February 6, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Three distinct musical personalities share the spotlight on the final concert of the 2003-04 Sundays at Two series and the final concert in the Symphony’s Beethoven Festival as guest conductor Marc Taddei, the Oregon Symphony and Symphony clarinetist Todd Kuhns perform music of Elgar, Weber and Beethoven on March 7 at 2 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Southwest Airlines is the airline sponsor for the Sundays at Two series.
Taddei, the current Music Director of the Christchurch Symphony and Associate Conductor of the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand, joins the Symphony to present one of Elgar’s best-known and loved works, the fourteen “Enigma Variations,” which musically portray Elgar’s wife, friends and himself. The concert will also feature Kuhns, who steps into the solo spotlight from his usual place in the wind section to perform Weber’s “Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra,” a little-known gem of the clarinet repertoire. “You hear this work more often with a piano accompaniment than with an orchestra because the length is too short for a concerto and too long for an encore,” Kuhns explains. “However, it’s really well-written for the clarinet. Weber understood the clarinet and exploited its capabilities well with this piece.” Like the Elgar, Weber’s Concertino is a series of variations on a basic theme which is disguised and manipulated in a creative manner.
This Sundays at Two concert also presents the final offering of the Symphony’s Beethoven Festival, Beethoven’s Overture to “The Creatures of Prometheus.” This music, originally written for a ballet of the same title, was for Beethoven also an homage to Napoleon, whose heroic exploits mirrored those of the Greek mythological figure of Prometheus, who braved the wrath of the gods and stole fire from Mt. Olympus to give light and warmth to all humanity.
The Sundays at Two series features shorter concerts (approximately 70 minutes in length) and a unique opportunity to connect with both the music and the musicians. Each concert also includes a Symphony musician as the featured soloist who talks from stage about his/her background and passion for making music.
The performance is scheduled for Sunday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets are $14 for students and seniors, $20 general admission and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
One of New Zealand’s most dynamic conductors, Marc Taddei is the Music Director of the Christchurch Symphony and Wellington Youth Orchestras, Associate Conductor of the Auckland Philharmonia, and is Music Director of New Zealand’s premier modern music group, the 20th Century Classics Ensemble. He holds the positions of Head of Orchestral Repertoire Studies and Artist Teacher of Conducting at Victoria University of Wellington.
Marc has conducted in Europe and North America and is a frequent guest conductor with every major professional orchestra in New Zealand. He is noted for his interpretations of the Germanic and Late-Romantic repertoire and is a keen advocate of the Second Viennese School. His varied conducting career also includes soundtrack work for C4 productions in the UK, and TV3, TVNZ and the NZ Natural History Film Unit in New Zealand. The film made for C4 productions, based on Wagner’s Ring Cycle, won the Special Jury Prize at the Prix de Bale 2000 for the greatest contribution to European culture in television.
He has appeared as conductor on recordings by the NZSO, the NZSO Chamber Orchestra and the Christchurch Symphony. He has conducted for silent movies, operas, educational concerts and has worked with such jazz luminaries as Diana Krall and Bobby Shew. He has conducted outdoor concerts in all of the main centres of New Zealand.
In addition to his work with the 20th Century Classics Ensemble, which has presented the New Zealand premiéres of many 20th century masterpieces, Marc has been a keen advocate of contemporary New Zealand composers. He has recorded New Zealand works with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and NZSO Chamber Orchestra, and has conducted the vital Auckland Philharmonia Composer workshops annually since 1997.
Marc’s ongoing contributions to the Music Department of Victoria University, the Wellington Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra have directly contributed to the continually improving standard of orchestral performance in New Zealand.
Clarinetist Todd Kuhns joined the Oregon Symphony in 1989 and plays bass clarinet and E-flat clarinet, as well as the soprano clarinets. In addition, he has been the solo clarinetist with the Portland-based Third Angle New Music Ensemble since 1992. He also plays principal clarinet with the Cascade Music Festival and second clarinet with the Oregon Bach Festival.
Previously Mr. Kuhns has performed as principal clarinetist
with the Portland Opera Orchestra, Oregon Ballet Theater,
the Peter Britt Music Festival and Oregon Coast Music
Festival orchestras. He has also performed with the
Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Harrisburg and Haddonfield
Symphonies and the
Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1998, he was featured as
soloist with the Oregon Symphony, performing Mozart’s
Clarinet Concerto. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Kuhns played
with Chamber Music Northwest on bass, E-flat, B-flat
clarinets and basset horn.
Mr. Kuhn’s recordings include performances on Koch, Delos, Gagliano and Hänssler, including solo clarinet in Stravinsky’s “L’Histoire du Soldat” and Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” (13 instrument version).
Mr. Kuhns holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Portland Sate University and a Master of Music degree from Temple University. His teachers include Anthony Gigliotti, Russell Dagon, Ronald Reuben, Richard Waller, Catherine Palladino, James Kanter and Leon Russianoff.
