Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Presents “The Creative and ... Phil Feb 25 2012-F.pdf · tunesmith...
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2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302 – 303 449 1343 – www.boulderphil.org MEDIA RELEASE February 3, 2011 Janet Braccio, Bella Voce Communications [email protected], 303-499-9031 Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Presents “The Creative and the Great” TED Fellow Joshua Roman performs Gulda Cello Concerto, February 25 Young Artists Concerto Competition winner Peter Mathys performs Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st Movement, February 26 The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra performs its next concert, entitled The Creative and the Great, on Saturday, February 25, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. at CU-Boulder’s Macky Auditorium. Michael Butterman, music director of the Boulder Phil, is on the podium, and 2011 TED Fellow Joshua Roman headlines the evening with a performance of the Gulda Cello Concerto. Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No. 1 and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C Major, “The Great” round out the program, which repeats on Sunday, February 26, at 3 p.m. at St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch. Peter Mathys, winner of the Boulder Philharmonic’s Young Artists Concerto Competition, performs the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in place of soloist Joshua Roman on the Sunday concert. The concert opens with Jazz Suite No. 1, written in 1934 by Dimitri Shostakovitch (1906-1975). “These are three, light-hearted, tuneful works written in a style that recalls cabaret, klezmer, jazz, and dance hall,” said Michael Butterman. “The xylophone, banjo, and Hawaiian guitar all figure prominently, resulting in something closer to Kurt Weill than the Shostakovich most people know from his symphonies. But, Shostakovich clearly had two sides to him—the deeply brooding artist who felt the constant repression of the state and the facile tunesmith who wrote film music, gorgeous melodies, and light, satirical parodies, such as we hear in this work. This style and unusual instrumentation, which is closer to chamber music than it is to orchestral music, segue into the even quirkier Gulda Cello Concerto,” said Butterman. Vienna-born Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000), considered one of the great pianists of the 20 th century, is especially known for his performances of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. “And yet,” said Butterman, “Gulda was a musical omnivore who straddled the classical and jazz worlds simultaneously throughout his career as a performer and a composer.” These two worlds are juxtaposed in his cello concerto written in 1980. In it, a wind band—with jazz rhythm section—plays the foil to a solo cellist who is asked to play in a variety of traditional and non-traditional styles, including improvisation. “This is an extremely demanding concerto, and we couldn’t be more excited to feature cellist Joshua Roman, a champion of this work,” said Butterman. Joshua Roman (b. 1983), considered a “classical rock star” for his wide range of repertoire and charismatic appeal, is making his Boulder Phil debut with the Gulda Cello Concerto. He performed this work last fall with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, where he was principal cellist for two seasons, a position he won in 2006 at the age of 22. “Joshua Roman is making his mark as a musical missionary,” said Butterman, “blending genre boundaries and bringing classical music to nontraditional settings. His drive to make music of all types accessible to all, and to explore interesting connections between artistic movements and styles, very much reflects the ethos of the Boulder Phil as it reflects Boulder’s spirit of adventure and discovery.” The second half of the program features Symphony No. 9 in C, “The Great,” by Franz Schubert (1797- 1828), written during the last year of his life, but not performed until 1839. “Since Gulda was so associated with Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, I thought it would be interesting to perform a work by one of these masters as a kind of reflection of the two types of musical influences that lived harmoniously within this one person,” said Butterman. “Symphony No. 9, one of the great masterpieces of the symphonic repertoire, demonstrates not only Schubert’s gift for melody, but also his assimilation of Beethoven’s approach to motivic development as well as his original approach to musical form and instrument.”
Transcript of Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Presents “The Creative and ... Phil Feb 25 2012-F.pdf · tunesmith...
2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302 – 303 449 1343 – www.boulderphil.org
MEDIA RELEASE February 3, 2011
Janet Braccio, Bella Voce Communications
[email protected], 303-499-9031
Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Presents “The Creative and the Great”
TED Fellow Joshua Roman performs Gulda Cello Concerto, February 25
Young Artists Concerto Competition winner Peter Mathys performs Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st Movement, February 26
The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra performs its next concert, entitled The Creative and the Great, on
Saturday, February 25, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. at CU-Boulder’s Macky Auditorium. Michael Butterman, music
director of the Boulder Phil, is on the podium, and 2011 TED Fellow Joshua Roman headlines the evening with
a performance of the Gulda Cello Concerto. Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No. 1 and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in
C Major, “The Great” round out the program, which repeats on Sunday, February 26, at 3 p.m. at St. Luke’s
Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch. Peter Mathys, winner of the Boulder Philharmonic’s Young Artists
Concerto Competition, performs the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in place of soloist
Joshua Roman on the Sunday concert.
The concert opens with Jazz Suite No. 1, written in 1934 by Dimitri Shostakovitch (1906-1975). “These
are three, light-hearted, tuneful works written in a style that recalls cabaret, klezmer, jazz, and dance hall,” said
Michael Butterman. “The xylophone, banjo, and Hawaiian guitar all figure prominently, resulting in something
closer to Kurt Weill than the Shostakovich most people know from his symphonies. But, Shostakovich clearly
had two sides to him—the deeply brooding artist who felt the constant repression of the state and the facile
tunesmith who wrote film music, gorgeous melodies, and light, satirical parodies, such as we hear in this work.
This style and unusual instrumentation, which is closer to chamber music than it is to orchestral music, segue
into the even quirkier Gulda Cello Concerto,” said Butterman.
Vienna-born Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000), considered one of the great pianists of the 20th century, is
especially known for his performances of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. “And yet,” said Butterman, “Gulda
was a musical omnivore who straddled the classical and jazz worlds simultaneously throughout his career as a
performer and a composer.” These two worlds are juxtaposed in his cello concerto written in 1980. In it, a wind
band—with jazz rhythm section—plays the foil to a solo cellist who is asked to play in a variety of traditional
and non-traditional styles, including improvisation. “This is an extremely demanding concerto, and we couldn’t
be more excited to feature cellist Joshua Roman, a champion of this work,” said Butterman.
Joshua Roman (b. 1983), considered a “classical rock star” for his wide range of repertoire and
charismatic appeal, is making his Boulder Phil debut with the Gulda Cello Concerto. He performed this work
last fall with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, where he was principal cellist for two seasons, a position he won
in 2006 at the age of 22. “Joshua Roman is making his mark as a musical missionary,” said Butterman,
“blending genre boundaries and bringing classical music to nontraditional settings. His drive to make music of
all types accessible to all, and to explore interesting connections between artistic movements and styles, very
much reflects the ethos of the Boulder Phil as it reflects Boulder’s spirit of adventure and discovery.”
The second half of the program features Symphony No. 9 in C, “The Great,” by Franz Schubert (1797-
1828), written during the last year of his life, but not performed until 1839. “Since Gulda was so associated with
Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, I thought it would be interesting to perform a work by one of these masters as
a kind of reflection of the two types of musical influences that lived harmoniously within this one person,” said
Butterman. “Symphony No. 9, one of the great masterpieces of the symphonic repertoire, demonstrates not only
Schubert’s gift for melody, but also his assimilation of Beethoven’s approach to motivic development as well as
his original approach to musical form and instrument.”
2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302 – 303 449 1343 – www.boulderphil.org
The concert repeats on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at 3 p.m. at St. Luke’s Methodist Church in
Highlands Ranch. “We are delighted to be returning to St. Luke’s, following a successful debut last year hosted
by Dr. James Ramsey,” said Kevin Shuck, executive director of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. “We are
also excited to have this opportunity to feature the winner of the Boulder Phil’s Young Artists Concerto
Competition, Peter Mathys.”
Mathys, 19, is a political science major and piano performance student at CU-Boulder’s College of
Music, studying with Andrew Cooperstock. He has been the winner of the Yamaha, Colorado State Music
Teachers Association, and Kawai piano competitions and of the Colorado Piano Festival. Mathys has performed
with the Colorado Symphony and the New York Concerti Sinfonietta, and for the past seven years he has been
selected to perform at the Boulder Bach Festival.
“The Boulder Phil is committed to supporting young musicians, and our Young Artists Concerto
Competition has been a key part of that commitment since 1959,” said Shuck. “In addition, at Saturday’s
performance we are partnering with Colorado Public Radio to publicize its annual instrument drive for local
schools, while Sunday’s performance serves as a fundraiser to purchase instruments for the John Wesley School
in Santa Cruz Del Quiche, Guatemala, with which St. Luke’s has an ongoing relationship. It is indeed a
privilege to be able to make music a part of so many young peoples’ lives in this way.”
Program Information: The Creative & the Great
Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Michael Butterman, Music Director
Saturday, February 25, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Macky Auditorium, CU-Boulder
Joshua Roman, Cello
SHOSTAKOVICH: Jazz Suite No. 1
GULDA: Cello Concerto
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, “The Great”
Additional activities on February 25:
6:30 p.m., Pre-Concert Talk with Joshua Roman
Tickets for this performance are $13-$70 ($5 for students) and available online at www.boulderphil.org and by
calling 303-449-1343, ext. 2.
Sunday, February 26, 2012, 3:00 p.m.
St. Luke’s Methodist Church, 8817 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch, CO, 80129
Peter Mathys, Piano (2012 Young Artists Concerto Competition Winner)
SHOSTAKOVICH: Jazz Suite No. 1
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st movement
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, “The Great”
Tickets for this performance are $10-$30 and available online at www.boulderphil.org and by calling 303-449-
1343, ext. 2.
This program is sponsored in part by
Sterling-Rice Group and the Citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District
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