Program Notes

By Robert A. Margo

As a classical instrument, the mandolin has its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds.  By World War I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but the instrument retained a passionate following in other countries, particularly in Europe and Japan. Beginning in the 1970s the United States has experienced a revival of interest in classical mandolin.  This evening’s concert features two of the leading mandolin orchestras worldwide, the Providence (Rhode Island) Mandolin Orchestra; and the Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse, France.

The contemporary American mandolin orchestra includes first and second mandolins (tuned like the violin), the mandola (viola), the mandocello (cello), the mandobass (string bass), and classical guitar as harmonic support.  The European version is similar except that the octave mandola (a mandolin tuned one octave below the regular mandolin) often substitutes for the mandocello.  European orchestras also generally use the traditional “bowlback” mandolin whereas American orchestras tend to use flat or carved back instruments that, in one way or another, are descended from instruments designed in the late nineteenth century by Orville Gibson.

The repertoire for mandolin orchestra includes both original works and arrangements.  A stew of minimalism and bouncy rhythms permeate Hartford’s “Groove #1”, as well as Mark Davis’s homage to his pet cat, one of the PMO’s signature pieces.  “Song of Japanese Autumn” by Yasuo Kuwahara (a virtuoso performer and one of the most important Japanese composers) is a certifiable classic, played by mandolin orchestras everywhere.  Claudio Mandonico’s “Music for Play” draws on contemporary musical idioms while his “Suite Espagnole” and Jose Luis Barroso’s “Concierto de Media Luna” evoke a Spanish atmosphere with allusions to flamenco harmonies and rhythms.  An Austrian composer who spent much of his creative life in Scotland, Hans Gal is only now beginning to garner widespread recognition for his large catalog of works, including several for mandolin orchestra including “Capriccio”.  The Debussy, Verdi, and Rossini, of course, are arrangements of much-beloved classical music.  The Brouwer piece is also an arrangement (by Claudio Mandonico) of a work originally for guitar quartet, part of a series that the Cuban composer has written on a rain motif.  Albert W. Ketelbey was one of the leading figures in the genre known as British Light Music; his “In a Persian Market”, aptly titled, is one of his best known pieces, and transfers nicely to the mandolin orchestra idiom.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra was founded by the late Hibbard Perry in 1971.  Since then, it has become one of the leading American mandolin ensembles, with regular appearances throughout the Eastern United States, Canada, and Western Europe.   The Providence Mandolin Orchestra is under the direction of Mark Davis.  Mr. Davis pursues an active career as a solo and ensemble performer, educator, and conductor.

One of Europe’s leading mandolin orchestras, the Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse can date its origins back to 1886.  The orchestra’s repertoire includes both original works for mandolin family instruments as well as arrangements of well-known works from the classical repertoire.  Since 1978 the orchestra has been directed by Alain Corvocchiola, who joined the group in 1967 on mandolin.   The orchestra performs regularly throughout Western Europe.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of the D’Addario Foundation and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

Performers:

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra

Director: Mark Davis

First Mandolin: Joshua Bell, Michael Cappelli,, Yvette Cote, Duane Golomb, Chang Lee, Rachel Panitch

Second Mandolin: C.W. Abbott, Lynne Bell, Bob Capaldi, Antonio Carlyon, Christine Chito, Owen Hartford, Lisa Topakian, Paul Wilde

Mandola:  Mack Johnston, Robert Margo, Will Melton, Gayle Raposa

Mandocello: Seth Gruenwald, Dan Moore, Matt Synder

Classical Guitar: Mark Armstrong, Beverly Davis, Jeff Griffith, Robert Martel

Bass: Gino Cicchetti, Dave Parr

Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse

Director: Alain Corvocchiola

First Mandolin: Antolin-Soler Marie, Anais Bousquet, David Conan, Amandine Lafitte, Jean-Louis Llop, Paul Muselet, Dominique Mercier, Ada Owona, Collete Walczak-Le Roux

Second Mandolin:  Paul Ablancourt, Benadette Andreu, Francoise Prat, Henri Prat, Mireille Cheilletz, Anais Dahmani, Mayeul Dahmani, Anne Dylla, Nicole Estavan-Benezeth, Gislhaine Failleres, Claudine Gillium, Michele Hanus, Christine Lair, Eliane Llop Esmeralda Mazzucato, Pablo Tapia, Francoise Zannese

Mandola: Andree Corvocchiola, Didier Le Roux, Marie-Clement Loupy, Francis Morello, Nathalie Morello

Mandocello: Christiane Granel, Odile Guillot, Jacques Zannese

Classical Guitar: Jean-Louis Bataille, Catherine Garnery, Vincent Guermonprez, Max Huot, Isabelle Josie, Guy Rosenthal, Laurence Mercier

Bass:  Bastien Mercier

Flute: Fanny Chatelain, Elodie Penaud

Program Notes

By Robert A. Margo

As a classical instrument, the mandolin has its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds.  By World War I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but the instrument retained a passionate following in other countries, particularly in Europe and Japan. Beginning in the 1970s the United States has experienced a revival of interest in classical mandolin.  This evening’s concert features two of the leading mandolin orchestras worldwide, the Providence (Rhode Island) Mandolin Orchestra; and the Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse, from Toulouse, France.

The contemporary American mandolin orchestra includes first and second mandolins (tuned like the violin), the mandola (viola), the mandocello (cello), the mandobass (string bass), and classical guitar as harmonic support.  The European version is similar except that the octave mandola (a mandolin tuned one octave below the regular mandolin) often substitutes for the mandocello.  European orchestras also generally use the traditional “bowlback” mandolin whereas American orchestras tend to use flat or carved back instruments that, in one way or another, are descended from instruments designed in the late nineteenth century by Orville Gibson.

The repertoire for mandolin orchestra includes both original works and arrangements.   “Song of Japanese Autumn” by Yasuo Kuwahara (a virtuoso performer and one of the most important Japanese composers) is a certifiable classic, played by mandolin orchestras everywhere.  Claudio Mandonico’s “Music for Play” draws on contemporary musical idioms while his “Suite Espagnole” and Jose Luis Barroso’s “Concierto de Media Luna” evoke a fiery Spanish atmosphere with allusions to flamenco harmonies and rhythms.  An Austrian composer who spent much of his creative life in Scotland, Hans Gal is only now beginning to garner widespread recognition for his large catalog of works, including several using mandolin family instruments and classical guitar such as his “Capriccio”. A prolific writer of chamber and vocal works in various idioms and best known for his film and theatrical music, Jurriaan Andriessen was a Dutch composer who studied with Olivier Messiaen. Famous as the theme music for a De Beers (diamond) commercial, “Palladio”, by the British composer Karl Jenkins, has been expertly arranged for mandolin ensemble by Alex Timmerman, director of the Dutch ensemble ‘Het Consort’.  The Debussy, Verdi, and Rossini, of course, are arrangements of much-beloved classical music.  The Brouwer is also an arrangement (by Claudio Mandonico) of a work originally for guitar quartet, part of a series that the Cuban composer has written on a rain motif.  Albert W. Ketelbey was one of the leading figures in the genre known as British Light Music; his “In a Persian Market”, aptly titled, is one of his best known pieces, and transfers nicely to the mandolin orchestra idiom.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra was founded by the late Hibbard Perry in 1971.  Since then, it has become one of the leading American mandolin ensembles, with regular appearances throughout the Eastern United States, Canada, and Western Europe.   The Providence Mandolin Orchestra is under the direction of Mark Davis.  Mr. Davis pursues an active career as a solo and ensemble performer, educator, and conductor

One of Europe’s leading mandolin orchestras, the Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse can date its origins back to 1886.  The orchestra’s repertoire includes both original works for mandolin family instruments as well as arrangements of well-known works from the classical repertoire.  Since 1978 the orchestra has been directed by Alain Corvocchiola, who joined the group in 1967 on mandolin.   The orchestra performs regularly throughout Western Europe.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of the D’Addario Foundation and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

Performers:

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra

Director: Mark Davis

First Mandolin: Joshua Bell (concertmaster), Michael Cappelli,, Yvette Cote, Duane Golomb, Chang Lee, Rachel Panitch

Second Mandolin: C.W. Abbott, Lynne Bell, Bob Capaldi, Antonio Carlyon, Christine Chito, Owen Hartford, Lisa Topakian, Paul Wilde

Mandola:  Mack Johnston, Robert Margo, Will Melton, Gayle Raposa

Mandocello: Seth Gruenwald, Dan Moore, Matt Synder

Classical Guitar: Mark Armstrong, Beverly Davis, Jeff Griffith, Robert Martel

Bass: Gino Cicchetti, Dave Parr

Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse

Director: Alain Corvocchiola

First Mandolin: Antolin-Soler Marie, Anais Bousquet, David Conan, Amandine Lafitte, Jean-Louis Llop, Paul Muselet, Dominique Mercier, Ada Owona, Collete Walczak-Le Roux

Second Mandolin:  Paul Ablancourt, Benadette Andreu, Francoise Prat, Henri Prat, Mireille Cheilletz, Anais Dahmani, Mayeul Dahmani, Anne Dylla, Nicole Estavan-Benezeth, Gislhaine Failleres, Claudine Gillium, Michele Hanus, Christine Lair, Eliane Llop Esmeralda Mazzucato, Pablo Tapia, Francoise Zannese

Mandola: Andree Corvocchiola, Didier Le Roux, Marie-Clement Loupy, Francis Morello, Nathalie Morello

Mandocello: Christiane Granel, Odile Guillot, Jacques Zannese

Classical Guitar: Jean-Louis Bataille, Catherine Garnery, Vincent Guermonprez, Max Huot, Isabelle Josie, Guy Rosenthal, Laurence Mercier

Bass:  Bastien Mercier

Flute: Fanny Chatelain, Elodie Penaud

Program Notes

By Robert A. Margo

As a classical instrument, the mandolin has its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds.  By World War I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but the instrument retained a passionate following in other countries, particularly in Europe and Japan. Beginning in the 1970s the United States has experienced a revival of interest in classical mandolin.  This evening’s concert features two of the leading mandolin orchestras worldwide, the Providence (Rhode Island) Mandolin Orchestra; and the Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse, from Toulouse, France.

The contemporary American mandolin orchestra includes first and second mandolins (tuned like the violin), the mandola (viola), the mandocello (cello), the mandobass (string bass), and classical guitar as harmonic support.  The European version is similar except that the octave mandola (a mandolin tuned one octave below the regular mandolin) often substitutes for the mandocello.  European orchestras also generally use the traditional “bowlback” mandolin whereas American orchestras tend to use flat or carved back instruments that, in one way or another, are descended from instruments designed in the late nineteenth century by Orville Gibson.

The repertoire for mandolin orchestra includes both original works and arrangements.   “Song of Japanese Autumn” by Yasuo Kuwahara (a virtuoso performer and one of the most important Japanese composers) is a certifiable classic, played by mandolin orchestras everywhere.  Claudio Mandonico’s “Music for Play” draws on contemporary musical idioms while his “Suite Espagnole” and Jose Luis Barroso’s “Concierto de Media Luna” evoke a fiery Spanish atmosphere with allusions to flamenco harmonies and rhythms. Owen Hartford has written numerous pieces for the PMO over his long tenure with the Orchestra.. Featuring soaring melodies and unusual harmonic modulations, “Latin Sketches” was premiered in 2006.  An Austrian composer who spent much of his creative life in Scotland, Hans Gal is only now beginning to garner widespread recognition for his large catalog of works, including several using mandolin family instruments and classical guitar such as his “Capriccio”. The three galliards by John Dowland are taken from his collection of 1604, Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans, with Divers other Pavans, Galiards, and Almands, Set Forth for the Lute, Viols, or Violons, in Five Parts. The lute part is based on Dowland’s original with ornamentation and divisions added on repeats.  The Debussy, Verdi, and Rossini, of course, are arrangements of much-beloved classical music.  The Brouwer is also an arrangement (by Claudio Mandonico) of a work originally for guitar quartet, part of a series that the Cuban composer has written on a rain motif.  Albert W. Ketelbey was one of the leading figures in the genre known as British Light Music; his “In a Persian Market”, aptly titled, is one of his best known pieces, and transfers nicely to the mandolin orchestra idiom.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra was founded by the late Hibbard Perry in 1971.  Since then, it has become one of the leading American mandolin ensembles, with regular appearances throughout the Eastern United States, Canada, and Western Europe.   The Providence Mandolin Orchestra is under the direction of Mark Davis.  Mr. Davis pursues an active career as a solo and ensemble performer, educator, and conductor

One of Europe’s leading mandolin orchestras, the Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse can date its origins back to 1886.  The orchestra’s repertoire includes both original works for mandolin family instruments as well as arrangements of well-known works from the classical repertoire.  Since 1978 the orchestra has been directed by Alain Corvocchiola, who joined the group in 1967 on mandolin.   The orchestra performs regularly throughout Western Europe.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of the D’Addario Foundation and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

Performers:

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra

Director: Mark Davis

First Mandolin: Joshua Bell (concertmaster), Michael Cappelli,, Yvette Cote, Duane Golomb, Chang Lee, Rachel Panitch

Second Mandolin: C.W. Abbott, Lynne Bell, Bob Capaldi, Antonio Carlyon, Christine Chito, Owen Hartford, Lisa Topakian, Paul Wilde

Mandola:  Mack Johnston, Robert Margo, Will Melton, Gayle Raposa

Mandocello: Seth Gruenwald, Dan Moore, Matt Synder

Classical Guitar: Mark Armstrong, Beverly Davis, Jeff Griffith, Robert Martel

Renaissance Lute (in G): Robert Margo

Bass: Gino Cicchetti, Dave Parr

Ensemble a Plectre de Toulouse

Director: Alain Corvocchiola

First Mandolin: Antolin-Soler Marie, Anais Bousquet, David Conan, Amandine Lafitte, Jean-Louis Llop, Paul Muselet, Dominique Mercier, Ada Owona, Collete Walczak-Le Roux

Second Mandolin:  Paul Ablancourt, Benadette Andreu, Francoise Prat, Henri Prat, Mireille Cheilletz, Anais Dahmani, Mayeul Dahmani, Anne Dylla, Nicole Estavan-Benezeth, Gislhaine Failleres, Claudine Gillium, Michele Hanus, Christine Lair, Eliane Llop Esmeralda Mazzucato, Pablo Tapia, Francoise Zannese

Mandola: Andree Corvocchiola, Didier Le Roux, Marie-Clement Loupy, Francis Morello, Nathalie Morello

Mandocello: Christiane Granel, Odile Guillot, Jacques Zannese

Classical Guitar: Jean-Louis Bataille, Catherine Garnery, Vincent Guermonprez, Max Huot, Isabelle Josie, Guy Rosenthal, Laurence Mercier

Bass:  Bastien Mercier

Flute: Fanny Chatelain, Elodie Penaud

Program Notes

By Robert A. Margo

As a classical instrument, the modern (four-course) mandolin has its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds.  By World War I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but the instrument retained a passionate following in Europe and Japan. Beginning in the 1970s the United States has experienced a revival of interest in classical mandolin.  Although much music written for classical mandolin is for soloists or small chamber groups, a unique body of work exists for the “mandolin orchestra,” larger ensembles patterned after string orchestras.  This evening’s concert features two of the world’s leading mandolin orchestras – the Providence Mandolin Orchestra (United States); and Het Consort (Zwolle, the Netherlands), on their first American tour.

The contemporary American mandolin orchestra includes first and second mandolins (tuned in fifths, the same as the violin), the tenor mandola (viola), the mandocello (cello), the mandobass (string bass), and classical guitar as harmonic support.  The European version is similar but substitutes the octave mandolin (tuned one octave below the standard mandolin) for the tenor mandola.  Differences also exist in performance technique and, especially, instrument choice.  European orchestras typically use “bowl” or “round” back mandolins while American ensembles (with some exceptions) tend to favor flat or carved back instruments originally popularized by Orville Gibson.  Of special note are the bowl back instruments of Luigi Embergher, an Italian luthier who perfected the so-called “Roman” mandolin and whose instruments are highly valued and sought after today.  All of the mandolin-family instruments used by Het Consort were constructed by Embergher.

With one exception (Jenkins) all of the works on this evening’s program were originally composed for mandolin orchestra, most at the request of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra or Het Consort.  Daughter of the celebrated classical guitarist Sergio Assad, Clarice Assad’s “Song for My Father” is filled with the infectious melodies of her native Brazil.  Owen Hartford is the PMO’s resident composer.  Performed this evening by the combined forces of the PMO and Het Consort, his “Latin Sketches” blends popular idioms with formal structures.  A stew of minimalism and bouncy rhythms permeate Hartford’s “Groove #1”, as well as Mark Davis’s homage to his pet cat, one of the PMO’s signature pieces.  Jose Luis Barroso’s “Concierto de Media Luna” evokes a fiery Spanish atmosphere with its allusions to flamenco harmonies and rhythms.  Luca Mereu is an Italian composer and performer on mandolin, mandola, and guitar whose works have been published by Berben, Cantoberon, and Domani Musica, and widely performed throughout Europe.  A prolific writer of chamber and vocal works in various idioms and best known for his film and theatrical music, Jurriaan Andriessen was a Dutch composer who studied with his father Hendrik at the Utrecht Conservatory and later in Paris with Olivier Messiaen.  Raffaele Calace was, without question, the most famous of the early twentieth century composers for mandolin.  Equally adept as a performer and instrument maker, most of Calace’s voluminous output is for mandolin solo or in chamber settings but he did produce a few remarkable works for orchestra, such as Op. 155. John Craton and Victor Kioulaphides are established contemporary composers who have written for mandolin in various settings.  “The Legend of Princess Noccalula” is a programmatic work based on an ancient Indian legend about a Cherokee princess who chooses to end her life rather than be given away in marriage.  The Kioulaphides’s concerto was commissioned for Het Consort and received its world premiere in 2005, and its US premiere (by the PMO) in 2006. About the concerto the composer writes: “The form of the piece was determined during several conversations with Alex Timmerman … The final outcome was a work that features each and every section as occasional soloists.  The Concerto is in three movements, fast-slow-fast: a Sinfonia first movement, a notturno second one, and a Rondo finale, subtitled ‘Telemanniana’ fusing the gallantries of the Master from Magdeburg with the modern material of the earlier two movements”.  Famous as the theme music for a De Beers (diamond) commercial, “Palladio”, by the British composer Karl Jenkins, has been expertly arranged for mandolin ensemble by Alex Timmerman.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra was founded by the late Hibbard Perry in 1971.  Since then, it has become one of the leading American mandolin ensembles, with regular appearances throughout the Eastern United States, Canada, and Western Europe and well over two hundred pieces in its repertoire from Renaissance dances to avante-garde expressions.  The Orchestra has performed with noted soloists Carlo Aonzo, Butch Baldassari,  Robert Paul Sullivan, Anatoliy Trofimov, Tamara Volskaya and Richard Walz. The group’s unique tonality has inspired exciting new works including those by Clarice Assad, Will Ayton, Michael Bell, Mark Davis, Owen Hartford, Eva Kendrick, Barbara Kolb, Robert Martel, Michael Nix, Stephen Funk Pearson, and Francine Trester. 

Het Consort, a mandolin chamber orchestra based in Zwolle, The Netherlands, was founded in 1990. Het Consort has received worldwide recognition and awards, including the ‘Honorary Award’ by the Comunita Montana “Valle del Liri” (Lazio-Italy) in 2003. Contemporary composers who have written for Het Consort include Annette Kruisbrink, Marc Matthys, Luca Mereu, Victor Kioulaphides, John Craton, and Jeff Hijlkema. HetConsort has performed extensively throughout Europe including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy, and has worked with many well-known musicians including Peter Doberitz, Tove Flensborg, Ugo Orlandi,  Pavel Steidl, Michael Troster, Richard Walz, and Gertud Weyhofen. 

Mark Davis is Music Director of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra. A highly-respected concert artist in the field of guitar and mandolin music for more than three decades, Mark Davis appears on many CD recordings, including the Grammy-nominated ‘Vienna Nocturne,’ and has been a featured artist at various international events such as the Festival Internacional Musica de Plettro in Spain, and the Kobe International Music Festival in Japan. Mark Davis directs a classical guitar program at the Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island.  Mark Davis regularly performs in a guitar duo with Beverly Davis, and the two recently released a CD, “Ayres and Dances for Two Guitars”.

Alex Timmerman is Music Director of Het Consort. He studied classical guitar with Pieter van der Staak, Jorge Oraison, and John Mills. One of the world’s premier experts on historical plucked instruments, he is the author of De Mandoline en de Gitaar door de Eeuwen heen (The Mandolin and the Guitar Through the Centuries). In demand throughout Europe as a concert artist, conductor, and lecturer Alex Timmerman has taught mandolin and guitar at the Centrum voor Kunstzinnige Vorming de Muzerie in Zwolle since 1999 and at the ArtEZ High School for the Arts in Zwolle, Arnhem, and Enschede (Netherlands) since 1997.  In addition to his teaching and performing activities, Timmerman works for the musical instrument department of the Haags Gemeentemuseum of The Hague. 

Sebastiaan de Grebber is one of Europe’s leading performers on classical mandolin. Commencing his study of the mandolin at the age of eight, de Grebber studied with Alex Timmerman and Ugo Orlandi, and holds bachelor and master degrees in music.  Sebastiaan de Grebber has given premieres of works by John Craton and Victor Kioulaphides. In August 2006 de Grebber and his duo partner (pianist Sarah Beernink) were awarded first prize at the Amsteradm Uitmarkt Chamber Music Concours. His debut recording, “Fantasia Romantica“, was recently released.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of the D’Addario Foundation, the United States.

Het Consort gratefully acknowledges the support of the Fund for Amateur Arts and Performing Arts, The Netherlands.

Performers:

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra

Director: Mark Davis

First Mandolin: Joshua Bell (concertmaster), Michael Cappelli, Yvette Cote, Chang Lee

Second Mandolin: C.W. Abbott, Lynne Bell, Bob Capaldi, Antonia Carlyon, Owen Hartford, Rachel Panitch, Lisa Topakian, Paul Wilde

Tenor Mandola: Mack Johnston, Will Melton, Gayle Raposa

Octave Mandola: Robert Margo

Mandocello: Duane Golomb, Dan Moore, Matt Snyder

Classical Guitar: Mark Armstrong, Christine Chito, Beverly Davis, Jeff Griffith

Mandobass: Gino Cicchetti, Dave Parr

String Bass: Bob Asprinio

Het Consort

Director: Alex Timmerman

First Mandolin: Sebastiaan de Grebber (concertmaster), Yolana Döpp, Pauline Ulderink

Second Mandolin: Ferdinand Binnendijk, Marian van Dijk, Margareet van Litsenburg

Octave Mandola: Helma Damman-Ruitenberg, Ruth Rouw

Mandoloncello: Niels Godart

Classical Guitar: Frido Kuijlman, Robert Streef, Tom Edskes

Chitarrone Moderno: Marianne Timmerman-Holander

Directions to St. Martin's Church

Program Notes

By Robert A. Margo

As a classical instrument, the modern (four-course) mandolin has its origins in the eighteenth century, but it was around the turn of the twentieth century that the instrument reached its zenith of popularity in the Old and New Worlds. By World War I interest in the mandolin had largely died out in America, but the instrument retained a passionate following in Europe and Japan which continues to the present day. Beginning in the 1970s the United States, too, has experienced a revival of interest in classical mandolin. Although much music written for classical mandolin is for soloists or small chamber groups, a unique body of work exists for the “mandolin orchestra.” The concert this evening features one of the world’s leading mandolin orchestras – HET CONSORT (Zwolle, the Netherlands), on their first American tour.

The contemporary European mandolin orchestra is loosely patterned after the string orchestra. There are first and second mandolins (tuned in fifths, GDAE, the same as the violin), the mandoloncello (cello), the chitterone moderna (string bass), and classical guitar as harmonic support. The octave mandola, tuned one octave below the mandolin, is the middle voice, substituting for the viola. European orchestras typically use “bowl” or “round” back instruments, the original form of the classical mandolin. Of special note are the bowl back instruments of Luigi Embergher, an Italian luthier who perfected the so-called “Roman” mandolin and whose instruments are highly valued and sought after today. All of the mandolin-family instruments used by HET CONSORT were constructed by Embergher.

With one exception (Jenkins) all of the works on this evening’s program were originally composed for mandolin or mandolin ensemble, three at the request of HET CONSORT. Raffaele Calace was, without question, the most famous of the early twentieth century composers for mandolin. Equally adept as a performer and instrument maker, most of Calace’s voluminous output is for mandolin solo or in chamber settings but he did produce a few remarkable works for larger groups, such as Op. 141 and 155. Near contemporaries of Calace, Giuseppe Manente and Arregio Capelleti wrote numerous pieces for mandolin ensemble in a traditional, lyrical Italian style that are still popular with mandolin orchestras worldwide today. Victor Kioulaphides and John Craton are established contemporary composers who have written for mandolin in various settings. The Kioulaphides’s concerto was commissioned for HET CONSORT and received its world premiere in 2005, and its US premiere (by the PMO) in 2006. About the concerto the composer writes: “The form of the piece was determined during several conversations with Alex Timmerman … The final outcome was a work that features each and every section as occasional soloists. The Concerto is in three movements, fast-slow-fast: a Sinfonia first movement, a notturno second one, and a Rondo finale, subtitled ‘Telemanniana’ fusing the gallantries of the Master from Magdeburg with the modern material of the earlier two movements”. Craton’s “The Legend of Princess Noccalula” is a programmatic work based on an ancient Indian legend about a Cherokee princess who chooses to end her life rather than be given away in marriage. Craton is also responsible for the ensemble arrangement of Kioulaphides’ “Basque Variations,” originally for solo mandolin. Borrowing from pop music and from minimalist composers like Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Terry Riley, Dutch composer Jeff Hijlkema’s "Perpetua Melomania II" receives its world premier this evening. Luca Mereu is an Italian composer and performer on mandolin, mandola, and guitar whose works have been published by Berben, Cantoberon, and Domani Musica, and widely performed throughout Europe. Famous as the theme music for a De Beers (diamond) commercial, “Palladio”, by the British composer Karl Jenkins, has been expertly arranged for mandolin ensemble from the string orchestra version by Alex Timmerman.

HET CONSORT, a mandolin chamber orchestra based in Zwolle, The Netherlands, was founded in 1990. The Orchestra has received worldwide recognition and awards, including the ‘Honorary Award’ by the Comunita Montana “Valle del Liri” (Lazio-Italy) in 2003. Contemporary composers who have written for HET CONSORT include Annette Kruisbrink, Marc Matthys, Luca Mereu, Victor Kioulaphides, John Craton, and Jeff Hijlkema. HET CONSORT has performed extensively throughout Europe including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy, and has worked with many well-known musicians including Peter Doberitz, Tove Flensborg, Ugo Orlandi, Pavel Steidl, Michael Troster, Richard Walz, and Gertud Weyhofen.

Alex Timmerman is Music Director of HET CONSORT. He studied classical guitar with Pieter van der Staak, Jorge Oraison, and John Mills. One of the world’s premier experts on historical plucked instruments, he is the author of De Mandoline en de Gitaar door de Eeuwen heen (The Mandolin and the Guitar Through the Centuries) as well as numerous articles in musical journals as Croatia’s Gitara, Italy’s GuitART, and Tabulatuur, the official journal of the Dutch Lute Society. In demand throughout Europe as a concert artist and conductor Alex Timmerman has taught mandolin and guitar at the Centrum voor Kunstzinnige Vorming de Muzerie in Zwolle since 1979 and at the ArtEZ High School for the Arts in Zwolle, Arnhem, and Enschede (Netherlands) since 1997. He has given lectures on the history of mandolin and of the guitar throughout Europe including at the third symposium of the European Guitar and Mandolin Association (EGMA) in Trossingen, Germany (2004); the symposium ‘Vincente Árias (1833 – 1914): Costruttore di chitarre’ in Vicenza, Italy (2005); and at the Cremona Music Fair in Cremona, Italy (2006). In addition to his teaching and performing activities, Timmerman works for the musical instrument department of the Haags Gemeentemuseum of The Hague.

Born in 1980, Sebastiaan de Grebber is one of Europe’s leading performers on classical mandolin. He began his musical studies on mandolin at age eight with Alex Timmerman, and at age 14 became a regular member of HET CONSORT and eventually concertmaster. A participant in many international music and mandolin courses and competitions, he also studied with Italian maestro Ugo Orlandi, and has completed bachelor and master degrees in music. In August 2006 de Grebber and his duo partner (pianist Sarah Beernink) were awarded first prize at the Amsterdam Uitmarkt Chamber Music Concours. A master of the virtuosic Italian mandolin repertoire of the early 20th century, he is also a champion of new music for the instrument, and has performed with various Dutch new music groups such as the “K2 Ensemble” and the “Newman Ensemble” directed by Ab Sandbrink. Sebastiaan de Grebber has given premieres of works by John Craton and Victor Kioulaphides. His debut recording, “Fantasia Romantica“, was recently released.

HET CONSORT gratefully acknowledges the support of the Dutch Fund for Amateur Arts and Performing Arts.

Performers:

Het Consort

Director: Alex Timmerman

First Mandolin: Sebastiaan de Grebber (concertmaster), Yolana Döpp, Pauline Ulderink

Second Mandolin: Ferdinand Binnendijk, Marian van Dijk, Margareet van Litsenburg

Octave Mandola: Helma Damman-Ruitenberg, Ruth Rouw

Mandoloncello: Niels Godart

Classical Guitar: Frido Kuijlman, Robert Streef, Tom Edskes

Chitarrone Moderno: Marianne Timmerman-Holander

Directions to the Jamestown Public Library