Winners 1(a)–2(b)

TIE FOR FIRST PRIZE
ONE(a)
Fred Vrabel, Lilly, Pennsylvania

Concert 1
Peter Boyer: Celebration Overture
Ernst von Dohnányi: Variations on a Nursery Song
Lili Boulanger: D'un Matin de Printemps
Intermission
Claude Debussy: Children's Corner Suite, orchestrated by André Caplet
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony 1, Classical

Concert 2
Benjamin Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra ("Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell")
Alban Berg: Violin Concerto
Encore: Antonio Vivaldi: "Spring" from The Four Seasons
Intermission
Joly Braga Santos: Symphony 4

Concert 3
Arnold Bax: Tintagel
Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto
Intermission
Karl Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony
Encore: Elisabetta Brusa: Wedding Song

Concert 4
John Adams: The Wound-Dresser
Iannis Xenakis: Metastasis
Intermission
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony 7

Concert 5
Elmer Bernstein: Main Title from The Magnificent Seven; Suite from To Kill a Mockingbird; Suite from The Ten Commandments
Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Piano Concerto in a
Intermission
Alberic Magnard: Symphony 3

Concert 6
Havergal Brian: The Jolly Miller Overture
Gerald Finzi: Cello Concerto
Nancy Van de Vate: Adagio for Orchestra
Intermission
Nicolai Miaskovsky: Symphony 27

Concert 7
Arvo Pärt: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Henryk Górecki: Symphony 3, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Intermission
Aaron Copland: Symphony 3

TIE FOR FIRST PRIZE
ONE(b)
Andrei Sharko, Napier, New Zealand

Concert 1
Carlos Di Saleri: A La Gran Muñeca
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras 5
Astor Piazzolla: "Soledad" from La Camorra
Intermission
Philip Glass: Symphony 8

Concert 2
Leos Janácek: Sinfonietta
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody 2
Intermission
Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra

Concert 3
Sergei Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes
Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto 2
Intermission
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony 5

Concert 4
Franz Schreker: Prelude to Die Gezeichneten
William Walton: Viola Concerto
Intermission
Max Bruch: In Memoriam for violin and orchestra
Paul Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Concert 5
Isaac Albéniz: Concierto Fantástico, for piano and orchestra
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
Intermission
Manuel de Falla: Nights in the Garden of Spain

Concert 6
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion (version with female singer)
Christopher Tin: Baba Yetu
Father Guido Haazen (arranger): Missa Luba
Giuseppe Verdi: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves
Philip Glass: Akhnaten: The Funeral of Amenhotep III
Intermission
Philip Glass: Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra

Concert 7
Gioachino Rossini: Overture to The Barber of Seville
Nino Rota: Concerto for Strings
Intermission
Giovanni Platti: Violin Concerto in A
Ottorino Respighi: The Pines of Rome

TIE FOR SECOND PRIZE
TWO(a)
Peter Lundin, Lerum, Sweden

Concert 1
John Antill: "Welcome Ceremony" from Coroboree
Alan Hovhaness: And God Created Great Whales
George Gershwin: Suite from Girl Crazy
Intermission
Howard Hanson: Symphony 1, "Nordic"

Concert 2
Gioachino Rossini: Overture to Il Turco in Italia
Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto
Intermission
Frederick Delius: Appalachia: Variations on a Slave Song

Concert 3
Johann Strauss II: Overture to Die Fledermaus
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Violin Concerto
Intermission
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances

Concert 4
Dudley Buck: Concert Variations on "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Aaron Copland: Suite from Billy the Kid
Intermission
Howard Shore: The Lord Of the Rings Symphony: The Fellowship of the Ring

Concert 5
Carl Maria von Weber: Jubel-Ouvertüre
Alfred Schnittke: Sinfonischer Vorspiel (Symphonic Prelude)
Intermission
Sofia Gubaidulina: Alleluia, for mixed chorus, boy soprano, organ and large orchestra

Concert 6
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture
Jón Leifs: Variazioni Pastorale
Intermission
Sir Arthur Bliss: A Colour Symphony

Concert 7
Hector Berlioz: Waverly Overture
Heinz Karl Gruber: Aerial, for trumpet and orchestra
Intermission
Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, selected movements from the two Suites

TIE FOR SECOND PRIZE
TWO(b)
Romain Kang, Sunnyvale, California

Concert 1
John Williams: Olympic Fanfare
John Harbison: Symphony 3
Intermission
John Corigliano: The Mannheim Rocket
John Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur, for electric violin and orchestra

Concert 2
George Dyson: At the Tabard Inn
James MacMillan: Trumpet Concerto
Intermission
Percy Grainger: Irish tune from County Derry
Arvo Pärt: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra ("Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell")

Concert 3
Carl Maria von Weber: Overture to Der Freischütz
Richard Strauss: Horn Concerto 1
Intermission
Hans Werner Henze: Barcarola
Paul Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Concert 4
Alexander Borodin: Overture in B-flat, "American"
Peteris Vasks: Cor Anglais Concerto
Intermission
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony 5

Concert 5
Tan Dun: Internet Symphony No. 1, Eroica
Unsuk Chin: Violin Concerto
Intermission
Takashi Yoshimatsu: Threnody to Toki, for piano and string orchestra
Xin Huguang: Symphonic Poem

Concert 6
Silvestre Revueltas: Sensemayá
Alberto Ginastera: Harp Concerto
Intermission
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras 2
Arturo Márquez: Danzon 2

Concert 7
Don Gillis: Tulsa: A Symphonic Portrait in Oil
Michael Ching: Piano Concerto
Intermission
Aaron Copland: Symphony 3

COMMENTS
otaku's picture

Results?

John Marks's picture

Hi-

Thanks for your interest. The results are in process, and that process will take a couple or a few more weeks. I do not want to make any snap judgments, so I am researching the many many many unfamiliar pieces, and pondering how this concert versus that concert at that point in the season will pan out in terms of attendance and box office.

Beyond that, it will be a major task to format the winning entries to Stereophile's style sheet, and then I have to write the introductory copy. But the present work is hunting up at least YouTube performances of pieces that are new to me, to John Atkinson, and most of my music-loving friends.

I think that nearly all the entries are interesting, and the potential winners are impressive beyond anything I had hoped for.

So, please be patient.

JM

DepletedZPM's picture

 

Since I had fun putting together my entry, I wrote up the following note for Facebook friends.  I'd love to see some of the other entrants talk about their approaches to programming their seasons.

Romain Kang, Sunnyvale, California

My season is a geographical cycle beginning and ending in the US.  Each concert has some nation or region as its center of gravity, including at least one living composer and one "party piece" (in my opinion).  Whereas JM's example season employed piano concerti as "tent poles" in his structure, I have given concerti a more ornamental role, leaving just Michael Ching's single-movement piano concerto as representative, with less prominent instruments getting more solo turns.

Bracketing the season are probably the best-known tunes, by John Williams and Aaron Copland; Copland's final movement is built on the famous "Fanfare for the common man", in effect, ennunciating a return home.  I hope the visceral experience of the live orchestra allows the audience to hear these pieces anew.  I got a bit punchy with Concert 1, which has all living American composers named John, in reverse alphabetical order and descending age.

The other programs seem strong enough, though more time to listen, reflect, and revise would have helped.  In particular, the Asia-centered program (Concert 5) was a challenge because I know its composers least, but I felt I could not leave it out.  Choosing a concerto was the most time-consuming task. I would have liked to include Gang Situ's Double concerto for violin and erhu, but could not find a commercial recording.  My first draft put Chen Yi's Percussion concerto in the concerto spot, but timidity got the better of me, so instead there is a violin concerto from Unsuk Chin, a Korean living in Germany.  Also, Tan Dun quotes Beethoven's Third symphony liberally, and could be a disqualifier depending on interpretation of contest rules.

The discipline to leave out material was crucial; I took out an entire French program with some of my choral favorites.  There is both really good stuff and really fun trash in the symphonic world that would have been enjoyable to share.  In the best case, though, you leave the audience wanting more after the final chords have sounded.

Andrei's picture

@Romain

Congrats at result! I was interested in your Asia-centered program because I also wanted to include non-western music.  I had in mind a concert built around Tan Dun's 'Symphony 1997' or Ravi Shankar's Sitar Concerto.  Like you I felt I could not leave it out - but I did.  Unfortunately the combination of my limited knowledge of asian music and the necessity to make a coherent program meant I just had to give up.  Thanks for your post and I will be looking up those many pieces you mention that are new me.

DepletedZPM's picture

One friend passed the Stereophile lists around her classical music meetup group, and one keen reader noticed that I had a nonexistent piece in my Concert 5.  There is no "American" overture by Borodin -- it's by Prokofiev.  The error is surely a sloppy edit on my part, since I had Borodin's "Polovtsian dances" slotted there in an early draft.  I'm grateful that the editors cut me some slack there!

edbudzil's picture

When browsing the classical music composers catalogue, one will find the S category particularly large. Included in this section is one Stravinsky, Igor. This name is conspicously absent from the Fantasy Season contest. (I didn't enter the contest, so I'm not griping my entry didn't win.) Has Stravinsky's music gone out of fashion? Is his Rite of Spring, which caused the audience to riot during the 1913 premiere, still considered "too modern" 100 years later? I understand why audiophiles would not include the Romantic composers and earlier eras- that music lacks the instrumental color that the French Impressionists and Late Romantic composers brought to orchestral sound. But, c'mon, no Stravinsky? Nary a Firebird, or Rite of Spring to be found???

ptr's picture

from Mr Marks rules:

But to make it more interesting, you can't program works by any of these composers: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, or Wagner. Did you catch the "no Beethoven" part? Good.

Love Stravinsky, but like Mr Marks I belive that he is quite the staple on the concert stage!

Myself, I was quite surprized to be shareing second price!

Did not have a very decided way of structuring my season sugestion. I started out by choosing 7 underplayed works that I dearly would love to hear an orchstra play. Then adding a work that I think would contrast the main work really well, then I strongly belive that every concert should start with a musical Apéritif (i.e an overture) which I added.

Reading back my own season there emerged a red thread with a decent amount of "American" music, wich I feel is under played repertoir around the globe. The nest time the collour oif the fabric might be quite diffrent!

/ptr (in Sweden)

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