Announcer: The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
[bright classical music] – Narrator: A centennial jubilee.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates 100 years and honors Maestro John DeMain and his 32 seasons as music director.
A special performance of time-honored classics by George Gershwin, Pablo de Sarasate with Julian Rhee on violin, [bright violin music] Gustav Holst, [stately classical music] and a grand finale of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Freude, schner Gtterfunken – Narrator: It’s Madison Symphony at 100.
Announcer: Funding for this program is provided by Wooden Nickel Fund, Barbara Brand, Elizabeth Olson, the Stanley and Shirley Inhorn Fund, Jane Hamblen and Rob Lemanske, Terry Haller, Valerie and Andreas Kazamias, Judith and Nick Topitzes, the John W. and Lenore L. Landry Endowment, donors to the Focus Fund for the Arts and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
[ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [bright orchestral music] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [ An American in Paris by George Gershwin] [cheers and applause] – John DeMain: Big thrill for me is inviting Julian Rhee to be our guest artist.
Julian won his first competition with us when he was nine years old, and he showed up wearing these red-rimmed glasses.
Julian Rhee: I’ve performed with Maestro DeMain now four times.
So, I did the Fall Youth Concerto Competition twice.
And then did the Bolz Young Artist Competition twice in high school.
[bright violin music] I’m a violinist and I’m mostly based in New York these days, but was born and raised in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and did all of my studies in Boston.
– He’s having a major career and playing with all the big orchestras now, and he has a big fellowship at Lincoln Center with… He’s a star.
Julian: It’s certainly heartwarming because my experiences with the Madison Symphony were incredibly formative.
To have those rehearsals, to then really perform for a huge and appreciative audience, those really stand out, at least for me in my memory.
The opportunities at that age are so, so huge in terms of actually being able to translate the work into performance capacity.
And I still reflect on those very, very often.
[bright violin music] – John: And he’s gonna play the Sarasate version of the Carmen fantasy.
So, it’s themes from the opera Carmen.
– Which is a kind of staple for violin virtuosity, beauty, warmth, and a lot of fun, really.
What’s unique about Carmen Fantasy by Sarasate is there’s a kind of freedom and individual virtuosity that comes with any violin showpiece, but then, because of its history and its context, you have– you work in a certain framework that gives you actually more freedom, I think.
So, I felt very free and alive to be able to take risks and make choices because I actually have more to work with.
[ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [lively orchestral music] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [ Carmen Fantasy, Op.
25 by Pablo de Sarasate] [cheers and applause] – John: My goodness gracious.
Thank you all for being here.
I haven’t looked up that high in a long time.
[applause] So, happy birthday to the Madison Symphony.
A joke I’ve been telling all year is that it’s not my centennial.
[laughter] – Robert Reed: When someone turns 100 years old, that’s huge.
It’s been great that we have this orchestra to be the foundation of the arts scene here in Madison.
Our final concerts this weekend will be the ultimate, you know, celebration for the organization, as we will really involve every aspect of this community.
– Overture Center is our home where we play, and we should just invite people in, and then we bring together the community with all different kinds of music.
– Helena T qu ests bien buena – And all my friends will be screaming [lively steel drum music] – Robert: We’re not thinking about the Madison Symphony.
We’re thinking about the community and that we’re part of the community.
And so, that we’ve built this whole festival.
John: It’s all about music, and for them to get to know us and for us to get to know them.
It’s a joyful time for me because the orchestra’s playing so well.
And I’m looking back on these 32 years.
And, of course, the shining moment was the Overture Center for the Arts.
Even though it’s multipurpose, it’s a real concert hall that has great acoustics overall and great acoustics for opera.
Oh, my goodness.
I mean, we have a home, so we’re blessed during my time here.
And so, I feel very happy about all of that.
[ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [stately orchestral music] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [movement ends] [gentle orchestral music] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [movement ends] [bright orchestral music] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [ The Planets, Op.
32 by Gustav Holst] [cheers and applause] – I came here in 1994, and I was 18 years at Houston Grand Opera, and I was frustrated because I wanted to do more symphonic work.
Crescendo.
Ping, yah bop bop bop bah!
But I always loved orchestral conducting, and I thought I could be good at it.
My agent at the time told me that Roland Johnson, my predecessor, was retiring and that they were looking, and that it was a well-funded orchestra even at the time, you know, which was, of course, music to my ears.
So, Barbara and I came up here and found this house that we’re sitting in right now 32 years ago.
And the journey began, and what a journey it was.
Robert: We’re celebrating 100 years.
And the amazing thing is, we’ve only had four music directors of the Madison Symphony in that 100 years.
I would say the orchestra became truly professional under John DeMain.
When he arrived, it was more of a community orchestra.
Not everybody was paid.
Now, when we have auditions for positions, people from all over the country are auditioning for the job.
[bright orchestral music] We had high expectations ’cause he came from the Houston Opera, so he had really strong vision of where the organization could go.
And so, he brought a lot of that with his Italian charm and charisma.
– So, my finale for this concert, of course, is the Beethoven Ninth.
I mean, it’s a piece that I, as a conductor, absolutely adore.
It’s a piece that has been so important because it talks about the brotherhood of mankind and has been associated with revolutions, with triumphs.
[bright orchestral music] I wanna close with that because it’s truly a joyous celebration of our being here for 100 years.
And this festival weekend is about celebrating 100 years and launching the next 100 years.
[Symphony No.
9 in D Minor, Op.
125 by Ludwig van Beethoven] [triumphant orchestral music] [Symphony No.
9 in D Minor, Op.
125 by Ludwig van Beethoven] O Freunde Nicht diese Tne [stately orchestral music] Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen Und freudenvollere Freude Freude Freude Freude Freude schner Gtterfunken Tochter aus Elysium Wir betreten feuertrunken Himmlische, dein Heiligtum Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Alle Menschen werden Brder Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Alle Menschen werden Brder Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt [triumphant orchestral music] Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen Eines Freundes Freund zu sein Wer ein holdes Weib errungen Mische seinen Jubel ein Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund [triumphant orchestral music] Freude trinken alle Wesen An den Brsten der Natur Alle Guten, alle Bsen Folgen ihrer Rosenspur Ksse gab sie uns und Reben Einen Freund, geprft im Tod Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben Und der Cherub steht vor Gott Ksse gab sie uns und Reben Einen Freund, geprft im Tod Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben Und der Cherub steht vor Gott Und der Cherub steht vor Gott Steht vor Gott Vor Gott Vor Gott [stately orchestral music] Froh Froh, wie seine Sonnen Seine Sonnen fliegen froh Wie seine Sonnen fliegen Durch des Himmels prcht’gen Plan Laufet, Brder, eure Bahn Laufet, Brder, eure Bahn Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen Wie ein Held zum Siegen Laufet, Brder, eure Bahn Laufet, Brder, eure Bahn Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen Wie ein Held zum Siegen Freudig, freudig Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen [triumphant orchestral music] [Symphony No.
9 in D Minor, Op.
125 by Ludwig van Beethoven] Freude, schner Gtterfunken Tochter aus Elysium Wir betreten feuertrunken Himmlische, dein Heiligtum Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Alle Menschen werden Brder Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Alle Menschen werden Brder Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt [triumphant orchestral music] Seid umschlungen, Millionen Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt Seid umschlungen, Millionen Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt Brder ber’m Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen Brder ber’m Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen [gentle orchestral music] Ihr strzt nieder Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schpfer Welt?
Such’ ihn ber’m Sternenzelt ber Sternen muss er wohnen [gentle orchestral music] ber Sternen Muss er wohnen Freude, schner Gtterfunken Seid umschlungen Tochter aus Elysium Millionen Wir betreten feuertrunken Diesen Kuss Himmlische, dein Heiligtum Der ganzen Welt Um schlungen Millionen Freude, schner Gtterfunken Diesen Kuss Die ganzen Welt Freude, schner Gtterfunken Himmlische, dein Heiligtum Tochter aus Elysium Wir betreten feuertrunken Millionen Freude, schner Gtterfunken Heligtum, Freude, Freude Tochter aus Elysium Diesen Kuss Wir betreten feuertrunken Der ganzen Welt Himmlische, dein Heligtum Diesen Kuss Heiligtum Der ganzen Welt Freude, schner Gtterfunken Tochter aus Elysium Wir betreten feuertrunken Freude, freude Seid umschlungen Kuss der ganzen Welt Freude, schner Gtterfunken Himmlische, dein Heligtum Tochter aus Elysium Seid umschlungen Himmlische, dein Heligtum Freude, schner Gtterfunken Millionen Tochter aus Elysium Diesen Kuss Wir betreten feuertrunken Der ganzen Welt Himmlische, dein Heligtum Freude, schner Gtterfunken Seid umschlangen Tochter aus Elysium Millionen Diesen Kuss Der ganzen Welt Himmlische, dein Heligtum Der ganzen Welt Der ganzen Welt [triumphant orchestral music] Ihr strtzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schpfer, Welt?
Such’ ihn ber’m Sternenzelt Such’ ihn ber’m Sternenzelt Brder Brder ber’m Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen Ein lieber Vater wohnen Tochter, Tochter aus Elysium Freude, Tochter aus Elysium Freude, Tochter aus Elysium Freude, Tochter aus Elysium Tochter Deine Zauber Deine Zauber binden wieder Deine Zauber Deine Zauber binden wieder Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Deine Zauber binden wieder Streng geteilt Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt Alle Menschen, alle Menschen, alle Menschen Alle Menschen werden Brder Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt Deine Zauber Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt Alle Menschen, alle Menschen, alle Menschen Alle Menschen, alle Menschen Alle Menschen Werden Brder Wo dein Sanfter Flgel weilt Wo dein sanfter Flgel weilt [triumphant orchestral music] Seid umschlungen, Millionen Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt Der ganzen Welt Brder ber’m Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater, ein lieber Vater whonen Ein lieber Vater wohnen Seid umschlungen Seid umschlungen Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt Der ganzen Welt, der ganzen Welt Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt Der ganzen Welt Der ganzen, ganzen Welt Der ganzen Welt Freude, Freude Schner Gtterfunken Schner Gtterfunken Tochter aus Elysium Freude, schner Gtterfunken Gtterfunken [triumphant orchestral music] [cheers and applause] [ Zigeunerweisen , Op.
20 by Pablo de Sarasate] – Announcer: Funding for Madison Symphony at 100 is provided by Wooden Nickel Fund, Barbara Brand, Elizabeth Olson, the Stanley and Shirley Inhorn Fund, Jane Hamblen and Rob Lemanske, Terry Haller, Valerie and Andreas Kazamias, Judith and Nick Topitzes, the John W. and Lenore L. Landry Endowment, donors to the Focus Fund for the Arts, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
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