{"id":98534,"date":"2023-08-28T11:34:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T15:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=98534"},"modified":"2023-08-28T14:16:34","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T18:16:34","slug":"preview-esprit-orchestras-2023-24-season-links-past-present-new-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/08\/28\/preview-esprit-orchestras-2023-24-season-links-past-present-new-music\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Esprit Orchestra\u2019s 2023\/24 Season Links The Past With The Present Of New Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_98536\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98536\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-98536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-6.jpg\" alt=\"Esprit Orchestra (Photo courtesy of Esprit)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-6.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-6-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-6-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-6-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Esprit Orchestra (Photo courtesy of Esprit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Esprit Orchestra, Toronto&#8217;s new music specialists, has announced the details of the ensemble&#8217;s 41st concert season. Five concerts will take place between October 2023 and April 2024 at Koerner Hall.<\/p>\n<p>Founding Music Director and Conductor Alex Pauk, C.M. has curated a season of Canadian and North American premieres, programming that incorporates a nod to iconic composers along with a new co-commissioned work.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at the details.<\/p>\n<h3>October 15: X Marks The Spot<\/h3>\n<p>This imaginative programme takes a sonic trip through the universe, beginning with the ocean depths.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Anna Meredith<\/strong>&#8216;s Nautilus was inspired by a walk along a Scottish beach. As an electronic piece, it was often used in film and TV soundtracks in chaotic scenes. Esprit presents the Canadian premiere of a new orchestral arrangement.<\/li>\n<li><strong>R. Murray Schafte<\/strong>r&#8217;s Dream Rainbow Dream Thunder was one of the first pieces recorded by Esprit Orchestra.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gy\u00f6rgy Ligeti<\/strong>\u2019s Atmosph\u00e8res was used in 2001: A Space Odyssey in scenes depicting the darkness of space.<\/li>\n<li>Two works by<strong> Iannis Xenakis<\/strong> will be performed, Pour les Baleines (For the Whales), a protest of the treatment of whales for string orchestra, and Jonchaies (the place where rushes grow), composed for 109 musicians.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_98542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98542\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-98542\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Esprit-Conductor-Alex-Pauk-1.jpg\" alt=\"Maestro Alex Pauk (Photo: Bo Huang)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Esprit-Conductor-Alex-Pauk-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Esprit-Conductor-Alex-Pauk-1-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Esprit-Conductor-Alex-Pauk-1-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Esprit-Conductor-Alex-Pauk-1-768x486.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maestro Alex Pauk (Photo: Bo Huang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>November 30: Circle Maps<\/h3>\n<p>The centrepiece of the programme is the Canadian Premiere of Circle Map in the memory of the late composer <strong>Kaija Saariaho<\/strong>. The work for large orchestra and electronics is based on a setting of a text by the Persian poet Rumi.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Slovenian composer <strong>Vito \u017duraj<\/strong>\u2019s In Api-danza macabra (Macabre Bee Dance of Death) riffs on the energy of the iconic Flight of the Bumblebee, but with a modern edge that recognizes looming bee extinction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u017dibuokl\u0117 Martinaityt\u0117<\/strong>\u2019s Millefleur creates a sonic garden of musical flowers.<\/li>\n<li>Concerto for Harp and Orchestra was composed for harpist <strong>Erica Goodman<\/strong> by <strong>Esprit Music Director Alex Pauk<\/strong> to showcase Goodman\u2019s virtuosity.<\/li>\n<li>Ukrainian composer <strong>Valentin Silvestrov\u2019<\/strong>s Postludium will be performed by pianist <strong>Kevin Ahfat<\/strong> in his debut appearance with Esprit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>January 24: \u4e09\/ THREE<\/h3>\n<p>The North American premiere of a new work by Unsuk Chin, co-commissioned by Esprit Orchestra along with Bayerische Staatsorchester (DE), Orchestre de Paris (FR), Sao Paulo State Symphony (BR), and Tongyeong Festival (KR), is a highlight of the programme.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Unsuk Chin<\/strong>\u2019s Operascope is a new work for orchestra that draws on the history of opera from Verdi to Berg. Esprit has performed and premiered many of Chin\u2019s work over its history.<\/li>\n<li>Vancouver-based <strong>Rita Ueda<\/strong> was the winner of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2022\/08\/26\/feature-checking-azrieli-music-prize-laureates-rita-ueda-iman-habibi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 Azrieli Music Prize Commission for New Canadian Music<\/a>. Her piece Birds Calling\u2026From the Canada in You, for sh\u014d, sheng\/suona and orchestra surrounds the audience in Canadian bird calls, Chinese and Japanese solo instruments. <strong>Naomi Sato<\/strong> plays the Sh\u014d, and <strong>Zhongxi Wu<\/strong> will play Sheng\/Suona.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Misato Mochizuki<\/strong>\u2019s Nigredo is informed by Jungian psychology, and inspired by Robert Schumann \u2014 both his greatness and mental decline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_98538\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-98538\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-98538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-7.jpg\" alt=\"Season Soloists: L-R (top row): Zhongxi Wu (Photo courtesy of the artist); Naomi Shato (Photo courtesy of the artist); Aaron Schwebel (Photo: Karen Reeves); Bottom row: Erica Goodman (Photo courtesy of the artist); Kevin Ahfat (Photo courtesy of the artist); Krisztina Szabo (Photo courtesy of the artist); Mark Frewer (Photo: Bo Huang)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-7.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-7-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-7-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-7-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-98538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Season Soloists: L-R (top row): Zhongxi Wu (Photo courtesy of the artist); Naomi Shato (Photo courtesy of the artist); Aaron Schwebel (Photo: Karen Reeves); Bottom row: Erica Goodman (Photo courtesy of the artist); Kevin Ahfat (Photo courtesy of the artist); Krisztina Szabo (Photo courtesy of the artist); Mark Frewer (Photo: Bo Huang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>March 28: VIOLINISSIMO II<\/h3>\n<p>This concert is a reprise of the popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2022\/11\/28\/scrutiny-three-toronto-concertmasters-create-thrilling-violinissimo-esprit-orchestra\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">programme from last season<\/a> celebrating the violin concerto.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Violinist<strong> Aaron Schwebel<\/strong> performs<strong> Max Richter<\/strong>\u2019s Recomposed Four Seasons in its entirety.<\/li>\n<li>Violinist <strong>Mark Fewer<\/strong> performs the virtuosic Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by <strong>Gy\u00f6rgy Ligeti<\/strong>, featuring unconventional tuning, ocarinas, slide whistles and recorders.<\/li>\n<li>Toronto-based <strong>Wesley Shen<\/strong> performs <strong>Gy\u00f6rgy Ligeti<\/strong>\u2019s Continuum, a piece the composer wrote for solo harpsichord in 1968.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>April 25: Sonic Universe<\/h3>\n<p>The season finale focuses on two major works from iconic composers, each based in turn on the music of earlier composers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mezzo-soprano <strong>Krisztina Szabo<\/strong> reprises the role of Clara Schumann in <strong>R. Murray Schafer<\/strong>\u2019s monodrama, Adieu Robert Schumann. The composer\u2019s final days are evoked through snippets from Clara\u2019s diaries and fragments of his works, including Dein Angesicht so lieb und sch\u00f6n, written at the time of his earliest hallucinations.<\/li>\n<li>American composer<strong> John Adams<\/strong>\u2019 Harmonielehre is named after Arnold Schoenberg\u2019s book on musical harmony. Adam\u2019s postmodern take draws from late romanticism and impressionism in creating a new sound.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tickets for the 2023\/24 season are go on sale <strong>September 5<\/strong> [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espritorchestra.com\/concerts-tickets\/current-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n<p><em>*Note: This article has been amended to add the date when tickets go on sale.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig van Daily \u2014 classical music and opera in five minutes or less <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/ludwig-van.us9.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=4f785cb3f9058f2393ccad035&amp;id=57cdb68eac\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>HERE<\/em><\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Esprit Orchestra, Toronto&#8217;s new music specialists, has announced the details of the ensemble&#8217;s 41st concert season launching October 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":98536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40430,19,875,4967,38,4557,63,68],"tags":[1194,27783,2741,40304],"yst_prominent_words":[7587,14282,15499,14729,7566,7584,24855,6648,18460,6613,8757,11862,11858,12857,14728],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Copy-of-PREVIEW-6.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-pDg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98534"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98543,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98534\/revisions\/98543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98534"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=98534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}