Transformation is a celebration of the many musicians who have performed with the Gallery Players of Niagara over the last twenty years, and the many original works we’ve presented. This world premiere recording of three transcriptions, two of which had their premiere performances on the Gallery Players series, showcases works that are masterpieces in their original instrumentation. These new versions capture this popular music in a wonderful new light. Below, both Trevor Wagler and Patrick Jordan (our transcribers) describe their creative process. If you’re interested in purchasing sheet music for these new works please visit the Gallery Players website, where it will be available. The Gallery Players of Niagara is a not-for-profit charitable organization that presents classical chamber music concerts primarily in the Niagara Region of Ontario and also in and around Toronto. Trevor Wagler When transcribing a composition for an ensemble other than its original, rarely does one have the opportunity to compare a composer’s original solo piano score to the composer’s own full orchestration of a work - especially when the composer is such a master of orchestration as Maurice Ravel. Ravel’s tombeau de Couperin; originally composed for solo piano, was later beautifully orchestrated by the composer to create the famous orchestral suite - the movements of which are included in this new quintet version. In writing this new transcription - which included piano as one of the five instruments - I worked from both the piano solo version and the orchestral suite, comparing Ravel’s minimalist solo writing with his meticulously detailed orchestration of the same music. What a joy to work on - and what a learning experience - to glean that extra little bit of insight into the mind of one of history’s greatest orchestrators! There are hidden lines and countermelodies buried deep within the solo piano texture that - without seeing Ravel’s orchestration - I’m sure I would never have found. My intent was to remain as faithful to Ravel’s music as possible, and I believe this transcription works very well with the reduced forces. Hopefully M. Ravel would have been pleased with the result. Patrick Jordan I was motivated to transcribe the two works I contributed for very different reasons. Beethoven’s Spring Sonata presented itself to me while I was on a walk one afternoon in the woods in Bayerische Schwaben. I was hearing the opening melody, but played by a flute rather than a violin. At first I thought, “that’s not right” but as I walked along I began to wonder how that might work as an ensemble piece. The Gallery Players has often programmed chamber music for flute and strings, to the point where we had nearly exhausted the standard repertoire. I began to explore Beethoven’s score with an ear tuned to his intentions, and my newly re-imagined performing forces. My motivation in re-imagining Dichterliebe, Schumann’s sublime setting of Heinrich Heine’s poetry, had a somewhat different path. I was obliged to acquaint myself with Dichterliebe while at New England Conservatory, in a class focussing on Romantic music. I happened at the same time to be learning German, and the combination of the music and text was like a volcanic eruption in my soul (let’s hear it for being obliged to learn some things!). It was only many years later, when the Gallery Players was trying to come up with a project with the glorious baritone, Brett Polegato, that the opportunity arose for me to insinuate myself into the work. I had at first imagined the new forces to be baritone, string quartet, double bass and harp, but as I sat with that idea, I became less content; I knew I could make it work, but it didn’t seem quite right. Finally it occurred to me that to properly catch the sense of Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) I needed to use the 19th century’s instrument of love, the guitar. Ironically, it was only after committing to that course that I discovered Schumann’s original title was “Twenty Songs from the Lyric Intermezzo in the Book of Songs for One Singer and Piano”. It’s worth pointing out that I do not believe Beethoven and Schumann were in particular need of improvement, and certainly not from me. Rather, it is a tribute to each of them to present their respective works in a new light. One can only hope that that new light reveals fresh aspects of the music, and renews our sense of the power of their expression. It is also worth noting that both of these works are in their original form duos, partnerships between a pianist and either a violinist or singer. In the process of learning the transcriptions, the strengths and limitations of that duality were to my mind one of the most interesting facets to be revisited. Performer Bios The Gallery Players of Niagara Group bio The Gallery Players of Niagara is a not-for-profit charitable organization that presents classical chamber music concerts in the Niagara Region and beyond. It is a pool of highly specialized performers who make a living performing all over Ontario and the world. The pool consists of 13 core performers who live in and around Southern Ontario. Four of our musicians perform with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, one with the Toronto Symphony, several are members of the Niagara Symphony, one is head of the piano department at the Glenn Gould School, two are members of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and another few freelance in Toronto. The group’s musical depth, and its ability to communicate with audiences is its’ strength. The players have successfully commissioned and performed many new Canadian works, presented baroque repertoire on period instruments, and covered most of the standard chamber music repertoire in between! To date the Gallery Players have only recorded one CD. That CD was released several years ago and features 4 new Canadian works for oboe and string trio. The works were all commissioned by the Gallery Players and the recording was a world premier. As individuals and members of other groups the musicians of the Gallery Players have collectively recorded hundreds of CDs. Brett Polegato One of today’s most sought-after lyric baritones on the international stage, Brett Polegato's artistic sensibility has earned him the highest praise from audiences and critics. The New York Times has praised him for his ‘burnished, well-focused voice’ which he uses with ‘considerable intelligence and nuance’. Since finishing first among the men at the 1995 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, his career has encompassed over fifty operatic roles in the world’s most prestigious venues including La Scala, l’Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, the Teatro Real, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Carnegie Hall. He has made a name for himself in a number of dramatic roles, most notably Pelléas Pelléas et Mélisande, Il Conte Almaviva Le Nozze di Figaro and the title roles of Eugene Onegin and Don Giovanni. Polegato’s recent engagements include Guglielmo Cosi Fan Tutte at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, Starbuck Moby Dick for Calgary Opera, Kurwenal Tristan und Isolde with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, a performance of Zemlinsky’s Lyrische Symphonie with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and his Orchestre Métropolitain, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs and Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem in Winnipeg, and Sharpless Madama Butterfly with Seattle Opera. Highlights of the 2012-13 season include Dandini La Cenerentola with Seattle Opera and the title role of Eugene Onegin for Grange Park Opera. Looking further ahead, Polegato’s future roles include Marquis de Posa Don Carlos, a reprise of Starbuck Moby Dick and Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande. Julia Wedman Julia Wedman (violin) brings an "infectious vitality" to music (Victoria Times Colonist). Her playing has been described as "highly communicative", and "extraordinarily lithe and intuitive" (Globe and Mail). Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Julia completed her studies in music at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and Indiana University at Bloomington. With a life long passion for chamber music, she formed her first serious string quartet at age 15. In addition to performances with the Eybler Quartet, she is currently a member the innovative young baroque ensemble I FURIOSI, known for their imaginative and unconventional programming. She joined Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in 2005, and is regularly featured as a soloist with the group on their home series in Toronto as well as on tours in Canada, the U.S.A, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Germany, China and Korea. Julia's debut solo recording of Heinrich Biber's Mystery Sonatas (Sonoluminus) was released in the spring of 2011 and has received rave reviews. The CD was featured in the July 2011 issue of Gramophone magazine, saying “Rather exceptionally, one suspects, Wedman has approached Biber's music as a true pilgrim, interpreting key moments in the life of Christ thoughtfully, vividly and with evident personal humility and warmth. Her performances exude humanity and have about them a radiance that somehow transcends the sound of her lovely 1694 instrument.” Carol Lynn Fujino Acclaimed violinist Carol Fujino joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1991, and made her debut with the orchestra two years later, playing in Vivaldi's Concerto for 4 violins. Prior to her joining the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Fujino served as Assistant Concertmaster for the National Ballet Orchestra of Canada. She has concertized throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, having recently completed a tour of China with Soundstreams Canada. Ms. Fujino has been heard on CBC radio as a soloist with the Esprit Orchestra, and is an active chamber musician, collaborating with ensembles such as the Gryphon Trio, Accordes Quartet, Continuum Ensemble, and the Amici Ensemble. As a recording artist, Ms. Fujino has played for numerous films and television programs, and has collaborated on recordings of many new works in various genres. Carol Fujino was an Eaton Scholarship recipient at the University of Toronto, where she studied with Steven Staryk. Aisslinn Nosky Aisslinn Nosky (violin) is a versatile and charismatic musician who brings passion and fervour to every project she pursues. She performs in solo and chamber music recitals across North America, Europe and Asia. Recent triumphs include performing concertos with the Calgary Philharmonic and with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, as well as giving the world premiere of “Stand Still”- a new piece for solo violin by Michael Oesterle comissioned by Aisslinn with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Highlights of the 2011/2012 season find her performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons both in Boston with the Handel and Haydn Society and at the Lameque International Baroque Festival and guest directing the Thunder Bay Symphony. She is often in demand as a leader and concertmaster and has led the Grand River Baroque Festival Players, Arion Baroque Orchestra, andCollegium Musicum Hanyang. Aisslinn has recently been named concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. Since 2005, Aisslinn has been a highly active member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Julie Baumgartel Julie Baumgartel-violin- has performed with Tafelmusik and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra across Europe, North America and Asia. Now living in Kitchener-Waterloo, she frequently performs with the K-W Symphony and Nota Bene Baroque. She has been featured in numerous CBC radio broadcasts and performs chamber music regularly with the Gallery Players of Niagara, at the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, and with the Factory Arts Quartet as the in residence ensemble of InnerChamber in Stratford. Julie splits her professional time between performing and teaching and is an instructor at the Wilfrid Laurier University String Academy. From 2003-2012 she was conductor of the KWS Youth Sinfonia and is a part time faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University. She performs on a Paulo Antonio Testore violin made in Italy in 1740. James Mason James Mason (oboe) is highly regarded as one of Canada’s most prominent oboists. Since 1979 he has been the Principal Oboe of the Kitchener- Waterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble. Prior to that Mr. Mason was Principal Oboe with the Saskatoon Symphony and Assistant Principal Oboe with the Virginia Symphony. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in Germany, Holland, Spain, South America and Japan as well as the United States and Canada. Mr. Mason has many recordings to his credit and is heard regularly on CBC radio, for which he has recorded most of the standard chamber music and solo oboe repertoire, along with several new works for oboe and orchestra written specifically for him. He also appears regularly as soloist with various orchestras in Canada. Mr. Mason has appeared as Principal Oboe with the Boston Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, along with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. In April 2005 Mr. Mason accepted an appointment as Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he has the largest oboe class in Canada. He plays a Yamaha oboe and is generously sponsored in many of his musical endeavors as a member of the Yamaha Artist program. Peter Shackleton Recently appointed Musician-in-Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University, clarinettist Peter Shackleton currently holds the principal clarinet chair with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of Music in Common, and the internationally acclaimed ensemble Tafelmusik, with whom he has performed and recorded on historical clarinet in Canada, Japan, and throughout Europe. He has served as principal clarinettist of Orchestra London Canada, and has performed with Les Violons du Roy (including a performance of the Mozart Requiem at Lincoln Center, New York, in the days following the 9/11 tragedy), as well as with the Milwaukee Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and Stratford Festival Orchestras. Peter has held teaching positions at the University of Western Ontario, Duquesne University (Pittsburgh) and Lakehead University (Thunder Bay). In 1993, he was awarded First Prize at the 27th CBC Radio Competition and has since performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra (Vancouver), Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and Tafelmusik. Peter received his Honours Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a certificate in Chamber Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His principal teachers include Robert Marcellus, Russell Dagon, Clark Brody and Donald Montanaro. Douglas Miller Douglas Miller – flute - is an established freelance musician. He has performed with the Toronto Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Kitchener Waterloo Orchestra, and is current principal flute of the Niagara Symphony. As theatre musician he has played many Toronto productions such as Phantom, and Les Miz. In ‘The Lion King’, and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, he played a collection of ethnic bamboo flutes, several of which he built himself. In 2005 he toured North America with Hal Prince’s production of ‘EVITA’, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the show. He records regularly for film and television most notably the long running CBC series ‘Road to Avonlea’ and David Suzuki’s ‘Nature of Things’. His education includes a Master of Music in flute from University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Music and Licentiate with Distinction in saxophone from McGill University, where he completed a year of graduate studies in recording engineering. A graduate of the Royal Conservatory’s Orchestral Training Program, he also spent a year of Advanced Studies in Music at the Banff Centre followed by private studies in Vienna. He has been a member of the Shaw Festival Orchestra in various productions since 1991, and is a founding member of the Gallery Players of Niagara. He recently premiered and co-produced his own orchestral show, ‘Flutes en Route’, a showcase of ethnic flutes from around the world. He makes his home in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Patrick Jordan Patrick Jordan's (viola) performances have prompted Toronto's Globe and Mail to demand "Who knew violists could have so much fun?" A native of West Texas, Pat studied with Susan Schoenfeld before moving to Boston in 1981 to study with Walter Trampler at New England Conservatory; he enjoyed several years' study of chamber music with Eugene Lehner. Now a resident of Toronto, Pat is a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, which tours world-wide. He is the Artistic Administrator and violist with the Gallery Players of Niagara, and a member of the Eybler Quartet. While living in Boston, he performed regularly with D.C. Hall's Band, the van Swieten Quartet, the Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra and was a member of the Boston Quartet. He is currently on the Faculty of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has recorded for Sony, Sony Classical, Dorian, Newport Classic, NorthStar, Analekta, CBC and Northeastern. Margaret Gay Toronto based ‘cellist Margaret Gay leads a very active freelance career performing on both modern and period instruments. Margaret performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, Opera Atelier, the Eybler Quartet (www.eyblerquartet.com), and Ensemble Polaris (www.ensemblepolaris.com), a group exploring the traditional music of various Nordic countries. She is Artistic Director of The Gallery Players of Niagara (www.galleryplayers.ca), an organization presenting chamber music. She performs on cellos made by Andrea Castagnieri (1730). Margaret can be heard on CD recordings with Ensemble Polaris, the Eybler Quartet & the Gallery Players of Niagara. Her most recent CD release with the Eybler Quartet is Haydn’s Op. 33 complete, released by Analekta. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o1tnZrT60E Timothy Phelan Timothy Phelan is a classical guitarist, conductor, composer, arranger and educator based in Niagara. He made his CBC recording debut at the age of eighteen as concerto soloist with Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, and he has since been heard in solo, concerto and chamber music performances over CBC Radio and Television, Radio France, Radio Caribbean, and Cuban National Radio and Television. He has adjudicated guitar competitions in Edmonton, Niagara and Toronto. An accomplished conductor who has collaborated in concerto performances with Canadian guitarist Liona Boyd, Tim has served as Instructor/Conductor/Arranger of Guitar Ensemble at the University of Toronto and has appeared in the CBC/Rhombus Media film Guitar. Tim’s work as a composer has focused primarily on increasing the repertoire for classical guitar with choral ensembles. He has received numerous commissions for choir with guitar, and has worked with Chorus Niagara, the Niagara Vocal Ensemble, Oriana Women’s Choir of Toronto, the Toronto Orpheus Choir, and the Woodstock-Fanshawe Singers. He has recently premiered new works for guitar, choir and symphony orchestra with Chorus Niagara and the Niagara Symphony conducted by Robert Cooper, and for guitar, harp, choir and string orchestra with Choralis Camerata conducted by David Braun. Tim is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Education. He dedicated more than twenty years to secondary school music education, serving as Head of Arts in two secondary schools. Tim currently teaches classical guitar at Brock University and Mohawk College, in addition to maintaining a busy private studio and an active performing schedule. Joseph Phillips Born and raised in Toronto close to the rolling green hills of Christie Pits, Joe Phillips started studying classical guitar at age 9, at the University Settlement House Music School. He attended Oakwood Collegiate, and after some time playing the clarinet, he discovered the double bass. Time spent playing in various blues bars, Irish pubs and booze cans and four years studying with renowned classical virtuoso Joel Quarrington have led to a busy and diverse career. When not playing principal bass in Orchestra London Canada, Joe can be found making music with artists as varied as The Art of Time Ensemble, Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, cabaret siren Patricia O’Callaghan, songwriters Jenny Whiteley, Sarah Slean, Ruth Moody, the Wailin’ Jennys, Corin Raymond and Rita Chiarelli, jazz bassist/cellist/composer Andrew Downing, banjoist Jayme Stone, Canadian fiddlers Pierre Schryer and Shane Cook and Irish flute and whistle virtuoso Nuala Kennedy. Joe has performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, I Musici de Montréal, Tafelmusik, the Festival of the Sound and is an annual participant in the Sweetwater Music weekend in Owen Sound, Ontario. He lives in London, Ontario with his partner and their two children. Leslie De'Ath Leslie De’Ath is a Canadian pianist, conductor, author, chamber player, vocal coach and accompanist, who enjoys a varied career as both performer and pedagogue. De’Ath has collaborated with many fine singers and instrumentalists, from Karina Gauvin, Maureen Forrester and Frederica von Stade to Per ien, Alex Klein and Hartmut Lindemann. He has been the pianist with several chamber groups, including the Laurier Trio, Contrasts, and the Poulenc Trio, and has guested with the Penderecki String Quartet and other groups. He has been the keyboard player with the KW Symphony since 1980, and throughout the years of the Canadian Chamber Ensemble's existence, and has performed as soloist with both groups on many occasions. In recent years he has become involved with the recording medium, and with more than 30 commercial CDs at present, he has become one of Canada's most recorded pianists. His instrumental discography includes the complete piano music of Cyril Scott on nine CDs, the eight sonatas of Algernon Ashton, duo piano works of Florent Schmitt, and two recordings of Billy Mayerl favourites, all on the Dutton Epoch label. Vocal albums include Schubert’s Winterreise with Daniel Lichti, Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch with Lichti and Catherine Robbin, and a CD of Strauss Lieder with Janet Obermeyer. His involvement with the recording medium garnered a 2008 Gramophone magazine Editor’s Choice designation, and a Grammy nomination. His first Mayerl CD was chosen as one of the 85 best solo piano recordings available today in the Penguin Guide to the 1000 Finest Classical Recordings. De’Ath is a Professor in the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he has taught since 1979. There he is a studio piano instructor, Music Director of the opera program, and teaches lyric diction and piano literature. Over the years he has conducted more than 30 of the Faculty’s opera productions. Hobbies include collecting old and rare musical scores, manuscripts, letters, signatures, and other ephemera, as well as antiques and philately. Eybler Quartet Recently hailed by Gramophone Magazine for their “totally engaging performances”, the Eybler Quartet continues to enjoy critical acclaim for their recordings and live performances. The group came together in late 2004 to explore the works of the first century of the string quartet, with a healthy attention to lesser known composers such as their namesake, Joseph Leopold Edler von Eybler. The group plays on instruments appropriate to the period of the music it performs. In its brief but busy existence, the Toronto-based ensemble has consistently garnered praise for their “glowing and committed”, “spirited” and “lively and energizing” live performances. Violinists Julia Wedman and Aisslinn Nosky, and violist Patrick G. Jordan, are all members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; Julia and Aisslinn are also members of I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. ‘Cellist Margaret Gay is much in demand as both a modern and period instrument player. The group brings a unique combination of talents and skills: years of collective experience as chamber musicians, technical prowess, experience in period instrument performance and an unquenchable passion for the repertoire. The group’s recording of Eybler’s Opus 1 and the quintets of Backofen with clarinettist Jane Booth are the world premiere recording of those pieces. Their recently released recording of Haydn Op. 33 has met with critical acclaim.