An Announcement from Music Director Eric Paetkau

An Announcement from Music Director Eric Paetkau

It’s hard to believe that I’m enjoying my seventh season as Music Director of the SSO. I’ve had so many unforgettable experiences and memorable moments over the years. Not only has the organization as a whole been incredible (the musicians, Mark Turner and the whole staff, the Board) but the welcome and warmth Karen and I received from the audience, the city, and the community has been special. And that’s why it’s not easy to say that I’ve decided to move on from the SSO at the end of this season and hand over the musical reins of this wonderful orchestra

Eric Paetkau conducting. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished as an organization over the years and how we’ve been an innovative force in the Canadian music scene. Some highlights have been the many Saskatchewan and Canadian musicians and music we’ve featured, our growing presence in the community, and simply daring to try new things and making them work. Part of this is creative momentum and I strongly believe new ideas and fresh perspectives are paramount to artistic growth. That’s why I’m very excited in passing the torch to new musical leaders and seeing how they contribute to the future of the SSO.

We’ve already been seeing fresh faces on the podium in the last year and I’m delighted to see many more this coming season. I’m making this announcement now to ensure a smooth transition and for everyone (orchestra, audience, and community) to experience what great things are in store for the orchestra moving forward. Thanks to all of the hard work from everyone involved, the SSO is in a prime position for an exciting future.

But I’m not done yet!  I’m excited for the Brahms Requiem this month and then officially saying goodbye in May. I look forward to my last season and continuing to experience not only this great orchestra but the wonderful city of Saskatoon and its incredibly warm and inviting people.

Thank you Saskatoon and see you soon!
Eric Paetkau

The SSO Swan Lake Suite

The SSO Swan Lake  Suite

Much like the differences between the stage and movie version of your favourite musicals, there are differences between what an orchestra performs when they play the Swan Lake Suite versus a staged ballet of Swan Lake.

Luckily for us, conductor Judith Yan is well versed in both versions of Swan Lake and has created a special SSO Suite for our concert. It mixes some of the works you know, and some you may not be as familiar with so that we get a musical storyline that is much closer to the ballet Tchaikovsky wrote.

Judith Yan used her ballet connections to get us photos from the Finnish National Ballet that pair well with the storyline she has put together for the SSO Swan Lake Suite.

The following notes are from Conductor Yan and the photos are all from the Finnish National Ballet’s (Artistic Director Madeleine Onne) production of Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM and photographed by Roosa Oksaharju. These images will also be incorporated into the live stream and recording of this concert that are available on ConcertStream.tv.

Prologue (At the magical Swan Lake)

Row of ballerinas on stage.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

Princess Odette takes a solitary walk in the woods.

Hidden, was the watchful evil sorcerer, Baron von Rothbart. He pursues and captures the princess, transforming her into a swan.

Doomed is she to take human form only at night – an evil spell that can be broken by true love.

Act I (At the Palace of Prince Siegried)

No. 1 – Scène
No. 2 – Valse
No. 3 – Scène
At a palace, Prince Siegfried celebrates his coming-of-age with a magnificent party held in his honour.

Dancers in a circle. In the centre a man stands on a table.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

The Queen Mother informs him he must choose a bride and eligible princesses are introduced.

Two dancers.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

Act II (At Swan Lake)

No. 10 – Scène

Unhappy he cannot marry for love, the Prince ventures on his own to the magical lake. As twilight transforms to night, the Prince spies the beautiful Swan Queen. As he raises his crossbow, she transforms from a swan to Princess Odette.

Lone ballerina on stage in all white.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

V. Pas d’action (Odette et le prince)
Princess Odette reveals the story of the sorcerer’s curse: by day, she takes the form of a swan. At night, she regains her human form. Only true love can break this curse. As they dance; the Prince proclaims his love.

Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

ACT III (At the Palace of Prince Siegfried)

A party is held in the honour of Prince Siegfried.

Dancer dressed in black and gold entertains party guests.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

No. 15 – Allegro giusto
Royal Guests arrive for an opulent costume ball. Suddenly, 2 mysterious guests arrive. It was the Sorcerer von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile, disguised to resemble Princess Odette.

Sorcerer von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile, disguised to resemble Princess Odette.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

No. 5 – Black Swan Pas de Deux
The Prince, overjoyed, dances with Odile, the daughter of the evil sorcerer.

The Prince, overjoyed, dances with Odile, the daughter of the evil sorcerer.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

No. 24 – Scène
Tricked into believing this was his beloved, Prince Siegfried proclaims his love for Odile.

Tricked into believing this was his beloved, Prince Siegfried proclaims his love for Odile.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

The sorcerer shows him the vision of Odette, trapped at the lake. The Prince realizes his grave mistake, flees from the castle to the lake to search for Odette.

ACT IV (At Swan Lake)

No. 28 – Scène

The Prince arrives at the lake and makes a passionate apology but his betrayal cannot be undone.

The Prince arrives at the lake and makes a passionate apology but his betrayal cannot be undone.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

No. 29 – Scène finale

Princess Odette chooses to die for love. Prince Siegfried, declaring his eternal devotion, joins her in death. As they leapt into the enchanted lake of tears, the spell was broken.

Ballerinas on stage in all white.
Photographs from Finnish National Ballet, Artistic Director Madeleine Onne Swan Lake, choreographed by David MacAllister AM Photographed by Roosa Oksaharju

New Beginnings – Live Stream only

Our January 15th concert, New Beginnings, will be online only. There will no longer be an in-person audience.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our goal has been to keep our musicians working and making music. This means that we have taken every precaution to keep the musicians, the staff, and our audiences safe. We have, and continue to be as cautious as possible when it comes to our work. Our individual member’s health impacts the longevity of our organization.
With the Omicron variant becoming predominant in Saskatoon, we acknowledge that what’s safest for the musicians next week is to move ahead without an in-person audience.  Thankfully our streaming platform ConcertStream.tv allows us to bring the concert directly to you.  We’re putting together plans to make the stream a unique digital experience and we hope you enjoy watching New Beginnings from home.

Our Christmas Tree Adventure – Part 1

We love the holidays.

They are a time for beautiful festive music, twinkling lights, memorable moments, and wonderful times with our families. We sent two new members of the SSO family out for an unforgettable afternoon filled with power tools and holiday cheer.

*No musicians were harmed in the making of this video

Thomas Schudel’s Winter Suite

Composer Thomas Schudel was born on September 8, 1937, in Defiance, Ohio. A composer, bassoonist and teacher, he completed his BSc in Music Education and Master’s in Theory and Composition at Ohio State University and received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Michigan in 1971.

He joined the faculty at the University of Saskatchewan Regina Campus in 1964 and became Head of the Music Department in 1975, a post he held until 1978. Counterpoint, analysis, and woodwinds were among the classes he taught during his tenure.

Schudel held the position of principal bassoon with the Regina Symphony Orchestra from 1964 -1967 and then again from 1968 to 1970.

In 1972, Schudel’s Symphony No. 1 garnered first prize in the City of Trieste International Competition for Orchestral Compositions. His works have been performed across Canada and internationally; many are published in Canada and the USA. Thanks to commissions from provincial groups such as the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association (SMFA), his music has been showcased throughout the province. The SMFA included his works in their 2004-05 syllabus, thus reaching children in many communities. Other works have been commissioned by the Saskatchewan Music Educators Association and the Saskatchewan Choral Federation, as well as by the Canada Council and the CBC.

During our concert A Winter’s Journey our wind quintet performs Schudel’s A Winter Suite.

Poet Ted Kooser

Our concert opens with spoken-word artist Carol Greyeyes reading a work written by poet Ted Kooser.

Ted Kooser was the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. He is also Presidential Professor Emeritus at The University of Nebraska, where he taught the writing of poetry. For most of his career, he was a life insurance salesman and would spend about an hour and a half writing poetry before work. By the time he retired from his insurance career, he had published 7 books of poetry. Kooser received the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his book Delights & Shadows.

The work being read at our concert is called December 21, Clear and five degrees. It is from a collection of postcards written by Kooser to Jim Harrison. The entire collection is entitled Winter Morning Walks and there are 100 postcards in total. In the late 1990s, Kooser developed cancer and gave up both his insurance job and writing. When he began to write again, it was to send daily poems on postcards he sent in correspondence with his friend and fellow writer Jim Harrison. In poems both playful and serious, Kooser avoids talking directly about his illness. Rather, he refers to disease and the possibility of dying in metaphors focusing on the countryside around his Nebraska home, where he took long walks for inspiration.

Kooser’s walks have also inspired others. Grammy award-winning composer, Maria Schneider, used Kooser’s poetry to create a song cycle called Winter Morning Walks. It was written for and performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Dawn Upshaw, Jay Anderson (bass), Frank Kimbrough (piano) & Scott Robinson (alto clarinet & bass clarinet).

You can hear a sample on this clip from PBS where the interview Dawn Upshaw and Maria Scneider about the creation of the beautiful song cycle.

Jan Lisiecki Recordings

Love listening to Jan in recital and wish you could hear more? Lucky for all of us Jan has quite the discography available for purchase.

For his eighth and latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Canadian pianist extraordinaire Jan Lisiecki has chosen to return to the music of Frédéric Chopin. Following on from Works for Piano & Orchestra (2017) and Chopin: Études (2013), Chopin: Complete Nocturnes features profoundly personal interpretations of some of the most beautiful and best-loved pieces ever written for solo piano.

Lisiecki is perhaps most celebrated for his masterfully sensitive and refined interpretative approach. His newest release – recorded last October at Berlin’s historic Meistersaal – not only captures the spirit of Chopin’s pianism, but also represents the time and circumstances in which it was made, as the pianist himself explains: “I’m the first to question why we should record something that has been recorded many times before. But music only lives through performance and is different every time we hear it, even when it’s a recording. I think there was something for me to say with this album. It reflects on the last year and my thoughts on that as well as on the escape and understanding that music gives us.”

The album, which was released on 13 August 2021, is available on CD and to download and stream. Listen to Chopin: Complete Nocturnes in the new high-quality spatial listening experience of Dolby Atmos on Apple Music.

You can purchase this album and all of Jan’s recordings on the Deutsche Grammophon website, Amazon music, Presto Music, or Apple Music.

 

 

Frédéric Chopin: Poems of the Night

Chopin’s enchanting Nocturnes and the notoriously difficult Études make up the program of Jan Lisiecki‘s recital, which he titles Poems of the Night. Embodying the spirit of Chopin’s pianism, he offers lucid, profoundly personal interpretations of some of the most beautiful and best-loved pieces ever written for solo piano.

Frédéric Chopin: Poems of the Night
written by Jan Lisiecki

“Hats off, gentlemen! A genius!” Robert Schumann wrote about his contemporary Frédéric Chopin, and it is indisputable that Chopin was, indeed, a genius. Not only did he compose music that has remained current and captivating to us today, he also created his very own language. So recognizable is his style that it will immediately make one say “this is Chopin!” upon hearing just a short fragment.

Tonight’s pieces, intertwined by way of a key-progression, recall a collection of poems in a book: Each one in a different style, telling a personal, particular story which every listener will interpret differently.
They are a space for introspection and reflection, simultaneously embodying what I cherish most in Chopin’s music: the beautiful melodies, the innovation, and – perhaps most of all – the characteristic simplicity and refined elegance which go so effortlessly hand in hand here.

The mystical Nocturnes hail from the night, a realm of emotion and infinite possibilities. While this particular musical form dates back to the Irish composer John Field, Chopin mastered it to a degree that his name has become inseparably tied to the Nocturne. These pieces were among my first introduction to his music at a young age, and have kept me constant company in the years since.

The precise Études literally translate to “Studies” in French and are considered by some to be among the most technically difficult repertoire. In my eyes, technique ranks secondary to their sheer beauty, and pure musicality: every single note is an essential part of a whole. All has meaning, value, line; not a passage is merely ornamental or auxiliary.

Chopin and the piano are one, and his innate bond with the instrument shows in his use of the full range of its tonal possibilities. Some of the spectacular and famous melodies he is so well-known for form part of this programme, but the less familiar ones just as much demonstrate his outstanding writing.

 

Please refrain from applause in between individual pieces.

A Message from Nutrien

In the spirit of the season, your friends and neighbours at Nutrien are delighted to share the gift of performance with you this evening.

As a supporter of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, we appreciate the efforts of the diverse group of artists and organizers who helped make this special evening possible. It is a testament to what can be created by people who share a vision and commitment to a common goal.

While our growing company has an expanding reach, our purpose is to grow our world from the ground up – and that starts here at home.

Nutrien looks for opportunities to build our community and to celebrate the many gifts that come from being a part of it. Through music, art and recreation, we strive to bring people together in a shared desire to make Saskatoon a better place to work and live for all of us. We, too, believe in creating special moments with diverse groups across our community.

It is our sincere wish that you enjoy tonight’s performance and that we have helped get your holiday season started on the right note.