Cape Ann Symphony presents selections from Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens, and Beethoven on Sunday March 16, 2025. Read more about the concert program below from the symphony’s printed matter.
Sunday Concerts in Spring: Scroll further to see printable flyers for two more delightful programs scheduled in April and May.
Press Release
The program for Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, and Beethoven includes Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto, featuring Owen Young, Cello. The March 16th Concert marks the first time CAS has performed the Beethoven Symphony No. 4 during Maestro Udagawa’s 25 year tenure as Music Director and Conductor of Cape Ann Symphony. Maestro Udagawa looks forward to bringing the exciting piece to CAS audiences, “We have never performed the Beethoven Symphony No. 4 in Cape Ann during my time as conductor of the orchestra. It’s a real masterpiece, and it was definitely time to do it. It sits between the very famous 3rd and 5th symphonies, so it’s definitely been overshadowed by those pieces, but I know that the audience will love this piece. It has everything that Beethoven is known for – power, energy, melodies of tremendous beauty – and in addition, it comes along with a huge dose of high spirits and humor. “
Written in 1830, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture also known as Fingal’s Cave was inspired by a trip the composer took to Scotland. His travels took him to the Hebrides Islands and the island of Staffa – known for its puffins and its atmospheric cave. With its echoing acoustics, which magnified the sound of rumbling waves, Fingal’s Cave made a profound impression on Mendelssohn. Through the Hebrides Overture he sought to capture the swell and feel of the Atlantic, and the sound of waves crashing against rocks. “The Hebrides Overture of Mendelssohn is such evocative music and a perfect piece to perform on Cape Ann,” points out Maestro Udagawa, “The opening is Mendelssohn’s depiction of the ocean waves, and it gently rolls along. Eventually the music builds up to a stormy sequence, and towards the end when the music is again peaceful, one can imagine seagulls soaring over the ocean. The music has such color and sparkle, and it’s always wonderful to prepare this piece with the musicians of the orchestra and to perform it.”
Owen Young last played with CAS in March 2022. He performed the Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra with his BSO colleague violinist Lucia Lin.MaestroUdagawa is eager to collaborate with Owen Young again, “Owen Young is an incredible cellist and musician. In addition, he is an incredibly warm and nice person, and that really comes across in everything he does. That’s definitely one of the reasons the orchestra, I and our audience love him so much.” On March 16th world renowned cellist Young will play Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto with CAS. Many composers, including Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Rachmaninoff, consider this concerto to be the greatest of all cello concertos. In this demanding concerto Saint-Saëns broke with convention. Instead of using the normal three-movement concerto form, he wrote the piece in one continuous movement which contains three sections sharing interrelated ideas. “The Saint-Saens is a gorgeous concerto which is wildly difficult and virtuosic for the soloist,” says Maestro Udagawa,” in spite of the fireworks, Saint-Saens has written a piece of great charm and beauty. The main melody of the second movement is so beautiful and touching. The first movement is fiery and the last movement is also full of difficult passages for the soloist. It’s always amazing to see Owen play it with such command and ease. He makes it look easy, but we all know it isn’t! I can’t wait for CAS audiences to see this thrilling performance!”
About Owen Young
Cellist Owen Young joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in August 1991. A frequent collaborator in chamber music concerts and festivals, he has been featured as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras. Mr. Young has appeared in the Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Davos, Sunflower, Gateway, Brevard, and St. Barth’s music festivals and is a founding member of the innovative chamber ensemble Innuendo. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio, WQED in Pittsburgh, WITF in Harrisburg, and WGBH in Boston. He has performed frequently with singer/songwriter James Taylor, including the nationally televised concert “James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre” in New York City.
Mr. Young was formerly on the faculties of Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory School of Continuing Education, and Longy School of Music. He is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music and is active in Project STEP, a String Training Education Program which provides talented young musicians that identify with historically underrepresented groups in classical music with comprehensive music instruction, envisioning a world in which the classical music profession reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of our communities.
Owen Young holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University. He was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow in 1986 and 1987. After winning an Orchestra Fellowship in 1987, he played with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1988 and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1988-89. He was a member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in 1986-87 and of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1989 until he joined the BSO in 1991. From 1991 to 1996 Mr. Young was a Harvard-appointed resident tutor and director of concerts in Dunster House at Harvard University. His teachers included Elinor Osborn, Michael Grebanier, Anne Martindale Williams, and Aldo Parisot.
About Cape Ann Symphony and Yoichi Udagawa
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 Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Mr. Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Mr. Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Outreach programs to area schools.
tickets
Cape Ann Symphony Mendelssohn, Saint–Saëns, and Beethoven Concert is Sunday, March 16 at 2 pm at Manchester-Essex High School auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Single ticket prices are $50 for adults, $45 for senior citizens age 65 and above, $20 for Students of any age with a valid student id; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.
Coming April 25, 2025
Coming May 11, 2025
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Of all the symphonic sounds one encounters riding the NYC subway trains and tracks, above a multitude of electric aches and brakes, and machinery coming and going, it’s the brief and stirring melody that never fails to stir my heart.
image caption: 12 second video. NYC Subway–can you hear the notes?
I have filmed it every decade since the 1980s. That such solid heavy machinery can sound delicate and fleeting and produce the identical phrasing of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 adagio un poco movement stops me every time (25 second audio below).
Beethoven (1770-1827) was fully deaf by 40. At the time when the sounds that he heard must have grown muffled and distant and the high pitch frequencies rubbed away–in his mid thirties–he composed Symphony No. 5. What many may consider the loveliest and most layered melody the world has produced may be one of the last of his own works Beethoven could hear at all. Think about that as the subway is pulling away.
Because it was a center of the music world of its time, booming with royal and freelance opportunities for musicians and music publishing, Beethoven resided and worked in Vienna. When I hear the notes emanating from the NYC subway, I wonder about the ambient and industry sounds in Vienna that Beethoven absorbed. The upper Danube was dotted by land and ship mills for grain, textile, metal working, lumber, and fishing. Although the sounds of steam engine trains were decades away from Beethoven’s lived experience, and well before audio recordings, sounds and vibrations from man made metal and engineering production were extant.
150+ years later, preeminent American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, drew inspiration and intentionally quoted that Beethoven phrase in “Somewhere” from West Side Story. How could he not? Bernstein was a New Yorker. The sounds of the city were his inspiration, too. And what can be more New York than the subway and an artist delighting in references as broad as Gershwin and Beethoven and the challenge of embedding them into popular musical theater. Bernstein was also an unfailing educator and student of music. Here he is in 1954 on his first live tv appearance, on the Sunday afternoon weekly broadcast, Omnibus, with the Symphony in Air orchestra episode devoted to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Image caption: Omnibus video from 1954 is 33 min. Check out the studio set–it’s amazing!
The popular Beethoven ‘master class’ aired three years before his seminal musical West Side Story premiered on Broadway.One wishes there was an episode about Beethoven’s the Emperor with Bernstein.
There is a broadcast in 1956 with Josef Krips conducting. Below is a 1 min excerpt with that phrase from Beethoven Piano Concerto 5 performed with NBC Symphony of the Air and Arthur Rubinstein on piano.
image caption: 1956 (1:00 minute audio)
And three more (duration 20 second (or less)) recordings of that Beethoven leitmotif phrase, different interpretations for joyful comparison:
image caption: 1951
image caption: 1958. 23 seconds.
image caption: 1992.
Reri Grist (American, b. 1932)
The Broadway musical, West Side Story, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Leonard Bernstein, opened in 1957. The gorgeous melodic and pining classic, “Somewhere”, was not sung by Carol Lawrence who played the role of Maria. Broadway was lucky to recognize the gorgeous voice of Reri (sounds like MiMi) Grist, a member of the background chorus who played the part of Consuelo and the off stage soloist who launched “There’s a Place for Us” into the world. You can also hear Grist’s vocals soaring in the chorus of “Tonight”.
Four years later, the song pivots to the part of Maria in the classic 1961 film adaptation. Grist was not involved in the iconic movie. She became an international opera soprano, and legendary voice teacher in New York. There doesn’t seem to be any film recording of Reri Grist with the original cast acting and singing. There is a contemporaneous video with excerpts of Grist starring in a 1965 live tv production of “Ariadne auf Naxos” — it’s incredible (and only 2000 views as of today). She’s dazzling.
1960s
2007
Flash forward decades to 2007: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS gala fundraiser featured Reri Grist singing “Somewhere” and it’s so layered and stunning and felt!
image caption: video duration is less than 5 minutes. Do stay through to the end or you’ll miss the original cast and chorus join the stage.
And here is a snippet from the historical rehearsal for the 2007 event with original cast members and Grist beaming and her voice lifting in “Tonight”
Image caption: 1957 cast album Reri Grist “Somewhere” (17 sec- volume up specific of this motif)
West Side Story film
Excerpts with examples of the leitmotif from the 1961 juggernaut with Natalie Wood as Maria (with vocals dubbed by Marni Nixon) and Richard Beymer as Tony (vocals dubbed by Jim Bryant).
Somewhere interpretations
Video and audio snippets zeroed in on that melody covered by legends: Judy Garland with Vic Damone , the Supremes (1966), Barbra Streisand (1985), Idina Menzel (Glee, 2011) , and Renee Fleming (1999)
Renee Fleming – 32 sec
Idina – 10 sec
Barbra- 15 seconds
Image: LIVE Judy Garland and Vic Damone medley (7 min)
Image caption: The Supremes – 1966 Ed Sullivan (3:44 min)
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“Born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, Lucia Lin made her debut at age eleven, performing the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Chicago Symphony and went on to be a prize winner of numerous competitions, including the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Described as a soloist with “virtuosity and insight” who is “passionate and graceful” (Indianapolis Star), and whose playing has “a genuine fresh quality not often heard” (Cincinnati Enquirer), Ms. Lin has performed on the international stage, including appearances with orchestras in Europe as well as a solo recital at Carnegie Hall.
At the age of 22, she won a position in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to become acting concertmaster with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and subsequently spent two years as Concertmaster with the London Symphony Orchestra, where she was leader for numerous tours, including to Japan, Italy, Scotland, and Spain.
A return to the U.S. in 1995 brought her back to the Boston Symphony. She also founded the Boston Trio and then became a member of the Muir String Quartet in 1998.
Lucia teaches applied violin, chamber music, and orchestral studies as Professor of Music at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. In the summers she participates in a mentorship program at the Tanglewood Music Center as well as an intensive quartet program at Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
As an accomplished dancer, she collaborated with the dance company Snappy Dance Theater in the world premiere of “String Beings”, an innovative piece integrating music with dance and technology. The work was performed at the Wimberley Theater in Boston where Ms. Lin “proved to be as fearless and fine a dancer as musician.”
Ms. Lin has recorded for many labels including a recent recording with the Muir String Quartet performing works of Kreisler, Berg and Schulhof. And most recently collaborated with harpist, Ann Hobson Pilot and bandoneon player, J.P. Jofre, featuring the works of Astor Piazzolla.”
Just four days away! Heidi Dallin shares a reminder about Cape Ann Symphony spring concert in this their 72nd season:
The Cape Ann Symphony’s 72nd Concert Season continues with The Known (and Unknown) Greats Concert featuring world renowned pianist Janice WeberonSunday, March 17 at 2 pm at Manchester-Essex High School auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. For tickets and information about the concert, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
The program for The Known (and Unknown Greats) Concert features Louise Farrenc’sOverture No. 1; William Grant Still’s Woodnotes and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 performed by Janice Weber. Ms. Weber made her Cape Ann Symphony debut in 2008 playing Saint Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2.in The French Fantasy Concert. CAS Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa looks forward to the upcoming concert,
“Virtuoso pianist Janice Weber is an amazing artist! She has a long history of breathtaking performances with CAS. We can’t wait for our audience to hear her perform Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. We begin the concert with a sparkling Overture by the French composer Louise Farrenc followed by a gorgeous suite for orchestra by American composer William Grant Still.”
Yoichi Udagawa
Read the press release and print and share the poster!
Photo 1: CAS Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa Photo 2: Guest Artist Pianist Janice Weber Photo 3: Composer Louise Farrenc Photo 4: Composer William Grant Still Photo 5: CAS In Concert, Credit: Jeph Ellis, Image Maker Photo 6: CAS Players, Credit: Jeph Ellis, Image Maker
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Heidi Dallin reminds us to mark down these upcoming dates and special performances announced for Cape Ann Symphony’s beautiful 72nd Season, “A Season of Exploration”:
Oct. 1 – THE FRENCH SPECTACULAR
Performance: Sunday, October 1, 2023: 2:00 PM: Manchester-Essex High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
Cape Ann Symphony kicks off the 72nd season with a musical trip to France featuring CAS premieres of Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin printemps; Debussy’s Nocturnes with a special appearance from the New World Chorale; and Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. The concert finale is Ravel’s popular and thrilling Bolero.
nov. – THE HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT
Performances:
Saturday, November 25, 2023: 2:00 PM Dolan Performing Arts Center, Ipswich High School. Ipswich,MA
Saturday, November 25, 2023: 7:30 PM Manchester-Essex High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
Sunday, November 26, 2023: 2:00 PM Manchester-Essex High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
TheHoliday Pops Concert, Cape Ann Symphony’s joyful holiday tradition, features a program of holiday favorites and welcomes back guest artist gospel sensation Renese King. King last appeared with CAS in 2012.
Ms. King’s array of musical talents have taken her from spiritual and gospel singing at the church podium to timpani playing on the Carnegie Hall stage. She has toured internationally as a percussionist, pianist, and vocalist with a number of Massachusetts based choral and orchestral ensembles. But it is her soulful and unforgettably moving voice that has piqued her national reputation.
March 2024 – KNOWN (AND UNKNOWN) GREATS
Performance: Sunday, March 17, 2024: 2:00 PM Manchester-Essex High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
Cape Ann Symphony welcomes back world renown pianist Janice Weber to play Beethoven’s show stopping Emperor Piano Concerto . The concert program also includes the CAS premieres of esteemed composers: Louise Farrenc and William Grant Still. The orchestra will play Farrenc’s OvertureNo .1 and Still’s Woodnotes.
May 2024 – THE THREE B’S:BEETHOVEN, BIZET AND BRAHMS
Performance: Sunday, May 19, 2024: 2:00 PM Manchester-Essex High School, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
BSO violinist and a favorite CAS guest artist Lucia Lin returns for The Three B’s:Beethoven, Bizet and Brahms to play Brahms’ monumental Violin Concerto. The orchestra plays Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Bizet’s Symphony in C.
Janice Weber photo by Liz LenderLucia Lin Yoichi UdagawaRenese King
Read more about Cape Ann Symphony’s 72nd season: A SEASON OF EXPLORATION
Cape Ann Symphony proudly announces the launch of the orchestra’s 72nd concert season on Sunday, October 1 at 2:00 PM at Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium. “After a terrific summer Pops Concert playing for thousands in Stage Fort Park , we are so thrilled to be back on stage for our 72nd season!” says Cape Ann Symphony Board President Fran White. “This season of exploration is especially exciting for our audiences and our orchestra. We will be playing pieces that CAS has never played over the orchestra’s 71 seasons and we celebrate three amazingly talented and world-renowned guest artists: pianist Janice Weber, gospel vocal sensation Renese King and BSO violinist Lucia Lin. You will want to hear every note this season! I highly recommend getting your season subscription NOW so you will not miss a concert !”
Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa is eager to open the CAS 72nd Season, “The musicians of the Cape Ann Symphony and I are very excited about the upcoming season. We are starting off with a French Spectacular featuring the works of Lili Boulanger, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. The New World Chorale will be joining us in the Debussy Nocturnes, and the concert will close with Ravel’s ever popular and exciting Bolero. Holiday Pops will feature all the favorites of the season, and this year we have a special guest – Gospel Sensation Renese King. In March, pianist Janice Weber will be playing Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto and in May, audience favorite violinist Lucia Lin will return to play the Brahms Violin Concerto. ”
This Season of Exploration features a season of firsts for Maestro Udagawa and the orchestra. “Our season opening French Spectacular Concert includes three pieces that we have never performed: Lili Boulanger’sD’unmatin printemps; Debussy’s Nocturnes and Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.Our March concert: Known (and Unknown) Greats includes two composers making their CAS debut Louise Farrenc and William Grant Still. We have played Still’s music in Musicians Unleashed, our popular chamber series, but never with a full orchestra! On a personal note, this season is especially exciting, I will be conducting Boulanger’s D’un matin printemps, Debussy’s Nocturnes; Ravel’s Mother Goose and William Grant Still’s Woodnotes for the first time in my career. The musicians and I can’t wait to begin this journey of exploration with our audiences!”
Cape Ann Symphony preview announcement for the 2023/2024 season
Photo 1: Guest Artist for Known and (Unknown) Greats, the March 2024 Concert: Janice Weber, world renowned pianist and best selling novelist Photo Credit: Liz Linder
Photo 2: Guest Artist for The Three B’s: Beethoven, Bizet and Brahms, the May 2024 Concert: Lucia Lin, acclaimed BSO violinist
Photo 3: Cape Ann Symphony Conductor and Music Director Yoichi Udagawa
Photo 4: Guest Artist for 2023 Holiday Pops Concert: Renese King, gospel vocal sensation
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Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed Series welcomes spring with an afternoon of music featuring special guest artist pianist Tianhong Yang and Cape Ann Symphony musicians Bill Kirkley, clarinet; Seth MacLeod, Cello; Scott Moore, violin; Erica Pisaturo, violin; Richey Tally, string bass; and Brandon White, viola; playing nine compositions from nine composers of varying styles ranging from Gershwin to Liszt.
“The final Musicians Unleashed concert of the season is going to be a great one. Fantastic musicians from the Cape Ann Symphony will be playing a varied program written by a wide range of composers with a lot of different combinations of players. Plus our special guest, the enormously talented pianist Tianhong Yang!”
Yoichi Udagawa, Cape Ann Symphony Conductor and Music Director
The concert program includes
Nine compositions from nine composers: Bach, Beethoven, Dvorák, Gershwin, Koussevitsky, Liszt, Mozart, Saint-Saens, and Trenet-Weisenberg
Beethoven’s Spring Sonata 4th Movement; Bach’s Cello Suite No 1, Prelude; Saint-Saens’ The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals (Le Carnaval des animaux); Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet 1st Movement which is Mozart’s only completed clarinet quintet, and is one of the earliest and best-known works written especially for the clarinet; George Gershwin’s Promenade; Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 for solo piano; Trenet-Weisenberg’s En Avril à Paris; Koussevitsky’s Valse Minature; and Dvorák’s String Quintet No. 2, 1st Movement.
About the Guest Artist, Tianhong Yang
Based in Boston, Chinese born pianist Tianhong Yang has made solo appearances in a number of prestigious festivals and venues across Europe, Asia and the USA. Yang made her UK debut in 2010 at the St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, Op.37, under the direction of Maestro David Jones. Throughout Yang’s competition career, she has participated and won numerous top prizes in international piano competitions such as Liege International Piano Competition and Andree Charlier International Piano Competition. At the age of four, Yang started her piano lessons and continued her studies in the Middle School program at Wuhan Conservatoire of Music, then later was admitted to the High School of Central Conservatoire of Music in Beijing, China. After Yang’s intensive primary school training in China’s most prestigious conservatories she was awarded the inaugural Steinway Full Scholarship in 2009 to further her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music under the tutelage of Richard McMahon. In 2013, Yang was invited to study with the Piano Legend, Dmitry Bashkirov, at Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Spain and she was sponsored with a full scholarship by the Yamaha Europe Association and the Albeniz Foundation. Yang simultaneously began her master’s degree in performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, Belgium, with Polina Leschenko, and performance diploma program at the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale Incontri Col Maestro, Italy, with Vovka Ashkenazy and Boris Petrushansky. Yang also works closely with Chinese composer, Haofu Zhang, promoting Chinese-Western contemporary compositions. Yang is currently working on her doctoral degree in Piano Performance at Boston University, under the guidance of Pavel Nersessian.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed programs were launched in 2019 and have become a wonderfully popular series with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response. Spring Awakening is Saturday, April 15 at 3:00 PM at the Crowell Chapel, 3 Rosedale Avenue, Manchester-by-the-Sea. Ticket prices for Spring Awakening are $40 for Adults and $15 for Youth. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.
Photos attached for Spring Awakening Musicians
Photo 1: Special Guest Artist Tianhong Yang, Piano Photo 2: Bill Kirkley, Clarinet Photo 3: Scott Moore, Violin Photo 4: Erica Pisaturo, Violin Photo 5: Richey Tally, String Bass Photo 6: Brandon White, Viola
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Read more about the upcoming Cape Ann Symphony season opener:
CAPE ANN SYMPHONY
THE 71st SEASON
Yoichi Udagawa, Music Director
THE BIG THREE: MOZART, BEETHOVEN & TCHAIKOVSKY
Violin Virtuoso Victor Romanul Makes Cape Ann Symphony Debut in Tchaikovsky’s “Unplayable” Violin Concerto
Cape Ann Symphony’s 71st Concert Season opens on Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA featuring The Big Three: Mozart, Beethoven & Tchaikovsky.
The concert program for The Big Three: Mozart, Beethoven & Tchaikovsky features Mozart’s Magic Flute Overature, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Boston Symphony Orchestra violinist Victor Romanul making his CAS debut playing Tchaikovsky’s “unplayable” Violin Concerto.
Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa looks forward to this challenging program to open the season,
“This program features three ground breaking pieces written by three of the world’s greatest composers! Mozart’s Magic Flute is one of the greatest operas ever written. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, one of the best-known compositions in classical music and one of the most often played symphonies. Beethoven’s iconic four note opening motif has become one of the most recognizable motifs in classical music. As for Tchaikovsky’s “unplayable” Violin Concerto, audiences will see and hear that in the hands of our guest artist Victor Romanul this concerto is exquisitely “playable”! Victor Romanul is an amazing violinist, and incredible musician. This will be his first appearance with us at the Cape Ann Symphony, and I can hardly wait for our audiences to hear him. Please do not miss his performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto!”
Violinist Victor Romanul currently holds the Bessie Pappas Violin Chair in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He served as the BSO’s assistant concertmaster from 1993 to 1995. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players for the Beethoven Septet. As a soloist, he was named in “Best of Boston” in 1997 by the Boston Globe. Composer John Williams wrote a violin-viola duo, Duo Concertante for Romanul and Violist Michael Zaretsky, to whom the Duo is dedicated. Mr. Romanul recently completed a three-year tenure as concertmaster of the Ars Poetica Chamber Orchestra, based in Detroit and made up of outstanding players from major U.S. orchestras.
Mr. Romanul started performing at the age of 7. His Grandmother, Stella Roman(ul) was a leading dramatic soprano at the Metropolitan Opera, and at the La Scala theatre in Milan, where she was hand-picked by Richard Strauss for the title role of Empress for his premiere there of Die Frau ohne Schatten. Mr. Romanul, along with his three brothers traveled and performed extensively as the Romanul Quartet. After studying with Ivan Galamian, Joseph Silverstein, and Jascha Heifetz, he joined the Pittsburgh Symphony as a second violinist at the age of 21. During his first week there he won the position of Associate Concertmaster, remaining for six years.
The father of five children, now grown, he enjoys performing many obscure, and fascinating works, hidden violin gems of composers such as Paganini, Sauret, Vieuxtemps, Tarrega, Reger, Westhoff, Matteis, Leon de Saint-Lubin, Agusta Read Thomas, Alard, and Loccatelli among others. He often performs as soloist with orchestra, with over 50 concerti in his repertoire. Performances of the Dvorak, Korngold, Beethoven, Bruch, Brahms Double, Vivaldi Seasons, Bach violin-oboe Double, Saint-Saens #3, and others dot his schedule. Projects such as performances of all the Beethoven Sonatas at the Goethe Institute, or of the complete Ysaye or Bach Sonatas in one concert and several performances of the complete 24 caprices of Paganini, are commonplace.
Mr. Romanul has given master classes at many schools throughout the country including Northwestern, Columbia, Oberlin and SUNY Stony Brook as well as for the Fellows at the Tanglewood Music Center. He has served as a coach for the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and the New England Conservatory Preparatory orchestras.
Tchaikovsky wrote his only Violin Concerto in March 1878 with the help of his friend Josif Kotek, one of his students at the Moscow Conservatory. Tchaikovsky would write a passage and Kotek would play it, giving Tchaikovsky, who did not play the violin, feedback regarding violin technique. The masterpiece that emerged would become one of the most beloved violin concertos in history despite Tchaikovsky’s struggles to premiere the piece and negative reviews.
Tchaikovsky dedicated the violin concerto to the Hungarian violinist Leopold Auer, but Auer rejected the piece as unplayable. The premiere finally took place in Vienna in 1881 when the violinist Adolph Brodsky decided that the unplayable was playable after all. The audience loved it, but the critics were not impressed.
Renowned critic, Eduard Hanslick wrote
“The Russian composer Tchaikovsky is surely not an ordinary talent, but rather an inflated one, with a genius-obsession without discrimination or taste. Such is also his latest, long and pretentious Violin Concerto. For a while it moves soberly, musically, and not without spirit. But soon vulgarity gains the upper hand, and asserts itself to the end of the first movement. The violin is no longer played; it is pulled, torn, drubbed. The Adagio . . . soon breaks off to make way for a finale that transfers us to a brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian holiday. We see plainly the savage vulgar faces, we hear curses, we smell vodka. . . Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto gives us for the first time the hideous notion that there can be music that stinks to the ear.”
Tchaikovsky memorized Hanslick’s review and could quote it for the rest of his life. Fortunately, Hanslick’s opinion didn’t seem to matter, as Brodsky was in demand all over the country to perform the concerto and the piece has been a mainstay ever since.
About Cape Ann Symphony
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 Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Maestro Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Maestro Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Initiative.
Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.
The Big Three: Mozart, Beethoven & Tchaikovsky is Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA . Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. Season subscriptions are available. For information or tickets, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
Pictured: Guest Artist Victor Romanul Pictured: Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa Photo Credit Jeph Ellis
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This Sunday, May 15, 2pm Cape Ann Symphony at the Manchester Essex RMHS, 36 Lincoln St. Manchester, MA. tickets available here
Beethoven Coriolan Overture.
Composed to open the play written in 1804 by Joseph von Collin. The music summarizes the plot in which Roman General Gaius Marcius Coriolanus was expelled from Rome, went over to Rome’s enemy Volscian and led their army back to conquer Rome. His mother pleaded with him to not invade and he relented. Thus he became a traitor to both the Romans and the Volscians. Destroyed by himself, he fell on his sword.
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
It took six years riddled with self doubt for Mendelssohn to compose what has become one of the most popular violin concertos of all time. His last concerto, it is filled with new compositional ideas for its time and is considered a must learn concerto for all violin soloists.
Adrian Anantawan.
A graduate of Yale, Harvard, the Curtis Institute of Music and a student of Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, he is an extraordinary and accomplished violinist and musician. We are thrilled to have Adrian Anantawan join us this Sunday to play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. He may not have a right hand, but he delighted an audience two weeks ago at Rockport’s Shalin Liu Performance Center as he demonstrated that it’s what you hear, not what you see, that counts.
Click here to see and hear Adrian Anantawan play the theme from Schindler’s list.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5.
He declared to his brother that he had come to the conclusion that the fifth Symphony was a failure. He even “feared his imagination had dried up, that he had nothing more to express in music.”
Today the fifth is one of the most popular symphonic works, full of drama and emotion with a gorgeous French horn solo and a thrilling ending which will raise folks out of their seats.
Traditionally, about 30% of attendees wait until the last week prior to a concert to order tickets and other folks simply come on the day of, and hope there will be seats. So far, we are about 25% ahead of expected sales for the upcoming concert this Sunday.
Just to be certain, why not buy your tickets now for the upcoming concert this Sunday, May 15, 2pm?
You don’t want to miss this concert program with our very special violin soloist!
978 281 0543 Buy tickets here
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video caption: “Here is a link to a performance. Anantawan is really spectacular!!” Violinist Adrian Anantawan- YouTube video J.S. Bach: Sonata for Violin Solo No. 2 in A Mino
Heidi Dallin shares a reminder for Cape Ann Symphony May 15th concert:
CAPE ANN SYMPHONY
THE 70th SEASON
Yoichi Udagawa, Music Director
BEETHOVEN, MENDELSSOHN, TCHAIKOVSKY & ANANTAWAN
MAY 15, 2022 CONCERT
Featuring Guest Artist Violinist
ADRIAN ANANTAWAN
Performing
MENDELSSOHN’S VIOLIN CONCERTO
Cape Ann Symphony’s 70th Concert Season continues on Sunday, May 15 at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA featuring guest artist violinist Adrian Anantawan performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and CAS performing classic works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Violinist Adrian Anantawan holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, Yale University and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Memorable performances include at the White House, the Opening Ceremonies of the Athens and Vancouver Olympic Games and the United Nations. He has played for the late Christopher Reeve, Pope John Paul II, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He is also the founder of the Music Inclusion Program, aimed at having children with disabilities learn instrumental music with their typical peers. Throughout the year, Anantawan continues to perform, speak and teach around the world as an advocate for disability and the arts. Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
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Heidi Dallin shares Spring Bouquet concert details from Cape Ann Symphony:
Cape Ann Symphony Musicians UnleashedConcert Series
LIVE ON SATURDAY, April 16: SPRING BOUQUET
Featuring works by Boulanger, Beethoven, Franck, Grieg, Mozart and Faure
&An Original Improvisation by Cape Ann Symphony violist Anna Stromer
at Manchester’s Crowell Chapel
Cape Ann Symphony proudly announcesa Musicians Unleashed Concert, Spring Bouquet at 3:00 pm on Saturday, April 16, 2022 at The Crowell Chapel, 3 Rosedale Avenue, Manchester-by-the-Sea. The ticket price for Spring Bouquet is $40. Call CAS at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org to purchase tickets.
Five musicians will perform 6 works by 6 composers, plus violist Anna Stromer will perform an original improvisation.
“The Musicians Unleashed program on April 16 will give audiences an occasion to see extraordinary CAS musicians playing in an intimate venue. The music in the program really highlights the artistry of these 5 musicians. Plus the exciting improvisation from violist Anna Stromer is a once in a lifetime opportunity! This piece has never been played before and will never be played again! Spring Bouquet is a concert not to be missed! “
Maestro Udagawa
The Spring Bouquet concert program includes works by Lili Boulanger, Ludvig van Beethoven, Cesare Franck, Edvard Greig, Wolfgang A. Mozart, Gabriel Faure and Anna Stromer performed by CAS musicians: Stephanie Stathos, flute; Olga Kradenova, violin; Anna Stromer, viola; Johnny Mok, cello; and Tianhong Yang, piano. Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps will be played by Stephanie Stathos, flute and Tianhong Yang, piano; Beethoven’s Spring Sonata No.5, 1st Movement will be played by Olga Kradenova, violin and Tianhong Yang, piano; Franck’s Sonata 4th Movement will be played by Johnny Mok, cello and Tianhong Yang, piano; Greig’s To Spring (from The Lyric Pieces for Piano)will be played by Tianhong Yang, piano; Stromer’s Original Improvisation will becreated and played by Anna Stromer, viola; Mozart’s Flute Quartet, 1st Movement will be played by Stephanie Stathos, flute, Olga Kradenova, violin, Anna Stromer, viola and Johnny Mok, cello; and Faure’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, 4th Movement played by Olga Kradenova, violin, Anna Stromer, viola and Johnny Mok, cello and Tianhong Yang, piano.
Stephanie Stathos is the Principal Flute of the Cape Ann Symphony. She earned her degree in Flute Performance from Boston University’s School for the Arts. Based in Lincoln, MA, Ms. Stathos is first piccolo for the Lexington Symphony. She has served as the piccolo and second flute with the touring orchestra of the National Lyric Opera of New York. As soloist she has performed throughout the United States and Europe. Other appearances include performances with many of New England’s ensembles including Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Symphony New Hampshire, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Concord Chorale (NH), Newburyport Choral Society, and North Shore Chamber Music. Ms. Stathos also is passionate about jazz, new music and ethnic music.
A Native of St. Petersburg, Russia, violinist Olga Kradenova holds a bachelor’s degree with distinction from the St. Petersburg Conservatory and Royal Northern College of Music in United Kingdom, and a Master’s degree from Cambridge’s Longy School of Music. She played with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and appeared as a chamber musician and a soloist throughout Europe. Currently, Ms. Kradenova performs regularly with orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Boston area including Cape Ann Symphony and the Rivers Symphony as well as teaching privately and at the Brooks School in North Andover.
Johnny Mok, Cape Ann Symphony’s principal cellist, is currently a freelance musician and teacher in the Greater Boston Area. He began his cello studies at the age of five at the Hong Kong Performing Arts Academy and continued his studies after immigrating to New Mexico. During Mr. Mok’s primary and secondary education, he was very active in the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program and participated in multiple competitions where he was awarded with first prize. He continued to pursue Music Performance with a full scholarship at the University of Alabama where he entered competitions throughout the state of Alabama and was awarded first prize in the Birmingham Music Club, Alabama Federation of Music Clubs, and the Camilla Huxford Symphony Concerto Competition, among others. Following a summer as an Orchestra Fellow at the Texas Music Festival in Houston, Mr. Mok pursued a Master’s Degree and the Professional Studies Certificate in Cello Performance at The Boston Conservatory. He has performed with many symphonies throughout the US including Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Cape Symphony, Tupelo Symphony, Boston Chamber Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestra, In addition to Cape Ann Symphony, Mr. Mok is also currently the Principal Cellist of New Hampshire Philharmonic, and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. In 2020, he founded the Aroma Duo with his duo piano partner, Tianhong Yang. Since then, Aroma Duo has performed in several chamber music series in the New England area.
Violist Anna Stromer has collaborated with jazz, rock, reggae, blues and hip hop artists in the Boston area as a student at Berklee College of Music. She has performed with Wyclef Jean, Mark O’Connor, Eugene Friesen, Mili Bermejo and Issac Delgado. As a founding member of the performing and recording string quartet originally affiliated with rock band Art Decade, she has recorded two full-length albums, performed at the South By Southwest Music Festival in 2010 and 2011. In May of 2011 she was selected to be the violist for the Vitamin String Quartet (a long-standing studio recording quartet known for its renditions of rock and pop classics) for its first live performance on MTV Unplugged (July 2011). Thirty Seconds to Mars’ song, Hurricane, which featured her viola mirroring the lead singer’s voice, was awarded MTV’s Best Live Performanceof 2011. The year ended with special performances by VSQwith 30 Seconds to Mars in NYC as they completed their two year world tour. The live Vitamin String Quartet was also featured on the hit TV showGossip Girl (100th episode). The Boston Ballet selected Stromer to be the violist in a quartet performing in Alexander Ekman’sCacti in May 2014. This innovative choreographer features a string quartet improvising on stage with the dancers; the quartet also performs classical repertoire with the Boston Ballet orchestra.
Based in Boston, Chinese born pianist Tianhong Yang has made solo appearances in a number of prestigious festivals and venues across Europe, Asia and the USA. Yang made her UK debut in 2010 at the St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, Op.37, under the direction of Maestro David Jones. Throughout Yang’s competition career, she has participated and won numerous top prizes in international piano competitions such as Liege International Piano Competition and Andree Charlier International Piano Competition. At the age of four, Yang started her piano lessons and continued her studies in the Middle School program at Wuhan Conservatoire of Music, then later was admitted to the High School of Central Conservatoire of Music in Beijing, China. After Yang’s intensive primary school training in China’s most prestigious conservatories, in 2009, she was awarded the inaugural Steinway Full Scholarship to further her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music under the tutelage of Richard McMahon. In 2013, Yang was invited to study with the Piano Legend, Dmitry Bashkirov, at Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Spain and she was sponsored with a full scholarship by the Yamaha Europe Association and the Albeniz Foundation. Yang simultaneously began her master’s degree in performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, Belgium, with Polina Leschenko, and performance diploma program at the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale Incontri Col Maestro, Italy, with Vovka Ashkenazy and Boris Petrushansky. Yang also works closely with Chinese composer, Haofu Zhang, promoting Chinese-Western contemporary compositions. Yang is currently working on her doctoral degree in Piano Performance at Boston University, under the guidance of Pavel Nersessian.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s Musicians Unleashed programs were launched in 2019 and have become a wonderfully popular series with overwhelmingly enthusiastic audience response. Ticket prices for Spring Bouquetare $40. Call Cape Ann Symphony at 978-281-0543 or go to www.capeannsymphony.org for tickets.
Courtesy photos
Photo 1: Stephanie Stathos, Flute
Photo 2: Johnny Mok, Cello
Photo 3: Anna Stromer, Viola
Photo 4: Olga Kradenova, Violin
Photo 5: CAS Music Director Yoichi Udagawa
Photo 6: Tianhong Yang, Piano
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“We are so excited to perform for our audience masterpieces of classical music by Beethoven and Brahms, but also the world premiere of a work by Charles Floyd commissioned by the Cape Ann Symphony.”
Maestro Yoichi Udagawa
Floyd’s Hymn for the Fallen
“Charles Floyd’s latest composition Hymn for the Fallen written for the Cape Ann Symphony is a moving memorial to those we have lost. We are thrilled to premiere this beautiful piece on March 20. Charles is a composer who has an amazing ability to create works that touch our hearts.”
Brahms’ Double Concerto
“We are very excited that violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young are returning to the Cape Ann Symphony to perform Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. The Double Concerto is the last major work for orchestra that the great composer wrote, and it’s a masterpiece. The way he weaves the violin and cello part together with each other and the orchestra is beyond compare, and it has some of the most beautiful melodies he ever wrote.”
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7
“We will be closing the concert with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, one of his most popular works. It combines everything about the music of Beethoven we love. His rhythmic drive, dramatic gesture, energy as well as lyricism and humor. We are really looking forward to sharing this music with our audience.”
Charles Floyd’s new work Hymn for the Fallen.
Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring Lucia Lin, violin, and Owen Young, cello.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
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Heidi Dallin shares a reminder about Cape Ann Symphony 70th season spring concert which sounds incredible!
Cape Ann Symphony’s 70th Concert Season continues on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA., featuring guest artists BSO violinist Lucia Lin and BSO cellist Owen Young, a poignant new work written for CAS by composer Charles Floyd, and classic works by Beethoven and Brahms. There will be no requirement for proof of vaccination nor Covid tests at this concert. The wearing of masks will be up to the individual. Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa looks forward to the eclectic program on March 20,
“We are so excited to bring our audience not only masterpieces of classical music from Beethoven and Brahms, but also the world premiere of a Charles Floyd work commissioned by Cape Ann Symphony. What an exciting afternoon of music!”
Yoichi Udagawa, Cape Ann Symphony Music Dir. & Conductor
Violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young return to CAS to perform Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Maestro Udagawa points out,
“The Brahms’ Double Concerto is the last major work for orchestra that the great composer wrote, and it’s a masterpiece. The way he weaves the violin and cello parts together with each other and the orchestra is beyond compare, and it has some of the most beautiful melodies he ever wrote. We are thrilled to be performing this with violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young of the Boston Symphony.”
Udagawa is also eager to share Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 with CAS audiences,
“The Beethoven Symphony No. 7 is one of his most popular works, and it combines everything about the music of Beethoven we love. His rhythmic drive, dramatic gesture, energy as well as lyricism and humor.”
About Composer, conductor, pianist Charles Floyd
Composer, conductor and pianist, Charles Floyd has been heard in concert with more than 500 orchestras in classical and pops performances, including annual appearances with the Boston Pops Orchestra. His eleven-year partnership with singer Natalie Cole included the multiple GRAMMY® Award- winning tribute to Nat King Cole entitled “Unforgettable, With Love;” Also the Emmy Award-winning PBS Great Performances concert video of the same title. Charles Floyd last appeared with CAS in 2015 when he performed the world premiere of his Piano Concerto to a sold-out audience and two standing ovations. CAS Board President Fran White remembers the concert well, “The atmosphere in the building was electric! The audience would not let him leave the stage. Maestro Udagawa brought him back to the piano for an encore and he played an arrangement of America the Beautiful which he improvised as he played it! He received another standing ovation!”
About Hymn for the Fallen by Charles Floyd
Charles Floyd’s latest composition “Hymn for the Fallen” written for the Cape Ann Symphony is part of a larger work: The Fallen.
“Charles Floyd has written an incredible piece for Cape Ann Symphony. We are so proud to premiere this touching piece on March 20. Charles describes it so much better than I ever could, but I will say that we are really looking forward to preparing it and presenting it to our audience. Charles is a composer who has an amazing ability to create works that touch our hearts.”
Floyd wrote “Hymn for the Fallen” to highlight the sense of isolation and helplessness experienced since 2020. He describes the work as follows:
“Hymn for the Fallen” begins in isolation with violins commencing a tuneful exposition that is later joined by violas and cellos. The harmonies that build are bittersweet, but quite tonal in nature. Polytonality (the simultaneous use of two or more keys) plays a big role as a vehicle to prevent the emotional affect from feeling too ‘settled’ or too ‘sweet’. This is to reflect the notion that the emotional aspects of the past two years remain largely unsettled and unresolved. The final result is a haunting melody that is as sing-able as a hymn which (hopefully) does not gloss over the gravity of sadness rather than to honor with reverence the loss of a loved one. The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the insurmountable loss of life as a result of it, various riots, fear, brutality, extremism, civil unrest, confusion, grief, and violence inspired me to create a series of works called The Fallen of which “Hymn for The Fallen” is one. The series is not intended to be performed in one sitting. Rather it is a collection of works on a series of difficult topics.”
Charles Floyd on his beautiful work, Hymn for the Fallen, commissioned by CAS
About BSO violinist Lucia Lin
BSO violinist Lucia Lin made her debut performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 11. Since then, she has been a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She has performed many solo recitals for the Cape Ann Symphony and throughout the U.S., making her New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in March 1991, and has appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. Ms. Lin is a member of the Muir String Quartet, the quartet in residence at Boston University. She is also a founding member of the Boston Trio and the chamber group Innuendo. Ms. Lin joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985 and served as assistant concertmaster from 1988 to 1991 and 1996 to 1998.
About BSO Cellist Owen Young
Cellist Owen Young joined the BSO in August 1991. He is a frequent collaborator in chamber music concerts and festivals; he has also appeared as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras. One of the Cape Ann Symphony’s regular soloists, he also has appeared in the Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Davos, Sunflower, Gateway, Brevard, and St. Barth’s music festivals and is a founding member of the innovative chamber ensemble Innuendo. He has performed frequently with singer/songwriter James Taylor, including the nationally televised concert “James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre” in New York City. Mr. Young was formerly on the faculties of the Boston Conservatory, the New England Conservatory Extension Division, and the Longy School of Music; is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music; and is active in Project STEP (String Training and Education Program for students of color)
About Cape Ann Symphony
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 Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Maestro Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Maestro Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Initiative.
About Yoichi Udagawa
Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.
Buy tickets
Cape Ann Symphony’s Floyd, Beethoven, Brahms, Lin and Young Concert is Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. There will be no requirement for proof of vaccination nor Covid tests at this concert. The wearing of masks will be up to the individual. They will not be required. For information or tickets, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
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Can you imagine a more spectacular climax to the Cape Ann Symphony‘s most spectacular season? On Saturday (5/21) you can join Yoichi Udagawa and the top classical players on Boston’s North Shore for a stellar evening of music. This kind of concert doesn’t come along very often. Believe it or not, there are still tickets available for this Grand Finale. Get Tickets Here.
Watch this mesmerizing video to get you in the mood . . .
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Last month (in this post) I pointed to the roots of today’s music.
And a few weeks ago (in this post) you saw the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony used in Academy-Award winning film, The King’s Speech.
So to help you get ready for tomorrow night’s powerful Cape Ann Symphony concert (Get tickets here), I’ve put a few other films and videos using this iconic music at the end of this post.
In addition to Beethoven, they’ve invited Boston Symphony Orchestra father and daughter team Richard and Erin Svoboda as soloists for Michael Gandolfi’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Bassoon. Plus you’ll hear an overture by Rossini, the most popular opera composer of his time.
Last month (in this post) I pointed to the roots of today’s music. This month, the Cape Ann Symphony takes the whole thing one step farther. First of all, they’re playing one of Beethoven’s most extraordinary compositions, the 7th symphony. My guess is that the audience will jump to their feet after this finale just as they did last month for Beethoven’s first piano concerto, featuring David Deveau.
Beethoven’s 7th has been used in a number of films, most recently the 2nd movement in a tremendously powerful scene in which Academy Award winner Colin Firth as King George VI delivers a triumphant speech after struggling all his life with a terrible stutter. Check out that scene in this video:
Now imagine hearing the whole symphony live.
And if that wasn’t enough, they’ve invited Boston Symphony Orchestra father and daughter team Richard and Erin Svoboda as soloists for Michael Gandolfi’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Bassoon. Plus you’ll hear an overture by Rossini, the most popular opera composer of his time. You really do want to be there! Get tickets here.
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There is so much going on tonight, I’m not sure how to decide what to do. There is everything from paino bar ~ Brazilian ~ jazz ~ Beethoven ~ Rock ~Reggae ~ DJ Dance Party. So get out there and enjoy all the great music on Cape Ann. See Full List here
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Check out this spectacular Cape Ann Symphony program for this Saturday 5/11 at Manchester High sent from Heidi Dallin of Cape Ann Symphony. Don’t forget Kids under 19 are FREE! WHAT CAN BE MORE THRILLING THAN HEROIC MUSIC?
Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky
Beethoven’s Symphony № 3 (“Eroica” or “heroic” in Italian) was the first of his three great so-called heroic symphonies. Beethoven initially dedicated it to Napoleon but then rescinded the dedication when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor.
Tchaikosvsky’s orchestral Serenade is infinitely romantic: he conceived it as an homage to Mozart, whom he idolized, and declared it to be written “from the heart”. It was an instant success at its premiere in 1880 and has been an important part of the symphonic repertoire ever since.
The Program:
TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings
BEETHOVEN Symphony № 3 “Eroica”
Ticket Information for This Fabulous Mother’s Day Concert
RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW for the May 11th Concert at 8pm, Manchester Essex Regional High School.
Adults $35 per person
Seniors $30 per person
Young Adults 19-24 $20 per person
Children under 19 Free
The Manchester Essex Regional High School is at 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. DIRECTIONS
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Good Morning Gloucester 