Wind Symphony: Metamorphosis **NEW VENUE**

“METAMORPHOSIS” – CONCERT program

Capriol Suite

Peter Warlock (1894–1930)

arr. Walter Beeler

I. Basse-Danse
II. Pavane
III. Tordion
IV. Bransles
V. Pieds-en-l’air
VI. Mattachins

Ararat: Rhapsody for the Armenian Diaspora

Michael Kerbeykian-Mikulka (b. 1985)

Sar Kamler, duduk

Concertino for Xylophone

Toshiro Mayuzumi (1929–1997)

arr. André Reichling

I. Allegro
II. Adagietto
III. Presto

Amiel Ang, xylophone–Winner of the 2024 Winds Concerto Competition  

Intermission

Sleep, My Child (from Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings)

Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)

tr. Jeffrey Gershman

Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)

tr. Fraser Linklater

I. Allegro
II. Scherzo (Turandot)
III. Andantino
IV. March

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONCERT OFFICE
Eric Chow, supervisor

PERFORMANCE COLLECTION
Karen Wiseman, librarian; Nicole Magirias, student library assistant

PERFORMANCE OFFICE
Eddy Aitken, administrator; Amanda Eyer Haberman, performance assistant; Ilinca Stafie, performance staff

TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Randall Chaves Camacho, percussion; Michael Fedyshyn, trumpet; Sophie Lanthier, flute; Emerald Sun, clarinet

YORK UNIVERSITY PERFORMANCE FACILITIES
Ian Albright, manager; Kimberly Guidolin, events administrator; Victor Wolters, coordinator, technical services; Angela Kegel, technical services assistant

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO WIND SYMPHONY 

Pratik Gandhi, conductor

Flute
Ethan Allaire
Sophia Guo
Isabella Ignacio
Naomi Anne Lobo
Kathleen Murphy
Elaine Wang
Lily Zheng

Piccolo
Isabella Ignacio
Kathleen Murphy

Oboe
Iulia Jauca
Aidan Taylor †

English Horn
Aidan Taylor †

Bassoon
Rachel Chen
Kira Greenlees

Contrabassoon
Taran Massey-Singh †

Clarinet
Crystal Chong
Felicity Quadrini
Sophia Stellato *
Tom Tsang
Emmanuel Wong
Cassie Nielsen †
Jessica Tse †

Bass Clarinet
Crystal Chong
Angela Lin

Contrabass Clarinet
Angela Lin

Soprano Saxophone
Aidan Wong

Alto Saxophone
Emmalin Pan
Chun Wang
Aidan Wong
Hei Nam Yeung

Tenor Saxophone
Nicole Carson
Dylan Windsor

Baritone Saxophone
Lovepreet Swaich

Trumpet
Rachel Aziz
Divya Dhoum
Youngdo Kim
Teresa Osko
Sunny Park
Tony Ruan
Charlie Steggles
Robyn Tamburro

Horn
Leander Delos Santos
Grace Song
Jessica Lin †
Ilinca Stafie †

Trombone
Aryn Davies
Shaela Lundy
Nathan Smitiuch
Zaynab Tahir *

Bass Trombone
Rebecca Plante

Euphonium
Cassandra Sydoruk
Jonathan Wang

Tuba
Harrison Greenaway
Timmy Wang
Brooklynn Williams

Double Bass
Marcus Chan †

Percussion
Alex Bhadra
Jon Bilek
Luca Jovanov
Matthew Medina
Randall Chaves
Camacho †
Yi-Hsuan Lo †

* ensemble managers

† guest musicians

PROGRAM NOTES

Capriol Suite

British composer Peter Warlock originally composed the Capriol Suite for string orchestra, based on six contrasting dances in a Renaissance style. Each of the six movements is inspired by music from Orchésographie, a manual of Renaissance dances by the French priest Jehan Tabourot, who worked under the pseudonym Thoinot Arbeau. The essence of Warlock’s Capriol Suite is new and innovative; his treatment of the dances is quite free and bears little resemblance to the tunes in their original form. Because of this, the work is widely considered more of an original composition than an arrangement of existing material. Each of the dances is presented in the order in which they appear in Arbeau’s manual, with the exception of the “Bransles” movement, which includes portions of several different tunes. Each movement's title reflects the specific dance being portrayed: for example, "Mattachins" refers to the sword dance, and "Bransles" is a collection of country dances. The fifth and perhaps most famous movement, "Pieds-en-l’air", derives its name from the instruction given to the dancer rather than the style of the dance itself. Translated literally, pieds en l’air means “feet in the air,” instructing the dancer to glide across the floor as if their feet never touch the ground. Of particular note is Warlock’s occasional use of more adventurous harmonies. These discords, used very sparingly, not only exhibit Warlock’s unique stamp but also reveal these dances in a distinctly modern light.

Ararat

For this piece, composer Michael Kerbeykian-Mikulka took inspiration from the musical traditions that ethnic Armenians have built in the United States and other areas outside of the present boundaries of Armenia. The title Ararat refers to Mount Ararat, an ancient mountain peak located in present-day Turkey that serves as an enduring symbol of Armenia. The piece begins with a slow, lyrical, improvisatory solo called a taksim, which was written with the duduk in mind. The duduk is a traditional Armenian double reed instrument with ancient origins, commonly made from apricot wood. Throughout the piece, Kerbeykian-Mikulka incorporates traditional Armenian musical elements, as well as several Turkish makams (modal-melodic sets) common to Armenian music, such as Huseyni, Hicaz, Hicazkar, and Kurdi. Due primarily to the Hamidian Massacres of the 1890s and the Armenian Genocide of 1915-17, the majority of ethnic Armenians now live outside of Armenia and have settled around the world, with a large community in the United States. As a result, the piece also features a number of contemporary influences, particularly Kef music, a popular party music created by the Armenian diaspora in the U.S. that fuses traditional elements with aspects of jazz. In his own words, Kerbeykian-Mikulka hopes that “like [Mount] Ararat, even though this composition currently exists outside the boundaries of the country of Armenia, it will still be instantly identifiable to Armenians as something that is our own: full of fiery expressive passion, deep soulful mournfulness, and intensely energetic resilient joy.”

Concertino for Xylophone

Composer Toshiro Mayuzumi was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. Mayuzumi’s music is a fascinating blend of modernism, avant-garde experimentation, and diverse stylistic explorations, incorporating serialism and jazz while also drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese music and Buddhist chant. His curiosity led him to create musical works in a wide variety of musical styles, including musique concrète and electronic music. His Concertino, originally composed for xylophone and orchestra, is fiercely energetic and entertaining, showcasing an orchestral richness and dramatic intensity. This Concertino, written in three movements, blends Eastern and Western musical elements and demands a mastery of the xylophone. Mayuzumi’s Concertino is a virtuosic and techically challenging piece, taking audiences on a dazzling, colourful, and cinematic musical journey.

Sleep, My Child

Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is a graduate of The Juilliard School, and is best known for his choral pieces and imaginative writing. Sleep, My Child comes from Whitacre's work for musical theater, Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings. The story loosely follows John Milton’s novel Paradise Lost and depicts the last remaining tribe of angels marooned in a post-apocalyptic Paradise as children and now grown into young adulthood. Within their fortress, they have created a militant, martial society, always training for the next attack, always afraid. One angel, Exstasis, remains untouched by the brutal world in which she lives and dreams only of flying. The work is heavily inspired by and infused with the style of Japanese anime and manga, and is a powerful and visceral hybrid of musical theater, opera, electronica, film score and Asian drumming. Adapted for choir in 2009 and then transcribed for concert band in 2012, Sleep, My Child takes on the character of a lullaby, filled with overlapping voices and a sense of longing. The delicate, mysterious, yet tranquil melody played by the upper winds represents a sense of innocence and simplicity within a turbulent world and captivates audiences with its expressive and haunting character.

Symphonic Metamorphosis

The Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes of Carl Maria von Weber began life in early 1940, when Hindemith first took up residence in the United States after several years of public and private jousting with the Nazi government of his native Germany. Hindemith sketched a series of movements based on Weber's themes and produced a splashy, colorful orchestral piece, which went on to become one of his most celebrated works. Symphonic Metamorphosis begins with a machine-like ostinato, which precedes the introduction of the main theme in the upper woodwinds. Much of the first movement alternates between triumphant brass fanfares and contrapuntal writing for small groups of woodwind instruments, culminating with a bright and climactic A major chord. The second movement is based on themes introduced by the flute, clarinet, and piccolo in its opening call and response. After a brief percussion episode, the main theme passes between sections in seven complete statements. The second theme arrives and is based on the overture to Weber's Turandot, which is itself based on an “original Chinese song” used to conjure stereotypical imagery of the “exotic orient”. A second percussion episode leads to an abbreviated recapitulation in which the original theme is presented in a truncated form before resolving with a serene F major chord. Movement three begins with song-like woodwind solos accompanied by colorful, occasionally bird-like ensemble interjections. The music intensifies through the addition of new instruments and denser harmonies, leading to a reintroduction of the opening material enhanced by a virtuosic flute obbligato. The final movement, “March”, opens with trumpets and trombones playing a four-note declamatory fanfare, which Hindemith derived from the main theme of the movement, heard first in the woodwinds. In the trio, the horns introduce a second, more heroic theme. The two themes alternate throughout the movement, and the four-note fanfare returns to bring the work to a thrilling conclusion.

- program notes by Sophia Stellato

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES