October 21, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … The drama of Grieg’s incidental music for Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” will be presented with theatrical narration in a Classical concert with Music Director Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony on Nov. 19, 20 and 21 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Media support is provided by The Oregonian. Lufthansa is the exclusive airline sponsor for the Symphony’s Classical series.
“Many concertgoers are familiar with one or both of Grieg’s ‘Peer Gynt’ Suites, which feature familiar movements such as ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ and ‘Anitra’s Dance,’” says Artistic Administrator Charles Calmer. “In these performances we will present a significant amount of Grieg’s total incidental music for ‘Peer Gynt’ in a dramatic context.”
“The character of Peer Gynt has been described as the Faust of Norway,” adds Kalmar. “His character is outside society.” Soprano Ann Monoyios, known for her interpretations of Baroque repertoire, joins Kalmar and the Symphony in the roles of Anitra, Solveig and the ghost of Aase. The David York Ensemble also will be featured. The English narration and scenario for the Symphony’s performance of “Peer Gynt,” performed by narrator Daniel H. Taylor, was prepared by Alexander Platt, who also translated the vocal text.
This concert also features the Symphony’s premiere of Pulitzer prize-winning American composer Christopher Rouse’s “Phantasmata.” “‘Phantasmata’ fits beautifully with ‘Peer Gynt’ because of its spooky quality,” says Kalmar. This three-part work, completed in 1985, employs a large orchestra with an extensive array of percussion instruments, including crystal goblets played by the flutes and oboes, to create an atmosphere that is by turns surreal, menacing and sardonic. Rouse, who has written pieces for the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, combines his love of rock music with the lavish orchestrations of Berlioz in this electrifying work.
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
Pre-concert talks: Music Director Carlos Kalmar and KBPS host Shaun Yu will lead a discussion one hour before the concert of the works to be performed. Media support for “Pre-Concert Talks” is provided by Classical Millennium.
Saturday: Music Director Carlos Kalmar will speak briefly from the podium in “Saturday Interactive.” Media support for “Saturday Interactive” is provided by KINK fm102.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov.20 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $20 to $85 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Customer Service 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 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 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.
Soprano Ann Monoyios concertizes extensively throughout Europe and North America in a wide variety of repertory including opera, oratorio, chamber music and recitals. Although she is primarily a specialist in the performance of Baroque and Classical music, her repertory extends from Bach to Britten and de Falla.
In concert engagements, Miss Monoyios has collaborated with the leading Baroque specialists of the world including Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brueggen, Christopher Hogwood, John Eliot Gardiner, Philippe Herreweghe, Reinhard Goebel and Nicholas McGegan. She has been featured soloist on tours in Europe and the Far East with Tafelmusik Orchestra and can be heard as soprano soloist on their recordings of Haydn sacred works for Sony Vivarte, from which the recording of The Creation has been singled out for particularly high praise. She has been guest soloist with many symphony orchestras in North America, among them Montreal, Houston, San Francisco, San Antonio and the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa.
As a baroque specialist, Miss Monoyios has appeared throughout Europe in numerous productions of baroque operas. Her most interesting collaborations have been performing Lully’s Atys at the Paris Opera with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, Handel’s Alcina with Jos van Immerseel in Antwerp and Purcell’s Fairy Queen conducted by Trevor Pinnock in Lisbon. Most recently, Miss Monoyios won critical acclaim for her portrayal of the title role in Handel’s Almira at the Bremen Opera and in recording.
Miss Monoyios can be heard on many record labels, among them Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, Sony Vivarte, EMI, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Erato and CBC. Among her favorite recordings are Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with John Eliot Gardiner for Deutsche Grammophon which she recorded at Snape Maltings during a NATO blitz and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, also with Mr. Gardiner, recorded live in the Church of San Marco in Venice.
Miss Monoyios teaches privately and at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and gives master classes and lectures throughout North America and Europe on Baroque performance for singers. In her spare time, Miss Monoyios enjoys wilderness white-water canoeing above the Arctic Circle with her husband and daughter.
Taylor ’s recent stage appearances include Frank Charles in “Flyin? West” and Scott in “Pill Hill,” both with Passin Art: A Theatre Company. He also worked with Portland Center Stage and Nancy Keystone during the developmental process of “Apollo II: The Dark Side of the Moon,” and for the last two seasons spent time with Artists Repertory Theatre in their education department. Before moving to Portland, Taylor toured nationally with both the National Theatre of the Deaf and Cleveland Signstage Theatre; he also served as Cleveland Signstage’s acting Educational Director. When he is not on stage, Daniel tours with his bluegrass band, Fish Creek. He is also an avid kayaker and mountain biker.
David York Ensemble was formed in 1986 by director, David York, as a vehicle for producing new music, much of which is composed by its conductor. The repertory of this versatile choir includes numerous commissions, masterworks of all time periods, and jazz. The choir has performed in Europe three times: Russia, Estonia, and Czechoslovakia in 1991; Italy in 1998, and France in 2001. In March of 2002, this critically acclaimed chorus represented Oregon at the Northwest Regional Conference for American Choral Directors’ Association.
