August 2009 Symphony Season - Program 3
Saturday, August 8, 2009 - Unmistakably French
Victor Yampolsky, conductor
Widor: Toccata for organ and brass
Henry Barraud: Offrà nde a une Ombre (Offertory for a shadow)
Poulenc: Organ Concerto
Stephen Alltop, organ
Dukas: Fanfare from La Peri
Saint-Saens: Symphony #3 (Organ Symphony)
Stephen Alltop, organ
The final concert of the first week of the 2009 Festival brings a program of first performances at the Festival, a first time appearance of a concert organ, and the appearance of Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop in a new role: organ soloist. This will be a unique and special treat for the PMF audience and players alike.
The familiar Widor Toccota from the Fifth Organ Symphony is cast in a new arrangement for organ and brass to begin this spectacular concert in a blaze of sound. Barraud's Offertory for a shadow was inspired by a friend who departed during the Nazi occupation of France. While a modern composition, it is accessible and thoroughly rooted in the classical style but with a fresh flavor. Stephen Alltop is organist in the Poulenc Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani, a piece full of fresh invention and unique combinations of sound with roots in the style of Bach and Mozart.
The well known Dukas Fanfare (many people recognize it without knowing its name) is prelude to the spectacular tour de force by Camile Saint Saens: Symphony #3 subtitled Organ. This symphony display's Saint Saens gifts for melody, musical dialog, and special effects. Stephen Alltop makes his second apparance in the concert playing the spectacular solo organ part.
See and hear Peninsula Music Festival Music Director Victor Yampolsky and Associate Conductor Stephen Alltop discuss this program along with some unique musical and historical insights via this link.
Program Notes for this concert
This concert is sponsored by OC & Pat Boldt