PSALMS BY BERNSTEIN

Friday, November 4, 2022 ∙ 8 pm
Paramount Theatre, Oakland

The new season has begun, and the new energy of the Oakland Symphony is palpable and kinetic. Last month, we welcomed Ankush Kumar Bahal to the podium, and tonight Holly Choe takes the stage. Holly was born in Seoul and raised in California. She has conducted Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris and was an assistant to Leonard Slatkin in Lyon. “The really good conductors will not remain secret for too long. She ensures precision and keeps the fire burning,” said the Hamburg Abendblatt. With such acclaim, we are eagerly anticipating this concert.

Tonight, we begin with jazz by the too-little known Mary Lou Williams. Her twelve-movement Zodiac Suite was written, improvised, and recorded by her in 1945. Each section is a caricature of her jazz friends: Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. If it’s not a cornerstone of Jazz, it should be. “She is like soul on soul,” said Duke Ellington. “Mary Lou Williams is perpetually contemporary.”

Our soloist, Aaron Diehl, is performing his arrangement of the Zodiac for piano and orchestra. “With a highly improvisatory approach, Aaron Diehl makes the case that jazz is not one style or genre but many, gliding gorgeously among decades of artistic influences,” raved The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The concert continues with music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Before he was a master of Hollywood scores, buckling his singular swash to scenes of Erroll Flynn, Korngold was the young genius of Vienna. That’s how Mahler proclaimed him, having first heard his music when Korngold was only 9. This “Much Ado About Nothing” Suite was commissioned for a Viennese production by Max Reinhardt in 1918. The composer was 21.
 
And we close with Leonard Bernstein’s exquisite “Chichester Psalms.” “Make a joyful noise,” they command. “In Chichester I heard angels sing.” Lenny replied. “These Psalms are a simple and modest affair, tonal and tuneful and somewhat square.” Now, nearly 60 years on, the Chichester Psalms remains Bernstein’s most lyrical work. It defined his faith. It redefines ours.

For this performance, we are delighted to welcome the San Francisco Choral Society. They will be repeating this work at Trinity + St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco on November 12 and 13. The concerts also feature Fauré’s tender Requiem. For tickets and information, visit sfchoral.org.

Finally, a reminder to guarantee your seats for this year’s edition of “Let Us Break Bread Together.” Here at the Paramount on Sunday, December 11 at 4pm, your Oakland Symphony and Chorus will celebrate life, love and the holidays in our joyous, diverse community. This year’s performance features a tribute to the music of Earth, Wind & Fire. Remaining tickets are now on sale, so order early for the best seats.

In the free jazz of Mary Lou Williams, and in the faith of Leonard Bernstein, music again leads us to our common voice. Our shared adventure continues in 2023 with four more conductors of the new generation. On behalf of the musicians, board of directors and management, the Oakland Symphony wishes you a very happy holiday season.

Sincerely, 
Dr. Mieko Hatano
Executive Director

Holly Hyun Choe, conductor

Aaron Diehl Trio
   Aaron Diehl, piano,
   Ben Williams, bass,
   Aaron Kimmel, drums

Brenn Farrell, boy soprano
Oakland Symphony Chorus
   Bryan Baker, Chorus Conductor

East Bay Singers

San Francisco Choral Society

Mary Lou Williams
Zodiac Suite

INTERMISSION

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Opus 11

I. Overture
II. The Maiden in the Bridal Chamber
III. Dogberry and Verges (March of the Watch)
IV. Intermezzo (Garden Scene) 
V. Masquerade (Hornpipe)

Leonard Bernstein
Chichester Psalms

I. Psalm 108, verse 2 & Psalm 100
II. Psalm 23 & Psalm 2, verses 1-4
III. Psalm 131 & Psalm 133, verse 1

The 2022-2023 Season of Oakland Symphony is generously funded in part by the East Bay Music Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation; the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and supported by the Oakland City Council and funded by the City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program.