CAPE ANN SYMPHONY
THE 64th SEASON: A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Yoichi Udagawa, Music Director
Cape Ann Symphony Visits Spain, Germany & Japan in
A Global Tour Concert on Sunday, March 20
Concert Debuts World Premiere from Japanese Composer Koto &
Introduces Guitar Virtuoso Grisha Goryachev to Cape Ann
Cape Ann Symphony features a global musical tour with music from Germany’sBeethoven, Spain’s Rodrigo and a world premiere work from Japan’s Koto on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 2pm at the CAS performance venue at Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $40 for adults, $35 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth age 18 and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.
The concert program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor; guest artist renowned guitar virtuoso Grisha Goryachev in his Cape Ann Symphony debut playing the exotic Spanish guitar concerto, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez; and the world premiere of Araumi to Nagi (Stormy and Calm Seas) from Boston based Japanese composer Takashi Koto. Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa is eager to take audiences on this musical journey, “The fantastic musicians of the Cape Ann Symphony and I are thrilled to be able to perform such a varied and colorful program to our fabulous audience.” He is enthusiastic about the music set for the concert, “Our March concert features the fiery and explosive power of Beethoven’sSymphony No. 5 – one of the most dramatic and well known works of symphonic music ever written. It is a favorite of audiences, and we musicians love to play it! The Russian American guitar virtuoso Grisha Goryachev will join us as the featured soloist playing the gorgeous Concierto de Aranjuez by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. The concert opens with the world premiere of Boston based composer Takashi Koto’sAraumi to Nagi (Stormy and Calm Seas). Inspired by the rhythms used by taiko drummers, this exciting new work is a musical description of the sea.”
Composer Takashi Koto explains his inspirations for his newest work Araumi to Nagi (Stormy and Calm Seas) which Cape Ann Symphony premieres on March 20, “My love for the Japanese taiko drums began more than thirty five years ago. That was when I traveled as a reporter to Berlin and Cologne with a Japanese taiko group, “Kodo”.Taikos are versatile and have been used in many situations. For example, they were used in fierce battle fields, as well as for Japanese kabuki scenery with water, such as rivers or oceans. Believe it or not, even silent snow falling scenes are portrayed by sounds of taiko in the kabuki theater. On the other side of the spectrum, thunderous beatings of taiko ward off demons. I incorporated this versatility of taiko music into my new orchestral piece. Every instrument is treated as a percussive instrument. The first section is energetic and punctuated, while the second section is melodious and fluent, and the last section is when the two contrasting styles join together. While composing it, I pictured two scenes: araumi, which means ‘stormy seas’ in Japanese, and nagi, meaning ‘calm seas’. That is why I named the piece “Stormy and Calm Seas.”
Cape Ann Symphony audiences were first introduced to composer Takashi Koto in the 2011 Koto Magic concert when CAS premiered his new work, Kochi (East Wind),written for the Koto, an ancient Japanese instrument whose origins can be traced back 1300 years. Takashi Koto, born in Tokyo in 1946, received his Ph.D. in Music fromHarvard University, his M.M. from the New England Conservatory, and his B.M. from Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo. In 1983 he won the Irino Prize for his Like Flickering Light for violin and piano. He was an editor for a musical journal Ongaku Geijutsu in Japan and has written extensively on musical matters and translated articles and books into Japanese. His new book, Traditional Japanese Music at a Glance, written for global readers in English, co-authored with Kenji Tanaka, was published inTokyo this year. His translation of full texts into Japanese includes Sonic Design by Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot and Stravinsky by Robert Craft. He is integrally involved in Japanese musical activities in Boston, such as the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Concert Series “JAPAN DAY” 2005. Mr. Koto has been the music director of theAfternoon of Shakuhachi and Koto Music. He has composed many chamber and orchestral works, including his three koto (zither) concertos and a double concerto forshakuhachi (bamboo flute). In 2015, his anthem Hokkaido Pioneers written to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Massachusetts and Hokkaido, Japan, and a new piece for brass band and chorus based on the anthem all premiered during the anniversary ceremony.
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles. He is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting. A tradition that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas, Mr. Goryachev strives to keep alive older flamenco masterpieces that now exist only on records, by performing them in concerts. He creates his own interpretations of these masterpieces, using dynamics and tone colors usually associated with classical guitar.
Mr. Goryachev began playing guitar at the age of six, studying first with his father Dmitry, an acknowledged master teacher of the instrument. He started his performing career as a child prodigy of nine years old. He has performed before large audiences in the most prestigious concert halls in the Soviet Union. Following a tour of Spain, Mr. Goryachev was invited to play for flamenco legend Paco de Lucía, who soon after personally intervened in support of his application for an American visa, which was awarded to Mr. Goryachev in 1997 on the basis of “Extraordinary Ability.” In May 2005 Mr. Goryachev was awarded the prize for Best Performance of Spanish Music at the VI International Classical Guitar Competition “Julian Arcás” in Almería, Spain.
Mr. Goryachev received his Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied under famous guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk. He was one of the 30 people in 2006 to become a fellow of the distinguished Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship, recognizing him as exceptional in his chosen field.
Since his immigration to the United States, Mr. Goryachev has toured extensively in the states and abroad as a performer, instructor, and judge for many prominent festivals and venues. A firm believer in exposing the young generations to the beauty of classical and flamenco guitar, he likes to include Outreach performances and workshops at schools as part of his concert tours. Mr. Goryachev has recorded two CDs: “Alma Flamenca” and “Homenaje a Sabicas” and his YouTube videos have collected over two million views
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Cape Ann Symphony concerts are held at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s A Global Tour Concert is Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 2:00 pmat the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $40 for adults, $35 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth (18 years old and under). For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
Good Morning Gloucester 