Pinchas Zukerman and Denys Bouliane lead NAC Orchestra in works by Bouliane, and Mozart, with Zukerman and Richard Raymond as soloists to kick off Orchestra's "Mozart Plus" Festival on January 8-9
December 30, 2002 -
Ottawa, Canada -- Music Director Pinchas Zukerman returns to the
National Arts Centre's Southam Hall to lead the Orchestra in two
works by Mozart from the violin (Violin Concerto in G major) and from
the podium (Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major). The programme opens
with composer/conductor Denys Bouliane, one of the NAC's Awards
Composers under its New Music Programme, conducting the orchestra and
pianist Richard Raymond in his 1982 piece Douze Tiroirs de
demi-vérités pour alléger votre
descente.
Denys Bouliane will give pre-concert talks in French on January 8
and 9 entitled "Oeuvres de jeunesse : explorations, appropriations,
ré-appropriations." These are free and take place in the Salon
at 19:00.
The concert kicks off the National Arts Centre Orchestra's
"Mozart Plus" mini-Festival from January 8 to 17 highlighting the
genius of Mozart. The wide range of creative output from this
prolific master of music is demonstrated through concertos,
symphonies, choral music and sonatas. Events include these concerts
on January 8 and 9 plus another pair of NAC Orchestra concerts on
January 16-17; a Young People's Concert entitled "Mozart's
Palette" on January 11; and Zukerman's recital with Marc Neikrug
on January 13.
The two Mozart works on the programme come from two
different periods in the composer's life: the Violin Concerto
was one of four written when he was only 19, with this third of the
four demonstrating a profound richness and depth over the previous
concertos written only months before.
The Symphony No. 39 was one of the three magnificent symphonies
the composer wrote at the end of his short life and never heard
performed. No. 39 has inspired Mozart scholars to heights of
descriptive praise: "Love and melancholy breathe forth in purest
spirit tones" said E.T.A. Hoffmann, and even Richard Wagner, not a
man disposed to generous praise, felt the symphony expressed "the
unfathomable depths of the heart."
Douze Tiroirs de demi-vérités pour alléger
votre descente (Twelve Drawers of Half-Truths to Ease Your
Descent) for solo piano and orchestra was commissioned by the
Société Radio-Canada and premiered in 1982. Each of the
twelve musical moments, or "drawers," presents a different,
imaginative image. Each "descent" is handled differently; some seem
to be smooth, others more difficult. There are also ascents, circles,
spirals and other geometric shapes. The twelve "drawers" form a
nearly continuous chain, but each is clearly delineated by the nature
of its musical material. There is a fascinating parade of textures,
densities, colours, moods and aural effects obvious even to the
casual listener.
The National Arts Centre Orchestra recorded Douze Tiroirs
in 1988 with conductor Gabriel Chmura and pianist
Marc-André Hamelin. In March 2002, Pinchas Zukerman named
Denys Bouliane as one of three recipients of $75,000 Composers Awards
under its New Music Programme. Bouliane will have a four-year
relationship with the Orchestra during which time he will compose
three commissioned works and be involved in a number of educational
activities.
Tickets for these Ovation Series concerts on January 8 and 9, are
on sale now at $26.50, $43.50 and $54.50, with box seats at $68.00
(GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to
Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster
(with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed
through the NAC's web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.
Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on
sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid
student ID card.
