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. From dawn through an approaching storm to its pastoral third section featuring a plaintive English horn and flute duet to the famous wild galloping finish portraying Swiss soldiers heroic battle to liberate their homeland (also used as the theme to the famous radio and television show, The Lone Ranger), the overture is justifiably one of the best-known works in classical music.
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!”
Sponsored by
The Heinrich Team