Sunday Evening, April 1, 2012, at 8:30
Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY)Iris Derke, Co-Founder and General Director
Jonathan Griffith, Co-Founder and Artistic Director
Presents
Distinguished Concerts Singers International
This Shining Night: The Music of Whitacre
and Lauridsen ERIC WHITACRE, Composer and ConductorSpecial Guest Artist MORTEN LAURIDSEN
TALI TADMOR, Piano
Program to be introduced from the stage
ERIC WHITACRE Animal Crackers Vol. II. The PantherII. The CowIII. The Firefly
Animal Crackers Vol. II (DCINY 2009 Premiere Project)I. The CanaryII. The EelIII. The Kangaroo
A Boy and a Girl
Five Hebrew Love SongsI. Temuná (A picture)II. Kalá kallá (Light bride) III. Kalá kallá (Light bride) IV. Éyze shéleg! (What snow!)V. Rakút (Tenderness)
Lux Aurumque
Seal Lullaby
MORTEN LAURIDSEN Sure on This Shining Night
Intermission
Please hold your applause until after the final movement.PLEASE SWITCH OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 1
ERIC WHITACRE the city and the sea (DCINY 2010 Premiere Project)i. i walked the boulevardii. the moon is hiding in her hairiii. maggie and milly and molly and mayiv. as is the sea marvelousv. little man in a hurry
Cloudburst
Go, Lovely Rose
Sleep
With a Lily in Your Hand
MORTEN LAURIDSEN Dirait-On
Please hold your applause until after the final movement.
NOTES ON THE ProgramWorks by ERIC WHITACRE:
Text of Animal Crackers Vol. IText by Ogden Nash
I. The PantherThe panther is like a leopard,Except it hasn’t been peppered.Should you behold a panther crouch,Prepare to say Ouch.Better yet, if called by a panther,Don’t anther.
II. The CowThe cow is of the bovine ilk;One end is moo, the other, milk.
III. The FireflyThe firefly’s flame is something forwhich science has no name
I can think of nothing eerierThan flying around with an unidentified glow on a
person’s posterier.
Text of Animal Crackers Vol. IIText by Ogden Nash
I. The CanaryThe song of canariesnever varies.And when they’re moulting,they’re pretty revolting.
II. The EelI don’t mind eels,except as meals,and the way they feels.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 2
III. The KangarooO Kangaroo, O Kangaroo,Be grateful that you’re in the zoo.And not transmuted by a boomerangInto zestful, tangy Kangaroo meringue.
Text of A Boy and a GirlText by Octavio Paz
Stretched out on the grass,
a boy and a girl.Savoring their oranges,giving their kisses like wavesexchanging foam.
Stretched out on the beach,
a boy and a girl.Savoring their limes,giving their kisses like cloudsexchanging foam.
Stretched out underground,a boy and a girl.Saying nothing, never kissing,giving silence for silence.
(Please turn the page quietly.)
Text of Five Hebrew Love Songs Text by Hila Plitmann
I. Temuná (A picture)A picture is engraved in my heart;Moving between light and darkness;A sort of silence envelopes your body,And your hair falls upon your facejust so.
II. Kalá kallá (Light bride)Light brideShe is all mine,And lightlyShe will kiss me!
III. Lárov (Mostly) “Mostly,” said the roof to the sky,“the distance between you and I isendlessness;
But a while ago two came up here,And only one centimeter was leftbetween us.”
IV. Éyze shéleg! (What snow!)What snow!Like little dreamsFalling from the sky.
V. Rakút (Tenderness)He was full of tenderness;She was very hard.And as much as she tried to stay thus,Simply, and with no good reason,He took her into himself,And set her downIn the softest, softest place.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 3
Text of Seal LullabyText by Rudyard Kipling
Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters thatsparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us,
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.
Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow,
Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow swinging seas!
Text of the city and the seaText by ee cummings
i. i walked the boulevardi walked the boulevard
i saw a dirty childskating on noisy wheels of joy
pathetic dress fluttering
behind her a mothermonsterwith red grumbling face
cluttered in pursuit
pleasantly elephantine
while nearby the fathera thick cheerful man
with majestic bulbous lipsand forlorn piggish hands
joked to a girlish bore
with busy rhythmic mouthand silly purple eyelids
of how she was with child
ii. the moon is hiding in her hair the moon is hiding inher hair.thelilyof heavenfull of all dreams,draws down.
cover her briefness in singingclose her with intricate faint birdsby daisies and twilightsdeepen her,
reciteupon herfleshthe rain’s
pearls singly-whispering.
Text of Lux AurumqueText by Edward Esch | Latin translation by Charles Anthony Silvestri
Lux AurumqueLux,Calida gravisque pura velut aurumEt canunt angeli molliterModo natum.
Light of GoldLight,Warm and heavy as pure goldAnd the angels sing softlyTo the newborn baby.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 4
iii. maggie and milly and molly and maymaggie and milly and molly and maywent down to the beach (to play oneday)
and maggie discovered a shell that sangso sweetly she couldn’t remember hertroubles, and
milly befriended a stranded starwhose rays five languid fingers were;and molly was chased by a horriblething
which raced sideways while blowingbubbles: and
may came home with a smoothround stone
as small as a world and as large asalone.
For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea
iv. as is the sea marvelousas is the sea marvelous from god’shands which sent her forthto sleep upon the worldand the earth withersthe moon crumblesone by onestars flutter into dust
but the seadoes not change
and she goes forth out of hands andshe returns into handsand is with sleep….
love, the breakingof your souluponmy lips
v. little man in a hurrylittle man(in a hurryfull of animportant worry)halt stop forget relax wait
(little childwho have triedwho have failedwho have cried)lie bravely down
sleep
big rainbig snowbig sun
bug moon(enter us)
(Please turn the page quietly.)
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 5
Text of CloudburstText by Octavia Paz; Adapted by Eric Whitacre; Translated by Lysander Kemp
The rain…Eyes of shadow-watereyes of well-water,eyes of dream-water.
Blue suns, green whirlwinds,birdbeaks of light pecking openpomegranate stars.
But tell me, burnt earth, is there nowater?
Only blood, only dust,Only naked footsteps on the thorns?
The rain awakens…
We must sleep with open eyes,we must dream with our hands,we must dream the dreams of a river seeking its course,
of the sun dreaming its worlds,we must dream aloud,we must sing till the song puts forth roots,
trunk, branches, birds, stars,we must find the lost word,and remember what the blood,the tides, the earth, and the body say,and return to the point of departure…
Text of SleepText by Charles Anthony Silvestri
The evening hangs beneath the moonA silver thread on darkened duneWith closing eyes and resting headI know that sleep is coming soon
Upon my pillow, safe in bed,A thousand pictures fill my head,I cannot sleep, my minds aflight,And yet my limbs seem made of leadIf there are noises in the night,A frightening shadow, flickering light…
Then I surrender unto sleep,Where clouds of dream give second sight
What dreams may come, both dark and deep
Of flying wings and soaring leapAs I surrender unto sleepAs I surrender unto sleep.
Text of With a Lily in Your HandText by Federico Garcia Lorca | Translated by Jerome Rothenberg
O! o my night love! With a lily in your handI leave you, o my night love!Little widow, Little widow of my single star
I find you, I find you,Tamer of dark butterflies!I keep along my way, my way.
After a thousand years have goneyou’ll see me, o, my night love!By the blue footpath,tamer of dark stars.I’ll make my way.Until the universe, until the universe,until the universe can fit inside myheart.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 6
Works by MORTEN LAURIDSEN:
Text of Sure on This Shining NightText by James Agee
Sure on this shining nightOf star made shadows round,Kindness must watch for meThis side the ground. The late year lies down the north.All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth. Hearts all whole.Sure on this shining night I weep forwonder wand’ring far
aloneOf shadows on the stars.
Text and Translation of Dirait-onText by Ranier Maria Rilke, from Les Roses
Abandon entouré d’abandon, tendresse touchant aux tendresses…C’est ton intérieur qui sans cesse se caresse, dirait-on;
se caresse en soi-même, par son propre reflet éclairé. Ainsi tu inventes le thème du Narcisse exaucé.
Abandon surrounding abandon, tenderness touching tenderness…Your oneness endlessly caresses itself, so they say;
self-caressing through its own clear reflection.Thus you invent the theme of Narcissus fulfilled.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 7
MEET THE ArtistsERIC WHITACREEric Whitacre is one of the most pop-ular and performed composers of ourtime, a distinguished conductor, broad-caster, and public speaker. His firstalbum as both composer and conductoron Decca/Universal, Light and Gold,won a Grammy Award in 2012, reapedunanimous five star reviews, and becamethe number one classical album on theU.S. and U.K. charts within a week ofrelease. His second album, Water Night,is scheduled for release on Decca in laterthis month. It features seven worldpremiere recordings and includes per-formances from his professional choir,the Eric Whitacre Singers, the LondonSymphony Orchestra, Julian LloydWebber, and Hila Plitmann. His com-positions are also featured on multipleother recordings made in Europe,North America, and Australasia.
Mr. Whitacre’s ground-breaking VirtualChoir, Lux Aurumque, received over amillion views on YouTube in just 2months (now three million), featuring185 singers from 12 different countries.Virtual Choir 2.0, Sleep, was releasedin April 2011 and involved over 2,000voices from 58 countries. Co-producedby DCINY, Virtual Choir 3, WaterNight, received 3,746 submissionsfrom 73 counties and will be premieredat Lincoln Center on April 2, 2012.
He has written for the London Sym-phony Orchestra and Chorus, Chanti-cleer, Julian Lloyd Webber and thePhilharmonia Orchestra, RundfunkchorBerlin, and The King’s Singers, among
others. His musical, Paradise Lost:Shadows and Wings, won both theASCAP Harold Arlen award and theRichard Rodgers Award, and earned tennominations at the Los Angeles StageAlliance Ovation Awards. A versatilemusician, he has also worked with leg-endary film composer Hans Zimmer,co-writing the Mermaid Theme forPirates of the Caribbean: On StrangerTides. In 2011 Mr. Whitacre was oneof the judges and conducted the win-ning entries of the Abbey Road 80thAnniversary Anthem Competition,recording the London SymphonyOrchestra and his professional choir,the Eric Whitacre Singers, in AbbeyRoad Studio One.
His latest initiative, Soaring Leap, is aseries of dynamic workshops for singers,instrumentalists, conductors, and com-posers to read, rehearse, and performhis works, digging deep into the poetryand exploring compositional tools.Guest speakers, other composers, and
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 8
musicians make regular appearancesat Soaring Leap events.
An exceptional orator, he was honored toaddress the U.N. Leaders program andgive a TEDTalk in March 2011 whichearned the first full standing ovationof the conference. He has addressedaudiences at Duke and Harvard, TheEconomist, Seoul Digital Forum, andJCDA Conference in Tokyo.
Many of Mr. Whitacre’s works haveentered the standard choral and sym-phonic repertories and have becomethe subject of scholarly works anddoctoral dissertations. He has receivedcomposition awards from the BarlowInternational Composition Competition,
the ACDA and the American ComposersForum. In 2001 he became the youngestrecipient ever awarded the covetedRaymond C. Brock commission by theACDA, despite coming to classical musicrelatively late in life when he joined hiscollege choir in Las Vegas. The first piecehe ever performed—Mozart’s Requiem—changed his life. Inspired to compose,his first piece, “Go, Lovely Rose,” wascompleted at the age of 21. He went onto The Juilliard School, where he earnedhis master of music degree studying withPulitzer Prize and Academy Award–winning composer John Corigliano.
Mr. Whitacre is currently composer-in-residence at Sidney Sussex College,Cambridge University, United Kingdom.
MORTEN LAURIDSENThe music of Morten Lauridsen, composer-in-residence of the LosAngeles Master Chorale from 1994 to2001 and professor of composition atthe University of Southern CaliforniaThornton School of Music for morethan 30 years, occupies a permanentplace in the standard vocal repertoireof the 20th century. His seven vocalcycles—Les Chansons des Roses (Rilke),Mid-Winter Songs (Graves), CuatroCanciones (Lorca), A Winter Come(Moss), Madrigali: Six “FireSongs” onRenaissance Italian Poems, Nocturnes,and Lux Aeterna—and his series ofsacred a cappella motets (O MagnumMysterium, Ave Maria, O Nata Lux, UbiCaritas et Amor, and Ave DulcissimaMaria) are featured regularly in concertby distinguished ensembles throughoutthe world. O Magnum Mysterium,Dirait-on (from Les Chansons des Roses),and O Nata Lux (from Lux Aeterna)
have become the all-time best-sellingchoral octavos distributed by TheodorePresser, in business since 1783.
In speaking of Dr. Lauridsen’s sacredworks in his book, Choral Music inthe 20th Century, musicologist andconductor Nick Strimple describes Dr.Lauridsen as “the only American
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 9
composer in history who can be calleda mystic, (whose) probing, serene workcontains an elusive and indefinableingredient which leaves the impressionthat all the questions have beenanswered… From 1993 [Dr.] Lauridsen’smusic rapidly increased in internationalpopularity, and by century’s end hehad eclipsed Randall Thompson as themost frequently performed Americanchoral composer.”
His works have been recorded on overa hundred CDs, three of which havereceived Grammy nominations, includ-ing O Magnum Mysterium, by the NewYork–based ensemble Tiffany Consort,led by Nicholas White, and two all-Lauridsen discs entitled Lux Aeterna bythe Los Angeles Master Chorale con-ducted by Paul Salamunovich (RCM)and Polyphony with the Britten Sinfo-nia conducted by Stephen Layton(Hyperion). His principal publishers are
Peermusic (New York/Hamburg) andPeer’s affiliate, Faber Music (London).
A recipient of numerous grants, prizes,and commissions, Dr. Lauridsen chairedthe Composition Department at theUSC Thornton School of Music from1990 to 2002, founded the School’sAdvanced Studies Program in filmscoring, and is currently distinguishedprofessor of composition. In 2006 Dr. Lauridsen was named an Ameri-can Choral Master by the NationalEndowment for the Arts. In 2007 hewas the recipient of the NationalMedal of Arts from the president in aWhite House ceremony, “for his com-position of radiant choral works com-bining musical beauty, power, andspiritual depth that have thrilled audi-ences worldwide.” The National Medalof Arts is the highest award given toartists and arts patrons by the UnitedStates government.
TALI TADMORTali Tadmor began her musical careerat the age of six, when she enrolled inTel Aviv’s Israeli Conservatory forMusic. Currently Ms. Tadmor is on thefaculty of the California Institute of theArts (CalArts) after having earned herdoctorate in keyboard collaborativearts from the University of SouthernCalifornia (USC). Additional profes-sional engagements include work withLos Angeles Opera’s Education andCommunity Programs and numerousperformances collaborating with a widevariety of musicians, including herdebut recital at Carnegie Hall’s WeillRecital Hall in June of 2009 alongsidesoprano Courtney Huffman.
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 10
DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS INTERNATIONAL NEW YORKFounded by Iris Derke (General Director)and Jonathan Griffith (Artistic Directorand Principal Conductor) DistinguishedConcerts International is driven by pas-sion, innovative vision, a total belief inits artists, and unwavering commitmentto bringing forth unforgettable audienceexperiences. DCINY is a creative pro-ducing entity with unmatched integritythat is a talent incubator, a star-maker,and a presenter of broadly accessible,world-class musical entertainment. For
more information about DistinguishedConcerts International in New York andupcoming DCINY musical events aroundthe world, please visit: www.dciny.org,or call 212-707-8566.
As part of its educational mission, Distinguished Concerts InternationalNew York initiated its Premiere Projectwith the purpose of commissioningnew works from prominent composersfor world premieres.
DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS SINGERS INTERNATIONALPerforming in Act 1 Desoto Central High School Chorale (MS), Megan Morgan, DirectorLegacy Christian Academy Concert Choir (TX), Sandra Clark, DirectorOrrville High School Choir (OH), Laurel Manning Labbe, DirectorWest Monroe High School Choir (LA), Greg A. Oden, Director Winter Springs High School Chorus (FL), Kara Knowles, DirectorAnd individuals from around the globe
Performing in Act 2 Classical Ensemble and Bel Canto Choirs (CA), Marti Martinez, Director Delta State University Chorale (MS), Nicholaus B. Cummins, DirectorThe Lowell Choir (CA), Jason Chan, Directormolto cantabile (Switzerland), Andreas Felber, DirectorOlive Branch High School Choir (MS), Michael Wegener, DirectorRidgeland High School Choir (MS), Lisa Fournet Clark, DirectorRiver Dell High School Select Choir (NJ), Lisa Smith, DirectorRose Choir (NJ), Kelsey Rose, Director
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 11
DCINY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Iris Derke, Co-Founder and General Director
Jonathan Griffith, Co-Founder, Artistic Director, andPrincipal Conductor
Johanna B. Kodlick, Director of Artistic Operations
Danuta Gross, Director of Finance and Administration
Naghma Husain, Director of Design and Promotions
Jeffery R. Thyer, Associate Director of Program Development
Andrew W. Monath, Program Development
Kevin Taylor, Program DevelopmentNicole Cotton, Production ManagerAndrea Macy, Marketing and Promotions
Lynn Tsai, Concert Operations Associate Luzanne Veldsman, Intern
DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK250 W. 57TH STREET, SUITE 1610
NEW YORK, NY 10107212-707-8566
DCINY thanks its kind sponsors and partners in education: VH 1 Save the Music, Education Through Music, and High 5.
For information about performing on DCINY’s series or about purchasing tickets to scheduled concerts, e-mail [email protected], call 212-707-8566 or
877-MYDCINY (toll free), or visit our website at www.DCINY.org.
To connect with DCINY on Facebook, Twitter @DCINY (#DCINY), and other social networking sites, and to sign up for the DCINY e-list
for updates and special ticket offers, scan
or visit www.DCINY.org/connect
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 12
DCINY 2012 SEASON
Please join us for one of our other events:
Sunday, April 22, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Over the StoneA Welsh Celebration
Karl Jenkins Over the Stone (Harp Concerto)Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Catrin Finch, HarpBryn Terfel, Special GuestHaydn: St. Nicholas MassMartin: The Awakening
Richard W. Weymuth, Guest ConductorKara Shay Thomson, SopranoDoris Brunatti, Mezzo-soprano
David Guzman, TenorStefan Szkafarowsky, Bass
Special appearance by KHORIKOSJesse Mark Peckham, Director
Featuring Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Bryn Terfel appears by kind permission of the Metropolitan Opera.
Monday, April 23, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Symphony of Voices from Turkish LandsA. Adnan Saygun: Yunus EmreAcclaimed Turkish oratorioRengim Gökmen, ConductorFerda Yetişer, Mezzo-soprano
Şenol Talinli, TenorTuncay Kurtoğlu, Bass
TURKSOY Symphony OrchestraJonathan Griffith Singers
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 13
DCINY 2012 SEASON
Monday, May 28, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. (Memorial Day)Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Of Faith and FreedomJoseph Martin, Composer and Conductor
The Music of Joseph MartinThe Music of Dan Forrest
James Melton, Guest ConductorFeaturing Distinguished Concert Singers International
Tuesday, May 29, 2012, at 8:00 p.m.Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie HallDistinguished Concerts Artist Series
West Coast Sounds: The Pianist Program from the Orange County High School of the Arts
Patricia Dobiesz, Director
Friday, June 15, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room
Distinguished Concerts Artist Series: What About Us?Darcy Reese, Director
Robert Robinson, Soloist
04-01 DCINY_Carnegie Hall Rental 3/26/12 2:21 PM Page 14