Sunday, December 6th, 2009
Cordier Auditorium
Scott Humphries, Conductor
A Christmas Festival | Leroy Anderson | ||||
Three Songs from Home Alone | John Williams | ||||
Christmas Singalong | John Finnegan | ||||
Intermission | |||||
Amahl and the Night Visitors |
Gian Carlo Menotti Debra Lynn, conductor |
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Cast | |||||
Amahl Mother Melchior Kaspar Balthazar Page |
Coleson Baker Denise Ritter Bernardini David Moan '09 James Hutchings '05 Richard Crist Zach Blatz |
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Program Notes by James R. C. Adams |
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A Christmas Festival |
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) |
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Leroy Anderson was born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1908, and died in Woodbury, Conn., in 1975. He is best known for his attractive melodies and jaunty rhythms in such pieces as The Syncopated Clock, Sleigh Ride, Blue Tango, Jazz Pizzicato, and many others. Anderson studied composition at Harvard with Georges Enesco and Walter Piston. He was a linguist, speaking Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese. He almost accepted a position as language teacher at a private school in Pennsylvania, but fortunately backed out of that option in favor of composing. He served with U.S. Intelligence in Iceland as an interpreter during the Second World War. In addition to the well-known pieces mentioned above, he wrote a number of short works for unusual "instruments" such as the typewriter, and sandpaper, for his Sandpaper Ballet. Anderson was "discovered" by Arthur Fiedler, who commissioned him to write many works for the Boston Pops Orchestra. He soon became one of the most popular composers of light music in America. His tunes were frequently used as background music for television shows, such as the CBS "Late Show." Plink, Plank, Plunk! was known to many in the '50s as the theme for the TV game show "I've Got a Secret." Though Anderson was best known for his light miniatures and arrangements (he typically wrote for full orchestra, but later re-orchestrated many of them for bands and other groups), he did try his hand at more substantial forms. He wrote a Piano Concerto in C, but withdrew it to "make corrections." He never got around to making those corrections, but the work was published posthumously, and can be found on the Naxos label. The work we hear today is a medley of favorite Christmas tunes, including Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, and others that you will surely recognize. |
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Three Songs from Home Alone | John
Williams (b. 1932) |
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John Williams is arguably America's most famous composer. You might not know the name, but you will certainly know the music. Williams has more than ninety film scores to his credit. There is not enough space here to mention all of them! I'm sure you will remember the music from Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, E.T., Harry Potter, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and certainly Jaws. As of 2005, he had won five Oscars (nominated forty-three times), four Golden Globes (nominated nineteen times), six BAFTAs (British Academy), seventeen Grammies (nominated forty-seven times), and received fourteen honorary degrees. He was the conductor of The Boston Pops Orchestra for over a decade, and is a frequent guest conductor of prestigious orchestras all over the world. Williams was born in New York. His father was a jazz drummer, which might explain "Johnny" Williams' early work as a jazz pianist. Some of that influence can be heard in his score for The Missouri Breaks. Most biographies and reviews stress the influence of Wagner and the Leitmotiv principle, as well as Mahler and Richard Strauss. With regard to his best-known music, there is another lesser-known composer as his muse: Erich Korngold. I once played a piece by Korngold, and asked my son what it made him think of. With no prodding, he answered Star Wars. As Star Wars was taking shape in the mind of George Lucas, he asked Williams to watch some old Errol Flynn swashbucklers that Lucas had loved as a teenager. He wanted to recreate those same feelings in Star Wars. Some of the battle scenes in Star Wars were patterned after dog-fights in those early adventure films, and Williams was impressed with the background music by Korngold. Don't be surprised if you hear hints of The Sea Hawk, and King's Row in the Star Wars films. Since Home Alone is a mixture of comedy and frantic action, the mood of the music is quite varied. The more contemplative sections bear a strong resemblance to the "love" music (Can You Read My Mind?) from Superman. The selections we shall hear today are NOT taken from the frantic scenes! |
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Amahl and the Night Visitors |
Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) |
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Although Menotti was born in Italy, and retained his Italian citizenship until his recent death, he is regarded by many as an American composer. His mother brought him to this country when he was seventeen, and he enrolled in the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Before coming to the United States, he had entered the Milan Conservatory at the age of thirteen, and before that, had written two operas! Although he has written attractive orchestral music, he is best known as a composer of opera, and many of them were commissioned for television and radio broadcasts. His most successful work is Amahl and the Night Visitors, commissioned by NBC-TV in 1951 for a Christmas broadcast. Since then, it has been broadcast and performed on stage as a regular event on Christmas eve, rivaling Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker in such a role. That particular work brought him great fame. When he appeared on the cover of Time magazine, he expected his mother to accept the fact that he had, indeed, arrived. Unfortunately, she hadn't heard of Time or at least didn't think it was an important publication. In 1958, Menotti founded the Spoleto Festival in Italy in an effort to bring his native country and his adopted one together. He called it the Festival of Two Worlds. In 1977, he founded a companion festival in Charleston, S.C. He directed it until 1993, when he became director of the Rome Opera. He has received many honors, including the Kennedy Center for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, and in 1991, "Musician of the Year" by Musical America. Menotti on the one hand, has been condemned as being too conservative, and on the other, praised as having written music accessible to the masses. He has explored a number of modern styles, though mostly as parody. His inclination is toward Puccini lyricism, but with occasional nods to Schönberg. Amahl and the Night Visitors is a short opera (approximately 46 minutes) about a visit from the Magi to the hut of the crippled child Amahl and his mother. They are on their way to Bethlehem and need a place to stay for the night. When the impoverished mother sees the riches before her, and is told that they are gifts for a different child, she becomes bitter. During the night, she steals some of the gold. When the Wise Men explain for whom the gifts are intended, she repents and returns the gold. Amahl, too, feels the need to contribute, but the only thing of value to him is his crutch. He gives that to the Magi, and is thus cured of his affliction. At the end of the opera, Amahl joins the Wise Men on their trip to Bethlehem. |
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Manchester Symphony Orchestra Personnel |
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Violin I Dessie Arnold, Concertmaster Lois Clond Rachel Nowak +^ Ilona Orban Liisa Wiljer Violin II Joyce Dubach * Martha Barker Erin Cole +^ Jennifer Iannuzzelli +^ Tyler Krempansky Paula Merriman Viola Naida MacDermid * Kelsey Airgood + Julie Sadler Margaret Sklenar Cello Margery Latchaw * Cori Miner +^ Najah Monroe +^ Bass Darrel Fiene * Piccolo Barbi Pyrah Flute Kathy Urbani * Sarah Curry +^ Barbi Pyrah Oboe George Donner * Nyssa Gore +^ Deana Strantz +^ |
Clarinet Lila D. Hammer * Mark W. Huntington Amy Reidhaar +^ Bassoon Erich Zummack * Horn John Morse * Tammy Sprunger Nicole Anderson +^ Brittany Cook Trumpet Steven Hammer * Nicholas Kenny +^ Trombone Jon Hartman * Larry Dockter Tuba Robert Lynn Timpani Dave Robbins * Percussion Joshua Faudree +^ Nicholas Camacho + Robin Jo Steinman + Piano/Celeste Debra Lynn * Denotes principal + Denotes MC student ^ Denotes Keister Scholarship recipient |
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Manchester College A Cappella Choir |
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Debra Lynn, conductor | |||||
Soprano I Emily Abraham Maria Asuzu Casey Faricelli Casey Lambert * Najah Monroe Alexa Stitt Kimberlee Weaver Cassie Whitaker Soprano II Jackie Dobbert Nicole Glassley Kaitlin Hughes * Sabrina Huskins Sandra Knoch Gabrielle McAfee Rebekah Maiden Ashely Noll Rebecca Oren Sheila Prather Darcy Robins Brittany Stevens Tenor I Wallace Butts * Geneviéve Kidwell Kahler Willits Tenor II Zach Blatz Jason Eakins Josh Huffer Tyler Secor |
Alto I Katy Dunlap Stephanie Green * Kay Guyer Kaylee Hawley Rebekah Maiden Jessica Rinehart Carrie Waits Alto II Samantha Baker Tiffany Berkebile Megan Bucher Tonya Colwell Aimee Hoffbauer Katrina Kardys * Danielle Kelley Brittany Kurtz Elizabeth Mishler Sara Sims Bass I Alex Drew Stephen Hendricks Daniel Myers-Bowman * Chris Teeters Bass II Dylan Hiner Kyle Leffel * Craig Morphew Russell Turner * Denotes section leader |
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![]() Ms. Ritter's operatic roles include her recently performed La Traviata in Charlottesville, Va., as Violetta, as well as with Master Works Festival. After receiving rave reviews, Ms. Ritter was asked to return as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with the Oratorio Society of Charlottesville. Other leading roles in opera include Hanna in The Merry Widow, ChoChoka in The Cunning Little Vixen, Yum Yum in The Mikado, and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus. Her recital work is equally impressive, and she has collaborated with coaches and accompanists such as Steven Blier, Martin Katz, Marilyn Horn, Julian Kwok, Sherill Milnes, and Paul Sperry. Ms. Ritter is currently preparing to perform a series of recital performances in Indiana, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. She has received awards from the American Traditions Competition, Benton-Schmidtt Contest, Metropolitan Opera, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the National Federation of Music Clubs. ![]() ![]() ![]() His career has taken him throughout the United States including the Metropolitan Opera and the companies of Santa Fe, San Francisco, San Diego, Philadelphia, Memphis, Mobile, Charlotte and Orlando; the Lyric Operas of Boston, Kansas City, New York; and the Virginia, Indianapolis, Syracuse, and Kentucky Opera Theaters. Internationally, he has since appeared with the Hamburg State Opera, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Opera de Lyon, Opera di Turino, Dublin Grand Opera, the Wexford and Edinburgh Opera Festivals, and the American Soviet Festival in Boston and Moscow with the Bolshoi and Kirov Operas. Among his many PBS "Great Performances" appearances was Gian Carlo Menotti's production with the Philadelphia Opera of Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades. Crist has appeared as soloist numerous times in New York at Carnegie, Alice Tully, and Avery Fisher Halls with organizations including New York Philharmonic and "Live from Lincoln Center." Crist holds degrees in music education and vocal performance from Messiah College and New England Conservatory of Music. ![]() ![]() |