January 30, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director Carlos Kalmar conducts the Oregon Symphony, Portland Symphonic Choir and acclaimed soloists Pamela Coburn, Jane Gilbert, Richard Clement and John Relyea in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, “Choral,” as part of the Symphony’s month-long Beethoven Festival, paired with Schoenberg’s “A Survivor from Warsaw,” with actor Scott Coopwood on Feb. 28, 29 and March 1 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Saturday’s concert is sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank. Media support provided by The Oregonian.
Kalmar is drawn to the sharp contrasts of humanity’s greatest extremes of good and evil as exemplified in these two works. “We go from the darkest point in history with our music to Love, Hope and Peace. It is like embracing the entire world of feelings in one concert,” he explains. Because of the linked thematic nature of these two works, there will be no intermission and no late seating. Kalmar and the Symphony open the concert with Schoenberg’s haunting work, which is inspired by the personal experiences of survivors of the Nazi battle to liquidate the Warsaw ghetto during WWII. Schoenberg himself composed the text, narrated here by Coopwood, based on the survivors’ testimonies, and includes lines in German as well as the concluding Hebrew prayer, “Shema Yisrael,” the most sacred text of the Jewish liturgy.
Immediately following the Schoenberg, Kalmar and the
orchestra will be joined by the Portland Symphonic
Choir and soprano Pamela Coburn, mezzo-soprano Jane
Gilbert, tenor Richard Clement and bass-baritone John
Relyea to present Beethoven’s monumental and
beloved Symphony No. 9, subtitled “Choral” for
its innovative use of a chorus in the last movement,
singing music set to a text by Friedrich Schiller.
The ideals of the French Revolution, espoused in its
rallying cry “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!” inspired
both Beethoven and Schiller, which led to Beethoven’s
inclusion of Schiller’s ode “To Joy” as
the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. By the time
of its premiere Beethoven was too deaf to conduct the
work but sat with the orchestra on stage, unable to
hear the wild cheering of the audience upon the Symphony’s
triumphant conclusion. Dr. Steven Zopfi, the current
music director of The Portland Symphonic Choir, rehearsed
the choir in preparation for this performance.
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 KINKfm102.M
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, March 1 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $17 to $76 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.
Scott Coopwood just finished his eleventh show at Portland Center Stage playing Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice.” Other roles include the title role in “Hamlet,” Orlando in “As You Like It,” Marley in “A Christmas Carol,” Trigorin in “The Seagull” and Straker in last season’s “Man and Superman.” Coopwood’s other roles include the title role in “Macbeth,” Benedick, Don John and Dogberry in “Much Ado About Nothing,” Angelo in “Measure for Measure,” Terry Meighan in the professional world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “Fugitive Kind,” Charles in “Saint Florence,” Carl in “Lonely Planet” and Mercutio in “Romeo and Juliet.” He has also appeared regionally with Portland Center Stage, The Utah Shakespearean Festival, Arizona Theatre Company, The Marin Theatre Company, The Marin Shakespeare Company, the Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Center REP and Borderlands Theatre. Scott is also proud to work locally with The Haven Project.
Pamela Coburn obtained her voice education at the Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School in New York and studied lieder with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. In 1980 she was the winner of ARD (German Broadcasting Co.) Competition in Munich and in 1982 she won a similar competition at the Metropolitan Opera.
Since her striking success as Rosalinde in Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” 1982 at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich with Carlos Kleiber conducting, American lyric soprano Pamela Coburn has held her own among the leading international singers.
She is a regular guest in the most renowned opera houses and concert halls all over the world including appearances at the Wiener Staatsoper, Carnegie Hall and Metropolitan Opera New York, in Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Paris, Toulouse, London and Tokyo’s New National Theatre as well as the Salzburg and Richard Strauss Festival in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Among the most prominent conductors Ms Coburn has
worked with are: Carlos Kleider, Sir Colin Davis, Wolfgang
Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giulini, Lorin Maazel, Christoph
von Eschenbach, Riccardo Muti, Nikolaus Harnoncourt,
Sir Georg Solti, Guiseppe Sinopoli, Helmuth Rilling,
Erich Leinsdorf, James Conlon,
Bernhard Haitink and Christian Thielemann.
Her enormously wide opera repertory ranges from the works of Monteverdi to Penderecki. Especially worth mentioning are the roles of the Countess in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Fiordiligi in “Cosí fan tutte,” Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni,” Cleopatra in Händel’s “Giulio Cesare,” and Nitocris in “Belshazzar,” Alice in Verdi’s “Falstaff,” the Countess in Strauss’ “Capriccio” and the Marschallin in “Der Rosenkavalier” and “Arabella,” Ellen Orford in Britten’s “Peter Grimes,” Freia in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” as well as Queen Rosamunde in Penderecki’s “Ubu Rex.”
Pamela Coburn’s exceptionally wide concert repertory includes nearly all the works of the respective musical literature starting from Bach (Passions, Cantatas) via Beethoven (e.g. Missa Solemnis, 9th Symphony), Schumann (e.g. Paradise and Peri), Mahler Symphonies, Britten (“War Requiem”) to Szymanowsky (“Stabat Mater”) and contemporary works (e.g., Udo Zimmermann).
Pamela Coburn has made numerous recordings, among them Gounod's Faust with Sir Colin Davis, Beethoven’s “Fidelio” with Bernard Haitink and “Leonore” with Marc Soustrot, Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” and Bruckner’s “Te Deum” with Helmuth Rilling, Mahler’s 8th Symphony with Lorin Maazel, Strauss’ “Gypsy Baron” with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” with Helmuth Froschauer and Verdi’s “Requiem” with Enoch zu Guttenberg.
In 2001 again Pamela Coburn had great success in the title role of “The Merry Widow” at the Komische Oper Berlin, a role she performed many times throughout 2002 and 2003. In Feb. 02 she sang at the Metropolitan Opera as the Countess in “Le Nozze di Figaro.”
Very remarkable in 2001 were three concerts: Strauss’ “Four Last Songs” conducted by Maestro Sawallisch in Philadelphia, Dvorák’s “Stabat Mater” in San Francisco and Haydn’s “Creation” and Bach’s Mass in B-minor at the Cincinnati May Festival conducted by James Conlon. In May 02 the artist worked again with Maestro Conlon at the Festival, singing Beethoven’s “Kantate zum Tode von Kaiser Joseph II.” With the same program, a concert was planned in Paris on Sept. 13, 02 with the Orchestre National de France, who invited her back for Mozart’s “Requiem” that December. More performances in 2002 included the Cincinnati May Festival and the Bach Festival in Leipzig in May, Beethoven’s 9th in August in Philadelphia (conductor Charles Dutoit).
In March 2003 she sang Strauss’ “Four Last Songs” with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, opera arias with the Bahia Symphony, and Beethoven’s 9th at the Festival Santo Domingo. In April, she was soloist with the Marin Symphony (CA) for Fauré’s “Requiem” and Mozart arias. In May, she was the soloist for performances of Beethoven’s 9th for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Philadelphia May Festival under the baton of Wolfgang Sawallisch, for whom this concert was a farewell.
Jane Gilbert’s recent engagements include Ottavia in Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea” with Boston Baroque; concerts with the San Francisco Symphony; Suzuki in “Madame Butterfly” with Florida Grand Opera; the Mozart “Requiem” with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia; and “Messiah” with the University Musical Society of Ann Arbor.
She also has appeared in concert with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Berkshire Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Gilbert has sung with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall and at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra.
A favorite with Toronto audiences, Ms. Gilbert has appeared in several roles with the Canadian Opera Company. In the United States, she has appeared in the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s “Coming of Age Gala;” and at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Spoleto Festival USA and with the Seattle Symphony. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School.
Recognized as one of the world's leading young American lyric tenors, Richard Clement is hailed for the tonal beauty, innate musicality, and sense of style in his operatic, concert, and recital performances.
A sought-after and versatile concert performer, Mr.
Clement began the 2001-2002 season at Opera Theatre
of St. Louis with performances as To-No-Chujo in “Tale
of the Genji” in both St. Louis and Japan. The
season brought many appearances on the concert stage,
including Gerald Finzi’s “Dies Natalis” with
the DeKalb Symphony, Sir Michael Tippett’s “Child
of our Time” with the Santa Rosa Symphony, Aaron
Jay Kernis’ “Millennium Symphony” with
the Minnesota Orchestra, and Philip Glass’ Symphony
No. 5 in Indianapolis.
Mr. Clement also recorded Toch’s “Cantata
of the Bitter” with the Czech Philharmonic and
returned to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a repeat
of Jonathan Miller’s acclaimed staged-version
of Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion.”
Highlights from previous seasons include appearances with the orchestras of Cleveland, Philadelphia, Houston, Montreal, Boston, San Francisco and Colorado, and with such conductors as Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christopher Hogwood, Charles Dutoit, James Conlo, and Neeme Järvi. His operatic roles have included Ferrando in “Cosí fan tutte,” Little Bat McLean in “Susannah,” Fenton in “Falstaff” and Ernesto in “Don Pasquale.”
Mr. Clement studied voice at Georgia State University and at the Cincinnati Conservatory, where he received his Master of Music degree. He was a Tanglewood Music Festival Fellow in 1990 and 1991, a member of the Houston grand Opera Studio in the 1991-1992 season, and winner of a 1994 Richard Tucker Music Foundation Jacobson Study Grant.
Today, John Relyea is rapidly establishing himself as one of the finest bass-baritones of his generation.
During the summer of 2002, Mr. Relyea made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Colline in “La Bohème” and at the Opéra National de Paris as Escamillo in “Carmen.” He also performed both Haydn’s “The Creation” with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Sir Simon Rattle and the National Youth Orchestra at the BBC Proms. He ended the season with a return to the Edinburgh Festival, where he was heard in title role in Enescu’s “Oedipe,” as well as in recital.
This season, Mr. Relyea returns to the Metropolitan Opera for performances of Alidoro in “La Cenerentola,” Raimondo in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” and the Nightwatchman in “Die Meistersinger.” He also returns to the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden as Alidoro and Cadmus/Somnus in “Semele” and makes his debut at Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper as Alidoro, where he will also sing the title role in “Le nozze di Figaro”.
Mr. Relyea has steadily built a strong relationship with the Metropolitan Opera. He made his sensational debut there in February 2000 as Alidoro and has since returned as: Masetto in “Don Giovanni,” conducted by James Levine and televised in December 2000, Colline, the Nightwatchman; Don Basilio in “Il barbiere di Siviglia” and the Voice of Neptune in “Idomeneo.”
Mr. Relyea also has strong ties with the San Francisco Opera, having begun there as an Adler Fellow and having appeared as Raimondo, Figaro, and most recently Cadmus/Somnus. Other recent operatic engagements have included Figaro at the Santa Fe Opera, Don Basilio at the Seattle Opera, and Collatinus in “The Rape of Lucretia” with Donald Runnicles conducting the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Edinburgh Festival. He has also appeared in Carnegie Hall with Eve Queler and the Opera Orchestra of New York as Rodolpho in “La Sonnambula” and in the title role of “Marino Faliero.”
On the concert platform this season, Mr. Relyea can be heard as Méphistophélès in a concert version of “La damnation de Faust” with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in both Montreal and Carnegie Hall, as Abimélech in a concert version of “Samson et Dalila” with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, as King Mark in a concert version of “Tristan und Isolde” with Donald Runnicles and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and in the Mozart Mass in C Minor with James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.
Mr. Relyea’s extensive engagements with major symphony orchestras include debuts in the past few seasons with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras. In addition, he has appeared at the Tanglewood Festival, and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Théâtre de la Monnaie, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic. He was also seen as the bass soloist in a nationally televised performance in the spring of 2000 of Haydn’s “The Creation” at the Basilica in Baltimore under the patronage of His Holiness the Pope with Gilbert Levine conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, London.
The many conductors with whom Mr. Relyea has worked include Sir Colin Davis, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Christoph Eschenbach, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Yoel Levi, James Levine, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Sir Roger Norrington, Seiji Ozawa, Antonio Pappano, Eve Queler, Donald Runnicles and Wolfgang Sawallisch.
Founded in 1946, Portland Symphonic Choir, now under the direction of Dr. Steven Zopfi, is Portland’s oldest and largest independent choral organization. The Choir presents its own concert series each year in addition to regular performances as the official chorus of the Oregon Symphony. The choir has also appeared at the Cascade Festival of Music in Bend, Oregon, and as guests of the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Boston Pops. Membership in the Portland Symphonic Choir is based upon stringent auditions in which current and prospective members must demonstrate not only vocal ability but proficiency at sight singing. Singers selected for membership in the volunteer ensemble come from all walks of live and live throughout the Portland region.
The choir has gained an impressive international reputation through regular tours to Europe and Australia. Most recently the choir sang Mozart's Requiem at the Jablonenc Music Festival and at the famed Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague.
The Portland Symphonic Choir is committed to promoting excellence in the tradition of choral music through education and service to the community. In 1989 the choir inaugurated a Girl Choir for girls aged 10 to 16 which has flourished under its conductor, Dr. Roberta Jackson. In 1994 the Choir created a Boy Choir which is also now a thriving independent group. Both groups are valuable training grounds for young singers.
