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December 18, 2016: Mariko Anraku, harp; Emmanuel Ceysson, harp CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Selections from Suite bergamasque, arranged for two harps December 18, 2016: Mariko Anraku, harp; Emmanuel Ceysson, harp Debussy was enchanted by the poetry of Paul Verlaine. Around 1890 he began composing a series of piano pieces that would become his Suite bergamasque , titled after a line of Verlaine’s famous poem Clair de lune . The poem had appeared in an 1869 collection entitled Fêtes galantes , which had been inspired by the paintings of Watteau and his followers. In these paintings, idealized landscapes of parks and gardens in the twilight are often populated by revelers in costumes of the tragic-comic characters of the commedia dell-arte—Harlequin, Pierrot, Colombine, and company—a form of theater that began in sixteenth-century Italy. Verlaine’s collection also provided texts for a number of Debussy’s songs before he returned to the piano pieces for revision and publication as Suite bergamasque in 1905. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the word bergamasque (or bergomask) referred to a fantasia or set of instrumental variations based on a folk dance—Shakespeare’s rustic characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream , for example, dance a bergomask. Presumably that folk dance had some connection with the Bergamo district in northern Italy. Further, the character of the Harlequin is described as a mischievous servant from Bergamo. By Verlaine’s and Debussy’s time there was no evident connection with the bergomask’s traditional tune or harmonic scheme, but the association with a folk dance and the commedia dell’arte lingered. Debussy’s Suite bergamasque consists of four movements, Prélude, Menuet, Clair de lune, and Passepied, of which we hear I, III, and IV, arranged for two harps by Matthieu Martin. The Prélude opens with unhurried nobility, achieving Debussy’s aim of sounding improvisatory. This introductory idea leads to a stronger, chordally moving main theme, followed by a delicately textured second theme. The middle section develops both themes, with a kind of recapitulation that deals only with the opening introductory idea and the stronger main theme. The outline of sonata form, however, remains secondary to the lovely sense of improvisation or “Impressionism” that Debussy creates. Originally titled “Promenade sentimentale” after another Verlaine poem, the third piece became Clair de lune (Moonlight) when Debussy polished the Suite bergamasque for publication in 1905. Since then the piece has taken on a life of its own, having become extraordinarily popular and, sad to say, trivialized. Its luminous qualities and inspired construction, however, should inspire listeners to look beyond its familiarity. That amazing opening—how it just hangs there then gently descends as silvery light from the moon—is pure genius. Its rhythmic freedom gives the feeling of floating as does the delay of the anchoring pitch of the home key. Debussy, like his contemporary Ravel, was justly famous for his water imagery. The rippling central section no doubt responds to the line in Verlaine’s poem describing the moonlight bringing sobs of ecstasy to the fountains. The ending is magical—Debussy fragments the theme as moonlight would be broken up by shadows and allows it to die away in a haunting final cadence. A passepied was a French court dance of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in triple time, much like a minuet but faster, with fairly constant motion in eighth- or sixteenth-notes. For his Passepied, Debussy opted instead for a moderate tempo and 4/4 meter, perhaps reflecting his original title, Pavane, which refers to a stately court dance. He most likely changed the name after deciding that his piece was too active for a Pavane, but also to avoid comparison with Fauré’s influential Pavane, op. 50. It seems he was not worried about comparison with another source of inspiration—the Passepied from Delibes’s pastiche of “ancient” dances for Le roi s’amuse , which had long been available in piano transcription. Whatever the case, Debussy’s piece, unfolding in a kind of modified rondo form, shows a fascinating mix of the constant motion of a passepied and a profusion of contrasting melodies, all bathed in a kind of modal sonority that hints at older times while proclaiming Debussy’s Impressionistic orientation. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

November 20, 2016: Frank Huang, concertmaster; Sheryl Staples, principal associate concertmaster; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Carter Brey; cello GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Lullaby November 20, 2016: Frank Huang, concertmaster; Sheryl Staples, principal associate concertmaster; Cynthia Phelps, viola; Carter Brey; cello Sometime around 1919 George Gershwin worked on a short piece for string quartet in the course of his harmony and orchestration studies with Edward Kilenyi. Though popular with his friends, the piece was put aside after Gershwin siphoned off its main motive for an aria in the one-act opera Blue Monday , which was pulled from the stage after its premiere in 1922. The manuscript of the quartet lay forgotten on his brother Ira’s shelf for four decades until harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler reminded Ira of its existence. Adler obtained permission to arrange the piece for harmonica and string quartet, in which version the piece was introduced at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963. It was a short step for Adler, now with the help of Morton Gould, to make an arrangement for harmonica and string orchestra, but it was not until October 28, 1967, that the Lullaby was publicly performed in its original version for string quartet. Ira and Arthur (another brother) published the piece the following year, and it has had equal success with both string quartets and string orchestras. George Gershwin’s ability to cross over between jazz and “art music” has always been considered one of his great claims to fame, and the Lullaby, written as a “classical” piece, enhances that claim. The Lullaby is designed in three main sections framed by a short introduction and coda. Softly sustained chords and violin harmonics lead to the first main section, which features a gently syncopated accompaniment. The central section itself contains three parts, marked Semplice, Recitativo, and Dolcissimo. The return to the main section is altered and shortened and the piece closes with a unifying return to the harmonics of the introduction with a little tossed-off pizzicato for impish finality. © Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

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March 9, 2025: Ravel’s 150th Birthday Concert, with Erika Baikoff, Soprano; Soohong Park, piano Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Gaspard de la nuit for piano March 9, 2025: Ravel’s 150th Birthday Concert, with Erika Baikoff, Soprano; Soohong Park, piano Gaspard de la nuit (Gaspard of the Night) is one of the most difficult pieces in the piano repertoire—written by a composer who had achieved a certain level of proficiency on the instrument, then refused to practice except if he had to work up one of his own pieces for performance! Ravel’s inspiration was a book of poems by Aloysius Bertrand (1807–1841), shown to him by pianist and first interpreter of many of his piano works, Ricardo Viñes. Originally published posthumously in 1842 and reissued in its third edition in 1895, Bertrand’s Gaspard de la nuit , which he subtitled “Fantasies in the manner of Rembrandt and Callot,” piqued Ravel’s already healthy interest in the macabre. All during the summer of 1908 Ravel kept himself chained to his desk working on Gaspard even though all his friends had left for the country, and he finally he emerged with one of the most important works of post-Romantic piano literature. Viñes mastered Gaspard ’s intricacies by January 9, 1909, when he played the premiere at a concert of the Société Nationale. Ravel chose three of Bertrand’s poems, which he had printed in the score as prefaces to his atmospheric settings. Ondine carries on the line of Ravel’s other celebrated “water” pieces—Jeux d’eau and Une barque sur l’océan —with its iridescent flashes and murmuring waves. Ondine is the celebrated water sprite who falls in love with a mortal, is rejected, and returns beneath the waves. Though Ravel does not “narrate” the poem with his music, we surely hear Bertrand’s last line: “She, pouting, vexed, shed some tears, burst into laughter, and vanished in a sudden shower which trickled in white rivulets the length of my blue window panes.” Le gibet (The gallows) is based on Bertrand’s eerie scene of a corpse hanging from the gibbet in the howling wind at sunset. Ravel’s ingenious construction, which required three rather than the normal two staves to notate, employs obsessively repeated octave B-flats—“a bell tolling from the walls of a town far away on the horizon”—to serve as an internal pedal around which the chromatic harmonies swell and ebb. Scarbo is the malicious dwarf who is everywhere—“laughing in the shadow of my alcove, pirouetting on one foot and rolling across the floor like a bobbin from a witch’s distaff.” Here Ravel set out to compose music of “transcendent virtuosity,” which he intended “to be more difficult than Balakirev’s Islamey .” The incessant repeated notes and the infamous runs in parallel seconds are only some of the fiendish challenges Ravel set out for the pianist. His witty conclusion aptly illustrates Bertrand’s closing phrase: “then suddenly he would vanish.” —©Jane Vial Jaffe Return to Parlance Program Notes

INN-HYUCK CHO, CLARINET Inn-Hyuck Cho, a native of South Korea, was just named Principal Clarinet of Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Prior to his appointment in 2016, he was principal clarinet of the Basel Symphony Orchesra (Switzerland), one of the oldest European orchestras, as well as the Musikkollegium Winterthur (Switzerland). He has performed as a guest with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Zurich Philharmonia, Radio France Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra, and the Luzern Symphony Orchestra. 
He is member of the Alma Wodwind Quintet, which won first prize in the Henri Tomasi International Woodwind Quintet Competition in Marseille, France. Mr. Cho was a laureate of the Carl Nielsen International Music Competition and Debussy International Clarinet Competition. He studied at the Korean National University of Arts and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Prof. Michel Arrignon and Prof. Pascal Moragués.

2013-2014 SEASON 2013-2014 SEASON Artist Roster Parlance Program Notes LOCATION At West Side Presbyterian Church 6 South Monroe Street Ridgewood, NJ 07450 For map and directions, click here . CONCERT AMENITIES Whee lchair Accessible Fr e e Parking for all concerts

JOSEPH JORDAN, OBOE

February 16, 2020: Ying Fang, soprano; Ken Noda, piano GEORGES BIZET (1838-1875) Chanson d’avril and La coccinelle February 16, 2020: Ying Fang, soprano; Ken Noda, piano Despite Bizet’s primary preoccupation with composing opera, he also wrote more than fifty songs for voice and piano, many of which have stood the test of time because of their fresh contribution to the genre of French mélodie (art song). He built on the style of his teacher, Charles Gounod, but he managed to imbue his songs with more scenic flair and more unusual harmonies and textures. One imagines that if Bizet’s life had not been cut tragically short, he could have produced a body of songs that rivaled those of Fauré, Duparc, and Chabrier, all of whose best songs date from after Bizet’s death. Bizet’s most well-known songs appear in the 1873 collection Vingt (20) mélodies , though most of them had been published before. His somewhat lesser-known but equally great collection, Feuilles d’album (Album leaves), contains six songs all composed in 1866 and published the following year. His final collection (Seize [16] mélodies ), published posthumously in 1883, contains mostly adaptions he made between 1873 and 1875 from unfinished and unperformed operas. His choice of poets demonstrates his amazingly wide-ranging literary tastes, and his dedications include a large circle of friends and colleagues—mainly singers, both professional and amateur. Even when writing in a virtuosic vein his songs are grateful to sing. Bizet composed the charming, graceful “Chanson d’avril” (April song) by 1871 for mezzo-soprano Anna Banderali, wife of composer Grat-Norbert (Adrien) Barth, who a dozen years earlier had beaten out Bizet for the Prix Edouard Rodrigues. Like many of Bizet songs it is strophic, this time in two verses, with a constantly rustling piano part that suggests the stirring of spring and provides a perfect foil for the smoother vocal lines. “La coccinelle” (The ladybug) dates from June of 1868, written for amateur singer Fanny Bouchet. Bizet’s setting provides a perfect example of his ability to create an entire scene within a song. He carefully delineates three characters—in the opening recitative we meet the girl who is the object of the boy’s affection, then for most of the narrative he recounts his missed opportunity for a kiss in a lighthearted waltz as if they are at a dance, and finally the ladybug teases him in her own little song. He concludes with soaring regret and a rueful “I should have.” © Jane Vial Jaffe Texts and Translations Chanson d’avril Lève-toi! lève-toi! le printemps vient de naître. Là-bas, sur les vallons, flotte un réseau vermeil. Tout frissonne au jardin, tout chante, et ta fenêtre, Comme un regard joyeux, est pleine de soleil.Du côté des lilas aux touffes violettes, Mouches et papillons bruïssent à la fois; Et le muguet sauvage, ébranlant ses clochettes, A réveillé l’amour endormi dans les bois.Puisque avril a semé ses marguerites blanches, Laisse ta mante lourde et ton manchon frileux; Déja l’oiseau t’appelle, et tes sœurs les pervenches Te souriront dans l’herbe en voyant tes yeux bleus.Viens partons! Au matin la source est plus limpide;N’attendons pas du jour les brûlantes chaleurs, Je veux mouiller mes pieds dans la rosée humide, Et te parler d’amour sous les poiriers en fleurs!—Louis Bouilhet April Song Get up! Get up! Spring is just born. Yonder above the valleys floats a vermilion space. Everything quivers in the garden, everything sings, and your window, like a joyful glance, is full of sun.Beside the lilacs with their purple clusters, flies and butterflies buzz together; and the wild lily-of-the-valley, ringing its bells, has awakened love asleep in the woods.Since April has sown its white daisies, leave aside your heavy coat and your cosy muff; already the bird is calling you, and your sisters the periwinkles will smile in the grass at you on seeing your blue eyes.Come, lets go! In the morning the spring is more limpid; let us not wait for the burning heats of the day, I want to wet my feet in the damp dew, and to talk to you of love beneath the flowering pear trees! La coccinelle Elle me dit: “Quelque chose “Me tourmente.” Et j’aperçus Son cou de neige, et, dessus, Un petit insecte rose.J’aurais dû,—mais, sage ou fou, A seize ans, on est farouche,— Voir le baiser sur sa bouche Plus que l’insecte à son cou.On eût dit un coquillage; Dos rose et taché de noir. Les fauvettes pour nous voir Se penchaient dans le feuillage.Sa bouche fraîche était là; Hélas! Je me penchai sur la belle, Et je pris la coccinelle; Mais le baiser s’envola.“Fils, apprends comme on me nomme,” Dit l’insecte du ciel bleu, “Les bêtes sont au bon Dieu; “Mais la bêtise est à l’homme.” —Victor Hugo The Ladybug She told me: “Something torments me.” And I saw her snow-white neck, and, on it, A small rose-colored insect.I should,—but wise or mad, at sixteen, one is shy,— have seen the kiss on her mouth more than the insect on her neck.It looked like a shell, rosy back and spotted with black. The warblers to see us better stretched out their necks in the foliage.Her fresh mouth was there; alas! I leaned over the beautiful girl, and I removed the ladybug, but the kiss flew away.“Son, learn what they call me,” said the insect from the blue sky, “Creatures belong to the good Lord, but foolishness belongs to man.” Return to Parlance Program Notes

< Back AS LONG AS THERE ARE SONGS Stephanie Blythe will announce the program selections from the stage. No Program Notes Previous Next

2014-2015 ARTIST ROSTER ALEX BROWN, JAZZ PIANO RAFAEL FIGUEROA, CELLO HSIN-YUN HUANG, VIOLA ISABEL LEONARD, MEZZO-SOPRANO OSCAR STAGNARO, JAZZ BASS OSMO VÄNSKÄ, CLARINET PAQUITO D’RIVERA, SAXOPHONE DAVID FINCKEL, CELLO SHARON ISBIN, GUITAR KEN NODA, PIANO ARNAUD SUSSMANN, VIOLIN GILLES VONSATTEL, PIANO EMERSON STRING QUARTET STEFON HARRIS, VIBRAPHONE ERIN KEEFE, VIOLIN MATTHEW POLENZANI, TENOR DIEGO URCOLA, TRUMPET MARK WALKER, DRUMS

ZVI PLESSER, CELLO Israeli cellist Zvi Plesser enjoys a wide-ranging career as a soloist, chamber music performer, educator and music director. He has been on the world stage for more than 30 years playing, teaching and promoting music in varied settings from the most prestigious halls to community settings with equal devotion and excitement. As a soloist Mr. Plesser plays regularly in his home country with all the orchestras. Since his debut with the Israel Philharmonic under Maestro Asher Fisch, he has regularly performed with The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Camerata – Including a tour to Australia and Bangkok, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Haifa symphony and more. Highlights of recent seasons include – Bardanashvilli – "Dialogues" with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Ariel Zuckerman, Gulda Cello Concerto with Israel Symphony Orchestra with Rotem Nir, Haydn Cello Concerto with Jerusalem Camerata and Paul Goodwin as well as with Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva with Noam Aviel. On the world stage he has performed with such orchestras as – Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Saint Martin in the Fields, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, Mexico National Symphony, Shanghai Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra to name a few, under conductors such as – Zubin Mehta, Sir Neville Merriner, Sergiu Comissiona, Karl Heinz Steffens, Steven Sloan, Duncan Ward, Omer Meir Welber and many more. Mr. Plesser devotes much of his time to chamber music. He has played in various chamber music groups throughout the years – the Huberman Quartet and Concertante Chamber Ensemble. In past season he has performed in some of the world's leading stages such as Paris Champs-Elysees, Musee du Louvre and Salle Pleyel, Vienna Konzerthouse, Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York, London Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre among others. He is frequently invited to music festivals around the world including – Four Seasons Festival, Mayfest in the US, Utrecht International Music Festival, Rolandseck, Kuhmo Festival, ClasClas and Salon de Provence in Europe as well as Le Point in Japan, the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival and many more. In the years 2011 - 2021 he served as music director for the” Voice of Music in the Upper Galilee,” festival – Israel’s oldest chamber music festival. Mr. Plesser revitalized the festival by introducing innovative programs that gained the attention of both the audience and the press. In 2022 he founded, together with his friend violinist Guy Braunstein, the Mu-Zi festival. Mr. Plesser is a graduate of the Juilliard School where he studied with Zara Nelsova. His principal teachers include Zvi Harel in Israel and David Soyer in the United States. Mr. Plesser is a professor at the Jerusalem Academy of Music where he served as head of the strings department as well as director of the Nazaryan chamber music program. In the fall of 2024 he will begin teaching at the Juilliard school in New York City. He has also taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Hochschule für Musik in Würzburg, Germany. He is frequently invited to give masterclasses and workshops in musical centers around the world. Mr. Plesser is on the faculty of the Perlman Music Program since 2017 where he teaches twice a year in the "Littles" program as well as the Sarasota residency. For the last few years, he has also taught at the Morningside Musical Bridge summer program in Boston. Mr. Plesser has been heard on various radio and television programs and has recorded for Helicon, Kleos, Meridian, Naxos, Alpha and more. A graduate of the Jerusalem Music Center as part of the program for Outstanding Young Musicians headed by Maestro Isaac Stern, Mr. Plesser won the prestigious Francoise Shapira Competition, the 41st annual Washington International Competition and was the recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships.