The seventh Bostonian Bravo concerts of the season – entitled Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” – will be performed on Thursday June 9 and Friday June 10 at 8 p.m. in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre.

These concerts feature a stunning (and rare) family affair, as Music Director Pinchas Zukerman conducts the NAC Orchestra – featuring his wife, principal cello Amanda Forsyth – in A Ballad of Canada, a new work composed by Malcolm Forsyth (Amanda’s father and Maestro Zukerman’s father-in-law) – and Beethoven’s magnificent Ninth Symphony, featuring an all-star cast of singers, including soprano Arianna Zukerman, Maestro Zukerman’s daughter.

The concert features:
MALCOLM FORSYTH                   A Ballad of Canada
BEETHOVEN                        Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, “Choral”

PRE-CONCERT MUSIC – Le Salon, 7 p.m.
Carson Becke, piano, performs the Organ Prelude in G minor by Bach; Fantasy, Op. 779 by Beethoven; Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19 by Schoenberg; and Four Études by Prokofiev

Malcolm Forsyth was named Canadian Composer of the Year in 1989. His works include Sketches from Natal (1970), Sagittarius (1975), Quinquefid (1976), Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1979), African Ode (Symphony No. 3) (1981), and Atayoskewin (Suite for Orchestra) (1984), which won the JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year in 1987. Dr. Forsyth was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2003.

A short filmed interview in which writer/broadcaster Eric Friesen chats with composer Malcolm Forsyth and writer Carl Hare will be shown at the beginning of the evening on the large screen in Southam Hall. It was produced in Edmonton by Company of Women on the Screen. The film was directed by Theresa Wynnyk, with camera by Jeff Allen, sound by Jamie Kidd, and editing by Ray Harper.

Maestro Zukerman also leads the NAC Orchestra in Beethoven’s magnificent Ninth Symphony, which features his daughter, soprano Arianna Zukerman, as well as Heather Johnson, mezzo-soprano; David Pomeroy, tenor; and Christopher Temporelli, baritone. 

Arianna Zukerman is looking forward to this newest collaboration with her father. She says, “In the text of ‘Ode to Joy’ we find the words, ‘Alle Menschen werden Brüder’—‘all men are brothers.’ As Beethoven set that text to such amazing music, we, the musicians who play and sing it, try to do it justice through the brotherhood of making music. I have had the great pleasure of singing this piece in many different venues, but never with my father conducting. I know that this piece means a great deal to him, and I am honoured to be a part of this concert. I very much look forward to hearing his interpretation and to singing Beethoven’s great music with the entire National Arts Centre family.”

The triumphant Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 is Ludwig van Beethoven’s final symphony. Finished in 1824 – when the composer was completely deaf – it was the first symphony to include the human voice at the same level as the instruments. It is universally considered to be one of Beethoven’s masterpieces – as well as one of the greatest musical compositions ever written. The words sung during the final movement were taken from “Ode to Joy”, a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additions made by the composer. Beethoven had made plans to set this poem to music as far back as 1793, when he was only 22 years old.

The Ninth Symphony was premiered in Vienna on May 7, 1824 and was a great success. This was the composer's first onstage appearance in 12 years. Although the performance was officially directed by Michael Umlauf, the theatre's Kapellmeister, Beethoven shared the stage with him, giving the tempos, turning the pages of his score, and beating time for an orchestra he could not hear. When the audience applauded, Beethoven was several measures off and still conducting, so contralto Caroline Unger walked over and turned Beethoven around to accept the audience’s cheers and applause – and five standing ovations. According to one witness, “…there were handkerchiefs in the air, hats, raised hands, so that Beethoven, who could not hear the applause, could at least see the ovation gestures.”

Beginning with swirling, mysterious melodic fragments and ending with the chorus that rings out with glorious shouts of “Joy,” Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony personifies nobility, optimism, and a world where mankind embraces love and friendship. The Ninth evokes “celebration” and spans the cultural spectrum, having been heard in movies as diverse as A Clockwork Orange, Dead Poets Society, and Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. The music was used as the national anthem of Rhodesia in the early 1970’s, the musical backing (without words) was adopted by the European Communities (now the European Union) in 1985, and it was used to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall as well as independence for Kosovo in 2008.

The NAC Orchestra performs Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”  in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Thursday June 9 and Friday June 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.45, $31.21, $42.51, $53.81, $64.57, $75.33, and $94.17, for adults and $11.38, $16.76, $22.41, $28.06, $33.44, $38.82, and $48.24 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 1-888-991-2787; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website www.nac-cna.ca.

Subject to availability, full-time students (aged 13-29) with valid Live Rush™ membership (free registration at www.liverush.ca) may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at the discount price of $12 per ticket. Tickets are available online (www.nac-cna.ca) or at the NAC box office from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the show or 2 hours before a matinee. Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices to all NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances; to reserve your seats, call 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

Our latest web offering -- coming soon -- NACmusicbox TIMELINE 200 orchestral works, 80 Canadian compositions, 1 interactive TIMELINE. Explore unlimited music connections and discover Canada's contribution to orchestral history. The interactive TIMELINE includes the addition of 65 Canadian works thanks to financial investment by the Virtual Museum of Canada at the Department of Canadian Heritage. We also acknowledge our partner CBC Radio 2 for providing broadcast-quality recordings of the NAC Orchestra’s archival performances.

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Information:
Gerald Morris
Communications Officer, NAC Music
613-947-7000, ext. 335
[email] gmorris@nac-cna.ca