Friday, April 20, 8PM @ College of Idaho's Jewett Auditorium
Saturday, April 21, 8PM @ Morrison Center
PURCHASE TICKETS - CALDWELL
PURCHASE TICKETS - BOISE
Sponsor - 
Strauss - Don Quixote Sponsor - Brent & Sandra Fery
Robert Franz, conductor
Behzad Ranjbaran, guest composer
Geoffrey Trabichoff, violin
David Johnson, viola
Samuel Smith, cello
Claude Debussy
Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
Behzad Ranjbaran
Violin & Viola Concerto
Richard Strauss
Don Quixote
The 2010-2011 season highlights for Behzad Ranjbaran, include a performance of his Piano Concerto by Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano, the New Jersey premiere of Seemorgh by the New Jersey Symphony under Jacques Lacombe, the New York premiere of We Are One, for a cappella choir, by Musica Sacra, and the release of an all-Ranjbaran album of string music on Naxos, including Awakening, String Quartet, Elegy, and more.
Behzad Ranjbaran’s music has been performed in recent seasons by soloists Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yo-Yo Ma, among others. During 2009-10 season two commissioned works were premiered: Concerto for violin and viola by Virginia Symphony, conducted by JoAnn Falletta, and Mithra by Santa Rosa Symphony, Bruno Ferrandis, conductor. In June 2008, Jean-Yves Thibaudet premiered his piano concerto, commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Robert Spano. Songs of Eternity on the Ruba’iyat of Omar Khayyam, written for soprano Renée Fleming, was premiered with the Seattle Symphony under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. Joshua Bell was the soloist in the premiere performances of the Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, also conducted by Schwarz. Mr. Bell went on to give the work’s North American premiere with the Indianapolis Symphony, conducted by Mario Venzago, and subsequent performances with Peter Oundjian and the Toronto Symphony. International Sejong Soloists commissioned Awakening for premiere at the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea as a celebration of peace.
Recordings include the Persian Trilogy on the Delos label by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta. This orchestral cycle, comprising the works Seven Passages, Seemorgh, and The Blood of Seyavash, takes its inspiration from ancient Persian legends, as recounted in the 11th century epic poem “Shahnameh” (The Book of Kings). In August 2008, Toronto Symphony Orchestra performed a multimedia performance of Persian Trilogy with traditional storytelling (Naghali) and projections of tens of Persian miniatures. Ms. Falletta has also conducted Elegy for Cello and Orchestra with soloist Yo-Yo Ma and the Buffalo Philharmonic, reviewed in the Buffalo press as “ethereal…fragile, almost like a mirage.”
In recent seasons, three chamber works were premiered: Fountains of Fin, a eulogy for Amir Kabir, the 19th century slain Iranian vezir, Shiraz and Isfahan celebrating two of Mr. Ranjbaran’s favorite cities in Iran. In 2008-9 season, Ranjbaran was the composer-in-residence with the Fort Worth Symphony where three of his works were performed during the subscription concerts. In the summer of 2005, Mr. Ranjbaran was composer-in-residence for the 40th anniversary of the Saratoga Music Festival. In celebration of the occasion, he composed the orchestral overture Saratoga, which was premiered by Charles Dutoit and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The festival also saw the premiere of his Piano Quintet and performances of many of Mr. Ranjbaran’s chamber works; in addition, Chantal Juillet was the soloist in a performance of the Violin Concerto with Dutoit and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Mr. Ranjbaran’s music has been described variously as having “qualities of inherent beauty and strong musical structure that make it a satisfying musical entity” (Nashville Scene), “a master of the orchestra” (Dallas Morning News), and “radiant luminescence” (The Washington Post). Accolades continue for Songs of Eternity, described in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as “…enchanting … the piece wielded a peculiar, timeless magic…”; and the Liverpool Echo commented that the Violin Concerto is “high class, cohesive” and “when the concerto…just sings out a fine melodic line, the effect is ravishing.” In describing the “Persian Trilogy” CD, American Record Guide said that “Ranjbaran has composed a noble and brilliantly conceived score, spectacularly orchestrated and filled with memorable tunes, meticulous development, and impressive craftsmanship.”
Born in 1955 in Tehran, Iran, Mr. Ranjbaran is the recipient of the Rudolf Nissim Award for his Violin Concerto. His musical education started early when he entered the Tehran Music Conservatory at the age of nine. He came to the United States in 1974 to attend Indiana University and received his doctorate in composition from The Juilliard School, where he currently serves on the faculty. Named a “Distinguished Artist” by the New Jersey Council on the Arts, Mr. Ranjbaran’s honors also include a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a grant from Meet the Composer (composer/choreographer project), and a Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
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British-born violinist Geoffrey Trabichoff graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music at the age of 18 and, whilst continuing his studies with the renowned Russian pedagogue Sascha Lasserson, began his career free-lancing with the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras.
He has been concertmaster of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Portugal, the Mannheim Chamber and Hannover State Orchestras, Germany, and for 15 years was leader (concertmaster) of the B.B.C. Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has been guest concertmaster with the London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, and has twice appeared as director/soloist with the National Orchestra of Portugal. Geoffrey has collaborated with such conductors as Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Alexander Gibson, Sir Charles Groves, Sir Simon Rattle, Andre Previn, Alasdair Neale, and many others. He is featured on countless cds.
In June 2005, Geoffrey performed all the Mozart violin concertos with the Boise Baroque Orchestra in three Idaho venues, while July was taken up with a visit to Germany where he played the Elgar Violin Concerto and the complete works of Mozart with the Regensburg Chamber Orchestra. The summer of 2006 saw Geoffrey in the U.K. giving master classes, recitals and chamber music concerts, and in 2009 he returned to Regensburg to perform the two Mendelssohn violin concertos on the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth.
Geoffrey Trabichoff took up the concertmaster position with the Boise Philharmonic in 1997 and has made twelve solo appearances with the orchestra. He is Artist-in-Residence at the College of Idaho and violinist with the Langroise Trio, which appears on chamber music series throughout the country and has twice performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The Trio has released four cds.
Every summer since arriving in America Geoffrey has appeared as Assistant Concertmaster with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony.
Geoffrey's wife Judy is an amateur oboist and community theater actress, while their daughter, Nina, is a professional violist working in Germany. Stepson Alex keeps them all grounded by recording rock bands in his spare time!
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David Johnson won a position in the viola section of the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic as a high school senior. Awarded a scholarship to attend Butler University (Indianapolis), he transferred after two years to Indiana University, where he completed with high distinction bachelors and masters degrees in viola performance. While a student at Indiana he performed a series of concerts in New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall with the Indiana University Doctoral String Quartet.
After graduating from college, David was appointed Principal Viola of the Iceland Symphony, where he was featured as soloist numerous times with pianist Debra Gold on the Iceland National Radio. David then returned to the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, serving as Principal Violist for 9 years.
While there, he was a founding member of the Freimann String Quartet and the Northeastern Indiana Chamber Music Festival. David was also appointed Assistant Principal Violist of the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago for 12 years, soloing with that orchestra in 1994.
In 1992, David joined the newly formed Langroise Trio, Artist in Residence at The College of Idaho, and associate principal violist of the Boise Philharmonic. He has performed concertos by J.C. Bach, J.S. Bach, Bartok, Berlioz, Mozart, Stamitz, Vaughn-Williams, and Walton with such
orchestras as the Grant Park Symphony, Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, Atheneum Orchestra (Indianapolis), and the Boise Philharmonic. In addition he has been a member of the South Bend Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Owensboro Symphony, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and the Northwest Indiana Symphony. He has been involved with the Sun Valley Orchestra and the Sun Valley Summer Music Workshops since 1998, and has served as the Artistic Director of the Summer Workshops since 2007.
David’s wife, Deborah Wynkoop, teaches music in the Nampa School District, and his sons all play instruments: Eric the cello, Scott the violin, and Greg the string bass.
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While a student of Joseph Saunders at Ball State University, Samuel Smith was principal cellist with the Richmond, Anderson and Muncie Symphonies, the Sinfonia de Camera, and the Festival Strings under Eugene Prokop. Also during this time he was on the adjunct faculty at Anderson College and the summer faculty at Ball State. He then began a two-year tenure as assistant principal and section cellist with the Florida Symphony. In 1980, he was solo cellist with the September Club in Ft. Lauderdale and with the Melton Mustapha Jazz Orchestra while studying with Ingus Naruns in Miami. In 1981, Samuel became the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic’s principal cellist and a member of the Freimann String Quartet, a position he held for ten seasons.
While in Ft. Wayne he was a frequent soloist on subscription concerts performing concerti by Haydn, Saint-Saens, Tschaikowski and Shostakovich as well as Brahms Double Concerto and the Triple Concerto of Beethoven.
During the summers of 1983-1991, he was member of the cello section of the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago serving as Assistant Principal in 1990.
Samuel became the first member of the Langroise Trio in 1991 and is Artist-in-Residence at the College of Idaho where he teaches cello and chamber music and directs the College of Idaho Sinfonia. He serves as Associate Principal Cellist of the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra where he has been a featured soloist performing concerti by Saint-Saens, Shostakovich and Barber as well as the world premiere of a cello concerto composed for him by David Alan Earnest. He has also been a featured soloist with the Idaho Dance Theatre, Idaho Falls Symphony and the Boise Baroque Orchestra.
Samuel was a founding member of the Northeast Indian Chamber Festival, co-founder of Chamber Music at Paradise Point, and founder and artistic director of the Sawtooth Cello Festival. He has served on the cello faculty of Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory and Boise State University and currently is conductor of the Sun Valley Youth Symphony.
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Behind The Music
Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
Claude Debussy
Born August 22, 1862, in St. Germain-en-Laye, France
Died March 25, 1918, in Paris, France
This work was first performed on December 22, 1894, by the Société Nationale de la Musique in Paris under the direction of Gustave Doret. It is scored for three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two harps, antique cymbals, and strings.
Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun was first performed by the Boise Philharmonic on February 23, 1971. It was most recently performed on April 19, 2002.
In the late nineteenth century, the music of Richard Wagner was generally regarded as the newest and most progressive in Europe. In some of the more progressive musical capitals, especially Vienna and Paris, a younger generation of composers began to write in reaction to Wagner’s music – some following his model, and others rejecting it and producing newer styles. One of the most recent fashions in music was that of Impressionism. In this style, there is often a dream-like atmosphere, loosely flowing rhythms, diffuse textures, and mysterious tone colors.
The first composer to gain prominence writing in this style was Claude Debussy. However, he should not be grouped solely with the Impressionists. Debussy had a varied career, beginning with his admission to the Paris Conservatoire at the age of ten, in lieu of ordinary school. His first compositions date from seven years later when he began to write art songs. Soon afterward, he was hired as a tutor by Nadezhda von Meck, the wealthy widow who became Tchaikovsky’s patroness shortly thereafter. After returning from Russia, Debussy found a mentor in famous French composer Charles Gounod. After winning the coveted Prix de Rome in 1884 for his dramatic cantata L’enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son), he was on the course for an illustrious career as a composer. Debussy composed piano pieces, art song, and opera, constantly searching for new methods of depicting the texts and vast varieties of images evoked by his numerous compositions. In 1894, Debussy was living in Paris with little money and without critical notice. The Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, the piece in which Debussy created his mature impressionistic style, would be set to paper that year.
The origin of the Prelude is an interesting one. Debussy first encountered the poem by Stéphane Mallarmé in the mid 1880s and liked it well enough to buy a copy for his composer friend Paul Dukas in 1887. Around the same time, Debussy started attending artistic evening gatherings at Mallarmé’s apartment where he met many of the leading cultural and literary figures of the day. The decision to write a prelude to the poem, which would precede a dramatic reading of the verses, came in 1894. Debussy explained his intention for the work in the preface to the first edition of the score:
“The music of this prelude is a very free illustration of Stéphane Mallarmé’s beautiful poem. It does not follow the poet’s conception exactly, but describes the successive scenes among which the wishes and dreams of the Faun wander in the heat of the afternoon. Then, tired of pursuing the fearful flight of the nymphs and naiads, he abandons himself to a delightful sleep, full of visions finally realized, of full possession amid universal nature.”
The piece has all the elements of Impressionism, including the use of nebulous textures often including harp, woodwind arpeggios, and solos in extreme ranges of instruments to provide a mysterious sound. The tonality of the piece is anything but stable, readily melting from one key to the next. Often presented as a ballet, originally choreographed by the Russian dancer Vaclav Nijinsky, the work influenced two generations of French Impressionist composers, including Maurice Ravel.
©2011 Orpheus Music Prose & Craig Doolin
www.orpheusnotes.com
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Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra
Behzad Ranjbaran
Born in 1955 in Teheran, Iran
This work was premiered on October 22, 2009, by the Virginia Symphony conducted by JoAnn Falletta with solo violinist Vahn Armstrong and solo violist Beverly Baker. It is scored for solo violin, solo viola, piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings.
This is the Boise Philharmonic's first performance of Ranjbaran's Violin & Viola Concerto
Behzad Ranjbaran is the leading Iranian composer in the world today. After initial studies at the Teheran Conservatory, which he entered at the age of nine, he enrolled at Indiana University at the age of nineteen. He received his doctorate in composition from The Juilliard School, where he currently serves on the faculty. Ranjbaran has received numerous awards, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and a Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Ranjbaran has composed in a wide variety of musical styles, including works for orchestra, chamber music, vocal works, and music for soloists. He has written four concertos and one symphony. Much of his music is a stylistic hybrid of Eastern and Western influences. However, communication is the key element, as the composer explained:
“To me, music speaks to the heart in a way that is very powerful. Writing music for me is a self-journey, and I like to share that with others. What I love and enjoy I try to share with others. It is a communicative art that you write for others to enjoy."
Audiences and musicians both enjoy Ranjbaran’s music as is evidenced by the many commissions he has received from such diverse artists as violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Renée Fleming.
Ranjbaran’s Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra resulted because of a special award from ASCAP to conductor JoAnn Falletta to commission a composer of her choice. She chose to honor the concertmaster and principal violist of the Virginia Symphony with a Double Concerto. The composer sees the work as:
“an exploration of the relationship between two people (the soloists) with the society they live in (the orchestra). It is a complex relationship that often evokes feelings from profound affection to envy and rivalry as well as joy, seduction, humor, and gallantry. At times the soloists reveal the uncorrupted innocence in each and every one of us, contrasting with the harsher reality of the orchestra.”
The musical language is steeped in Romantic tradition, but also incorporates elements that are reminiscent of the late twentieth-century Neo-Romantic movement. A review of the 2009 premiere stated that “the piece is not just about modern musical stress. There are also long passages of beautiful, tonal, melodic writing.”
Ranjbaran’s Double Concerto begins with a mysterious opening movement, andante, that starts with just a pulse. After a short introduction, both soloists enter in unison with a haunting melody that has a distinct Eastern flavor. There is much interplay between the soloists and the harp, creating an evocatively transparent texture. As the movement progresses, each soloist is given opportunities to play alone and with each other. An extended middle section accentuates the interplay. Ranjbaran’s orchestration is masterful, especially in his use of instruments that add a distinct color, such as the vibraphone. Much of the viola soloist’s part is written very high, blurring the division between it and the solo violin.
The second movement, adagio cantabile, begins with a plaintive theme introduced by the solo viola and taken over by the solo violin. There is an emphasis on dissonant counterpoint, but the overall mood is one of pensive contemplation. A central section provides contrast with an allegro that is quite demanding for the soloists. Ranjbaran returns to the opening material to end the movement quietly.
Brisk and lively, the finale is marked allegro vivace and is reminiscent of Shostakovich in its sardonic wit. The use of mixed meter adds rhythmic interest, as do the shifting accents that brilliantly punctuate Ranjbaran’s delightful solo lines. With a final surge in tempo and activity, the concluding measures are a thrilling showcase for soloists, orchestra, and audience.
©2011 Orpheus Music Prose & Craig Doolin
www.orpheusnotes.com
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Don Quixote, Opus 35
Richard Strauss
Born June 11, 1864, in Munich, Germany
Died September 8, 1949, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
This work was premiered on March 8, 1898, in Cologne, Germany, conducted by Franz Wüllner with Friedrich Grützmacher as solo cellist. It is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, E-flat clarinet, two clarinets, bass clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon, six horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tenor tuba, tuba, timpani, percussion, and strings.
This is the Boise Philharmonic's first performance of Don Quixote.
When Richard Strauss began composing Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks in 1894, he was recognized as a young upstart who was under the watchful eye of the music world. Behind him were a series of smaller works – piano pieces, songs, a horn concerto, and some short orchestra works – that were anything but juvenile in content. He had also completed the tone poems Death and Transfiguration and Don Juan. Those with foresight already hailed him as the foremost young composer of his day. His magnificent and iconoclastic operas Salome and Elektra were more than two decades away. Strauss’s training had been conservative in nature and was influenced more than anything else by his own father’s traditional musical background. Franz Strauss was the leading hornist of the day, holding the principal seat in the Munich Court Orchestra. Richard was undoubtedly well-trained, but few realized that the youngster’s unique direction was destined be so progressive.
Strauss’s experience with orchestras was quite extensive for a young man in his early twenties. His father’s connection to the court orchestra provided Richard with opportunities that were unavailable to most young composers. His unparalleled mastery of orchestration is due largely to the experience of having a full orchestra (and many of its individual players) available to play his newest music when he was barely a teenager. At just twenty years of age, Strauss was named as assistant to the eminent conductor Hans von Bülow, who had championed and premiered many of Wagner’s masterpieces. Through detailed studies with Alexander Ritter at Meiningen, Strauss gained an intimate knowledge of the music of Wagner, Liszt, and Berlioz, each of whom would influence his music in a profound way.
In 1889 he would become Kapellmeister to the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, taking the position held by Liszt upon his death three years earlier. He left the position in 1894 and toured Europe conducting his works in most of the major cities. In 1898 Strauss composed three tone poems – Also sprach Zarathustra, Ein Heldenleben, and Don Quixote – all massive scores with innumerable details and a sensitive approach to musical nuance.
Strauss’s Don Quixote is perhaps the most famous of the many musical renderings of Cervantes’ 1605 novel. To portray the central characters in the novel, the composer turned to the strings. A solo cello represents the insane and chivalrous Don Quixote and a solo viola plays a supporting role as his sidekick, Sancho Panza. Subtitled “Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character,” Don Quixote takes on the form of a theme and ten variations, each of which describes an episode from the novel. A brief synopsis of each follows:
Introduction: "Don Quixote loses his sanity after reading novels about knights, and decides to become a knight-errant" – Strauss opens the work with a light sense of nobility. Don Quixote imagines his imaginary lady, Dulcinea, who is portrayed by a solo oboe. The cello and oboe sing an intertwining theme, but the hero’s sense of reality begins to diminish. As dissonance becomes greater, he decides to venture out on an actual quest.
Theme: "Don Quixote, knight of the sorrowful countenance" – Don Quixote’s solo cello is introduced to Sancho Panza’s waddling theme in the solo viola. They set out on their epic journey – Don Quixote on his trusty steed and Sancho Panza atop a mule.
Variation I: "Adventure at the Windmills" - Don Quixote imagines distant windmills to be giants only to be defeated by one of their arms. He is knocked from his horse, but ventures on to his next quest.
Variation II: "The victorious struggle against the army of the great emperor Alifanfaron" – Don Quixote hears the sounds of sheep and believes them to be an enemy army.
Variation III: "Dialogue between Knight and Squire" – Don Quixote describes his philosophy of knighthood to Sancho Panza, only to be interrupted by visions of Dulcinea.
Variation IV: "Unhappy adventure with a procession of pilgrims" – The hero encounters a group of pilgrims. Believing their portrait of the Virgin Mary to be a captured Dulcinea, he attacks them. They knock him unconscious and Sancho revives him.
Variation V: "The knight's vigil" – Don Quixote guards his armor in this quiet interlude.
Variation VI: "The Meeting with Dulcinea" – Sancho Panza fools Don Quixote into believing that a group of young peasant women is Dulcinea and her ladies-in-waiting.
Variation VII: "The Ride through the Air" – The hero rides an imaginary flying horse, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of the wind machine.
Variation VIII: "The unhappy voyage in the enchanted boat" – Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are rescued by millers after falling off a boat. Quixote sings a hymn of praise.
Variation IX: "Battle with the magicians" – The hero sees two monks as being magicians intent upon capturing Dulcinea. He attacks them and they flee.
Variation X: "Duel with the knight of the bright moon" – Quixote is defeated and returns home to become a shepherd.
Finale: "Coming to his senses again" - Death of Don Quixote – Returning to his senses, a broken Don Quixote sees the folly of his quest. He dies peacefully.
©2011 Orpheus Music Prose & Craig Doolin
www.orpheusnotes.com
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