october 18, 2021 s 1 striking rhythms

SYMPHONYLETHBRIDGE

music directorGLENN KLASSEN

October 18, 2021Symphony SerieS 1

Striking rhythmS

Lethbridge Symphony Orchestrawith Adam Mason | marimba

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The freedom to pursue their passion.

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The hard work, perseverance and vision of emerging artists demonstrate the power of having – and the joy of realizing – a dream. Together with organizations like Lethbridge Symphony we support a diverse range of Canadian talent in local communities and across the country through the RBC Emerging Artists Project.

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2 | LethbridgeSymphony.org

Wolgang Amadeus Mozart(1756 - 1791)

Johannes Brahms(1833 - 1897)

Keiko Abe

(b. 1937)

Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56aChoral St Antoni: AndanteVariation I: Poco più animatoVariation II: Più vivaceVariation III: Con motoVariation IV: Andante con motoVariation V: VivaceVariation VI: VivaceVariation VII: GraziosoVariation VIII: Presto non troppoFinale: Andante

Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra

Adam Mason | marimba

Symphony No 38 in D Major, K 504 (Prague)I. Adagio - AllegroII. AndanteIII. Finale: Presto

For EvEryonE’S EnjoymEntpleaSe remove all hatS to preServe SightlineS.

pleaSe Set all electronicS to Silent and lower the Screen BrightneSS.pleaSe do not photograph during the performance.

aBSolutely no audio or video recording without prior permiSSion.latecomerS are Seated at a SuitaBle Break.

Fire regulations require that every Person has a ticket.no outSide food or drinkS - Bottled water iS availaBle in the loBBy

(generously suPPlied by subaru of lethbridge - $2 suggested donation)

We acknowledge that we are gathered on the lands of the Blackfoot people of the Canadian Plains andpay respects to them - past, present, and future - while recognising and respecting their cultural heritage,

beliefs, and relationship to the land. This area is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Programme Order

LethbridgeSymphony.org | 3

www.warwickprinting.com


About our Guest ArtistAdam Mason

serves as Director of Percussion at

the University of Lethbridge (U of

L). He is active as a performer, adjudicator and

clinician around the world - including tours and major

festivals in Beijing, Shanghai, Brazil,

UK, Trinidad, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan,

Ghana, Canada, throughout the

US, and at multiple Percussive Arts

Society International Conventions. He is

immediate-past Chair of the Percussive Arts

Society International Committee and is

currently Alberta PAS Chapter President.

At the U of L, Professor Mason directs the Global Drums Steel Band, Taiko Ensemble, African Music & Dance Ensemble, Chinese Ensemble, Polynesian Ensemble, Brazilian Samba Batteria, and the Percussion Ensemble. In the field of Marching Percussion and Drum Corps International (DCI), he instructed the ten-time World Champion Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps, Phantom Regiment, and Suncoast Sound. Mason is proud to be an educator / endorser for Remo, Zildjian, Vic Firth, and Yamaha Canada.


403-329-2304 [email protected] www.uleth.ca/music-conservatoryLOCATED AT Casa (230 8 St S) [Conservatory of Music Front Desk]

BringingMusicT o L i f e

CHOIRS FOR ALL AGES PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONSDRUMMINGSTRINGSAND MORE!


Thank you to our community partners!

Conductor’s Circlefrom $2,500

Brenda & Robert Brander • Dr Jennifer Little & Daniel Shapiro • Lois & Glen Mumey

from $1,000Chester & Sharon Mook – in memory of Lorita Ichikawa • Melinda & Hugh Arthur • Ted & Iris Richardson • Doug & Bev Emek • Ken & Kathy Lewis • Phyllis Pylypow

Symphony Friends from $500Frances McHardy • Joan McNeil • Douglas & Naomi Mitchell • Olive Green

Monthly DonorsChristopher Burton • Joan Smith • Maureen Hepher

Play On - Bequests & Endowment Fundsfrom $10,000

The Chrysanthemum Fund

Corporate, Foundation & Event Supportersfrom $10,000

RBC Foundation • Community Foundation of Lethbridge + Southwestern Alberta

from $5,00094.1 CJOC FM - 98.1 2Day FM - MyLethbridgeNow.com • Rogers Sugar

• Subaru of Lethbridge • Avail CPA • Warwick Printing

from $2,500B’nai Brith

Government FundersAlberta Foundation for the Arts • City of Lethbridge

Gifts received from January 1, 2021. Thanks also to those who contributed after the print deadline.

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation of any amount since March 2020. We wouldn’t be here without you.


www.galtmuseum.com 8 | LethbridgeSymphony.org

, music directorGLENN KLASSEN

violin iNorbert Boehm ‡Airdrie Robinson †

Peter Visentin §Val Lazzaretto

Wai NieuwenhuisAlayna McNeilAlina Khvatova

Isabelle Robinson

violin iiLise Boutin * John Gilliat ^

Bethany RobinsonJessica Groeneveld

Elizabeth WildeAllison Metzler

viola

Gabriel Kastelic *Mark Kadijk ^

Marja MijsberghSophie StrongShee Ling +

CEllo

Mark Rodgers *Sarabeth Baldry ^

Lynn GilliatJulie AmundsenBonnie WildeBree Clark

Samantha Huang

BaSS

Catherine McLaughlin * Keely Evanoff ^Yukari Sasada +

PiCColo

Megan Sheedy

FlutE

Jodi Groenheide *Megan Sheedy

Myla Krippl

oBoE

Melody McKnight *+Joelle Strang

ClarinEt

Joan Rogers *Annika Dolde

BaSSoon

Robert George *Timothy JanzenJames Dempster

ContraBaSSoon

Timothy Janzen

horn

Sarah Viejou *Helena Golinowski

Karly LewisThomas Staples

trumPEt

Trudi Mason *Rex MulderDon Robb

tromBonE

Gerald Rogers *Nick SullivanRon Garnett

tuBa

Gregg Samuel

timPani

Matt Groenheide

PErCuSSion

Matt Thiessen *Taylor Murphy

Tate Orlita

kEyBoard

Graeme Roset

‡ concertmaster† associate concertmaster§ assistant concertmaster

* principal^ assistant principal

+ non-resident musician


Mozart’s Symphony No 38 in D Major, K. 504 (Prague) marks an exciting highpoint in his career when the widespread recognition he had struggled for finally seemed within reach. On May 1, 1786 his opera Le nozze di Figaro was premiered in Vienna and was so well received that the Emperor Joseph II had to ban the local custom of encoring arias, since so many encores had been demanded by the audience that first night. What was a success in Vienna, however, became a wild triumph in Prague later that year. When Mozart travelled there in January of 1787 to conduct a performance of the opera, he could proudly report back to his friend Gottfried von Jacquin that “here nothing is talked about except - Figaro; nothing else is played, blown, sung or whistled, except - Figaro; no opera is attended, except - Figaro and always Figaro.” For four weeks he was feted by the city and returned to Vienna with a commission from Prague’s National Theatre for a new opera - what would become Don Giovanni.

Among the musical events Mozart was involved in during his visit was a concert of his latest music. The works he presented included a new symphony he had composed in December expressly for the Prague trip. It is written in three, rather than four, movements following the Italian tradition of the symphony, which was favoured in Prague at the time. A late masterpiece, this symphony is one of Mozart’s most ingenious and captivating works. It opens with an imposing slow introduction, which has an almost operatic breadth to it, beginning with stern, majestic flourishes for the full orchestra, then softening to the affecting lyricism of the strings only to darken into deep, mysterious brooding. The gloom is dispelled, however, by the arrival of the main theme of the Allegro proper, which steals in quietly from an innocent, syncopated figure to sweep on to riveting

fanfares across the orchestra. The vital energy of this theme with its delightful exchanges between various instruments runs through the whole first movement like an electric current and imbues the music with an infectious optimism. A tender Andante follows, although it too has darker moments in its interior. The playful finale then returns to the electric energy of the opening movement to bring the whole work to its bright conclusion.

Johannes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn (opus 56a) is one of his most popular orchestral works. It was composed in 1873 during a summer retreat to Lake Starnberg in Southern Bavaria. The composer’s star was in its ascendency at this point in his career. In 1871 the premiere of his German Requiem had catapulted him to fame in the German states. The next year he had accepted the post of conductor of the prestigious Gesellschaft der Musikfeunde concerts in Vienna and moved to the city permanently as a well-established composer with a growing international reputation. The very successful premiere of the Haydn Variations in Vienna on November 2, 1873 further added to his prestige.

The Variations reveal much about their creator. First there is Brahms’ interest in old music. The theme itself comes from a manuscript of a wind octet his friend, the music historian Carl Ferdinand Pohl discovered and showed to Brahms. The Octet was assumed to be by Haydn, but since then it is thought to be more likely by Haydn’s student, Ignaz Pleyel. Then there is Brahms’ very cautious approach to orchestral composition, for the Variations seem to have served as a test piece in orchestration before Brahms finished his First Symphony, which he had begun as far back as 1855.

Of course, this set of variations is not simply some preliminary exercise in orchestral composition, but a great achievement in its own right. For each of

Programme Notes by Dr Brian Black


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Programme Notes - continued

the eight variations, Brahms completely reinvents the theme giving it an entirely new character - such as the passionate gypsy Variation II, or the brilliant, exhilarating fanfare-like Variation VI followed by the lilting Variation VII, which imitates the siciliano, a gentle Baroque dance associated with the peasant countryside. A finale brings the whole set to a brilliant conclusion. Here Brahms uses a repeating five-bar bass-line derived from the melody as the foundation for even more intense variations, culminating in the return of the theme in all its grandeur.

Keiko Abe’s Prism Rhapsody for Marimba and Orchestra is both a virtuoso showpiece for the marimba and a powerfully dramatic work created by the greatest innovator and composer for the instrument. Born in Tokyo in 1937, Abe was first designated for a career in medicine by her father. Her love of music won out, though, and in the 1950s she studied composition and percussion at Tokyo Gakugei University, where she graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education. Her

first instrument in high school was the xylophone. When she heard marimbas playing hymns at an American missionary service, however, she was so taken with the rich, deep sound of the instrument that from then on she was devoted to exploring all the possibilities it had to offer. In fact she played a major role in the redesign of the marimba in the early 1960s, championing the expansion of the range to five octaves among other innovations. She also developed a stunning virtuoso technique on the instrument, including pioneering the simultaneous use of six mallets. Finally she has vastly extended the marimba repertoire through over seventy commissions of works for herself and her own compositions, now amounting to eighty works for the instrument, many of which are part of the standard repertoire. One of the most demanding of these pieces is Prism Rhapsody. Composed in 1996, it is a full work-out for the marimba player involving everything from delicate filigrees of sound, through dizzying, lightning fast passagework and of course sections involving her signature six-mallet technique.


About Us

E. [email protected] P. 403.328.6808VISIT US INSIDE THE 11TH STREET DOORS TO SOUTHMINSTER HALL

BOX OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS 12 - 4 PM

Vicki Hegedus, Executive DirectorDaphne Hendsbee,

Operations CoordinatorJody Franz, Finance Manager

Brian Cole, Social Media Coordinator & Event Assistant

OPERATIONS STAFF

Graham TaggHONORARY LIFE MEMBERS

Glenn Klassen, Music DirectorMark Rodgers, Orchestra Personnel MgrSandra Klassen, Orchestra Librarian

Nancy Graham, Stage ManagerGregg Samuel, Equipment Manager

ARTISTIC STAFF

Ross Jacobs, PresidentChris Burton, Vice-President

Doug Emek, TreasurerJennifer Little, Secretary

Timothy Janzen, Orchestra Rep

BOARD OF DIRECTORSColin Moreland, Past President

Eric Guilbert, DirectorRon Garnett, DirectorKen Lewis, Director

Aaron Bellamy, Director

Our directors are collaborative people with a passion for the Symphony, strong ties in the greater Lethbridge area, and a capacity for giving. Their valuable skills and knowledge allow us to implement the strategic plan and maintain good governance.

Their commitment includes monthly board meetings, serving on a committee, holding a Symphony subscription, and assisting with fund development.

OUR VISION AND VALUES

To be an integral part of our community’s identity, through:

- Artistically diverse performances by orchestra members and guest artists that evoke joy, stimulate growth, and promote learning.- A welcoming and inclusive environment for musicians, board members, staff, patrons, and the broader community.- Collaborative partnerships with educational institutions, designed to support and promote music appreciation and education.- Financial stewardship and sound business management practices.

OUR MISSION

To create and promote a �rst class orchestra producingmemorable musical experiences for audiences of all ages


403-380-6860 | SubaruOfLethbridge.ca3333 1ST Ave S Lethbridge, AB T1J 4H1

About Us

E. [email protected] P. 403.328.6808VISIT US INSIDE THE 11TH STREET DOORS TO SOUTHMINSTER HALL

BOX OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS 12 - 4 PM

Vicki Hegedus, Executive DirectorDaphne Hendsbee,

Operations CoordinatorJody Franz, Finance Manager

Brian Cole, Social Media Coordinator & Event Assistant

OPERATIONS STAFF

Graham TaggHONORARY LIFE MEMBERS

Glenn Klassen, Music DirectorMark Rodgers, Orchestra Personnel MgrSandra Klassen, Orchestra Librarian

Nancy Graham, Stage ManagerGregg Samuel, Equipment Manager

ARTISTIC STAFF

Ross Jacobs, PresidentChris Burton, Vice-President

Doug Emek, TreasurerJennifer Little, Secretary

Timothy Janzen, Orchestra Rep

BOARD OF DIRECTORSColin Moreland, Past President

Eric Guilbert, DirectorRon Garnett, DirectorKen Lewis, Director

Aaron Bellamy, Director

Our directors are collaborative people with a passion for the Symphony, strong ties in the greater Lethbridge area, and a capacity for giving. Their valuable skills and knowledge allow us to implement the strategic plan and maintain good governance.

Their commitment includes monthly board meetings, serving on a committee, holding a Symphony subscription, and assisting with fund development.

OUR VISION AND VALUES

To be an integral part of our community’s identity, through:

- Artistically diverse performances by orchestra members and guest artists that evoke joy, stimulate growth, and promote learning.- A welcoming and inclusive environment for musicians, board members, staff, patrons, and the broader community.- Collaborative partnerships with educational institutions, designed to support and promote music appreciation and education.- Financial stewardship and sound business management practices.

OUR MISSION

To create and promote a �rst class orchestra producingmemorable musical experiences for audiences of all ages


Liszt's HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY NO 2Bartók's CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA

Monday, Nov 22, 2021 - 7:30PMSOUTHMINSTER UNITED CHURCH

LETHBRIDGESYMPHONY.ORG | 403.328.6808 | 11TH STREET DOORS TO SOUTHMINSTER HALL

JOIN US FOR SYMPHONY SERIES 2HUNGARIAN RHAPSODYWITH Bradley Parker, pianoSPONSORED BY The Hungarian Cultural Society of Southern Alberta

TICKETS START AT $25

SYMPHONYLETHBRIDGE

music directorGLENN KLASSEN

october 18, 2021 s 1 striking rhythms

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