Overture Magazine - 2014-2015 January-February 2015 | Page 30

{ program notes Notes by Janet E. Bedell, Copyright ©2015 28 O v ertur e | www. bsomusic .org Jo s e ph Meye rho ff Sym pho ny Hall Jack Everly | Principal Pops Conductor An Evening with Jason Alexander Friday, January 23, 2015 — 8 p.m. Saturday, January 24, 2015 — 8 p.m. Sunday, January 25, 2015 — 3 p.m. Presenting Sponsor: Jack Everly, Conductor Styne/Sondheim Overture to Gypsy Arr. Ramin/Ginzler Styne/Comden/Green/ Overture to Peter Pan Charlap/Leigh Arr. Everly Rodgers/Hammerstein Arr. Robert Russell Bennett “March of the Siamese Children” from The King and I Styne/Comden/Green Overture to Bells Are Ringing Arr. Salinger/Everly Bernstein/Sondheim Overture to West Side Story Arr. Peress INTERMISSION Jason Alexander “An Evening with Jason Alexander” Keith Harrison, Accompanist Kate Fisher, Vocals The program will be announced from stage. M i chael Tam maro offers, after much striving, a fleeting vision of Heaven to the yearning soul. Over pulsing strings, we hear a sighing melody in the violins. This grows into a labored climb toward God, plunges briefly back to the depths, then miraculously reaches a heavenly vision of radiant violins and harps. The whole process is then repeated in somewhat condensed form. Cellos next introduce the beautiful second theme group, more passionate and yearning; it also includes a wonderful, mellow passage for the horns and Wagner tubas. Two more cycles expand and develop these thematic elements. And here we have a spectacular example of Bruckner’s climax-building technique of breaking off just short of the summit and falling back to build higher still. When the climax is finally reached, it is followed by the most soaring version of the “vision of Heaven” music. This, too, is fleeting, but in a magnificent coda Bruckner expresses his confidence he will ultimately reach Heaven. Buoyed by his vision and still in the key of D-flat, Bruckner opens his finale with a burst of joyous energy. Over galloping strings, horns and trombones blare out a darkly triumphant theme. Then a pause and the contrast of a lushly contrapuntal second theme for strings. Another pause and Bruckner brings on a sturdy clod-hopping march for his “Bruckner unison” third theme. Then the drama ensues as Bruckner undertakes the arduous search for C-minor home. Three times the brass try to muscle their way in with the main theme, always in the wrong key. When they finally succeed, the recapitulation is tremendous with trumpets intensifying the gallop. After a wonderful contrapuntal setting of the rustic march, brass brutally cut in with the questioning theme that opened the symphony well over an hour ago. But now questions have been answered, and Heaven is in sight. Bruckner triumphantly combines the principal themes of all four movements. With a unison shout, the entire orchestra turns the question theme into a joyous C-Major affirmation. Jack Everly Jack Everly is the principal pops conductor of the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony orchestras, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa). He has conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and appears regularly with The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center. This season, Maestro Everly will conduct over 90 performances in more than 20 North American cities. As music director of the “National Memorial Day Concert” and “A Capital Fouth” on PBS, Everly proudly leads the National Symphony Orchestra in these patriotic celebrations on the National Mall. These concerts attract hundreds of thousands of attendees on the lawn and the broadcasts reach millions of viewers and are some of the very highest rated programming on PBS television.