Archive for the ‘classical music’ Category

The Boston Cello Quartet concert in Woods Hole (MBL, Lillie Auditorium) in June was one of the highlights of the musical year.

The Cape has much to offer music lovers of all kinds, no matter what one’s musical preferences. This is a sampling of the best offerings for 2011, but there are many other choices that could have been made, and many venues and musicians offering excellent opportunities to hear live music. This list is of those concerts that stood out for me; upcoming concerts are also listed for those who might have missed the 2011 events.

Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, 50th Anniversary Concerts

From its elegant Vienna-themed New Year’s Day concert, complete with Viennese coffee and pastries, to its December holiday concerts (five of them, over three days, all sold out), the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra has given us a spectacular year. It is impossible to pick one concert that stood out from all the others, but the opening concert of the 2011-2012 season in September might be the one to mention here, not only because it introduced the orchestra’s 50th anniversary year, but because it did so with such joy and virtuosity, directed with enthusiasm, as always, by Jung-Ho Pak.

The concert featured the premiere of “Cape Cod Impressions,” commissioned from two Cape Cod composers, David M. Cohen and Don Nardo. Mr. Cohen wrote the first two movements, “Sunrise on the National Seashore” and “Summer on the Cape.” Mr. Nardo composed the second two: “Hidden Harbor” and “In Full Sail.”

The orchestra also performed the “Anniversary Overture” by Malcolm Arnold, coincidentally a piece chosen by former CCSO conductor Royston Nash on the 25th anniversary of the orchestra. Mr. Nash was the surprise guest conductor for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Overture to Nabucco,” to the delight of the audience.

Guest soloist Jon Nakamatsu performed Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra. The choice of Mr. Nakamatsu as soloist was especially fitting, not only because he is a fine pianist (a winner of the Van Cliburn piano competition), but because he is also co-artistic director of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival. The concert ended with a jubilant “Happy Birthday Variations,” arranged by John Williams.

Upcoming: The CCSO is giving its second annual New Year’s Day concert on Sunday, honoring the Viennese tradition with music by Strauss and his contemporaries, and offering Viennese pastries as well. Then, on January 21, at 8 PM, and January 22, at 3 PM, the CCSO will present “Tchaikovsky’s Winter Dreams: Great Expressions of Russian Romanticism,” with pianist Martina Filjak performing Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 23. A special celebration is offered on Wednesday, February 1, when cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs with the orchestra (though tickets are nearly all sold out for that concert). For ticket information, visit www.capesymphony.org.

Simon Sinfonietta, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9

The Simon Sinfonietta, a 40-piece chamber orchestra directed Stephen Simon, has been performing in the warm, intimate space at Falmouth Academy since 2004. Mr. Simon is known for bringing together little-known gems of Baroque and classical music, talented local musicians, and accomplished soloists.

In May, Mr. Simon did something completely different. Joining forces with John Yankee, director of both the Falmouth Chorale and the Falmouth Academy chorus and Joseph Marchio, director of Chatham Chorale, he conducted an expanded orchestra of 52 players and a combined chorus of almost 150 singers in a gala performance of Ludwig von Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor. The symphony is much loved, especially for its fourth movement, “Ode to Joy.”

The concert was held at the Parish of Christ the King in Mashpee, one of the few places on the Cape that could accommodate the many musicians and the large audience that turned out for the event. Mr. Simon led the musicians with a keen respect for the music and an abundance of enthusiasm. Though the words were in German, the theme of the symphony, universal brotherhood, resonated throughout the hall.

Upcoming: The Simon Sinfonietta’s next concert is February 18 at 7:30 PM at Falmouth Academy, and features classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery, who will perform Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto on D Major. Other works include Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D Major, “The Prague,” Juan Rodrigo’s “Concerto de Aranjuez, and Carl Maria von Weber’s Symphony No. 2. Tickets are $40, $10 for students. For more information, call 508-457-9696 or visit www.simonsinfonietta.org.

Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra: Fall Concert

Brittany Rodriguez at the piano, just prior to playing with the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra

The Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra, now in its fourth year, is made up primarily of amateur musicians from across the Cape, but also includes some professionals. Conducted by John Yankee, the orchestra generally performs concerts in the fall and spring, often featuring a soloist, and offers informal reading sessions for musicians in the summer.

The orchestra had invited Robert Wyatt to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in November, and many in the community were looking forward to hearing Dr. Wyatt perform. Unfortunately, he had a bicycle accident on the Monday before the weekend concerts, and was unable to perform. (He is recovering well now.)

With almost no time to find a substitute pianist, Mr. Yankee called on friends and colleagues throughout New England. Finally, a student at the New England Conservatory’s preparatory school, Brittany Rodriguez, was located. She was studying the concerto for a piano competition and for a scheduled performance in Bogota, Colombia, in December. Only 11 years old she came with high recommendations from NEC.

The young prodigy did brilliant job, performing the half-hour concerto from memory, with seeming ease, confidence, and a love of the music and the whole experience. It was her first time playing with an adult orchestra, and she loved every minute of it.

The orchestra performed beautifully too, not only on the concerto, but also on an impassioned presentation of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which followed. This was a big undertaking for a chamber orchestra, but the FCPO played with power, sensitivity, and an obvious love for the music, and for sharing it with the community.

Upcoming: The Falmouth Chamber Players will perform a musical celebration designed to appeal to the whole family on Saturday, January 28, at 7 PM, and Sunday, January 29, at 3 PM, at the Cape Cod Conservatory, 60 Highfield Drive in Falmouth. The concert will include traditional music by Schubert, Bach and Telemann, and lighter fare, such as a “zany” arrangement of “Three Blind Mice” and works for various combinations of winds and strings. Suggested donation is $10 for adults and $5 for those under 16. For more information, call Fritz Sonnichsen at 508-274-2632.

Mastersingers by the Sea, “Autumn”

Mastersingers by the Sea, under the direction of David MacKenzie, presented “Autumn: A Season of Mystery” in October, an elegant collection of instrumental and chorale works celebrating the mystery and power of the season: Vivaldi’s “Autumn” violin concerto from “The Four Seasons” and his Concerto for Two Flutes in C, as well as Francesco Durante’s “Magnificat,” and two newer works, Jennifer Higon’s “O Magnum Mysterium” and Knut Nystedt’s “Immortal Bach,” and other works.

The auditioned chorus has a very focused and harmonious sound, blending well with the small orchestra. The instrumentalists are all members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, which Dr. MacKenzie also conducts, and the cohesiveness and professionalism of the combined ensembles is evident.

Upcoming: The Mastersingers will present “Winter: A Season of Remembering,” on Saturday, February 25, at 8 PM, and Sunday, February 26, at 3 PM, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Falmouth. The program will include Vivaldi’s “Winter” violin concerto from “The Four Seasons,” Samuel Barber’s “Dover Beach,” Mozart’s “Missa Brevis,” Alberto Williams’ “Primera Suite Argentina for Strings,” and Dominick Argento’s “A Toccata of Galuppi’s. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and $10 for students. For more information, visit www.mastersingersbythesea.org.

Falmouth Chorale, “Coming of the Flood”

A scene from "Noye's Fludde."

The Falmouth Chorale’s fall concert, “The Coming of the Flood,” was a creative and varied presentation by director John Yankee. The 73-member chorale had wonderful expressive sound, and Mr. Yankee brought out every aspect of its musicality, giving each work a distinct flavor.

The first half of the concert included a wide variety music written from the 1500s to the present day, about water, the ocean, and the rain, culminating in a dramatic contemporary piece, “Cloudburst,” incorporating handbells, percussion, piano, and the 15 young people in the chorale’s Coro Ragazzi Children’s Chorus.

The second half was a rich and multifaceted “Noye’s Fludde,” a one-act opera by Benjamin Britton. The work was written for both professional and amateur vocalists and instrumentalists, and children. Mr. Yankee brought in amateur musicians from the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra, professionals from the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, a recorder choir, a bell choir, five percussionists, keyboard players, professional and amateur vocal soloists, young ballet dancers from the Turning Point Dance Studio and singers from Coro Ragazzi, and brought the audience in with several sing-along hymns.

It was a wonderful production, full of life and feeling, warmth and humor

Upcoming: The Falmouth Chorale’s next concert “Samson,” by George Frideric Handel, is on Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, March 18, at 3 PM, at St. Patrick’s Church in Falmouth. Handel. The oratorio tells the story of Samson’s last days. For more information, visit www.falmouthchorale.org. 

Boston Cello Quartet

The Boston Cello Quartet performed in Woods Hole in June, presenting a variety of works written or arranged for four cellos. The cellists, all young members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, are marvelously talented, bringing virtuosity, individuality, and a range of emotions to the music, extending the range and musical characteristics of the cello, sounding at times like all the instruments of the orchestra.

Upcoming: The Boston Cello Quartet will return to Cape Cod on May 27, for a 3 PM concert at the Unitarian Church in Barnstable and may also perform again in Woods Hole during the summer. For more information, visit www.bostoncelloquartet.com.

Briefly Mentioned

The TD Bank Pops by the Sea concert, featuring the Boston Pops and presented by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod is an annual August highlight, held on the Hyannis Village Green. For more information on the 2012 event, visit www.artsfoundation.org/pops-by-the-sea.

JazzFest Falmouth offered a Jazz Stroll on September 30, with musicians performing in local eateries and shops and outside, their music enjoyed by young and old alike. For more information, visit www.jazzfestfalmouth.org.

Two folk venues offered well-known and upcoming singer-songwriters and folk and roots musicians: the Woods Hole Folk Music Society (www.arts-cape.com/whfolkmusic) and the Cotuit Center for the Arts (cotuitarts.org), where the Third Fret Coffeehouse has moved.

The CCftA also offers the Art Barn Songwriter Series, Wine and Music Wednesdays, and a regular series of concerts by rock, jazz, blues, popular, classical, and roots music.

11-Year-Old Is Last-Minute Substitute

Brittany Rodriguez

Brittany Alexa Rodriguez is a warm and personable 11-year-old—and a very remarkable pianist. Local audiences will have a unique opportunity to hear her play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 this weekend with the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra, under the direction of John Yankee. It should be a splendid  concert for both children and adults.

The Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra performs Saturday, November 19, at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, November 20, at 3 PM, at Falmouth Academy, 7 Highfield Drive in Falmouth. In addition to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, the orchestra will play Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Suggested donation is $12 for adults and $5 for children 18 and under.

At her first rehearsal with the orchestra Thursday night, she played beautifully and confidently, and enjoying the interplay of the piano with the orchestra, which she told me was the best orchestra she had ever played with. John Yankee was clearly equally delighted with her, as were members of the orchestra. He did have to ask her to slow down her performance of the very fast final movement so that the orchestra could keep up. “Could you do it just a little slower,” he asked, “but just as thrilling and exciting?” And she did.

The concerto was originally scheduled to be performed by Robert Wyatt, an accomplished pianist and prominent member of the local arts community. However, Dr. Wyatt suffered serious injuries in a bicycling accident earlier this week. He is currently recovering in the hospital and is expected to be just fine, a relief to his many friends and admirers.

Brittany Rodriguez and John Yankee

John Yankee was not only concerned about his friend, but about the upcoming concert. He sent out an all points bulletin to his colleagues, other musicians, conductors, and music schools in search of a replacement. Within a day or two he heard back from Tom Novak, dean of New England Conservatory, who told him about Brittany, who has been preparing the Mozart concerto for a concerto competition at NEC and for a performance in Bogota, Colombia in December.

Rehearsal begins at Falmouth Academy.

Her teacher, Wha Kyung Byun, assured Yankee that Brittany was qualified and capable, and she and her parents were agreeable, even though this is a very busy weekend for Brittany. In addition to two rehearsals with the orchestra and concerts on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, she has classes to attend, and is performing the Mozart concerto Sunday morning for the concerto competition. (She is one of seven finalists in this competition for pianists under 12.)

Brittany started piano lessons at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, NJ, the age of 5, after her parents, Marcos and Iris, noticed her fascination with a toy piano.  By 6, she was performing in public. When she was 7, the family moved to Colombia, where her father was born. There, she continued her studies at the Unimusica Foundation in Bogota and taking private piano lessons  with Sergei Sitchkov and theory with Elena Krasutskaya.

In Colombia, she won the Jovenes Interpretes 2009 at the Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango, one of the most prestigious music competitions in that country.  At the age of 9, she was the only non-college music student allowed to participate in the La Sala Fabio Lozano competition at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, and was selected to be part of the 2009 concert series.

When Brittany was 9, and again when she was 10, she attended the summer music program at New England Conservatory. She received so much help there from Ms. Byun, whom her father describes as one of the best teachers in the world, that her family decided to move back to the US last fall so that Brittany could attend NEC’s Preparatory Program year-round. Bilingual, Brittany holds dual citizenship.

Brittany is very talented, her father told me, but her abilities are not just the result of talent. She is also a very dedicated student and loves the piano.  She not only takes piano lessons at NEC, but also takes theory classes at the Berklee College of Music, and attends a private school in Framingham for her “regular classes.” She is in the seventh grade.

Brittany’s studies also require a big commitment from her parents, who not only moved back to the US to give their daughter access to a first-class education, they take her to lessons and classes, rehearsals and concerts, making sure she has everything she needs. It can be very time-time consuming, they said.

Brittany and her parents

And they try to keep her grounded so that she will have a normal childhood. They don’t push her, but allow her to progress at her own rate. The warmth and love between family members is very evident.

Marcos plays guitar and studied music himself in Colombia, though he says he is not really a musician. All of Brittany’s weekly hour-and-a-half music lessons are videotaped so that she can study them during the week. Without the recording, said her father, it is easy for a child to forget the many comments a teacher can make during a lesson. He studies the videos along with her and helps her focus.

“These are difficult pieces,” Marcos said.  “She has a very demanding repertoire, and she is working on developing the musical knowledge and technique that she needs, training her muscles just as athletes train theirs.”

Though Brittany likes the Mozart concerto very much, it is a big undertaking he said, a very difficult piece. It has three movements, each very different from each other, is 30 minutes long, and it must all be played from memory. It has to be very polished, said Marcos. “Mozart doesn’t allow you to make any mistakes because the music is so exposed.” You can hide a few mistakes in Beethoven,” he said, but not in Mozart.

But it is more than that, he said. The second movement of the concerto, the very beautiful slow movement for which this concerto is so well known, is “deceivingly difficult.”  There is a lot of “conversation with the orchestra” and many little details that Brittany will have to attend to.

Despite Brittany’s many accomplishments, she is always working hard to learn something new. “It is very difficult,” said Marcos, “to see your child struggling all the time. She conquers one piece, and receives a harder one to learn. Sometimes I wonder what we have gotten ourselves into.”

I asked if changes were ever made in the music or techniques to accommodate Brittany’s small hands. “No,” said Marcos, “that would be counterproductive. She can make the reach necessary, but it is not yet completely comfortable.”

“There is something very rude about the way the piano treats pianists,” Marcos said. “You have to learn how play correctly or you can hurt yourself. With the guitar, you can play for hours and hours without injuring yourself.”

In the end, though, the piano brings joy to both Brittany and her parents, and all three are excited about this weekend’s concerts. Not only is it fun for her to play with the orchestra, but the experience should help her in the concerto competition (which will be performed with a second pianist playing an orchestra reduction) and in her performance next month with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogatà.

Brittany turns 12 on December 16.

For more information and to see videos of her performances, visit www.brittanyrodriguez.com. For more information on the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra, visit www.falmouthchamberplayers.org.

Members of the Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra in a concert performed last spring. From left, they are Robert Knapp on viola, Fritz Sonnichsen and his wife, Laura Tutino, both on violin, and Patricia Knapp, Robert Knapp’s wife, also on violin. The orchestra includes three couples who play together. The third couple is JoAnne Caputo on violin and Frank Caputo on French horn.

The Falmouth Chamber Players Orchestra, under the direction of John Yankee, will present a program of classical music favorites Saturday, November 19, at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 20, at 3 PM. Both concerts take place at Falmouth Academy, 7 Highfield Drive in Falmouth.

The 30-member volunteer orchestra will perform Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

Steinway Artist Robert Wyatt had been scheduled to play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, but he will be unable to perform due to injuries sustained in a bicycling accident earlier this week. Young pianist Brittany Alex Rodriguez will substitute for him.

Despite their sorrow over the absence of their featured soloist, the orchestra is ready to perform. Formed in the spring of 2008, the orchestra has “come a long way,” according to Mr. Yankee.

“Although we’re comprised mostly of amateur players from diverse backgrounds, we continue to come together, prepare as best we can, and grow as an ensemble.” Three years ago, he said, “we couldn’t have taken on such a ‘classic’ program as this, but I believe now we can.”

Fritz Sonnichsen, president of the orchestra and a violinist in the group, agreed. “As we complete our fourth year, the orchestra is happy to have gained six new players, all with prior orchestral experience, and they have been a great boost to the quality of the orchestra.”

The music selected for the concert by Mr. Yankee is challenging for an amateur orchestra. “Handel’s ‘Fireworks’ asks for clean, well-tuned, sometimes flourishing ensemble playing, with a clear understanding of baroque style,” said Mr. Yankee, certain that his musicians were up to the task.

Mr. Sonnichsen said that the work is “somewhat of a landmark for us.” In the orchestra’s first year, “we were only confident enough to play one movement from Handel’s ‘Water Music.’ ”

Performing the complete “Fireworks” is thus a major move forward. The FCPO’s version of the piece has been expanded to include a complete wind section. “There were no clarinets in Handel’s time,” Mr. Sonnichsen explained.

The work was originally written for a large wind band including 24 oboes, 12 bassoons and a contrabassoon, nine trumpets, nine French horns, and three pairs of kettledrums. After the first performance, which accompanied the royal fireworks in London in 1749 to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession in 1748, Handel rescored the piece for full orchestra.

“Fireworks” has five movements, including the dance form “Bourrée”; the pastoral “La Paix”; the celebratory “La Réjouissance”; the overture; and two minuets.

About the Mozart piano concerto, Mr. Yankee said, “The FCPO has supported soloists in a couple smaller-scale concertos in the past—Bach, Vivaldi, Telemann—and I believe are now primed to play one of Mozart’s finest piano concertos.”

Mozart’s Piano Concert No. 23 in A Major is indeed considered one of his finest works. Written in 1786 while Mozart was in Vienna, it has three movements, a sunny and bright opening Allegro; a slow, expressive, and somewhat melancholy Adagio, the only movement Mozart composed in F# minor; and a final Allegro Assai, a cheerful and spirited rondo.

The concerto has been described as a “constant exchange of ideas” between the soloist and the orchestra and various ensembles within the orchestra. It features a piano cadenza, an extended solo passage.

Laura Tutino, vice president and concert mistress of the orchestra, and the wife of Mr. Sonnichsen, said that she had greatly enjoyed working with Dr. Wyatt in rehearsals. “He was very generous with his time,” she said. “He exudes a nice positive attitude toward musicianship in general that makes you want to absolutely do your best.”

She described the concerto as “very light, one of the most beautiful concertos.” Though not “terribly difficult technically for the orchestra,” she said, “it requires a lot of finesse, proper dynamics, and nuances to make it blend well. It has a very delicate quality, and it is a pleasure to play it.”

“Mozart,” she said, “often makes life difficult for violinists. He was more kind in this piece, and everyone is enjoying playing it. It is also an easy classical piece to listen to,” she said, “even, perhaps for people who don’t listen to a lot of classical music.”

Familiar to all, whether or not they are classical music fans is the final piece on the program, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, with its familiar “da, da, da daaaah” opening, first performed in 1808. It was described in 1810 by E.T.A. Hoffmann as “indescribably profound” and “magnificent.” He went on to say, “the soul of the thoughtful listener is assuredly stirred, deeply and intimately,” and “he will be powerless to step out of that wondrous spirit realm where grief and joy embrace him in the form of sound.”

“We’ve been working up to a symphony as demanding, extensive and well-known as Beethoven’s 5th,” said Mr. Yankee. “It’s risky, but everyone’s working hard and I’m confident that we will rise to its many challenges.”

Though the symphony has been challenging for the musicians, Ms. Tutino said, “It feels really good to go into rehearsals and see it come together more and more each week, in the large group, and in sectionals. The camaraderie of the orchestra has grown, too. It is very collaborative.”

“People are familiar with the music, and I think they will find it very exciting,” she said. “It is surely exciting for all the musicians. We’re really growing musically as an ensemble, sounding better and better, thanks in part to some of the fine new musicians who have joined.”

She also credits Mr. Yankee for bringing out the best musicianship in all of the players.

A donation of $12 is suggested for adults, $5 for youth 18 and younger.

The orchestra, a nonprofit organization, is supported in part by grants from the Woods Hole Foundation and the South Shore Playhouse Associates/Cape Cod Melody Tent. For more information, visit www.FalmouthChamberPlayers.org, or call Mr. Sonnichsen at 508-274-2632.

I am looking forward to attending the Simon Sinfonietta concert tonight (7:30 PM at Falmouth Academy).  Robert Wyatt is the piano soloist; he will be playing Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major. Also on the program is Telemann’s Concerto for 3 Horns in D Major, and Respighi’s “The Birds.”

It sounds festive–an upbeat way to end the season and/or usher in summer, depending on your perspective, but it is hard to imagine that it will top their May9 All-Haydn Spectacular, which was truly spectacular. The 40-piece Simon Sinfonietta was joined by the 65-person MIT Choir for two dramatic choral works: Te Deum in Honor of the Empress Maria Therese and Missa di Santa Cecilia.

It was grand just walking into the Parish of Christ the King in Mashpee, where this special concert was performed. The orchestra was elevated a few feet above the audience, rather than situated below it, as it is at Falmouth Academy. It looked quite elegant in the grand setting of the church, with the large (and young) choir in three balanced sections behind them. The soloists were positioned behind the orchestra, in front of the choir.

It was just the right setting for Haydn’s glorious music, gloriously performed. The short, but festive Te Deum opened the evening in a cheerful fashion, moving from C major to C minor and back again.

The Missa de Santa Ceclia was the heart of the evening, a 75-minute long mass that embraced a myriad of moods. It was an exhilerating experience, a delight to witness. As Simon wrote in his program notes, the music was presented as a concert, not as the liturgical event  it would have been in Haydn’s time, with the orchestra and choir in a balcony at the rear of the church.

Fortunately for us, the orchestra and choir, and the soloists, were front and center where we could best appreciate them. It was easily one of the best concerts I have been to all year. There was excellent balance between chorus and orchestra, and a great clarity and expressiveness to the voices of the soloists: soprano Mary Thorne, mezzo Alexis Parker, tenor Jason McStoots, and bass Thomas Jones.

The performance must have been very demanding for the orchestra, particularly, but they made it look easy, and swept the audience up in the celebration. I do hope the Sinfonietta will make this sort of performance an annual event.

[Originally published in the Enterprise on Friday, November 14, 2008.]

By MARILYN J. ROWLAND

The Falmouth Chamber Players, under the direction of John Yankee, will perform its first concert tonight [Friday, November 14, 2008] at 8 o’clock at the First Congregational Church of Falmouth, 68 Main Street. A second concert takes place Sunday [November 16] at 3 PM at the same location.

Mr. Yankee, who is also musical director of the Falmouth Chorale, has conducted professional orchestras here on the Cape, as well as in San Diego, Chicago, and Telluride, Colorado. His work with the Falmouth Chamber Players has been challenging because of the wide range in playing abilities and orchestra experience of the members. It was difficult, initially, for him to select a repertoire, not knowing the skill levels of the individual players. This caused some initial frustrations for him, and for orchestra members. “We have come a long way in a short time,” said Mr. Yankee.

“The Falmouth Chamber Players is a pretty diverse and remarkable collection of people,” said Mr. Yankee. “It is truly amazing that we can get together, put everything else aside, and work on a common cause—making music. There is a powerful, almost palpable, feeling of support for each other, and each in his or her own unique way has expressed appreciation to me, and encouraged me. I appreciate that very much.”

Mr. Yankee said that several members have taken on strong leadership roles. “The principal players have all been professional, generous, and helpful, and Hilde Maingay, our concertmistress, has been outstanding, constantly organizing and encouraging extra rehearsals and staying in communication with me. She has been a real partner in this process.”

When asked which piece of music on the program was his favorite, Mr. Yankee said, “I’m never good at that kind of question. My favorite piece is the one I’m doing—or studying, or listening to. They all fascinate, intrigue, and challenge me in unique ways. I suspect they do for the players as well—they should!”

The program is in keeping with the orchestra’s stated purpose, to perform “classical instrumental music, with an emphasis on historical chamber and orchestral works from the Baroque through the Romantic periods.” Works to be performed include: Overture from Water Music, by George Frideric Handel; Concerto in E minor for Recorder and Flute, by Georg Philipp Telemann; Scherzo from Symphony in C by Georges Bizet; Andante Cantabile by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; Kamarinskaja, by Mikhail Glinka; and Overture to Rosamunde, by Franz Schubert.

Handel’s Water Music may be the most familiar music on the program for most audience members. A collection of 19 movements in three suites, it was first performed in its entirety on July 17, 1717, on the River Thames. Fifty musicians played on a barge floating on the river next to the royal party barge of King George I of England, who, along with his guests, was delighted by the music. It is said that he was so pleased that he had the musicians play the hour-long work three times that evening. The Overture is the first piece in the collection and provides a good representation of the work.

Bizet, who is best known for his opera “Carmen,” wrote his Symphony in C in 1855 when he was only 17 years old, possibly as a student assignment. He had entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 9. The piece was lost, however, and not heard for 80 years. Discovered in 1933, the bright and effervescent work was first performed in 1935. The orchestra will perform the third movement of the symphony, the scherzo, which consists of a fast minuet contrasted with more airy passages, followed by a peasant-like dance trio over drones played by the lower strings.

Telemann’s Concerto features Jan Elliott on recorder, Suzie Dasilva on flute, and string orchestra. Written in the 1720s or ’30s, it combines two instruments rarely played together: the traditional instrument (the recorder) and the new (the transverse flute). Telemann played both instruments and was quite familiar with their features. The piece is written in four movements, the flute and the recorder mingling and taking flight, as the strings play a supportive role. Melodies from Polish folk tunes are featured in the final movement.

Ms. Elliott has been playing the recorder since she was 3 and is particularly fond of early music, as well as world music and dance. About the Telemann piece, she said, “It’s a charming concerto, alternately melancholy and playful. There are all kinds of interplay between the two soloists, and between soloists and orchestra. I get the sense that Telemann was in a good mood when he wrote it. Perhaps his patron was paying him well! He allegedly once said that his fast movements should ‘flow vivaciously, like champagne.’ ”

Ms. Dasilva has traveled and performed throughout Europe. She lives and teaches flute in Eastham.

Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile is the most famous movement from his String Quartet No. 1 in D Major. It is a melancholic piece, based on a folk song the composer heard whistled by a house painter. When the quartet was played for Leo Tolstoy, it is said that he was brought to tears by this movement. A chamber section of the orchestra performs this piece.

Described as the “father of Russian classical music,” Glinka was the first Russian composer to introduce Russian nationalism in music, and his work influenced future Russian composers. Written in 1848, Kamarinskaja is a fantasy on two Russian folk tunes, one a lyrical wedding song, and the other a fast-paced dance.

Schubert’s 1823 composition, Rosamunde, was written as incidental music for a play. The play failed, but the music was a success. The full composition, consisting of the Overture and 10 movements, takes more than an hour to perform, and is rarely performed in full. Starting slowly and dramatically, the Overture then moves into a more sprightly mood toward a thundering finish.

[Originally published in the Enterprise on Friday, November 7, 2008.]

By MARILYN J. ROWLAND
The Falmouth Chamber Players, a newly organized community orchestra under the direction of John Yankee, presents its premiere concerts on Friday, November 14, at 7 PM, and Sunday, November 16, at 2:30 PM, at the First Congregational Church, 68 Main Street in Falmouth. The concerts are free, but donations are encouraged.

Works on the program include Overture from Water Music by George Frideric Handel; Concerto in e minor for Recorder and Flute featuring Jan Elliott on recorder and Suzie Dasilva on flute; Scherzo from Symphony in C by Georges Bizet; Kamarinskaja by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka; Andante Cantabile by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky; and Overture to Rosamunde by Franz Schubert.

The concerts are the result of many months of hard work by orchestra members and organizers, led by president Joyce Gindra, who plays oboe in the group. Last winter when she and her neighbor, cellist Carol Knox, got together to play music, they talked about what fun it would be to gather a larger group of musicians together, perhaps a quartet or a quintet. Once the two of them began talking to their musical friends, the group of those interested grew rapidly. By spring, they and the others had decided to form a classical music orchestra for amateur musicians, and they scheduled three sessions in July to see whether local musicians wanted to join the group. They were. The sessions attracted 35 players who play violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, trumpet, and bassoon. Ms. Gindra invited John Yankee to be the group’s conductor, and Mr. Yankee, who is also conductor and artistic director of the Falmouth Chorale, musical director of the John Wesley Methodist Church, and active in other musical endeavors on Cape Cod, agreed to work with the orchestra.

After the success of the summer session, orchestra members launched a fall season, culminating in the two performances next week. “It was a surprise, a nice surprise,” said Ms. Gindra, to see how quickly the small ensemble she had envisioned had grown into such a good-sized orchestra. She, like other members of the group, were pleased with Mr. Yankee’s direction. Laura Tutino, also a member of the orchestra’s board, said she was very impressed with Mr. Yankee’s “ability to select music appropriate for the group, interpret it musically, and bring out the best in the individual players.”

Ms. Tutino began piano and violin lessons as a young child and studied violin in college. She played with the Cosmopolitan Young People’s Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra and was concert mistress of her college orchestra at Lehman (now Hunter) College. Since then, she has played with many chamber music groups, and with her partner, Fritz Sonnichsen, also a violinist with the orchestra, frequently invites other musicians over to play. She is “excited about being in an orchestra again and having the opportunity to present good music to the local community.”

Orchestra member Liz Catapovic, a violinist, is also very enthusiastic. “I cannot say enough positive things about John Yankee. He has brought us a long way in a short time, with his infectiously cheerful attitude always present.”

Ms. Catapovic began violin lessons as an adult about 10 years ago, with her son. She says the orchestra has been a wonderful experience. “Everyone has been very supportive and welcoming. I have made some new friends and really look forward to each rehearsal. My confidence is growing as we are beginning to sound quite good as a group. There are a lot of very talented players and a great team spirit. The group is truly cross-generational and a mix of people with all different interests.”

Being in the orchestra is not easy, however. “The sheer quantity has been difficult for me,” she said, “but slowly, with a lot of extra work, it is coming. I know that it will become easier as I get used to the whole orchestra process. It has been great for my playing skills as well as my reading and counting. . . . I just enjoy each time I play and each bit of progress I make. I play purely because it makes me happy.”

Fran McLean plays flute in the orchestra, and this is her first orchestra experience, though she also plays in Falmouth Town Band and the Falmouth Flute Choir. “This is a learning experience quite different from either Town Band or Flute Choir,” she said. “It is more demanding, but the conductor is very encouraging. He has a great sense of humor.”

Ms. McLean took up the flute as an adult. “The best thing I did was to pick up my daughter’s long-unused flute and make a decision to find a teacher and learn to play. From duets with my teacher, Mary Sholkovitz [now a cellist in the orchestra], I went to Flute Choir, to Town Band, to orchestra. This is fun!” She also has appreciation for the work of the orchestra’s board members. “The unselfish work the organizers have put in to bring this orchestra to its premier performance is amazing. I thank them for their kind invitation to play.”

Board members include Ms. Gindra, Ms. Knox, Ms. Tutino, Mr. Sonnichsen, cellist Wendy Gabriel, violinist Hilde Maingay, and me (I play the cello). “A lot of effort has gone into the organization of the orchestra,” said Ms. Tutino. “We are lucky to have gathered together a great group of people who work together well and who are committed to a common goal.”

In addition to full orchestra performances, members have performed in smaller ensembles at local events throughout the summer and fall, including a fundraiser screening of the film “Radio Cape Cod,” the Falmouth ArtMarket, the Barnstable County Harvest Festival, and the West Falmouth Library. For more information about the orchestra concert or playing in the orchestra, contact Ms. Gindra at 508-540-1896.