As for the rest of the season, it was an incredible success. International pianist and good friend of the WSO George Li came back to perform with the orchestra Chopin’s First Piano Concerto. Young (and amazing) violinist Yuki Beppu joined the orchestra in two movements from Lalo’s Symphony Espagnole as well as an amazing rendition of the Thais Meditation by Massenet as a memorial to the victims of the earthquake in Japan. We also had the visit of Maestro Leopold Mozart in person with actor Alex Saltzberg (see details on the children’s concert posting). Pianist Amira Acre helped us start the season on a high note with Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, and saxophonist Melanie Howell Brooks was our guest soloist in December in her wonderful rendition of Paule Maurice’s les Tableaux de Provence.

We did accomplish a lot since our first concert in May 2008.  Our roster of artists and soloists has been extraordinary and their performances were highly acclaimed.

We did revamp our web site, thanks to our oboe solo and web designer, Amy Dinsmore. We are still working on it with notable enhancements to come. We are still short in the number of recordings and videos posted on the site. Of course, not everything can be posted due to copyright restrictions. In some cases, we can only post excerpts. But it really gives a flavor of the WSO distinctive sound.

Audience members commented that the Waltham Symphony musicians must obviously enjoy playing in the orchestra and that it shows in the musical result and the atmosphere during our performances. This is so true. WSO musicians are simply amazing in their dedication to music as well as in their enthusiasm and it is fun and wonderful sharing musical experiences with them. As Music Director I am very grateful for this. Some say such positive ambiance is the music director’s doing. I disagree. I cannot make this happen alone. It is a group effort from the volunteers organization to the amateur and professional musicians in the orchestra. All operate as part of a team and that makes all the difference. All believe in the same vision and share it.

I am also very touched when audience members come to see me after a concert, thanking us profusely for having given them something precious that evening, or when a family thanks us for having made possible free music lessons for their children. That’s what it is all about. An orchestra exists for and with the community. It is of course an all separate discussion as to understand or rethink the place and the role of the symphony orchestra in American modern life. But one thing is clear: if we understand and believe in the communal necessity of the symphony orchestra, we have to agree that the role of the music director has to be understood in the same manner, that is a community oriented role.

Younger conductors often ask me why I decided many moons ago to forego a highly satisfying and fledgling international career and instead remain in the Boston area as a local conductor. After all, there are not that many full-time conducting jobs around and I had already enviable conducting positions abroad.  I invariably give the same answer: I made the decision of believing that the difference should be made at the local level. Conducting is not about personal glory or fame. It is about making a difference. Make a difference in the world, but do it right; Do it unselfishly, lovingly and passionately. That is the role of the conductor of a symphony orchestra tied to its community: to be a pillar for that community, a beacon of light and hope, a beacon of culture and humanity;

That’s what the Waltham Symphony is all about. Dedication to the community, dedication in outreach, excellence in the performance of music and in education.

Barely a teenager, Li brings a musical depth and technique to the instrument that is far beyond his years. The performance quality and deep background in music that the members of the WSO bring to the stage should provide a very rich accompaniment to Li’s impressive skill and artistry. We look forward to watching him light up the stage with his passion for music and his youthful charisma!

March 28, 2009 – 8:00 p.m. – George Li, Pianist, Patrick Botti, Conductor

Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto No1 in G minor, Rossini, William Tell Overture , Beethoven Symphony No5 in C minor

Get a taste of what makes George Li so special by listening in to the WGBH Classical Performance podcast.

– AdB

The maestro is thrilled to welcome back our audience from the May concert who enjoyed Mozart, Ravel and Brahms, to a brand new passionate program for the October 4^th concert. The members of the Waltham Symphony Orchestra return in full force for their autumnal debut performance, along with a dynamic soloist heading to Waltham directly from performances in Paris and London.

“In this Impassionata Concert, I wanted to celebrate the passionate excitement of the changing seasons, the bold, romantic music of Dvorak’s Concerto for Cello in B Minor and invite our audience to return for a new season of great music and to experience the wonderful playing of Eve-Marie Caravassilis,” Maestro Patrick Botti, explained.

“Dvorak is the quintessential Romantic composer,” said Maestro Patrick Botti, “his passionate piece for the cello, together with the Mozart Haffner and the Chabrier all compliment the program to celebrate this dramatic time of year. And our soloist, Eve-Marie creates excitement wherever she goes.”

Eve-Marie Caravassilis is very active on the European music scene, having performed at the Festival du Vexin, Festival des Nuits Narbonnaises as well as numerous European festivals. She has appeared with renowned French artists such as Patrice Fontanarosa, Marielle Nordmann, Bruno Pasquier and Laurent Cabasso.

Ms. Caravassilis has performed with orchestras in France, the UK and Germany and is a member of the renowned woman’s string quartet, “Psophos Quartet”. She has been heard on French National Radio and TV, the BBC, German National Radio, as well as on many other European radios and TVs.

The concert takes place on October 4^th, Saturday evening at 8:00pm at the Kennedy Middle School which is located at 655 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA, next to the Waltham High School. Tickets are available at the door. The tickets range from $20.00 for general seating to $15.00 for students and seniors. Tickets are also available online at www.walthamsymphony.org, or by calling the office at 781.642.1050.

Following the performance there will be a “Meet The Conductor” reception with Maestro Botti, where Eve-Marie Caravassilis will join the maestro to greet the audience and discuss the evening’s musical program.

We had planned in performing a piece for Native American flute and orchestra as well as a Wagner Overture. Unfortunately, the native flute piece was not ready for performance as it is being re-orchestrated from a small ensemble to a larger symphony orchestra. I had to find a piece to replace it. Wagner alongside Dvorak already made for a very heavy program. I needed to find a piece that could fit right in-between, but contrasting in style and character. Then the idea came to totally change the first half. Since the Dvorak’s Concerto for Cello is very long (up to 45 minutes), it will occupy the entire second half of the concert as originally planned. For the first half, why not totally change the atmosphere, opening with a very light and entertaining French piece and continuing with a symphony from the repertoire, but a symphony that would not be a massive work, competing in length and character with the Dvorak Concerto? After consultation with colleagues and marketing personnel,  I decided to open the concert with the wonderful “Marche Joyeuse” by Chabrier. What better piece than this one to open a new season full of joy, excitement and promises? Then I decided to program the “Haffner” Symphony (No 35) by Mozart. Haffner is also very deligthful, a master piece from Mozart, one of his last symphonies, but one of its most difficult. The perfect combination in character, and length. This will work, with a shorter first half than usual and a longer second half.

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On another subject, we will post shortly snipets (video and audio) from our inaugural concert, last May. You may have found already the posting on YouTube of the “Jardin Féérique” from Ravel’s “Mother Goose”.

After our highly successful inaugural concert in May, I went to Denver for the National Performing Arts Convention. It was a huge affair with close to 5,000 people from all venues. As expected, symphony orchestras and theatre were the most represented. You can visit they Convention web site: http://www.nationalperformingartsconvention.org/faqs.htm

It was exhausting, but very succesful as we shape the future of the performing arts in this country. Resolutions were taken for improving all of the arts in all domains and places throughout the country.

It was also the occasion to do some socializing, touching bases with old friends and colleagues. It was also the occasion to hear the Colorado Symphony conducted by Jeffrey Kahane and also the Colorado Opera conducted by Marin Alsop. Both concerts were geared toward contemporary American music. The Colorado Opera presented a revamped version of “Nixon in China” which I did not like as far as staging was concerned. However the orchestra was great and Marin’s conducting was as usual superb. I am so impressed by what she does! So much talent.

Then, no sooner was I back from the conference that I hope on a place to France where I was to conduct the Concilium Musicum de Paris. I had also meetings in the South of France to put into place a new Festival.

Then, back from Paris, I spent almost three weeks in a fabulous environment, surrounded by fellow colleague conductors, and under the guidance of the extraordinary Ken Kiesler. That was in Maine, at the famed “Medmoak Retreat for Conductors” which he founded eleven years ago. Ken has the true vision of what a conductor is all about: service to music and to others, humility, greatness of soul and strength or intellect and character allied to true scholarship. I was lucky enough to conduct among amazing peer, in a very difficult program: Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Moussorgsky-Ravel, Pictures at an Exhibition, Vaugn Williams, Thomas Tallis Fantasy, Brahms 4th Symphony etc…

Then back to France again, this time for a two week vacation.

However, vacation is not in a conductor’s vocabulary as I spent a great deal of my time thinking about music, the Waltham Symphony Orchestra, the upcoming seasons, the potential soloists, the fund-raising and all.

PBotti conducts Brahms 3rd.

Classic Choice

For more than two decades, the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra has provided classical musicians and fans in the city an outlet and a resource for live performances. Now, though, Waltham has what few cities its size are called upon to support: two classical orchestras. This month marked the debut performance of the Waltham Symphony Orchestra, founded by a French conductor who for a brief time led the Philharmonic.

Neither organization wants it said that these are dueling orchestras. They are more like complementary notes in the same chord, they say – separate, capable of different sounds and tones, but both adding to the richness of the area’s musical offerings.

Each will have different performance venues, different repertoires, different musicians, and if it can be done, different audi ences drawn from Waltham’s population of nearly 60,000, as well as surrounding communities. Waltham will be bucking a national trend by hosting two orchestras at a time when even some big-city groups are seeing drops in ticket sales and attendance. Newton is the only other nearby suburban community with two orchestras.

Patrick Botti, music director of the new Waltham Symphony Orchestra, which plays at the Kennedy Middle School, said his local roots are deep. He lived in the city for a while after coming to the United States in 1982 on a Fulbright scholarship. He spent three years as music director at the now-closed St. Joseph’s church on Main Street, and eight years as musical director at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted.

During a recent interview in a rear booth at Wilson’s Diner on Main Street, he was surrounded by an orchestral arrangement of a different type: the clamor of clanging dishes, the scrape of a knife across a plate, voices that bounce around the vintage steel diner like pebbles in a tin can.

Botti, wincing occasionally at a particularly shrill assault on his sensitive ears, talked about how he ended up leaving the Philharmonic and starting another orchestra.

“I applied not really knowing much about the orchestra. I got the gig, and what I discovered was that – how can I put this?” he said, pausing a moment, considering his next words carefully. “It was composed of very beginning musicians, amateurs. In this it provides a valuable service.”

But after a lifetime of conducting and training that included jobs with several prominent orchestras in France, as well as guest conductorships for the BBC, the Royal College of Music Orchestra in London, the Luxembourg Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Springs Symphony, it wasn’t what he had hoped for.

Botti was appointed musical director of the Waltham Philharmonic in May 2007. He resigned by the end of the year. It was a mismatch, both parties agree. Botti said he envisioned a top-level orchestra with semiprofessional musicians and a firm rehearsal schedule. But the Philharmonic board was unwilling to sacrifice its tradition of including and developing amateur, hobbyist players. Both sides deny that it was a bitter split, and dismiss the idea of competition now.

“I said to them, if you want to be a real top-level orchestra, you have to make a lot of changes, in terms of musicians, in terms of rehearsal,” said Botti. “There’s nothing wrong with your type of orchestra, but I’m not the right person to lead it.”

Karen Walz, the Philharmonic’s publicity director, said Botti’s vision would have meant losing the characteristics that make it unique and popular with Waltham residents, including its willingness to accept people whose passion might be higher than their skill level. Their youngest musician is 9; the oldest are in their 70s or older. Only a few have ever played professionally, and the majority have nonmusical careers and families. She said they’ve been happy with the appointment of conductor Peyman Farzinpour, who replaced Botti in January, because he’s willing to bring each player to achieve their personal best as a performer.

“Our vision of a community orchestra is that it is not all professionals. We want to welcome people from the community and area,” Walz said of the Philharmonic, which plays at the McDevitt Middle School. “Rather than hiring professionals and dismissing the longtime community members who have been very devoted and supportive of the Waltham Philharmonic, we want to keep those people. We want to value those people who have been with us so long.”

Philharmonic board president and first violinist Stephanie Schaffhausen exemplifies that openness. She has been playing with the Philharmonic since its inception in 1985, when a local newspaper article about it inspired her to dust off the violin she hadn’t played in two decades. Despite the long hiatus in her musical background, Schaffhausen said, she was welcomed with open arms.

“I nearly died,” she said of the workout at her first rehearsal with the orchestra. “After I was done I couldn’t hold my arm – it wouldn’t go up, it wouldn’t go down. It is not like riding a bicycle. So I went back to taking lessons. I still take lessons.”

Schaffhausen said she is not sure that she ever would have played again if the Philharmonic hadn’t given her the opportunity. She went on to recruit her husband, Brian, to play viola – even though he’d never played anything but the piano before. Her son, a cellist, and her daughter, also a violinist, played with the Philharmonic through their high school and college years as well.

“Playing music is about the best thing you can do with your life. There’s so much fun and joy, and you can bring joy to other people,” said Schaffhausen.

Botti’s ambition is to lead an orchestra that is skilled and confident enough to experiment beyond traditional classical music. He wanted to attract musicians who were capable of playing at a professional level, even if they pursued other careers during the day. He wanted people who were able to devote more of their free time to practice and rehearsals than many of the Philharmonic’s players, who juggle their regular jobs, families, and other hobbies. Waltham Symphony Orchestra includes professionals and semiprofessionals, as well as some high school and college students, who had to audition for positions with the ensemble.

The orchestra made its debut on May 10, with 60 musicians performing before a crowd of about 250, said Halley Suitt, its executive director. Works by Mozart, Brahms, Ravel, and several French composers were performed, she said, all chosen to fit the event’s Mother’s Day theme.

Mothers and grandmothers were admitted free, Suitt said, “but they all dragged these guys with them, and we sold a lot of tickets. It was great.”

Botti said his orchestra’s regular season will be “five concerts from October to July,” although this year, it began its season early to make its debut before the summer.

He dreams of playing not only Bach, Brahms, and Debussy, Botti said, but also integrating traditional Indian musical instruments and Latin American compositions, taking advantage of the full spectrum of Waltham’s diversity.

“The symphony orchestra as it is right now, if it is to survive in America, has to change. I’m not saying you have to do corny stuff, but you have to relate to the community,” said Botti.

To that end, he started working with a marketing class at Bentley College that researched how to market the orchestra to potential musicians, sponsors, and its audience. The class of 24 students spent hours researching the area’s demographics, reading preferences at local libraries, and posting themselves in front of supermarkets, banks, and the library to survey residents about their musical interests.

“What we found was that people wanted to see crossovers – with modern [music], with bands, with dance. They wanted to see something other than the classical concert. They wanted to see a certain twist,” said Bentley marketing professor Nada Nasr.

Botti sums it up this way: “There are things we can do here that people are afraid to try.”

And I like what he has to say about this town being big enough for two orchestras — you got that right! 

And here’s the link to buy tickets:  

Conductor is playing a new tune
By Jeff Gilbride/Daily News staff

Patrick Botti wants his new symphony orchestra to reflect the rich cultural diversity found in Waltham.So, as music director for the new Waltham Symphony Orchestra, Botti has grand plans to work with a Cambodian composer, incorporate Indian classical music and even jam with a rock band.

“It’s basically taking a symphony orchestra out of an entrenched position and opening it up to the world,” Botti said.

All of this won’t happen overnight, but Botti said the foundation is in place for an orchestra that can break the mold of the traditional community orchestra.

That’s the future.

For now, the Waltham Symphony Orchestra is getting ready to hold its inaugural concert at the Kennedy Middle School on May 10 at 8 p.m. The concert will feature works by composers Mozart, Brahms, Ravel, d’Indy and Daniel-Lesur.

To celebrate Mother’s Day, admission to the concert will be free to mothers and grandmothers. Botti said the Waltham Symphony Orchestra is made up of some 50 musicians, many of whom are current or former city residents.

Botti served as conductor of the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra from May to December of 2007. He said that orchestra serves a valuable role in the community, giving amateur musicians a musical outlet. However, Botti said he sought to develop an orchestra geared more toward professional musicians.

Botti said he also wanted to work more closely with area colleges and universities. Botti said the Waltham Symphony Orchestra will also offer local high school students the chance to perform alongside its professional players, and offer scholarships to those aspiring musicians so they can receive the proper training.

Botti also believes the new Waltham Symphony Orchestra will have a bigger budget to develop its programs. Botti said he does not see the two orchestras as competitors and believes there is a place for both in the community.

“Can Waltham sustain two groups like that? Absolutely,” Botti said. “It is a large city.”

Born in Marseille, France, Botti has served as principal guest conductor of the Central Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and artistic director for the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra from 1993 to 2000. He has also guest conducted a number of orchestras worldwide including the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, the BBC Orchestra and the Royal College of Music Orchestra in London and the Boston Philharmonic. Waltham’s diversity and its central location make it a perfect fit for the creation of a new symphony orchestra, Botti said. “Waltham was absolutely the best place to do it,” he said.

The face of Johann Sebastian Bach has been recreated by experts at Dundee University more than 250 years after the German composer’s death.
This is part of an article on the BBC web site of February 29, 2008: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/7270795.stm

Now of course, one only needs to add the hair piece and we will see that there is a direct resemblance to the traditional picture of Bach.

Patrick

Bach as we knew it (the best known painting of him).

The real Bach (this is the way he most probably looked like according the University of Dundee researchers).