Photo by Dave Weiland
Berkeley Symphony's season opens on Oct. 2, with Music Director Joana Carneiro conducting the commissioned world premiere of Oscar Bettison’s Sea Shaped, the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Jennifer Koh as soloist, and Elgar's Enigma Variations.
That's the what and here are some of the reasons for the program from the artists. Bettison on Sea Shaped:
I knew from the beginning that this work would have something to do with the sea which is an entirely new approach for me since I rarely associate my music with nature. Proximity to the sea has been constant throughout my entire life having grown up on Jersey off the British Isles as well as time spent in Holland and both U.S. coasts.So I started thinking about how the sea was a theme for me. And of course, this theme fits perfectly for a premiere in the Bay Area with Joana, whose home country of Portugal also has an extensive maritime history. During the compositional process, I was struck by a quote from the Paul Valery poem Le Cimetiere Marin ("The Graveyard by the Sea") that reads "the sea, the sea, always beginning again!" so the idea of the sea as a beginning, the water eroding land and reforming, is a metaphor that I see throughout this work.
Carneiro:
One of the most memorable concerts of my life was when Jennifer Koh opened the 2010-2011 season with the John Adams and Beethoven violin concertos. Her ability to draw a distinct and tangible connection from past to present mirrors the vision of Berkeley Symphony.I see this coming season as a journey of relationships, between the old and new, looking forward always. The passion of Berkeley audiences allows us to explore thrilling new works and I am excited to share this world premiere commission by Oscar Bettison with them. I have been a fan of Oscar's music for many years after hearing his piece O Death and I was immediately taken by his inventiveness and beauty.
Koh:
What I always find remarkable about Sibelius' violin concerto is its strangeness and its beauty in that strangeness. It is revolutionary in its harmonic and rhythmic language and that jaggedness and cragginess creates incredible and striking moments of power when each part comes together. It is truly an amazing piece!I'm thrilled to be playing this incredible work with Joana and Berkeley Symphony. The audiences in Berkeley have always been warm and welcoming, whether for my Bach and Beyond recitals, Einstein on the Beach, or with the Symphony. I am very much looking forward to returning.