Franz Joseph Haydn, The Creation, HOB XXI:2
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation, majestically opens the 82nd Carmel Bach Festival. The performances feature the Festival’s entire company of musicians and will be sung in a Haydn-approved English translation.
Haydn considered The Creation his masterwork. It is the culmination of his creative life that produced more than 100 symphonies, and a plethora of string quartets, operas, masses and other works.
Haydn’s musical setting of the creation story is one of the best-loved works in the choral repertoire because of its dramatic gestures, bold orchestral colors and imaginative word painting. From the creation of light to Adam and Eve’s love duet, Haydn brings to life the birds, beasts and angels as they rejoice in soaring, life-affirming music.
The radiance of The Creation is experienced through the overpowering majesty of the choruses. Also, the composer’s tremendous word-painting skill with which he creates his descriptive canvasses, and the brilliant orchestration Haydn brought to his famous “London” symphonies and late Masses. Here the orchestration is employed to even more powerful effect, especially in some of the colorful writing for the winds. The orchestra in The Creation is every bit as much a protagonist as the soloists and chorus.
The work is part of the grand orchestral/choral tradition that is in the Festival’s DNA, as represented by such audience favorites such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the Bach Passions, and Carmina Burana.
The Creation’s enduring place in the repertory is because of its appeal on so many levels: It is complex and intricate, yet highly accessible. It is spiritual, but profoundly human. It’s is Haydn’s great expression of gratitude to God, but also a lasting gift to humankind.
“I have lived with Haydn’s Creation all my life,” said Festival Artistic Director Paul Goodwin. “In performances as a boy chorister, as a solo oboist and as a conductor, reveling in its ever-changing colors and glorious architecture. This piece means a lot to me; I hope it will to you too!”
Orchestra, Chorale, Chorus and Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin
J.S. Bach, The Christmas Oratorio, Part I and II, BWV 248
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Felix Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Incidental Music, Op. 61
Francesca Faridany, actress
Two titans of Western culture—J.S. Bach and William Shakespeare—are paired in this program.
The first two cantatas of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio open the relaxing and pastoral afternoon. Trumpets and timpani herald the birth of Jesus to begin the first cantata, a celebration and reflection on the birth of Jesus. Similar to the Matthew and John passions, the Oratorio includes a tenor Evangelist who narrates the story of the birth of Christ. These recitatives introduce and connect lyrical solo arias. The cantatas feature the entire Festival choral ensemble—the professional Chorale and volunteer Chorus—sometimes intoning the well-known Passion choral, which links the birth of Christ with the Passion saga, and more often singing in praise accompanied by a full Baroque orchestra featuring some of Bach’s most brilliant writing.
This realization mirrors Bach’s intent with the Christmas Oratorio, which was created to be performed over several days in Leipzig.
The Sunday programs kick off the complete presentation of The Christmas Oratorio. Two of the remaining cantatas are scheduled for Monday afternoon at All Saints, with the Festival’s four vocal soloists and a small Baroque ensemble directed by Andrew Arthur, and the remaining two cantatas will be presented Wednesday night at the Carmel Mission Basilica by the Chorale accompanied by Baroque strings, brass, and timpani with Andrew Megill, conductor.
The second half of the program is Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with actress Francesca Faridany providing Shakespeare’s narration. Faridany is an international film, TV and theater actress who appears in the movie blockbuster, Black Panther, and also on TV in NBC’s Manifest. She is a past winner of a Tony Award for Best Play (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime), a Helen Hayes Outstanding Lead Actress Awardand an Outer Critics Circle Outstanding Featured Actress nominee, among many other credits. She has many connections to the Festival. Her grandmother Nancy Morrow, was an early supporter; her mother, Nana, was a longtime Festival administrator, and her sister, pianist Lucy Faridany is the Festival’s Chorus accompanist. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the perfect complement to a tranquil summer afternoon in Carmel.
“This concert begins the 2019 Christmas Oratorio journey,” said Paul Goodwin, “creating maximum variety with three concerts in three venues with three conductors and three formations. This concert places Bach’s most colorful and pastoral cantatas alongside Mendelssohn’s magical masterpiece, a Midsummer Night’s Dream. A concert that encapsulates the beauty of Carmel-by-the-Sea, looking both to the spirit and to nature.”
Orchestra, Chorale, Chorus, Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone; Francesca Faridany, actress-narrator
George Frideric Handel Acis and Galatea
Overture
Chorus : Oh the pleasure of the plains
Tenor Aria (Acis): Love in her eyes
Soprano Aria (Galatea): As when the dove
Bass-Baritone Aria (Polephemus) : I Rage – / O Ruddier than the cherry
Trio : The flocks shall leave the mountains
Tenor Aria: Help, Galatea, Help!
Chorus : Galatea Dry thy tears
Igor Stravinsky The Rake’s Progress
Instrumental Introduction
Tenor Aria: Here I stand
Chorus and Bass Solo: The Sun is Bright
Soprano – cabaletta: I go, I go to him
Mezzo-Soprano Aria : Come, sweet, come; Scorned, Abused
Chorus : Ruin, Disaster. Shame
Tenor aria : I Burn, I burn! I freeze; With roses crowned
Chorus: Mourn for Adonis
Epilogue
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Marriage of Figaro
Overture
Soprano and Bass-Baritone Duet: Cinque, Dieci, Venti
Bass-Baritone Aria: Se vuol ballare
Mezzo-Soprano Aria: Voi che sapete
Tenor Aria: In quagl’anni
Soprano, Tenor, Bass-Baritone Trio: Cosa sento
Chorus : Gio Vani liete
Georges Bizet Highlights from Carmen
Overture
Mezzo-Soprano Aria: Gypsy song
Tenor Aria: La fleur que tu m’avais
Mezzo-Soprano and Chorus: Habanera
Soprano Aria: Je dis que rien
Bass-Baritone and Chorus: Toreadors Song
“All opera is about saints, sinners, seducers, victims and death! In this evening of drama and excitement we present four contrasting operas that show elements of all these traits that make opera so compelling,” said Paul Goodwin
The Tuesday evening performances explore the saint and sinner characters as depicted by four major opera composers. The evening begins with the story of the beautiful Galatea’s (Mhairi Lawson) love for the shepherd Acis (Thomas Cooley), and of the monstrous giant Polyphemus (Dashon Burton) jealousy and desire for Galatea.
Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress is a neo-Baroque work, and is nothing like you might have heard before from the Russian master. The story tells of Tom Rakewell (Thomas Cooley), an impressionable young man who jilts his fiancée, Anne Trulove (Mhairi Lawson), for the get-rich-quick promises made by the sinister Nick Shadow (Dashon Burton), who really is the Devil. After several misadventures, all initiated by the devious Shadow, Tom ends up in Bedlam, an insane asylum. In true devotion to Tom, Anne Trulove rescues his soul at the opera’s conclusion.
Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro beings with one of the shortest but most memorable overtures in the repertory. The opera tells the story of the servants Figaro and Susanna, who get married. This spoils the efforts of their philandering employer, Count Almaviva to seduce Susanna, teaching the sinner Count a lesson in fidelity. Marriage of Figaro’s lighthearted and melodic sensibility has made it an audience favorite since its debut in 1786.
The evening concludes with Carmen, which has everything that makes for a beloved opera: passionate drama, great characters, a love story, and some of the best known and loved music. Bizet’s work is packed with great and instantly familiar melodies including the Habanera and the Gypsy Song—sung by the title character as performed by Meg Bragle— and concluding with the Toreador’s Song, as performed by our Toreador, Dashon Burton. The character of Carmen is both saint and sinner and serves as the perfect capstone for the evening. She is a seducer, yet is also a fragile victim and strong feminist.
Orchestra conducted by Paul Goodwin, Jason Vieaux, guitar
- Gioachino Rossini William Tell Overture
- Joaquin Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez
- Mark Mancina, Guitar Concerto (based on themes from Twister and other Mancina film scores
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in Bb Major, Op. 60
Rossini’s William Tell was the last of the 39 operas the prolific composer created. The overture is a miniature symphony in four parts depicting the opera’s Swiss Alps location. The overture is justifiably one of the best-known works in classical music. The four sections include dawn, an approaching storm, pastoral third section featuring a plaintive English horn and flute duet and the famous wild galloping finish. This final section portrays Swiss soldiers’ heroic battle to liberate their homeland and was used as the theme to the famous radio and television show, The Lone Ranger.
The center of the concert is occupied by two guitar works—one, the greatest of the genre and the other a world premiere! In Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, you can hear the creative juxtaposition of folksongs with the composer’s imaginative orchestration. The composition’s lyrical themes and its animated dance rhythms are evocative of the gardens of Aranjuez, Spain and the warmth of the Andalusian sun that inspired the work.
Hollywood film composer and Carmel resident Mark Mancina trained as a classical guitarist, and made his name with the scores to movies such as Twister and Speed. Mancina has taken two of his film scores and added a brand new first movement to create a Guitar Concerto.
The soloist for both concerti is Jason Vieaux, a Grammy-winning artist known for his soulful artistry. Vieaux has performed as concerto soloist with over 100 orchestras, including Cleveland, Toronto, Houston, San Diego, Buffalo, Auckland Philharmonia, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Recent highlights include performances at Caramoor Festival as Artist-in-Residence, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Curtis Presents, Phillips Collection, National Gallery of Art, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s 92Y, and Ravinia Festival.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s sunny Fourth Symphony. The work harkens back to Beethoven’s teacher, Haydn, and has an extraordinarily explosive final movement. The piece is a continuation of a the very popular Beethoven symphony cycle that began in 2015.
“I view introducing new compositions as an essential part of an artistic director’s job,” said Paul Goodwin. “To encourage new talent, to enrich the listening experience of our audience, to appeal to our youth and to help create pieces that will help establish the Carmel Bach Festival as an innovator throughout the world. I am thrilled that Mark Mancina has accepted our commission and has written such a beautiful piece. My other main goal for this concert was to surround it with sympathetic sounds and compositions and to leave our Festival audience breathless with Beethoven’s most thrilling finale!”
Now in its sixth year, the intrepid duo of Leonard and Rasmus, narrated by Bach Festival Artistic Director Paul Goodwin, take listeners of all ages on an action-packed whirlwind of musical experiences set in an engaging story line.
Leonard and Rasmus explore the vast world of insects and bee-eautiful bugs through music, science, and amusing puns and tales, while Leonard learns to control his temper. Music by Bartok, Handel, Chopin, Roussel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Vaughan Williams, the Beatles, and more.
The Carmel Bach Festival Young Artists Competition recognizes talented young musicians from the Central Coast. This showcase presents accomplished young soloists, pianists, instrumentalists, vocalists, and chamber ensembles performing on the Sunset Center main stage.
Franz Joseph Haydn, The Creation, HOB XXI:2
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation, majestically opens the 82nd Carmel Bach Festival. The performances feature the Festival’s entire company of musicians and will be sung in a Haydn-approved English translation.
Haydn considered The Creation his masterwork. It is the culmination of his creative life that produced more than 100 symphonies, and a plethora of string quartets, operas, masses and other works.
Haydn’s musical setting of the creation story is one of the best-loved works in the choral repertoire because of its dramatic gestures, bold orchestral colors and imaginative word painting. From the creation of light to Adam and Eve’s love duet, Haydn brings to life the birds, beasts and angels as they rejoice in soaring, life-affirming music.
The radiance of The Creation is experienced through the overpowering majesty of the choruses. Also, the composer’s tremendous word-painting skill with which he creates his descriptive canvasses, and the brilliant orchestration Haydn brought to his famous “London” symphonies and late Masses. Here the orchestration is employed to even more powerful effect, especially in some of the colorful writing for the winds. The orchestra in The Creation is every bit as much a protagonist as the soloists and chorus.
The work is part of the grand orchestral/choral tradition that is in the Festival’s DNA, as represented by such audience favorites such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the Bach Passions, and Carmina Burana.
The Creation’s enduring place in the repertory is because of its appeal on so many levels: It is complex and intricate, yet highly accessible. It is spiritual, but profoundly human. It’s is Haydn’s great expression of gratitude to God, but also a lasting gift to humankind.
“I have lived with Haydn’s Creation all my life,” said Festival Artistic Director Paul Goodwin. “In performances as a boy chorister, as a solo oboist and as a conductor, reveling in its ever-changing colors and glorious architecture. This piece means a lot to me; I hope it will to you too!”
Orchestra, Chorale, Chorus and Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin
J.S. Bach, The Christmas Oratorio, Part I and II, BWV 248
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Felix Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Incidental Music, Op. 61
Francesca Faridany, actress
Two titans of Western culture—J.S. Bach and William Shakespeare—are paired in this program.
The first two cantatas of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio open the relaxing and pastoral afternoon. Trumpets and timpani herald the birth of Jesus to begin the first cantata, a celebration and reflection on the birth of Jesus. Similar to the Matthew and John passions, the Oratorio includes a tenor Evangelist who narrates the story of the birth of Christ. These recitatives introduce and connect lyrical solo arias. The cantatas feature the entire Festival choral ensemble—the professional Chorale and volunteer Chorus—sometimes intoning the well-known Passion choral, which links the birth of Christ with the Passion saga, and more often singing in praise accompanied by a full Baroque orchestra featuring some of Bach’s most brilliant writing.
This realization mirrors Bach’s intent with the Christmas Oratorio, which was created to be performed over several days in Leipzig.
The Sunday programs kick off the complete presentation of The Christmas Oratorio. Two of the remaining cantatas are scheduled for Monday afternoon at All Saints, with the Festival’s four vocal soloists and a small Baroque ensemble directed by Andrew Arthur, and the remaining two cantatas will be presented Wednesday night at the Carmel Mission Basilica by the Chorale accompanied by Baroque strings, brass, and timpani with Andrew Megill, conductor.
The second half of the program is Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with actress Francesca Faridany providing Shakespeare’s narration. Faridany is an international film, TV and theater actress who appears in the movie blockbuster, Black Panther, and also on TV in NBC’s Manifest. She is a past winner of a Tony Award for Best Play (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime), a Helen Hayes Outstanding Lead Actress Award and an Outer Critics Circle Outstanding Featured Actress nominee, among many other credits. She has many connections to the Festival. Her grandmother Nancy Morrow, was an early supporter; her mother, Nana, was a longtime Festival administrator, and her sister, pianist Lucy Faridany is the Festival’s Chorus accompanist. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the perfect complement to a tranquil summer afternoon in Carmel.
“This concert begins the 2019 Christmas Oratorio journey,” said Paul Goodwin, “creating maximum variety with three concerts in three venues with three conductors and three formations. This concert places Bach’s most colorful and pastoral cantatas alongside Mendelssohn’s magical masterpiece, a Midsummer Night’s Dream. A concert that encapsulates the beauty of Carmel-by-the-Sea, looking both to the spirit and to nature.”
Orchestra, Chorale, Chorus, Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone; Francesca Faridany, actress-narrator
George Frideric Handel Acis and Galatea
Overture
Chorus : Oh the pleasure of the plains
Tenor Aria (Acis): Love in her eyes
Soprano Aria (Galatea): As when the dove
Bass-Baritone Aria (Polephemus) : I Rage – / O Ruddier than the cherry
Trio : The flocks shall leave the mountains
Tenor Aria: Help, Galatea, Help!
Chorus : Galatea Dry thy tears
Igor Stravinsky The Rake’s Progress
Instrumental Introduction
Tenor Aria: Here I stand
Chorus and Bass Solo: The Sun is Bright
Soprano – cabaletta: I go, I go to him
Mezzo-Soprano Aria : Come, sweet, come; Scorned, Abused
Chorus : Ruin, Disaster. Shame
Tenor aria : I Burn, I burn! I freeze; With roses crowned
Chorus: Mourn for Adonis
Epilogue
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Marriage of Figaro
Overture
Soprano and Bass-Baritone Duet: Cinque, Dieci, Venti
Bass-Baritone Aria: Se vuol ballare
Mezzo-Soprano Aria: Voi che sapete
Tenor Aria: In quagl’anni
Soprano, Tenor, Bass-Baritone Trio: Cosa sento
Chorus : Gio Vani liete
Georges Bizet Highlights from Carmen
Overture
Mezzo-Soprano Aria: Gypsy song
Tenor Aria: La fleur que tu m’avais
Mezzo-Soprano and Chorus: Habanera
Soprano Aria: Je dis que rien
Bass-Baritone and Chorus: Toreadors Song
“All opera is about saints, sinners, seducers, victims and death! In this evening of drama and excitement we present four contrasting operas that show elements of all these traits that make opera so compelling,” said Paul Goodwin
The Tuesday evening performances explore the saint and sinner characters as depicted by four major opera composers. The evening begins with the story of the beautiful Galatea’s (Mhairi Lawson) love for the shepherd Acis (Thomas Cooley), and of the monstrous giant Polyphemus (Dashon Burton) jealousy and desire for Galatea.
Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress is a neo-Baroque work, and is nothing like you might have heard before from the Russian master. The story tells of Tom Rakewell (Thomas Cooley), an impressionable young man who jilts his fiancée, Anne Trulove (Mhairi Lawson), for the get-rich-quick promises made by the sinister Nick Shadow (Dashon Burton), who really is the Devil. After several misadventures, all initiated by the devious Shadow, Tom ends up in Bedlam, an insane asylum. In true devotion to Tom, Anne Trulove rescues his soul at the opera’s conclusion.
Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro beings with one of the shortest but most memorable overtures in the repertory. The opera tells the story of the servants Figaro and Susanna, who get married. This spoils the efforts of their philandering employer, Count Almaviva to seduce Susanna, teaching the sinner Count a lesson in fidelity. Marriage of Figaro’s lighthearted and melodic sensibility has made it an audience favorite since its debut in 1786.
The evening concludes with Carmen, which has everything that makes for a beloved opera: passionate drama, great characters, a love story, and some of the best known and loved music. Bizet’s work is packed with great and instantly familiar melodies including the Habanera and the Gypsy Song—sung by the title character as performed by Meg Bragle— and concluding with the Toreador’s Song, as performed by our Toreador, Dashon Burton. The character of Carmen is both saint and sinner and serves as the perfect capstone for the evening. She is a seducer, yet is also a fragile victim and strong feminist.
Orchestra conducted by Paul Goodwin, Jason Vieaux, guitar
- Gioachino Rossini William Tell Overture
- Joaquin Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez
- Mark Mancina, Guitar Concerto (based on themes from Twister and other Mancina film scores
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in Bb Major, Op. 60
Rossini’s William Tell was the last of the 39 operas the prolific composer created. The overture is a miniature symphony in four parts depicting the opera’s Swiss Alps location. The overture is justifiably one of the best-known works in classical music. The four sections include dawn, an approaching storm, pastoral third section featuring a plaintive English horn and flute duet and the famous wild galloping finish. This final section portrays Swiss soldiers’ heroic battle to liberate their homeland and was used as the theme to the famous radio and television show, The Lone Ranger.
The center of the concert is occupied by two guitar works—one, the greatest of the genre and the other a world premiere! In Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, you can hear the creative juxtaposition of folksongs with the composer’s imaginative orchestration. The composition’s lyrical themes and its animated dance rhythms are evocative of the gardens of Aranjuez, Spain and the warmth of the Andalusian sun that inspired the work.
Hollywood film composer and Carmel resident Mark Mancina trained as a classical guitarist, and made his name with the scores to movies such as Twister and Speed. Mancina has taken two of his film scores and added a brand new first movement to create a Guitar Concerto.
The soloist for both concerti is Jason Vieaux, a Grammy-winning artist known for his soulful artistry. Vieaux has performed as concerto soloist with over 100 orchestras, including Cleveland, Toronto, Houston, San Diego, Buffalo, Auckland Philharmonia, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Recent highlights include performances at Caramoor Festival as Artist-in-Residence, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Curtis Presents, Phillips Collection, National Gallery of Art, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s 92Y, and Ravinia Festival.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s sunny Fourth Symphony. The work harkens back to Beethoven’s teacher, Haydn, and has an extraordinarily explosive final movement. The piece is a continuation of a the very popular Beethoven symphony cycle that began in 2015.
“I view introducing new compositions as an essential part of an artistic director’s job,” said Paul Goodwin. “To encourage new talent, to enrich the listening experience of our audience, to appeal to our youth and to help create pieces that will help establish the Carmel Bach Festival as an innovator throughout the world. I am thrilled that Mark Mancina has accepted our commission and has written such a beautiful piece. My other main goal for this concert was to surround it with sympathetic sounds and compositions and to leave our Festival audience breathless with Beethoven’s most thrilling finale!”
Favorite selections from the Festival are performed in this closing night concert that celebrates music, Carmel, the musicians of the Bach Festival, and the Festival’s loyal patrons. The program is a sampler of musician and audience favorites from throughout the two-week Festival.
The concert is sponsored by the former presidents of the Carmel Bach Festival, and is followed by a celebratory reception on the Sunset Center Terrace toasting the conclusion of the 82nd Festival.
Best of the Fest is a special, not-to-be-missed party that commemorates and honors music, the enduring legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach, the tradition of the Carmel Bach Festival, and the special and mystical setting of Carmel-by-the Sea.