ROBERTO SIERRA: WORLD PREMIERE OF A NEWLY COMMISSIONED WORK, DOS PIEZAS PARA ORQUESTA

Dos piezas para orquesta (“Two Pieces for Orchestra”) Commissioned by Bravo! Vail as part of the NEW WORKS PROJECT. 
ROBERTO SIERRA (B. 1953)

Puerto Rican-born composer Roberto Sierra’s lively and idiosyncratic music infuses vibrant Latino eruptions into time-honored classical forms.

MENDELSSOHN: VIOLIN CONCERTO

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (1844)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)

Mendelssohn wrote his E minor Violin Concerto for his friend Ferdinand David, who was appointed concertmaster of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra when Mendelssohn became that organization’s music director in 1835. They remained close friends and musical allies. The Concerto opens with a soaring violin melody whose lyricism exhibits a grand passion tinged with restless, Romantic melancholy; the second theme is a sunny strain shared by woodwinds and soloist. The succinct development is largely based on the opening theme. A cadenza is used as a bridge to the recapitulation and leads seamlessly into the restatement of the movement’s thematic material. The thread of a single note sustained by the bassoon carries the Concerto to the Andante, a song rich in warm sentiment and endearing elegance; the center section is distinguished by its rustling accompaniment and bittersweet melody. A dozen measures of chordal writing for strings link to the finale, an effervescent sonata form.

PROKOFIEV: SYMPHONY NO. 5

Symphony No. 5, Op. 100 (1944)
SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) 

“In the Fifth Symphony I wanted to sing the praises of the free and happy man — his strength, his generosity and the purity of his soul.” The “man” Prokofiev invoked in that description of the motivation behind this great Symphony could well have been the composer himself. The work was written in the summer of 1944, one of the happiest times he knew. His home life following marriage to his second wife four years earlier was contented and fulfilling; he was the most famous and often performed of all Soviet composers; and Russia was winning the war. In fact, the success of the premiere of this work was buoyed by the announcement immediately before the concert that the Russian army had just scored a resounding victory on the River Vistula. The composer’s mind was reflected in the fluency and emotional depth of his music. 

The Symphony’s opening movement is a large sonata form that begins without introduction. The wide-ranging main theme is presented by flute and bassoon; flute and oboe sing the lyrical second subject. The development gives prominence in its first portion to the opening theme and a skittish motive heard at the end of the exposition; it later focuses on the second theme. The recapitulation is heralded by the brass choir. The scherzo is one of those pieces that Prokofiev would have classified as “motoric:” an incessant two-note rhythmic motive drives the music through its entire first section. The central section is framed by a bold, strutting phrase. The brooding third movement is in a large three-part design. The outer sections are supported by the rhythmic tread of the low instruments used to underpin a plaintive melody initiated by the clarinets. A sweeping theme begun by the tuba serves as the basis for the middle section. The finale opens with a short introduction comprising two gestures based on the first movement’s main theme: a short woodwind phrase and a chorale for cellos. The main body of the movement is a sonatarondo structure propelled by an insistent rhythmic motive. The movement accumulates a large amount of thematic material as it progresses, though it is the solo clarinet playing the main theme that begins each of its important structural sections. An energetic coda ignites several of the movement’s themes into a grand close.

Jaap van Zweden, Conductor

Conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents over the past decade.  The 2018-19 season marks his first as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.  He continues as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, a post he has held since 2012.   Guest engagements this season include the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, San Francisco Symphony, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he is Conductor Laureate. 

He has appeared as guest conductor with many other leading orchestras around the globe, among them the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, Orchestre national de France, and London Symphony Orchestra. 

In his inaugural season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden conducts repertoire ranging from five World Premieres to symphonic cornerstones. He also presides over three major season pillars that contextualize music through a variety of programs complemented by citywide collaborations. Music of Conscience explores composers’ responses to the social issues of their time, with music by Beethoven, Shostakovich, John Corigliano, and David Lang. New York Stories: Threads of Our City looks at musical expressions of the immigrant experience in New York, with music by Julia Wolfe. The Art of Andriessen spotlights the music of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen.  Maestro van Zweden also welcomes New Yorkers to Phil the Hall — special concerts for the community — and to the Annual Free Memorial Day Concert, as well as the Concerts in the Parks. 

Jaap van Zweden has made numerous acclaimed recordings, the most recent of which are live New York Philharmonic performances of Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7 released on CD and for streaming and download in February 2018; this release launches the Philharmonic’s partnership with Decca Gold, Universal Music Group’s newly established U.S. classical music label. In 2018 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, he completed a four-year project conducting the first-ever performances in Hong Kong of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, which have been recorded and released on Naxos Records.  His highly praised performances of Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger and Parsifal, the latter of which earned Maestro van Zweden the prestigious Edison award for Best Opera Recording in 2012, are available on CD/DVD. 

The Amsterdam-born van Zweden was appointed at age nineteen as the youngest concertmaster ever of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and began his conducting career nearly twenty years later in 1996. He remains Honorary Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, where he served as Chief Conductor from 2005-2013. He also held the Chief Conductor post of the Royal Flanders Orchestra from 2008-11.  Van Zweden was named Musical America's 2012 Conductor of the Year in recognition of his critically acclaimed work as Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and as guest conductor with the most prestigious US orchestras. 

In 1997, Jaap van Zweden and his wife Aaltje established the Papageno Foundation, the objective being to support families of children with autism. Now, 20 years later, the Foundation has grown into a multi-faceted organization which, through various initiatives and activities, focuses on the development of children and young adults with autism.  These initiatives include: providing music therapy to children in their own homes via a national network in The Netherlands of qualified music therapists; opening the Papageno House, in August 2015 with Her Majesty Queen Maxima in attendance, for young adults with autism to live, to work and to participate in the community; creating a  research  center at the Papageno House for early diagnosis and treatment of autism and for analyzing  the effects of music therapy on autism; developing funding opportunities to support autism programs; and most recently launching a new app, TEAMPapageno, which allows children with autism to communicate with each other through music composition.

Photo: Bert Hulselmans

Simone Lamsma, Violin

Hailed for her “brilliant… polished, expressive and intense” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) and “absolutely stunning” (Chicago Tribune) playing, Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma is respected by critics, peers and audiences as one of classical music’s most striking and captivating musical personalities. Conductor Jaap van Zweden with whom Simone enjoys a regular collaboration, describes her as one of the leading violinists in the world.

With an extensive repertoire of over 60 Violin Concertos, Simone’s recent seasons have seen her perform with many of the world’s leading orchestras.

Notable recent highlights include her debut with the Chicago Symphony, described by the Chicago Tribune as “piercingly beautiful”, as well as performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, BBC Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, RTVE Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, a tour of China with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Jaap van Zweden, and a successful performance of the French première of Michel van der Aa’s Violin Concerto with the Orchestre National de Lyon, stepping in at just 10 days notice.

Stand-out recent festival appearances include her return to the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Festival in 2015, as well as the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, about which the San Diego Reader wrote: “She (Simone Lamsma) appeared to be engaged with Beethoven on a level we seldom encounter….. Beethoven’s music was coming through her in a pure state.”

Besides her close collaboration with Jaap van Zweden, Simone has worked with many other eminent conductors including Vladimir Jurowski, Sir Neville Marriner, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, James Gaffigan, Sir Andrew Davis, Andrès Orozco-Estrada, Jiří Bělohlávek, Marek Janowski, Carlos Kalmar, Kirill Karabits, Stéphane Denève, Hannu Lintu, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Markus Stenz, Juanjo Mena, Fabien Gabel and James Feddeck.

Highlights for the 16/17 season include debuts with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa, Vancouver Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, RTE and Iceland Symphony, as well as return invitations to the London Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Residentie Orchestra and Royal Flemish Philharmonic.

In April 2017 she will return to the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic to perform the world première of Matijs de Roo’s Violin Concerto at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This season will also mark her Japanese debut, performing with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra as well as in recital with pianist Yurie Miura.

A dedicated chamber musician, other recital appearances include Simone’s highly anticipated debuts in London’s Wigmore Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall in March 2017 with pianist Robert Kulek, where their programme will include the world première of a new work by James MacMillan, commissioned by Carnegie Hall. She will also return to the Chicago Winter Chamber Music Festival Evanston performing sonatas and trios with pianist Andrew Armstrong and cellist Kenneth Olson.

In 2015 Simone’s most recent recording of sonatas by Mendelssohn, Janáček and Schumann with pianist Robert Kulek was released on the Challenge Records label, receiving high accolades from the press.

Her recording of Shostakovich Violin Concerto no.1 and Gubaidulina’s ‘In tempus praesens’ with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic under James Gaffigan and Reinbert de Leeuw will be released in March 2017, also on Challenge Records.

In addition to her many (inter)national prizes and distinctions, Simone was awarded the national Dutch VSCD Classical Music Prize in the category ‘New Generation Musicians’ in 2010, awarded by the Association of Dutch Theatres and Concert Halls to artists that have made remarkable and valuable contributions to the Dutch classical music scene.

Simone began studying the violin at the age of 5 and moved to the UK aged 11 to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Professor Hu Kun. At the age of 14 Simone made her professional solo debut with the North Netherlands Orchestra performing Paganini’s 1st Violin Concerto, her debut highly praised by the press. She continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Professor Hu Kun and Professor Maurice Hasson, where she graduated aged 19 with first class honours and several prestigious awards. In 2011, she was made an Associate of the RAM, an honour given to those students who have made significant and distinguished contributions to their field. Simone currently lives in The Netherlands.

Simone plays the “Mlynarski” Stradivarius (1718), on generous loan to her by an anonymous benefactor.


Photo: Otto van den Toorn

Roberto Sierra, Composer

At the inaugural concert of the 2002 world renowned Proms in London, his Fandangos was performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a concert that was broadcast by both the BBC Radio and Television throughout the UK and Europe. Many of the major American and European orchestras and international ensembles have commissioned and performed his works. Among those ensembles are the orchestras of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Mexico, Houston, Minnesota, Dallas, Detroit, San Antonio and Phoenix, as well as the American Composers Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, the Spanish orchestras of Madrid, Galicia, Castilla y León, Barcelona, Continuum, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Opus One, and others.

Commissioned works include: Concerto for Orchestra for the centennial celebrations of the Philadelphia Orchestra commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation and the Philadelphia Orchestra; Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for James Carter; Fandangos and Missa Latina commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC; Sinfonía No. 3 "La Salsa", commissioned by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Danzas Concertantes for guitar and orchestra commissioned by the Orquesta de Castilla y León; Double Concerto for violin and viola co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Orchestras; Bongo+ commissioned by the Juilliard School in celebration of the 100th anniversary; Songs from the Diaspora commissioned by Music Accord for Heidi Grant Murphy, Kevin Murphy and the St. Lawrence String Quartet; and Concierto de Cámara co-commissioned by the the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest and Stanford Lively Arts.

In 2003 he was awarded the Academy Award in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award states: "Roberto Sierra writes brilliant music, mixing fresh and personal melodic lines with sparkling harmonies and striking rhythms. . ." His Sinfonía No. 1, a work commissioned by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, won the 2004 Kenneth Davenport Competition for Orchestral Works. In 2007 the Serge and Olga Koussevitzky International Recording Award (KIRA) was awarded to Albany Records for the recording of his composition Sinfonía No. 3 “La Salsa”. Roberto Sierra has served as Composer-In-Residence with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and New Mexico Symphony. In 2010 he was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Roberto Sierra's Music may be heard on CD's by Naxos, EMI, UMG’s EMARCY, New World Records, Albany Records, Koch, New Albion, Koss Classics, BMG, Fleur de Son and other labels. In 2011 UMG’s EMARCY label released Caribbean Rhapsody featuring the Concierto for Saxophones and Orchestra commissioned and premiered by the DSO with James Carter. In 2004 EMI Classics released his two guitar concertos Folias and Concierto Barroco with Manuel Barrueco as soloist (released on Koch in the USA in 2005). Sierra has been nominated twice for a Grammy under best contemporary composition category, first in 2009 Missa Latina (Naxos), and in 2014 for his Sinfonia No. 4 (Naxos). In addition his Variations on a Souvenir (ALbany) and Trio No. 4 (Centaur) were nominated for Latin Grammys in 2009 and 2015.

Roberto Sierra was born in 1953 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and studied composition both in Puerto Rico and Europe, where one his teachers was György Ligeti at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, Germany. The works of Roberto Sierra are published principally by Subito Music Publishing (ASCAP).