Program Notes
By Robert A. Margo
As a classical instrument, the mandolin has
its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the
turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its
zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds. By World War
I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but
the instrument retained a passionate following in other countries,
particularly in Europe and Japan. Beginning in the 1970s the
United States has experienced a revival of interest in classical
mandolin. This evening's concert features the Providence Mandolin
Orchestra (Rhode Island), one of the leading classical mandolin
ensembles in the United States.
The repertoire for mandolin orchestra includes
arrangements and original works. Famous as the theme music for
a De Beers (diamond) commercial, “Palladio”, by the British composer
Karl Jenkins, has been expertly arranged for mandolin ensemble
by Alex Timmerman, director of the Dutch ensemble ‘Het Consort’.
Timmerman also arranged "Canzone" by Jurrian Andriessen,
a Dutch composer known for his film and theatrical music. The
Argentine composer Luis Gianneo made extensive use of folk idioms
such as in the "Cinco Piezas [Five Pieces]" for violin and
piano written in 1942. Mandolin aficionados treasure a 1960s
LP recording by the German mandolinist Jacob Thomas that included
Gianneo's
setting of three of the pieces ("Chacarera", "Vidala",
and "Zapateado")
for solo mandolin and string orchestra which were presented in
a different order from the original and called the "Suite Argentina"
on the album jacket. The American composer John Craton recently
made his own arrangement of all five pieces for solo mandolin
and mandolin orchestra with the original order and title restored,
and it is the Craton version that the PMO performs this evening.
Although one does not normally associate 1980s "glam" rock
and roll with the mandolin, Robert Kay's arrangement of Queen's
classic "Bohemian
Rhapsody" is highly effective and surprisingly faithful to the
original.
The remaining works on the program are original
compositions for mandolin orchestra. Filled with piquant chords
and oblique melodic gestures, the three songs of "Gretel
Dreaming"
can be performed with the melody line played on violin (this
evening by Rachel Panitch) or sung (by soprano). Robert Schultz,
the conductor of the West Australian Mandolin Orchestra, has
written many works for plucked strings. His "Lament for
the Death of Polite Language" bemoans the current (mis)-use
of the English language in daily life, "debased, shallow
in content, full of clichés." "Where," he asks "is
the new generation of poets?" The
musical language is hued with nostalgic Scottish melodies and
harmonies, wistfully recalling a richer and more colorful era
of expression. Written originally for the Sydney Mandolins, Betty
Beath's "Lament for Kosovo" has been performed
worldwide in a later version for string orchestra. The composer
remarks that "Lament
for Kosovo" was "written … [at] a time when the tragic
events taking place in what was previously Yugoslavia were constantly
before us in graphic images; since then the tragedy has widened
to many parts of the world. Feelings of deep sadness and anger
were uppermost in my heart and mind … 'Lament for Kosovo' expresses
sorrow for the suffering of all innocent people caught up in
war and destruction." "Music for Play" by Claudia
Mandonico is a powerful three movement that draws its inspiration
from popular idioms as does Mark Davis' homage to his pet cat,
one of the PMO's signature pieces.
The Providence Mandolin Orchestra was founded
by the late Hibbard Perry in 1971. Since then, it has become
one of the leading American mandolin ensembles, with regular
appearances throughout the Eastern United States, Canada, and
Western Europe. The Providence Mandolin Orchestra is under the
direction of Mark Davis. Mr. Davis pursues an active career as
a solo and ensemble performer, educator, and conductor. The Providence
Mandolin Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of the
D'Addario Foundation.
Copies of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra's
CD Spectrum will be available for purchase at today’s concert.
Visit the website of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra to purchase
Spectrum on-line and to learn more about the orchestra: www.mandolin-orchestra.org.
Visit www.youtube.com/ProvidenceMandolin to see videos of vintage
and recent performances by the PMO.
www.mandolin-orchestra.org.
Visit www.youtube.com/ProvidenceMandolin to
see videos of the PMO.
The Providence Mandolin Orchestra
Director: Mark Davis
First Mandolin: Joshua Bell (concertmaster),
Michael Cappelli, Yvette Cote, Duane Golomb, Chang Lee, Rachel
Panitz
Second
Mandolin: Lynne Bell, Christine Chito, Owen Hartford, Paul
Wilde
Mandola: Will Melton,
Gayle Raposa
Mandocello: Seth Gruenwald, Dan Moore, Matt Synder
Classical Guitar: Beverly Davis, John Dennewitz
Bass: Gino Cicchetti
Violin:
Rachel Panitz
HET CONSORT
(with special guests, The Providence
Mandolin Orchestra)
The Zuiderkerk
Zuiderkerkstraat 31 (8011 HE)
Zwolle, Netherlands
Saturday, July 5, 20.00 hours
Het Consort
Alex Timmerman, Director |
| |
| Variations on a Basque Melody
|
Victor Kioulaphides |
| |
Arr. J. Craton |
| |
|
| Aria & Danza
|
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) |
| |
Arr. A. Timmerman |
| |
|
| |
|
| **Bloeman van Spanje |
John Craton |
| Horned Red Poppy-Myrtle-Centaury-Broomrape-Bellflower-Wistaria |
arr. J. Craton |
| Mark Davis, duo classical guitar |
|
| Beverly Davis, duo classical guitar |
|
| |
Pause |
| |
| |
The Providence Mandolin Orchestra
Mark Davis, Director |
| |
| The Cat in Springtime |
Mark Davis |
| |
|
| Gretel Dreaming: A Song Cycle |
Owen Hartford |
| Afternoon-Evening-Morning |
| Rachel Panitz, violin solo |
|
| |
|
| Cinco Piezas |
Luis Gianneo (1897-1968) |
| Joshua Bell, mandolin solo |
arr. J. Craton |
| Vidala-Cancion Incaica-Chacarera-Cancion
de Cuna-Zapateado |
| |
| Bohemian Rhapsody |
Queen |
| |
arr. R. Kay |
| |
|
Pause |
| |
Het Consort and the Providence
Mandolin Orchestra |
| |
| Lament for Kosovo |
Betty Beath |
| |
|
| Canzone I |
Jurriaan Andriessen (1925-1996) |
| |
Arr. A. Timmerman |
| |
|
Impressioni Orientale, Op. 146 |
Raffaele Calace (1863-1934) |
Fine |
| |
| *European Premiere ** World Premiere
|
Program Notes
By Robert A. Margo
As a classical instrument, the mandolin has its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds. By World War I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but the instrument retained a passionate following in other countries, particularly in Europe and Japan. Beginning in the 1970s the United States has experienced a revival of interest in classical mandolin. This evening's concert features Het Consort (Zwolle, Netherlands) and the Providence Mandolin Orchestra (Rhode Island, United States), two of the leading classical mandolin ensembles in the world.
The repertoire for mandolin orchestra includes arrangements
and original works. Victor Kioulaphides is a composer and bassist living
in New York City. A prolific writer for the mandolin, his "Variations
on a Basque Melody" are based on a folk chant from the Basque region
of France and unfold in the traditional Mediterranean manner of various
figurations around an underlying melody. Originally for solo mandolin,
the "Variations" have been orchestrated by the American composer
John Craton. The "Aria" from the Bachianas
Brasileiras No. 5 is
one of Heitor Villa-Lobos' best-loved works, famous in the original
version for soprano and orchestra of cellos, and in the later setting
for soprano and classical guitar that the composer prepared at the
request of Andres Segovia for Segovia's companion, the Brazilian singer-guitarist
Olga Coehlo. The Argentine composer Luis Gianneo made extensive use
of folk idioms in his work such as the "Cinco Piezas [Five Pieces]"
for violin and piano written in 1942. Mandolin aficionados treasure
a 1960s LP recording by the German mandolinist Jacob Thomas that included
Gianneo's
setting of three of the pieces ("Chacarera", "Vidala",
and "Zapateado")
for solo mandolin and string orchestra which were presented in a different
order from the original and called the "Suite Argentina" on the
album jacket. John Craton recently made his own arrangement of all
five pieces for solo mandolin and mandolin orchestra with the original
order and title restored. A prolific writer of chamber and vocal works
in various idioms and best known for his film and theatrical music,
Jurriaan Andriessen was a Dutch composer who studied with his father
Hendrik at the Utrecht Conservatory and later in Paris with Olivier
Messiaen. Although one does not normally associate 1980s " glam"
rock and roll with the mandolin, Robert Kay’s arrangement of Queen's
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is surprisingly
faithful to the original (and great fun for the performers!)
The remaining works on the program are original
compositions for mandolin orchestra, three of which are European premieres
and one world premiere. John Craton is a violinist and composer from
Indiana with an extensive catalog of widely performed works for mandolin
in solo and chamber music settings. His new concerto for two guitars
and mandolin orchestra, "Bloeman van Spanje" (Spanish Flowers)
is a six-movement work inspired by the colorful flowers of Spain. It
receives its world premiere this evening. Influenced by minimalism
and related popular idioms, Mark Davis' ode to his pet cat is one of
the Providence Mandolin Orchestra's signature pieces. Owen Hartford
has written many works for the Providence group during his long tenure
with the ensemble. Filled with piquant chords and oblique melodic gestures,
the three songs of "Gretel Dreaming" can be performed with the
melody line played on violin (this evening by Rachel Panitch) or sung
(by soprano). Written originally for the Sydney Mandolins, Betty Beath's
"Lament for Kosovo" has
been performed worldwide in a later version for string orchestra. The
composer remarks that "Lament for Kosovo" was "written … [at]
a time when the tragic events taking place in what was previously Yugoslavia
were constantly before us in graphic images; since then the tragedy
has widened to many parts of the world. Feelings of deep sadness and
anger were uppermost in my heart and mind … 'Lament for Kosovo' expresses
sorrow for the suffering of all innocent people caught up in war and
destruction. The Italian Raffaele Calace was a "triple threat" who
composed numerous works, performed widely and also personally constructed
some of the finest instruments of his era. Written in February of 1925
during a sea voyage on return from a highly successful concert tour
of Japan, "Impressioni Orientali" is, in the words of Paul Sparks,
author of The Classical Mandolin, "a wonderfully exciting and atmospheric
piece strongly influenced by Middle Eastern scales and drones that
creates an extraordinary range of timbre" (p. 145).
The Providence Mandolin Orchestra was founded by the late Hibbard Perry in 1971. Since then, it has become one of the leading American mandolin ensembles, with regular appearances throughout the Eastern United States, Canada, and Western Europe. The group has performed with noted soloists Carlo Aonzo, Butch Baldassari, Robert Paul Sullivan, Anatoliy Trofimov, Tamara Volskaya and Richard Walz. Its unique tonality has inspired exciting new works including those by Clarice Assad, Will Ayton, Michael Bell, Mark Davis, Owen Hartford, Eva Kendrick, Barbara Kolb, Robert Martel, Michael Nix, Stephen Funk Pearson, and Francine Trester.
Het Consort, an award-winning mandolin chamber orchestra based in Zwolle, The Netherlands, was founded in 1990. Contemporary composers who have written for Het Consort include Annette Kruisbrink, Marc Matthys, Luca Mereu, Victor Kioulaphides, John Craton, and Jeff Hijlkema. Het Consort has performed extensively throughout Europe including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy, and has worked with many well-known musicians including Peter Doberitz, Tove Flensborg, Ugo Orlandi, Pavel Steidl, Michael Troster, Richard Walz, and Gertud Weyhofen.
Mark Davis is Music Director of the Providence
Mandolin Orchestra. A highly-respected concert artist in the field
of guitar and mandolin music for more than three decades, Mark Davis
appears on many CD recordings, including the Grammy-nominated 'Vienna
Nocturne,' and has been a featured artist at various international
events such as the Festival Internacional Musica de Plettro in Spain,
and the Kobe International Music Festival in Japan. Mark Davis directs
a classical guitar program at the Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode
Island.
Alex Timmerman is Music Director of Het
Consort. He studied classical guitar with Pieter van der Staak, Jorge
Oraison, and John Mills. One of the world's premier experts on historical
plucked instruments, he is the author of De Mandoline en de Gitaar
door de Eeuwen heen (The Mandolin and the Guitar Through the Centuries).
Alex Timmerman has taught mandolin and guitar at the Centrum voor Kunstzinnige
Vorming de Muzerie in Zwolle since 1999 and at the ArtEZ High School
for the Arts in Zwolle, Arnhem, and Enschede (Netherlands) since 1997.
In addition to his teaching and performing activities, Timmerman works
for the musical instrument department of the Haags Gemeentemuseum of
The Hague.
Het Consort
Director: Alex Timmerman
First Mandolin: Sebastiaan
de Grebber (concertmaster), Yolana Döpp,
Pauline Ulderink
Second Mandolin: Ferdinand Binnendijk, Marian van Dijk,
Margareet van Litsenburg
Octave Mandola: Helma Damman-Ruitenberg, Ruth
Rouw
Mandoloncello: Niels Godart
Classical Guitar: Frido Kuijlman, Robert
Streef, Tom Edskes
Chitarrone Moderno: Marianne Timmerman-Holander
The Providence Mandolin Orchestra
Director: Mark Davis
First Mandolin: Joshua Bell (concertmaster), Michael Cappelli, Yvette
Cote, Duane Golomb, Chang Lee, Rachel Panitz
Second Mandolin: Lynne Bell, Christine Chito, Owen Hartford, Paul Wilde
Mandola: Will Melton, Gayle Raposa
Mandocello: Seth Gruenwald, Dan Moore, Matt Synder
Classical Guitar: Beverly Davis, John Dennewitz
Bass: Gino Cicchetti
Violin: Rachel Panitz |
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