The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents works that span three centuries in a program celebrating spring in a program of Haydn, Brahms and Vasks. Neeme Jarvi conducts, with Finnish violinist as soloist, in the Vasks concerto for violin and string orchestra, Distant Light.
THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
BRAHMS AND HAYDN
NEWARK ACADEMY STUDENTS PERFORM WITH
NJSO MUSICAL MENTORS
Friday, May 11, 2007 at 8 pm, Prudential Hall/NJPAC in Newark
Sunday, May 13, 2007 at 3 pm, Community Theatre in Morristown
Tuesday, May 15, 2007, Prudential Hall/NJPAC in Newark
MUSICAL MENTORS CONCERT
Friday, May 11, 2007 at 7 pm, Prudential Hall/NJPAC in Newark
(Newark, NJ April 27, 2007) The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents works that span three centuries in a program celebrating spring. The Haydn "London" Symphony cycle, begun by the NJSO three seasons ago, continues with the Symphony No. 95, written in 1791-92. "Papa" Haydn's eighteenth-century optimism is tempered by the twentieth-century Estonian Peteris Vask's Distant Light, a work that evokes for the composer ""¦glittering stars millions of light years away." Neeme Järvi conducts, and Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is the soloist, in this concerto for violin and string orchestra. The nineteenth-century is well-represented with Brahms's Symphony No. 2, a work that is often referred to as his "Pastoral" because of its joyous celebration of nature inspired by a summer sojourn in an Austrian mountain village.
Three exclusive performances take place on Friday, May 11 at 8 pm and Tuesday May 15 at 1:30 pm at Prudential Hall/NJPAC in Newark; and Sunday, May 13 at 3 pm at Community Theatre in Morristown. Single ticket prices start at just $20 and may be purchased by calling 1. 800. ALLEGRO (255.3476) or by visiting www.njsymphony.org.
NJSO Musical Mentors
Musical Mentors is a community engagement initiative of the NJSO. This first-year pilot program sends the NJSO's musicians into high schools to provide expert coaching for the specific musical challenges a school orchestra faces. The Newark Academy in Livingston was selected through a competitive process and was chosen as the first participant in this unique program. Six NJSO musicians, Martin Andersen (viola), Susan Gellert (violin), Randall Hicks (timpani), David Larson (trumpet), Carolyn Pollak (oboe) and Jonathan Storck (bass), worked with the students throughout the semester. Coaches and the Newark Academy orchestra will perform together on Friday, May 11 at 7pm at Prudential Hall/NJPAC in Newark. The concert is free to all ticketholders for the Friday evening Haydn and Brahms concert.
THE MUSIC
Symphony No. 95 in C Minor
Upon the death of his employer of 30 years, Franz Joseph Haydn was looking for new opportunities in the early 1790s. By this time, his reputation and fame had spread as far as London, where the publisher Johann Peter Salomon was in a position to offer Haydn a residency. He accepted in 1791, and it was there, during the first of two short periods, (1791-92 and then 1794-95), that the Symphony in C Minor, No. 95, was composed. It became part of the famed "London"Â Symphonies, the only one of the group, however, to be written in a minor key. This was uncharacteristic, even with Haydn's enormous symphonic output.
The three movements of the work, Allegro, Andante and Menuet-Trio, were composed for a full-sized orchestra of the late classical period, which included two oboes, two bassoons, two trumpets, a single flute, timpani and strings. Though the symphony assumes the serious nature almost always associated with a minor mode, its movements end in major keys, and show some of the more familiar, optimistic Haydn context.
Distant Light
Distant Light, a concerto for violin and string orchestra by Estonian composer Peteris Vasks, is one of several works that have their roots in the events of 1991, when the Baltic Republics were asserting their need for independence from the former Soviet Union. This concerto is written in one extended movement and is divided into five distinct sections, three of which contain cadenzas (solo portions) for the violin.
Vasks was born in Aizpute, Latvia in 1946 into a Baptist family. Soviet repressive policy towards Baptists at that time compelled him to pursue his musical studies of the double bass in neighboring Lithuania. After completing instrumental training in 1970, he played in several Latvian orchestras and then began studying composition with Valentinus Utkins, graduating from the Latvian State Conservatory Composition Class in 1978. Vasks has enjoyed a career as both orchestral player and composer and has garnered a reputation as a champion of Latvian independence largely because of his effort to express the Latvian spirit and folk melodies in his music. Some of his defining compositions include Cantabile, Symphony for Strings, Musica Dolorosa and this violin concerto.
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
This symphony, the largest of Brahms's symphonies and often referred to as the "Brahms Pastoral,"Â comes of the composer's 1877 summer visit to the Austrian countryside. Returning to this tranquil haven again for two additional summers, Brahms composed both his Violin Concerto and the First Violin Sonata. All three works are considered masterpieces.
The symphony opens with the Allegro non troppo, which gently presents the lilting, pulsating themes so characteristic of Brahms's music. Delivered by winds, horns and strings, the melodies immediately evoke a sense of peace and beauty which quickly evolve with increased urgency and then travel back again to the calm of the opening. Four main themes are revealed in the second movement, the first one expressed luxuriously by the deep voices of the cellos and the others then passed back and forth among the strings, horns and woodwinds. An oboe solo opens the third movement, which is picked up by the horns and strings in turn. The vitality of the last movement is punctuated by its occasional syncopated rhythms and the extraordinary contrasts of color and instrumentation.
THE ARTISTS
Neeme Järvi marks his second year as conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, a partnership that heralded a new era for the orchestra. Born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1937, Järvi emigrated with his family to the United States in 1980, where he debuted with major orchestras across the country and signed on with Columbia Artists. Currently, he also serves as Chief Conductor of the Hague Residentie Orchestra in the Netherlands and is Music Director Emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor Emeritus of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, (the National Symphony Orchestra of Sweden), Conductor Laureate of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and First Principal Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Making frequent appearances with major orchestras around the world, Maestro Järvi's busy schedule has, nonetheless, permitted a distinguished discography of over 350 recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos, BIS, Orfeo, EMI and BMG labels.
Pekka Kuusisto, Violin
A first place win at the1995 Sibelius Competition launched the career of Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who has impressed international audiences with his fresh tone, natural expressiveness and imaginative interpretations. In addition to this engagement with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the 2006-07 season includes appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
A jazz player and enthusiast for as long as he has played the violin, Pekka Kuusisto takes great pleasure in investigating diverse musical styles including folk, jazz, and electronic music. He performs with outstanding musicians in each genre, insisting that each form nourishes the next and encourages him to look for opportunities to experiment and re-examine familiar works, and it may be that his natural, distinctive ability and desire to improvise is what singles him out in a generation of extraordinary violinists.
ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is composed of some of the country's finest musicians, led by Music Director Neeme Järvi, performing statewide on a regular basis throughout the year. Its mission is consistent with artistic excellence combined with community engagement and is realized through a uniquely designed concert series and education/outreach programming designed to enhance and enrich learning for children and adults alike. The orchestra tours to seven different venues throughout New Jersey. The AIG/New Jersey Symphony Broadcast Series is a syndicated program carried throughout North America by WFMT (Chicago) and 96.3FM WQXR (New York). For more information about the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, visit www.njsymphony.org or e-mail information@njsymphony.org. Tickets for performances can be purchased by calling 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).
Programs by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts along with many other corporations, foundations and individual donors
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