September 11, 2010
Tour de France
Sponsored by Wilmington Gastroenterology Associates
Danijela Zezelj-Gualdi, violin
On Saturday, September 11th at 8:00 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium on the UNCW campus, the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra embarks on its 39th concert season, A World of Music.
Opening night’s all-French program is a fascinating and alluring “Tour de France” of audience favorites. The evening is bookended by Claude Debussy’s impressionistic Iberia and Cesar Franck’s tuneful and romantic Symphony in D minor, with violinist Danijela Zezelj-Gualdi making her Wilmington Symphony debut in Maurice Ravel’s dazzling Tzigane.
Commonly referred to as the “founder of impressionist music” Debussy is heralded as one of France’s greatest artists, and his colorful Iberia is a three-movement work of imagery from a collection known as Images for Orchestra. The Symphony in D minor is the best loved of Franck’s compositions that has been an enduring standard in symphonic repertoire for more than a century. Ravel’s popular Tzigane is a French view of Hungarian folk and gypsy music highlighted by his ability to imitate the late Romantic style of violin showmanship and virtuosity.
Croatian-born violinist Danijela Zezelj-Gualdi takes center stage with the Wilmington Symphony in her first appearance as featured soloist. Currently serving on the faculty at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, her higher-level education began at The Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia where she soon became a member of the chamber orchestra Camerata Academica and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. Subsequently, she was awarded a full scholarship to study at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she earned a Master of Music degree. In 2006, Dr. Zezelj-Gualdi graduated with a doctoral degree in violin performance from the University of Georgia.
Steven Errante begins his 24th season as Conductor of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Errante will also provide a concert preview for twenty minutes starting at 7:00 p.m. just prior to the concert, sharing background about the composers along with his insights into some pre-recorded highlights of the music to be performed.
For tickets call Kenan Auditorium Ticket Office at 962-3500 or 1-800-732-3643 weekdays from 12:00 noon to 6 p.m. Reserved seats are $25, $23, and just $6 for students and youth under 17. Season tickets are also on sale. Program notes for the concert are available.
Dinner before the Concert! Concert-goers can also enjoy a pre-concert buffet dinner on Saturday, September 11th at 6:00 p.m., in the Madeline Suite on the UNCW campus. The price for dinner is $28 per person. Advance reservations are required and must be pre-paid with check or credit card before noon on Wednesday, September 8th. For dinner reservations call the Wilmington Symphony Office at 791-9262. (For concert tickets call 962-3500.)
Soloist Danijela Zezelj-Gualdi is an active performer of both the violin and viola and is also featured extensively in solo recitals and chamber ensembles throughout the U.S and Eastern Europe. She has been an avid performer of early music, in Croatia with the chamber group “Zadarski Madrigalisti” specializing in music from the Renaissance, and more recently as a member of the “New Trinity Baroque Orchestra” from Atlanta, performing on period instruments featuring early music from the Baroque era. Danijela is also a passionate interpreter of contemporary music and in 2004 was a featured soloist in Composer in Residence concerts with renowned contemporary composers Augusta Reed Thomas and James MacMillan.
Dr. Zezelj-Gualdi has performed with the Symphony Orchestra PRO ARTE from Vienna, Novi Sad Opera Orchestra in Serbia, Charleston and Augusta Symphony Orchestras, and she has been featured as a concerto soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Tennessee and the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra. She served on the faculty of Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta, GA prior to her appointment as Violin and Viola Instructor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Claude Debussy’s (1862-1918) musical talent was discovered early. By age 11 he had entered the Paris Conservatory and throughout the next decade became acquainted with other artists such as poet Mallarme and painters Manet and Renoir who themselves were expanding the progressive boundaries of contemporary French poetry and visual art. In time, the creative result for Debussy was a transfer to music the ideas his fellow artists were expressing in other forms. Debussy’s music represented a major transition from 19th century Romanticism to 20th century music. His compositions were without antecedents and no trace can be found of form, idiom or general style from which his music might have evolved. Melodic themes are built from fragmentary repeated phrases using oriental scales and old church modes, and chords serve as a means of projecting color. His Iberia from 1908 boasts colorful Spanish phrases and it was Spanish composer Manuel de Falla who reported that Iberia had exerted a far-reaching influence on the entire school of Spanish composers.
As a young boy Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) discovered that playing with chords and keys was equal in fascination to assembling puzzles and mechanical toy sets. Admitted to the Paris Conservatory he became bored by the school’s adherence to a traditional music curriculum. However, his curiosity was ultimately stirred by the unorthodox harmonies and techniques of Stravinsky that were introduced in the post-Romantic period of the new century. By the early 1920s Ravel was a well-established composer associated with musical impressionism broadened by influences of jazz and blues, Bach and Mozart, and Spanish and Hungarian folk music. Tzigane (1924) is a virtuoso piece commissioned by violinist Jelly d’Aryani and inspired by Ravel’s friend Bela Bartok’s research on Hungarian folk music. “Tzigane” is derived from the European term for “gypsy,” although it does not use any authentic gypsy melodies.
Cesar Franck (1822-1890) was born in Liege, Belgium of a family descended from famous painters. He entered the Paris Conservatory where he specialized in composition and organ studies. In 1858 Franck became the organist at Sainte Clotilde where he attracted a huge audience (including Liszt) with improvisations often more beautiful than the original pieces. However, lacking the ego and aggressiveness of a Liszt, Beethoven or Wagner, the shy and uncharismatic composer was unable to push his way into the limelight. The premiere Franck’s Symphony in D minor (his only symphony) in 1888 was a fiasco of negative reactions from both critics and the audience. The introverted Franck did not appear particularly saddened by the cold reception; he had at least heard his music played and felt that the performance went well. From such ignoble beginnings, though, the work has grown to be a favorite in symphonic repertoire and is the best loved of Franck’s compositions more than a century later.
From its beginnings in 1971, the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra has established a unique artistic profile and civic stature in southeastern North Carolina. The Wilmington Symphony’s 39-year tradition of service enhances the quality of life in the Cape Fear Region starting with great music-making showcasing the talents of our area’s own musicians. The Wilmington Symphony is also the sole sponsor of a regional youth orchestra, a junior strings program, an annual free family concert and an annual young artist concerto competition.
The Wilmington Symphony has grown into a multi-faceted asset for Wilmington and southeastern North Carolina, providing value in cultural arts and entertainment, music education, economic development, identity and image, pride and prestige. The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra and its educational programs create connection between youth, families, schools, churches and communities, aid in economic development, and strengthen our region's shared identity.
The Wilmington Symphony is local art and is an important part of the vitality of Wilmington and the Cape Fear Region. The musicians are local instrumentalists, gifted students, and faculty who are selected by audition. The conductor, Dr. Steven Errante, is Professor of Music in the Department of Music at UNC-Wilmington.
