McMaster Symphony Orchestra

LEE HEPNER, Conductor

VALERIE TRYON, Piano

HAMILTON PLACESunday, February 7, lg82 8:00 p.m.

ThePerforminshifs-'"

""tr'

On the surface, there might seemlittle reason for a big company suchas Westinghouse Canada to supportthe perlorming arts.But below the surface there is areason. Persuasive, honest, evenidealistic.

No one's work, however worthwhileand satisfying, can fulfillthe needfor the refined expression we callarlAnd fulfilled men and women arenpt only more satislied members ofa community, they are moresatisfied individuals.

Westinghouse Canada

Wry

A powerful part of your life.

PROGRAMME

Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings

Edvard Grieg . Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

I Atlegro molto moderatoll Adagiolll Allegro moderato e marcato - Andante maesfoso

INTERMISSIOIN

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor

I Un poco sostenufo - Allegroll Andante sostenufolll Un poco allegretto e graziosolV Adagio - Piu Andante - Allegro non troppo, ma con brio -

Piu Allegro

Tonight's Guest Artist

VALERIE TRYON's career as a concert pianist began when she was still a child.Before she was twelve she had broadcast for the BBC, and was appearingregularly before the public on the concert platform. As a scholarship student atthe Royal Academy of Music she won many prizes, receiving the highest awardthat is conferred on a performer and the coveted Boise Scholarship which tookher to Paris for study with Jacques Fdvrier. She won a prize at the '1956 Lisztcompetition in Budapest and since then she has been particularly associated withLiszt's music. Miss Tryon now gives many recitals in Europe and North Americaand she has appeared with some of the leading orchestras in the world. ln 1967she was presented with the Harriet Cohen Award in recognition of her service tomusic. She broadcasts regularly on CBC and BBC radio. ln 1980 she gaverecitals at the prestigious CBC Chopin Festival and at the University of Marylandlnternational Piano Festival and Competion. Miss Tryon is Artist-in-Residence atMcMaster University.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The f.rlcMaster Syrrrphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of theHooker Fund for Cultural Activities, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ministry ofCulture and Recreation through a Wintario Grant, the City ol Hamilton, MohawkCollege, Dofasco, Westinghouse, Firestone, the Spectator, the McMaster Print-ing Department, and the Hamilton Musicians' Guild.

YOU MAY HAVE WONDERED

Patrons who have followed the McMaster Symphony since its early years proba-bly wonder how some of the talented players are faring after moving to other partsof the country and the world.

Wecan reportthat French horn playerJlM MOFFAT is presentlywiththe GermanOpera on the Rhine in Dijsseldorf, West Germany, and was considered one ofthe top candidates for a chair in the Berlin Philharmonic. Trombonist PAULHYMAN is with the Symphony Orchestra of Hong Kong while clarinetistPAULINE O'CONNOR HAYWARD is playing with Symphony London, and cellistJEFF GARRETT is artist-in-residence with the lnternational Symphony of Sarniaand Port Huron. Tuba player ARTHUR LAPP was recently joined in the ThunderBay Symphony by trombonist GEORGE BEHR. KARL SHIER plays viola with theSault Symphony Orchestra. Now in the ranks of the Hamilton Philharmonic areNANCY BOURDON and MARGOT JEWELL and JULIAN KNIGHT is with theCanadian Opera. We wish these and all other former members success in theircareers.

Music and medicine often go hand in hand. This year six members of theorchestra are either practicing or studying for the medical profession. They are:CATHERINE EPLETT, KONG ENG KHOO, JANET SAUNDERSON, HOWARDTAYNEN, PAUL WHANG, ANd HOMER YANG.

One of the orchestra's busy music teachers, timpanist BONNIE QUINN, is off inFlorida conducting a tour of the Westdale Secondary School Band.

Along with other new members we welcome ULRICH MAIER-HARTH fromTirbingen, West Germany, who is on a post doctoral fellowship in the GeologyDepartment and has brought his violin as well as his hammer.

McMASTER UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

presenfs

THANATOPSIS: IMAGES OF DEATHIN EUROPEAN GRAPHICS

January 28- February 18,1982

PAINTINGS OF IMPERIAL AND PRINCELY INDIA

February 22 - March 21,1982

GALLERY LOCATION: Togo Salmon Hall (East) Room 114

6ALLERY HoURS: yff:|U IH.,l;' '?-3SundayAfternoon 1-5

Programme Notes

Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981)

Adagio for Strings, Opus 11 (1936).

Many young boys want to leave their music practice and go out and play ball!Samuel Barber was not one of them. Barber began his piano lessons at six and atseven he wrote with his mother's help, his first composition. His parents encour-aged him to take part in sports like other boys, but 8-year-old Samuel wrote tothem, "To begin with, I was not meant to be an athelet [sic] I was meant to be acomposer, and will be, I'm sure. Don't ask me to try to forget this and go and playfoot-ball. P/ease. Sometimes l've been worrying about this so much that it makesme mad! (not very)",

Samuel Barber took cello lessons for a few years but his first love was the piano.At the age of 14 he was accepted as a charter student of the Curtis lnstitute ofMusic, an institution founded in 1924 to provide a quality musical education forserious students. At the age of 18 Barber was one of the top students, specializ-ing in the study of piano, composition and singing. Graduating in May 1934 withhis Bachelor of Music, he found himself in the predicament ol having to earn aliving at the height of the depression. Although he had a fine baritone voice, hediscovered that there was no market for the kind of music he liked to sing andteaching involved so much time that liltle was left for composition. Fortunately hisspecial gift for composition won him a Pulitzer Travelling Scholarship and the Prlxde Rome, enabling him to travel to Europe where he spent the years 1935 - 36.His string quartet was written while he was staying at a little lodge in the woodsnear Salzburg. ln October 1937 theAdagio of the string quartet was arranged forstring orchestra, and premiered by Toscanini with the NBC Symphony Orchestrain New York November 5, 1938.

Edvard Grieg (1 843-1 907)

Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 16 (1868).

Some youngsters play "hookey". Edvard Grieg was just such a boy. He musthave found it difficult to concentrate on the strict, routine lessons of a schoolroomwhen his constant desire was to make music. He was always surrounded bymusic for his mother was a talented pianist who frequently played solos for theorchestral concerts at Bergen, the city of his birth. Her favourite music was by theromantic composer Weber, but she played many pieces by Chopin. lt is, perhaps,not surprising that Grieg's own talent for lyricism would earn him the title of "Cho-pin of the North". He recalls, while exploring the piano at five, how satisfying itwas to discover that there was such a wonderful thing as harmony. "My happi-ness knew no bounds." When he took his first composition to school to show afriend, it was confiscated by his schoolmaster and later burned. He was able toleave school when the celebrated Norwegian violinist, Ole Bull, urged that Griegbe sent to the Leipzig Conservatory which was founded by Mendelssohn andsteeped in the teachings of Schumann. He worked hard at the Conservatory, buta severe case of pleurisy which destroyed his left lung left his health in a precari-ous state for the rest of his life. For his graduation recital in 1862, he played his

Four Pieces for piano - and thus he began his career as composer and pianist.

Norway had been under the domination of Denmark for three hundred years, butin 1814 Sweden took over its rule and returned many freedoms. During the nextcentury, the Norse tried to eliminate all traces of Danish influence and to build atruly Norwegian culture. ln 1864 Grieg formed a pact with Richard Nordraak, avery talented young composer, to produce a music that embodied the Norwegianspirit. However Nordraak died two yers later leaving Grieg on his own to fulfill thismission.

lnthe Piano Concerto Grieg has skillfully combined folk-tune types of melodiesand dance rhythms with his own gift of lyricism and harmony to produce a per-sonal work of art that we recognize as authentically Norwegian. The Allegromoderato combines agressive rhythms with the richness of Romantic harmonyand melody. The muted-string opening ot lhe Adagio is beautifully expressive.The fiery closing A//egro features two Norwegian dance rhythms: a strongly ac-centedhalling and a triple-timedspringdans. The closing measures are special,for an absolutely new idea is hammered out on the piano before the final sweep-ing flourish when piano and orchestra come together for the last emphaticchords.

Johannes Brahms (1 833-1 897)

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68 (1855- 76)

One of Brahms' loves was his tin soldiers. Even at the age of twenty-eight hewould parade his childhood collection for interested friends. Much later in life heenjoyed lining up the armies that belonged to his landlady's children. Themeticulous concern for detail that this form of play requires is a characteristicfound in Brahms' music.

His father Jakob, an itinerant double bass and French horn player, barely earneda living by performing in several bands. When Johannes was six, Jakob decidedthat it was time for his son to learn to play an orchestal instrument. On his lirstattempt to teach Johannes his notes, Jakob discovered that his son had perfectpitch: with his back to the piano he could name the notes as his father playedthem. Discovering also that his son wanted to play the piano, Jakob sent him to acompetent, understanding teacher. Within a very short time Johannes was con-sidered an infant prodigy. An opportunity to tour America was turned down asEduard Maxsen, the best musician in Hamburg took Brahms as his student.During these years abject poverty haunted Brahms, who supported himself byplaying dances in a waterfront beer-hall. ln the meantime Marxsen taughtBrahms the works of Bach and Beethoven, masters whose works had the marksof expert craftsmanhip. Because such craft was apparent in his own composi-tions, Brahms was able to break out of his poverty. He began a tour as accom-panist to Remenyi, a famous Hungarian violinist. On this tour he met such re-nowned and influential people as Joachim, Liszt and Schumann. Schumann rec-ognized Brahms' unusual talents and published an article "New Path", proc-laiming his genius. Whenever opportunity presented itself, Brahms played hisown works, particulary his First Piano Sonafa.

The high praise of Schumann and other critics made the role of composer difficultfor Brahms, for he knew his compositions would be compared to those ofBeethoven. "You don't know what it feels to be dogged by that Giant", heconfided to a friend. After writing other orchestral works to prepare himself for histask, Brahms composed his Flrst Symphony (1855-76), a mastqrpiece combin-ing fate and tragedy with heroism and hope. The first movement, opening with apounding tympani, is epic in scope and character. The second movement glowswarmly as solos for oboe, clarinet and violin rise above the resplendent colours ofthe orchestra. A gentle respite from the intensity of the firsl two movements isoffered by the third, joyous in its simplicity. The opening of the fourth movement isa reminder of the first movement's conflict, but soon an Alpine horn solo leadsdirectly into a confident hymn of victory.

Programme notes by Donna Takayesu

Looking ahead

Hamilton Place Sunday, April 4,1982

MoMASTER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRALee Hepner, Conductor

MOHAWK COLLEGE SINGERSPatricia Rolston, Director

Catherine Robbin, Mezzo soprano

Beethoven Symphony No. 5Mahler Songs of a WayfarerElgar The Music Makers

Tickets$7.00 Studentsandseniors$3.50

MoMASTER SYMPHONY CHAMBER PLAYERS

Stanley Saunde ts, Guest Con d u ctotFriday, March 12,8:00 p.m. Convocation Hall, McMaster Universtiy

Sunday, March 14,2:00 p.m. Art Gallery of HamiltonFree Admission

For information and tickets call 525-9140 Ext. 4701

McMASTER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Conductor, Lee Hepner

VIOLIN

Mikhail BratConcert Master

David Arthurs**Susan BellinghamMariano De BenedictisJennifer FosterCarol Lynn Fujino--Olga HencherAlex lnglisKen JeffreyBernard KleinAllan LaurieLambert LohUlrich Maier-HarthDeborah PeaceHenry SchwarczDavid Shinlan ThompsonHelen Tobias-Helen Van GeestSusan Van GeestPaul WhangTom WilmotHomer Yang

VIOLA

Terry BallDonna BirdLorraine Dargavel*Catherine EplettKong Eng KhooAlison SawatzkyAlex SingerGlenn Welbourn

CELLOPeggy ButlerAgnes FreboldHendrik MedriMark RussomHoward TaynenAnn Vallentynelsaak Zis"

BASS

Peter KilpatrickDennis RondeauJanet SaundersonSherri WakabayashiSidney WoodBohdan Wyshniowsky*

FLUTE

Linda ElderRyan Scott-Wendy Wagg

PrccoloLinda Elder

OBOE

Norma Beattie-GraydonNancy Elbeck.

CLARINET

Gary Cauchi-Robert Thorpe

BASSOONDoris O'DellMits Takayesu

CONTRA BASSOON

Jeannie Martire

HORN

Michael HindrichsGeoffrey Leader*Peter MacdonaldShelagh McElroy

TRUMPET

Mark DharmaratnamGraham Young*

TROMBOME

Elizabeth DoullRobin McCubbin.Christopher Murdoch

TUBA

Gordon Maitland

TIMPANI

Christopher Winkle

PERCUSSION

Ernest PorthouseBonnie Quinn

MANAGER

LIBRARIAN

PERSONNEL MANAGER

PROPERTIES

-* Assistant Concert Master. Principal

Agnes Frebold

Dorothy Farquharson

Graham Young

William RolfeRalph Frebold

TilBn GeegtHOUSE OF PIANOS INC.

We have a reasonFor selling Kawai pianos.Its because we like dealingwith a manufacturer that's beenaround for a long, long time.In 1899 Mr. Koichi Kawai madeJapan's first piano.

Today Kawai has the largestgrand piano factory in theworld. l2 factories employing6300 people are building up-right and grand pianos withexports to more than 70countries. Selected woods areused, much of it grown inCanada and bought from theLemire Lumber Co. inSherbrooke, Quebec.

KAWAI MODEL KG5 6'8"ARTIST GRAND

Who buys Kawai pianos?Professional pianists, music teachers, concert halls, universities,schoolboards, music colleges and conservatories, entertainers, churches,etc.

Countless homes, many people reading this already own a Kawai piano.

Why Should you buy a Kawai pianofrom us?

The Van Geest name has been associated with the pleno_IryrnL ryrvice for over23 years, longer than any other piano dealer in the greater Hamilton area.

KAWAI 0.i,.#?,lT"T"'"HWY. #5 JUST WEST OF WATERDOWN (416) 689-6833

TItGRANDSPIRnoF^OREAT

PERFORMANCE

dreds more performed. Thesophistication of our audi-ence may have rivalled NewYorlis in one critic's mind.

The curtain lowered in1961 and the building wasdemolished. But in this city,curtains have always goneup. The Grand's spirit ofgreat perforrnance lives on.

DOFASCO0ur product is steel. 0ur strength is people.

Of{E hundred years ago,Hamilton's first theatreopened. The Grand OperaHouse (later called TheGrenada) was the productof Hamilton's growing loveof theatre. The Grand's con-struction in 1880 at famesand Gore Streets confirmedHamilton as an importanttheatre town. From herstage Al folson sang; OscarWilde lectured; TyronePower Sr., the Barryrmores,Sarah Bernhardt and hun-