Viva Italia!

The SSO welcomes guest conductor Brian Jackson, Pops Conductor of Orchestra London Canada, the Victoria Symphony and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. This tribute to great Italian operas and composers features soprano, Miriam Khalil, who will sweep you away with stirring and passionate arias. Also on the program are lively performances of your favourite Rossini overtures.

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FEATURING:

Brian Jackson, Guest Conductor

Miriam Khalil, soprano

PROGRAMME:

Gioachino Rossini The Barber of Seville: Overture

Guiseppe Verdi La Traviata: Prelude to Act I

Selected Arias* featuring Miriam Khalil

Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo

Guiseppe Verdi La Forza Del Destino: Overture

—Intermission —

Gioachino Rossini La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie): Overture

Selected Arias* featuring Miriam Khalil

Gioachino Rossini William Tell: Overture

*to be announced from the stage

PROGRAM NOTES:

Overture to The Barber of Seville, by Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) The eminent music historian Richard Taruskin has written that Rossini could be compared to Mozart in the seemingly effortless way he tossed off one masterpiece after another. A case in point is The Barber of Seville, a pinnacle of the comic opera repertoire that Rossini wrote in fifteen days in Rome in November 1815. A Rossini hallmark is the celebrated “Rossini crescendo,” which he used to striking effect in all of his overtures. Over a pulsing beat, the tonic (I) and dominant (V) chords seesaw amidst a gradual, inexorable crescendo to a blazing orchestral fanfare.

La Traviata (The Fallen Woman) by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Along with Rigoletto and Il Trovatore, La Traviata is one of Verdi’s great operas of the 1850s. Based on a play by Alexandre Dumas, the story portrays Violetta, a courtesan, who sacrifices her love for her beloved Alfredo at his father’s request. Since the young man does not know the cause of their estrangement, he imagines her to be merely fickle. Final reconciliation only comes as Violetta lies dying, when all is explained.

Overture to La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) by Verdi Composed in 1869, this Overture is regarded as Verdi’s finest. The symphonic treatment of the Fate motive heard at the end of Act I, as well as themes heard later in the work, powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the opera.

La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) by Rossini Composed in 1817, this two-act melodrama is remembered today especially for its Overture. Rossini was one of the master orchestrators of the nineteenth century. He was noted in particular for his scoring for woodwinds and percussion. This Overture features the innovative use of snare drum.

Overture to William Tell by Rossini The thirty-eight-year-old Rossini retired as an operatic composer after completing the vast historical epic, William Tell, which premiered in Paris in 1829. The Overture, written in Parisian style, opens with cellos and basses depicting sunrise in the mountains. The fury of a gathering Alpine storm is the subject of the second section, which subsides to an Andante with the shepherds’ thanksgiving. The trumpet announces the approach of Swiss soldiers who go on the march (the famous “Lone Ranger” theme).

About the guest artist:

Brian Jackson holds a Master of Arts in Music Theory, History and Composition from Oxford University. He began his conducting career after immigrating to Canada in 1968, becoming the country’s youngest Music Director when he led the Peterborough Symphony. Maestro Jackson has since been Music Director of the International Symphony, the Kingston Symphony and Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor to Orchestra London Canada.

Jackson is currently the Principal Pops Conductor for Orchestra London Canada, the Victoria Symphony and the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony. An expert in choral music, he has been Music Director of the Victoria and Kingston Choral Societies. London Pro Musica won the CBC Choir of the Year Award under his leadership. Jackson also conducts opera, ballet, educational and young peoples’ concerts. He has taught at Lakefield College School and lectured at Trent, Western, Concordia, McGill and Queen’s Universities. He is the only Canadian conductor who plays and directs concertos from the keyboard.

Lebanese-Canadian soprano Miriam Khalil is described as being “a lush lyric with spinto overtones” (Opera Canada) and “on the road to future greatness” (Classical 96.3 FM). A previous member of the prestigious Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, she sang such roles as Leah in James Rolfe’s world premier of Swoon. Miss Khalil is also esteemed for her Concert and Oratorio work. Her most recent credits include: Ravel’s Shéhérazade, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s Christ Lag in Todesbanden, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem as well as Pergolesi’s and Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater.

A graduate of The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Miriam holds an Artist Diploma in Voice, and a Bachelor’s Degree in vocal performance from the University of Ottawa. In 2007 she won first place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions for the Great Lakes Region. While at The Glenn Gould School she was winner of the Concerto Competition, the Tom Thomas Competition, and was also a winner in the Christina and Louis Quilico Competition.

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