Concert Hall ATM, ART TOWER MITO

Mito Arts Foundation
1-6-8 Goken-cho, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 310-0063 Japan
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Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) 70th Regular Concert



Soaring Like a Giant Tree, Helmut Winschermann Conducts Bach

Soaring toward the sky, a giant tree stands up straight as a rod, with its solid trunk engraved with the memories of countless seasons repeated, while still giving forth to verdant foliage year after year. In some ways, the music of the German maestro Helmut Winschermann suggests such a comparison to the figure of a large tree. As the founding director of Die Deutsche Bachsolisten (= DBS) (The German Bach Soloists), his music is unshakably strict yet warm, having led postwar Bach performances over the past half century.

For the upcoming November concert, Helmut Winschermann wields the baton before the Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) for the very first time. The program he has prepared for the concert is entirely composed of works by J.S. Bach that he has cherished for many years. He has organized an ambitious program, starting out with the Brandenburg Concerto No.5, allowing the audience to enjoy the splendid joint performance of soloists and the string orchestra, followed by his own chamber-music arrangement of the grand Goldberg Variations, which Bach originally wrote for keyboard instrument, and ending with the Orchestral Suite No. 3, which is the original setting for the all-too-famous "Air on a G String." Come experience the blinding brilliance of the life force of a "giant tree" of music.



Mito Chamber Orchestra, 70th Regular Concert
Conductor: Helmut Winschermann

Nov. 10, 2007 (Sat), 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
Nov. 11, 2007 (Sun), 2:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)
Art Tower Mito (ATM) Concert Hall ATM
Admission (all seats reserved): S ¥6,500, A ¥5,000, B ¥4,000

J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major, BWV1050
J.S. Bach (arr. Winschermann): Goldberg Variations, BWV988 (excerpts)
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV1068



About Helmut Winschermann, Conductor

Born in 1920 in the town of Mülheim in the Ruhr District of Germany, Winschermann studied at both Essen and Paris, then became the solo oboist for the Hessen Radio Symphony Orchestra of Germany and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of the Netherlands, among others. In 1960, he founded Die Deutsche Bachsolisten (= DBS) (The German Bach Soloists). Ever since, he has served as artistic director of the chamber orchestra for more than four decades, nurturing it into a performing ensemble that has achieved the position of a world-class authority, particularly in Bach performances. Whether he is playing the oboe or wielding the baton, he has always held fast to his motto of "lucidly, vividly and joyfully" when standing on the performance stage.

A famed oboist who took the world by storm, Winschermann is also known as an excellent educator, and is famous for producing such illustrious performers as Hansjörg Schellenberger (b. 1948) and Fumiaki Miyamoto (b. 1949), among others. As a director, he has also served as guest conductor for many of the world's major orchestras. In January 1998 he directed the "Charity Concert for Peace" in Paris at the behest of UNESCO headquarters, winning top raves. His discology now includes more than 50 albums (CDs and records) released on such labels as Deutsche Grammophon, Phillips, and RCA. All of them have been rated highly.

In recognition of his great cultural contributions over the many years, the German government awarded Winschermann one of its highest honors, the Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse (Cross of Merit, First Class). He also won the Edison Prize twice, the Gustav Mahler Prize, and the German Handel Prize, among others. In 1992, the committee of the London Royal Music Academy unanimously awarded him an honorary membership.




Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) 71st Regular Concert



Treating It As Juicy Fruit to Be Picked, Jean-François Paillard Conducts French Music.

Grapes acquire an ever more vivid deep shade of red under the rays of the summer sun, nearly exploding with juiciness as the autumn harvest approaches. The French virtuoso Jean-François Paillard, in the upcoming concert with MCO, presents to us the fruit of French music, similarly succulent. Leading the Jean-François Paillard Chamber Orchestra, he introduces us - in his role as the "evangelist" of French music - works that are rich and brimming with sustenance.

This is the first time in more than six years - ever since the 46th Regular Concert of June 2001 - that Paillard will appear in performance with the MCO. This time he introduces to us the great variety of French music of the modern era (late 19th and early 20th centuries). Not only does the program include such evergreens as Debussy's "Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un Faune" and Albert Roussel's "Le festin de l'araignee," but also such lesser-known gems as Florent Schmitt's "Janiana" and Vincent d'Indy's "Suite dans Le Style ancien." He also includes the original version of Bizet's "Arlésienne" that is completely different from the traditionally-heard "suite" version! Come and get your fill of the colors and scents of the ripe fruit of French music.



Mito Chamber Orchestra 71st Regular Concert
Conductor: Jean-François Paillard

Nov. 24, 2007 (Sat), 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
Nov. 25, 2007 (Sun), 2:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)
Art Tower Mito (ATM) Concert Hall ATM
Admission (all seats reserved): S ¥6,500, A ¥5,000, B ¥4,000


Claude Debussy (1862-1918): "Prelude a l'Apres-midi d'un Faune" (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)
Florent Schmitt (1870-1958): "Janiana," Symphony for Strings, Op. 101
Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931): "Suite dans Le Style ancien" in D Major, Op. 24
Georges Bizet (1838-75): From "Arlésienne" Op. 23 (original version)
Albert Roussel (1869-1937): "Le festin de l'araignée" (The Spider's Banquet) , Op. 17


About Jean-François Paillard, Conductor

Born in 1928 and educated in mathematics at the Sorbonne in Paris, Paillard later studied music theory under Norbert Dufourcq (1904-90) at the Conservatoire de Paris, and then conducting techniques under Igor Markevitch (1912-83) at the Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria. Meanwhile, he scoured European music libraries for music manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries, discovering many forgotten masterpieces. In 1953, he established the Jean-Marie Leclair Instrumental Ensemble to perform such pieces, concentrating primarily on French classical music in its repertoire. In 1959, the group changed its name to the Jean-François Paillard Chamber Orchestra. Thereafter, it has pursued a busy performance schedule around the world, with its records and CDs having garnered numerous awards and honors.

Besides his work with his eponymous ensemble, Paillard has conducted the Saar Chamber Orchestra, I Solisti Veneti, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and so forth. Also, in Japan, he has led the Osaka Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, to mention a few. In June 2001, he directed the Mito Chamber Orchestra (MCO) at their 46th Regular Concert, featuring such works as Jean-Philippe Rameau's "Les Indes Galantes" and Arthur Honegger's 2nd Symphony, winning plaudits.

Paillard is also a prolific scholar and writer, having written many essays about music theory and other subjects, including the book, "La Musique Francaise Classique" (Que Sais-Je? Series from the Presses Universitaires de France). He is also actively engaged in non-musical activities, having been a pilot and sailor when younger; he is now said to be infatuated with astrophysics, with a degree in science.



Supported by: DAIICHI SANKYO COMPANY, LIMITED.

Point Inc.

Zaidanhojin Genden Fureai Ibaraki Zaidan (Japan Atomic Power Co. Ibaraki Foundation)

YOSHIDA OIL CO.,LTD.
Cooperation: All Nippon Airways (ANA)

Mito Chamber of Commerce & Industry



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Translated by Paul T. Narum
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