112 Season
th
Special co-presentation with The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall!
Saturday, February 7 8 pm
At the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Second & State Streets, Troy, NY.
Pre-concert talk at 7 pm, Rensselaer County Historical Soc., 57 2 nd St., Troy, NY.
LES VIOLONS DU ROY
Bernard Labadie, Artistic & Music Director
Celebrating the 350th anniversary of Purcell’s birth, and
the 200 & 250th anniversaries of Haydn’s and Handel’s respective deaths
th
G.P. TELEMANN
(1681-1767)
Ouverture des Nations anciens et modernes
in G Major, TMW 55:G4
G.F. HANDEL
(1685-1759)
Water Music – Suite No. 3 in G Major, HWV 350
F.J. HAYDN
(1732-1809)
Horn Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Hob. VIId: 4
Louis-Philippe Marsolais, solo horn
INTERMISSION
H. PURCELL
(1659-1695)
Chaconne from King Arthur, Z. 628
G.F. HANDEL
Suite from Alcina, HWV 34
F. GEMINIANI
(1687-1762)
Concerto Grosso in D minor, La Folia, after
A. Corelli
Recordings: TMA Classique, Dorian Recordings
Represented by Alliance Artist Management Inc.
Les Violons du Roy would like to thank the following partners: Québec Bureau del la Capitale -Natiomnale &
Conseil des arts et des Lettres; Canada Council for the Arts; and, Foundation des Violons du Roy.
Tickets & information: (518) 273-0038 www.troychromaticconcerts.org
All programs, dates and times are subject to change. All sales are final.
Media
Our season sponsored in part by
the NYS
sponsor:
Council on the Arts and by voluntary contributions.
©2009Troy Chromatic Concerts Inc. www.troychromaticconcerts.org
Program Notes
GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN (1681, Magdeburg-1767, Hamburg)
Ouverture des Nations anciens et modernes in G Major, TWV 55:G4
This “Ouverture” is, in fact, a suite of nine pieces, although introduced by a
slow, solemn overture in the best French style. Telemann, who was living in
Hamburg at the time, created a light-hearted depiction of the nations whose
merchants were present in the city, already a centre of trade. Each “ancient” nation
is represented by a slow dance, and each “modern” nation by a quick dance. The
final movement evokes the nostalgic comments of a group of old women
lamenting the past and criticizing the present—something that would never happen
today, of course. (Pierre Grondines)
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685, Halle-1759, London)
Water Music, HVW 348 to 350
Handel’s Water Music was performed for the first time during a boat trip by the
English court in July 1717. King George I, accompanied by the royal family, his
ministers and courtiers, sailed up the Thames from Whitehall to Chelsea, where he
landed and took supper. At the end of the evening, the King and his group then
sailed regally back down the Thames to St. James’ Palace in London. The royal
party travelled in a series of sumptuously decorated barges, on one of which a
group of fifty musicians performed Water Music no less than three times. (Pierre
Grondines)
Water Music comprises three orchestral suites, each with its own distinctive key
and scoring. All three call for strings, oboe and bassoon, but the first and second
suites require brass instruments, while the third uses recorders. The suites give
pride of place to “gallant” dances from the French court at Versailles, such as the
Minuet and Bourrée, while several movements identified only by their tempo
marking (Allegro, Andante or Presto) are also in the manner of the court of the Sun
King. Handel, like Bach, was familiar with this type of music from his time as a
young violinist at the Francophile court of the Prince Electors of Hanover. English
country dances also make an appearance, since Handel, as an adopted son of
Albion, was careful to include several “hornpipes” and “country dances”. (Pierre
Grondines)
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732, Rohrau-1809, Vienna)
Horn Concerto no. 2 in D Major, Hob. VIId: 4
Based on stylistic cues, several specialists have suggested that Joseph Haydn’s
Horn Concerto no. 2 is, in fact, by his younger brother Michael (1737-1806).
Overshadowed by his more famous sibling, Michael Haydn was nevertheless wellknown in his day and esteemed by Mozart. The Horn Concerto in D major was
apparently composed between 1760 and 1762, when Michael was Kapellmeister at
Grosswardein (today, Oradea in Romania). The manuscript indicates that the
concerto is for “orno secundo”, in other words a horn player specializing in the
medium and low registers. (Pierre Grondines)
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HENRY PURCELL (1659, Westminster-1695, Westminster)
Chaconne from King Arthur, Z. 628
Although the Chaconne was originally a popular dance in moderate triple time,
it gradually became a showcase for compositional technique intended for listeners
rather than dancers. In this unusual musical form, the grave atmosphere created by
the repetition of a single motif in the bass is counterbalanced by a giddy whirl of
notes as the upper instruments perform a series of uninterrupted variations.
King Arthur, or The British Worthy (1691) belongs to the typically British genre of
semi-opera, in which the principal roles are spoken while the secondary roles are
sung. The Chaconne is one of the pieces performed before the curtain rises; Purcell
borrowed it from an earlier Ode for King James II. (Pierre Grondines)
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685, Halle-1759, London)
Instrumental suite from the opera Alcina, HWV 34
Handel suffered a series of professional and financial setbacks in the world of
English opera and, around 1733, already under pressure from various castrati,
divas, impresarios and Italian composers, he hit a new obstacle: his favourite
castrato, Senesino, abandoned him for a rival troupe led by Porpora. The Italians in
London had prospered with support from the nobility and the Prince of Wales, and
even succeeded in attracting the illustrious Farinelli to the English capital. In
response, Handel joined forces with the new Royal Academy of Music, under the
patronage of George II, and decided to take advantage of the arrival in London of
a ballet troupe led by a famous French dancer Marie Sallé (1707-1756), a daring
woman who choreographed her own dances and inspired several leading
composers, including Rameau. Her presence in London for the 1734-1735 season
explains the large number of dances in Handel’s opera Alcina. (Irène Brisson)
FRANCESCO GEMINIANI (1687, Lucca-1762, Dublin)
Concerto grosso in D minor, La Follia (after Arcangelo Corelli)
Geminiani was one of the first violinists to take a truly virtuoso approach to
the instrument, becoming a precursor in the long-standing Italian tradition that
includes the likes of Tartini, Veracini, Viotti and, of course, Paganini.
A student of Corelli and Scarlatti, Geminiani inherited none of their serene
temperament. He was described as impetuous and tormented (Tartini referred to
him as “il furibondo”), and his character is clearly reflected in his music. However,
he also retained a profound admiration for his teachers, especially Corelli, and
transcribed many of his sonatas.
The concerto on tonight’s program is an arrangement of the last work from
Corelli’s Opus 5, a set of variations on the Spanish theme La Follia, also used for
similar purposes by Marin Marais, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and
even Salieri (who wrote a remarkable set of variations for orchestra).
The variations on La Follia are unique in Corelli’s output, which comprises
numbers of sonatas (op. 1 to 5) and concertos (op. 6). Unlike Avison, who was
later to transcribe other works by Corelli, Geminiani made only a few additions and
minor changes, mainly affecting the instrumental texture. For example, he added
©2009Troy Chromatic Concerts Inc. www.troychromaticconcerts.org
second violin and viola parts to the concertino, the small solo group, which dialogues
with the ripieno (literally, the “filling”)—the main orchestra. (Bertrand Guay)
LES VIOLONS DU ROY
The chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy borrows its name from the
renowned string orchestra of the court of the French kings. The group, which has a
core membership of fifteen players, was brought together in 1984 by music director
Bernard Labadie and specializes in the vast repertoire of music for chamber
orchestra, performed in the stylistic manner most appropriate to each era. Although
the ensemble plays on modern instruments, its approach to the works of the
Baroque and Classical periods has been strongly influenced by current research into
performance practice in the 17th and early 18th centuries; in this repertoire Les
Violons du Roy uses copies of period bows. The orchestra has been widely
acclaimed for the exceptional energy, brilliance and vitality of its performances. In
recent seasons, under the leadership of first guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni,
the orchestra has begun to explore 19th and 20th century repertoire in more depth.
A pillar of the musical scene in Québec City, and well known throughout
Canada and United States for its concerts and its recordings broadcast by RadioCanada, CBC and NPR in the United States, Les Violons du Roy has, since 1988,
made over a hundred concert appearances in Germany, England, Austria, Belgium,
Ecuador, Spain, France, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, and the Netherlands. On
summer 2007, Les Violons du Roy returned to Europe with US mezzo-soprano
Vivica Genaux for concerts at Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, the Concertgebouw
in Amsterdam and the Rheingau Festival in Germany.
The fifteen recordings made by Les Violons du Roy have been acclaimed by
critics and earned various distinctions and awards at the national and international
levels. Of twelve CDs released by DORIAN, two won Juno Awards for classical
album of the year – vocal or choral performance (Apollo e Dafne (Handel) and
Requiem (Mozart)). Since 2004, the association with the Québec label ATMA has
led to three CDs, including the critically-acclaimed Water Music, recorded in the
Raoul Jobin hall in the new Palais Montcalm, and Piazzolla, conducted by JeanMarie Zeitouni, which won a Juno Award in 2006 for classical album of the year –
solo or chamber ensemble. The group’s first collaboration with the multinational
VIRGIN CLASSICS label led to the release in fall 2006 of a CD of cantata arias by
Handel and Hasse with US mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux.
After five years without a permanent home, Les Violons du Roy returned on
March 23, 2007 to its Québec City base, the Palais Montcalm.
©2009Troy Chromatic Concerts Inc. www.troychromaticconcerts.org
BERNARD LABADIE, Artistic & Music Director
Bernard Labadie is one of the leading figures in the
musical world in Québec and Canada. As the founding
conductor of Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec,
he makes regular appearances at key venues in North America
(Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, Walt Disney
Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Kennedy Center in Washington,
Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall in Toronto) and Europe
(the Barbican in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,
the Salzburg Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival). He also
conducts the regular seasons of both groups in Québec City
and Montréal, and has made around a dozen recordings with them for the
DORIAN, ATMA and VIRGIN CLASSICS labels, two of which have earned a
Juno Award.
Bernard Labadie’s career as a guest conductor is developing rapidly. In 2006 he
made debut appearances with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia
Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia in Newcastle (UK), and returned to conduct
the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition to regular
appearances with major US symphony orchestras (Houston, Minnesota, Detroit,
Seattle, Utah, Oregon, Indianapolis, New Jersey, New World Symphony), he
increasingly conducts outside North America: on April 2007, he make his debut
with the Musikkollegium Winterthur in Swiss, in December 2007 with the Hanover
Radio Orchestra, and in 2008 with the Barcelona Liceu Orchestra, the Royal
Scottish National Symphony and the Melbourne Symphony.
Bernard Labadie is also active in the world of opera. He was the Artistic
Director of L’Opéra de Québec from 1994 to 2003, and of L’Opéra de Montréal
from 2002 to 2006. As a guest conductor, he has worked with the Glimmerglass
Opera, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York and the Santa Fe Opera. He is in
great demand as a conductor of specialized performances of 18th century works,
and has appeared with the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, the New York
Collegium, Music of the Baroque in Chicago, Philharmonia Baroque in San
Francisco and L’ensemble Arion in Montréal. A tireless ambassador for the musical
life of his home city, Québec, Bernard Labadie was made a Member of the Order
of Canada in 2005 and a Knight of the Order of Québec in 2006.
©2009Troy Chromatic Concerts Inc. www.troychromaticconcerts.org