Haydn’s Creation Program Notes

by Dr. Justin Henderlight In 1751, Joseph Haydn’s situation took a turn when his voice changed, and the choirmaster at the Vienna cathedral dismissed him not only for his shattered singing abilities, but also for his unruly behavior. Somewhat destitute, Haydn found work with Nicola Porpora

East Meets West Program Notes

by Claudia Jensen and Bradley Clem Gateways (2018 ‒ 2019)                                                                                                           Dorothy Chang b. Winfield, Illinois, 1970 Philharmonia Northwest’s “East Meets West” concert invites us to experience music of different cultures through many prisms, a continuation of our season-long exploration of the meanings of place as expressed through music. Dorothy Chang’s

Interview with Ervin Luka Sešek

Philharmonia Northwest is thrilled to welcome Ervin Luka Sešek, violin, as the soloist for our January 27th concert. For more information about that concert please CLICK HERE! PNW: How did you get your start in music? ELS: I was born into a family of 2 violinists so

Bohemian Rhapsodie Program Notes

by Claudia Jensen and Brad Clem In our concerts this season, especially in our Taiwanese exploration, “Ilha Formosa,” and in our upcoming “East Meets West” program, Julia has curated a survey of national expression in music, and we engage with these ideas today. Does a composer have

Seattle Sounds Program Notes

by Bradley Clem and Claudia Jensen   Sarah Bassingthwaighte Born: March 29, 1967, Rochester, Minnesota Sleeping in the Forest – World Premiere (2018) We are delighted to open our concert with a world premiere, Sleeping in the Forest, a symphonic poem by composer Sarah Bassingthwaighte, commissioned for Philharmonia Northwest. The

Interview with composer Sarah Bassingthwaighte

Philharmonia Northwest is thrilled to be giving the world premiere of Sarah Bassingthwaighte's new piece Sleeping in the Forest on November 18, 2018. More information about that concert can be found HERE. PNW: What is your origin story?/What brought you to music as your career? SB: Like

Ilha Formosa: Music of Taiwan Program Notes

by Claudia Jensen and Bradley Clem Shui-Long Ma, Legend of Taiwan: Overture of Chivalrous Liao Tian-Ding Our concert today offers a kaleidoscopic view of contemporary Taiwanese music in all its diversity of styles, sounds, and subjects. We open with excerpts from a work about a legendary rebel

Program Notes for Leonard Bernstein at 100

by Bradley Clem and Claudia Jensen Leonard Bernstein Born: August 25, 1918, Lawrence, MA, Died: October 14, 1990, New York City Philharmonia Northwest joins orchestras and audiences worldwide to celebrate the centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. Each of the works on our program fits into the interlocking strands

Program Notes for Verdi’s Requiem

By Claudia Jensen and Bradley Clem Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) What is the Verdi Requiem? This has been the question since the first performance, on May 22, 1874, which took place in a church, San Marco in Milan, and in the context of a religious service with an

Program Notes for Viva Americas

by Bradley Clem and Claudia Jensen   Janitzio (1933) Silvestre Revueltas Born: December 31, 1899, Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico Died: October 5, 1940, Mexico City, Mexico Janitzio, by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, has been described as one of several “sophisticated picture-postcard” pieces (tone poems) he composed for the National Symphony