PrintTHE GRAND TOUR
ORCHESTRA
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 AT 8:00 PM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008 AT 8:00 PM
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2008 AT 8:00 PM
Programs will include the first performance in North America of works by Niccolo Jommelli (with Christine Brandes, soprano and Stephanie Houtzeel, mezzo) and Baldasare Galuppi (Sari Gruber, soprano), a clarinet concerto by Stamitz with Erich Hoeprich, and works by Boccherini, Haydn, and Telemann
New York, NY - August 25, 2008 - The Fall 2008 concert series at Columbia University's Italian Academy will present three concerts by the period-instrument ensemble The Grand Tour Orchestra led by flutist Charles Brink. The Grand Tour Orchestra was founded in 2006 in New York. The New York Times wrote of the Orchestra's first season at the Italian Academy that year that the musicians were "willing and energetic, playing with an involved enthusiasm." The Orchestra specializes in music of the late 18th century.
The players who form the nucleus of The Grand Tour Orchestra are highly regarded in both the modern and period-instrument scenes and can be heard around the US: concertmaster Claire Jolivet, Andrea Schultz, Theresa Salomon, Amelia Roosevelt, Marika Holmqvist and Owen Dalby, violin; Jessica Troy and Alissa Smith, viola; Loretta O'Sullivan and Lindy Clarke, 'cello; John Feeney, bass; Gonzalo Ruiz and Sarah Davol, oboe; RJ Kelly and Alexandra Cook, horn.
Music Director Charles Brink has specialized in18th-century music since 1997. He has played, toured and recorded with many ensembles in Europe and the United States – The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, his own Bouts Ensemble, The Four Nations Ensemble, Ensemble Rebel, the New York Collegium and the Hannoverische Hofkapelle to name but a few. His flute playing has been critically acclaimed in The New York Times, the Mainzer Zeitung, and the Hessischer Zeitung among others. Mr. Brink has recorded for the EMI, Raumklang, ASV labels as well as German and Dutch Radio and Television. Mr. Brink also served as co-music director in the 2004 Opera da camera Linz production of Handel's Ariodante. His research into and love for the music of the pre-classical and classical periods led him to found the Grand Tour Orchestra.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at 8 p.m.
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Symphony in F minor, H1/49 (La Passione) Niccolo Jommelli (1714-1774): Miserere (Pietà, pietà signore) for 2 sopranos and strings (North American premiere) with Christine Brandes, soprano, Stephanie Houtzeel, mezzo-soprano
The Grand Tour's opening concert features the North American premiere of Niccolo Jommelli's Miserere. This imposing work for two sopranos and strings was written months before the composer's death in 1774 for the incomparable singers Anna de Amicis and Giuseppe Aprile. The work posthumously achieved as much fame as any of his beloved operas and was performed well into the 19th century. Also on the program is Haydn's early masterpiece; the dark, emotionally charged Symphony in F-minor (Hob 1/49, La Passione). Soprano Christine Brandes has made a stellar career in Europe and the United States appearing on both the opera and concert stage. She has received the highest praise for her interpretations of Bach, Handel, Rameau, Haydn, and Mozart. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Houtzeel specializes in the trouser-roles of Strauss, Mozart and baroque composers. She has been heard in the opera houses of Zurich, Lisbon, Graz, Antwerp, the Bastille and Lyon (December 2008) and in the major concert halls and festivals of Europe.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 8 p. m.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767): Concerto in A for flute, violin, 'cello, strings, and continuo (1736); Scene from Ino, dramatic cantata for soprano and orchestra (1767) Baldassarre Galuppi (1706-1785): Motet Sub coelo sereno for soprano and strings (North American premiere); Salve Regina in A for soprano and strings (1775) (North American Premiere) with Sari Gruber, soprano, Charles Brink, flute, Claire Jolivet, violin, Loretta O'Sullivan, 'cello
This program features the US premiere of two beautiful motets by the celebrated Venetian composer Baldasarre Galuppi as well as two works by Georg Philipp Telemann; a scene from the cantata Ino and the Triple Concerto in A. Though Telemann is considered a baroque composer, the works presented here show him in the stylistic avant-garde, headed towards a classical "naturalness". Only Galuppi's renown was on a par with Jommelli's in the mid 18th century yet his music is seldom heard today. Lyric soprano Sari Gruber has established herself as a versatile and sought-after singer whose performances of music from Bach to Weill have been highly praised both in the US and abroad.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 8 p.m.
Johann Wenzel Stamitz (1717–1757): Clarinet Concerto in B-flat, with Eric Hoeprich, clarinet
Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805): Octet (Notturno) in G Major, Op 38, No. 4;
- Symphony in D minor "La casa del diavolo" For the last 20 years, Eric Hoeprich has been the world's leading exponent and virtuoso of the historical clarinet. He has made countless recordings and has appeared all over the world both as soloist and chamber musician. On December 3, 2008 he joins The Grand Tour Orchestra to perform Johann Stamitz' Concerto in B-flat. The remainder of this program is devoted to the music of Luigi Boccherini; his elegant Octet in G-Major and his diabolical Symphony in D Minor "La casa del diavolo." Both Stamitz and Boccherini, the Bohemian and the Italian, had tremendous success at that most French of 18th century concert series; Paris' Concert Spirituel.
Admission to the Fall 2008 concerts is $15 for the general public, $10 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased and reservations can be made online at tic.columbia.edu or in person at the Ticket and Information Center in Lerner Hall Lobby, Monday - Saturday, 12 pm - 9 pm and Sunday 3 pm - 9 pm. All sales are final. Call 212 854 1623 or email rw2115@columbia.edu for more information. The Italian Academy's Teatro in Casa Italiana is located at 1161 Amsterdam Avenue between 116th and 118th Streets.