Concert II

Sunday, February 2, 2014, 7:00 p.m.

Redondo Union High SchoolAuditorium

631 Vincent Street (at PCH)Redondo Beach

PROGRAM

Mozartian Melodies

Mozart Masonic Funeral Music

Mozart Violin Concerto No.3 in GElizabeth Pitcairn, Soloist

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante forViolin, Viola and Orchestra

Elizabeth Pitcairn & Brett Deubner, Soloists

CONCERT DETAILS

Symphony Association members admitted at6:00. Center-section priority seating is reservedfor members at the Patron level and above.

Concert Preview by Maestro Berkson at 6:15.

General public admitted at approximately 6:50.

POST-CONCERT MEET THE PERFORMERSAfter the concert, the audience is invited to remainin the auditorium and meet informally with ourconductor, Gary Berkson, and with our soloists.The artists may make a few remarks aboutthemselves and their program, and then theaudience will have an opportunity to askquestions. Please call our office at 544-0320 if youhave any questions about this event.

Symphony S ound sFebruary 2014February 2014February 2014February 2014 47 47 47 47thththth Season, Number 2 Editor: Kenneth Gash Season, Number 2 Editor: Kenneth Gash Season, Number 2 Editor: Kenneth Gash Season, Number 2 Editor: Kenneth Gash

We Did It!Our opening concert in our new venue atRedondo Union High School Auditoriumwas a rousing success! During the littlemore than four months that we had toprepare for the move from our previouslocation at the Rolling Hills CovenantChurch, we were optimistic, but no onewas sure that everything would get donefor our opening concert.

First, there was the shock of ourprecipitous ouster from the CovenantChurch after thirty years of residencethere. Our Music Director, Gary Berksontook the lead in searching for and securingthe wonderful setting of the RedondoUnion High School Auditorium. Our seasonschedule was already set and the soloistswere contracted, so we were very luckythat we only had to change the date of theopening concert. (Of course this gave usalmost a month less time for the transition.)

Board President John Williams ready to welcome theaudience at the new venue.

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After that it was a matter of working out themany details involved in integrating into ournew home. This involved arranging forrefreshments for the audience andorchestra members (no food or drink insidethe auditorium), organizing the parking,getting the word of our move out tomembers and the general public, andarranging for a gala opening night.

The staff at Redondo Union High SchoolAuditorium, led by Theater Manager AaronMorgan, are magnificent. They workedenthusiastically with Maestro Berkson toarrange the stage, the lighting and the audioto perfectly accommodate our orchestra.Lisa Rodriguez and the RUHS Band &Guard Boosters arranged for the wonderfulrefreshments at intermission. They also sentout several “email Blasts” to the 2000families of the students inviting them theconcert.

We can look forward to many years in thiscomfortable and acoustically excellent hallas the Peninsula Symphony Orchestraapproaches its fiftieth anniversary andbeyond.

Music Preview

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Along with Beethoven, Mozart is perhapsthe most familiar composer to modernlisteners of classical music. We all know thathe was a child prodigy who lived a tragicallyshort life.

But, did you know that Mozart had actuallybeen tested and certified as a true musicalgenius? In June of 1765, Baines Barrington,a prominent member of the Royal Society ofLondon, was invited to the Mozart home inLondon. He described meeting WolfgangAmadeus Mozart and thoroughly testing themusical abilities of this eight-year-old boy.

Barrington brought along a five-part score ofa new opera by a London composer. Tocompound the problem, two of the five lineswere in the offbeat contralto clef. This was avery tough test, and Mozart not only playedit flawlessly -- he also captured thecomposer's tempos, dynamics, and musicalintentions. In his publication of the event,Barrington went on for two pages explainingthe complexity of the feat to thenon-musician readership of the RoyalSociety.

Next he asked young Wolfgang if he'd begood enough to improvise a love song. Thechild gave him an arch look, as though tosay, "Ask me something hard," and heproceeded to create a complete piece withrecitative and two movements.

Could you then, asked Barrington, composeme a song of rage? This time, Mozart toreinto the keyboard like a child possessed --standing up from his bench and hammeringthe keys with small fingers that had troublereaching the interval of a fifth.

The playing came to an abrupt halt when acat entered the room. Mozart suddenlyleaped up to run after it. No moreharpsichord for a while. As Barrington talkedwith his father Leopold, Wolfgang proceededto gallop back and forth through the room onan improvised hobby-horse.

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Barrington predicted that Wolfgang wouldsome day rival the genius of another prodigy,George Frederic Handel.

The beautiful music on this concert’s programis unique in many ways. In the forty-six plusyears of the Peninsula Symphony, there havebeen very few works with two or moreinstrumental soloists. The last performed wasthe Beethoven Concerto for Piano, Violin andCello, way back in November of 1983. OnSunday, we will hear another two soloistpiece.

Mozart composed his entire set of five violinconcertos between the Spring of 1773 andDecember of 1775, never returning to thatform again. He professed that he disliked theviolin and preferred the viola. His father,Leopold Mozart, wrote to him stating “Youhave no idea how well you play the violin. Ifonly you would do yourself justice and playwith boldness, spirit and fire, as if you werethe greatest violinist in Europe!“

The Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major(subtitled Straßurg) was composed inSeptember, 1775. This concerto is noted forits lyricism, elegance and vivacity. The firstmovement is a profusion of melodic andrhythmic wonders. The Adagio is even morestriking–a luminous nocturne of great warmththat characterizes the entire work withseeming effortlessness. The effect of sheerenchantment is enhanced by the substitutionof flutes for the oboes in this movementalone.

The concluding Rondeau is a sequence ofcaptivating vignettes, among them a lovelylittle serenade by the soloist with pizzicatoaccompaniment from the orchestral strings,and a musette-like citation of a popular tunebefore the proceedings come to anunceremonious close in which the windshave the last gentle word.

The magnificent Sinfonia Concertante forViolin, Viola, and Orchestra in E flat major, K.364, is Mozart's only surviving complete work

of this type. The three movement work hasunusually full and rich orchestral scoring.The work is notable for its warmexpansiveness, especially in the Andantewith its lovely dialogue between the twosoloists.

We welcome back to our orchestra ElizabethPitcairn (with her famous Mendelssohn RedViolin) and Brett Duebner, violist. Elizabethperformed the Brahms Violin Concerto inNovember, 2012 and Brett played theWalton Viola Concerto in November 2011.

Elizabeth Pitcairn performing the Brahms Violin Concerto,Peninsula Symphony Orchestra

Brett Deubner performing the Walton Viola Concerto withthe Peninsula Symphony Orchestra.

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Young Artists’ ShowcaseMarch 30, 2014, 2 p.m.

The finalists in the Edith Knox PerformanceCompetition will play with theiraccompanists in a full-dress stageperformance for professional judging. Thefirst-prize winner will be selected at the endof the program, and will perform as soloistwith the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra atour June 22 concert. This event is open toall members.

If you are able, plan on staying behind afterthe concert on Sunday and participate in thequestion and answer session with bothsoloists.

Past Events: First Concert

As mentioned in the opening paragraph onpage 1, the concert of October 13 was arousing success. Maestro Berksonsurprised the audience immediately byopening with a piece that was not on theprogram: Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for theCommon Man. This short fanfare is writtenfor the following instruments: four frenchhorns, three trumpets, three trombones,tuba, timpani, tam-tam (gong), and bassdrum. It is therefore loud, brassy andpercussive and it was a perfect introductionto the great sound qualities of our newauditorium.

This piece was followed by the evocativeScottish Symphony of Felix Mendelssohn.The audience was impressed with the clarityof the sound coming from the stage. Afterthe concert, Maestro Berkson commentedto me about how much he appreciated astage with a proper sound shell - he couldactually hear each of the instruments of theorchestra without them being buried in amuddle of sound.

Following intermission, we were treated toa bravura performance of theRachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 byRufus Choi. Rufus specializes in music ofthe late Romantic period, in particular themusic of Rachmaninoff. After the concertM r . Cho i s t a yed beh i nd andenthusiastically answered questions fromaudience members.

Prior to the concert we had a GalaReception at the Blue Water Grill inRedondo Beach attended by members atthe Sponsor level and above. Wine,canapes, desserts were served and doorprizes were awarded to lucky winners.

2013 - 2014 ScheduleAll concerts, including the Young Artists

Showcase, are held at Redondo Union High School Auditorium

PCH and Vincent Street

Redondo Beach

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Concert IVThe Norris Foundation Concert

June 22, 2014, 7 p.m.

AN IDYLLIC EVENING

Edith Knox Competition Winner Soloist

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante forOboe, Clarinet, Bassoon,

Horn and Orchestra

TBA Concerto performed by theKnox Competition winner

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”)

Concert IIIApril 13, 2014, 7 p.m.

SPRING CLEANING

Schumann Symphony No. 1, (“Spring”)

Copland Appalachian Spring

Friends of the Peninsula Symphony

The Friends of the Peninsula Symphonywelcomes men and women interested inproviding an extra measure of support tothe Peninsula Symphony and having funwhile doing it. The Friends perform anessential function for our Symphony by

raising funds and providing a variety ofvolunteer opportunities to suit your timeand talents.

The Friends music education outreachprogram which began as the MozartProgram has expanded. Starting inJanuary, first-and-second grade studentsat all ten Palos Verdes elementary schoolswill listen a narration (accompanied by astring quartet) of Mozart’s life and timeswhen he was young. The music teacherswork with classroom teachers to preparestudents in advance of the performancewith knowledge of the composer, theinstruments and how to listen. Thispreparation provides students with anenriched listening experience at the liveperformance.

Friends membership donation is inaddition to your membership in thePeninsula Symphony Association and isopen to any current Peninsula SymphonyAssociation member. If you have notalready responded to our membershipmailing, we urge you to join now with yourtax-deductible donation (Tax ID#23-7008895).

Stop by the membership table in the lobbyat intermission. We hope you will join us. Our suggested donation levels are:

Best Friend(s) - $125 Good Friend(s) - $75Friend - $50

Membership donations can also bemailed to:Friends of the Peninsula SymphonyPO Box 3961Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274

Summer Pops ConcertJuly 27 2014, 5:00 p.m.

Guest conductor Wayne Abravanel willreturn to the Peninsula SymphonyOrchestra to present a program of popularfavorites - details to be announced.

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Friends Have Fun!The Friends membership party was held onNovember 2, 2013 at the Admiral RistyRestaurant in Rancho Palos Verdes. Wecelebrated the start of the 2013-2014Symphony season with a salad luncheon,music and door prizes. The 47th yearcelebration of both the PeninsulaSymphony and The Admiral Risty wasacknowledged with a gift certificatepresented to our door prize winner, BarbaraDavis, by Tim Roderick, manager. CellistTim Ogden provided music for ourfestivities.

Marion Ruth Wins a Door Prize!

Membership luncheons, trips, musical salonsand other activities are all part of theenjoyable benefits of becoming a member ofthe Friends of the Peninsula SymphonyAssociation.

Extension of Membership RenewalIf you have not yet sent in your 2013-2014membership donation yet, this isabsolutely the final issue of SymphonySounds that you will get. Our orchestrasounds better, the auditorium is larger withcomfortable seats and Gary’s pre-concertlectures are better than ever. Visit ourwebsite at www.pensym.org or come to themembership table at the concert and renew.We need and value your support.

Amazon Associates

Our affiliation with Amazon Associates hasbeen successful and we receive monthlyincome from our members purchases. Wewould love to have any of you who havenot used this program to provide additionalneeded support to our orchestra. Here is arepeat of the instructions for doing this.

If you ever shop on Amazon, you can nowuse their Associates program to continue tosupport the Peninsula SymphonyOrchestra. All you have to do is to first goto the Peninsula Symphony web page andclick on Shop Amazon which is highlightedin red under the orchestra picture..

This will open a new window where youshould enter an item you wish to buy andthen click go. You will then beautomatically sent to the Amazon site andyou can then continue as you normallywould to make your purchase, search foradditional items or any other activity.

When you take this small extra step to doyour Amazon shopping, the PeninsulaSymphony Orchestra will receive apercentage the purchase price as acharitable donation from Amazon. There isno cost to you the buyer for thisdonation!

This appears to be a win-win situation forthe orchestra and for you since you,through what you normally do to purchaseon-line, will also provide much neededsupport for your orchestra.

Please try this the next time you useAmazon.com. If you have any difficultiesplease email me at kgash@cox.net and Iwill be happy to help.

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General Meeting of thePeninsula Symphony

Association

The Symphony Association’sannual meeting is scheduled forMonday, March 24, 2014. TheBoard meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.and the annual membershipmeeting will begin at approximately9:00 p.m. (at the conclusion of theBoard meeting).

Al l Symphony Associationmembers are eligible to attendeither or both meetings. The primary item of business at theannual meeting is the election ofnew Board members for the 2014-2015 term. The NominatingCommittee will present a list ofcandidates. Association membersattending this meeting maynominate additional candidatesand may also vote. Please call theSymphony Association office (310-544-0320) if you plan to attend. This is necessary to ensure thatwe will have sufficient capacity forall attendees. Details about themeeting location will be givenwhen you call.

In Memoriam

Jeanne Tellez, a second violinist withthe Peninsula Symphony Orchestra,passed away on November 26, 2013with her family by her side. Jeanne, avery talented violinist, first played withthe orchestra in April, 1999. She hadboth a deep love for music and a greatsense of humor.

Maestro Berkson has dedicated theFebruary concert to her memory.

Join our Symphony Team -Become a Volunteer

The Symphony Association could notfunction without the help of volunteers. There are many opportunities for you to useyour talents. Some examples are helpingus with mailings, ushering, intermissionrefreshments, receptions, the membershipcampaign, pre-concert setup, andmaintaining files. This is only a partial list,but it shows the diversity of tasks that mustbe done. If you have any questions, or areready to become a volunteer, please contactMarion Ruth, Concert Committee Chair,(310) 541-4144.

Non-Profit Org.

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Permit No. 47

Palos Verdes Peninsula

California

Contact InformationAny questions or requests about the Peninsula Symphony, the Peninsula Symphony Association, Symphony Sounds, or the Friends of the Peninsula Symphony should be sent tothe Peninsula Symphony Association office (we will route your message to the appropriateperson):

The Peninsula Symphony Association Post Office Box 2602 Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274

The office is normally staffed from 9:00 to noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You maycall at any time (310-544-0320) and leave a message on our answering machine, but phonereplies will usually be made only during normal staffing hours. You can e-mail us atmusic.pensym@verizon.net. General information about the Symphony (current seasonschedule, etc.) can be found on our website (www.pensym.org).

Other contacts are:

Peninsula Symphony Association President, John Williams 310-541-4660 jwskrs@verizon.net Friends of the Peninsula Symphony, Mona Gifford, Chair

310-377-7711 monagee@cox.net

Music Director/Conductor, Gary Berkson conductor.pensym@verizon.net

Post Office Box 2602Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274