The Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra (VAMSO) will embark on a thrilling musical journey with Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, February 19, 2017, 2pm at the Orpheum Theatre. In an afternoon inspired by ingenuity, VAMSO's more than 100 musicians led by Music Director Leslie Dala will delve into Berlioz's wildly visionary world of fantasy, named "the most innovative symphony of the 19th century" (The Guardian). The concert will also premiere A Stitch in Time, Vancouver composer Benton Roark's latest creation.
"Berlioz was a radical as far as radicals go among early-romantic era composers," says Joseph Elworthy, Executive Director of the Vancouver Academy of Music. "Born only thirty years after Beethoven, the ideas Berlioz developed in
Symphonie Fantastique were centuries ahead, setting precedent for masters such as Chopin and Liszt. In his time period, Benton Roark has established himself as a cutting-edge musical creator, and we are thrilled to commission his brand new work echoing the imagination and enchantment of Berlioz."
The French composer
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) wrote the semi-autobiographical
Symphonie Fantastique for Harriet Smithson, an Irish actress with whom he was enamored and eventually married. Berlioz's frantic passion is vivid in
Symphonie Fantastique's vibrant harmonic coloration and dizzying dramatic phrases, putting listeners into a musical delirium
Leonard Bernstein famously described as "psychedelic". During
Symphonie Fantastique's five movements
, this lover's obsession escalates in a recurring melodic motif, which Berlioz calls the "idée fixe". Presenting this motif each time in a different form, Berlioz broke from tradition and paved the way for a new style, solidifying himself as a trailblazer of his time.
A pioneering artist in his own right, Benton Roark was nominated the 2016 Western Canadian Music Award's 'Composer of the Year' for
Songs from the Rainshadow's Edge, a five-part work combining voice, flute, bass, electric guitar and narration. Roark is not only inventive in writing music, but also in musical design; he recently constructed a microtonal instrument he calls the "Lumiphone", a nine-foot glass marimba with 31 notes per octave.
A Stitch in Time, which the U.S. born Roark describes as a "tone poem" will have its world premiere at the VAMSO concert. The work draws from Italo Calvino's novel,
Invisible Cities, set in a mythic city whose fate is woven by a godly loom. Much like Berlioz's
Symphonie, Roark's composition evokes an ethereal, myriad of visions, shifting from dark and foreboding, to luminous and grandiose, and sweeping up the listener in a stirring dreamscape.
In addition to the program's exhilarating performances, as part of VAMSO's spring concert tradition, this event will feature a solo by the 40thannual Kay Meek Competition winner Caitlin Wong. Born and raised in Vancouver, the young, multi-award winning violinist will shine in her own prodigious interpretation of
Sergei Prokofiev's
Violin Concerto No. 2.
About Vancouver Academy of Music (vam.ca):
Founded in 1969, the Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM) is a non-profit institution that has been spreading a love of learning and musical excellence for generations of aspiring musicians. Located minutes away from downtown, VAM's spacious facility features teaching studios, expansive classrooms, a library, and two recital halls - all set against the scenic backdrop of Vanier Park.
VAM's fundamental purpose is to explore the transformative power of music through fostering an inclusive learning environment led by a team of devoted faculty with strong professional backgrounds. From Early Childhood Education to adult learning, VAM delivers world-class music education to students of all ages and abilities.
In addition to private lessons and class instruction, VAM students engage with world-renowned visiting artists in master classes, cooperate with other national and international music education organizations, and participate in numerous performances and competitions. VAM's Orchestral Training Program is home to four levels of orchestra, which culminates in the Orpheum Series - four concerts that spotlight the VAM Symphony Orchestra in one of Vancouver's most iconic cultural venues, the Orpheum Theatre.
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