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U p c o m i n g E v e n t s
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Sunday,
2 March, 2008
at 4:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
230 West Rusk, Tyler, Texas 75701, Tel. 903.597.6317
Henry Purcell - Dido and Aeneas
Franz Schubert - Mass in G, D. 167
The musicians: Gyros
String Quartet with bassist Chris Pike
Admission is free
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A r c h i v e
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Friday,
4 May, 2007
at 7:30 pm
St. Andrew United Methodist
Church (click here
for map)
5801 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093, Tel. 972-380-8001
Vesselin
Demirev – first violinist of the Gyros String Quartet,
and Tommaso Cogato, piano
Works by:
Bach, Mozart, Chausson, Cherkin, Sarasate, Piazzolla
Audio Samples:
G. Zlatev-Cherkin - Sevdana
- Mp3
Albinoni -
Adagio in G-Minor - Mp3
Video samples:
Albinoni - Adagio in G-Minor -
WMV
Admission is free
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Palm Sunday,
1 April, 2007
at 6:00 pm
Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe (click
here
for map)
2215 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201, Tel. 214-871-1362
Franz Joseph Haydn - The
Seven Last Words of Christ, Op. 51 (Hob. III:50-56)
(North American premiere of the new
version for string quintet)
The musicians: Gyros
String Quartet * with bassist Chris Pike
SAMPLES:
Introduzione - Mp3
(recorded at the first rehearsal)
Sonata
No. 1 - Pater, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt, quid faciunt - Mp3
(recorded at the second rehearsal)
Sonata
No. 2 - Hodie mecum eris in paradiso -
Mp3
(recorded at the first rehearsal, mistakes and all)
Sonata No. 3 - Mulier, ecce filius tuus - Mp3
(this and the following were recorded at the concert at Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe,
Palm Sunday, 1 April,
2007)
Sonata No. 4 - Deus meus, Deus meus, utquid dereliquisti me? -
Mp3
Sonata No. 5 - Sitio - Mp3
Sonata No. 6 - Consumatum est - Mp3
Sonata No. 7 - In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum
meum - Mp3
Il Terremoto - Mp3
(The Earthquake)
You can also see video
clips of
the performance (Sonata No. 2, 3, 7 and Il terremoto) here.
Admission is free
* Vesselin Demirev, Kurt Sprenger, violins,
Norbert Gerl, viola, Mitch Maxwell, violoncello
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Program Notes:
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  Joseph
Haydn (1732 - 1809)
The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross
In 1785 or '86
Haydn, a devout Catholic, received a commission from the cathedral in
Cádiz. He was asked to provide descriptive orchestral interludes between the spoken parts of the service in the great Spanish Baroque church during Holy Week, presumably on Good Friday. In 1787, the year in which it was first performed, he transcribed the work for string quartet to give it wider currency, and eventually, in 1795-96, he made a choral version which was published in 1801. In the preface to that score, Haydn wrote:
“Some fifteen years ago I was requested by a canon of Cádiz to compose instrumental music on the seven last words of Our Savior on the Cross. It was customary at the Cathedral of Cádiz to produce an oratorio every year during Lent, the effect of the performance being not a little enhanced by the following circumstances. The walls, windows, and pillars of the church were hung with black cloth, and only one large lamp hanging from the center of the roof broke the solemn darkness. At midday, the doors were closed and the ceremony began. After a short service the bishop ascended the pulpit, pronounced the first of the seven words (or sentences) and delivered a discourse thereon. This ended, he left the pulpit and fell to his knees before the altar. The interval was filled by music. The bishop then in like manner pronounced the second word, then the third, and so on, the orchestra following on the conclusion of each discourse. My composition was subject to these conditions, and it was no easy task to compose seven adagios lasting ten minutes each, and to succeed one another without fatiguing the listeners.”
This masterpiece was conceived in a spirit of profound religious conviction. Despite its length and emotional urgency, it is a model of simplicity and sophistication. Above all, Haydn wanted it to be accessible to everybody, regardless of one’s musical or religious background. He wrote: “Each sonata, or movement, is expressed by purely instrumental music in such a way that even the most uninitiated listener will be moved to the very depths of his soul.”
In the hands of a mere four string players, this music cannot achieve the volume and tonal diversity of a symphony orchestra or choir. Nevertheless in the four-voice setting, with only one instrument on a part, it is imbued with a heightened intimacy which larger ensembles cannot possibly match. This music’s emotional and psychological impact is best conveyed through the most subtle variations of timbre, voicing, rhythm, and tempo – techniques ideally suited to a string quartet. Therefore this simplest of all versions may indeed be the most affecting. No less compelling than its more grandiose cousins, it is inherently more personal.
Haydn considered this to be one of his greatest works. But to hear the music by itself, however powerfully it stands alone, is to experience it in only part of its glory. Reunited with the words that served as its inspiration, it takes on a spiritual dimension rarely found in even the most profound compositions. Though its message is decidedly Christian, it transcends the focus of any particular faith. This is music which cuts across religious and social lines and speaks sincerely, eloquently, and passionately to everyone, via the common denominator that exists in the soul of all humanity.
The diverse versions of
"The Seven Words" have each had their lobby amongst Haydn
scholars who have long-debated the merits of the original orchestral
score versus the vocal arrangement, the string quartet and the piano
arrangement. Today the string quartet - first performed in Vienna on St
Cecilia's Day 1787 - is the version heard most often. It is also
interesting to notice that the work was already being performed in America
in 1793.
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Christmas
Eve, 24 December, 2006
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
(click here
for map)
5923 Royal Lane, Dallas, TX 75230, Tel: 214-368-6304
Christmas Eve Music, 10 pm - with the Gyros String Quartet
*
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 10:30 pm
* Vesselin Demirev, Kurt Sprenger, violins,
Norbert Gerl, viola, Mitch Maxwell, violoncello
Sample:
During Communion: Haydn
- Adagio from String Quartet op. 54, No. 2
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 In March there are three
concerts to choose from. Two feature the “Stabat Mater” by
Pergolesi, and the third, Haydn’s “Seven Last Words of our Saviour on
the Cross”. General information and program notes follow below:
Sunday, 13 March, 2005
at 7:00 pm
Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe (click
here
for map)
2215 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201, Tel. 214-871-1362
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi -
Stabat Mater
(for Soprano, Alto, strings and Basso continuo)
The musicians: Gyros
String Quartet * with bassist Chris Pike, and Brian Bentley,
organ
Soprano - Lucy Creech
Mezzo Soprano - Natalie Arduino
Admission is free
* Vesselin Demirev, Kurt Sprenger, violins,
Norbert Gerl, viola, Mitch Maxwell, violoncello
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Monday, 21 March, 2005
at 7:00 pm
Prince of Peace Catholic
Community (click here
for map)
5100 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093, Tel. 972-380-2100
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi -
Stabat Mater
(for Soprano, Alto, strings and Basso continuo)
The musicians: Gyros
String Quartet with bassist Chris Pike and Michael
Conrady, organ
Soprano - Camille King
Alto - Tanya Deiter
Admission is free
(For additional information, please contact Michael Conrady, Director of
Music and Liturgy at (972) 380-2100 or at
mconrady@popplano.org)
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Maundy
Thursday, 24 March, 2005
at 7:00 pm
Lovers Lane United Methodist
Church (click here
for map)
9200 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75220
Franz Joseph Haydn - The
Seven Last Words of Christ, Op. 51 (Hob. III:50-56)
(Arranged for String Quartet by the Composer)
First performance of the new and completely revised Urtext
Edition
Admission is free
(For additional information, please contact Constantina Tsolainou, Director of
Music at 214-706-9594 or at ctsolainou@llumc.org)
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Samples:
recorded live at Prince of Peace, Plano, Texas, 4 April, 2004
1. Introduzione (unfortunately
didn’t get recorded)
2. Sonata I - mp3
3. Sonata II - mp3
4. Sonata III - mp3
5. Sonata IV - mp3
6. Sonata V - mp3
7. Sonata VI - mp3
8. Sonata VII - mp3
9. Finale - mp3
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Program Notes:
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 Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710 - 1736)
Stabat Mater
1. Duet Grave
2. Aria (soprano) Andante amoroso
3. Duet Larghetto
4. Aria (contralto) Allegro
5. Duet Largo - Allegro
6. Aria (soprano) Tempo giusto
7. Aria (contralto) Andantino
8. Duet Allegro
9. Duet Tempo giusto
10. Aria (contralto) Largo
11. Duet Allegro
12. Duet Largo - presto
Death has cut short many composing careers, but to few has it come so cruelly soon as to Pergolesi. He was born and lived near Naples in Italy, in an age when Italy was a patchwork of small states. There was a thriving musical life in Naples at the time, and he entered the conservatory there in 1725. He worked for various patrons in the area, and spent the last two years of his life serving the Duke of Maddaloni. His productive career began at the age of twenty, and by twenty-six he was dead from tuberculosis.
Stabat Mater is a sequence of Latin verses composed by Jacobus de Benedictis in the 13th century, in commemoration of the sorrows of the Virgin Mary. There is a famous setting by Alessandro Scarlatti, another Neapolitan composer, written for womens' voices and strings in about 1700. It is believed that the Duke of Maddaloni commissioned Pergolesi's setting of the Stabat Mater, for the same forces, as a replacement for the Scarlatti work, which was becoming a little old fashioned for contemporary taste.
The work was a sensational success, as attested by the number of printed editions that appeared in rapid succession during the eighteenth century, and the number of manuscript copies still in existence in libraries around the world.
Pergolesi's Stabat Mater is innovative in the field of sacred music in the way it offers a very personal response to the religious experience. The setting is very beautiful, with much use of suspensions - blending one chord into another gradually, as opposed to clean harmony changes. This personal and emotional approach reached its climax in the great requiem of Giuseppi Verdi, 150 years later, and is quite alien to the austere North European approach of Buxtehude, Bach and others.
The words of the Stabat Mater are in two sections - the first part describes the anguish of Mary, standing at the foot of the cross on which her son was dying, while the latter part constitutes a prayer to the Virgin Mary. Pergolesi divides the work into twelve separate numbers.
1. Stabat Mater dolorosa, juxta crucem lacrimosa, dum pendebat Filius.
The sorrowing mother stands weeping, by the cross where her son hangs
2. Cujus animam gementem, contristatam et dolentem, pertransivit gladius.
A sword of shared sorrow and bitter anguish had pierced her heart
3. O quam tristis et afflicata, fuit illa benedicata, Mater Unigeniti.
O What sadness and affliction lay on the blessed Mother of the Lord
4. Quae moerebat et dolebat, Pia Mater, dum videbat nati poenas inclyti.
What grief and sorrow She suffered to see her glorious, dying son
5. Quis est homo qui non fleret, Christi Matrem si videret, in tanto supplicio?
Quis non posset contristari, Piam Matrem contemplari, dolentem cum Filio?
Pro peccatis Suae gentis, vidit Jesum in tormentis, et flagellis subditum.
Is there anyone who would not weep to see the Mother of Christ in such torment?
Is there anyone who could not share her pain?
She saw Jesus scourged and in torment for the sins of His people.
6. Vidit suum dulcem natum, morientem desolatum, dum emisit spiritum.
She saw her sweet son desolate and alone as his spirit passed away.
7. Eja Mater, fons amoris, me sentire vim doloris, fac, ut tecum lugeam.
O Mother, fount of love, touch my spirit with your feeling
8. Fac ut ardeat cor meum, in amando Christum Deum, ut sibi complaceam.
Make my heart glow with the love of Christ
9. Sancta Mater, istud agas, crucifixi fige plagas, cordi meo valide.
Tui Nati vulnerati, tam digati pro me patipoenas mecum divide.
Fac me vere tecum flere, crucifixo condolere, donec ego vixero.
Juxta crucem tecum stare, te libenter sociare, in plancu desidero.
Virgo virginum praeclara, mihi jam non sis amara, fac me tecum plangere.
Holy Mother, fix in my heart the wounds Christ suffered on the cross
Let me share His pain with You, He who loved me so
Let me share your tears, mourning Him who died for me
By the cross with You to weep and pray is all I ask
Greatest of all virgins, let me share your divine grief
10. Fac ut portem Christi mortem, passionis fac consortem. et plagas recolere.
Fac me plagis vulnerari, cruce hac inebriari, ob amorem Filii.
Let me remember Christ's suffering and death on the cross
And let my heart be warmed with the blood He shed for us
11. Inflammatus et accensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus, in die judicii.
Fac me cruce custodiri, morte Christi premuniri, confoveri gratia.
Defend me, O virgin, from the flames of the day of judgement
When Christ calls me to Him, be my defence and guide
12. Quando corpus morietur, fac ut animae donetur, paradisi gloria! Amen.
While my body dies, may my soul be with you in paradise! Amen
[Most English translations of the Stabat Mater are very flowery and wordy. The version given here is neither ornate nor absolutely literal, but is intended to convey the general meaning of the original.]
Notes by Peter
Brien
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Joseph
Haydn (1732 - 1809)
The Seven Last Words of our Saviour on the Cross
In 1785 or '86
Haydn, a devout Catholic, received a commission from the cathedral in Cádiz. He was asked to provide descriptive
orchestral interludes between the spoken parts of the service in the great Spanish Baroque church during Holy Week, presumably on Good Friday. In 1787, the year in which it was first performed, he transcribed the work for string quartet to give it wider currency, and eventually, in 1795-96, he made a choral version which was published in 1801. In the preface to that score, Haydn wrote:
“Some fifteen years ago I was requested by a canon of Cádiz to compose instrumental music on the seven last words of Our Savior on the Cross. It was customary at the Cathedral of Cádiz to produce an oratorio every year during Lent, the effect of the performance being not a little enhanced by the following circumstances. The walls, windows, and pillars of the church were hung with black cloth, and only one large lamp hanging from the center of the roof broke the solemn darkness. At midday, the doors were closed and the ceremony began. After a short service the bishop ascended the pulpit, pronounced the first of the seven words (or sentences) and delivered a discourse thereon. This ended, he left the pulpit and fell to his knees before the altar. The interval was filled by music. The bishop then in like manner pronounced the second word, then the third, and so on, the orchestra following on the conclusion of each discourse. My composition was subject to these conditions, and it was no easy task to compose seven adagios lasting ten minutes each, and to succeed one another without fatiguing the listeners.”
This masterpiece was conceived in a spirit of profound religious conviction. Despite its length and emotional urgency, it is a model of simplicity and sophistication. Above all, Haydn wanted it to be accessible to everybody, regardless of one’s musical or religious background. He wrote: “Each sonata, or movement, is expressed by purely instrumental music in such a way that even the most uninitiated listener will be moved to the very depths of his soul.”
In the hands of a mere four string players, this music cannot achieve the volume and tonal diversity of a symphony orchestra or choir. Nevertheless in the four-voice setting, with only one instrument on a part, it is imbued with a heightened intimacy which larger ensembles cannot possibly match. This music’s emotional and psychological impact is best conveyed through the most subtle variations of timbre, voicing, rhythm, and tempo – techniques ideally suited to a string quartet. Therefore this simplest of all versions may indeed be the most affecting. No less compelling than its more grandiose cousins, it is inherently more personal.
Haydn considered this to be one of his greatest works. But to hear the music by itself, however powerfully it stands alone, is to experience it in only part of its glory. Reunited with the words that served as its inspiration, it takes on a spiritual dimension rarely found in even the most profound compositions. Though its message is decidedly Christian, it transcends the focus of any particular faith. This is music which cuts across religious and social lines and speaks sincerely, eloquently, and passionately to everyone, via the common denominator that exists in the soul of all humanity.
The diverse versions of
"The Seven Words" have each had their lobby amongst Haydn
scholars who have long-debated the merits of the original orchestral
score versus the vocal arrangement, the string quartet and the piano
arrangement. Today the string quartet - first performed in Vienna on St
Cecilia's Day 1787 - is the version heard most often. It is also
interesting to notice that the work was already being performed in America
in 1793.
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Sunday, 17 October, 2004 at
7:30
pm
St. Pius X, 3030 Gus
Thomasson, Dallas, TX 75228
3rd Annual Memorial Concert for
Father O'Brien
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Concertino for Harp, String Quartet,
2 Clarinets and Bass Clarinet
Gabriel Pierné - Conzertstück for Harp and String Quartet
W. A. Mozart - Clarinet Quintet
and others TBA
Admission is free
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Sunday, 4 April, 2004 at 6:30
pm
Prince of Peace Catholic
Community, Plano (click here
for map)
Franz Joseph Haydn - The
Seven Last Words of Christ, Op. 51 (Hob. III:50-56)
(Arranged for String Quartet by the Composer)
Admission is free
(For additional information, please contact Michael Conrady, Director of
Music and Liturgy at (972) 380-2100 or at
mconrady@popplano.org)
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Samples:
recorded live at Prince of Peace, Plano, Texas, 4 April, 2004
1. Introduzione (unfortunately
didn’t get recorded)
2. Sonata I - mp3
3. Sonata II - mp3
4. Sonata III - mp3
5. Sonata IV - mp3
6. Sonata V - mp3
7. Sonata VI - mp3
8. Sonata VII - mp3
9. Finale - mp3
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Vesselin
Demirev – first violinist of the Gyros String Quartet,
and Valeria Vetruccio, piano, invite you to an evening of
absolutely beautiful and romantic music on 10 February,
2004 at St.Thomas Aquinas, starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets
are $15.00 for adults, $7.00 for students and seniors, available in
advance at www.ticketweb.com
or at the door. Don't miss this opportunity to listen to one of our
best violin/piano duos in the DFW area, performing in a
beautiful church setting.
(if you ever wanted to hear the Bach Chaconne in a
"European Style" cathedral, then this would be one of those
rare occasions where the environment and the performer come together in
the right place.)
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Program:
J. S. Bach - Chaconne in d-minor for solo violin
C. Franck - Sonata in A-major
E. Chausson - Poem
P. Vladigerov - Rhapsody
A. Beach - Romance
P. de Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen
(Gypsy Airs)
Samples: Brahms
- Sonata for violin and piano in d-minor - mp3 *
Vladigerov -
Rhapsody - mp3 *
Sarasate - Romanza
Andaluza - mp3 * *
recorded live at Caruth Auditorium, SMU, 28 February, 2001
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Biographies:
 Vesselin Demirev
was born in Varna, Bulgaria and began his musical studies at the age of four. He is an MA graduate of the prestigious National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria and has an Artist Certificate in Violin Performance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Mr. Demirev has been concertmaster of the New Symphony Orchestra in Sofia and Abilene Philharmonic, and is currently concertmaster of the Irving Symphony Orchestra and the Plano Symphony Orchestra. He has performed to critical acclaim with major orchestras and in numerous concerts and solo recitals, which have taken him to concert stages in Austria, Hungary, Holland, France, Italy, Spain and the United States. He has recordings under the Gasparo label in New York and the Balkanton label in Sofia. He teaches violin performance, orchestral repertoire, and chamber music at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. Future engagements include concerts in Europe and in Philadelphia under the baton of Maestro Rossen Milanov, Assistant Conductor of Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Hector Guzman, Music Director of the Plano and Irving Symphony Orchestras.
Valeria
Vetruccio, a native of Italy, is currently studying for her masters
degree at Southern Methodist University with Joaquin Achucarro
and Alfred Mouledous, on a full scholarship. She graduated in Italy in
1996 with "Summa cum laude", as student of Aquiles Delle Vigne,
Franco Scala and Riccardo Risaliti. Upon her graduation Vetruccio was
awarded all the prizes and honors for achieving the highest marks in her
year in all of Italy. She has given numerous recitals in many Italian
cities, such as Rome, Venice, Genoa, Bari, Lecce. After her highly
acclaimed debut recital at Wiener Saal in Salzburg at the age of 17, she
has been in demand as a soloist in Spain, Austria, France, Belgium,
Germany, Brazil and Bulgaria. She also performed in Australia for
the Italian Cultural Center of Sydney. Her debut in the United States
was in 1999 with a recital at Lang Recital Hall in New York and
last January she gave a recital in the prestigious Carnegie Hall.
She performed as soloist with many Chamber and Symphony Orchestras, such
as the "Carlo Felice" Symphony in Genoa, the Lecce
Conservatory Symphony, the "C.P.E.Bach" Chamber Orchestra, the
Eurorchestra and the Irving Symphony. Besides her
music career, in 2004 Vetruccio will be awarded her doctorate in Anthropology
from the Lecce State University, Italy.
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