California Philharmonic presents "Beethoven, Bernstein & Bolero" August 23 and 24
Jenine Baines
August 06, 2008
SAN MARINO, Calif. The conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein once wrote, "Life without music is unthinkable." So it is no surprise that Victor Vener, who founded the California Philharmonic twelve years ago to make life without music equally unthinkable for residents throughout Southern California –especially those hesitant to step into a concert hall for a live performance of classical music – has included excerpts from two of Bernstein´s most popular works, Candide and West Side Story, in the orchestra´s upcoming performances of "Beethoven, Bernstein and Bolero."
Also on the program – which will take place August 23 at The Arboretum in Arcadia at 8 p.m. and August 24, at Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown at 2 p.m. – are the final movement/"Ode to Joy" from Beethoven´s Symphony No. 9 and Ravel´s Bolero. Soprano Khori Dastoor, mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán, tenor Kalil Wilson and bass baritone Cedric Berry will join the orchestra for this production, along with along with a 100 voice chorus under Marya Basaraba, Chorus Maestra of the California Philharmonic.
"Cal Phil´s mission is, first and foremost, to expand the awareness of great timeless music," Vener explains. "And I can´t think of three composers better suited to help us achieve this goal than Ludwig van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel and Leonard Bernstein."
Beethoven´s Ninth Symphony is one of the most important – and beloved – works ever created, Vener continues. "The Ode to Joy has been featured in countless movies, is the official anthem of the European Union and, in 1989, was performed before a worldwide audience of over 100 million at the dismantling of the Berlin Wall," he says. "And guess who conducted? Leonard Bernstein!"
Bernstein was also a fan of Ravel´s Bolero, widely acknowledged as the most performed work in the classical music repertoire. When Bernstein attended his first concert as a young boy – a performance of the Boston Pops under conductor Arthur Fiedler – the program included Bolero. For the rest of his life, Bernstein often recalled how he was mesmerized by the work and fantasized about stepping into Fiedler´s shoes at the concert.
"I´ve every confidence that Cal Phil´s performance of Bolero – in particular, the artistry of principal percussionist Terrence Schonig – will captivate our audiences too," adds composer-in-residence Roger Allen Ward, whose work walk of stars was premiered by Cal Phil in 2004 and performed last month as part of "Movie Magic."
Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán, who is completing her tenure as Cal Phil artist-in-residence, predicts that the singers joining her on stage will also receive bravos. "Khori, Kalil and Cedric are all on the verge of or in the midst of major careers," says Guzmán, who first met the soloists while working with them as part of the LA Opera Education Division. "They´re formidable musicians and consummate entertainers, plus every single one of them is a Western Regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council´s auditions program. It´s going to be a hot, hot show!"
Highlights will include a performance of "Something´s Coming" by Kalil Wilson and "A Boy Like That" featuring Suzanna Guzmán and Khori Dastoor, from West Side Story as well as a performance of "Glitter and Be Gay", one of the most challenging arias in a coloratura soprano´s repertoire, from Candide by Khori Dastoor. The artists will also perform together as a quartet in "Tonight" from West Side Story and Candide´s "Make Our Garden Grow."
"I adore ´Make Our Garden Grow´," Guzmán reveals. "It opens with the two lovers singing, then the rest of the cast joins in, followed by the choir. Everyone sings at the extremes of their range in these exquisite harmonies. Just voices…until the orchestra comes in for a divine finale and you melt into a puddle of nothing. It is magnificent, amazing music."
"Bernstein wrote a bestselling book called The Joy of Music," says Vener, who will also conduct the Overture from Candide, which television viewers may recognize as the theme to Dick Cavett´s talk show, and orchestral selections from West Side Story arranged by Jack Mason. "But words can only say so much. The best way to grasp the joy of music is to hear it performed."
The gates will open at The Arboretum on August 23 at 5:30 p.m. for dining and live jazz from the redwhite+bluezz Jazz Stage, with the performance beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at just $20 and can be purchased by calling the Cal Phil box office at 1120 Huntington Drive in San Marino at 626.300.8200 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or by visiting the website, www.calphil.org. The Arboretum is located at 301 No. Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia.
Tickets for the performance at 2 p.m. on August 24 are available by calling TicketMaster at 213.363.3500, Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $35 to $95/person. Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles.
In 1995, Music Director and Conductor Victor Vener and a small group of enthusiastic, dedicated music lovers based in Pasadena, California founded The CalPhil Foundation. The Foundation, a nonprofit community benefit organization, supports the California Philharmonic in its quest to expand awareness of classical music, thus increasing the interest and support for great timeless music with wide audience appeal, from the classical and operatic repertoire to diverse genres of jazz, pops, Hollywood and Broadway. Also, with a strong commitment to new music and to expanding the symphonic repertoire, the California Philharmonic has presented numerous world premieres of both orchestral and chamber works.
The California Philharmonic began in 1997 with a five-concert inaugural summer season of Cal Phil Festival on the Green on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia. Now, Cal Phil presents twenty-four concerts per year in five different, but equally impressive, venues throughout Los Angeles County. These series include Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall (downtown Los Angeles), Cal Phil at the Ambassador (Pasadena), Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro (Castle Green Hotel in Pasadena), Cal Phil Festival on the Green, and Cal Phil at The Mill (The Old Mill in San Marino). For more information, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200.
Also on the program – which will take place August 23 at The Arboretum in Arcadia at 8 p.m. and August 24, at Walt Disney Concert Hall downtown at 2 p.m. – are the final movement/"Ode to Joy" from Beethoven´s Symphony No. 9 and Ravel´s Bolero. Soprano Khori Dastoor, mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán, tenor Kalil Wilson and bass baritone Cedric Berry will join the orchestra for this production, along with along with a 100 voice chorus under Marya Basaraba, Chorus Maestra of the California Philharmonic.
"Cal Phil´s mission is, first and foremost, to expand the awareness of great timeless music," Vener explains. "And I can´t think of three composers better suited to help us achieve this goal than Ludwig van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel and Leonard Bernstein."
Beethoven´s Ninth Symphony is one of the most important – and beloved – works ever created, Vener continues. "The Ode to Joy has been featured in countless movies, is the official anthem of the European Union and, in 1989, was performed before a worldwide audience of over 100 million at the dismantling of the Berlin Wall," he says. "And guess who conducted? Leonard Bernstein!"
Bernstein was also a fan of Ravel´s Bolero, widely acknowledged as the most performed work in the classical music repertoire. When Bernstein attended his first concert as a young boy – a performance of the Boston Pops under conductor Arthur Fiedler – the program included Bolero. For the rest of his life, Bernstein often recalled how he was mesmerized by the work and fantasized about stepping into Fiedler´s shoes at the concert.
"I´ve every confidence that Cal Phil´s performance of Bolero – in particular, the artistry of principal percussionist Terrence Schonig – will captivate our audiences too," adds composer-in-residence Roger Allen Ward, whose work walk of stars was premiered by Cal Phil in 2004 and performed last month as part of "Movie Magic."
Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán, who is completing her tenure as Cal Phil artist-in-residence, predicts that the singers joining her on stage will also receive bravos. "Khori, Kalil and Cedric are all on the verge of or in the midst of major careers," says Guzmán, who first met the soloists while working with them as part of the LA Opera Education Division. "They´re formidable musicians and consummate entertainers, plus every single one of them is a Western Regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council´s auditions program. It´s going to be a hot, hot show!"
Highlights will include a performance of "Something´s Coming" by Kalil Wilson and "A Boy Like That" featuring Suzanna Guzmán and Khori Dastoor, from West Side Story as well as a performance of "Glitter and Be Gay", one of the most challenging arias in a coloratura soprano´s repertoire, from Candide by Khori Dastoor. The artists will also perform together as a quartet in "Tonight" from West Side Story and Candide´s "Make Our Garden Grow."
"I adore ´Make Our Garden Grow´," Guzmán reveals. "It opens with the two lovers singing, then the rest of the cast joins in, followed by the choir. Everyone sings at the extremes of their range in these exquisite harmonies. Just voices…until the orchestra comes in for a divine finale and you melt into a puddle of nothing. It is magnificent, amazing music."
"Bernstein wrote a bestselling book called The Joy of Music," says Vener, who will also conduct the Overture from Candide, which television viewers may recognize as the theme to Dick Cavett´s talk show, and orchestral selections from West Side Story arranged by Jack Mason. "But words can only say so much. The best way to grasp the joy of music is to hear it performed."
The gates will open at The Arboretum on August 23 at 5:30 p.m. for dining and live jazz from the redwhite+bluezz Jazz Stage, with the performance beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at just $20 and can be purchased by calling the Cal Phil box office at 1120 Huntington Drive in San Marino at 626.300.8200 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or by visiting the website, www.calphil.org. The Arboretum is located at 301 No. Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia.
Tickets for the performance at 2 p.m. on August 24 are available by calling TicketMaster at 213.363.3500, Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $35 to $95/person. Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles.
In 1995, Music Director and Conductor Victor Vener and a small group of enthusiastic, dedicated music lovers based in Pasadena, California founded The CalPhil Foundation. The Foundation, a nonprofit community benefit organization, supports the California Philharmonic in its quest to expand awareness of classical music, thus increasing the interest and support for great timeless music with wide audience appeal, from the classical and operatic repertoire to diverse genres of jazz, pops, Hollywood and Broadway. Also, with a strong commitment to new music and to expanding the symphonic repertoire, the California Philharmonic has presented numerous world premieres of both orchestral and chamber works.
The California Philharmonic began in 1997 with a five-concert inaugural summer season of Cal Phil Festival on the Green on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Arcadia. Now, Cal Phil presents twenty-four concerts per year in five different, but equally impressive, venues throughout Los Angeles County. These series include Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall (downtown Los Angeles), Cal Phil at the Ambassador (Pasadena), Cal Phil Music, Martinis and the Maestro (Castle Green Hotel in Pasadena), Cal Phil Festival on the Green, and Cal Phil at The Mill (The Old Mill in San Marino). For more information, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200.
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