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Thursday
February 9th
8:00 PM

Église Saint-Joachim (Pointe-Claire)

Past

Symphonic personalities

Program

Wagner

Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), overture

Duration: approx. 11 minutes
Simon Bertrand

Theremin Concerto “Cinq moments dans la vie trépidante de Léon Théremine” (premiere)

I. La naissance d’un instrument
II. Le voyage en Amérique
III. Romance (en mémoire de Lise Beauchamp)
IV. Le goulag, la fausse mort et « the thing »
V. Autoportrait sur un banc public (une vie bien remplie)

Duration: approx. 25 minutes

Intermission: 20 minutes
Dvořák

Symphony No. 7 in D minor

I. Allegro maestoso
II. Poco adagio
III. Scherzo: Vivace – Poco meno mosso
IV. Finale: Allegro

Duration: approx. 35 minutes

Media

Under immense pressure and tormented by aspirations of becoming the greatest Czech composer, Dvorák delivered a jewel of a seventh symphony: complex, cutting and lucid. Opening the program, Wagner revolutionizes the opera overture with the stormy leitmotif of Der Fliegende Holländer. Montréal-based Simon Bertrand’s refined composition for theremin, a fascinating instrument with a sound somewhere between the human voice and synthesizer, will be given its world premiere by Thorwald Jørgensen and conducted by the brilliant Daniela Candillari.

Pre-concert Experience

Works

Wagner

1813 – 1883

Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), overture

Premiered in Dresden on January 2, 1843, conducted by Wagner

In 1838, the 25-year-old Wagner read of the legend of the Flying Dutchman in chapter VII of a novel by the great German romantic poet Heinrich Heine (1797-1856), Memoiren des Herrn von Schnabelewopski (The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski, 1833): a Dutchman, a ship’s captain who dared defy God, is condemned to eternally wander the seas with a ghost crew. Only the unconditional love of a woman can save him from this fate, and every seven years he is allowed to disembark and attempt to inspire such a love.

Der Fliegende Hollander, literally “The Flying Dutchman,” is Wagner’s fourth opera and his first masterpiece characteristic of his own style. Composed after the opera was completed, the overture incorporates several of the main themes and brilliantly summarizes the plot.

Simon Bertrand

Born 1969

Theremin Concerto “Cinq moments dans la vie trépidante de Léon Théremine” (premiere)

In 1920, Russian engineer Leon Theremin put the finishing touches on an electronic musical instrument that was something of a forerunner of the synthesizer: the theremin. It consists of a box, which contains the electronics, and two antennas, one for controlling the pitch and the other the volume. To play the instrument, performers position their hands near the antennas, producing ethereal whisps of sound whose soft timbre approaches that of the human voice. Often heard in science fiction movies and rock concerts, the theremin has increasingly attracted the interest of modern-day composers.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the theremin’s invention, Quebec composer Simon Bertrand decided to illustrate in music key moments from its inventor’s extraordinary life.

“For me, the life of Leon Theremin is a formidable example of the 20th century ‘man of the world’ and his great innovations, but also of the pitfalls he is prone to.” – Simon Bertrand.

The concerto is designed as a musical reconstruction of Leon Theremin’s career. The melodic and harmonic material draws on masterworks of 20th century music by composers such as Berg, Ives and Vivier. A transformed quotation from Saint-Saëns’ Le cygne refers to one of the first tunes played by Theremin and Clara Rockmore when introducing the instrument to the United States. A few elements drawn from Russian music and film scores round out this most original portrait.

The Theremin Concerto is dedicated to Thorwald Jørgensen, the theremin virtuoso for whom Simon Bertrand composed La voix invisible in 2017.

Dvořák

1841 – 1904

Symphony No. 7 in D minor

Premiered in London on April 22, 1885, conducted by Dvořák

In the first half of the 19th century, European musical language was dominated by German influences on instrumental music and Italian influences on opera. With the dawning of nationalism from the middle of the century on, a number of so-called “national schools” began to emerge. The Russian school with Glinka (1804-1857), the Czech school with Smetana (1824-1884), the English school with Elgar (1857-1934) and the Spanish school with Albéniz (1860-1909) brought new voices to the fore. The composers looked to their respective countries, drawing inspiration from traditional melodies and rhythms and, in some cases, actually quoting authentic folk songs in their works. They also composed expressive themes intended to stir patriotic sentiment, fervour and nostalgia. Several of their scores conjure up national landscapes and legends.

A worthy successor to Smetana, Antonín Dvořák was the most illustrious representative of the Czech national school, holding in it a position similar to Tchaikovsky’s in the Russian school. Czech and more broadly Slavic dance rhythms and melodies tinged with nostalgia abound in Dvořák’s music. He composed in nearly all the musical genres of his era, leaving, among other compositions, a dozen operas, chamber music, choral works, songs, symphonic poems, dances, folklore-inspired rhapsodies and nine symphonies.

Of these last works, the most famous is undoubtedly his Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”. Unfortunately, its immense popularity has tended to push its predecessors into the shadows. Symphonies nos. 7 and 8 nonetheless appear on concert programs around the planet on a fairly regular basis and their musical quality is in no way inferior to that of the better-known ninth. The warm-hearted Symphony No. 8 bathes in a pastoral and lyrical glow, while Symphony No. 7 stands out mainly for its powerful thrust and indomitable spirit.

Though Dvořák’s seventh symphony follows the classical four-movement model established by Haydn, its emotional heft places it closer to the spirit of a symphonic poem relating an epic legend, beginning with the first measures. The opening movement’s second theme betrays Dvořák’s huge admiration for Brahms, his mentor and defender. The following Poco adagio is surely one of the summits of the composer’s art. With its rhythm characteristic of a Czech furiant, the third movement evokes a Slavic dance. All the tension built in the first three movements creates an expectation perfectly met in the savoury and powerful finale with its contrasting episodes. Composed in four months, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 has enjoyed great success since its 1885 premiere.

Conductor & Soloists

Daniela Candillari

Conductor

Conductor Daniela Candillari continues to garner praise for her dynamic and compelling performances at opera houses and concert stages throughout North America and Europe.

Recognized for her “confidence and apparently inexhaustible verve” (The New York Times) and “powerful and breathtaking performances” (Review STL), Candillari enters her second season as both Principal Conductor at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Principal Opera Conductor at Music Academy.

In the 2022-23 season, Candillari conducts the New York Philharmonic and Yo-Yo Ma, American Composers Orchestra and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street at Carnegie Hall, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, the Symphonic Orchestra of Slovenian National Theater in Maribor, Toledo Symphony, the world premiere of Peter Knell and Stephanie Fleischmann’s Arkhipov at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Deutsche Oper Berlin’s concert version of Lakmé, New Orleans Opera’s Hansel and Gretel, Tosca at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera’s Gala concert version of Aida, and Music Academy’s La bohème.

Last season, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut conducting Aucoin’s Eurydice; led Jeanine Tesori’s Blue with Detroit Opera; Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ Carmen; the North American premiere of Caroline Shaw, Andrew Yee, and Asma Maroof’s Moby Dick; or The Whale at The Shed with members of the New York Philharmonic; Music Academy of the West’s Eugene Onegin; the 2021 made-for-film world premiere of Clint Borzoni’s The Copper Queen with Arizona Opera; and the 2022 film of Ana Sokolović’s Svadba with Boston Lyric Opera. As a composer, Candillari has been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Met Opera, and New York City Ballet Orchestras.

Candillari grew up in Serbia and Slovenia. She holds a Doctorate from the Universität für Musik in Vienna; a MM from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; and a MM and Bachelor’s degree from the Universität für Musik in Graz.

Thorwald Jørgensen

Theremin

Thorwald Jørgensen is known as one of the leading classical theremin players in the world. After graduating from the conservatory he quickly established himself as one of the most prominent players of the instrument and made a full time career of playing the instrument.

Since the playing technique also resembles that of a string instrument, Thorwald was coached by Saskia Boon, former cellist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Having a busy concert schedule, Thorwald has played to great reviews as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestral thereminist in Europe, both North and South America, Canada, Asia and Russia.

Besides these concerts, Thorwald also performed for radio and television and played at festivals, like: Ravinia Festival, Festival Classique, Bach Festival, Without Touch, Hands Off, Node, Music and Beyond, Festival Electromagnética Santiago, International Film Festival Rotterdam / IFFR, Gaudeamus Music Week, Lunigiana International Music Festival, Havana Biennial, MAG Festival, Festival Ars Musica Bruxelles, Klassifest, Festival Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques, Fête de la Musique Geneva, Bregenz Festspiele and the Thereminology Festival in Moscow and St Petersburg. He was also invited as a guest teacher/lecturer/performer at renowned institutions like the Conservatory of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Stanford University, Harvard University and the University of Havana.

Thorwald played as a soloist with numerous orchestras around the world, such as Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland, Brussels Philharmonic, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Zeeland Symphony Orchestra, Opera2Day, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Antalya Symphony Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Ottawa, Les Violons du Roy, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Bursa State Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonie, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Detmold Symphonisches Orchester, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Izmir Symphony Orchestra and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey.

As a chamber musician Thorwald works with both pianist Kamilla Bystrova and the German ensemble for contemporary music ‘Ensemble Experimental’ (ENEX). Together with the Detmold Symphony Orchestra, he recorded Detlef Heusinger’s opera Die Zeitreise-Maschine. He also is featured in several movie soundtracks.

Thorwald is an advocate for new theremin repertoire and composers from all over the world have written pieces for him. Together with pianist Kamilla Bystrova, Thorwald recorded the album Air Électrique, featuring the premiere recording of Lera Auerbach’s Ten Preludes for Theremin and Piano, which was received with great acclaim.

Thorwald currently plays an Etherwave Pro MOOG theremin.