Last updated: October 17, 2023
Program
CLARA SCHUMANN (8 min)
“An einem lichten Morgen” (“On a clear morning”), Op. 23, No. 2
“Geheimes Flüstern hier und dort” (“Secret whisperings here and there”), Op. 23, No. 3
“Liebeszauber” (“Love’s magic”), Op. 13, No. 3
ROBERT SCHUMANN Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 (26 min)
I. Nicht zu schnell –
II. Langsam –
III. Sehr lebhaft
INTERMISSION
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 (45 min)
I. Un poco sostenuto – Allegro
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
IV. Adagio – Allegro non troppo ma con brio
Clara Schumann Lieder – Texts and Translations
An einem lichten Morgen
German source: Hermann Rollett
An einem lichten Morgen,
Da klingt es hell im Tal:
Wach’ auf, du liebe Blume,
Ich bin der Sonnenstrahl!
Erschließe mit Vertrauen
Dein Blütenkämmerlein
Und laß die heiße Liebe
In’s Heiligtum hinein.
Ich will ja nichts verlangen
Als liegen dir im Schoß
Und deine Blüte küssen,
Eh’ sie verwelkt im Moos.
Ich will ja nichts begehren
Als ruh’n an deiner Brust
Und dich dafür verklären
Mit sonnenheller Lust.
Geheimes Flüstern hier und dort
German source: Hermann Rollett
Geheimes Flüstern hier und dort,
Verborg’nes Quellenrauschen,
O Wald, o Wald, geweihter Ort,
Laß mich des Liebens reinstes Wort,
in Zweig und Blatt belauschen!
Und schreit’ ich in den Wald hinaus,
Da grüßen mich die Bäume,
Du liebes, freies Gotteshaus,
Du schließest mich mit Sturmgebraus
In deine kühlen Räume!
Was leise mich umschwebt, umklingt,
Ich will es treu bewahren,
Und was mir tief zum Herzen dringt,
Will ich, vom Geist der Lieb’ beschwingt,
In Liedern offenbaren!
Liebeszauber
German source: Emanuel Geibel
Die Liebe saß als Nachtigall
Im Rosenbusch und sang;
Es flog der wundersüße Schall
Den grünen Wald entlang.
Und wie er klang, - da stieg im Kreis
Aus tausend Kelchen Duft,
Und alle Wipfel rauschten leis’,
Und leiser ging die Luft;
Die Bäche schwiegen, die noch kaum
Geplätschert von den Höh’n,
Die Rehlein standen wie im Traum
Und lauschten dem Getön.
Und hell und immer heller floß
Der Sonne Glanz herein,
Um Blumen, Wald und Schlucht ergoß
Sich goldig roter Schein.
Ich aber zog den Wald entlang
Und hörte auch den Schall.
Ach! was seit jener Stund’ ich sang,
War nur sein Widerhall.
https://oxfordsong.org/song/liebeszauberhttps://oxfordsong.org/song/liebeszauber
Repertoire
“An einem lichten Morgen” (“On a clear morning”), Op. 23, No. 2
“Geheimes Flüstern hier und dort” (“Secret whisperings here and there”), Op. 23, No. 3
“Liebeszauber” (“Love’s magic”), Op. 13, No. 3
Clara Schumann (1819–1896) covers many poetic themes in her 28 extant Lieder (songs for voice and piano)—of which many more were lost—but the splendors of nature hold a special place. Nature imagery is a typical Romantic trait, intended to represent human emotions, and Schumann’s writing for voice and piano conjures up musical, emotional landscapes that enhance the impact of the poems she chooses. For example, “An einem lichten Morgen,” Op. 23, No. 2 (“On a clear morning,” composed in 1853) is a passionate, almost carnal, ode to love awash with botanical metaphors—the sun dreams of kissing a flower and resting on its bosom. This passion is conveyed through a lively tempo, a vocal part that progressively rises to a climax at the end of the Lied and a piano part driven by rapid-fire arpeggios.
Similarly, “Geheimes flüstern hier und dort,” Op. 23, No. 3 ("Secret whisperings here and there," 1853) uses a poem from Hermann Rollett’s novel Jucunde, but here passion makes way for deep serenity. In this Lied, a forest is a consecrated place for spiritual transcendence where one can hear in the foliage “life’s most pure word.” The tempo is slow and very soft, and the piano’s descending arpeggios whisper under a tranquil vocal melody. The final strophe evokes art’s power to transform pain into music—a theme that may have resonated with Schumann personally, as in 1853 Robert’s health was declining more and more.
Meanwhile, “Liebeszauber,” Op. 13, No. 3 (“Love’s magic,” 1842) dates back to the early years of Clara and Robert’s marriage. In this vibrant and youthful Lied, nature falls silent to listen to love’s song, which rings out in bubbling triplets on piano and spirited vocal runs. This constant movement slows down only as the Lied draws to an end, as the narrator realizes that they can only echo love’s song.
Program note by Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers (translated from the French)
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
I. Nicht zu schnell –
II. Langsam –
III. Sehr lebhaft
Robert Schumann’s (1810–1856) preoccupation with the future direction of orchestral music post-Beethoven encompassed not only the symphony but also the concerto. Following failed earlier attempts to write his own piano concerto, and after years of reviewing those by his contemporaries (for his journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik), Schumann began to develop his own creative ideas about the evolution of the three-movement genre. In 1839, he articulated in an article what this might look like:
We must come up with a genre [of one-movement concerto pieces] that consists of a longer movement in a moderate tempo, in which the preliminary section would take the place of a first Allegro, the cantabile section, that of the Adagio, and a brilliant ending, that of the Rondo.
He first attempted to fulfill his vision with the experimental 1841 Phantasie for Piano and Orchestra, but this later became the first movement of his Piano Concerto (1845). This concerto was almost in the three-in-one-movement plan he advocated, with the second and third movements linked by an innovative transition that looks back to the first movement and anticipates the third. It wasn’t until nearly a decade later when he composed the Cello Concerto, with its three movements all connected, that he came closest to achieving what he wished.
Schumann completed a draft of his Cello Concerto (which he initially called Konzertstück, or concert piece) in September 1850. After struggling to find a publisher and unable to persuade cellists to perform it, he arranged it for violin and sent it to Joseph Joachim. (Joachim, however, never played it; the arrangement was only rediscovered in the 1980s.) In 1853, after his removal to the asylum in Endenich, Robert managed to finish correcting the proofs to the original and sent it off for publication. Still, the Concerto didn’t receive its first public performance until June 1860, four years after Schumann’s death, and for the rest of the 19th century, it got only a smattering of presentations. Its established place in the concert repertoire today is due to the championing efforts of 20th-century cellists such as Pablo Casals, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Jacqueline du Pré.
With its emphasis on lyricism rather than dazzling virtuosity, Schumann’s Cello Concerto is unusual for the genre (perhaps a reason it didn’t immediately appeal to cellists). As musicologist Joseph Kerman has observed, the cello part is “driven by song” right from the opening pathos-tinged melody it plays, which shifts with “an emotional crescendo from fervour, to passion, to transport.” The second movement is like a Lied (German art song), with nostalgia as the primary mood; here, Schumann uses the novel device of having the solo cello’s voice tracked by another solo cello in the orchestra, thereby giving the song a distinctive richness. It seems that overall, in this work, Schumann wanted to revel in the interplay of sonorities between soloist and orchestra. Indeed, this what he felt a concerto should be—that is, “a mannerly battle between the solo and the separate orchestral voices,” as he once described it.
To connect the movements together as he desired, and to imbue the Concerto with a kind of emotional trajectory, Schumann eschewed some of the customary formal conventions of the genre. For example, there’s no cadenza in the first movement; instead, the cello sings an impassioned line that gradually unravels directly into the slow movement. The transition into the third movement, however, is a mini drama unto itself. After the close of the second movement’s song, the flute and clarinet recall the first phrase of the cello melody in the opening movement. This provokes an intense recitative-like outpouring from the cello, which then accelerates into the finale. The third movement, for the most part, is an energetic dance, robust and quite serious. At last, near the end, we get a cadenza, but it’s more fiery melodrama than flashy display. A rather extraordinary passage follows, with the orchestra creeping in while the cello continues its musings, out of which it finds its way and makes a final sprint to the end.
Program note by Hannah Chan-Hartley, PhD
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
I. Un poco sostenuto – Allegro
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso
IV. Adagio – Allegro non troppo ma con brio
In 1862 Clara Schumann received from Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) a sketch for the first movement of a symphony. The music “is rather tough,” she reported to a friend, “but I soon got used to it.” As Clara knew, the musical world was waiting for a symphony from Brahms. As it turned out, the world had to wait until 1876 to hear it.
In its final form the First Symphony begins with a towering tragic introduction, grounded on the throbbing timpani that was the Brahmsian fate-motif. Then begins a driving “Allegro” whose churning intensity never flags.
In form, the second movement is a conventional ABA “Andante,” but the voice is inimitably Brahms in its lyricism and intimacy. Instead of the usual scherzo, next comes a kind of symphonic movement that he invented, a blithe and breezy “intermezzo.”
The finale completes the symphony’s course from darkness and tragedy to joy and triumph. It begins in a cloudy and searching C minor. The end of the search arrives in a burst of C major sunshine, with a soaring alpenhorn theme in the horn. That leads to the movement proper, founded on an unforgettable chorale melody. The coda is a sustained exaltation.
Program note by Jan Swafford
Artists
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Alexander Shelley succeeded Pinchas Zukerman as Music Director of Canada’s NAC Orchestra in September 2015. The ensemble has since been praised as being “transformed... hungry, bold, and unleashed” (Ottawa Citizen) and Shelley’s programming credited for turning the orchestra into “one of the more audacious in North America” (Maclean’s).
Shelley is a champion of Canadian creation; recent hallmarks include the multimedia projects Life Reflected and UNDISRUPTED,and three major new ballets in partnership with NAC Dance for Encount3rs. He is passionate about arts education and nurturing the next generation of musicians. He is an Ambassador for Ottawa’s OrKidstra, a charitable social development program that teaches children life skills through making music together.
Alexander Shelley is also the Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, starting with the 2024–2025 season, Artistic and Music Director of Artis-Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in Florida, USA. In the spring of 2019, he led the NAC Orchestra on its critically acclaimed 50th Anniversary European tour, and in 2017, he led the Orchestra in a tour across Canada, celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. Most recently, he led the Orchestra in its first performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 30 years.
He has made eight recordings with the NAC Orchestra, including the JUNO-nominated New Worlds, Life Reflected, ENCOUNT3RS, The Bounds of Our Dreams, and the acclaimed Clara, Robert, Johannes four-album series, all with Canadian label Analekta.
The Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LL.D. (hc)
German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt is one of the most sought-after and versatile artists today. As a soloist, conductor, and artistic director, he performs repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary, playing on period and modern instruments.
His 2023–2024 season includes tours with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées with Philippe Herreweghe, and Arcangelo with Jonathan Cohen. Altstaedt makes his debut with the Bamberger Symphoniker, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and NAC Orchestra, while re-invitations include the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Edward Gardner, amongst others.
Altstaedt regularly performs on period instruments with ensembles such as Il Giardino Armonico, B’Rock, and Academy of Ancient Music. As a conductor, he has forged close partnerships with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Münchener Kammerorchester, and Les Violons du Roy. As a chamber musician, he performs at both Salzburg Mozart and Summer festivals, Verbier Festival, BBC Proms, Lucerne Festival, Prague Spring Festival, and Musikfest Bremen.
Joint appearances with composers such as Thomas Adès, Jörg Widmann, Thomas Larcher, Fazıl Say, and Sofia Gubaidulina consolidate his reputation as an outstanding interpreter of contemporary music. New concertos by Marton Illés and Erkki-Sven Tüür receive their premieres this season, and by Liza Lim in 2024–2025.
His most recent recording for his Lockenhaus Festival garnered the BBC Music Magazine 2020 Chamber Award and Gramophone Classical Music Award 2020. Altstaedt is a recipient of the Credit Suisse Award in 2010, Beethovenring Bonn 2015, and Musikpreis der Stadt Duisburg 2018, and was a 2010–2012 BBC New Generation Artist.
Midori Marsh is an American-Canadian soprano, hailing from Cleveland, Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017 and her Master of Music in Opera at the University of Toronto in 2020. In the fall of 2019, she took home both first prize and the audience choice award at the Canadian Opera Company’s (COC’s) Centre Stage competition, and recently completed her third year with the COC’s young artist ensemble.
A “polished and poised performer” with “a truly gorgeous, expressive sound,” Midori is a known quantity in the Canadian opera scene, performing with Tapestry Opera, Against the Grain Theatre, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the NAC Orchestra, and more. While at the COC, Midori was seen as Nella in Gianni Schicchi, the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Annina in La traviata, Papagena in The Magic Flute, and Frasquita in Carmen.
In 2020 she was named one of the CBC’s “30 hot classical musicians under 30” and in 2022 she was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her portrayal of Papagena in the COC’s 2022 production of The Magic Flute. She took first prize at the 2023 Quilico awards, was a semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023 Laffont competition, and a 2023 Lotte Lenya finalist.
An innovative artist, queer classical pianist Darren Creech “shows his belief in a new potential for the classical concert stage” (CBC Music), and his playing has been heralded as “remarkably fresh and enticing” (Ludwig van Toronto). His unique solo performances take diverse audiences on an emotional journey. Subverting expectations, they are described as “tours de force, propelled by a powerful narrative” (Ludwig van Toronto). With his distinct touch, Darren designs the lighting, composes poetic interludes, and styles his seditious outfits.
As a collaborator, Darren composed and played piano on Witch Prophet's Polaris-nominated album Gateway Experience (released in May 2023), and worked with theatre artist Dasha Plett on their show Études for Keyboard at Winnipeg's Cluster Festival. Darren also frequently performs and records with Cree-Mennonite cellist and composer Cris Derksen.
Darren’s work extends beyond the stage, connecting communities and organizations. Live performance highlights include the Toronto International Film Festival with Call Me By Your Name author André Aciman, the closing show for Luminato Festival alongside Cris Derksen and eight choirs at sunset, and the closing show of Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo with Queer Songbook Orchestra.
As a studio musician, Darren has recorded for NPR Tiny Desk, the 2023 Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award-winning podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s, and CBC Radio’s Q. He has contributed his playing to the film scores for NEON’s documentary Spaceship Earth (2020) and Leilani’s Fortune (2023). A discerning voice, he is on the Artistic Advisory Council for The Music Gallery and has served as a jury member for the JUNO Awards.
Having grown up in Senegal, West Africa, Darren’s unconventional approach to the stage is informed by his cross-cultural experiences. He holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Université de Montréal, and an Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.
Alexander Shelley began his tenure as Music Director in 2015, following Pinchas Zukerman’s 16 seasons at the helm. Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and former Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (2009–2017), he has been in demand around the world, conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others, and maintains a regular relationship with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the German National Youth Orchestra.
Each season, the NAC Orchestra features world-class artists such as the newly appointed Artist-in-Residence James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds. As one of the most accessible, inclusive, and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.
Credits
NAC Orchestra
First Violins
Yosuke Kawasaki (concertmaster)
Jessica Linnebach (associate concertmaster)
Noémi Racine Gaudreault (assistant concertmaster)
Jeremy Mastrangelo
Marjolaine Lambert
Emily Westell
Manuela Milani
Zhengdong Liang
*Erica Miller
*Martine Dubé
*Oleg Chelpanov
*Renée London
Second Violins
*Jeffrey Dyrda (guest principal)
Emily Kruspe
Frédéric Moisan
Carissa Klopoushak
Winston Webber
Leah Roseman
Mark Friedman
Karoly Sziladi
**Edvard Skerjanc
*Andréa Armijo Fortin
*Heather Schnarr
Violas
Jethro Marks (principal)
David Marks (associate principal)
David Goldblatt (assistant principal)
Tovin Allers
David Thies-Thompson
Paul Casey
*Sonya Probst
Cellos
Rachel Mercer (principal)
**Julia MacLaine (assistant principal)
Leah Wyber
Marc-André Riberdy
Timothy McCoy
*Karen Kang
*Desiree Abbey
*Daniel Parker
Double Basses
Max Cardilli (assistant principal)
Vincent Gendron
Marjolaine Fournier
*Paul Mach
*Doug Ohashi
Flutes
Joanna G'froerer (principal)
Stephanie Morin
Oboes
Charles Hamann (principal)
Anna Petersen
English Horn
Anna Petersen
Clarinets
Kimball Sykes (principal)
Sean Rice
Bassoons
Darren Hicks (principal)
Vincent Parizeau
*Carmelle Préfontaine
Horns
*Nicholas Hartman (guest principal)
Julie Fauteux (associate principal)
Lawrence Vine
Lauren Anker
Louis-Pierre Bergeron
Trumpets
Karen Donnelly (principal)
Steven van Gulik
Trombones
*Steve Dyer (guest principal)
Colin Traquair
Bass Trombone
Zachary Bond
Timpani
*Simón Gómez (guest principal)
Principal Librarian
Nancy Elbeck
Assistant Librarian
Corey Rempel
Personnel Manager
Meiko Lydall
Orchestra Personnel Coordinator
Laurie Shannon
*Additional musicians
**On leave
- Official Car of the NAC Orchestra
