MUTABILITY – Elizabeth Raum – Alexander Panizza

Composed by Elizabeth Raum; Performed by Alexander Panizza, piano Video and audio recording and editing by Alexander Panizza. Post-Porduction video editing by Eero Daniel-Raum

Programme notes from the composer: Jane Gordon, the lady for whom Mutability was written, commissioned this piece as a present to herself for her 60th birthday. The reason for the commission is best described in her own words. The following is a letter I received from Jane on July 2, 2002: “In my non-musical life I am a professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Although I had piano lessons as a child, I gave it up as soon as I could. However, I kept the piano and the books and at age 55 (after I’d finished years of paying for my children’s lessons, from the cultural to the athletic) I decided it was my turn and I started piano again. In my scholarly work, I have spent most of my academic career looking at issues around women’s lives, particularly the paid and unpaid work women do, in the academy and in the home and my research is tied to my teaching areas, primarily the family and work. …as a tie in with my academic interests, I began to learn what I could by Canadian women composers. Last year, as part of the Mount’s celebration of International Women’s Week, I arranged a short performance and lecture called “Canadian Women of Note”. In my recent Grade 7 exam I did (from the old Royal Conservatory syllabus) a study by Nancy Telfer and “Sparks” by Barbara Pentland. In my observation, the experience of women composers parallels that of women in other professional areas: less visible, less valued. I try to use my music (and I am really just an intermediate level student) to share the work of contemporary Canadian women composers, though most of the ‘sharing’ is recitals organized by my teacher and university based opportunities, such as the community hobby and talent show.” Before I began working on this piece for Jane, I found myself drawn to a book of poems by Shelley and upon opening it, the first poem that caught my eye was Mutability. This poem became the inspiration for Jane’s new work for piano.

MUTABILITY — by Percy Bysshe Shelley

We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon;

How restlessly they speed, and gleam, and quiver,

Streaking the darkness radiantly! -yet soon

Night closes round, and they are lost for ever:

Or like forgotten lyres, whose dissonant strings

Give various response to each varying blast,

To whose frail frame no second motion brings

One mood or modulation like the last.

We rest. A dream has power to poison sleep;

We rise. One wandering thought pollutes the day;

We feel, conceive or reason, laugh or weep;

Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away:

It is the same! For, be it joy or sorrow,

The path of its departure still is free:

Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow;

Nought may endure but Mutablilty.

For more information on the composer, Elizabeth Raum: https://elizabethraum.com/.

For more information on the pianist, Alexander Panizza: http://alexanderpanizza.com/.

INTERMEZZO No. 1 – Anne Lauber – Maximos Farmakidis with Dimitra Maragnozis –

INTERMEZZO No. 1 from Three Intermezzos for Double Bass and Piano; composed by Anne Lauber; Performed by Maximos Farmakidis (Double Bass) and Dimitra Marangozis (Piano).

About the composer: ANNE LAUBER was born in Switzerland and lives in Québec, Canada. As a conductor she is often invited to conduct her own works. She received numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Québec Ministry of Culture, CBC Radio Canada, etc.. Her son Tristan Lauber is a successful concert pianist and piano teacher. *

** D’origine Suisse, ANNE LAUBER habite au Québec, Canada. En tant que compositeur et chef d’orchestre, elle est souvent invitée à diriger ses propres oeuvres. Elle a reçu de nombreuses subventions du Conseil des Arts du Canada, du Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Québec, et de la société Radio Canada . Son fils Tristan Lauber est un excellent pianiste de concert et professeur de piano. [by/par http://www.tristanlauber.com] Learn more about Anne Lauber: https://www.annelauber.com/.

THE CHRISTMAS SONG – Performed by Dr. Lisa Tahara

Composed by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé; Performed by Dr. Lisa Tahara, piano; Arrangement by Phillip Keveren.

“The Christmas Song” (commonly subtitled “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” or, as it was originally subtitled, “Merry Christmas to You”) is a classic Christmas song written in 1945. [Source: Wikipedia] As the world once again grapples with the pandemic, and the Omicron variant puts the breaks on people’s lives and plans, the SPO is blessed to have so many talented musicians and ensembles keeping great music in people’s lives. Many thanks to Dr. Tahara for providing our audience and friends with this wonderful performance and video of a Holiday classic.

To learn more about The Christmas Song, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chr…

To learn more about Dr. Lisa Tahara, visit her website: https://lisatahara.com/

Trio for 2 Clarinets and Bassoon, Op. 54 – Swan Hennessy – Royer/Newman/Royer 

Composed by Swan Hennessy; Performed by Kaye Royer, clarinet / Barbara Newman, clarinet / Ronald Royer, cello Video and audio edited and produced by Devin Scott.

In this performance, the Bassoon part is played by celloist and SPO Music Director, Mr. Ronald Royer. Edward Swan Hennessy (24 November 1866 – 26 October 1929) was an Irish-American composer and pianist who lived much of his life in Paris. In his pre-War piano music, he excelled as a miniaturist in descriptive, programmatic music. After joining a group of Breton composers, he developed a reputation as a “Celtic” composer, drawing on his Irish heritage, writing in a style that was unique in a French as well as an Irish context. Even though he has been almost forgotten after 1950, his music was applauded by contemporary French music critics including Henri Collet, Louis Vuillemin, Émile Vuillermoz and Lucien Chevaillier. In some works, he used jazz elements and took inspiration from funfairs and industrial noise, anticipating trends associated with the group of “Les Six”. [Source: Wikipedia]

To learn more about the composer, Swan Hennessy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_He…

VEDRO CON MIO DILETTO from Il Guistino – Antonio Vivaldi – Odin Quartet

Composed by Antonio Vivaldi; Performed by Odin Quartet (Alex Toskov, violin / Tanya Charles Iveniuk, violin / Esme Allen-Creighton*, viola / Samuel Bisson, cello) with Angela Gibbon, soprano / Ronald Greidanus, harpsichord

Recorded at Forest Grove United Church in Toronto August 2021 Audio engineer/sound editing by Marty Smyth and Kye Andrews Special thanks to the sponsor: Shining Waters Regional Council https://shiningwatersregionalcouncil.ca/

Learn more about the Odin Quartet: http://www.odinquartet.com

MILONGA EN RE – Astor Piazzolla – Maximos Farmakidis with Dr. Cecilia Lee

Astor Piazzolla, composer; Performed by Maximos Farmakidis, flute, and Dr. Cecilia Lee, piano. —————-

A message from Maximos: I am a contrabassist. When I work on a new solo piece on my contrabass, at the same time I like to study the piece on my flute. This gives me a multidimensional understanding of the music. The objective is to perform and to record the music on the contrabass, but this time I did it differently, I made a home recording on the flute instead. (A distance recording with the piano). —————-

Learn more about Astor Piazzolla here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astor_P… Check out more performances from Maximos on his YouTube channel:    • Koussevitzky conc…  

TIME TO TANGO – LA PALOMA – Sebastián Iradier – Odin Quartet 

Composer: Sebastián Iradier; Performed by Odin Quartet (Alex Toskov, violin; Tanya Charles Iveniuk, violin; Laurence Schaufele*, viola; Samuel Bisson, cello)

The “Time To Tango” video series was created and performed by the Odin Quartet earlier in 2021. This series was produced in conjuction with our SPO Community Partners, the Brantford Symphony Orchestra, and presented digitally at senior living centres in Brantford. The SPO appreciates being able to share these fantastic performances as part of our new 2021/2022 SPOGreatMusic Performance Series.

To learn more about the composer, Sebastián Iradier, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebasti….

For more information on the Odin Quartet, visit http://www.odinquartet.com.

TIME TO TANGO – TANGO – Kevin Pang

Composer: Kevin Pang; Performed by Odin Quartet (Alex Toskov, violin; Tanya Charles Iveniuk, violin; Laurence Schaufele*, viola; Samuel Bisson, cello)

The “Time To Tango” video series was created and performed by the Odin Quartet earlier in 2021. This series was produced in conjuction with our SPO Community Partners, the Brantford Symphony Orchestra, and presented digitally at senior living centres in Brantford. This piece was originally created, with its World Premiere, as part of the “Lockdown Lullabies” with concerts conducted in Toronto. The SPO appreciates being able to share these fantastic performances as part of our new 2021/2022 SPOGreatMusic Performance Series. T

o hear more from the composer, Kevin Pang, visit    / @kevinpang_music  .