct groups that interact with each other throughout, though they each carry unique material, and finally all come together at the end. A full orchestra teams up with soprano and choir, handling the Latin Mass and personifying the suffering that war inflicts upon humanity, physically and spiritually; the male soloists pair with the chamber orchestra to provide readings of the Owen poetry; the boys choir and organ provide an eerie element of calm in the dramatic, sometimes raucous and disturbing, proceedings. Unique amongst Requiem masses, the War Requiem blends the traditional Latin Mass with the poetry of Wilfred Owen, foremost amongst Britains war poets.
These concerts feature the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Vancouver Bach Childrens Chorus, Soprano Joni Henson, Tenor James Taylor and Baritone Aaron St. Clair Nicholson. Also on the program are Leonard Bernsteins Halil for Flute and Orchestra, and Barbers renowned Adagio for Strings. Bramwell Tovey conducts.
The November 8th and 10th concerts also feature a short commissioned piece called Return and Run by Canadian composer Timothy Corlis. In the composers own words:
For this commission, I was asked to write a composition that reflects both an Olympic related
inspiration and the subject matter associated with the horrific event known as Kristallnacht, a riot prior to World War II that brought the racism of the Third Reich into public view. What ties these themes together? I have no clear answer. But, while working on the piece, this phrase came to mind: and must we not return and run? It is a quotation from Nietzsches Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It expresses the idea of eternal return; what we do in this moment echoes eternally both in our own lives and in the lives of others. Certainly, what happened on the night of broken glass left a deep mark on our modern world-view. Perhaps we might also remember the 1936 Olympic performance of Jesse Owensan American black sprinter who shattered the idea of the Ubermensch (interpreted in Owens time as the superior race) by winning four gold
medals in a single day. This is the starting point for the music in Return and Run Olympic themes: themes of triumph and awesome human achievement alongside the sobering acknowledgement of a deeply rooted social injustice.
CONCERT INFO
Musically Speaking Series
Festival of Remembrance
Saturday, November 8, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
Meyerbeer Le prophete: Coronation March
Mendelssohn Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Mahler Symphony No. 5: Adagietto
Bloch Schelomo: Hebraic Rhapsody
Timothy Corlis Return and Run (World Premiere Commission)
Weill Threepenny Opera: Suite
Offenbach Gaite Parisienne: Suite
An inspiring concert that helps to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I. Superb cellist Raphael Wallfisch performs Blochs beautiful, moving Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra.
Tickets $20 to $56 (Student, Senior and Subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available by phone at 604.876.3434 or online at www.vancouversymphony.ca
Generously Supported By:
Video Screen Sponsor: TELUS
Video screen presentations created and produced by students and staff of digital video productions at Columbia Academy.
Surrey Nights Series
Festival of Remembrance
Monday, November 10, 8pm, Bell Performing Arts Centre
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
Meyerbeer Le prophete: Coronation March
Mendelssohn Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Mahler Symphony No. 5: Adagietto
Bloch Schelomo: Hebraic Rhapsody
Timothy Corlis Olympic Commission
Weill Threepenny Opera: Suite
Offenbach Gaite Parisienne: Suite
An inspiring concert that helps to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I. Superb cellist Raphael Wallfisch performs Blochs beautiful, moving Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra.
Tickets $37 (Student, Senior and Subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available by phone at 604.876.3434 or online at www.vancouversymphony.ca
Generously Supported By:
Series has been endowed by a generous gift from Werner and Helga Hing
PricewaterhouseCoopers Masterworks Silver Series
Festival of Remembrance: Brittens War Requiem
Saturday & Monday, November 15 & 17, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Christie Reside, flute*
Joni Henson, soprano**
James Taylor, tenor**
Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, baritone**
Vancouver Bach Choir**
Vancouver Bach Childrens Chorus**
Barber Adagio for strings
Bernstein Halil for flute and orchestra*
Britten War Requiem, Op. 66**
Marking the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I, this epic concert features Benjamin Brittens seminal work, War Requiem, a brilliant denunciation of the horrors of war.
Tickets $25 to $78.50 (Student, Senior and Subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available by phone at 604.876.3434 or online at www.vancouversymphony.ca
Generously Supported By:
Series Sponsor: PricewaterhouseCoopers
Video Screen Sponsor: TELUS
Video screen presentations created and produced by students and staff of digital video productions at Columbia Academy.
Radio Sponsor: CKNW AM980
BIOGRAPHIES
Bramwell Tovey
A musician of striking versatility, Bramwell Tovey is acknowledged around the world for his artistic depth and warm, charismatic personality on the podium. Toveys career as a conductor is uniquely enhanced by his work as a composer and pianist, lending him a remarkable musical perspective.
Tovey garnered a 2008 Grammy Award and a 2008 Juno Award for his recording with violinist James Ehnes and the Vancouver Symphony. Recently named Principal Guest Conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, he works frequently with the Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, among many others. He has presided as host and conductor of the New York Philharmonics Summertime Classics series at Avery Fisher Hall since its founding in 2004.
As a composer, he was honored with the Best Canadian Classical Composition Juno Award in 2003 for his Requiem for a Charred Skull. New works include a co-commission for the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics 2008 summer seasons as well as a full-length opera for the Calgary Opera, The Inventor, to premiere in January of 2011.
Tovey has been awarded honorary degrees, including a Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Music in London, honorary Doctorates of Law from the universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba, and Kwantlen University College, as well as a Royal Conservatory of Music Fellowship in Toronto. In 1999, he received the M. Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction, a Canadian prize awarded to artists for outstanding contributions in the performing arts.
Raphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch is one of the most celebrated cellists performing on the international stage. He was born in London into a family of distinguished musicians, his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch.
At an early age, Raphael was greatly inspired by hearing Zara Nelsova play, and, guided by a succession of fine teachers including Amaryllis Fleming, Amadeo Baldovino and Derek Simpson, it became apparent that the cello was to be his life's work. While studying with the great Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky in California, he was chosen to perform chamber music with Jascha Heifetz in the informal recitals that Piatigorsky held at his home.
At the age of twenty-four he won the Gaspar Cassad International Cello Competition in Florence. Since then he has enjoyed a world-wide career playing with such orchestras as the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Hall, City of Birmingham Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Symphony, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and many others.
He is regularly invited to play at major festivals such as the BBC Proms, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Spoleto, Prades, Oslo and Schleswig Holstein.
Teaching is one of Raphael Wallfisch's passions. He is in demand as a teacher all over the world holding the position of professor of cello in Switzerland at the Zrich Winterthur Konservatorium and at the Royal College of Music in London.
Raphael has recorded nearly every major work for his instrument. His extensive discography on EMI, Chandos, Black Box, ASV, Naxos and Nimbus explores both the mainstream concerto repertoire and countless lesser-known works by Dohnanyi, Respighi, Barber, Hindemith and Martinu, as well as Richard Strauss, Dvorak, Kabalevsky and Khachaturian. He has recorded a wide range of British cello concertos, including works by MacMillan, Finzi, Delius, Bax, Bliss, Britten, Moeran and Kenneth Leighton. For the Chandos Walton Edition he was privileged to record the composer's Cello Concerto, originally written for his master, Piatigorsky.
Britain's leading composers have worked closely with Raphael Wallfisch, many having written works especially for him. These include Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, John Metcalf, Paul Patterson, Robert Simpson, Robert Saxton, Roger Smalley, Giles Swayne, John Tavener and Adrian Williams.
Raphael lives in London with his wife, the violinist Elizabeth, and has three children, Benjamin, Simon, and Joanna.
Joni Henson
Soprano Joni Henson is quickly becoming one of Canadas most thrilling young performers. Recent successes on the opera stage include starring as Fiordiligi in Mozarts COSI FAN TUTTE and Gutrune in Wagners GTTERDMMERUNG for the Canadian Opera Companys inaugural season at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. For Torontos Opera in Concert she was Marietta / Marie in Korngolds rarely heard DIE TOTE STADT.
Ms. Hensons 2007-2008 includes Desdemona in Verdis OTELLO with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Elisabeth in Verdis DON CARLOS with the Canadian Opera Company and concerts with the Aldeburgh Connection and Off Centre Music Salon.
Ms. Henson earned her Bachelor in Vocal Performance from the University of Toronto. She also received her Artist Diploma from the University of Torontos Opera Division.
While at the Opera School she performed the roles of Fiordiligi in Mozarts COSI FAN TUTTE and the title role in Handels ALCINA. Further roles include Nedda in Leoncavallos PAGLIACCI, Mrs. Ford in Nicolais MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR and Female Chorus in Brittens THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA.
In 2003, Ms. Henson was awarded the Opera Grand Prize at the XVth Concours International de Chant de Verviers Competition in Belgium. She also received the First Place Opera and French Melodie Awards at the Concours International de Chant de Marmande Competition in France. In 2006 Ms. Henson was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan National Council Auditions.
Ms. Henson attended the esteemed Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California where she studied with Marilyn Horne. In excerpts, she was seen there as Vitellia in Mozarts LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, Violetta in Verdis LA TRAVIATA and Donna Anna in DON GIOVANNI. She was honoured to receive Encouragement Awards in the Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition.
Ms. Henson is a former member of the Canadian Opera Companys Ensemble Studio. She debuted with the company as Alisa in Donizettis LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR and other roles with the company include Lady Billows in ALBERT HERRING, Inez in IL TROVATORE, First Lady in THE MAGIC FLUTE and Gutrune in Wagners GTTERDMMERUNG. In June of 2007 she starred with other young Canadian opera singers in Luna, a gala concert which highlighted the inaugural Luminato Festival in Toronto.
James Taylor
With a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century, tenor James Taylor devotes much of his career to the oratorio and concert literature. One of the most sought after Bach Evangelists, Mr. Taylor has performed the role for his debut with the New York Philharmonic, throughout the United States, in South America, Japan, Israel, and in the great concert halls of Europe including Amsterdams Concertgebouw, Viennas Musikverein, and the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Highlights of Mr. Taylors 2008/09 season include performances of Haydns The Creation at Carnegie Hall with Orchestra of St. Lukes with Helmuth Rilling, with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Nicolas McGegan, and with the National Symphony, also with Maestro Rilling. He sings the Britten War Requiem with Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony, and Haydns Stabat Mater with Bernard Labadie and Les Violins du Roy in Quebec and Montreal. International performances include Bach Mass in B Minor in Bamberg with Sir Roger Norrington; Haydns Orlando Paladino with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Berlin Philharmonic; Handels Messiah with the State Orchestra of Brazil conducted by John Neshling, and with the Israel Philharmonic and Helmuth Rilling, et al.
Mr. Taylor began the 2007/08 season in performances of the Bach Mass in B Minor with the Akademie fr Alte Musik Berlin, and touring the Britten War Requiem with Helmuth Rilling, appearing at the Rheingau Musikfestival, in Stuttgart, Leverkusen, and in Bonn at the Beethovenfest. Other engagements included Handels Messiah with the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Bachs Mass in B Minor with the Los Angeles Chorale at Walt Disney Hall. Mr. Taylor sang an acclaimed Evangelist in the St. Matthew Passion with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic, and Elijah with Mo. Rilling and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. He also made a return to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for Brittens Serenade for Tenor and Horn.
Other recent highlights include Mozarts Betulia liberata with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Vienna and Dresden; Handels Messiah in Vienna with the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and with Helmuth Rilling in Stuttgart; Bachs Christmas Oratorio in Hamburg; and a tour of Handels Solomon and Messiah with the RIAS Kammerchor in France and Portugal; The Creation with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall; Brittens Horn Serenade in Linz and Ottawa; Bachs Christmas Oratorio with the Beethovenhalle Orchestra in Bonn, Madrid and Barcelona; Mendelssohns Elijah with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Herbert Blomstedt in Leipzig which was recorded for commercial release; Mozart's Requiem with the Detroit Symphony and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Bachs Mass in B Minor with the Pittsburgh Symphony; a debut in Carnegie Hall in the world premiere of the Levine completion of Mozarts Mass in C Minor and performances of Franz Schmidt's The Book of the Seven Seals with the Cleveland Orchestra.
A native of Houston, James Taylor attended Texas Christian University as a student of Arden Hopkin. A Fulbright Scholar, he studied at the Hochschule fr Musik in Munich where he graduated in 1993 with a "Meisterklassendiplom." In May of 2005 The Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale School of Music announced the appointment of James Taylor in the Program in Early Music, Song, and Chamber Ensemble, as Associate Professor of Voice.
James Taylor can be heard on over 30 recordings. For Hnssler he has recorded Dvorak's Stabat Mater, and Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Magnificat, St. John Passion and Handels Messiah with Helmuth Rilling. On the Harmonia Mundi label he has recorded Bachs Easter Oratorio, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Mendelssohn's Paulus under Philippe Herreweghe. New releases include the Mozart Requiem with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Andreas Delfs on Limestone Records, Beethovens Missa Solemnis with the Nashville Symphony on the Naxos label, and the rarely heard Baroque opera Ariadne by Johan Georg Conradi with the Boston Early Music Festival led by Paul ODette on ArkivMusik.
Aaron St. Clair Nicholson
Baritone Aaron St. Clair Nicholson has established himself as an artist of the first rank, winning praise for his superb vocal gifts and the dramatic integrity he brings to his performances. Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, Joshua Kosman singled him out, noting that Ķas Ford, baritone Aaron St. Clair Nicholson gave a virtuosic display of vigorous full-throated singing and all out physical comedy. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut during the 2006-2007 season as Schaunard in LA BOHEME conducted by Domingo and followed those performances with Papageno in DIE ZAUBERFLTE conducted by Levine. Further Met duties that season included his assignment as cover artist for the role of Clyde Griffeths in the world premiere of Tobias Pickers AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY. He was Figaro in IL BARBIERE DE SIVIGLIA for Florida Grand Opera and starred again as the wily barber in a new production of the Rossini masterpiece for Glimmerglass Opera. His 2006-2007 schedule also included the title role in DON GIOVANNI for LOpra de Montral, Valentin in FAUST for Vancouver Opera, Mercutio in ROMO ET JULIETTE for Opera Lyra, Ontario and Faurs REQUIEM for the Atlanta Symphony, a work he performed at Festival Lanaudiere in Qubec.
Nicholson opens his 2008-2009 season with Athanal in THAS for Pacific Opera Victoria and looks forward to Frederic in LAKM and the Count in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, both for Florida Grand Opera, and ILBARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA for Calgary Opera. On the concert circuit he will be heard in Brittens WAR REQUIEM for Vancouver Symphony, MESSIAH with the Rochester Philharmonic and a concert performance of DIE LUSTIGE WITWE as Danilo for Kitcheners Grand Philharmonic Choir.
The dashing baritones 2007-2008 season included Mozarts roguish Don for New York City Opera, and later in the season he repeated the role for Ottawas Opera Lyra. He returned to lOpra de Montral for IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Vancouver Opera for Marcello in LA BOHEME and was heard in Rochester in CARMINA BURANA and with the Vancouver Bach Choir in a new work commissioned from John Estacio.
An alumnus of the Glimmerglass and Merola programs for young artists, Nicholson starred in Glimmerglass Operas THE GOOD SOLDIER SCHWEIK as Lt. Lukash and was heard as Sonora in their production of LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST. Previous seasons have included Harlekin in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and Ping in TURANDOT for LOpra de Montral, Papageno in DIE ZAUBERFLTE for Florida Grand Opera, and Charlie in Estacios FILUMENA at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. He appeared with both Orchestra London and Brott Summer Music in CARMINA BURANA and with the Vancouver Bach Choir in MESSIAH and has been heard as Figaro in IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA for Opera Ontario, Tarquinius in THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA for lOpra de Montral, Mercutio in ROMO ET JULIETTE for Florida Grand Opera and the Calgary Opera, and Escamillo in CARMEN for Pacific Opera Victoria.
The Abbotsford, British Columbia native is a graduate of the Resident Artist Training program at Tri-Cities Opera in New York where he appeared in a number of leading roles including Belcore in LELISIR DAMORE, the title role in DON GIOVANNI, Dr. Falke in DIE FLEDERMAUS and Sharpless in MADAMA BUTTERFLY. Western Opera Theater chose him for the role of Guglielmo in Mozarts COSI FAN TUTTE and he was also a member of Seattle Operas young artist program.
Orchestras in the United States and Canada have engaged Mr. Nicholson for major repertoire including ELIJAH, MESSIAH, and CARMINA BURANA as well as works by Faur and Vaughan Williams. The George London competition finalist has been heard with the Binghamton Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Bellevue Philharmonic, Victoria Capriccio, at the San Francisco Opera Center and with the Tri-Cities Opera Orchestra. Nicholsons awards include the Richmond F. Gold Career Grant, the Karl Muller Performance Award, a career incentive grant from Seattle Opera and most recently, the Sullivan Foundation Award for role preparation assistance.
Vancouver Bach Choir
The Vancouver Bach Choir gave its first concert at the Orpheum in December 1930. During its long history, the choir has sung with such world-renowned conductors as Bruno Walter, Sir Ernest MacMillan, Zubin Mehta, Sir Arthur Bliss, Meredith Davies, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Simon Streatfeild, Andrew Davis and Simon Preston. Its present Music Director, Bruce Pullan, was appointed in 1983.
Since 1930, the Vancouver Bach Choirs Canadian reputation has grown through numerous broadcasts by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, an Eastern Canadian tour in 1974 and the cross-Canada viewing of a television film of the Easter music from Handels Messiah.
During the seventies the Vancouver Bach Choir undertook two international tours, one to Holland and one to Poland and France. On both occasions the choir was awarded first place at international music festivals and gave numerous concerts including appearances at the Hague, Warsaw and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In 1978 the choir came first in the prestigious choral competition, Let the Peoples Sing, and was heard by a radio audience of 15 million people throughout the world.
In 1983 the choir took part in the Canadian Premiere of Mahlers 8th Symphony with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andrew Davis. Subsequently the choir sang Mahlers 8th again with the TSO and gave the Western Canadian Premiere of the same piece with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Mario Bernardi. In 1986 the VBCs Expo concert was made into a film Whalesong, for television, which has been shown all over the world and won a Gemini award.
In 1987 the choir toured England and Wales giving concerts in such prestigious venues as St. Martin in the Fields, St. Pauls, Canterbury and Lincoln Cathedrals and the Llangollen International Festival where the concert with the BBC Welsh Orchestra was broadcast by the BBC.
In the Summer of 1989 the choir sang in the International Opera Festivals production of Aida in both Vancouver and Tokyo and in the Summer of 1993 the Choir sang in both the 1993 International Choral Festival in Toronto and the World Symposium on Choral Music in Vancouver. In July 1997 the choir traveled to the UK for concerts in London and Oxford conducted by Bruce Pullan and a performance of Berlioz Damnation of Faust with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
In May 1997 the choir gave the world premiere of the oratorio Job by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies at the opening of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC. The concert was recorded live and recently issued on CD by Collins Classics.
In Vancouver the Vancouver Bach Choir presents a series of concerts each Season and has been responsible for the British Columbia premiere of a number of major works including Rossinis Stabat Mater, Fanshawes African Sanctus, Lloyd Webbers Requiem, Mahlers 8th Syrnphony, Paul McCartneys Liverpool Oratorio, Berlioz Messe Solennelle and Pendereckis Polish Requiem.
Vancouver Bach Childrens Chorus
The Vancouver Bach Childrens Chorus has been making beautiful music since 1984 under Music Director Bruce Pullan. As their program gradually expanded, Marisa Gaetanne joined the team and now conducts their youngest choirs. The VBCC encourages children to develop artistically and reap the many benefits of creative expression from stronger academic performance to improved health and posture. The VBCC believes that encouraging children to sing in a choir teaches them how to demonstrate excellence as a group and provides them with the gift of music as a lifelong joy.
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