OFAM concerts put the spotlight on two 20th century Romantics.Byline: Paul Denison The Register-GuardBenjamin Britten and Samuel Barber, two 20th century composers with romantic sensibilities, will be in the spotlight Thursday and Friday in a mini-festival presented by the Oregon Festival of American Music Oregon Festival of American Music is an eclectic, thematically-based two-week summer music festival that has been held annually in Eugene, Oregon since 1992. Produced by The John G. . Thursday's program will feature OFAM's American Symphonia Strings, conducted by James Paul, with oboist Kelly Berge and soprano Maria Jette as soloists. On Friday, Berge and Jette will be joined by concertmaster con·cert·mas·ter n. The first violinist in a symphony orchestra. Kathryn Lucktenberg and other American Symphonia musicians in a program of chamber music. OFAM OFAM Oregon Festival of American Music promotional material notes that during the first half of the 20th century, when many composers embraced free dissonance and 12-tone techniques, ``Barber and Britten continued to compose in a style more closely related to their Romantic forebears, forging distinctive, personal voices based mainly on past musical traditions and forms yet embracing and incorporating appropriate aspects of contemporary composition.'' Thursday's program, titled ``Being Beauteous beau·te·ous adj. Beautiful, especially to the sight. beau  te·ous·ly adv.beau ,'' will open with Barber's Canzonetta In music, a canzonetta (pl. canzonette, canzonetti or canzonettas) was a popular Italian secular vocal composition which originated around 1560. In its earlier versions it was somewhat like a madrigal but lighter in style; but by the 18th century, especially as (Op. 48) for oboe and strings, featuring Kelly Berge. This was the last piece of music that Barber wrote. It was intended as the middle movement of an oboe concerto that he never finished. It was orchestrated by Charles Turner in 1981, the year Barber died. Maria Jette will be featured next in "Les Illuminations," Britten's setting of 10 poems by Arthur Rimbaud including "Being Beauteous." Jette and pianist Tim Lovelace will open the second half of Thursday's concert with Britten's setting of "Let the Florid florid /flor·id/ (flor´id) 1. in full bloom; occurring in fully developed form. 2. having a bright red color. flor·id adj. Of a bright red or ruddy color. Music Praise!" by W.H. Auden and a setting of Mary Coleridge's "Love Went A-Riding" by Frank Bridge (1879-41), who was young Britten's teacher. To conclude the Thursday program, conductor Paul and the American Symphonia Strings will play Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, described as Britten's "first really mature score." Friday's chamber music program will open with Barber's "Summer Music" (Op. 31), followed by Britten's setting of "Winter Words," eight poems by Thomas Hardy. The Barber piece will be performed by Carol Redman, flute; Michael Anderson, clarinet; Kelly Berge, oboe; Steve Vacchi, bassoon bassoon (băs  n`), double-reed woodwind instrument that plays in the bass and tenor registers. Its 8-ft (2.4-m) conical tube is bent double, the instrument thus being about 4 ft (1. ; and Ed McManus, horn. For the
Hardy poems, Jette and Lovelace will again team up.
The second half will include Britten's Three Pieces from the Suite (Op. 6), Barber's Canzone canzone, in literature canzone (käntsô`nā) or canzona (–nä), in literature, Italian term meaning lyric or song. (Op. 38a), Britten's Phantasy (Op. 2) and Barber's "Melodies Passageres" (Op. 27), settings of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke Noun 1. Rainer Maria Rilke - German poet (born in Austria) whose imagery and mystic lyricism influenced 20th-century German literature (1875-1926) Rilke including "Puisque tout passe pas·sé adj. 1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date. 2. Past the prime; faded or aged. [French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see (Since all things pass)," from which the Friday program takes its title. Musicians featured will be Lucktenberg and Lovelace (Britten's Three Pieces from the Suite); Redman and Lovelace (Barber's Canzone); Berge, Lucktenberg, violist Leslie Straka and cellist Steven Pologe (Britten's Phantasy) and Jette and Lovelace (Barber's ``Melodies Passageres''). CONCERT PREVIEW Illuminations: Britten, Barber and Romantic Idealism in the 20th Century What: Two Oregon Festival of American Music concerts When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday Where: Shedd Concert Hall, 285 E. Broadway How much: $34, $24 and $18 (687-6526) Pre-concert meal: Reservation only, set menu, beverages extra, 6:30 p.m., Shedd Gym, $16.50 (434-7000) CAPTION(S): Among the music of Samuel Barber (1910-1981) that will be performed this week will be Canzonetta for oboe and strings, the last composition of his life. |
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