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Carnegie Hall News
Back to Press Release List > 04/08/2008 - Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, 5/11/08
SOPRANO DAWN UPSHAW PERFORMS WITH THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
AND CONDUCTOR DOUGLAS BOYD, SUNDAY, MAY 11 AT 7:30 P.M. IN ZANKEL HALL
Program Includes the New York Premiere of
Osvaldo Golijov’s She Was Here—a Unique Arrangement of Schubert Songs—
As well as Music by Dvořák, Stravinsky, and Ravel
On Sunday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall presents The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra under the direction of conductor Douglas Boyd. Soprano Dawn Upshaw is featured as the soloist in the New York premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s new arrangements of Schubert songs, collectively entitled She Was Here. Ms. Upshaw is also soloist in Stravinsky’s Two Poems of Constantin Balmont and Three Japanese Lyrics as well as Ravel’s Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé. The Orchestra rounds out the program with Dvořák’s Serenade in D Minor for Winds, Op. 44; and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite.
For She Was Here, composer Osvaldo Golijov has taken his unique style and applied it to an arrangement of a set of four traditional German lieder by Franz Schubert: Wanderers Nachtlied, Lied der Mignon, Dass sie hier Gewesen, and Nacht und Träume. Schubert’s originals, which were composed for voice and piano, are considered to be finely crafted miniature masterpieces of Romantic lieder writing. The vocal lines of these lieder remain unchanged, while Mr. Golijov’s arrangements vary from the very faithful to those that take dramatic liberties with the accompaniment. She Was Here was commissioned by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and will receive its world premiere on April 24, 2008 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Ms. Upshaw and Mr. Golijov’s collaborations with Carnegie Hall include the song cycle Ayre, commissioned by Carnegie Hall, as well as the Osvaldo Golijov and Dawn Upshaw Workshop for young composers and singers, which took place in the 2006–2007 season. The workshop, a program of The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, will be presented again next season.
Soprano Dawn Upshaw has achieved worldwide celebrity as a singer of opera and concert repertoire ranging from the sacred works of Bach to the freshest sounds of today. Ms. Upshaw’s acclaimed performances on the opera stage include the great Mozart roles (Pamina, Ilia, Susanna, Despina) as well as modern works by Stravinsky, Poulenc, and Messiaen. From Salzburg, Paris, and Glyndebourne to the Metropolitan Opera—where she began her career in 1984 and has since made nearly 300 appearances—Ms. Upshaw has also championed numerous new works created for her, including John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby; L'Amour de Loin by Kaija Saariaho; John Adams's nativity oratorio El Niño; and Osvaldo Golijov's chamber opera Ainadamar and song cycle Ayre. Over the course of the 2007–2008 season Ms. Upshaw reprises her celebrated portrayal of Margarita Xirgu in Golijov's Ainadamar with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Opera Boston, and at the Barbican Centre. She tours Ayre in North America, and appears at the Kennedy Center in recital with pianist Gilbert Kalish and at London's South Bank Centre with Richard Goode. This season also marks the beginning of a three-year association as Artistic Partner with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Ms. Upshaw’s most recent release on the Deutsche Grammophon label, "Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra," is the third in a series of acclaimed recordings of Osvaldo Golijov's music.
The 2007–2008 season marked the beginning of conductor Douglas Boyd’s second three-year term as Artistic Partner of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, with which he performs, records, and tours regularly. He is also in his seventh season as Music Director of the Manchester Camerata, and his North American conducting highlights include appearances with the Baltimore, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Seattle, and Toronto Symphonies as well as the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Mr. Boyd was recently appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Colorado Symphony and also holds this title with the City of London Sinfonia. Born in Scotland, Mr. Boyd was a founding member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and until 2002 served as its principal oboist. His recording of the Bach Concerti for Deutsche Grammophon marked his recording debut as conductor/soloist, and in 1996 he began developing a conducting career concurrent with his solo appearances.
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra—beginning its 50th anniversary season in September 2008—is the nation’s only full-time professional chamber orchestra and is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners—Dawn Upshaw, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Roberto Abbado, Douglas Boyd, and Nicholas McGegan—the 35 virtuoso musicians present more than 150 concerts and educational programs each year, and are regularly heard on public radio’s Performance Today and Symphony Cast. The Orchestra has released 67 recordings, commissioned 114 new works, and premiered 53 additional compositions, earning the distinction of 12 ASCAP awards for adventurous programming. Renowned for its artistic excellence and remarkable versatility of musical styles, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra tours nationally and internationally, including performances in premier venues throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. Launched in 1995, the Orchestra’s award-winning CONNECT education program reaches 6,000 students annually in 15 Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools.
Program Information
Sunday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Zankel Hall
THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Douglas Boyd, Conductor
Dawn Upshaw, Soprano
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Serenade in D Minor for Winds, Op. 44
IGOR STRAVINSKY Two Poems of Constantin Balmont
IGOR STRAVINSKY Three Japanese Lyrics
MAURICE RAVEL Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
FRANZ SCHUBERT / OSVALDO GOLIJOV She Was Here (New York Premiere)
Wanderers Nachtlied
Lied der Mignon
Dass sie hier Gewesen
Nacht und Träume
IGOR STRAVINSKY Pulcinella Suite (1949 revision)
Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
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Ticket Information
Tickets, priced at $48 and $54, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street. They may also be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, www.carnegiehall.org.
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