Trigger Warning
FRI, MARCH 17, 2017 AT 9:30PM
Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
William Eddins, conductor & piano
Edgar Moreau, cello (pictured)
BUY TICKETS Details
20-something French cellist Edgar Moreau has already amassed an impressive array of prizes and honours and has been called “the rising star of the French cello” (Le Figaro). From Beethoven to Bates, with stops along the way at Fauré and Dvorák, his Late Night appearance will be filled with treasures.
Additional Activities
Stick around after the concert – the main lobby stays open for drinks, mingling, and more live music.
Ticket Information
All tickets $24 plus applicable service charges.
This performance is available as part of a three-concert Late Night with Bill Eddins subscription for just $48. Single tickets are available beginning Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at 10am.
Program:
MASON BATES
Mothership (9’)*
(ESO premiere)
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Cello Sonata in C major, Opus 102 (14’)*
GYÖRGY LIGETI
Sonata for Solo Cello (7’)*
JOHN BIGGS
Pastiche (5’)*
GABRIEL FAURÉ
Élégie (5’)*
ANTONIN DVORÁK
Cello Concerto: III- Finale (12’)*
*Indicates approximate performance duration
Program subject to change
This concert will be performed without intermission
Program notes – Late Night Cello
Mason Bates’ (b. 1977) Mothership imagines the orchestra as a mothership that is “docked” by several visiting soloists, who offer brief but virtuosic riffs on the work’s thematic material over action-packed electro-acoustic orchestral figuration. The piece follows the form of a scherzo. Symphonic scherzos historically play with dance rhythms in a high-energy and appealing manner, with contrasting Trio sections temporarily exploring new rhythmic areas. Mothership shares a formal connection with the symphonic scherzo but is brought to life by thrilling sounds of the 21st century — the rhythms of modern-day techno in place of waltz rhythms, for example. Recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas, Mothership received its world premiere at the Sydney Opera House and the YouTube Symphony on March 20, 2011, and it was viewed by almost two million people live on YouTube (courtesy www.masonbates.com).
One would be hard pressed to find two examples of the cello sonata genre that are more different than the two Mr. Moreau will present tonight. Before Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), works that combined keyboard with cello tended to use the keyboard as an accompanist – Beethoven made each instrument an equal partner. He composed works for cello and piano throughout his career. The C Major Sonata was a late work, one of a pair published as Op.102, and written for his friend Josef Linke, cellist for the house quartet of Prince Rasumovsky. The work is divided more or less into two sections, each of which is also in two sections, with faster movements preceded by slow introductions.
Hungarian composer György Ligeti (19-) had to tread careful musical ground with his earlier compositions – and his Sonata for Solo Cello is such a work – as Hungary was still under the iron grip of the Soviet Union. He could not be as radical as his later works would allow (you may know some of his music from its use in the classic 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey); still, his work, scored for an unaccompanied cello, sounds daring and even experimental today. The whole work, in two movements, lasts about eight minutes. The “dialog” referred to in the opening movement is created by having the soloist alternate contrasting techniques and registers on the instrument. This is followed by a Capriccio which brings to mind the music of Ligeti’s countryman and predecessor, Béla Bartók.
John Biggs (b. 1932) is an American composer who studied with luminaries including Lukas Foss, Roy Harris, and others. He founded the John Biggs Consort, which specializes in medieval and contemporary music. His Pastiche: An Overture dates from 1993, and was first performed by his hometown orchestra in Ventura, California. It is an inventive and fun amalgam of some 27 quotes from the works of 19 composers, all mashed into an orchestral whirl lasting about 6 minutes.
Early in his career, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) wrote works full of charm and delicacy. As deafness overcame him late in life, however, his music understandably became more mysterious and bleak. Because it was originally written (in 1880) for cello and piano, his Élégie is thought by many to have been the slow movement for an intended cello sonata. 20 years after he wrote it, Fauré orchestrated it, and in this version, it was premiered in 1901 by Pablo Casals. The work contains two principal themes. The first is heard in the tenor strings of the solo instrument after a few bars in the orchestra; the second is more passionate and driving, though based on the same melodic material. It gives way to the wistful, slow song heard at the outset.
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104
Antonín Dvorák
(b. Nelahozeves, 1841 / d. Prague, 1904)
First performance: March 19, 1896 in London
Last ESO performance: Symphony Under the Sky 2013
From 1891 to 1895, the distinguished Bohemian composer Antonín Dvorák received a generous sum of money to head up the newly-formed National Conservatory in New York. But he missed his homeland dearly, and during a break in his tenure in 1894, he took advantage of the time off to make a short trip back home. While there, he began sketches for what would become his Cello Concerto, instigated at the behest of Bohemian cellist Hanuš Wihan. Dvorák took to the task with relish, completing most of the concerto by the following February. Soon after that, however, his beloved sister-in-law Josefina ?ermakova died. In her memory, Dvo?ák reworked the piece. His song “Leave Me Alone in My Dreams,” which had been a favourite of hers, was quoted in both the Adagio second movement and in the finale. Wihan would eventually take up the concerto, which was dedicated to him, but the first performance took place with Dvo?ák conducting, and Leo Stern as soloist.
The finale perks up the pace with a picturesque march tune used as the main subject of a loose rondo movement. Upon hearing it, Dvorák’s friend and mentor Johannes Brahms famously said, “Why on earth didn’t I know that one could write a cello concerto like this? Had I known, I would have written one long ago.”
Program notes © 2017 by D.T. Baker, except as noted Artist Info
“The rising star of the French cello,” 22-year-old cellist Edgar Moreau consistently captivates audiences with his effortless virtuosity and dynamic performances (Le Figaro magazine). Mr. Moreau won First Prize in the 2014 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, was awarded six concert prizes at the YCA Auditions, and is recipient of the Florence Gould Foundation Fellowship of YCA. He has been selected as one of the European Concert Hall Organization’s 2016-2017 Rising Stars. His album of Baroque concertos was released last season on the Warner Classics label. Highlights of the 2016-2017 season include concertos with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Boise Philharmonic. Last season, he made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and made his New York recital debut in the Young Concert Artists Series. He has soloed with the Brussels Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, the Simón Bolívar Orchestra in Caracas, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra in Toulouse, the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
In 2015, he was named “Solo Instrumentalist of the Year.” As recipient of the 2015 Arthur Waser Award, he receives a grant of 25,000 Swiss Francs, and makes his debut with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. Born in 1994 in Paris, Mr. Moreau began playing the cello at the age of four and the piano at six. He studied with Philippe Muller at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, and currently works with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy. His first CD, Play, a collection of short pieces, is available on Warner Classics label. He plays a David Tecchler cello, dated 1711.
This is Mr. Moreau’s debut with the ESO. Venue Info
Enmax Hall, Winspear Centre
#4 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, AB
Google Map
Getting Here
The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is on the corner of 102nd Avenue and 99th Street, in the heart of The Arts District in downtown Edmonton. It is readily accessible by car, Edmonton Transit (bus and LRT), and the Pedway system.
The City of Edmonton provides over 1500 convenient parking stalls within a 5-minute walk from Winspear Centre, The Citadel Theatre and Shaw Conference Centre. The Library, Canada Place and City Hall Parkades provide heated underground parking with pedway connections to the event venues. Parking is also available at on-street meters in the vicinity.
Accessibility
Nearly every level of the Winspear Centre is able to accommodate patrons with wheelchairs. Please advise our Box Office staff when you purchase your tickets that access to wheelchair seating will be necessary.
The Winspear Centre can provide an assistive listening device if you require one. Please visit the concierge desk in the main lobby.
Dining Near the Winspear
The Winspear Centre's downtown location is ideally situated for some of the best dining experiences Edmonton has to offer. Whether you're seeking dinner before the show or a late night treat after, you can find it at one of these restaurants located within a few blocks of the Winspear Centre.
At the Event
What to Wear
For some, an event at a world-class facility like the Winspear Centre is a great excuse to dress to the nines. But it’s hardly necessary. If that’s your style – go for it! If it’s not – hey, you paid for the ticket, so do what makes you feel comfortable. You’ll see a wide range of dress, from casual to pretty classy, depending on the kind of event it is. Business casual is probably a great middle ground for most Edmonton Symphony Orchestra concerts.
Perfume & Scents
In consideration to your fellow patrons who may have sensitivities or allergies to scented products, we ask that you use such products with great discretion. If, as a patron, you experience difficulty due to another patron’s use of fragrance, please alert our front of house staff, who will do everything possible to accommodate you.
Food & Beverage
The Winspear Centre has a number of stations in operation pre-show and during intermission. Bars, coffee bars, dessert stations and a martini bar are waiting for you. A good bet for intermission is to pre-order your drink before the show, and it will be waiting for you, so you can avoid lining up during the break.
Click here for more information on planning your experience.
Date
March 17, 2017
Location
Francis Winspear Centre for Music
4 Sir Winston Churchill Square NW
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
AB T5J 4X8
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