School of MusicFaculty of Fine ArtsUniversity of Victoria

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UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA • SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Emerging Artists Alumni Series

Tasha Meisami Farivar, voice

Braden Young, piano

Brian Desjarlais, guitar

Please turn off all electronic devices during the performanceand refrain from applauding during song cycles.

Saturday, October 22, 2016 • 8:00 p.m.Phillip T. Young Recital Hall

MacLaurin Building, University of VictoriaAdmission by donation

P R O G R A M

“Seguidilla” Georges Bizet Carmen’s aria from Carmen (1838–1875)

Seben Frühe Lieder Alban Berg Nacht (1885–1935) Schilflied Die Nachtigal Traumgekrönt Im Zimmer Liebesode Sommertage

I N T E R M I S S I O N

3 Selections from Schwanengesang Franz Schubert Ständchen (1797–1828) Das Fischermädchen Arr. J. K. Mertz Aufenthalt

Hungarian Fantasy J. K. Mertz(1806–1856)

Brian Desjarlais, guitar

Fêtes Galantes Claude Debussy En Sourdin (1862–1918) Fantoches Claire de Lune

“Sein wir wieder gut” Johannes StraussComposer’s Aria from Ariadne auf Naxos (1864–1949)

Braden Young, piano

PROGRAM NOTES

Georges BizetIn a career cut short by his early death, Georges Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently per-formed works in the entire opera repertory. He was recognised as an outstanding pianist, though he chose not to capitalise on this skill and rarely performed in public. Returning to Paris after almost three years in Italy, he found that the main Parisian opera theatres preferred the established classical repertoire to the works of new-comers. His keyboard and orchestral compositions were likewise largely ignored; as a result, his career stalled, and he earned his living mainly by arranging and transcrib-ing the music of others.

Alban BergAlban Berg is an Austrian composer who wrote atonal and 12-tone compositions that remained true to late 19th-century Romanticism. He composed orchestral music (including Five Orchestral Songs, 1912), chamber music, songs, and two ground-breaking operas, Wozzeck (1925) and Lulu (1937). Encouraged by his father and older brother, Alban Berg began to compose music without benefit of formal in-struction. During this period his output consisted of more than 100 songs and piano duets, most of which remain unpublished. Berg’s powerful and complex works draw from a broad range of musical resources but are chiefly shaped by a few central techniques: the use of a complex chromatic expressionism, which nearly obscures, yet actually remains within, the framework of traditional tonality; the recasting of classical musical forms with atonal content—i.e., abandoning traditional tonal struc-ture dependent upon a centrally important tone; and a deft handling of the 12-tone approach developed by Schoenberg as a method of structuring atonal music.

Franz SchubertFranz Schubert is considered the last of the classical composers and one of the first romantic ones. Schubert’s music is notable for its melody and harmony. Like the poets whose work he wrote his music around, Schubert was an unrivaled master of lyrical beauty. His vocal contributions, more than 500 in all, were written for male and female voices, as well as mixed voices. Schubert produced masterful works with rich harmonies and legendary melodies for a variety of genres, and his influence proved considerable with later composers like Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Hugo Wolf. And for some musical historians, his much praised “Ninth Sympho-ny” opened the way for other greats like Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler.

Claude DebussyAlong with Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy was one of the most prominent figures associated with Impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions. In France, he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. A crucial figure in the transition to the modern era in Western music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. His music is noted for its sensory component and for not often forming around one key or pitch. Debussy’s work usually reflected the activities or turbulence in his own life. In French literary circles, the style of this period was known as symbolism, a move-ment that directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant.

Richard StraussRichard Strauss was a leading German classical composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras best known for his operas Der Rosenkavalier and Salome, based on the play by Oscar Wilde. Hitler was a strong supporter of Strauss’ work and he was allowed to continue performing even while the works of Debussy, Mahler and Mendelssohn were being banned during the Nazi regime. Inspired initially by Berlioz and Brahms his first compositions were more classical in nature, before he moved in the direction of the more uninhibited romanticism of Liszt and Wagner. By his early twenties Strauss had composed a considerable amount of music, but it was with his first “Tone Poem” Don Juan in 1889 that his career was to take an upward turn. Having written several tone poems to major acclaim, Strauss turned first to writing operas, and then to conducting, his longest lasting post being with the Berlin Philhar-monic for 12 years. During this time his compositional output declined to near zero, but then in later life a last spurt of creativity resulted in a number of mature works seeming in part to return to a more classical form.

BIOGRAPHIES

Tasha Meisami Farivar (B.Mus ‘14), a Victoria native, completed her degree at the University of Victoria with Benjamin Butterfield. In 2012, she participated in the Vancouver International Song Institute (VISI) summer program at the University of British Columbia, and performed in a fundraiser alumni concert with Benjamin Butterfield, Martha Guth, Tyler Duncan, Erika Switzer and Laura Lowen in January 2015. Tasha has also performed as an alto soloist in the Victoria Chamber Orchestra production of Mozart’s Requiem in 2011, and in West Vancouver with the Pacific Spirit Choir and Orchestra 2014. She performed in the Philomela Woman’s Choir production of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, University of Victoria Chorus and Orchestra productions of Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessorae in 2013, and Bruckner’s Mass in F minor and Via Choralis’ production of Handel’s Messiah in December 2014. She also performed as an alto soloist in Haydn’s Paukenmesse with the Sooke Phil-harmonic, Spring 2014. Tasha competed in the 2014 Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival winning the Rose Bowl award and the Roberto and Mary Wood Scholarship, which led her to compete at the Performing Arts BC Provincials in the National category.

Tasha was accepted into the Amalfi Coast Summer Opera program in 2015 where she played the role of Ciesca in Pucini’s Gianni Schichi in Naples, Italy, and the Amalfi Coast. In 2015, Tasha also performed with the Pacific Opera Victoria chorus in productions of Lucia di Lammermoor and Madama Butterfly and landed a leading role in Fear No Opera’s production of An Italian Girl in London, as Madama Brillante. Last year Tasha was an alto soloist in the Bach, Vivaldi, and CPE Bach Magnificat with Paul Colthorpe and the North Island Spirit choir. Tasha also performed in this year’s Sooke Philharmonic production of Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessorae. Cur-rently Tasha is working with Pacific Opera again for their premier of Verdi’s Simone Boccanegra, in the role of Amelia’s maid, Angella as well as part of the Chorus.

Brian Desjarlais (M.Mus ‘13) is an accomplished Canadian classical guitarist based in Victoria, BC. Born in Windsor, Ontario, Brian began studying guitar at the age of 8. His first teacher guided Brian into the realm of classical guitar music and a lifelong passion was ignited.

Brian holds a Bachelor’s of Music Performance from the University of Windsor, where he studied under acclaimed Michigan guitarist Steven Dearing. After spending a number of years teaching and performing throughout Southwestern Ontario, Brian relocated to the west coast of Canada to study with the internationally renowned guitarist Dr. Alexander Dunn at the University of Victoria. Brian completed his Masters of Music Performance degree in 2014. Throughout the years, Brian has performed in master classes with such guitar greats as Pepe Romero, Marcin Dylla and Kazuhito Yamashita.

While at the University of Windsor, Brian twice won the Arlene Janzen Memorial Scholarship for excellence in performance. In 2008 he won the Ron Ianni Scholar-ship, awarded to the student recognized in competition as the top performer in the school. In 2012 Brian was granted a graduate fellowship award to study at the University of Victoria.

Brian is an active performer, both as a soloist and as a member of numerous en-sembles. He is a great supporter of new music, having performed in the Canadian premieres of works by David Jaffe and Tim Brady, as well as in a variety of student compositions during his time at the University of Victoria.

Born in Grand Forks, BC, Braden Young began studying piano at the age of seven. He entered the Camosun College Piano Performance Diploma Program with Dr. Jamie Syer at age 16 and graduated two years later winning the prestigious Irving K. Barber Scholarship. He completed his undergraduate degree in Music Scholarship (Piano) at UBC in the studio of Dr. Corey Hamm. Braden has won many solo and collaborative piano awards including the JVPAF Lieder Accompanist award 2012 and the Erzsebet Gessler Memorial Scholarship 2010. He has also been the collabora-tive pianist for two recent winners of the Roberto and Mary Wood Scholarship (2012/2014). In the past several years, he has organized and participated in benefit concerts for the First Unitarian Church of Victoria, Cambodia Support Group, the MS Society and a collaborative concert to support his studies at the University of Toronto. Last summer, Braden had the privilege of attending the Centre for Op-era Studies in Italy. He has been awarded the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto Foundation Graduate Fellowship (2014-2016), the Philcox Collaborative Piano Scholarship and a University Fellowship. Braden is completing his Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano at the University of Toronto, in the studio of Steven Philcox. Upon completion of his degree, Braden will be relocating to Victoria, BC to begin his career.

TEXT & TRANSLATIONS

SeguidillePrès des remparts de Séville, Near the ramparts of SevilleChez mon ami, Lillas Pastia At the place of my friend, Lillas PastiaJ’irai danser la Séguedille I will go to dance the SeguedillaEt boire du Manzanilla. And to drink Manzanilla.J’irai chez mon ami Lillas Pastia. I will go to the place of my friend, Lillas Pastia.Oui, mais toute seule on s’ennuie, Yes, but all alone, one gets bored,Et les vrais plaisirs sont à deux; And the real pleasures are for two;Donc, pour me tenir compagnie, So, to keep me company,J’emmènerai mon amoureux! I will take away my lover.Mon amoureux, il est au diable, My lover, he has gone to the devil,Je l’ai mis à la porte hier! I put him out yesterday!Mon pauvre coeur très consolable, My poor heart, very consolable,Mon coeur est libre comme l’air! My heart is free, like the air!J’ai les galants à la douzaine, I have suiters by the dozen,Mais ils ne sont pas à mon gré. But, they are not to my taste.Voici la fin de la semaine; Here it is the weekend;Qui veut m’aimer? Je l’aimerai! Who wants to love me? I will love him!Qui veut mon âme? Elle est à prendre. Who wants my soul? It¹s for the taking.Vous arrivez au bon moment! You’re arriving at the right time!J’ai guère le temps d’attendre, I have hardly the time to wait,Car avec mon nouvel amant, For with my new lover,Près des remparts de Séville, Near the ramparts of SevilleChez mon ami, Lillas Pastia! At the place of my friend, Lillas Pastia!

Seben Frühe Lieder

NachtDämmern Wolken über Nacht und Tal,Nebel schweben, Wasser rauschen sacht.Nun entschleiert sich’s mit einemmal:O gib Acht! Gib Acht!Weites Wunderland ist aufgetan.Silbern ragen Berge, traumhaft groß,Stille Pfade silberlicht talenAus verborg’nem Schoß;Und die hehre Welt so traumhaft rein.Stummer Buchenbaum am Wege stehtSchattenschwarz, ein Hauch vom fernen HainEinsam leise weht.Und aus tiefen Grundes DüsterheitBlinken Lichter auf in stummer Nacht.Trinke Seele! Trinke Einsamkeit!O gib Acht! Gib Acht!

Schilflied Auf geheimem WaldespfadeSchleich’ ich gern im AbendscheinAn das öde Schilfgestade,Mädchen, und gedenke dein!Wenn sich dann der Busch verdüstert,Rauscht das Rohr geheimnisvoll,Und es klaget und es flüstert,Daß ich weinen, weinen soll.Und ich mein’, ich höre wehenLeise deiner Stimme Klang,Und im Weiher untergehenDeinen lieblichen Gesang.

Night The clouds embrown the night and valley;the mists float above, the water rushing gently.Now all at once they unveil themselves:o listen! pay heed!A broad land of wonder has opened up.Silver mountains rise up, fantastically huge,silent paths lit with silverfrom the hidden lap of the valley;and the noble world is so dreamily pure.A mute beech stands by the path,black with shadows; a breeze from a distant, lonely grovewafts gently by.And from the deep darkness of the valleyflash lights in the silent night.Drink, my soul! Drink in this solitude!O listen! pay heed!

Reed SongAlong a secret forest pathI like to creep in the evening light;I go to the desolate, reedy banks,and think, my maiden, of you!As the bushes grow dark,the reeds hiss mysteriously,and lament and whisper,and thus I have to weep and weep.And I think that I hear waftingthe gentle sound of your voice,and down into the pond sinksyour lovely song.

Die NachtigallDas macht, es hat die NachtigallDie ganze Nacht gesungen;Da sind von ihrem süßen Schall,Da sind in Hall und WiderhallDie Rosen aufgesprungen.Sie war doch sonst ein wildes Blut,Nun geht sie tief in Sinnen,Trägt in der Hand den SommerhutUnd duldet still der Sonne GlutUnd weiß nicht, was beginnen.

Traumgekrönt Das war der Tag der weißen Chrysanthemem,Mir bangte fast vor seiner Pracht…Und dann, dann kamst du mir die Seele nehmenTief in der Nacht.Mir war so bang, und du kamst lieb und leise,Ich hatte grad im Traum an dich gedacht.Du kamst, und leis’ wie eine MärchenweiseErklang die Nacht.

Im ZimmerHerbstsonnenschein.Der liebe Abend blickt so still herein.Ein Feuerlein rotKnistert im Ofenloch und loht.So, mein Kopf auf deinen Knie’n,So ist mir gut.Wenn mein Auge so in deinem ruht,Wie leise die Minuten zieh’n

LiebesodeIm Arm der Liebe schliefen wir selig ein,Am offnen Fenster lauschte der Sommerwind,Und unsrer Atemzüge Frieden trug erhinaus in die helle Mondnacht.Und aus dem Garten tastete zagend sichein Rosenduft an unserer Liebe BettUnd gab uns wundervolle Träume,Träume des Rausches, so reich an Sehnsucht.

SommertageNun ziehen Tage über die Welt,Gesandt aus blauer Ewigkeit,Im Sommerwind verweht die Zeit.Nun windet nächtens der HerrSternenkränze mit seliger HandÜber Wander- und Wunderland.O Herz, was kann in diesen TagenDein hellstes Wanderlied denn sagenVon deiner tiefen, tiefen Lust:Im Wiesensang verstummt die Brust,Nun schweigt das Wort, wo Bild um BildZu dir zieht und dich ganz erfüllt.

The Nightingale It happened because the nightingalesang the whole night long;from her sweet call,from the echo and re-echo,roses have sprung up.She was but recently a wild blossom,and now she walks, deep in thought;she carries her summer hat in her hand,enduring quietly the heat of the sun,knowing not what to begin.

Crowned in a dream That was the day of the white chrysanthemums,I was almost intimidated by its glory…And then, then you came to take my souldeep in the night.I was so worried, and you came so lovingly and quietly,I had just thought of you in a dream.You came, and softly the night resoundedlike a fairy tale song.

In the chamberAutumn sunlight.The lovely evening peers so quietly in.A little red firecrackles in the stove and flares up.And with my head upon your knee,I am contented.When my eyes rest in yours,how gently do the minutes pass!

Love SongIn the arms of love we fell blissfully asleep;at the open window the summer wind listenedand carried the peacefulness of our breathout into the bright, moonlit night.And out of the garden, feeling its way randomly,the scent of roses came to our bed of loveand gave us wonderful dreams,dreams of intoxication, rich with yearning.

Summer daysNow the days drag through the world,sent forth from blue eternity;time dissipates in the summer wind.Now at night the Lord weaveswith blessed hand wreaths of starsabove the wandering wonderland.In these days, o my heart, what canyour brightest wanderer’s song then sayabout your deep, deep pleasure?In meadowsong the heart falls silent;now there are no words, and image upon imagevisits you and fills you entirely.

Selections from Schwanengesang:

StändchenLeise flehen meine LiederDurch die Nacht zu dir ;In den stillen Hain hernieder,Liebchen, komm zu mir!

Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschenIn des Mondes Licht;Des Verräters feindlich LauschenFürchte, Holde, nicht.

Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen?Ach! sie flehen dich,Mit der Töne süßen KlagenFlehen sie für mich.

Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen,Kennen Liebesschmerz,Rühren mit den SilbertönenJedes weiche Herz.

Laß auch dir die Brust bewegen,Liebchen, höre mich!Bebend harr’ ich dir entgegen!Komm, beglücke mich!

Das FischermädchenDu schönes Fischermädchen,Treibe den Kahn ans Land;Komm zu [mir und setze]1 dich nieder,Wir kosen Hand in Hand.

Leg an mein Herz dein KöpfchenUnd fürchte dich nicht [zu]2 sehr;[Vertraust du dich]3 doch sorglosTäglich dem wilden Meer.

Mein Herz gleicht ganz dem Meere,Hat Sturm und Ebb’ und Flut,Und manche schöne PerleIn seiner Tiefe ruht.

AufenthaltRauschender Strom,Brausender Wald,Starrender FelsMein Aufenthalt.

Wie sich die WelleAn Welle reiht,Fließen die TränenMir ewig erneut.

Hoch in den KronenWogend sich’s regt,So unaufhörlichMein Herze schlägt.

Und wie des FelsenUraltes Erz,Ewig derselbeBleibet mein Schmerz.

SerenadeMy songs beckon softlythrough the night to you;below in the quiet grove,Come to me, beloved!

The rustle of slender leaf tips whispers in the moonlight;Do not fear the evil spying of the betrayer, my dear.

Do you hear the nightingales call?Ah, they beckon to you,With the sweet sound of theirsingingthey beckon to you for me.

They understand the heart’s longing,know the pain of love,They calm each tender heartwith their silver tones.

Let them also stir within your breast,beloved, hear me!Trembling I wait for you,Come, please me!

Beautiful FishermaidenPull your boat toward shore;Come to me and sit down,We will speak of love, hand in hand.Lay your little head on my heart,

And do not be too frightened;Indeed, you trust yourself fearlesslyDaily to the wild sea!

My heart is just like the sea,Having storms and ebb and flow,And many beautiful pearlsRest in its depths.

DwellingRushing torrent,Howling forest,Awesome crag,My dwelling.

Just as each wavefollows upon the last,My tears flow,Eternally renewed.

High in the surgingtreetops’ swayMy heart beats incessantly;

And, like the orewithin the ancient stone,My pain remainsunchanged forever.

Fêtes Galantes

En SourdainCalmes dans le demi-jourQue les branches hautes font,Pénétrons bien notre amourDe ce silence profond.

Fondons nos âmes, nos cœursEt nos sens extasiés,Parmi les vagues langueursDes pins et des arbousiers.

Ferme tes yeux à demi,Croise tes bras sur ton sein,Et de ton cœur endormiChasse à jamais tout dessein.

Laissons-nous persuaderAu souffle berceur et douxQui vient, à tes pieds, riderLes ondes des gazons roux.

Et quand, solennel, le soirDes chênes noirs tomberaVoix de notre désespoir,Le rossignol chantera.

FantochesScaramouche et Pulcinella,Qu’un mauvais dessein rassembla,Gesticulent noirs sous la lune,

Cependant l’excellent docteur BolonaisCueille avec lenteur des simplesParmi l’herbe brune.

Lors sa fille, piquant minois,Sous la charmille, en tapinois,Se glisse demi-nue,

En quête de son beau pirate espagnol,Dont un langoureux rossignolClame la détresse à tue-tête.

Claire de LuneVotre âme est un paysage choisiQue vont charmant masques et bergamasques,Jouant du luth et dansant, et quasiTristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques!

Tout en chantant sur le mode mineurL’amour vainqueur et la vie opportune.Ils n’ont pas l’air de croire à leur bonheur,Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune,

Au calme clair de lune triste et beau,Qui fait rêver, les oiseaux [dans]1 les arbres,Et sangloter d’extase les jets d’eau,Les grands jets d’eau sveltes parmi les marbres.

En SourdainCalm in the half-dayThat the high branches make,Let us soak well our loveIn this profound silence.

Let us mingle our souls, our heartsAnd our ecstatic sensesAmong the vague langoursOf the pines and the bushes.

Close your eyes halfway,Cross your arms on your breast,And from your sleeping heartChase away forever all plans.

Let us abandon ourselvesTo the breeze, rocking and soft,Which comes to your feet to wrinkleThe waves of auburn lawns.

And when, solemnly, the eveningFrom the black oaks falls,The voice of our despair,The nightingale, will sing.

FantochesScaramouche and Pulcinella, brought together by some evil schemegesticulate, black beneath the moon.

Meanwhile, the learned doctor from Bologna slowly gathers medicinal herbs in the brown grass.

Then his sassy-faced daughtersneaks underneath the arborhalf-naked, in quest

Of her handsome Spanish pirate,whose distress a languorous nightingale deafeningly proclaims.

Clair de LuneYour soul is a chosen landscapecharmed by masquers and revellersplaying the lute and dancing and almostsad beneath their fanciful disguises!

Even while singing, in a minor key,of victorious love and fortunate livingthey do not seem to believe in their happiness,and their song mingles with the moonlight,

The calm moonlight, sad and beautiful,which sets the birds in the trees dreaming,and makes the fountains sob with ecstasy,the tall slender fountains among the marble statues!

Composer’s Aria

Sein wir wieder gut.Ich sehe jetzt alles mit anderen Augen!Die Tiefen des Daseins sind unermeßlich!Mein lieber Freund!Es gibt manches auf der Welt,Das läßt sich nicht sagen.Die Dichter unterlegen ja recht gute Worte,Jedoch Mut ist in mir, Mut Freund!Die Welt ist lieblich Und nicht fürchterlich dem Mutigen.Was ist denn Musik?Musik ist eine heilige Kunst zu versammelnAlle Arten von Mut wie CherubimUm einen strahlenden Thron Und darum ist sie die heilige unter dem KünstenDie heilige Musik!

Let us be reconciled!Now I see everything with different eyes!The profoundness of existence is immeasurable!My dear friend,there are many things in the worldwhich cannot be expressed in speech.The poets put down very good words,and yet, and yet, and yet --!Courage is in me, friend.The world is lovely and not frightening to the courageous man.And what is music, then?Music is a sacred art, to gatherall kinds of courage like cherubimbefore a shining throne!And therefore is music sacred among the arts!

finearts.uvic.ca/music/events

UPCOMING EVENTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 | 12:30 PM (Admission by donation)Tuesdaymusic

Take an afternoon break to enjoy a concert of varied repertoire and instruments featuring UVic School of Music students.

Phillip T. Young Recital Hall

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26 | 8 PM (Free Admission)Graduating Recital: David Gagnon, conducting

David Gagnon presents his Masters of Music graduating recital in conducting.Phillip T. Young Recital Hall

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 | 12:30 PM (Admission by donation)Fridaymusic

Featuring UVic School of Music brass students in a concert of varied repertoire.This concert will be broadcast live at finearts.uvic.ca/music/events/live/

Phillip T. Young Recital Hall

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 | 8 PM ($10-$20)UVic Orchestra: Nordic Light

Ajtony Csaba, conductorGrieg – Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16

featuring UVic Concerto Competition Winner, Muzi XuGrieg – Peer Gynt Suites (selection)Grieg – Holberg Suite (selection)

University Centre Farquhar Auditorium

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 | 8 PM ($10-$20)Faculty Chamber Music Series

Members of UVic’s Performance Faculty join on stage to present an evening of chamber music. The program will include many familiar faces as well as a brass quintet with our newest faculty member Merrie Klazek on trumpet. Performing

music by Schubert, Ewald, Brahms, Piazzolla, and more!Phillip T. Young Recital Hall

Tickets available at the UVic Ticket Centre (250-721-8480), online (www.tickets.uvic.ca) and at the door.

To receive our On the Pulse brochure and newsletter by email, contact: concert@uvic.ca