Sunday’s concert “Happy Deliverance” will conclude the BSA’s 65th Season. The title of the concert comes from a quote by Gabriel Faure speaking of his Requiem in d minor, which we will perform that afternoon- “It has been said that my Requiem does not express the fear of death and someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above rather than as a painful experience…I have sought to escape from what is thought right and proper, after all the years of accompanying burial services on the organ. I wanted to write something different”. And thus he did.
Keeping in mind the importance of programming architecture across a season let alone at this five year mark for me serving as Music Director, why end the season with the ethereal notes fading away as Faure’s Requiem quietly floats off to heaven? Why not, like last year with Beethoven’s Symphony #9 or the year before with Orff’s Carmina Burana with a huge, mighty blast? This Sunday’s concert will begin with a heralding flare of Shostakovich’ s Festival Overture highlighting our strong brass, nimble woodwinds, precise percussion and as ever, hard working strings. The tuneful Schubert Symphony #8 will conclude the first half, though it has no conclusion with only two movements in existence it is known as the “unfinished”.
Classic/Chorale Concert
Sunday, May 18, 2008 | 4:00 pm
Fauré: Requiem Mass
with Concert Chorale; Laura Loge, soprano; David Borning, baritone
Schubert: Symphony #8, “Unfinished”
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
In honor of Armed Forces Weekend, tickets for Active Military personnel are being offered for only $5! Just show your ID when you come to the concert to buy or pick up your ticket at Will-Call. Call the Symphony office to purchase tickets: (360) 373-1722.
Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center
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Diane Schuur is a legend in her own right. Winner of two Grammy Awards for “Best Jazz Vocalist,” as well as headliner for many of the world’s most prestigious music venues, Diane’s interpretive powers and her legendary three-and-a-half octave vocal range have earned her critical acclaim worldwide. Joining her for some arrangements are the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra. Come experience jazz like never before!
Main Floor Show with Dinner $90; Main Floor Reserved $60; Loge Reserved $45; Balcony Reserved $30
Contact the Admiral Theatre for tickets, (360) 373-6743Sponsored by: Kitsap Credit Union
For almost five years I’ve nearly always conducted the Bremerton Symphony Association’s concerts. We have had some time with our Assistant Conductors- Gary Dahl and John Falskow, we auctioned off the podium once to Barbara Burzynski, but by and large it’s been yours truly up there. This Saturday, we are changing course a bit for our conductor’s choice concert titled “British Invasion” where I am delighted to share the podium with our first guest conductor in half a decade, Dr. David Osbon from London, England.
Just a bit of background, about two years ago I received an unassuming CD recording the mail with a small note encouraging me to listen to the works. Keep in mind, I regularly get recordings of soloists, composers and promo materials and it really takes something special for me to pay attention to them. In David’s case, I put on the recording to give it a “test run” and I enjoyed it, listening to all of the excerpts. Then I began to imagine, could the BSA present this music in the future and bring it to life here? Those that have followed the orchestra of late, know that I try to program creatively, but I am always interested in a balanced diet of appealing music. I have to say I am not heavy into new music programming for the BSA audience, though I have done plenty of new and contemporary music in my past.
With David’s music, I thought we could enjoy the best of both worlds- new music, written by a living composer who could also serve as a guest conductor. So, I started an email relationship with him to try to discover if we might be able to work something out such as a “podium exchange”. The idea here would be we could program his music here in Bremerton, he would join us to conduct on the second half and I’d be there for the first half. In exchange, we’d do something similar with his University of London: Kingston Orchestra in England. Much to my delight, we were able to work out and exchange.
So last fall, we packed up (kids and husband in tow) and went to London to share a concert with European premieres of “He-Dog the Oglala Sioux” and “The Migrant Worker’s Prayer and Dream” by Patrick Stoyanovich, present masterclasses and get to know their student body in the music department. We had a marvelous time and I only got “stuck in a bind” (like the Grinch coming down the flue) one time when in rehearsal discussions began after I’d say, “…start at the sixteenth note” and they all said, “…you mean the semiquaver?” When we met in London, I asked David why he sent me his CD; he explained that he had seen me conduct at the American Symphony Orchestra League’s National Conference in Cincinnati, OH in 1996. He remembered me because I had done some new music with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. I didn’t meet him at that time, but eleven years later, I am experiencing the great fortune to get to know this extraordinary man and his music.
This time round, Dr. Osbon is on this side of the ocean with his “Nelson Overture” and “Symphony #2”. During the rehearsals this week and at the preconcert chat on Saturday before the concert, I’m sure he will be sharing with us the inspiration for these works, how they are put together and give us insights into their content and expression. In addition, he has a very colorful and impressive biography that I am hoping he will elaborate on when we speak in front of the audience. I am most excited about this program because we have a live composer who is conducting his music, a rare opportunity indeed. What would it have been like to see Beethoven conduct Beethoven or Stravinsky conduct Stravinsky or Mahler by Mahler? If I were you, I’d be curious to hear this new music by a living composer.
We’ll also enjoy other works by British composers such as Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”, narrated by Oxford trained Bernard Jacobson and the stunning sublime work for two string orchestra and solo ensemble Vaughan William’s “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” (used recently in the movie “Master and Commander”). Needless to say, I hope to see you – at the symphony!
Conductor’s Choice Concert
Saturday, April 19, 2008 | 7:30 pm
Britten: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
narrated by Bernard Jacobson
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Osbon: Nelson Overture and Symphony #2
guest conductor: David Osbon
Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center
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March 22nd Concert Review
From Musicweb International:
Liszt, Strauss, and Dvořák: Elizabeth Stoyanovich, conductor, Jeffrey Fair, horn, Bremerton Symphony Orchestra, Bremerton Performing Arts Center, Bremerton, WA, 22.3.2008 (BJ)
So treacherous an instrument is the horn that according to one of its greatest players, Barry Tuckwell, you don’t say that a horn-player had a bad day; if nothing goes wrong, you say he had a good day. Appearing as guest soloist with the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra, Jeffrey Fair had a very good day indeed. Continue reading ‘March 22nd Concert Review’
The BSA is pleased to announce Greater Kitsap Honors Orchestra (GKHO) conducted by Elizabeth Stoyanovich on May 9-10, 2008 and the Bremerton Symphony Youth Showcase (BSYS). This weekend event is designed for student orchestral musicians with a minimum of two years experience through high school level residing in Greater Kitsap County. For more information call Gena Wales, Executive Director 360-373-1722 and see our Education page.
