Karen Gomyoplays Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto

Randy Bachman with the VSO

VSO Season FinaleMahler’s Fifth Symphony

Bernstein’s sensational Candide

May 1 to June 15, 2015 Volume 20, Issue 5

Yo-Yo MaFriday, May 1

Magazine of the Vancouver Symphonyallegro

The Stage Crew of the Orpheum Theatre are members of Local 118 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

First ViolinsDale Barltrop, ConcertmasterJoan Blackman, § Associate ConcertmasterNicholas Wright, Assistant ConcertmasterJennie Press, Second Assistant ConcertmasterMary Sokol BrownMrs. Cheng Koon Lee Chair

Jenny EssersAkira Nagai, Associate Concertmaster EmeritusXue Feng WeiRebecca WhitlingYi Zhou

Second ViolinsJason Ho, PrincipalKaren Gerbrecht, Associate Principal Jim and Edith le Nobel Chair

Jeanette Bernal-Singh, Assistant PrincipalAdrian Shu-On ChuiDaniel NortonAnn OkagaitoAshley Plaut

ViolasNeil Miskey, Principal Andrew Brown, Acting PrincipalStephen Wilkes, Assistant PrincipalLawrence BlackmanEstelle & Michael Jacobson Chair

Matthew DaviesEmilie Grimes Dr. Malcolm Hayes and Lester Soo Chair

Angela SchneiderProfessors Mr. & Mrs. Ngou Kang Chair

Ian Wenham

CellosAriel Barnes, PrincipalNezhat and Hassan Khosrowshahi Chair

Janet Steinberg, Associate PrincipalZoltan Rozsnyai, Assistant PrincipalOlivia Blander Gerhard and Ariane Bruendl Chair

Natasha Boyko Mary & Gordon Christopher Chair

Charles InkmanCristian Markos

BassesDylan Palmer, Principal David BrownJ. Warren LongFrederick Schipizky

FlutesChristie Reside, Principal Ron & Ardelle Cliff Chair

Nadia Kyne, Assistant Principal Rosanne Wieringa Michael & Estelle Jacobson Chair

PiccoloNadia KyneHermann & Erika Stölting Chair

OboesRoger Cole, PrincipalWayne & Leslie Ann Ingram Chair

Beth Orson, Assistant PrincipalKarin WalshPaul Moritz Chair

English HornBeth OrsonChair in Memory of John S. Hodge

ClarinetsJeanette Jonquil, Principal Cris Inguanti, § Assistant Principal David Lemelin

E-flat ClarinetDavid Lemelin

Bass ClarinetCris Inguanti §

BassoonsJulia Lockhart, PrincipalSophie Dansereau, Assistant Principal Gwen Seaton

ContrabassoonSophie Dansereau

French HornsOliver de Clercq, PrincipalBenjamin Kinsman Werner & Helga Höing Chair

David Haskins, Associate PrincipalAndrew MeeWinslow & Betsy Bennett Chair

Richard Mingus, Assistant Principal

TrumpetsLarry Knopp, Principal Marcus Goddard, Associate PrincipalVincent Vohradsky W. Neil Harcourt in memory of Frank N. Harcourt Chair

TrombonesMatthew Crozier, Principal Gregory A. Cox, Acting PrincipalAndrew Poirier

Bass TromboneDouglas Sparkes Arthur H. Willms Family Chair

TubaPeder MacLellan, Principal

TimpaniAaron McDonald, Principal

PercussionVern Griffiths, PrincipalMartha Lou Henley Chair

Tony Phillipps

HarpElizabeth Volpé Bligh, Principal

Piano, CelesteLinda Lee Thomas, PrincipalCarter (Family) Deux Mille Foundation Chair

Orchestra Personnel ManagerDeAnne Eisch

Music LibrarianMinella F. LacsonMaster Carpenter Pierre Boyard

Master ElectricianLeonard Lummis

Piano TechnicianThomas Clarke

*Supported by The Canada Council for the Arts

§ Leave of Absence

Vancouver Symphony OrchestraBRAMWELL TOVEY MUSIC DIRECTORKAZUYOSHI AKIYAMA CONDUCTOR LAUREATEGORDON GERRARD ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR*Marsha & George Taylor Chair

JOCELYN MORLOCK COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE*MARCUS GODDARD COMPOSER-IN-ASSOCIATION

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of

May 1 to June 15, 2015 Volume 20, Issue 5

Magazine of the Vancouver Symphony

15Ray Chen

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We welcome your comments on this magazine. Please forward them to: Vancouver Symphony, 500 – 833 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 0G4 Allegro contact and advertising enquiries: vsoallegro@yahoo.com / customer service: 604.876.3434 / VSO office: 604.684.9100 / website: vancouversymphony.ca / Allegro staff: published by The Vancouver Symphony Society / editor/publisher: Anna Gove / contributors: Don Anderson / orchestra photo credit: Johnathon Vaughn / art direction, design & production: bay6 creative inc. Printed in Canada by Web Impressions Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent is prohibited. Contents copyrighted by the Vancouver Symphony, with the exception of material written by contributors.

Allegro Magazine has been endowed by a generous gift from Adera Development Corporation. @VSOrchestra

In this IssueThe Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Allegro Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Government Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Message from the Chairman . . . . . . . . . . 7VSO Musician Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Patrons’ Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34VSO School of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Vancouver Symphony Foundation . . . . . 43VSO Stradivarius Legacy Circle . . . . . . . 44Advertise in Allegro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

VSO Mobile Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56VSO Retirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57VSO Symphony Ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58VSO Gift Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64VSO Lottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66VSO Group Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Corporate Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76At the Concert / VSO Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . 78Board of Directors / Volunteer Council . . 79VSO 2015 Summer Season . . . . . . . . . . 80

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9 25Bramwell Tovey Byron Stripling

47Karen Gomyo

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22 VSO Musician Profiles: Elizabeth Volpé-Bligh

ConcertsMAY 1 / Specials / Wesbild Presents Yo-Yo Ma with the VSO / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Bramwell Tovey conductor, Yo-Yo Ma cello

MAY 2, 4 / Goldcorp Masterworks Gold / Kazuyoshi Akiyama conductor, Ray Chen violin . . . . . . . .15MAY 9, 10, 11 / Air Canada Masterworks Diamond / Rogers Group Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Symphony Sundays / Kazuyoshi Akiyama conductor, Angela Hewitt piano

MAY 15, 16 / London Drugs VSO Pops / Ella and Louis! / Jeff Tyzik conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Byron Stripling vocalist, Marva Hicks vocalist, Bob Breithaupt drums

MAY 17 / Kids’ Koncerts / Classical Kids: Beethoven Lives Upstairs / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Gordon Gerrard conductor, Classical Kids

MAY 20 / Specials / PwC Presents Randy Bachman with the VSO / Gordon Gerrard conductor . . . .37

MAY 21, 24 / VSO Chamber Players / Dale Barltrop violin, Ashley Plaut violin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Emilie Grimes viola, Matthew Davies viola, Olivia Blander cello Chiharu Iinuma piano, Dylan Palmer bass

MAY 23, 24 / Mardon Group Insurance Musically Speaking / Surrey Nights / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Alexander Shelley conductor, Janina Fialkowska piano

MAY 29, 30, JUNE 1 / Classical Traditions / North Shore Classics / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Jun Märkl conductor, Karen Gomyo violin

MAY 31 / Vancouver Sun Symphony at the Annex / The Emperor’s Daughter / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Gordon Gerrard conductor, Lan Tung erhu/vocalist

JUNE 3 / Specials / Last Night Of The Proms / Bramwell Tovey conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Vancouver Bach Choir

JUNE 6, 8 / Goldcorp Masterworks Gold / Bramwell Tovey conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Tracy Dahl soprano, Judith Forst mezzo-soprano, Alek Shrader tenor Richard Suart baritone, UBC Opera Ensemble

JUNE 11 / Tea & Trumpets / French Classics / Bramwell Tovey conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Christopher Gaze series host & narrator, EnChor

JUNE 13, 15 / Air Canada Masterworks Diamond / Bramwell Tovey conductor, Lucy Wang violin . .71

37 RandyBachman

9 Yo-Yo Ma

19AngelaHewitt

The Vancouver Symphony Society is grateful to the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts,Province of British Columbia and the BC Arts Council,and the City of Vancouver for their ongoing support.

The combined investment in the VSO by the three levels of government annually funds over 28% of the cost of the orchestra’s extensive programs and activities.

This vital investment enables the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to present over 150 life-enriching concerts in 16 diverse venues throughout the Lower Mainland and Whistler, attract some of the world’s best musicians to live and work in our community, produce Grammy® and Juno® award-winning recordings, tour domestically and internationally, and, through our renowned educational programs, touch the lives of over 50,000 children annually.

Thank you!Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia

Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and

Official Languages

Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver

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Dear Friends,

In the concluding weeks of the 2014/2015 Season we will be treated to many wonderful performances, and welcome several renowned artists to VSO concerts performed in the Orpheum Theatre, Orpheum Annex, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC, Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver and Pyatt Hall at the VSO School of Music.

Our 96th Season continues to be an outstanding artistic success for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, thanks to the support of our loyal subscribers, single-ticket buyers, donors, sponsors and government funders. On behalf of Maestro Tovey, the musicians, administrative staff, Board of Directors and volunteers, we express our sincere appreciation to you.

We also thank those who have made a commitment to the VSO this year by organizing, donating to or attending the 25th annual Symphony Ball. The Ball took place on February 12th and was a triumph, raising over $925,000 in support of the orchestra’s activities. We invite you to read pages 58 & 59 of this issue of Allegro and to join us in thanking our extraordinary Symphony Ball Committee, donors and sponsors.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is a cultural institution of which we can all be proud. For 96 years it has been the cornerstone of the performing arts scene in our city and region. We are pleased to be a part of the very rich cultural fabric that makes up our community, and to annually offer over 150 life-enriching

concerts in venues to a wide and diverse audience, and are proud of our extensive educational programs that touch the lives of over 50,000 children.

The upcoming 2015/2016 promises to be another wonderful season of music by the VSO. If you have not yet subscribed, we invite you to do so. Subscribers receive significant discounts and numerous other benefits throughout the year. Copies of the new season brochure are available in the lobby. Once you have selected your concerts, or if you have any questions, feel free to call our customer service representatives at 604.876.3434 to select your seats, or visit us online at www.vancouversymphony.ca.

We look forward to seeing you often through the finale of the 2014/2015 Season, and at our concerts this summer in Deer Lake Park, Whistler, and Bard on the Beach!

Thank you once again for your support – we are thrilled to have you at today’s concert.

Fred G. Withers Chair, Board of Directors

FRED G. WITHERS

Message from the VSO Chairman

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VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

SPECIALS ORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Friday, May 1Wesbild Presents

Yo-Yo Ma with the VSO Bramwell Tovey conductorYo-Yo Ma cello

DVORÁK Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op. 72, No. 2

DVORÁK Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio III. Allegretto grazioso IV. Allegro ma non troppo

INTERMISSION

DVORÁK Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 I. Allegro II. Adagio, ma non troppo III. Finale: Allegro moderato

Exclusive Management of Yo-Yo Ma:Opus 3 Artists470 Park Avenue SouthNew York, NY 10016

Concert Program

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PRESENTING SPONSOR

YO-YO MA

BRAMWELL TOVEY

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Bramwell Tovey, O.C. conductor

Grammy® and Juno® award-winning conductor/composer Bramwell Tovey was appointed Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 2000. Under his leadership the VSO has toured to China, Korea, and across Canada and the United States. Mr. Tovey is also the Artistic Adviser of the VSO School of Music, a state-of-the-art facility which opened in downtown Vancouver in 2011 next to the Orpheum, the VSO’s historic home. His tenure at the VSO has included complete symphony cycles of Beethoven, Mahler, and Brahms; as well as the establishment of an annual festival dedicated to contemporary music. In 2018, the VSO’s centenary year, he will become the orchestra’s Music Director Emeritus.In the 14/15 season Mr. Tovey will make guest appearances with leading US orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony. In Europe he will perform with the BBC Philharmonic and the Helsingborgs Symfoniorkester, and will travel to Australia for engagements with the symphonies of Melbourne and Sydney.During the 13/14 season Mr. Tovey’s guest appearances included the BBC and Royal Philharmonics; the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; and the Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Toronto Symphonies.In 2003 Mr. Tovey won the Juno® Award for Best Classical Composition for his choral and brass work Requiem for a Charred Skull. Commissions have included works for the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Toronto Symphony, and Calgary Opera who premiered his first full length opera The Inventor in 2011. Earlier in 2014 his trumpet concerto, Songs of the Paradise Saloon, was performed by the LA Philharmonic with Alison Balsom as soloist, who also performed the work with the Philadelphia Orchestra in December 2014.A talented pianist as well as conductor and composer, he has appeared as soloist with many major orchestras including the New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, St Louis, Toronto, and Royal Scottish orchestras. In the summer of 2014 he played and conducted Gershwin’s

Rhapsody in Blue at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil, and in Saratoga with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has performed his own Pictures in the Smoke with the Melbourne and Helsingborg Symphonies and the Royal Philharmonic.Mr. Tovey is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and holds honorary degrees from the universities of British Columbia and Manitoba. In 2013 he was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of Canada for services to music.

Yo-Yo Ma cello

The many-faceted career of cellist Yo-Yo Ma is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Mr. Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras worldwide and his recital and chamber music activities. His discography includes over 90 albums, including more than 17 Grammy® award winners.

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Mr. Ma serves as the Artistic Director of the Silk Road Project and as the Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Institute for Learning, Access and Training. Mr. Ma has received numerous awards including the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the National Medal of Arts (2001), the Sonning Prize (2006), the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award (2008), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), the Polar Music Prize (2012), and the Vilcek Prize in Contemporary Music (2013). In 2011, Mr. Ma was recognized as a Kennedy Center Honoree. Mr. Ma serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts & the Humanities.

Antonín Dvorák b. Nelahozeves, Bohemia / September 8, 1841 d. Prague, Bohemia / May 1, 1904

Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op. 72, No. 2 Dvorák overcame a lengthy, unpromising apprenticeship and became an internationally respected and beloved composer. He lived in a rustic backwater for decades, barely making ends meet by performing everyday musical tasks such as working as an organist, choir master, and viola player in a folk band.

In 1874, at 33, he applied for a grant that the Austrian government made available to young, impoverished composers. The works he submitted deeply impressed the panel of judges, headed by Johannes Brahms. He went on to win the prize several times.

His initial win launched a close friendship with Brahms, one result of which was a strong recommendation to Brahms’s Berlin publisher, Fritz Simrock. Simrock commissioned Dvorák to compose a set of Slavonic Dances, to be patterned on Brahms’s popular Hungarian Dances. As soon as they were published in 1878, people throughout Europe immediately fell in love with these sprightly, and to their ears, exotic pieces. Dvorák composed a second set of Slavonic Dances in 1886. In them, he cast his net more widely, including dance forms from outside his native Bohemia. No. 2 in E minor from the second set is one of the most beautiful items in the entire series, a wistful Polish mazurka that aches with romantic yearning.

Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 Dvorák composed the eighth of his nine symphonies during the summer and autumn of 1889, in the idyllic surroundings of his country estate at Vysoká. Its contented, pastoral nature mirrors that location. He conducted the premiere himself, in Prague on February 2, 1890. Over the next few months, he led further performances as gestures of thanks to the Universities of Cambridge and Prague for the degrees they bestowed upon him. Those occasions bore a tinge of irony, since the Eighth is the least ‘academic’ of his symphonies. The innovative approach to form that is one of its major characteristics reflects his stated desire to make it “different from the other symphonies, with individual thoughts worked out in a new way.”

It begins with a rather melancholy introduction, but this mood is quickly swept away by a genial, birdlike theme on the flute. The first movement proper then opens at a gallop. Aside from a moment of anxiety towards the end, all here is bright and happy. The rustic atmosphere (and bird calls) continue in the slow second movement. Author Alec Robertson writes that “it could stand as a miniature tone poem of Czech village life described by a highly sensitive man.”

Rather than violate the tranquil mood with a boisterous scherzo, Dvorák presents a graceful, nostalgic dance piece, truly one of his loveliest creations. Trumpets herald the finale. Like the matching portion of Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ (Symphony No. 3) it is one of the few symphonic finales in the form of a theme and variations. The warm-hearted theme is introduced by the cellos. The initial variations build to a joyous climax, followed by a tranquil passage and a final injection of energy to bring the symphony home.

“...a graceful, nostalgic dance piece, truly one of his loveliest creations.”Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104This greatest of all cello concertos was the final piece that Dvorák composed during his three-year term as Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. The premiere took place in London on March 16, 1896, with the composer conducting and Leo Stern as soloist.

Three decades before, Dvorák had been in love with Josephina Cermáková, an aspiring sixteen-year-old actress to whom he gave piano lessons. Even though she rejected his romantic advances, he retained a powerful affection for her. As Haydn and Mozart had done before him, he married her sister, perhaps because he considered her the closest substitute he could find.

“Passing through much drama, the movement concludes with ringing fanfares...”While he was composing the second movement of this concerto, a letter from Josephina revealed that she was gravely ill. In her honour, he wove into the second movement a quotation from one of one of his songs, Leave Me Alone in My Fond Dream, which was a particular favourite of hers. She died in May 1895, one month after he resettled in Europe. A few weeks later, he revised the final pages of the concerto’s finale to include a second quotation from the song, this time as a memorial tribute.

The first theme of the opening movement – sombre, almost funereal – soon bursts forth into forceful expressiveness. Solo horn introduces the second theme. Dvorák said that it had cost him a great deal of effort, but that it moved him profoundly every time he heard it. Passing through much drama, the movement concludes with ringing fanfares. The slow second movement opens with a warm, tranquil theme introduced by the woodwinds. Dvorák gives the middle section a powerful launch, then takes up a soaring melody from Josephina’s favourite song. A quasi-cadenza for the soloist, with light accompaniment, precedes a return to the opening subject and a peaceful, contented coda. Strong contrasts characterize the finale, from the stern opening theme in march rhythm, through a wistful subject strongly inflected with the spirit of Czech folk music, to an expansive, elegiac reverie where themes from the previous movements reappear briefly. The concerto concludes on an exultant note. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

Kazuyoshi Akiyama conductor Ray Chen violin

MARCUS GODDARD Taaliniq (World Premiere)

SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 I. Allegro moderato II. Adagio di molto III. Allegro, ma non tanto

INTERMISSION

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace II. Allegretto III. Presto IV. Allegro con brio

PRE-CONCERT TALKS free to ticketholders at 7:05-7:30pm.

GOLDCORP MASTERWORKS GOLDORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Saturday & Monday, May 2 & 4

Concert Program

MASTERWORKS GOLD SERIES SPONSOR

MASTERWORKS GOLD RADIO SPONSOR

KAZUYOSHI AKIYAMA RAY CHEN

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Kazuyoshi Akiyama conductor

"Whenever conductor emeritus Kazuyoshi Akiyama returns to Syracuse, performances tend to exhibit an extra spark and zing. It's almost like a group of students placed before a onetime teacher, all eager to show that they remember the lessons they have learned. Akiyama is the kind of conductor that can take us all back to school."

—The Post-Standard

Kazuyoshi Akiyama has had long-standing relationships with the leading orchestras of Japan and now serves as Principal Conductor of the Hiroshima Symphony and also the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra. The Tokyo Symphony has honored him with the title of Conductor Laureate. He has also been Music Director of the Syracuse Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony. Maestro Akiyama is the recipient of numerous citations, including the Suntory Music Award, the Kyoto Music Award, the Mainichi Arts Award, and the Arts Encouragement Prize of the Minister of Education. In 2001, he was awarded the Emperor’s Purple Ribbon Medal from the Japanese Government for his outstanding contribution to the country’s musical culture.

Ray Chen violin

Winner of the Queen Elizabeth and Yehudi Menuhin Competitions, Ray Chen is among the most compelling young violinists today.

Ray has released three critically acclaimed albums on Sony: his debut, Virtuoso, features a recital program of works by Bach, Tartini, Franck, and Wieniawski. His second recording features the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky concertos performed with the Swedish Radio Orchestra and Daniel Harding. Ray’s latest album, an all-Mozart recording with Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, was released in January 2014.

In 2012, Ray was the youngest soloist to perform at the televised Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm. Last year, he made his debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra

and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

Followed by over a million people on Soundcloud, Ray Chen looks to expand the classical music audience by increasing its appeal to the young generation via all available social media platforms.

Marcus Goddard b. Newport, Vermont, USA / July 14, 1973

Taaliniq (World Premiere)

“The music moves forward in stormy, imitative rhythms that build in successive waves...”

Taaliniq is an Inuit word for the shadows that shift and move underneath clouds as they glide across the sky. I have been inspired by the rhythms, colour and earthy power of Inuit throat singing and folk melodies for years and I have emulated some of these elements in Taaliniq. The music moves forward in stormy, imitative rhythms that build in successive waves but eventually evaporate into a gently lyrical central section. Shifting shadows swirl with steadily building intensity towards the final climax.

Program Note © 2015 Marcus Goddard

Jean Sibelius b. Hämeenlinna, Finland / December 8, 1865 d. Järvenpää, Finland / September 20, 1957

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 Sibelius’s early desire had been for a career as a violin soloist, but his talent as a performer wasn’t equal to the task. On the other hand, these circumstances ensured that he had no need to consult a professional soloist when he set to a work on this concerto in September 1902. The acclaimed soloist Willy Burmester had made repeated requests for him to do so, and Sibelius now felt prepared to fulfill the commission.

The premiere was given at a hastily-organized concert in Helsinki on February 8, 1904. Burmester being unavailable on short notice, the solo part was played by

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the relatively inexperienced Viktor Novácek, and the composer conducted. The concerto failed miserably. Sibelius revised it during the summer of 1905. Richard Strauss conducted the Berlin Philharmonic in the second debut on October 19, with the orchestra’s Concertmaster, Carl Halir, as soloist. That version achieved everything that the first had not.

“The emotional temperature rises...first through orchestral surges then increasingly so as the soloist joins in, leading to a powerful climax.”

The solo violin emerges out of a murmuring bed of strings, with a long, yearning theme of ever-growing intensity. The second subject is highly expressive, almost passionate. A substantial, turbulent solo cadenza appears at the midway point. The first half of the second movement is quite restrained. The emotional temperature rises towards the middle, first through orchestral surges then increasingly so as the soloist joins in, leading to a powerful climax. Typically for Sibelius, the finale isn’t a jolly, dancing romp, but an exciting, insistently rhythmic rondo. It contains the concerto’s highest share of technical demands, and builds up a considerable head of steam en route to the dynamic conclusion.

Ludwig van Beethoven b. Bonn, Germany / baptized December 17, 1770 d. Vienna, Austria / March 26, 1827

Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 Three years had passed since the completion of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, the relaxed, rustic ‘Pastoral,’ before the urge to create another piece of this kind came upon him. He composed the principal sketches for the Seventh Symphony during the autumn of 1811, while taking a rest cure in a resort town near Prague. He returned to his home in Vienna later that year, taking up the new symphony once again early in 1812. He finished it in May. It had to wait 19 months

for its premiere, which Beethoven conducted himself on December 8, 1813, in the Grand Hall of the University of Vienna. Its hearty reception helped solidify his reputation as the greatest composer since Haydn.

The range of moods that it covers is striking, even by Beethoven’s standards. Three of its four movements overflow with energy and high spirits, a fact that led composer Richard Wagner, writing in 1849, to state, “this symphony is the apotheosis of the dance herself: it is dance in her highest aspect, as it were the loftiest deed of bodily motion incorporated in an ideal mould of tone.”

The first movement begins with an introduction in slow tempo, one much longer than any to be found in the previously-composed symphonies of Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven himself. It is bold and teasing in its forecast of what is to follow: an exhilarating romp. British author Sir George Grove wrote, “It is full of swift, unexpected changes and contrasts, exciting the imagination in the highest degree, and whirling it suddenly into new and strange regions.”

In terms of form, the third movement scherzo duplicated the corresponding movement in the Fourth Symphony. The restrained trio section appears repeatedly in alteration with the bustling opening panel. The finale is a headlong perpetual motion engine. It hurtles along joyously with scarcely a pause to catch its breath between first bar and last.

On the other hand, the second movement communicated the most profound expression of grief and despair that had been heard in symphonic music up to that time. It became so popular that during the balance of the nineteenth century it was regularly inserted in performances of other Beethoven symphonies (No. 2 in particular), to replace slow movements that audiences found less to their liking. Moving forward upon an implacable rhythm, it bears the air of a melancholy, even funereal procession. Two brief episodes in a major key provide the only consolation. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

AIR CANADA MASTERWORKS DIAMOND ORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Saturday & Monday, May 9 & 11 ROGERS GROUP FINANCIAL SYMPHONY SUNDAYSORPHEUM THEATRE, 2PM

Sunday, May 10Kazuyoshi Akiyama conductorAngela Hewitt piano

MÁRQUEZ Danzón No. 2

FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain I. In the Generalife II. Distant Dance III. In the Gardens of the Mountains of Córdoba

INTERMISSION

RAVEL Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major

RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin I. Prélude II. Forlane III. Menuet IV. Rigaudon

PRE-CONCERT TALKS free to ticketholders at 7:05-7:30pm for concerts on May 9 & 11.

MAY 9TH & 11TH SILENT AUCTION Visit our silent auction tonight in Westcoast Energy Hall—over 50 exciting items to bid on.

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KAZUYOSHI AKIYAMA

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Kazuyoshi Akiyama conductor

For a biography of Maestro Akiyama please refer to page 16.

Angela Hewitt piano

One of the world’s leading pianists, Angela Hewitt regularly appears in recital and with major orchestras all over the world.

Highlights of Hewitt’s 2014/15 season include concerts with Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, and Japan Philharmonic orchestras, as well as Hamburger Symphoniker, Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

Hewitt's award-winning recordings for Hyperion have garnered praise from around the world. Her recording of Bach’s The Art of Fugue was released in October 2014, and her ten-year project to record all the major keyboard works of Bach has been described as “one of the record glories of our age” (The Sunday Times).

Hewitt was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2006. She lives in London but also has homes in Ottawa and in Italy, where she is Artistic Director of the Trasimeno Music Festival in Umbria.

Arturo Márquez b. Álamos, Sonora, Mexico / December 20, 1950

Danzón No. 2 Márquez studied in Mexico, Paris and California. He has received numerous grants and awards from the Mexican and French governments, and his music has been performed and recorded worldwide by a variety of chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras and soloists. To date he has composed four examples of the danzón, a ballroom dance that originated in Cuba. The sultry, exciting and vividly colourful No. 2, which dates from 1994, has proven so popular that it has come to be known as “Mexico’s second national anthem.”

Manuel de Falla b. Cádiz, Spain / November 23, 1876 d. Alta Gracia, Argentina / November 14, 1946

Nights in the Gardens of Spain Falla’s music blends Spanish folk roots with the Impressionist style of composers such as Debussy and Ravel, whom he came to know personally during the years he spent in Paris. His finest orchestral composition is Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain). His original intention was to write a set of three nocturnes for solo piano, but he developed it into a work for piano and orchestra. It is not a traditional concerto, but an orchestral work where the keyboard takes the role of principal advocate of the music’s shimmering Impressionist colours.

The title of the opening section, In the Generalife, refers to a garden in the Alhambra, the lavish palace in Granada where the Moorish caliphs spent the summer. Distant Dance brings a brace of animated rhythms, suggestive of an evening festival. This spirit continues into the finale, In the Gardens of the Mountains of Córdoba, until the music gradually winds down, fading gently and nostalgically into the night.

Maurice Ravel b. Ciboure, Basses Pyrénées, France / March 7, 1875 d. Paris, France / December 28, 1937

Concerto for Piano Left Hand in D Major This unusual and intriguing concerto was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian pianist who had lost his right arm in combat during the First World War. Wishing to continue his career, he focused on expanding the repertoire for left hand, rather than on performing the few previously existing works. This led him to commission many of the most prominent composers of the day to write concertos. Ravel’s is the only one to enter the standard repertoire. Wittgenstein performed the premiere in January 1932.

Ravel stated, “In a work of this kind, it is essential to give the impression of a texture no thinner than that of a part written for both hands.” His ingenuity is such that blind-folded listeners could scarcely tell that five fingers

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are at play on the keyboard instead of ten. The autograph score contains the words musae mixtatiae (‘mixed muses’), hinting at the blend of elements, classical and popular, serious and playful, that it contains. Ravel cast it in a single movement with several sub-sections: a mysterious, darkly coloured opening; commanding recitatives for piano and orchestra alike; a playful scherzo bejeweled with picturesque orchestration; and a final, poetic meditation leading to a brief, powerful coda.

Le Tombeau de Couperin Through this delectable suite, which Ravel composed from 1914 to 1917, he paid his most direct homage to his beloved Baroque era. The very name reflects Baroque practice: numerous eighteenth-century composers created such tombeaux or memorial tributes to fellow artists. In the title, Ravel chose to honour the celebrated composer and virtuoso harpsichordist François Couperin (1668-1733). He stated, however, that he conceived the suite as more of a salute to the entire period than to any specific composer.

While he was producing the initial sketches, the prospect of continent-wide war was looming closely. When it broke out, he put the music aside to focus on serving his country. Too old, too short and medically unfit for active duty, he found a place driving truckloads of soldiers to the front. His health, mental as well as physical, suffered grievously during the war years. In June 1917, following an attack of dysentery and the death of his beloved mother, he received a provisional medical discharge.

Suffering from depression and insomnia, he accepted an invitation from a friend to rest and recuperate at her country estate. There he completed Le Tombeau de Couperin. He dedicated each movement to a friend who died in combat.

When he transcribed the music for orchestra, he deleted two sections, Fugue and Toccata, and re-arranged the sequence of the remaining movements. The Prélude (dedicated to Lt. Jacques Charlot) offers a swift, sparkling introduction. The Forlane

(dedicated to Lt. Gabriel Deluc) is the oldest dance form in the suite. This lilting step, dating back to the Italian Renaissance, is said to have been a favourite of Venetian gondoliers.

Ravel dedicated the Menuet to Jean Dreyfus, son of the friend at whose home Ravel completed the suite. In the central section of this movement, one of the most exquisitely melancholy pages in his entire output, he momentarily opened a crack in the curtain behind which he carefully concealed his emotions, and permitted a shaft of poignant inner light to shine forth. The rambunctious concluding Rigaudon derives from a rustic dance originating in the French region of Provence. A pastoral middle section, complete with drone bass, provides gentle contrast to the high-spirited outer panels. Ravel dedicated this movement to Pierre and Pascal Gaudin, brothers who were killed by the same shell during their first day in combat. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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THE JOURNEY of each individual orchestral musician is unique. Some come from musical families, others don’t. Some began playing their chosen instrument at a very early age, others began later in adolescence. Some were born to play one specific instrument, others have played many. For the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Harpist Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, it was the latter in all cases. It was a journey full of many instruments, many jobs, a lot of hard work, and most importantly, a lot of the most magical ingredient—luck.

Tone DeafI grew up in Toronto and my parents were definitely not musicians—couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket! But they were incredibly supportive of me and were my biggest cheerleaders. In fact, my mom was actually a cheerleader when she was young and then became an Olympic-level diver and synchronized swimmer, developing some of the moves that are still in use today. My father was a physician and medical researcher, and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contribution to thyroid research. (My grandmother and cousin are also recipients of the Order!)”

Little Drummer Girl“I started on piano, but also played guitar and drums. I excelled at the flute, but the year before I graduated from high school, I decided that I wanted to learn to play an orchestral instrument that few people played, therefore would be in great demand. That eliminated all the instruments I already played and it’s when I thought about the harp. Barely anyone at the time was playing it, and its beautiful sound appealed to me.”

The Harp“As a youngster, I often went to hear the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and watched their

MUSICIAN PROFILE SERIES: ELIZABETH VOLPÉ-BLIGH VSO PRINCIPAL HARP

I wanted to play what no one else was playing

“”

“

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Principal Harpist Judy Loman, who made it look easy. Of course, I was watching one of the best harpists in the world, and quickly found out that it was definitely not easy! Nonetheless, I dove right in.”

Major Change“I always knew that I’d be a musician, so when the time came for me to go to university, music was it. When it was time to audition for the music program at the University of Toronto, I had only been playing the harp for about a year, so I went in as a flute major. However, after a couple of weeks in the program, I asked the Dean if I could change my major instrument. It was an immediate “no”, but as I was walking out the door, he asked me what instrument I wanted to switch to. When I told him it was the harp, his reply was “Come back!”, and then I was allowed to major in the harp instead!”

Perfect Timing“After graduation, I went to the Cleveland Institute of Music to study with the renowned harpist Alice Chalifoux. I took lessons with her and audited other classes at the institute. I also got a job ushering for the Cleveland Orchestra. What a thrill that was! After my return to Toronto, everything started to fall into place. It was perfect timing because, still, not many people were playing the harp. I became the Principal Harpist for the National Ballet of Canada, and had the opportunity to be a guest harpist with different orchestras. I played regularly with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and played occasionally as a sub with the Toronto, Edmonton and Atlantic Symphonies. I played solos with community orchestras and choirs, and recorded jingles and soundtracks as well. But I really wanted a full-time symphony job and was so excited when the audition was posted for the VSO.”

Second Time’s the Charm“During my first audition for the VSO in 1979 I was thrown a curveball when the panel asked me to play repertoire that was not on the list of requirements, and I had not prepared those. It was enough to disqualify me, though I played

all my excerpts without mistakes. In 1982, the audition was posted again and I prepared every part of every piece, plus a memorized concerto. I went to that audition and played like I had never played in my life—I played my heart out and won the job, getting a standing ovation from the panel.”

33 years and counting“Since joining the VSO 33 years ago, marrying Ross Bligh and having twins James and Katrina, I started composing and arranging pieces for the harp—six of which are in the Royal Conservatory syllabus—and editing some of the orchestral harp parts that I get at the VSO. Many of these harp parts have been written by composers who never knew how to write for the instrument, and I want to make life easier for the next harpist. I add improved page turns, enharmonic re-spellings, cues, and split multi-rests to show phrases. When I hosted the World Harp Congress in 2011, I was on a panel discussing editing harp parts. I have written articles on this subject for “Harp Column” magazine, since all harpists struggle with this. But, after all these years, I still love going to work every day. This orchestra is full of superstars, and sometimes I just sit in rehearsal and listen, grateful that that this is what I get to be a part of. The musicians in this orchestra are some of the best in the world, and being a part of it just makes me feel good!”

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LONDON DRUGS VSO POPS ORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Friday & Saturday, May 15 & 16Ella & Louis: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis ArmstrongJeff Tyzik conductor Byron Stripling vocalistMarva Hicks vocalistBob Breithaupt drums

LAROCCA/ARR. GRIMES Tiger Rag

PRIMROSE/ARR. GRIMES I’m Confessin’ That I Love You

MCHUGH/ARR. GRIMES On The Sunny Side Of The Street

FITZGERALD,FELDMAN/ARR. COOK A Tisket, A Tasket

BERLIN/ARR. ROBINSON Just One Of Those Things

GERSHWIN/ARR. GRIMES They Can’t Take That Away From Me

GERSHWIN/ARR. LAVENDER Love Is Here To Stay

ELLINGTON/ARR. ROBINSON It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

INTERMISSIONARR. TYZIK Basin Street

THIELE/ARR. ALBAM What A Wonderful World

GERSHWIN/ARR. SPRINGFIELD S’Wonderful

GERSHWIN/ARR. GARCIA/COOK Summertime

GERSHWIN/ARR. WEISTER/COOK It Ain’t Necessarily So

GERSHWIN/ARR. WEISTER/COOK My Man’s Gone Now

LEWIS/ARR.DORHAM That’s My Desire

WALLER/ARR. TYZIK Ain’t Misbehavin

BERNIE, PINKARD, KECASEY/ARR. MACKREL Sweet Georgia Brown

Concert Program

VSO POPS RADIO SPONSORVSO POPS SERIES SPONSOR

MAY 15 CONCERT SPONSOR MAY 16 CONCERT SPONSOR

VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

JEFF TYZIK

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BYRON STRIPLING MARVA HICKS

Jeff Tyzik conductor

Multi-Grammy® Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America's most innovative and sought after pops conductors. Tyzik is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming, and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. In August 2013, Jeff Tyzik was named to The Dot and Paul Mason Principal Pops Conductor's Podium at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In the 13/14 season he began a new role as Principal Pops Conductor of the Seattle Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. The 2013/14 concert season also saw Tyzik celebrating his 20th season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and continues to serve as Principal Pops Conductor of the Oregon Symphony. Jeff also served as Principal Pops conductor for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 2004/2014.

Byron Stripling vocalist

With a contagious smile and captivating charm, trumpet virtuoso, Byron Stripling, has ignited audiences internationally. As soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton

of Keith Lockhart, as well as being featured soloist on the PBS television special, Evening at Pops, with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, Stripling has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Dallas Symphony, to name a few. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.

Marva Hicks vocalist

Marva Hicks is an accomplished and versatile performing artist and is currently starring on Broadway to rave reviews in the smash hit Motown: The Musical.

Ms. Hicks had her first record deal while still a student at Howard University, where she earned her BFA, cum laude. After graduation

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she moved to New York and was cast in her first Broadway show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. Later, Marva moved to Los Angeles and already an accomplished actress, she landed several recurring roles on the TV shows, L.A. Law, Star Trek: Voyager and Mad About You.

During this time Marva was introduced to Stevie Wonder and subsequently travelled the world with him as a backing vocalist. Her reputation grew quickly and was soon called to work with legends such as Whitney Houston, James Ingram, and Michael Jackson on his HiSTORY Tour.

Bob Breithaupt drums

Robert Breithaupt is a veteran of over 40 years in music, as a performer, educator, arts administrator, author, musical contractor, and entrepreneur. He is Professor of Music at Capital University, Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society, and on the board of the Jazz Education Network. Breithaupt has performed and recorded in diverse solo, small ensemble and orchestral settings and has appeared with a virtual “Who’s Who” of great jazz talents and scores of other noted artists. As drummer/percussionist for trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling, Broadway star Sandy Duncan and other artists, he has performed with dozens of professional orchestras and ensembles throughout the United States and abroad, and is the drummer for the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. ■

BOB BREITHAUPT

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performing produced by

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents

VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

KIDS’ KONCERTS CONCERT SPONSOR

PREMIER EDUCATION PARTNER

PREMIER EDUCATION PARTNERTHE VSO’S KIDS’ KONCERTS HAVE BEEN ENDOWED BY A GENEROUS GIFT FROM THE WILLIAM & IRENE MCEWEN FUND.

KIDS’ KONCERTS ORPHEUM THEATRE, 2PM

Sunday, May 17

Concert Program

Gordon Gerrard conductorPaul Pement executive & artistic directorSusan Hammond series creatorClassical Kids featuring: Andrew Redlawsk as Christoph Thad Avery as Uncle

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7, Mvmt. IISymphony No. 5, Mvmt. IPiano Sonata, No. 27, Op. 90, Mvmt. IISymphony No. 1, Mvmt. IVRomance for Violin and Orch. in G MajorPiano Sonata, PathétiqueSymphony No. 9, Mvmt. IIPiano Sonata Op. 14, No. 2Symphony No. 4, Mvmt. IIMinuet in G Major Spring Sonata

Symphony No 8, Mvmt. IILeonore Overture No. 3Für Elise Polonaise für Militärmusik in D majorMoonlight Sonata, Op. 27, No. 2 Mozart VariationsSymphony No. 6, Mvmt. ISymphony No. 6 (Birds)Symphony No. 6 (Storm)Piano Concerto No. 1. Mvmt. IPiano Concerto No. 5, Mvmt II

Variations on ‘Nel Cor Più’Bass Sting from Symphony No. 9 (Finale)Piano Capriccio, (Rage over a Lost Penny)Symphony No. 6 (Tremolo)Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy)Symphony No. 9 (Finale)Piano Sonata Op. 49, No. 2, Mvmt. IISymphony No. 6 (Shepherd’s Theme)

Based on the Original Work by Barbara NicholDramaturge & Music Timing by Paul PementLight Design by Paul PementProduction Stage Management & Technical Coordination by Paul PementCostume Design by Alex Meadows

Follow us! Facebook @ ClassicalKidsLive / Twitter @ Classical_Kids

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VSO Instrument Fair The Kids' Koncerts series continues with the

popular VSO Instrument Fair, which allows

music lovers of all ages (but especially kids!)

to touch and play real orchestra instruments

in the Orpheum lobby one hour before concert

start time. All instruments are generously

provided by Tom Lee Music.

The theatrical concert version of Beethoven Lives Upstairs is an adaptation of the best-selling and award-winning Classical Kids audio recording, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, produced by Susan Hammond and originally directed as a staged concert by Peter Moss with additional direction by Dennis Garnhum. Classical Kids® is a trademark of Classical Productions for Children Ltd., used under exclusive license to Pement Enterprises, Inc., and produced by Classical Kids Music Education, NFP. Actors and Production Stage Manager are members of Actors' Equity Association. Classical Kids recordings marketed by The Children's Group.

GORDON GERRARDCLASSICAL KIDS PAUL PEMENT

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SUSAN HAMMOND BARBARA NICHOL ANDREW REDLAWSK

Gordon Gerrard conductor

Gordon Gerrard is a respected figure in the new generation of Canadian musicians. Trained first as a pianist and subsequently as a specialist in operatic repertoire, Gordon brings a fresh perspective to the podium.

For four seasons Gordon held the positions of Resident Conductor and Repetiteur for Calgary Opera. He led many productions while in residence in Calgary, and has subsequently been invited back to help launch Calgary Opera’s summer opera festival Opera in the Village with productions of Candide and The Pirates of Penzance. Gordon has also conducted productions for Opera Hamilton to critical acclaim, and was Assistant Conductor for several productions at Opera Lyra Ottawa. Gordon returns to Opera McGill this season to lead a production of Le Nozze di Figaro.

After two successful seasons as Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Gordon has recently been promoted to the newly created post of Associate Conductor.

Paul Pement director & producer

Paul holds an exclusive licensing agreement with the award-winning Classical Kids organization to produce the highly-acclaimed symphony concert series that includes Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, Hallelujah Handel and Mozart's Magnificent Voyage. As executive and artistic director of Classical Kids Music Education, NFP, Mr. Pement oversees all business and artistic aspects of the Classical Kids Live! theatrical concert productions around the world. www.classicalkidslive.com

Paul received a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois and, as a long-time member of Actor’s Equity Association, has gained extensive theatrical experience performing in over fifty professional productions throughout Chicago and abroad. He has appeared in such long running commercial hits as Peter Pan (Peter), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Benjamin) and Forever Plaid (Sparky), the latter of which he has also directed and choreographed at major theatres across the country. In addition to film and television appearances, he has produced and directed several tolerance-related short films and has directed and choreographed live industrial shows for corporations such as Target and Mobil.

Susan Hammond series creator

Susan has created a whole new generation of classical music fans through her innovative and award-winning Classical Kids recordings. She is the executive producer of a sixteen title series of children’s classical music recordings known collectively as Classical Kids, selling to date nearly five million CDs, DVDs and books worldwide, and earning over 100 prestigious awards and honors. Each story entails its own adventure featuring a unique combination of music, history, and theatricality to engage the imaginations of children. Susan holds the philosophy that, “Where the heart goes, the mind will follow.” An accomplished concert pianist and music teacher, Hammond searched for recordings about classical music to share with her young daughters. One day, she sat reading to her girls with a classical music radio station on in the background and noticed how they responded to the literature

THAD AVERY

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in a different way when enhanced by music. The rest, as they say, is history. Susan is the recipient of Billboard Magazine’s International Achievement Award and resides with her husband in Toronto where she is a member of the Order of Canada for her contribution to the arts.

Barbara Nichol author

Barbara is an award-winning author and filmmaker. Her book Dippers was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, and Biscuits in the Cupboard won the Mr. Christie’s Book Award. She is also well known as the author and director of the Juno award-winning original recording of Beethoven Lives Upstairs and author of the book by the same title. She was awarded a Genie for Best Short Film for Home for Blind Women and was nominated for an Emmy for her work with Sesame Street. Barbara Nichol has published four books with Tundra, including Safe and Sound, Trunks All Aboard: An Elephant ABC, and Dippers.

Andrew Redlawsk Christoph Andrew Redlawsk is proud to have spent seven seasons bringing classic composers to life for young people around the globe. Originally from Iowa, Andrew has lived and performed all over America and currently resides in New York. When he's not performing with Classical Kids, he tours with Oh What A Night! — A Tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons both on land and at sea on Norwegian Cruise Lines. New York credits include: Stealing time and Greenwood (NYMF), BJ: A Musical Romp (Planet Connections Festivity), The Bowery Boys (NAMT), Together This Time (NYC Fringe), Assassins and Godspell (Momentum Repertory Company). Andrew is also currently working on his debut film, an adventure documentary entitled Just Go.

Thad Avery Uncle Mr. Avery performs for Classical Kids Live! as both Uncle in Beethoven Lives Upstairs and Tchaikovsky in Tchaikovsky Discovers America. He is based in Chicago with his wife Cheryl, and two children, Spencer and Grace. A proud union member of all three performing

unions, he received his training from Wayne State University in Detroit. Thad was a company member of Utah Shakespearean Festival, traveled around the world with an international comedy troupe and has a long and rewarding relationship with the musical Forever Plaid which took him from Door County, WI to the first national tour, to Las Vegas, and back home to Chicago. Other appearances in Chicago include: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web, Alice in Wonderland, and The Nutcracker.

Classical Kids MusicEducation, NFPClassical Kids Music Education, NFP was formed for charitable and educational purposes to build pathways for progression in music so that all young people, whatever their background or abilities, have access to the rich and diverse range of influence classical music offers. Reduced funding to the arts has diminished the ability of many symphony orchestras to provide high-quality educational and family programs like the one you are seeing today. It is imperative that more organizations are able to reach students and families through excellent music education programs in a time when affordable and worthy programming is lacking. Classical Kids Music Education, NFP was created to “bridge the gap” by securing funding for high-caliber projects and, together with individual donor support, help to bring music education into the 21st century by creating more opportunities for young people to be exposed to their interest and develop their talents to the fullest. Please visit www.ckme.org to learn more about how you can help. ■

Actors’ Equity AssociationActors and Stage Managers are members of Actors’ Equity Association. Actors' Equity Association, founded in 1913, is the labor union that represents more than 45,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans, for its members. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.

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For more information about the Patrons' Circle and the exclusive benefits associat-ed with this program, please contact Mary Butterfield Director, Individual & Legacy Giving at

604.684.9100 ext. 238 or email mary@vancouversymphony.ca.

GOLD BATON CLUB Gifts from $50,000 and UpDr. Peter and Mrs. Stephanie ChungMrs. Irene McEwen* Mr. Alan and Mrs. Gwendoline Pyatt*

MAESTRO'S CIRCLE Gifts from $35,000 to $49,999Heathcliff Foundation*The R & J Stern Family Foundation

Gifts from $25,000 to $34,999Mr. Gerald McGavin, C.M., O.B.C. and Mrs. Sheahan McGavin*Michael and Irene Webb

CONCERTMASTER'S CIRCLE Gifts from $15,000 to $24,999The Christopher Foundation (Education Fund)Martha Lou Henley, C.M.*Lagniappe FoundationMichael O’Brian Family FoundationMr. Fred Withers and Dr. Kathy JonesAnonymous*

Gifts from $10,000 to $14,999Larry and Sherrill BergMary and Gordon Christopher Foundation*Mr. and Mrs. G.A. CooperMrs. Margaret M. DuncanThe Gudewill FamilyWerner (Vern) and Helga Höing*Ms. Sumiko HuiYoshiko Karasawa McGrane-Pearson Endowment FundMr. Brian W. and Mrs. Joan MitchellAndrè and Julie MolnarThomas and Lorraine Skidmore

Maestro Bramwell Tovey and Mrs. Lana Penner-Tovey*Arthur H. Willms Family*Gordon YoungAnonymous

PRINCIPAL PLAYERS Gifts from $7,500 to $9,999Mrs. Joyce E. ClarkeDave CunninghamIn Memory of John Hodge*Kenneth W. and Ellen L. Mahon*Mollie Massie and Hein Poulus*Mr. Ken and Mrs. Patricia Shields

Gifts from $5,000 to $7,499Dr. and Mrs. J. AbelJeff and Keiko Alexander*Eric and Alex Bretsen Etienne BrusonDr. Don and Mrs. Susan CameronPhilip and Pauline ChanIan and Frances DowdeswellElisabeth and David Finch Cathy GrantMr. Sam and Mrs. Patti GudewillHillary HagganDiane HodginsDr. Marla Kiess*Judi and David KorbinSam and Anita Lee The Lutsky FamiliesBruce and Margo MacDonaldRoy Millen and Ruth Webber Mirhady Family Fund, held at the Vancouver FoundationJohn Hardie Mitchell Family FoundationJohn Slater and Patrick Wang

Stanis and Joanne Smith Leon and Joan Tuey*Mrs. Jane Wang Fei WongAnonymous (2)

BENEFACTORS Gifts from $3,500 to $4,999Mr. Hans and Mrs. Nancy AlwartKathy and Stephen Bellringer*Hank and Janice KetchamProf. Kin Lo*Mr. and Mrs. Hebert Menten*Christine NicolasDr. Rosemary WilkinsonDr. and Mrs. Edward Yeung

Gifts from $2,500 to $3,499Anako Foundation Ann Claire Angus FundNicholas AsimakopulosBetsy Bennett*The Ken Birdsall FundGerhard and Ariane Bruendl*Marnie Carter*Janis and Bill ClarkeEdward Colin and Alanna NadeauMs. Judy GarnerHeather HolmesJohn and Daniella Icke* Olga IlichHerbert JenkinGordon and Kelly JohnsonDon and Lou LaishleyM. Lois MilsonIn Honour of Jocelyn Morlock Joan Morris in loving Memory of Dr. Hugh C. Morris

The Vancouver Symphony gratefully acknowledges the generosity of these community leaders whose ongoing annual support makes it possible to present 150 passionate performances and inspiring education and community programs every year. Thank you for your loyalty and commitment to the VSO’s ongoing success.

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Vince and Noella Ready Joan and Michael RileyMr. and Mrs. Maurice A. RodenBernard Rowe and Annette StarkDr. Earl and Mrs. Anne Shepherd Ms. Dorothy P. ShieldsWallace and Gloria ShoemayMrs. Mary Anne SigalMel and June Tanemura*George and Marsha Taylor*Mr. and Mrs. David H. TrischukMichael R. WilliamsBruce Munro WrightAnonymous*Anonymous

PATRONS Gifts from $2,000 to $2,499Count Enrico and Countess Aline DobrzenskyAnn Ehrcke and Michael LevyIn Memory of Betty HowardMr. Hassan and Mrs. Nezhat Khosrowshahi*Bill and Risa LevineAgnes Loh In Tribute of late Johnny Loh Violet and Bruce MacdonaldNancy and Frank MargitanDr. Robert S. Rothwell*

Bella Tata* Mark Tindle and Leslie CliffArthur Toft in Memory of Fred and Minnie ToftAnonymous (2)

Gifts from $1,500 to $1,999Gordon and Minke ArmstrongDerek and Stella AtkinsMr. R. Paul and Mrs. Elizabeth BeckmannRoberta Lando Beiser*Dr. and Mrs. J. Deen BrosnanMrs. May Brown, C.M., O.B.C.*Mr. Justice Edward Chiasson and Mrs. Dorothy Chiasson*Doug and Anne CourtemancheLeanne Davis and Vern GriffithsBarbara J. DempseyJean DonaldsonSharon F. DouglasDarren Downs and Jacqueline HarrisDennis Friesen in Memory of Gwen FriesenMrs. San GivenAnna and Alan GoveMarietta Hurst*Michael and Estelle Jacobson*D.L. Janzen in Memory of Jeannie KuyperSigne Jurcic and C.V. KentDrs. Colleen Kirkham and Stephen Kurdyak

Uri and Naomi Kolet in honor of Aviva’s New York OrdinationHugh and Judy LindsayHank and Andrea LuckArt and Angela MonahanNancy MorrisonDal and Muriel RichardsDr. William H. and Ruthie RossMrs. Joan ScobellDavid and Cathy ScottDr. Peter and Mrs. Sandra Stevenson-MooreDr. Ian and Jane StrangL. ThomGarth and Lynette ThurberNico and Linda VerbeekDr. Brian WilloughbyEric and Shirley WilsonDr. I.D. WoodhouseNancy WuAnonymous (3) ■

* Members of the Patrons’ Circle who have further demonstrated their support by making an additional gift to the Vancouver Symphony Foundation’s endowment fund.

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VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

Prairie TownLooking Out For No. 1These EyesLaughingLet It Ride‘Cause We’ve Ended as LoversAmerican Woman

INTERMISSIONNo Sugar TonightNo TimeShe Came UndunYou Ain't Seen Nothin’ YetTaking Care of Business

SPECIALSORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Wednesday, May 20 PwC Presents Symphonic Overdrive: Randy Bachman with the VSOGordon Gerrard conductor Randy BachmanBrent Knudsen guitar/vocalsMick Dalla Vicenza bass/vocalsMarc LaFrance drums/vocalsCharles Cozens piano

Concert Program

PRESENTING SPONSOR

RANDY BACHMAN

GORDON GERRARD

Gordon Gerrard conductor

For a biography of Gordon Gerrard please refer to page 32.

Randy BachmanBorn in Winnipeg, Randy Bachman has become a legendary figure in the rock n’ roll world through his talents as a guitarist, songwriter, performer and producer. He has earned over 120 gold and platinum album/singles awards around the world for performing and producing. His songwriting has garnered him the coveted #1 spot on radio playlists in over 20 countries and he has amassed over 40 million records sold. His songs have been recorded by numerous other artists and placed in

dozens of television, movie and commercial soundtracks. His music has provided a veritable soundtrack of the last 30 years of popular music.

Noted for his contributions as an iconic Canadian rock musician, and support for emerging artists through his production work, Randy Bachman has received many awards, including the Order of Canada, which is Canada’s highest civilian honour for lifetime achievement, and most recently, was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville. This year marked his second induction into the Canadian Musician’s Hall of Fame when Bachman-Turner Overdrive are honoured at the 2014 JUNO® Awards. ■

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VSO CHAMBER PLAYERS ALAN AND GWENDOLINE PYATT HALLDR. H.N. MACCORKINDALE STAGE VSO SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Thursday, May 21, 7:30pm

Sunday, May 24, 2pm

BRAHMS String Quintet No.1 in F Major, Op. 88Dale Barltrop violinAshley Plaut violinEmilie Grimes viola Matthew Davies viola Olivia Blander cello

HINDEMITH Trauermusik Matthew Davies viola Chiharu Iinuma piano

INTERMISSION

SCHUBERT Piano Quintet in A Major, D667 TroutAshley Plaut violinEmilie Grimes viola Olivia Blander cello Dylan Palmer bass Chiharu Iinuma piano

For more program details, see the VSO website at vancouversymphony.ca

Concert Program

WITH SUPPORT FROM

DALE BARLTROP

MATTHEW DAVIES

OLIVIA BLANDER

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VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

MARDON GROUP INSURANCE MUSICALLY SPEAKING ORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Saturday, May 23SURREY NIGHTSBELL PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, SURREY, 8PM

Sunday, May 24Alexander Shelley conductorJanina Fialkowska piano

LOUIE Infinite Sky with Birds

RAVEL Piano Concerto in G Major I. Allegramente II. Adagio assai III. Presto

INTERMISSION

SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485 I. Allegro II. Andante con moto III. Menuetto: Allegro molto IV. Allegro vivace

Concert Program

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JANINA FIALKOWSKA

ALEXANDER SHELLEY

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Alexander Shelley conductor

Alexander Shelley was appointed Music Director-designate of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra in October 2013 and will take up the position of Music Director in September 2015. In 2014 he completed his fifth year as Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra where he has transformed the orchestra’s playing, education work and touring activities which have included tours to Italy, Belgium, China and a re-invitation to the Musikverein in Vienna.

Born in the UK in 1979, Alexander first gained wide-spread attention when he was unanimously awarded first prize at the 2005 Leeds Conductors Competition.

Since then he has been in demand from orchestras around the world including the Royal Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Stockholm Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Simon Bolivar, Seattle and Houston Symphony Orchestras. Further afield Alexander is a regular guest with the top Asian and Australasian orchestras.

Janina Fialkowska piano

For almost 40 years, Montréal-born Janina Fialkowska has been enchanting audiences and critics around the world.

Ms. Fialkowska’s career was launched in 1974 when Arthur Rubinstein became her mentor after her prize-winning performance at his inaugural Master Piano Competition. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001, and was also the recipient of the Governor General’s 2012 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in Classical Music.

She has appeared as a guest soloist with prestigious international ensembles, and her vast discography includes award winning recordings such as Chopin Recital 2 which, in 2013, won the prestigious BBC Music Magazine’s Award as “Best Instrumental CD

of the year.” As the founder of the Piano Six music outreach program, she has championed works by Canadian composers and brought the joy of live classical music to thousands of Canadians living in remote communities.

Engagements of the current season included concerts with the Houston Symphony, a tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and recital appearances in New York City, Montréal, London and Berlin.

Alexina Louie b. Vancouver, British Columbia / July 30, 1949

Infinite Sky with Birds One of Canada’s most sought-after composers, the two-time Juno award winner Alexina Louie has written for many of the country’s leading soloists, chamber ensembles, new music ensembles and orchestras. Her works have become part of the standard repertoire, in particular her many compositions for piano which are frequently performed by students and professionals alike. Her orchestral works have received important performances by such renowned conductors as Sir Andrew Davis, Leonard Slatkin, Charles Dutoit, Bramwell Tovey, Günther Herbig, Kent Nagano, Peter Oundjian and Carlos Kalmar.

Infinite Sky with Birds was commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra and premiered by them, Pinchas Zukerman conducting, in February 2006. “I started with the idea of the sight of hundreds of birds taking flight and the kind of exhilaration that I feel when I see that,” the composer has said. “My heart soars when I see that and I wanted to translate that into the music itself. It is an exploration of movement. I wanted to write a work that was, essentially, fast. While my other works do have virtuosic passages, in this composition speed was foremost in my mind. There are many tumbling passages, dense sections of movement (compared to static chords) and rapid repeated fragments that pass from one instrument to another or from one group of strings to another. In several instances these gestures create intricate textures. It is infused with light, motion and speed.”

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$4,000,000 or moreGovernment of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage Endowment Incentives Program$1,000,000 or moreRon and Ardelle CliffMartha Lou Henley, C.M.Province of BC through the BC Arts Renaissance Fund under the stewardship of the Vancouver FoundationAlan and Gwendoline PyattThe Jim Pattison Foundation$500,000 or moreWerner (Vern) and Helga HöingWayne and Leslie Ann Ingram$250,000 or moreCarter (Family) Deux Mille FoundationMr. Hassan and Mrs. Nezhat KhosrowshahiThe Tong and Geraldine Louie Family FoundationArthur H. Willms Family$100,000 or moreMary and Gordon ChristopherJaney Gudewill and Peter Cherniavsky In memory of their Father Jan Cherniavsky and Grandmother Mrs. B.T. RogersMalcolm Hayes and Lester SooIn Memory of John S. HodgeMichael and Estelle Jacobson

S.K. Lee in memory of Mrs. Cheng Koon LeeKatherine Lu in Memory of Professors Mr. and Mrs. Ngou KangWilliam and Irene McEwen FundSheahan and Gerald McGavin, C.M., O.B.C.McGrane-Pearson Endowment FundNancy and Peter Paul SaundersKen and Patricia ShieldsGeorge and Marsha TaylorWhittall Family Fund$50,000 or moreAdera Development CorporationWinslow and Betsy BennettBrazfin Investments Ltd.Mary Ann ClarkLeon and Joan TueyRosemarie Wertschek, Q.C. $25,000 or moreJeff and Keiko AlexanderKathy and Stephen BellringerRobert G. Brodie and K. Suzanne Brodie Mrs. May Brown, C.M., O.B.C.Mrs. Margaret M. DuncanW. Neil Harcourt in Memory of Frank N. HarcourtDaniella and John IckeMollie Massie and Hein PoulusPaul Moritz Mrs. Gordon T. Southam, C.M.Maestro Bramwell Tovey and Mrs. Lana Penner-ToveyAnonymous (1)

$10,000 or moreMrs. Marti BarregarMrs. Geraldine BielyK. Taryn BrodieDouglas and Marie-Elle CarrothersMr. Justice Edward Chiasson and Mrs. Dorothy ChiassonDr. Marla KiessChantal O’Neil and Colin ErbDan and Trudy PekarskyBob and Paulette ReidNancy and Robert Stewart Beverley and Eric WattAnonymous (2)$5,000 or moreCharles and Barbara FilewychStephen F. Graf Edwina and Paul HellerKaatza FoundationProf. Kin LoRex and Joanne McLennanMarion L. Pearson and James M. OrrIn memory of Pauline Summers Melvyn and June TanemuraBella Tata / Zarine Dastur: In Memory of Shirin (Kermani) and Dali TataNico and Linda VerbeekAnonymous (1)

The Vancouver Symphony gratefully acknowledges the support of those donors who have made a commitment of up to $5,000 to the Vancouver Symphony Foundation. Regretfully, space limitations prevent a complete listing.

Vancouver Symphony Foundation

The Vancouver Symphony family extends its sincere thanks to these donors, whose gifts will ensure that the VSO remains a strong and vital force in our community long into the future.

Tax creditable gifts of cash, securities and planned gifts are gratefully received and your gift is enhanced with matching funds from the Federal Government.

Please call Leanne Davis Vice President, Chief Development Officer at 604.684.9100 ext. 236or email leanne@vancouversymphony.ca to learn more.

Ensure the VSO’s future with a special gift to the Vancouver Symphony Foundation, established to secure the long term success of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

The Stradivarius Legacy Circle

For further information on leaving a Legacy gift to the VSO please call Mary Butterfield, Director, Individual and Legacy Giving at 604.684.9100 ext. 238 or email mary@vancouversymphony.ca.

The Stradivarius Legacy Circle recognizes and thanks individuals in their lifetime for making arrangements for a gift in their will to the Vancouver Symphony Foundation—creating a lasting legacy of exceptional symphonic music and music education in our community. We sincerely thank our members for their foresight, generosity and commitment to the VSO's future.

George AbakhanJanet M. AllanRenate A. AndersonK.-Jane Baker Lorna BarrJanice BrownPeter & Mary BrunholdDr. William. T. BrysonRalph & Gillian CarderJohn & Patricia ChapmanMrs. Diana G. Coomber Mr. and Mrs. G.A. CooperDavid & Valerie Davies Gloria Davies

Sharon DouglasJackie FrangiRob & Ann-Shirley GoodellRenate R. HuxtableWayne & Leslie Ann IngramMargaret IrvingEstelle & Michael JacobsonMary JordanDorothy KuvaDorothy MacLeodIrene McEwenPaul Richard Moritz

Barbara MorrisMartin O’ConnorJosephine PeglerEleanor PhillipsMarion PoliakoffDiane RonanLouis RosenBernard Rowe & Annette StarkShirley SawatskyDorothy ShieldsMary Ann SigalDoris Smit

Robert & Darlene SpevakowDr. Barbara StaffordHermann & Erika StöltingElizabeth TaitMelvyn & June TanemuraTuey Family TrustRobert & Carol TulkDavid & Ruth TurnbullTessa WilsonKelley WongAnonymous (3)

Bequests The Vancouver Symphony is grateful to have received bequests from the following individuals.

BEQUESTS TO THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY FOUNDATION

$500,000 or moreJim and Edith le NobelKathleen Margaret Mann

$100,000 or moreSteve FlorisHoward and Jean Mann John Rand

$50,000 or moreWinslow Bennett Margaret Jean PaquinRachel Tancred RoutMary Flavelle Stewart

$25,000 or moreDorothy Freda Bailey

Phyllis Celia FisherMargot Lynn McKenzie

$10,000 or moreThe Kitty Heller Alter Ego TrustKaye Leaney

$5,000 or moreAnne de Barrett AllworkClarice Marjory BankesLawrence M. CarlsonMuriel F. GilchristJ. Stuart KeateGerald NordheimerAudrey M. PiggotJan Wolf Wynand

$1,000 or moreEleanor Doke Caldwell

BEQUESTS TO THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY SOCIETY

$250,000 or moreRuth Ellen Baldwin

$100,000 or moreRita AldenDorothy Jane BoyceRoy Joseph FietschHector MacKay

$50,000 or moreFritz Ziegler

$25,000 or moreDorothy M. Grant Lillian Erva Hawkins Florence Elizabeth Kavanagh Mary Fassenden Law

Geraldine OldfieldAlice RumballAnne Ethel Stevens

$10,000 or moreDr. Sherold Fishman John Devereux Fitzgerald Dorothea Leuchters Robert V. OsokinElizabeth Jean Proven Freda Margaret RushDoris Kathleen Skelton

$5,000 or moreRaymond John Casson Alfred KnowlesGordon McConkeyEvelyn Ann van der Veen Joan Marion WassonDorothy Ethel Williams

$1,000 or morePhyllis Victoria Ethel BaillyJoyce BashamDoris May BondKathleen Grace BoyleKathleen Mary DeClercq Betty Dunhaver Jean HaszardGrace Barbara Isobel HooperLewis Wilkinson HunterAnnie Velma PickellJean SempleWilhelmina Stobie ■

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The Stradivarius Legacy Circle

Robert & Darlene SpevakowDr. Barbara StaffordHermann & Erika StöltingElizabeth TaitMelvyn & June TanemuraTuey Family TrustRobert & Carol TulkDavid & Ruth TurnbullTessa WilsonKelley WongAnonymous (3)

Maurice Ravel b. Ciboure, Basses Pyrénées, France / March 7, 1875 d. Paris, France / December 28, 1937

Piano Concerto in G Major Ravel’s two piano concertos were his final major works. Even though he composed them during the same period, 1929–1931, they are quite different from each other. The Concerto in G Major for two hands is bright and breezy, while the Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major is a more sombre affair. One thing they share is the influence of jazz, which Ravel first heard during a concert tour of North America in 1928 and which proved highly attractive to him.

This is how he described the G Major: “It is a concerto in the truest sense of the word, written very much in the same spirit as those of Mozart and Saint-Saëns. The music of a concerto, in my opinion, should be lighthearted and brilliant, and not aim at profundity or at dramatic effects. Too many classical concertos were composed not so much ‘for’ as ‘against’ the piano. I had thought of entitling mine divertissement but the title ‘concerto’ is specific enough.”

Ravel’s original plan for the premiere was to perform the solo part himself. Despite a great deal of practicing, he reached the conclusion that its virtuoso demands lay beyond his powers. Deciding to switch his contribution to conducting, he chose celebrated pianist Marguerite Long as the soloist. The first performance took place in Paris on January 14, 1932, with Ravel conducting the Lamoureux Orchestra.

The opening movement balances the playful and the dreamy. Ravel deploys his orchestra with a maximum of colourful ingenuity. Complete and utterly bewitching contrast comes in the slow movement. Marguerite Long called its principal theme, which the soloist introduces unaccompanied, “one of the most touching melodies which has come from the human heart.” After a climax of restrained melancholy, the music gradually and nostalgically winds down to a peaceful reprise of its beginning. The finale is a headlong chase led by the soloist. Ravel

dotted its breakneck course with mischievous tunes, pizzicato strings and playfully jingling percussion.

Franz Schubert b. Vienna, Austria / January 31, 1797 d. Vienna, Austria / November 19, 1828

Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485In 1808, Schubert began a five-year term of study at Vienna’s Choir School of the Imperial Chapel. The student orchestra, in which he played the viola, performed symphonies by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Naturally for a budding composer involved with an orchestra, he began writing music for it to play. His earliest works for large forces date from this period. After graduation, and at his family’s insistence, he continued his education with the aim of following his father into the profession of schoolmaster. After three miserable years he left the classroom and took up his true calling, music.

He composed Symphony No. 5 in 1816. It is a genial and thoroughly refreshing piece, the finest of the first six. It contains just enough hints of darker emotions to lend it substance. After one, private performance soon after its completion, it vanished for 50 years. In 1867, the English musicians Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir George Grove made a pilgrimage to Vienna, specifically in search of forgotten nuggets of Schubertiana. They brought to light this symphony and other treasures.

Constructed on themes radiating youthful optimism, the first movement is brisk and as light as a feather. The second movement displays Schubert the lyrical genius of song, operating here in a mode of gently reflective melancholy. Moments of emotional unease crop up, but they are soothed into submission by the music’s gentle onward flow. The outer panels of the following menuetto bear their share of shadowy feelings, too. The central trio section, on the other hand, brings the sweet freshness of a spring morning. Schubert clears the air for good with a flashing, carefree romp of a finale. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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allegroMagazine of the Vancouver Symphony

Britten’s War RequiemMaestro Tovey and the VSOcommemorate the 100th Anniversaryof the start of World War I

Cirque Musica!The Best of Cirque on stage with the VSO

Classical Mystery Tour: The Music of The Beatles

September 27 to November 10, 2014 Volume 20, Issue 1

Bramwell Tovey and musicans of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Magazine of the Vancouver Symphonyallegro

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CLASSICAL TRADITIONS CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 8PM

Friday & Saturday, May 29 & 30 NORTH SHORE CLASSICSCENTENNIAL THEATRE, NORTH VANCOUVER, 8PM

Monday, June 1 Jun Märkl conductor Karen Gomyo violin

PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 Classical I. Allegro II. Larghetto III. Gavotta: non troppo allegro IV. Finale: Molto vivace

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 I. Allegro molto appassionato II. Andante III. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

INTERMISSION

STRAUSS Le Bourgeois gentilhomme: Suite, Op. 60 I. Overture to Act One II. Menuett – The Dancing Master III. The Fencing Master IV. Entrance and Dance of the Tailors V. The Menuett of Lully

Concert Program

JUN MÄRKL

KAREN GOMYO THE PRESENTATION OF THE CLASSICAL TRADITIONS SERIES IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, THROUGH THE GENEROUS ASSISTANCE OF THE CHAN FOUNDATION AT UBC, AND THE CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.

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Jun Märkl conductor

Jun Märkl conducts the world’s leading orchestras, and has long been a highly respected interpreter of the core Germanic repertoire from both the symphonic and operatic traditions, and more recently for his refined and idiomatic Debussy, Ravel and Messiaen.He was Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon from 2005–11 and of the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig until 2012. In 2012 he was honoured by the French Ministry of Culture with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Born in Munich, his (German) father was a distinguished Concertmaster and his (Japanese) mother a solo pianist. Märkl studied violin, piano and conducting at the Musikhochschule in Hannover, going on to study with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich and with Gustav Meier in Michigan. In 1986 he won the conducting competition of the Deutsche Musikrat and a year later won a scholarship from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to study at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. Soon afterwards he had a string of appointments in European opera houses followed by his first music directorships at the Staatstheater in Saarbrücken (1991–94) and at the Mannheim Nationaltheater (1994–2000).

Karen Gomyo violin

Born in Tokyo, violinist Karen Gomyo grew up in Montreal and New York. Recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2008, she has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a first-rate artist of real musical command, vitality, brilliance and intensity.” Ms. Gomyo’s extensive solo appearances include many of the world’s leading orchestras including the New York and Hong Kong Philharmonics; the Sydney, Toronto, San Francisco and National Symphonies; the Salzburg Camerata, the Cleveland Orchestra, and many more. She has performed recitals and chamber music at festivals in the U.S. (Aspen, Ravinia, Caramoor, Mostly Mozart), Canada, Austria, Germany, France, Norway Ukraine, Holland, Spain, Italy, and Japan.

Ms. Gomyo plays the rare “Ex Foulis” Stradivarius of 1703 that was bought for her exclusive use by a private sponsor. She makes her home in New York City.

Sergei Prokofiev b. Sontsovka, Ukraine / April 27, 1891 d. Moscow, Russia / March 5, 1953

Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 Classical “It seemed to me that had Haydn lived in our day he would have retained his own style while accepting something of the new at the same time,” Prokofiev wrote. “That was the kind of symphony I wanted to write: a symphony in the classical style. And when I saw that my idea was beginning to work, I called it the ‘Classical’ Symphony: in the first place because it was simpler, and secondly for the fun of it, to ‘tease the geese,’ and in the secret hope that I would prove to be right if the symphony really did achieve the status of a classic.” He conducted the premiere in Petrograd, Russia, on April 21, 1918, launching what has become one of his most beloved and frequently performed works.

The first movement opens with a flourish and a pert, cheeky theme. The second subject, appearing on the violins, is equally saucy and impudent, underpinned by poker-faced bassoon commentary. A dreamy slow movement follows. At a gentle walking pace, the first violins sing the sweet, restful main theme, bedecked with bird-like, rococo-style trills.

Prokofiev poked gentle fun at aristocratic figures in powdered wigs in the brief, pungent gavotte, a French folk dance dating back to the baroque period. The symphony wraps up with a joyful, breakneck finale, filled to the brim with demanding writing for the entire orchestra.

Felix Mendelssohn b. Hamburg, Germany / February 3, 1809 d. Leipzig, Germany / November 4, 1847

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 In 1835, Mendelssohn took up the post of Music Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig. Under his patient, exacting supervision, only a few years passed before its concerts came to be considered the finest given in Europe. The concertmaster, Ferdinand David,

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made important contributions to that upgrading process. In gratitude, Mendelssohn composed this concerto for him. David performed the premiere, in Leipzig, on March 13, 1845.

“The concerto is a beautifully polished work of art, combining sureness of construction with passion, warmth and playfulness.”

The concerto is a beautifully polished work of art, combining sureness of construction with passion, warmth and playfulness. In a nod to Romantic practice, Mendelssohn directed that the three sections be played without any breaks between them. This gives the concerto greater cohesiveness and momentum. The majority of the dramatic content plays out in the urgent first movement. The second movement is an interlude of gentle melodic beauty. A brief bridge passage ushers in the impish finale. Its solo fireworks are backed by the kind of featherylight orchestration that was a Mendelssohn trademark.

Richard Strauss b. Munich, Germany / June 11, 1864 d. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany / Sept 8, 1949

Le Bourgeois gentilhomme: Suite, Op. 60 French playwright Molière’s comedy Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (The Middle-Class Gentleman) premiered at the Imperial Palace of Versailles in 1670, complete with an elaborate music score by Jean-Baptiste Lully. The plot concerns Monsieur Jourdain, born in the lower classes but newly rich, and his fumbling attempts to take on the manners and lifestyle of the aristocracy.

Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal scored a huge hit with Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose, 1911), a luscious romantic opera set in Vienna during the eighteenth century. For their next project, Hofmannsthal decided to merge two ideas he had been considering separately. One was a new edition of Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, with incidental music by Strauss, and the other a comic opera. His plan was to replace the farcical Turkish ceremony that concludes Molière’s play with a full opera, commanded

by Monsieur Jourdain for the entertainment of his dinner guests.

The combined, five-hour extravaganza debuted in Stuttgart in 1912 and flopped badly. Not wishing to abandon their creation, Strauss and Hofmannsthal decided to split it in two. The opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, premiered in 1916 and went on to a successful international life. The play-with-music, with additional numbers, failed again in 1918. Undaunted, Strauss created this concert suite out of his score’s choicest numbers. He uses his orchestra of 37 players with a master’s touch, reducing it to chamber-like delicacy when appropriate, ingeniously making it sound like a full symphonic body when richer textures were called for.

The Overture represents the bustling atmosphere in M. Jourdain’s lavish new home. A dancing instructor unsuccessfully attempts to work with the master, to the tune of a delicate Menuett. Brass and piano introduce a fencing master whose efforts to teach the awkward M. Jourdain the fine art of wielding a sword also come to grief. Couturiers clothe their employer in his new finery in the Entrance and Dance of the Tailors; a solo violin leads them in a delectable Gavotte.

“A gracious intermezzo leads to the suite’s most elaborate section...”

The gentle Menuett of Lully (derived from the original 1670 Bourgeois gentilhomme music) and the following, more animated Courante are brief, sweetly scored dances. Strauss borrowed a slow, noble theme from Lully’s ballet, George Dandin, to accompany the entrance of Cléonte, suitor of M. Jourdain’s daughter Lucille. A gracious intermezzo leads to the suite’s most elaborate section, which accompanies each course of the lavish dinner. Strauss crammed it with witty musical quotations: the ‘Rhine’ theme from Wagner’s Ring operas for the fish course; his own Don Quixote for lamb, and Der Rosenkavalier for birds. Finally a kitchen boy leaps out from under an ‘omelet surprise’ pan and leads the entire company in a merry waltz. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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VISIT THE SYMPHONY GIFT SHOP FOR CD SELECTIONS

VANCOUVER SUN SYMPHONY AT THE ANNEXANNEX, 7:30PM

Sunday, May 31

The Emperor’s Daughter

Gordon Gerrard conductor Lan Tung erhu/vocalist

LEILEI TIAN Burning Rose

DINUK WIJERATNE Chamber Concerto About Sankhara

INTERMISSION

LAN TUNG (Hopefully) Happily Ever After

GEORGE BENJAMIN At First Light

Gordon Gerrard conductor

For a biography of Gordon Gerrard please refer to page 32.

Concert Program

GORDON GERRARD

LAN TUNG

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SYMPHONY AT THE ANNEXSERIES SPONSOR

FINANCIAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

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Leilei Tian b. Beijing, China / July 31, 1971

Burning Rose Leilei Tian was born in 1971 in China and studied composition at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing and at the Conservatory of Music, Göteborg, Sweden; after attending an electro-acoustic music course at IRCAM, she settled in Paris. Tian is the winner of several prestigious international competitions including the Besançon Composition Competition for Orchestra in France, Contemporary Music Contest "Citta' di Udine" in Italy, Gaudeamus Competition in Amsterdam, Composition Competition of GRAME in Lyon and ISCM Cash Young Composer’s Award of “World Music Days” in Zürich. From 2006 to 2008, she was the resident composer of CoMA Contemporary Music Center in Sweden. Most recently, having been awarded the Prix de Rome by the Academy of France, she had a one-year residency at the Villa Médicis from 2012 to 2013.

Burning Rose – “Kindled by the dews falling from the heaven, a burning rose cried out her flame. While her most precious perfume ascended to her Eternal Love, a new rose bursts into being from the ashes she left behind. Shining now in a unique redness, her Real Life finally begins....

“...inspired by the idea of Love and Sacrifice, Death and Resurrection.” The piece and its title are inspired by the idea of Love and Sacrifice, Death and Resurrection. It is a metaphor of a spiritual quest for True Love.” Program Notes © 2015 Leilei Tian & Jocelyn Morlock

Dinuk Wijeratne b. Colombo, Sri Lanka / 1978

Chamber Concerto About SankharaSri Lankan-born, Canada-based composer, performer, conductor and educator Dinuk Wijeratne has been described by the Toronto Star as ‘an artist who reflects a positive vision

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of our cultural future,’ and by the New York Times as ‘exuberantly creative.’ His boundary-crossing work sees him equally at home in collaborations with symphony orchestras and string quartets, tabla players and DJs, and takes him to international venues as poles apart as the Berlin Philharmonic and the North Sea Jazz Festival. A firm believer in the universality of music, Dinuk founded the cutting-edge NYC-based multimedia group NEOLEXICA in 2003, a quartet which synesthetically combined live illustration with a uniquely multinational blend of acoustic & electronic music. He continues his collaborative recitals of entirely original works with acclaimed clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, based on their duo album entitled ‘Complex Stories, Simple Sounds.’

Chamber Concerto ‘About Sankhara’ is by turns frenetic, voluptuous, and languid. The concerto alternates raucous, rhythmically propulsive percussion, exotically jazz-inflected clarinet and oboe solos, and ecstatic dance-like sections for full ensemble with gently undulating, sparse passages, led by the strings, whose slow glissandi eventually make way for a driving and ferocious conclusion. Program Notes © 2015 Dinuk Wijeratne & Jocelyn Morlock

Lan Tung erhu/vocalist b. Taipei, Taiwan / October 1, 1973

(Hopefully) Happily Ever After Lan Tung’s music embodies rhythmic intricacy from Indian influence, the sense of breath/space from Chinese tradition, and many years of experiences interpreting contemporary Canadian compositions as an erhu player. Incorporating improvisation and graphic notations, Lan's compositions experiment with contradictions by taking culturally specific materials outside their context. She studied graphic scoring with Barry Guy, improvisation with Mary Oliver, Hindustani music with Kala Ramnath, and Uyghur music with Abdukerim Osman, in addition to her studies of Chinese music since age ten. Lan has appeared as an erhu soloist with Orchestre Metropolitain (Montreal), Symphony Nova Scotia, Upstream Ensemble (Halifax), Atlas Ensemble (Amsterdam & Helsinki), and Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taipei).

(Hopefully) Happily Ever After “…the prince and princess get married, and they live

happily ever after.” Does the story really end there? This piece draws materials from a famous Cantonese opera excerpt The Emperor’s Daughter to create a ghostly score that combines various graphics to prompt improvisation. Unwilling to live under the ruling of the Manchurian, the beautiful princess and her husband committed suicide on their wedding night. The piece portrays this couple’s final moments. Program Notes © 2015 Lan Tung & Jocelyn Morlock

George Benjamin b. London, United Kingdom / January 31, 1960

At First Light Composer, conductor, and pianist George Benjamin began piano studies at age seven, was composing by age nine, and began studying composition with Olivier Messiaen by age fourteen (!) An entire year of Benjamin’s studies with Messiaen consisted of writing chords upon chords, exploring every harmonic possibility imaginable. Not surprisingly, Benjamin’s music is notable for its sophisticated use of and focus on orchestral colour.

“In the Tate Gallery there is a late Turner oil painting, Norham Castle, Sunrise. The 12th century castle in this picture is silhouetted against a huge, golden sun. What struck me immediately about this beautiful image was the way in which solid objects – fields, cows and the castle itself – virtually appear to have melted under the intense sunlight. It is as if the paint were still wet. Abstractly, this observation has been important to the way I have composed At First Light.

A ‘solid object’ can be formed as a punctuated, clearly defined musical phrase. This can be ‘melted’ into a flowing, nebulous continuum of sound with all manner of transformations and interactions between these two ways of writing…this piece is a contemplation of dawn, a celebration of the colours and noises of daybreak, set in three movements.

The short opening superimposed fanfares burst into hazy, undefined textures. After a pause the extended second movement follows, itself subdivided into several contrasted sections, full of abrupt changes in mood and tension. The attacca concluding movement progresses in a continuous, flowing line illuminated with ever more resonant harmonies.” ■

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BRAMWELL TOVEY WITH THE VSO

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Bramwell Tovey conductor Vancouver Bach Choir

The Last Night of the Proms concert, a tradition started in 1895 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, has also become a VSO and Vancouver Bach Choir institution. Maestro Tovey proudly upholds the tradition in a performance featuring Pomp & Circumstance, Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, and much more!

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Wednesday, June 3

Last Night of the Proms

Concert Program

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Bramwell Tovey conductor

For a biography of Maestro Tovey please refer to page 11.

Vancouver Bach ChoirSituated in Vancouver, the gateway of the Pacific Rim, the Vancouver Bach Choir is an award-winning symphonic choir committed to offering vibrant and culturally diverse choral experiences to its audiences.As one of the largest choral organizations in Canada, the Vancouver Bach Choir explores a wide range of repertoire from the past to the present with passion and commitment. Through its series of concerts presented

at the magnificent Orpheum Theatre, the VBC continues to meet its mandate of commissioning and performing works by British Columbian and Canadian composers and presenting the world’s favourite symphonic choral works.Over the past eight decades, the choir has performed with numerous world-class musicians. Under the baton of Maestro Leslie Dala, the VBC continues its mission and tradition to share the beauty of choral music with local, national and international communities. As the Vancouver Bach Choir celebrates its 84th anniversary in the 2014/2015 season, it is poised to enter the next exciting chapter. ■

VANCOUVER BACH CHOIR

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Joan BlackmanAssociate Concertmaster Joan Blackman has been a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since the 1987–88 concert season and enjoys a vibrant musical life in our community. Besides playing in the orchestra, she is sought after as a first class chamber musician, teacher, and soloist all throughout North America. As Artistic Director of the Vetta Chamber Music and Recital Society, Joan looks forward to dedicating more of her time to growing the Society, its programs, and performances with the best of BC’s talent along with invited guests from afar. She is also a member of the acclaimed American String Project, which brings together concertmasters and soloists throughout North America. Joan’s contribution to the VSO over the years has been immeasurable, and we look forward with support and excitement as she moves on to the next phase of her musical life.

Cris Inguanti VSO Assistant Principal and Bass Clarinetist Cris Inguanti retires from the VSO at the end of this season after having joined the orchestra in the 1997-98 concert season. A sought after soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber music collaborator, Cris has also been a member of the Houston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestras, the New York City Opera National Company Orchestra, and the New Philharmonia of Portugal. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Europe and North America and has performed in a wide variety of chamber series. As a member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet, Cris has won numerous prizes in chamber music competitions, and has commissioned a number of new works for this genre. His contribution and dedication to the VSO is one that will be remembered with fondness, and we wish him all the best in his future musical and personal journeys.

A Tribute to Retiring VSO Musicians

Please join us in thanking Joan and Cris for their years of inspiring performances and dedicated service to the VSO and the music community in Vancouver.

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OUR HEARTFELT THANKS

Anita Alberto Photographybay6 creativeDale Barltrop Hannah BaumanCharles and Julie Bentall Family FoundationChris Loh PhotographyChristopher GazeConsul of the United States of AmericaEnrico and Aline DobrzenskyFlourish by Colleen WintonGearforceGreenscape Design & DécorInnovation TechnologiesKiAN Show Services Ltd.Maestro Gordon GerrardMusicians of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra SLJ Productions Inc.Still Creek PressIan and Joanne StrangStuart McFaddenStudents of the VSO School of MusicTala Florist Thomas Haas ChocolatesUpright Décor Rentals & Event DesignVancouver Convention CentreVancouver Symphony VolunteersMatthew Yee

VANCOUVER SYMPHONY BALL COMMITTEE

Mary Ann Clark, Co-ChairLaura Hansen, Co-ChairNezhat Khosrowshahi, Honorary ChairMargaret BrodieDebra FinlayColin HansenAnnabel HawksworthDiane HodginsCathryn HunterAndrea JacobNazmeen LaljiBarabara-Jo McIntoshAJ McLeanChristian MartinMaria MentenKarin SmithKim Spencer-NairnColin UprightArt WillmsFred Withers

PAINTED VIOLIN ARTISTS

Cori Creed Shawn HuntCathryn Jenkins Tiko Kerr

On February 12, 2015, the VSO held its 25th Anniversary Vancouver Symphony Ball—the sold out event was our biggest and most successful yet! Thanks to the generous support of our dedicated sponsors, live and silent auction contributors, donors, volunteers, and the tireless efforts of our planning committee, $925,000 was raised to support the VSO’s performances and education initiatives this season. The VSO and Vancouver Symphony Ball Committee extend their gratitude and sincere thanks to the following for their generosity and in-kind contributions.

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Thank you also to Art Willms & Mary Ann Clark

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Bramwell Tovey conductorTracy Dahl soprano (Cunégonde)Judith Forst mezzo-soprano (The Old Lady)Alek Shrader tenor (Candide)Richard Suart baritone (Narrator, Voltaire, Pangloss, Martin, Cacambo)UBC Opera Ensemble (Chorus) Sheldon Baxter baritone (Maximilian) Geoffrey Schellenberg baritone (Captain) J Patrick Raftery tenor (Governor) Francesca Corrado soprano (Paquette) Spencer Britten tenor (Vanderdendur) Tony Caruso tenor (Cosmetic Merchant, Charles Edward) Duncan Watts-Grant tenor (Doctor, Croupier) Elliot Harder tenor & bass-baritone (Bear Keeper, Inquisitor III /Judge, Tsar Ivan) Brent MacKenzie tenor (Alchemist) Jason Klippenstein baritone (Junkman, Inquisitor II /Judge/Senor II) Alireza Mojibian tenor (Señor I, Sultan Achmet, Hermann Augustus) Jeremiah Carag tenor (Inquisitor I /Judge) William Grossman tenor (Ragotski) Tony Bittar tenor (Crook)

BERNSTEIN Candide

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GOLDCORP MASTERWORKS GOLDORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Saturday & Monday, June 6 & 8

Concert Program

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ALEK SHRADER

TRACY DAHL

RICHARD SUART

JUDITH FORST

UBC OPERA ENSEMBLE

BRAMWELL TOVEY

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Bramwell Tovey conductor

For a biography of Maestro Tovey please refer to page 11.

Tracy Dahl soprano

With her 2006 debut at La Scala as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Canada's premier coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl has taken another milestone in a career that has brought her together with such opera houses as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and the Chatelet in Paris, to name a few. Highlights of 2011/12 include two trips to Australia with the Melbourne and Sydney symphonies, works by Bach and Mozart with the Vancouver Symphony, and the title role of Maria Stuarda with Pacific Opera Victoria.Her discography includes A Disney Spectacular with the Cincinnati Pops (Telarc), Glitter and Be Gay with the Calgary Philharmonic (CBC), A Gilbert and Sullivan Gala with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (CBC), and Love Walked In, a Gershwin collection with the Bramwell Tovey Trio (Red Phone Box Company).

Judith Forst mezzo-soprano

Canadian born mezzo-soprano Judith Forst has been highly acclaimed for her operatic and concert performances throughout North America and in Europe in many of the world’s most prestigious theaters which have included the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, Netherlands Opera, Dallas Opera, Washington Opera, Vancouver Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera among many others. Judith Forst is now most identified with roles such as the Kostelnicka in Janacek's Jenufa, Klytemnestra in Strauss's Elektra, Herodias in Salome and Mme de Croissy in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites, the Countess in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, Augusta Tabor in Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, the Baroness in Barber’s Vanessa and the Witch in Hansel und Gretel. Prior to expanding into this repertoire, she had sung a repertoire

of extraordinary versatility and one which encompassed virtually all styles and periods and which has extended into the soprano repertoire as well.

Alek Shrader conductor

The brilliant lyric tenor Alek Shrader continues to impress audiences with the “luxury of his phrasing, the clarity of his diction and the sensitivity and expressiveness of his characterizations”.In the 2014/2015 season, Mr. Shrader returns to the San Francisco Opera to sing the role of Emilio in Handel’s Partenope¸ followed by a return to the Metropolitan Opera for Camille in a new production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. Other engagements include Jupiter & Apollo in Handel’s Semele with the Seattle Opera, singing one of his signature roles, Count Almaviva, in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Canadian Opera Company, and a return to Santa Fe Opera for Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment. In concert, Mr Shrader will sing the title-role in Candide with the Vancouver Symphony. Future engagements include leading roles with San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Theater an der Wien, and Welsh National Opera.

Richard Suart baritone

Richard Suart studied at the Royal Academy of Music and is much sought after in music theatre, contemporary opera, and as a comedian in the more standard repertoire. Recent engagements include Punch in Punch and Judy (Berlin), Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance (Scottish Opera), Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard and Major-General (RTE Concert Orchestra), Pangloss in Candide (LA Philharmonic‚ Hollywood Bowl), Mr Walter in Afterlife (Melbourne Festival‚ Holland Festival‚ L’Opéra National de Lyon), Ko-Ko in The Mikado (English National Opera) and Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe (San Francisco Symphony). He has appeared as Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance, Frank in Die Fledermaus, Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow and Benoit/Alcindoro in La Bohème (ENO), French Ambassador in Of Thee I Sing, Snookfield

in Let 'Em Eat Cake and Barabashkin in Paradise Moscow (Opera North and Bregenz), Stan Stock in the premiere of Benedict Mason's Playing Away (Opera North, Bregenz and St Pölten) and in Mason's Chaplinoperas with the Ensemble Modern (Germany, Portugal, Holland and Austria).

UBC Opera EnsembleThe University of British Columbia Opera Ensemble was founded by Canadian lyric coloratura Nancy Hermiston in 1995. Beginning with a core of seven performers, Miss Hermiston has built the program to a 90-member company, performing three main productions at UBC every season, seven Opera Tea Concerts, and several engagements with local community partners. The Ensemble’s mission is to educate young, gifted opera singers, preparing them for international careers. Past main stage productions have included Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Suor Angelica, La Bohème, Dido and Aeneas, The Merry Widow, Manon, Eugene Onegin, Falstaff, Don Giovanni,

Cendrillon, Albert Herring, the Western Canadian premiere of Harry Somers’ Louis Riel, The Crucible, Rusalka, Così fan tutte, Dialogues des Carmélites, and Carmen. 2014/2015 Season includes The Bartered Bride, Le Nozze di Figaro and La Traviata. They will be travelling to the Czech Republic this summer performing Smetena’s opera The Bartered Bride.

Leonard Bernstein b. Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA / August 25, 1918 d. New York, New York, USA / October 14, 1990

Candide Few classical musicians have been known to as many people as Leonard Bernstein. The multiple roles he filled brilliantly – conductor, composer, pianist, writer, broadcaster, and recording artist – and his huge, outgoing personality, together made him the twentieth century’s finest goodwill ambassador of music.

He composed on a regular basis. His catalogue came to include ballets, chamber music, symphonies and operas, as well as songs and Broadway shows. Some were more successful than others, artistically as well as commercially.

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But virtually all Bernstein’s music glows with the particular blend of warmth and exuberance that characterized the man himself.

Candide and West Side Story came into being during the same period, the mid-1950s. West Side Story was a huge success from the start, but Candide has had a troubled history. It was the celebrated playwright Lillian Hellman who suggested that she and Bernstein collaborate on a musical version of the satirical story Candide, by the eminent French author, Voltaire (1694-1778, birth name François-Marie Arouet). It tells the story of a naïve young man’s globe-trotting adventures and how they make a kind, caring person out of him.

Hellman was known for such heavy dramas as The Little Foxes and Watch on the Rhine. Her rather charmless book for Candide was the major reason for its disappointing seventy-three performance premiere run on Broadway in 1956. Over the following 30 years, several revisions were undertaken. Candide reached its final form, at least the last one in which Bernstein was involved, in 1988, two years before Bernstein’s death. This version, premiered in Glasgow by Scottish Opera, will be performed at this concert.

The plot moves quickly and changes locale frequently. It finds room for satire, romance, drama and adventure. It’s filled with colourful, fascinating characters, and the music is continuously appealing and tuneful.

Here are some of the musical highlights of the score. The Overture, which has taken on a life of its own as Bernstein’s most frequently performed concert work, is based entirely on themes from the full score. It quickly establishes Candide’s overall boisterous mood, but includes its share of lyrical elements, too.

The music of Scene One is pointedly cute and naïve, a satire of the generally sweet but one-dimensional characters and music of many traditional operas, especially those of the bel canto school of the early nineteenth century (Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti). The number called The Best of All Possible Worlds makes fun of equally simple-minded philosophies.

Candide’s Meditation, It Must Be So, presents the first music in the score that has any trace of warmth or tenderness. It underlines his essential goodness and his genuine longing to make sense of the world. It offers the audience an opportunity to establish sympathy with him, an essential element in the show’s emotional progress and final pay-off.

The music of Dear Boy, sung by Candide’s teacher, Dr. Pangloss, could pass for something that Sir Arthur Sullivan might have composed if he had lived in the 1950s, but the down-and-dirty subject matter would have shocked him, his writing partner, W.S. Gilbert, and their conservative Victorian audiences.

The auto-da-fé flogging in Lisbon offers the ironic counterpoint of a horrible event and jaunty

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music. Bernstein gave it a twentieth-century Latin lilt, turning the scene into a surreal, absurd lampoon.

He characterized Paris with a rather pompous waltz, a dance which had not been born when the plot of Candide takes place – but then this isn’t a documentary. It’s the first of several numbers that Bernstein cast in historical dance forms. Later come another waltz (What’s the Use?), a polka (We Are Women) a barcarolle (performed in mid-Atlantic) and a gavotte (Venice). Bernstein doesn’t present any of them ‘straight,’ but gives each, like the auto-da-fé, dashes of twentieth-century spice.

The Paris Waltz is followed by the score’s most familiar aria, Glitter and Be Gay.’This fizzing, demanding show-stopper is another satire of the bel canto era, especially its love of spectacular but empty-headed coloratura, music embellished with fast-moving, stratospheric ornamentation. Bernstein added displaced twentieth-century rhythms and frequent changes of metre.

The action shifts to Cádiz, Spain. The woman known simply as ‘the old lady,’ the hilariously

eccentric companion of Candide’s ladylove, Cunegonde, sings I Am Easily Assimilated. It’s a spirited and saucy number in tango rhythm, yet another flavour that Bernstein added to the heady brew that is Candide.

The trio called Quiet bears echoes of melancholy Russian Romantic music – think Tchaikovsky working on Broadway. The Ballad of El Dorado – satirically sweet and paradisical, really too good to be true – is a satire of what Voltaire considered the mindless idea of Utopia, and of mindlessly optimistic music, complete with chorus. Is it to be taken seriously or not?

In the final scenes, all traces of satire disappear and the music adopts a grownup, lyrical beauty. Candide’s Nothing More Than This is his great and tender ‘realization’ aria, for which Bernstein provided the lyrics as well as the music. Candide finally understands that his beliefs have all been wrong-headed. A lovely, hushed and heartening chorus, Universal Good follows, then the finale, Make Our Garden Grow. It builds from a quiet opening solo, through a duet, to a radiant conclusion performed by the full company. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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TEA & TRUMPETSORPHEUM THEATRE, 2PM

Thursday, June 11

French Classics Bramwell Tovey conductorChristopher Gaze host/narratorEnChor

CHABRIER Gwendoline: Prelude to Act II

BIZET Suite No. 2 from L’Arléssiene

MASSENET Thais: Meditation

FAURÉ Pavane

FAURÉ Requiem IV. Pie Jesu VII. In Paradisum

OFFENBACH Orpheus in the Underworld: Overture

TEA & COOKIES Don’t miss tea and cookies served in the lobby one hour before each concert. Tea provided compliments of Tetley Tea.

Concert Program

CHRISTOPHER GAZE

BRAMWELL TOVEY

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ANGELA HEWITT BYRON STRIPLING JANINA FIALKOWSKA KAREN GOMYO LUCY WANG

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Bramwell Tovey conductor

For a biography of Maestro Tovey please refer to page 11.

Christopher Gaze host & narrator

Born and educated in England, Christopher Gaze was inspired to come to Canada in 1975 by his mentor, legendary Shakespearean actor Douglas Campbell. He spent three seasons at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake then moved to Vancouver in 1983. After a couple of experiences with other outdoor Shakespeare events, Christopher recognized the potential in blending excellent Shakespeare productions with Vancouver’s spectacular location. In 1990 he founded Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival where Bard’s signature open-ended performance tent allowed the actors to perform against a backdrop of the city’s skyline and mountains.A gifted public speaker, Christopher frequently shares his insights on the theatre and Shakespeare out in the community with school groups, service organizations and local businesses. Christopher’s many honours include induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal (2004), Honorary Doctorates from UBC & SFU, the BC Community Achievement Award (2007), the

Gold Medallion from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America (2007), the Mayor’s Arts Award for Theatre (2011) and the Order of British Columbia (2012).

EnChorEnChor is an auditioned SATB choir based in Vancouver, Canada. The choir is the creation of the late Dr. Diane Loomer, who felt there was a largely untapped well of experienced singers who had reached their 55th birthday (or better) and still might be interested in performing high quality music. Since its founding in 2007, EnChor, together with members of the UBC Opera Ensemble, has been a feature of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Traditional Christmas” concert series. EnChor has also performed by invitation at Podium 2010 in Saskatoon and, Festival 500 in St. John’s Newfoundland in 2011 and will be the Host Choir for the BC Choral Federation’s Chorfest in May 2014. EnChor’s new Artistic Director, Carrie Tennant, is well known in the Canadian choral community for her creative approach to working with choirs. Currently, in addition to EnChor, Carrie is the founder and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Youth Choir, and the Associate Artistic Director of Coastal Sound Music Academy, where she directs their award winning 70-voice youth choir. ■

ENCHOR

LET OUR GROUP ENTERTAIN YOUR GROUP!

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AIR CANADA MASTERWORKS DIAMOND ORPHEUM THEATRE, 8PM

Saturday & Monday, June 13 & 15 Bramwell Tovey conductorLucy Wang violin (VSO School of Music Competition winner)

SIBELIUS The Bard, Op. 64

RAVEL Tzigane, rapsodie de concert

INTERMISSION

MAHLER Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor Part One Trauermarsch: In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt Stürmisch bewegt. Mit grösster Vehemenz

Part Two Scherzo: Kräftig, nicht zu schnell

Part Three Adagietto: Sehr langsam Rondo-Finale: Allegro

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Bramwell Tovey conductor

For a biography of Maestro Tovey please refer to page 11.

Concert Program

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LUCY WANG

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BRAMWELL TOVEY WITH THE VSO

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Lucy Wang violin

Eighteen-year-old Lucy Wang began her violin studies at the age of three and, for the past several years, has studied with Carla Birston, at the VSO School of Music, and Gerald Stanick. Lucy has been a prizewinner in numerous national competitions, including the Canadian Music Competition, the Shean Competition, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition, and the Seattle Young Artists Competition, where she was awarded the opportunity to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Northwest.Lucy gained valuable experience, as concertmaster and soloist, with the Semiahmoo Strings Youth Orchestra, before making her debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Bramwell Tovey in 2014. The grand prize she received as winner of the VSO School of Music Concerto Competition includes the opportunity to perform as soloist in the VSO’s season finale, in June, 2015.Lucy is currently attending the Colburn School in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of acclaimed violinist Martin Beaver.

Jean Sibelius b. Hämeenlinna, Finland / December 8, 1865 d. Järvenpää, Finland / September 20, 1957

The Bard, Op. 64 Sibelius composed this delicately scored miniature tone poem in 1913, two years after the emotionally bleak Symphony No. 4. It depicts the ancient bards, performers who travelled throughout Scandinavia, reciting the mythical sagas of olden days while accompanying themselves on the harp.

The first section is serene and contemplative. Towards the end, the music shifts briefly to a more intense mode of expression, before Sibelius re-established the opening atmosphere of wistful regret.

Maurice Ravel b. Ciboure, France / March 7, 1875 d. Paris, France / December 28, 1937

Tzigane, rapsodie de concert In 1922, Ravel heard Hungarian violinist Jelly D’Aranyi in recital. After the concert,

she played gypsy melodies at his request. Intrigued, he decided to pay homage both to her and her music in this fiery composition, Tzigane (the French word for a female gypsy). She gave the premiere of the original, violin-and-piano version in London during April 1924. Ravel created the even more colourful arrangement with orchestral accompaniment over the following summer. It opens with a long, elaborate unaccompanied violin solo. The orchestra then enters quietly, ushering in a dashing, kaleidoscopic segment overflowing with virtuoso fireworks.

Gustav Mahler b. Kalischt, Bohemia / July 7, 1860 d. Vienna, Austria / May 18, 1911

Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor During Mahler’s lifetime he was better known, and more widely esteemed, as a conductor than as a composer. After his death his reputation lay dormant until the 1960s, when his vibrant music began striking a deep chord with audiences.

“A symphony should be like the world,” told Jean Sibelius in 1907, “it must contain everything.” Each of Mahler’s major compositions, in its own way, seeks to express a world’s worth of emotion and experience. The same symphony, or even the same movement of a symphony, may contain any or all of the following: heroism and tragedy, nobility and satire, simplicity and sophistication, despair and contentment. Massive blocks of orchestral sound dissolve into passages scored with the delicacy of chamber music (and vice-versa). Raucous marching bands and whirling, stamping country dancers rub shoulders with angelic, heavenly choirs. Such is the unique soundworld of Gustav Mahler.

In February 1901, he suffered hemorrhaging so massive that it threatened his life. His strong constitution ensured that he made a full recovery, but friends noted that his brush with death had left him with a more subdued and sombre outlook. Reflecting this frame of mind, much of the music he wrote that summer – several songs (include portions of the cycle Songs on the Death of Children) and the first two movements of the Fifth Symphony – is filled with bleakness and despair.

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On the other hand, he also created the symphony’s third movement, a swirling, buoyant scherzo. Perhaps he considered it a “thank you” for his recovery, and a re-affirmation of his enduring (if diminished) faith in the positive side of life. This is how he described it in a letter to a friend: “Each note is full of vitality and everything in it revolves as though in a whirlwind or the tail of a comet. Neither romantic nor mystical elements belong in it, it’s merely the expression of unparalleled power, that of a man in the full light of day who has reached the climax of his life.”

The following year brought a further positive development: Mahler married Alma Schindler, an intelligent, spirited, attractive and musically talented young woman. His happiness is mirrored in the major creations of that summer, the final two movements of the Fifth.

After rehearsing it with the Vienna Philharmonic in September 1904, he made the first of several revisions to the orchestration. The premiere followed on October 18, in Cologne, under his own baton. The reaction of critics and listeners alike proved largely unfavorable.

In the emotional arc it traces from darkness to light, it mirrors the Fifth Symphony of Beethoven. The expansion in timescale, emotional extremity and orchestral apparatus reflects a century’s worth of societal and artistic change. Mahler divided the work

into three strongly contrasted parts. As musicologist Deryck Cooke has written, “The symphony might almost be described as schizophrenic, in that the most tragic and joyful worlds of feeling are separated off from one another, and only bound together by Mahler’s unmistakable command of large-scale symphonic construction and unification.”

Part One consists of the two opening, thematically linked movements. The first is a sombre funeral march; the second a ferocious outburst of emotion, bordering at times on the hysterical. All this gloom evaporates magically with the horn call that opens Part Two, the scherzo. The broadest of all Mahler’s lighter movements, it celebrates, through the eyes of a mature, sophisticated man, the innocence and the lilting folk dances of his central-European youth.

Part Three (which mirrors Part One’s slow-fast structure, but not its emotional contents) opens with a lyrical adagietto, lushly and eloquently scored for strings and harp (Mahler may have conceived it as a musical loveletter to his new bride; director Luchino Visconti made telling use of it in his 1971 film Death in Venice). It builds to a fervent climax, after which the exuberant rondofinale follows on without a pause. This section builds up considerable momentum and creates an ever-more triumphant atmosphere as it unfolds. It also displays Mahler’s formidable skill at counterpoint. ■Program Notes © 2015 Don Anderson

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$10,000+Canadian Western BankCannacord Genuity CorpCentury Group Craftsman CollisionDeans Knight Capital Management Ltd.EncanaErnst & Young LLPGreat-West Life, London Life and Canada LifeHolland America Line Inc.HSBC Bank CanadaKGHM International Ltd.Kingswood Capital Corporation KPMG LLPMcCarthy Tétrault The McLean GroupMontecristo JewellersMontridge Financial GroupPacific SurgicalPark Royal Shopping CentrePrimaCorp Ventures Inc.ScotiabankSilver WheatonStikeman Elliott LLPSun Life Financial

TeckTime & Gold Tom Lee MusicWall Financial

$5,000+Anthem Properties Group Ltd.Aquilini Group BCLCCassels BrockCenterplate at Vancouver Convention CentreChubb insurance Company of Canada Friends of the Jewish Family Service Agency Genus Capital ManagementGreyell Wealth ManagementGrosvenor AmericasHaywood Securities Inc.Highland West Capital Ltd.Image Group Inc.Innovation LightingKorn Ferry Ledcor Properties Inc.Ledingham McAllister Macdonald Development CorporationMarin Investments LimitedMcElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.Dr. Tom Moonen Inc.Michael O’Brian Family FoundationOdlum Brown LimitedParq Vancouver Peter and Joanne Brown FoundationPeter Kiewit Infrastructure Co.Parq VancouverRBC Wealth ManagementReliance PropertiesRolls-Royce Motor Cars VancouverScotiaMcLeodStantec

TD WealthTerus Construction Ltd.UBS Bank (Canada)Wilson M. Beck Insurance Services Inc. XibitaAnonymous (1)

$2,500+Charles and Julie Bentall Family Foundation British Consulate-General VancouverGeorgian Court HotelHawksworth RestaurantKian Show Services Ltd.McCarthy Tétrault FoundationNesters Market YaletownSOCAN FoundationTala FloristsWalkers Shortbread Windsor Plywood Foundation

$1,000+ABC Recycling Ltd.API Asset Performance Inc.Bing Thom Architects FoundationCibo TrattoriaDomaine ChandonDunbar DentalEthical Bean CoffeeEnotecca Wineries & Resorts Inc.EY-In honour of Fred Withers' retirementFluor CanadaThe Hamber FoundationHealth Arts SocietyHUB InternationalLantic Inc.The Lazy GourmetLong & McQuade MusicNorburn Lighting & Bath CentreSilver Standard Resources Inc. The Simons Foundation

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

PREMIER EDUCATION PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNERS

78 allegro

CONCERT COURTESIES For your enjoyment, and the enjoyment of others, please remember concert etiquette. Talking, coughing, leaning over the balcony railings, unwrapping candies, and the wearing of strong perfume may disturb the performers as well as other audience members.

LATECOMERS Ushers will escort latecomers into the auditorium at a suitable break in the performance chosen by the conductor. Patrons who leave the auditorium during the performance will not be re-admitted until a suitable break in the performance.

HEARING-ASSIST SYSTEMS Hearing-impaired patrons may borrow complimentary Sennheiser Infrared Hearing System headsets, available at the coat-check in the Orpheum Theatre only, after leaving a driver’s licence or credit card.

CELL PHONES, PAGERS, DIGITAL WATCHES Please turn off cell phones and ensure that digital watches do not sound during performances. Doctors and other professionals expecting calls are asked to please leave personal pagers, telephones and seat locations at the coat check.

CAMERAS, RECORDING EQUIPMENT Photography and video/audio recording of any kind are prohibited during the performance. Pictures taken pre-concert, at intermission, and post-concert are encouraged. Please feel free to tweet and post to Facebook or Instagram pre-concert, during intermission or after the concert. During the performance, please do not use your mobile device in any way.

SMOKING AND SCENTS All venues are non-smoking and scent-free environments.

PROGRAM, GUEST ARTISTS AND/OR PROGRAM ORDER ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Finance & Administration: Mary-Ann Moir, Vice-President, Finance & AdministrationAntonio Andreescu, Junior Database & Network Administrator Debra Marcus, Director, Information Technology & Human ResourcesAnn Surachatchaikul, AccountantRay Wang, Payroll Clerk & IT Assistant

Marketing, Sales & Customer Service: Alan Gove, Acting President & CEO; Vice-President, Marketing & Sales; Shirley Bidewell, Manager, Gift Shop & Volunteers Estelle and Michael Jacobson Chair Stephanie Fung, Interim Director of MarketingAnna Gove, Editor & Publisher, Allegro MagazineKatherine Houang, Group Sales & Special Ticket ServicesKenneth Livingstone, Database ManagerCaroline Márkos, PR Associate & Assistant to the Music DirectorRobert Rose, Front of House Coordinator Cameron Rowe, Director, Audience & Ticket ServicesLaura-Anne Scherer, Social MediaVictoria Sie, Marketing Assistant & Assistant to the President & CEO

Customer Service Representatives: Jason Ho, Senior Customer Service Representative

Development: Leanne Davis, Vice-President, Chief Development OfficerRyan Butt, Manager, Corporate Programs Mary Butterfield, Director, Individual & Legacy GivingChris Loh, Development CoordinatorKate Lucas, Director, Annual Giving Dawn Nash, Stewardship OfficerAnn True, Development Officer, Direct ResponseLauren Watson, Development Officer, Special ProjectsDeanna Cheng, Special Projects Assistant

Artistic Operations & Education: Joanne Harada, Vice-President, Artistic Operations & EducationMatthew Baird, Artistic Operations AssistantSarah Boonstra, Operations ManagerRheanna Buursma, Assistant Librarian and Artistic Operations AssistantDeAnne Eisch, Orchestra Personnel ManagerRyan Kett, Artistic Operations & Education AssistantMinella F. Lacson, Music LibrarianChristin Reardon MacLellan, Education & Community Programmes Manager Ken & Patricia Shields Chair

The Vancouver Symphony Society is grateful to the Alan and Gwendoline Pyatt Foundation for generously providing our Administrative Offices.

At the Concert

Vancouver Symphony Administration 604.684.9100

Odessa Cadieux-Rey Acacia CresswellPaycia KhamvongsaShawn LauJade McDonald

Jonah McGarvaMichael McNairStacey MenziesXavier de Salaberry Kim Smith

Anthony Soon Kathy SiuJessica Tung Karl Ventura

allegro 79

Ronald Laird Cliff, C.M., ChairMarnie CarterRichard Mew

Board of Directors

Gordon R. Johnson, ChairFiona LinHein Poulus, Q.C.

Board Executive Committee

Fred Withers, Chair Chief Development Officer (Ret.) Ernst & Young

Larry Berg, Vice Chair President & CEO (Ret.) Vancouver International Airport Authority

Etienne Bruson, Treasurer Partner, International Tax, Deloitte

Dave Cunningham, Secretary VP Government Relations, TELUS

Dr. Peter Chung Executive Chairman, PrimaCorp Ventures Inc.

Alan Pyatt Chairman, President and CEO (Ret.) Sandwell International Inc.

Board Members

Eric Bretsen Partner, International Tax Services Ernst & Young LLP

Philip KY Chan General Sales Manager, Mercedes-Benz Canada

Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy WuSecretary. . . . . . . . . . . . Marlies Wagner Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . Gail FrankoMember. . . . . . . . . . . . . Paddy AikenMember. . . . . . . . . . . . . Azmina ManjiImmediate Past Chair. . . Sheila Foley

Scheduling Concerts (all venues) . . . Shirley BidewellGift Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara MorrisLotteries in Malls . . . . . . Gloria Davies

Reception Shifts. . . . . . . . .Gloria DaviesTea & Trumpets . . . . . . . . .Shirley Featherstone Marlene StrainSpecial Events Symphony of Style 2014 . .Paddy Aiken Holland America On-Board Luncheon 2014 .Marlies Wagner

Membership Volunteer Hours . . . . . . . .Sheila Foley

Debra Finlay Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLP

Elisabeth Finch Partner, PwC

Michael L. Fish President, Pacific Surgical

Cathy Grant Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales and Managing Broker Intracorp Realty LTD.

Lindsay Hall Executive Vice-President and CFO Goldcorp Inc.

Doug Hart Executive Director (Ret.), South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce

Diane Hodgins Director, Century Group Lands Corporation

Judith Korbin Arbitrator

Sam Lee Managing Director, Global Mining Group CIBC World Markets

Roy Millen Partner, Blakes

Julie Molnar Director, The Molnar Group

Fred Pletcher Partner, Chair of the National Mining Group Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Hein Poulus, Q.C. Partner, Stikeman Elliot

Stanis Smith Senior Vice President, Buildings, Stantec

Musician Representatives Larry Knopp Principal Trumpet

Elizabeth Volpé Bligh Harp

Honorary Life PresidentRonald Laird Cliff, C.M.

Honorary Life Vice-Presidents Nezhat Khosrowshahi Gerald A.B. McGavin, C.M., O.B.C.Ronald N. Stern Arthur H. Willms

Irene McEwen Gerald A.B. McGavin, C.M., O.B.C.Hein Poulus, Q.C.

Alan PyattArthur H. Willms

Manager, Gift Shop and Volunteer Resources Shirley Bidewell Tel 604.684.9100 ext 240 shirley@vancouversymphony.ca

Assistant Gift Shop ManagerRobert Rose

Patricia ShieldsEric WattArthur H. Willms

Administration

Curtis Pendleton Executive Director

Louise Ironside Assistant Director

David Law Operations & Facilities Manager

Vancouver Symphony Society Board of Directors

Vancouver Symphony Foundation Board of Trustees

VSO School of Music Society

Vancouver Symphony Volunteer Council 2014/2015

Fred WithersTim Wyman

BRAMWELL TOVEY

VSO SUMMER CONCERTS

Full concert listings at

vancouversymphony.ca or call 604.876.3434

WHISTLER PRESENTS A SUMMER OF ENTERTAINMENT FEATURING THE VSOWEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 3PM, WHISTLER OLYMPIC PLAZAFRIDAY, JULY 3, 8PM, WHISTLER OLYMPIC PLAZASATURDAY, JULY 4, 8PM, WHISTLER OLYMPIC PLAZAWhistler presents three FREE outdoor concerts, each featuring unique repertoire, and the full Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey!Book your Whistler accommodations at:whistler.com/entertainment | 1.800.WHISTLER

SYMPHONY IN THE PARKSUNDAY, JULY 12, 7PM, DEER LAKE PARK, BURNABYGordon Gerrard conductorBring your picnic blanket to the VSO’s annual FREE concert at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby! One of Metro Vancouver’s most beautiful outdoor venues.

THE VSO AT BARD ON THE BEACHCLASSICAL MASTERPIECES MONDAY, JULY 13, 7:30PM, BMO MAINSTAGE, BARD ON THE BEACH

The VSO and Associate Conductor Gordon Gerrard present a concert of Classical-era musical masterpieces, including Mozart’s brilliant Symphony No. 40.

A BAROQUE JOURNEY MONDAY, JULY 20, 7:30PM, BMO MAINSTAGE, BARD ON THE BEACH

Join the VSO and Associate Conductor Gordon Gerrard on a journey through the beautiful music of the Baroque era, including selections from Bach’s famous Brandenburg Concertos, and music by Handel and Vivaldi.Tickets from only $26!Bardonthebeach.org | 604.739.0559

PRINCETON ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTSPOKÉMON: SYMPHONIC EVOLUTIONS WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 7:30PM, ORPHEUM THEATRESusie Benchasil Seiter conductorThe VSO presents Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, performed live by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. This is the must-see video game concert of the year, giving fans and newcomers of all ages a chance to experience the evolution of the Pokémon franchise like never before.“It’s something purely magical that you just need to experience firsthand.” –Hardcore GamerTickets: vancouversymphony.ca | 604.876.3434

DEER LAKE PARK

GORDON GERRARD

PIKACHU