Camerata Pacifica Concludes 2017-18 Season With Debussy, Satie, Richards, Ravel And Mahler

Camerata Pacifica's May program opens with Debussy's "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune," the composer's lush depiction of French poet Stéphane Mallarmé's erotic, hedonistic dreamscape in which a mythical young faun is consumed by his vain attempts to seduce two nymphs.

And so begins this mostly-French journey featuring winds, strings, harp, piano, harmonium and percussion deployed in the sensuous harmonic and color combinations of fin de siècle Paris.

The first half of the program continues with Erik Satie's "Gnossiennes Nos. 1-3" for solo piano; Hora de la Cerc, a septet by young Englishwoman Emma-Ruth Richards; and, for baritone and piano, Ravel's "Don Quichotte à Dulcinée," a song cycle based on the story of Don Quixote.

Satie's Gnossiennes 1-3 are early works written in free time, and experimental with form, rhythm and chordal structure. Satie actually coined the word gnossienne to acknowledge a new type of composition. "Hora de la Circ," Richards notes, "is closely developed with elements of an anonymous Romanian folk song, Hora Spoitorilor. There are several examples where the folk song appears in full...but it is mainly the grace note idea of the folk theme that serves as a signpost within the complex and busy framework..." Ravel's set of three songs was the last piece the composer completed before his death. Ravel based each movement on a Basque, or Spanish dance, corresponding with three roles taken up by Quixote: lover, soldier, and drinking comrade.

Ravel's Introduction and Allegro, which beautifully showcases the harp's expressive range, opens the second part of the program, followed by Mahler's "Songs of a Wayfarer," which features the richly burnished voice of baritone Andrew Garland. A victim of unrequited love, a heartbroken Mahler wrote to a friend, "The songs are conceived as if a wayfaring craftsman has suffered a heavy fate and now goes out into the world and wanders aimlessly."

Arnold Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances (Verein für musikalische Privataufführungen), was founded in Vienna in 1918 with the intention of making performances of newly composed music available to interested members of the musical public. Surviving only 3 seasons it gave 353 performances and has provided the arrangements for this program's opening and closing works.

Performances take place Thursday, May 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Colburn School's Zipper Hall in Los Angeles; Friday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Hahn Hall in Santa Barbara; Sunday, May 13 at 3:00 p.m. at the Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Pavilion at the Museum of Ventura County in Ventura; and Tuesday, May 15th at 7:30 p.m. at The Huntington Library in San Marino. Single tickets ($50 - $56) can be ordered online at http://cameratapacifica.org/season-tickets/order-tickets or by calling 805-884-8410.

Camerata Pacifica

Andrew Garland, baritone

Molly Morkoski, piano

Egle Januleviciute, keyboard

Bridget Kibbey, principal harp

Kristin Lee, The Bernard Gondos Chair in Violin

Paul Huang, The Bob Christensen Chair in Violin

Ji Hye Jung, principal percussion

Jose Franch-Ballester, principal clarinet

Timothy Eckert, principal double bass

Nicholas Daniel, principal oboe

Ani Aznavoorian, Principal Cello

Richard Yongjae O'Neill, principal viola

Adrian Spence, Artistic Director & principal flute

For artist bios, please visit http://cameratapacifica.org/about/the-ensemble/

DEBUSSY: "L'après-midi d'un faune"

SATIE: Gnossiennes Nos. 1-3

RICHARDS: Hora de la Circ

RAVEL: "Don Quichotte à Dulcinée"

RAVEL: Introduction and Allegro

MAHLER: "Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen" (Songs of a Wayfarer)

Thursday, May 10, 8:00 p.m.

Los Angeles

Zipper Hall

200 South Grand Avenue, (the Colburn School)

Friday, May 11, 7:30 p.m.

Santa Barbara

Hahn Hall

1070 Fairway Road, (located on the grounds of the Music Academy of the West)

Sunday, May 13, 3:00 p.m.

Ventura

Martin V. and Martha K. Smith Pavilion at the Museum of Ventura County

100 East Main Street

Tuesday, May 15, 7:30 p.m.

San Marino

The Huntington Library

1151 Oxford Road

Founded in 1990, Camerata Pacifica is dedicated to engaging audiences intellectually and emotionally by presenting the finest performances of familiar and lesser-known masterworks in venues that emphasize intimacy and a personal connection with the music and musicians. For more information, call 805-884-8410 or visit www.cameratapacifica.org.

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Lisa BellamoreCrescent Communicationslbellamore@gmail.com323-500-3071

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