FUNDRAISING CONCERT
August 29, 2021

PROGRAM

Featuring:

Tak Ng Lai, conductor (BIO)

Maria Soulis, mezzo soprano (BIO)

Kaye Royer, clarinet (BIO)

Joyce Lai, violin (BIO)

Andras Weber, cello (BIO)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Symphony No. 29, K.201, Allegro Moderato

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Concerto in C Major for Cello and Orchestra, Moderato

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Clarinet Quintet Op.34, Rondo

Tak Ng Lai (b.1941) Romance No. 2 for Solo Violin and String Orchestra

Mikis Theodorakis (b.1925)

The Train Leaves at Eight
On the Hidden Shore

Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Habanera from the opera Carmen

MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN SINFONIETTA STRINGS

FIRST VIOLIN

Joyce Lai, concertmaster
Alain Bouvier, assistant concertmaster
Jin Lee Youn
Alex Toskov

SECOND VIOLIN

Jennifer Burford, principal
Colli Chan (CSYO alumni)
Irina Babuk

VIOLA

Aleksandar Gajic, principal
Ian Clarke

CELLO

Andras Weber, principal
Sebastian Ostertag
Noah Clarke (CSYO member joining in Haydn)

DOUBLE BASS

Tim FitzGerald

PROGRAM NOTES

W.A. Mozart: Symphony No. 29 in A major, K.201

Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27th, 1756 in Salzburg and died on December 5th, 1791 in Vienna. In this short 35 years, Mozart managed to make his mark as one of the most prolific composers in history. He is famous for composing pieces from which melodies have become popular “hummable” tunes. Works like his opera “Magic Flute” or his famous “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, ” are recognizable even today, over 200 years after they were composed! Mozart composed chamber music and violin and piano concertos, as well as some works for choir. His compositions for orchestra consist of 41 symphonies. Approximately one third of Mozart’s symphonies were composed between 1772-1774. It was in this 2 year period that he composed his Symphony No. 29, which is one of the more elegant and beautiful works written for the chamber orchestra. As many of us know, Mozart was a child prodigy and nothing can be more obvious to us when we hear this symphony composed by the 18 year old composer. The symphony is originally scored for 2 oboes and 2 horns and consists of four movements. Today we will perform the first movement only.

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Concerto in C Major for Cello and Orchestra, Movement 1

Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer who lived during the Classical Period. He was born 1732 and died in 1809. He was a vastly prolific composer, composing 104 symphonies, 83 quartets, 16 operas, plus countless divertimenti, sonatas, duos, trios, and much more. Haydn was one of the successful classical music composers in history who had, what we would call a “stable job,“ a rarity in the music world. He worked for the wealthy Esterhazy family for 30 years as their court musician. During this time, he was a mentor and friend to Mozart, as well as tutor to Beethoven!

The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C Major was written in the first years of Haydn’s tenure in the Esterhazy court. The score, lost for many years, was found in Prague in 1961, thus shattering an illusion held by musicologists that all of Haydn’s music from the early years of his Esterhazy career had been lost in a disastrous fire at Eisenstadt in 1768. The Concerto, undoubtedly genuine, was most likely written in the years 1762-1765 for the court cellist Joseph Weigl. Since its recovery the Cello Concerto in C Major has become a staple in the cello repertoire for both student and professional cellists alike! The piece is originally written in three movements, following the typical fast-slow-fast concerto format. Today we will perform the first movement.

C.M. Weber: Clarinet Quintet Op.34, Rondo

Carl Maria von Weber was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist and critic. He was born in 1786, and died in 1826. Weber is well known for as an opera composer from the Romantic Era, as well, his compositions for the clarinet, bassoon and horn occupy an important place in the musical repertoire of each of the instruments.

Weber’s clarinet quintet is one of the most well known works for the clarinet and strings. The piece was written for Heinrich Baermann, who was one of the leading clarinet virtuosos in Europe at the time. Today we will perform the final movement in this four movement chamber work.

The Romance No. 2 for Violin and Strings is composed by our Maestro Tak Ng Lai. It is a self portrait through music, based on a poem that he wrote. The piece is uses the pentatonic scale in many places, thus giving it a nostalgic “Chinese” sound. Here is the poem translated into English.

It was love that brought me into this world.
A happy and ignorant teenager,
a lively and energetic young man,
a middle-aged man who went on a rampage and suffered setbacks,
sought pleasure in suffering,
learned tolerance,
and learned obedience.
Hold your chest up in the harsh environment,
look into the distance,
sing lyrical songs,
calmly work hard to find yourself!

是愛把我帶到這個世界，
幸福無知的少年，活活潑潑
朝氣勃勃的青年，橫衝直撞
經受挫折的中年，苦中尋樂
學忍，學順服
在惡劣的環境裏
挺起胸膛，眼望遠方
唱著抒情的歌
平靜努力，尋覓自我

Mikis Theodorakis, born in 1925, is a Greek songwriter and composer who has written over 1000 songs. He is famous for having scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). In addition to studies in Greece, he also studied in Paris with Olivier Messiaen. He is viewed as Greece’s best-known living composer.

On the hidden shore (Giorgos Seferis)

On the secret seashore
White like a pigeon
We thirsted at noon;
But the water was salty.

On the golden sand
We wrote her name;
How pleasantly the sea-breeze blew
And the writing was erased.

With what spirit, what heart,
What desire and passion
We took a wrong turn in our live,
And we changed our life.

The train leaves at eight (Manos Eleftheriou)

The train leaves at eight
A journey to Katerini
The month November will not stay
Don’t remember at eight o’clock
The train for Katerini
The month November will not stay
I met you again suddenly
Drinking ouzo at Lefteri’s
Night won’t come to other places
For you to have your secrets
And to recall who knows them
Night won’t come to other places

The train leaves at eight
But you have remained alone
Guarding your post in Katerini
Five to eight in the fog
Turned into a knife in your heart
Guarding your post in Katerini

Carmen is an opera about a passionate but self-destructive gypsy girl and her dramatic murder at the hands of her jealous soldier lover. French composer Georges Bizet who lived from 1838 to 1875, based his work on Prosper Mérimée’s short novel, Carmen, which had appeared in October 1845. The “Habanera,” a Spanish dance, is one of the most popular songs in the vocal repertoire for mezzo soprano. Below are the lyrics in English , with the original French included below each line.

Habanera from the opera Carmen

Love is a rebellious bird
L’amour est un oiseau rebelle

That no one can tame
Que nul ne peut apprivoiser

And it is in vain that we call him
Et c’est bien en vain qu’on l’appelle

If it suits him to refuse
S’il lui convient de refuser

Love love
L’amour, l’amour

Love love
L’amour, l’amour

Love is a bohemian child
L’amour est enfant de bohème

He never, never knew a law
Il n’a jamais, jamais connu de loi

If you don’t love me i love you
Si tu ne m’aimes pas, je t’aime

If I love you, take care
Si je t’aime, prends garde à toi

Beware
Prends garde à toi

And if you don’t love me
Et si tu ne m’aimes pas

If you don’t love me i love you
Si tu ne m’aimes pas, je t’aime

And if I love you, if I love you
Et si je t’aime, si je t’aime

Beware
Prends garde à toi

The bird that you thought you would surprise
L’oiseau que tu croyais surprendre

Flapped its wings and flew away
Battit de l’aile et s’envola

Love is far away, you can wait for it
L’amour est loin, tu peux l’attendre

You don’t wait for him anymore, he’s here
Tu ne l’attends plus, il est là

All around you, quick, quick
Tout autour de toi, vite, vite

He comes, goes, then he comes back
Il vient, s’en va, puis il revient

You think you hold it, it avoids you
Tu crois le tenir, il t’évite

You think you’re avoiding him, he’s got you
Tu crois l’éviter, il te tient

Love love
L’amour, l’amour

Love love
L’amour, l’amour

Love is a bohemian child
L’amour est enfant de bohème

He never never knew a law
Il n’a jamais jamais connu de loi

If you don’t love me i love you
Si tu ne m’aimes pas, je t’aime

If I love you, take care
Si je t’aime, prends garde à toi

Beware
Prends garde à toi

And if you don’t love me
Et si tu ne m’aimes pas

If you don’t love me i love you
Si tu ne m’aimes pas, je t’aime

And if I love you, if I love you
Et si je t’aime, si je t’aime

Beware
Prends garde à toi