MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON
Sunday, May 29 | Delta Bessborough Hotel | 2:30 pm
Take 5
It's the final concert of the season and a chance to say a personal farewell to retiring Principal Bassoon Peter Gravlin (who becomes Bassoon Emeritus of the SSO after a 35-year career with the orchestra).- Luciano Berio: Opus Number Zoo (text by Rhoda Levine)
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Leo Sowerby: Pop Goes the Weasel
- Andrey Rubtsov: Three Moods
- Antonin Dvorjak: String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77
Luciano Berio: Opus Number Zoo (text by Rhoda Levine)
Written by Luciano Berio (1925-2003) for wind quintet in 1951, this playful piece is intended for younger audiences. The work was revised in 1970. Each of the short movements tells a story with narration.Originally, the author of the text, Rhoda Levine, recited it, but in the later revision the text for each movement is read by the musicians, solely or together. The four movements are: Barn Dance, The Fawn, The Grey Mouse, Tom Cats.
Italian composer Luciano Berio began his musical career as a pianist, but a hand injury received during his first day of military training during the Second World War meant that he turned to composition instead. Best known for his experimental work and electronic music, Berio received many honours, including being named as an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music. From 1989 to 2000 was Distinguished Composer in Residence at Harvard University. He continued to compose until his death in Rome in 2003.
Leo Sowerby: Pop Goes the Weasel
A whimsical piece, based on the popular folk tune of the same name, Pop Goes the Weasel was arranged for woodwind quintet by Leo Sowerby (1985 - 1968). Well-known for his large body of work for church choirs and organ, Sowerby was a prolific composer whose work also embraced American idioms, including two pieces for jazz band. He was one of the most frequently performed American composers up to World War II. His awards included the Pulitzer Prize for music (1946), and an honorary fellowship at Trinity College London, and the Royal School of Church Music.
Andrey Rubtsov: Three MoodsYoung Russian composer Andrey Rubstov wrote Three Moods for woodwind quintet nine years ago, in 2002. Since then has been performed by the Russian National Orchestra Woodwind Quintet, and other wind ensembles from Brazil to Bulgaria. Each of the three movements explores a different approach to the woodwind quintet. The first movement, "Void," is made up of different bits of sound which sound far away, and are divided by long breaths. The second movement, Sadness, includes several solos and dense instrumentation. The final movement, Frivolity, is a scherzo, and highlights each instrument of the ensemble expressing "delight."
Russian composer, Andrey Rubstov, (born 1982) graduated with honours from the Moscow Conservatoire as an oboist in 2005, and as a conductor in 2008. He joined the Russian National Orchestra (RNO) at age 19 in 2001, becoming the youngest artist in the history of the orchestra. He was a founding member of the RNO Woodwind Quintet in the same year he joined the orchestra.
Antonin Dvorjak: String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77
Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) wrote this string quintet in 1875 when he was 32. It contains all of the composer's trademark compositional virtues: vibrant energy, gorgeous melodies, dancing rhythms, and an overall life-affirming spirit. Most string quintets feature either a viola or a cello, but instead Dvorak chose to feature the double bass resulting in deep baselines and a surprising fullness of sound. There are four movements, the first is sonata, full of energy, the second is characterized by lively folk dance, and the third movement is more lyrical with a bit of melancholy. The final movement is dramatic and driven, with winning melodies, full textures and the building sound of the bass.
It's a perfect way to put the "Well done" stamp of approval on the 2010 - 2011 Saskatoon Symphony season and begin to look forward to the new season starting in September.