tour de force cheng cello

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Tour De Force: Cheng + Cello

On Saturday 23 September, join the Canadian-born and Berlin-based rising star cellist Bryan Cheng has he takes the stage with your Calgary Phil for an enchanting evening featuring music from the legendary Czech composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana —led by Maltese-conductor Charles Olivieri-Munroe. You’ll savour the beauty of the bohemian lands of this region, as it’s music flows throughout the Jack Singer Concert Hall like the Moldau river, as the orchestra mesmerizes your hearts and minds.

Plus, you’ll hear the Bryan Cheng bring the brilliant virtuosity of and singing tone to Camille Saint-Saëns’ enchanting Cello Concerto No. 1 . Get your tickets to this night of classical music here .

String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, JB 1:105 (From My Life) (arr. Szell for Orchestra) Bedřich Smetana (1824 to 1884)  

Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who wrote during the latter decades of the 19th century, with his artistic sensibility firmly rooted in the liberal, even radical sensibilities that dominated Prague and Bohemia in the mid-to-late 19th century. At its 1878 premiere in Prague, one of the violinists performing Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 was Antonín Dvořák. The piece itself is a four-movement chamber composition experts say was both a political meditation about Smetana’s own contradictions, as an ethnic Czech living — and composing — during the height of the Austro- Hungarian empire. Smetana was a musical prodigy but at the same time, someone who grew up having to fight to gain acceptance among the elite. He was an outsider whose patrons were likely imperialistic insiders. He also contracted syphilis at age 50, which led to complete deafness a few years later. Sadly, his work was very much inspired by trying to work through a number of sad events in his own personal life: his daughter’s death inspired one piece, Piano Trio in G Minor , while his wife’s death was said to be the inspiration behind the second movement of String Quartet No. 1 .  

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 to 1921)

In an art form that likes them to start young, Camille Saint-Saëns was an earlier riser than almost anyone. Born in Paris in 1821, Saint-Saëns’ first song was composed at the age of three, and he publicly performed a Ludwig van Beethoven violin sonata at four. Saint-Saëns made his official public debut at the age of 10, performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Beethoven. Of Saint- Saëns, one critic — Harold Schonberg of the New York Times wrote: “It is not generally realized that he was the most remarkable child prodigy in history, and that includes Mozart.” Cello Concerto No. 1 premiered in early January 1873, performed by a cellist and instrument maker named   Auguste Tolbecque. While he wrote Cello Concerto No. 1 during a period of musical experimentation — the 1870s — Saint-Saëns was a composer who treasured classical lines and melody, which earned the ire of some contemporary critics of the day, who did not approve of his old-school ways. As Saint-Saëns himself once wrote, “An artist who does not feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction with elegant lines, harmonious colors or a perfect progression of chords has no comprehension of true art.”

A Hero’s Song, Op. 111, B. 199 Antonín Dvořák (1841 to 1904)

Antonín Dvořák wrote A Hero’s Song in the summer of 1897. It has been noted for containing more autobiographical leanings than other Dvořák compositions, so what was happening in his life in 1897? Two big things: one, his daughter Otilie married his student, Joseph Tuk. And two, his friend and mentor, Johannes Brahms, died in April of 1897. In 1896, Brahms tried to convince Dvořák, who had just returned to Europe from several years of living in the United States, in New York and Iowa, to come to live in Vienna — and offered to finance all of it, as he had no other family to spend his money on. Dvořák was deeply touched by Brahms’ offer, but said he could never live anywhere but his beloved Bohemia, where he was born and grew up. The hero in the title is not however a soldier. It’s more a reference to an artist, or a traveling ‘bard’. It’s been described as a ‘symphonic poem’ written within the framework of a four-movement symphony. It was Dvořák’s last orchestral work and the final of his five symphonic poems. It’s said to not tell a story but to tell two distinctly different moods: despair and triumph.

Program notes by Stephen Hunt © 2023

Bryan Cheng Cello

Following recent prize-winning successes at some of the world’s most prestigious international competitions, including Queen Elisabeth, Concours de Genève, and Paulo, Canadian-born, Berlin-based cellist Bryan Cheng has established himself as one of the most compelling emerging artists on the classical music scene. He made his sold-out Carnegie Hall recital debut at age 14, his Elbphilharmonie debut at age 20 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and in 2022, was the first cellist to be awarded the coveted Prix Yves Paternot in recognition of the Verbier Festival Academy’s most promising and accomplished musician. As a member of the Cheng² Duo, CelloFellos, and as a chamber musician, Bryan performs extensively globally. He has worked with partners such as Angela Hewitt, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, and Antje Weithaas. Over the years, Bryan has accumulated a concert repertoire spanning five centuries, and is equally committed to both traditional classics and the music of his time. He has commissioned and given eleven world premieres, including two pieces by Canadian composer Alexina Louie at his second Carnegie Hall recital, the North American premiere of a cello concerto by British-Russian composer Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of Sergei) at Koerner Hall with the Esprit Orchestra, and a multimedia project featuring five new Canadian works by composers from all regions of the country at the National Gallery of Canada. Bryan plays the “Dubois” Antonio Stradivarius cello (Cremona, 1699).  

Charles Olivieri-Munroe Conductor

Born in Malta, Charles Olivieri-Munroe grew up in Canada and is one of today’s most distinguished and much-travelled conductors. Charles has conducted many of the world’s major orchestras like the Israel Philharmonic, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Munich Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Hungarian Philharmonic, and many others. He has worked with world-class soloists including Angela Gheorghiu, Krystian Zimerman, Joshua Bell, Maxim Vengerov, Sol Gabetta, Joseph Suk, Mischa Maisky, Shlomo Mintz, Ivan Moravec, Gabriela Beňačková, Joseph Calleja, and Ramon Vargas, amongst others. With a regular presence in the Asia Pacific region, he frequently leads concerts in Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Charles is a recognised specialist in the works of composers Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů, and the wider Slavic repertoire, and he is equally well known both for his mastery of the standard repertoire and adventurous programming. Charles is currently Artistic Advisor and regular guest conductor with the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor with the Thüringen Philharmonie in Germany, and Honorary Chief Conductor of the North Czech Philharmonic with whom he was formerly Chief Conductor between 1997 and 2014. He is also Resident Conductor at the Texas Round Top Festival Institute, the longest continuously running music festival of its kind in the United States.

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Tour De Force: Cheng + Cello Comes to Calgary Philharmonic in September

The performance is set for 23 September 2023 at 7:30pm at Jack Singer Concert Hall.

Tour De Force: Cheng + Cello comes to Calgary Philharmonic in September. The performance is set for 23 September 2023 at 7:30pm at Jack Singer Concert Hall.

Savour the beauty and majesty of the bohemian lands of the Czech Republic, like the flowing Moldau river, in picturesque symphonic poems by the region’s legendary composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, conducted by Charles Olivieri-Munroe — a recognized specialist in this repertoire. Rising star Canadian cellist Bryan Cheng brings his brilliant virtuosity and singing tone to Camille Saint-Saëns’ enchanting Cello Concerto No. 1.

DVOŘÁK A Hero’s Song SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1 SMETANA From My Life: String Quartet No. 1 (Orchestral Version)

CHARLES OLIVIERI-MUNROE conductor BRYAN CHENG cello CALGARY PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

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Calgary SHOWS

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Bryan Cheng, Cello 11.18.2022

MasterWorks 2: Kaleidoscope

Concert details.

The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra presents Masterworks 2: Kaleidoscope with special guest, Bryan Cheng, cello. Bryan is an accomplished cellist and was recent winner of the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium. The concert conducted by Marc David, features: Kaleidoscope by Mercure; Concerto for Cello No. 2 by Saint-Saëns; Élégie by Fauré; and, Symphony in D by Franck. Masterworks 2 takes place at 8pm on Friday, November 18, 2022 at the Arts & Culture Centre St. John’s.

Bryan Cheng Following recent prize-winning successes at some of the world’s most prestigious international competitions, including Queen Elisabeth, Concours de Genève, and Paulo, Canadian-born, Berlin-based cellist Bryan Cheng has established himself as one of the most compelling young artists on the classical music scene. He made his sold-out Carnegie Hall recital debut at age 14, his Elbphilharmonie debut aged 20 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (Joshua Weilerstein), and in 2022 was the first cellist to be awarded the coveted Prix Yves Paternot in recognition of the Verbier Festival Academy’s most promising and accomplished musician.

In the 2022-23 season, Bryan makes his ›Debüt im Deutschlandfunk Kultur‹ with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Alpesh Chauhan) at the Berliner Philharmonie playing Saint-Saëns No. 2, returns to the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Laurence Equilbey) with Beethoven Triple and National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa (Yan Pascal Tortelier) with Saint-Saëns No. 1, and appears with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (Christian Arming) playing Haydn No. 1, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (Daniel Raiskin) playing Korngold and Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke (Jean-Michel Malouf) playing Elgar, Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (Marc David) playing Saint-Saëns No. 2, and Wiener Stadtorchester.

Previous solo highlights include appearances with the Brussels Philharmonic at BOZAR, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande at Victoria Hall, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Lahti, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Springfield (MO) Symphony Orchestra, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, and Schleswig-Holsteinisches Sinfonieorchester, as well as a coast-to-coast Canadian tour with the National Youth Orchestra as winner of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Michael Measures Prize. Bryan has collaborated with such esteemed conductors as Giordano Bellincampi, Jonathan Darlington, Stéphane Denève, Jacques Lacombe, Susanna Mälkki, Peter Oundjian, Matthias Pintscher, and Dalia Stasevska.

As member of the Cheng² Duo, CelloFellos, and as chamber musician, Bryan performs extensively across the globe. He has had the privilege of working with partners such as Angela Hewitt, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, and Antje Weithaas. Recital and festival highlights this season include debuts at Munich’s Gasteig, Berliner Philharmonie’s Kammermusiksaal, and Orford Musique, re-invitations to the Großer Saal of the Elbphilharmonie, Brussels’ Flagey, Halifax’s Cecilia Concert Series and Port Hope’s Friends of Music, recital tours throughout South Africa, the Pacific Northwest (California, Idaho, Montana, Washington), and Vancouver Island, as well as appearances at Switzerland’s Verbier Festival, Germany’s Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Poland’s Krzyżowa Festival, and Québec’s OSM Virée classique, in recital with violinist Andrew Wan.

He has released a trilogy of albums on German label  audite—Russian Legends  (2019),  Violonchelo del fuego  (2018), and  Violoncelle fran çais  (2016)—which has been critically-acclaimed by  The Times  (UK),  Sü ddeutsche Zeitung ,  ORF Radio  (Austria), WCRB Classical Radio Boston, and BBC Radio Scotland, among others.

Bryan plays the “Dubois” Antonio Stradivarius cello, Cremona, 1699 graciously provided to him by Canimex Inc. from Drummondville (Québec). He is a recipient of the Deutschlandstipendium and has been supported by the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation with generous multiyear scholarships.

Program Notes

Kaleidoscope (1948)

PIERRE MERCURE, who was born in 1927 and died tragically on January 29, 1966, initially studied piano and later cello, […] organ and bassoon. In addition to his musical activities, he took demanding programmes in mathematics and philosophy in a French college classique. While still at college, he enrolled at the Montréal Conservatory and concentrated mainly on bassoon with the idea of playing in an orchestra. In 1946, he was hired by Wilfrid Pelletier as a bassoonist for the Montréal Symphony Orchestra. He played there for about four years, also studying composition at the Conservatory with Claude Champagne.

His first important work was a “symphonic fantasy” entitled Kaléidoscope, which has become, since 1948, one of the most frequently played works in the Canadian repertoire. In 1948, Mercure completed another work, Pantomime, which is the best illustration of the composer’s intention to develop a personal, independent style while remaining musically “objective”, that is, by the study of contrasts in the lines, and the examination of form and new sonorities. What one finds here as well is an outside influence, and a very strong one, that of the painter Paul-Emile Borduas.

In 1949, a Québec government grant enabled him to pursue his studies in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. In 1952, Mercure was asked to produce music programmes for the CBC French television network, and he created the very successful television series “L’heure du concert”.

The central core around which Mercure’s work has developed is an ongoing search for new forms and the need to leave behind the bounds of the conventional so as to discover new worlds of sonorities, such as electronic and musique concrète. This has been his approach from the time of his earliest compositions. For Mercure, “the artist, the composer must be sincere in his presentation of our new era. He must play his role in this continually developing world (… ) The artist must choose: make that world his or escape from it.”

(Courtesy of: https://collections.cmccanada.org/final/Portal/Composer-Showcase.aspx?component=AAIL&record=6d5026d3-9641-4bdf-b72e-a69ce2a51d4d )

Concerto for Cello no. 2 (1902)

Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Second Cello Concerto is a tour de force, in the vein of concertos by Dvořák and Prokofiev. It is a cyclic work in two large movements, a composition style Saint-Saëns employed in several of his works, most notably the First Violin Sonata, the Fourth Piano Concerto, and the “Organ Symphony.”

As in the works mentioned above, the Concerto movements are further divided into two parts: a four-movement layout of Allegro – Andante (Adagio) – Scherzo – Finale. The tonal scheme of the Concerto is identical to that of the First Violin Sonata: D minor – E-flat Major – G minor – D Major.

The Concerto opens with a fiery bolero rhythm, which permeates part I of the first movement. An organ-like woodwind transition leads into the more serene part II, based on the ascending line from the work’s opening theme. Both parts of the first movement have elements of sonata and ternary forms.

The first movement closes with an ascending scale in harmonics by the soloist (as in the First Concerto) and a peaceful horn call, whose melodic content is reminiscent of Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel. The beauty of the Andante portion of this movement is only rivaled by the Adagio from the “Organ Symphony.”

The frantic opening of the second movement gives way to a relentless perpetual motion by the soloist. The woodwinds punctuate the solo line with a new version of the opening bolero figure. This Scherzo unfolds in sonata form, which is abruptly halted by a free cadenza based again on the bolero motive.

A trumpet fanfare announces a complete restatement of the two themes of the opening bolero, now in the major mode, and settling in the joyous Finale, based on an inverted Andante theme. The Finale, part II of the second movement, is similar to the brief A-Major coda found at the end of the First Cello Concerto.

(Courtesy of: https://cellomuseum.org/a-tour-de-force-camille-saint-saens-cello-concerto-no-2/ )

Élégie (c. 1883)

The Élégie actually dates unofficially back to 1880, at which time Fauré still intended it as part of full sonata for cello and piano. Though he found the positive reaction to an early private performance encouraging he never did finish the sonata. The orphaned single movement did not suffer much though, and soon took on a new life as a highly appealing concert work, which is how we know it today. Fauré called the “new” piece Élégie and dedicated it in tribute to cellist Jules Loeb, who had passed away in 1883. The piece was first performed that December in its sonata guise – cello and piano – but Fauré would orchestrate it several years later at the request of conductor Eduoard Colonne. For a composer who is remembered more for his many small efforts than his few grand ones, the Élégie represents Fauré’s voice as surely as his Requiem. His style would certainly evolve in various ways as he aged (indeed it was already starting to do so by the time the Élégie was orchestrated) and he would prove an innovative link between declining Romantic and the rising 20th Century. It is from early distillations of the Romantic Era aesthetic into simple, often mono-chromatic mood settings that we know Fauré best, however, and the somber straight lines of the Élégie display his lifelong gift for combining passion with grace.

(Courtesy of: https://utahsymphony.org/explore/2012/01/faure-elegie/ )

Symphony in D (1888)

César Franck (1822–1890) was a key figure in 19th-century French music. For over three decades he was organist of St Clotild church and a professor at the Conservatoire. He is widely considered to be one of the creators of French symphonic music, owing in particular to his Symphony in D minor (1886–1888). The work received its premiere on 17 February 1889, with Junes Garcin conducting the Conservatoire orchestra. Franck’s music does not have a specific poetic programme; it is simply a “classical symphony” where the music of all three movements can be traced back to versions of a single motif.

The opening slow passage in the sonata-form first movement is not an introduction but the first part of a two-faced main theme, followed by a fast second part based on the same material. This is repeated in the F minor key, and the second subject includes a melodious and a bright, hymnic theme. Opening with a cor anglais solo, the second movement combines the slow and scherzo movement of a classical symphony in a five-part rondo form. The cheerful D-major opening theme of the third movement is reminiscent of the love tune in Les preludes. Again the construction follows the sonata form, and the music integrates the material of the previous movement, creating a kind of summary of the symphony.

(Courtesy of: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cesar-Franck & https://www.filharmonikusok.hu/en/muvek/szimfonia-d-moll/ )

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• April 6 2024

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Bryan Cheng

The first cellist to win Grand Prize at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Competition (2019), and the first-ever Canadian laureate at the prestigious Paulo International Cello Competition (2018), 23-year-old Bryan Cheng continues to captivate

• Cheng² Duo | duo

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The first cellist to win Grand Prize at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Competition (2019), and the first-ever Canadian laureate at the prestigious Paulo International Cello Competition (2018), 23-year-old Bryan Cheng continues to captivate critics and audiences alike with his “absolutely astonishing” (La Presse) command of the cello, “dreamy beauty” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), and his “abundant facility, innate musicality, and sense of joy” (New York Concert Review). He made his solo debut at age 10 with the Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal, his sold-out Carnegie Hall recital debut at 14, and his Elbphilharmonie debut in 2018 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Solo highlights of recent and upcoming seasons include engagements with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Panamá, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Symphonieorchester der UdK Berlin, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, as well as the Springfield (MO), Kingston, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Okanagan, Niagara, Lahti, and Schleswig-Holstein symphonies; a coast-to-coast Canadian tour with the National Youth Orchestra as winner of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Michael Measures Prize; and a residency with the Orchestra of the Americas. He has collaborated with such esteemed conductors as Matthias Pintscher, Susanna Mälkki, Peter Oundjian, Joshua Weilerstein, Steven Sloane, and Jonathan Darlington. As cellist of the Cheng² Duo and chamber musician, Bryan performs extensively across the globe. 2020-21 season highlights include recitals in Dresden, Los Angeles, New York, Ottawa and Montréal; a European tour of the Duo’s Beethoven 250 project, Ludwig & Beyond; and appearances at Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Germany’s Elbphilharmonie and Kammermusikfestival Spannungen, Russia’s Trans-Siberian Art Festival, and Italy’s Trasimeno Festival. He has released a trilogy of albums on German label audite—Russian Legends (2019), Violonchelo del fuego (2018), and Violoncelle français (2016)—which has been critically-acclaimed in a dozen countries. Formerly studying with the late Yuli Turovsky and Hans Jørgen Jensen, Bryan is now in the studio of Jens Peter Maintz at the Universität der Künste Berlin. He plays the ca. 1696 Bonjour Stradivari cello and ca. 1830 Shaw Adam bow, generously on loan from the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank as First Laureate of its 2018 Competition.

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• https://bryancheng.com (Official Website)
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Bryan Cheng | cello

Violonchelo del fuego, russian legends, violoncelle français.

Tour De Force: Cheng + Cello

Sachs harbour, NT

exclusive access

for canoo members

Savour the beauty and majesty of the bohemian lands of the Czech Republic, like the flowing Moldau river, in picturesque symphonic poems by the region’s legendary composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, conducted by Charles Olivieri-Munroe — a recognized specialist in this repertoire. Rising star Canadian cellist Bryan Cheng brings his brilliant virtuosity and singing tone to Camille Saint-Saëns’ enchanting Cello

Program and artists are subject to change without notice.

DVOŘÁK A Hero’s Song SAINT-SAËNS Cello Concerto No. 1 SMETANA From My Life: String Quartet No. 1 (Orchestral Version)

CHARLES OLIVIERI-MUNROE conductor BRYAN CHENG cello CALGARY PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

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School of Music

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Georgia Tech School of Music Presents: Tour de Force

Monday, november 13th 2023 7:30pm ferst center for the arts.

Dr. Andrea Pérez Mukdsi , Conductor

For their second concert of the season, the GT Concert Orchestra explores a variety of themes, opening with the well-known Verdi Overture to La forza del destino . Also included in the program is Nora Ponte's Two Out of Three for String Orchestra, an arrangement commissioned for GT Concert Orchestra. In addition, this concert features two women composers, Nora Ponte and Emilie Mayer. The program concludes with movements I and IV from Emilie Mayer's Symphony No. 5 in F minor.

• I. Allegro agitato
• Finale, Allegro vivace

Program Notes – Overture to La forza del destino

La forza del destino translated to The force of destiny, is a frequently performed opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The opera details how fate brings the characters together by chance, and Verdi’s Overture announces the tragic fate of destiny. The opera begins with a beautiful melody that builds, foreshadowing the fateful events that will occur in the opera’s storyline.

Program Notes – Two Out of Three for String Orchestra

“Two Out of Three” (2023) is a one-movement piece inspired by one of Nora Ponte's earlier compositions, a piano sonata originally conceived in three movements. Almost a decade later, Ponte was commissioned for a piece for a larger ensemble and decided to reintroduce the melodies of this piece with different instrumental colors. In this process, she realized that the musical ideas from two of the original movements flowed and connected with each other easily. Following the music's guidance, she focused on only two movements of the piano sonata and merged them into one: "Two Out of Three" for string orchestra (1995). Tonight's version of the piece has been specially arranged for the GaTech Concert Orchestra and includes four wind instruments.

The initial section of the piece introduces a slow-tempo theme, an autonomous musical idea with a clearly defined instrumental color and character, which later becomes the natural introduction to the second, faster motive. The two forces at work in "Two Out of Three" - the horizontal (the melodic idea) and the vertical (the harmonic pillars) – are born from the same material. The main musical theme - a descending fourth and an ascending second connected to another descending fourth followed by a descending second - is introduced in the first slow section and continues throughout the entire work. This melodic theme is also at the core of the harmonic language of the entire piece. The slow section (A-B-A') is followed by a bridge that links it to the fast movement. The fast section - also a three-part structure - is repeated with different variations and developments, leading up to the furious build-up of the final section: A-B-C-A'-B'-C'-A''-B''-C''-final.

"Two Out of Three," like an abstract painting, requires listening with an open mind. Its melodies and atmospheres convey emotions and ideas that can be interpreted in multiple ways. The various materials, techniques, and specific effects within the piece encourage individual interpretation. The essence of "Two Out of Three" is to instill a wide range of thoughts and emotional responses.

Program Notes – Symphony No. 5 in F Minor

Emilie Mayer's Symphony No. 5 in F minor is a captivating example of 19th century Romantic orchestral music. In this symphony, Mayer weaves a rich tapestry of emotions, moving from dramatic and tumultuous passages to moments of tender lyricism. Mayer's Symphony No. 5 stands as a testament to her remarkable talent and resilience in a male-dominated musical world. After the 19th century, her works have largely fallen out of popular repertoire, but in recent years, her works have again gained popularity in an effort to promote works of historically overlooked female composers.

Composer Bio – Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi is a 19th century Italian composer best known for his operas, and many of his compositions are among the most frequently performed in repertoire. He was born in Le Rencole, a small Italian village, and despite his humble beginnings, his musical talent was recognized at a young age. He received formal musical training in nearby Busseto, and in 1839, Verdi made his opera debut with Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio, signaling the start of a successful career. His other works include Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida, and Don Carlos, all of which remain staples of opera repertoire today.

A significant aspect of Verdi's legacy is his contribution to the Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement in the 19th century. His operas, such as "Nabucco" and "I Lombardi alla prima crociata," provided a rallying cry for the Italian people in their quest for independence, and his music became an emblem of national pride.

Throughout his life, Verdi faced personal tragedies, including the loss of his wife and children. However, these experiences added depth and emotional resonance to his compositions, resulting in masterpieces that explore themes of love, sacrifice, and human nature. His career and work had strong impacts on the world of opera that are still felt to this day.

Composer Bio – Nora Ponte

Winner of the first Christoph Delz International Composition Competition (Basel, Switzerland) with her piano concerto Tracce, and recipient of the Municipal Prize of Composition of Buenos Aires, Nora Ponte’s works have been performed around the world. She received grants from different foundations and universities, including SUNY at Buffalo, where she was a Dean’s Fellowship recipient.     

Many of the most important music festivals have featured her music. Recently, she has been part of the XXI Latinoamerican Music Festival of Caracas, Venezuela, with her piece for baguala player and chamber ensemble Bajo el cerro de los siete colores (At the base of the hill of seven colors) and the I International Meeting of Women Guitarists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Recondita Chitarra (Recondite Guitar) for solo guitar. Recondita Chitarra recording has been released last year in the CD Compositoras: Obras para guitarra compuestas por mujeres argentinas (Women composers: pieces for guitar composed by Argentinian Women) and has had many live performances in Argentina by guitarist Silvia Fernández.

Another of her last works, O-Marimba for solo marimba, has also been recorded (by marimbist Fiona Pui-Yee Foo) and released in 2022 in CD: Fiery Mallets: Contemporary Pieces for Marimba. Ponte’s new Trio for bass clarinet, bassoon and cello has been premiered last year in Salta, Argentina, and this year in Brasil, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, together with her last piece for electronics La Pacha es el Otre (The Mother Earth is the other).                        

Ponte has earned a Ph. D. in Music Composition from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a BA in Music Composition from the Argentine Catholic University at Buenos Aires. She also studied Composition with Giacomo Manzoni and Electronic Music at the Santa Cecilia School of Music with Riccardo Bianchini (Italy). Currently she is a Professor of Music Composition at the University of Puerto Rico.                    

More about Nora at http://noraponte.blogspot.com/

Composer Bio – Emilie Mayer

Emilie Mayer, a Romantic German composer, is a remarkable and pioneering figure in the history of classical music, whose compositions have often been overshadowed by her male contemporaries. Born in the 19th century in Friedland, a small German town, she defied societal norms and gender expectations to establish herself as a popular composer at the time.

Mayer's musical talent was evident from an early age, and she received her early training in Berlin under the guidance of renowned composers. Her exceptional abilities soon gained recognition, and she composed a substantial body of work across various genres, including symphonies, chamber music, and vocal compositions.

Despite the gender biases and challenges that she encountered, Emilie Mayer's determination and talent propelled her to become the first woman to be admitted to the prestigious Berlin Sing-Akademie, a groundbreaking achievement for her time. Her music was performed in prestigious venues across Europe, earning her recognition and admiration from fellow musicians and composers, including Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann. Though her music unfortunately became overshadowed by male composers, her works have recently began making a comeback in an effort to recognize and spotlight female composers.

Ensemble Members

Georgia tech school of music.

Through interdisciplinary degree programs, outstanding performance ensembles, and innovative research endeavors, the Georgia Tech School of Music cultivates a rich legacy of musical traditions and develops cutting-edge technologies to help define music's future. The School serves students in bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs in music technology and offers innovative performance opportunities, courses, and cultural and artistic experiences for students throughout the Institute.

The two cellists Leonard Disselhorst and Bryan Cheng are united by their desire to transcend the boundaries of traditional classical literature. After many years of concert experience and national and international tours as solo and chamber musicians, they therefore decided in 2020 to work together as a duo in the future.

As CelloFellos they dive into the worlds of jazz, tango, folk and other genres. All pieces are their own compositions and arrangements. With their program »Global Grooves« they span a range from traditional Romanian folk dances to ragtime, swing, tango and Balkan folk.

The CelloFellos perform at renowned festivals such as Heidelberger Frühling, the Westphalian Music Festival and Beethovenfest Bonn and play in concert halls such as the Tonali Hall in Hamburg or the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie.

CelloFellos

Www.cellofellos.de.

Trad.: Medley sur des thèmes roumains (arr. Disselhorst) | CelloFellos

Ellington/Strayhorn: Such Sweet Thunder (arr. Cheng) | CelloFellos

Disselhorst: Jasmine Ode | CelloFellos