Daniel Canosa, Music Director
Prometheus’ Fire
November 3, 2024
4:00 PM
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
72 Kensington Road
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Tickets $25 online and at the door
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PROGRAM
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The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
Overture to the Ballet
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Pelléas et Mélisande
Suite from the incidental music to the play
Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)
I- At the Castle Gate
II- Mélisande
III- At the Seashore
IV- A Spring in the Park
V- The Three Blind Sisters (Mélisande's Song)
VI- Pastorale
VII- Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel
VIII- Entr'acte
XI- The Death of Mélisande
Méditation
Symphonic intermezzo from the opera Thaïs
Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912)
Brooke Aird, violin
Petite Suite
Orch. Henri Büsser
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)
I- En bateau (Sailing): Andantino
II- Cortège (Retinue): Moderato
III- Menuet: Moderato
IV- Ballet: Allegro giusto
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PROGRAM NOTES
The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 (1801)
Overture to the Ballet
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
The ballet is an allegory based on the mythical story of Prometheus- one of the Titans of Greek mythology – the supreme trickster, a god of fire. In his entire career Beethoven composed only one ballet score. The first performance of the Prometheus ballet was on March 28, 1801, in Vienna. Beethoven wrote an overture, an introduction, fifteen numbers and a finale. Read more.
Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
Suite from the incidental music to the play
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)
Following a commission by the Swedish Theatre, Jean Sibelius wrote the music for Maurice Maeterlinck’s play Pelléas and Mélisande in 1905. The play, which was performed for the first time in 1893, was a notable symbolist work, and the music Sibelius wrote for it has perhaps the most symbolist atmosphere of all his works. The original incidental music included ten pieces. The first piece is the overture, which is perhaps the most sombre piece in the work. In the orchestral suite it is called “At the Castle Gate”. The second piece is equally dark; in the orchestral suite it is simply called “Mélisande”. A wistful cor anglais solo describes how Golaud finds Mélisande in the woods beside a spring. The third piece is called “At the Seashore” in the orchestral suite. The principal characters are standing on the seashore, watching a boat sail away. The fourth piece in the orchestral suite is “A Spring in the Park”. A waltz melody opens the scene, in which the principal characters go to a spring in the park. Mélisande drops the ring that Golaud has given her. The fifth piece is called “Mélisande at the Spinning-Wheel” in the orchestral suite. The music uses dark tones to depict the spinning of the wheel. The sixth piece is “The Three Blind Sisters” in the orchestral suite. Mélisande’s song is in the style of a ballad. The seventh piece is the “Pastorale” of the orchestral suite. Golaud and Pelléas discuss Mélisande’s pregnancy. Sibelius moves the scene forward from below the earth into the light of day. The eighth piece is the elegant and vivacious Entr’acte of the orchestral suite. In the play the principal characters agree upon a secret encounter. The ninth piece is missing from the orchestral suite. In an episode lasting about three minutes we hear the overture to a scene in which King Arkel converses with Mélisande. Golaud strikes the deceitful woman and kills Pelléas. The pearl of the incidental music is the extraordinarily beautiful “Death of Mélisande”. Other composers to write music for the play include Fauré, Debussy and Schoenberg. Read more. ​
Méditation from Thaïs (1888)
Jules Massenet (1842–1912)
Brooke Aird, violin soloist
Massenet’s “Thaïs” is a beautiful feat of musical drama. The opera, which premiered on March 16, 1894, is rich in its character development and Massenet’s own development as a dramatist. While the work is filled with glorious musical writing, there is no doubt that the single most iconic moment of the work is the dramatic midpoint – Thaïs’ meditation. Played by a solo violin, the passage is a lyrical gem that has found itself into concert halls and many recording studios. Read more.
Petite Suite (1889)
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
arr. Paul Henri Busser (1872-1973)
Petite Suite was composed between 1886 and 1889, during a period when Debussy was experimenting with various musical forms and styles. The suite was originally written for piano four hands, a popular format in the 19th century, which allowed two pianists to perform together on one piano. This version was later orchestrated by Debussy’s contemporary, Henri Büsser, in 1907, making the work accessible to larger audiences through orchestral performances. The first movement, En Bateau (On a Boat), is a serene and flowing piece that captures the sensation of gently gliding over water. The second movement, Cortège (Procession),is lively and celebratory, depicting a joyful procession or parade. The third movement, Menuet, returns to a more refined and elegant character, typical of the traditional minuet dance form. This movement is graceful and poised, with a stately melody that evokes the elegance of 18th-century courtly dances. The final movement, Ballet, is a lively and spirited conclusion to the suite. Read more.
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ORCHESTRA
Violin I
Brooke Aird, concertmaster
Harry Chomsky
Jeanette Isenberg
Violin II
Tara Flandreau
Pam Otsuka
Ariel Wang
Viola
Kathy Wright
Shawn Prudhomme
Cello
Joel Cohen
Margaret Moores
Bass
Kevin Gordon
Mark Culbertson
Flute
Carol Adee
Jane Lenoir
Oboe
Margot Golding
Keith Sklower
English horn
Keith Sklower
Clarinet
Kyle Beard
Matthew Rupert
Bassoon
Jay Benson
Steven Peterson
Horn
Beth Milne
Ruth Wilson
Trumpet
Mark Nemoyten
Sean Lane-Bortell
Timpani/Percussion
Christian Foster Howes
Harp
Anna Maria Mendieta
SOLOIST
Brooke Aird, violin
Brooke Aird studied at the Manhattan School of Music and did his first professional playing in Off-Broadway shows. He is a longtime member of The Marin Symphony, and has played in almost all of the San Francisco Bay Area orchestras at one time or another. An accomplished chamber musician, Brooke is a member of The Carol String Trio and was violinist in the new music group “Sounds New” with which he performed hundreds of compositions written by living American composers. As a soloist he has performed violin concertos by Bach, Bruch, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev. In addition to music Brooke has been involved with food. He earned an Associate of Culinary Arts degree, and for a time ran a small catering company called “For The Love Of Food” with his wife.
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ECHO Staff and Steering Committee
Carol Adee, Personnel Manager
Kyle Beard, Treasurer and Grants
Jane Lenoir, Development
Ruth Wilson, Publicity
Matt Rupert, Social Media
Kevin Gordon, Graphic Design
Beth Milne, Librarian
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Our most sincere thanks to the First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo and Rev. Scott Clark for their support.