Coastal Symphony of Georgia Concert - Joyful! Joyful!
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Brunswick High School 3885 Altama Ave., City of Brunswick, Georgia 31520
The Coastal Symphony of Georgia (CSG) closes out its season with Joyful! Joyful! A concert featuring works by Schubert and Beethoven, showcasing soloists Leslie Mattingly, Soprano, Victoria Livengood, Mezzo Soprano, James Hall, Tenor, and Nathaniel Roper, Bass. The concert takes place at Brunswick High School’s Auditorium on Monday, April 11th at 8:00 PM. For tickets, call 912.634.2006.
Joyful! Joyful!
April 11, 2016 at 8:00 PM
Brunswick High School Auditorium
Luis Haza, Music Director and Conductor
Incidental Music to Rosamunde, D. 797 Franz Schubert
Entr’acte No. 1 – Allegro molto moderato
Ballet Music No. 1 – Allegro moderato
Entr’acte No. 2 – Andante
Romanze – Andante con molto
Soloist: Victoria Livengood, Mezzo Soprano
Chorus of Spirits – Adagio
Entr’acte No. 3 – Andantino
Shepherds’ Melodies – Andantino
Shepherds’ Chorus – Allegretto
Hunters’ Chorus – Allegro moderato
Ballet No. 2 – Andantino
Intermission
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, Ludwig van Beethoven
IV. Presto – allegro ma non troppo
Ode to Joy Ludwig van Beethoven/
Friedrich von Schiller lyricist(s)
Quartet: Leslie Mattingly, Soprano
Victoria Livengood, Contralto
James Hall, Tenor
Nathaniel Roper, Bass
The Coastal Symphony of Georgia Chorus, Nathaniel Roper, Director
The Glynn Academy Concert Choir, Nathaniel Roper, Director
The Season Finale opens with captivating music that survived a colossal failure by its composer. On December 20, 1823, Rosamunde, a four act drama with music composed by Franz Schubert debuted at Theater an der Wien. It was removed from the program the very next day, and the music was lost for decades. However, Schubert’s mastery of melody and song survived, and the incidental music from the play found homes in some of his later work as well. Today, audiences still enjoy the feeling and intensity of the music as a separate concert piece.
The evening closes with the Fourth Movement of what many consider one of the greatest compositions in the western musical canon: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, also known as “The Choral.” It was the first example of a major composer using voice in a symphony, and today it is one of the most performed symphonies in the world. The words for the “Ode to Joy” were taken from a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785, with some minor additions by Beethoven. It is sung by a quartet and chorus. Amazingly this final symphony by Beethoven was composed at the end of his career when he was almost totally deaf. It is said the audience gave him five standing ovations with raised hats and hands waving handkerchiefs so that he could see if not hear the thunderous applause.
The famous choral finale is Beethoven’s musical representation of Universal Brotherhood. With its thematic unity, the movement has been described as a symphony within a symphony and is a fitting ending to the composer’s powerful work.
The soloists for this concert are Leslie Mattingly, Soprano, Victoria Livengood, Mezzo Soprano, James Hall, Tenor, and Nathaniel Roper, Bass. Leslie Mattingly is an attorney with a strong background in music and vocal performance. She began formal study of voice in middle school, continued her training through college and law school and works regularly with her coach today. Leslie recently performed with pianist Terry Readdick in a recital benefitting the Mozart Society Scholarship Fund and continues to perform regularly. Leslie has focused her attention on faith, children’s issues, historic preservation, environmental issues and music.
Victoria Livengood is an internationally-renowned Metropolitan Opera star and Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano. Hailing from Thomasville, North Carolina, she skyrocketed onto the opera scene in 1985 as a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and went on to make her mark on both the opera and concert stages. Victoria has performed throughout Europe, South America, Canada and the United States. She has held Master Classes at numerous universities and conservatories, recorded numerous discs, and designs a line of diva fashion accessories called “Opening Night.”
James Hall has performed nationally and internationally in a career that includes opera, oratorio, chamber music, and solo recital. He is also an accomplished teacher having presented Master Classes in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Washington DC, and Texas. James maintains a voice studio at the University of North Florida where he is a faculty member and he will be a voice faculty member this summer at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.
Nathaniel Roper is Director of Choral and Orchestral Activities at Glynn Academy High School where his Concert Choirs regularly excel at competition. He is also Director of Music at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. A Savannah native, Nathaniel earned a Masters in Choral Conducting and has conducted nationally and internationally. He has performed with orchestras throughout the Southeast U.S. and Pennsylvania, including several appearances with the Coastal Symphony of Georgia.