Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
West Ottawa Performing Arts Center

STILL Summerland
DEBUSSY Petite Suite
MAHLER Symphony No. 4 (chamber version)

William Grant Still wrote more than 150 compositions, merging musical aspects of his African American heritage with traditional European classical forms. Originally composed for solo piano, Summerland (1937) is a short, intensely expressive elegy — dreamy and atmospheric, suggesting the summer of its title, with hints of the blues and a nod to his fellow composer Debussy. Motivated by the poems of Paul Verlaine (1844-1896), Debussy’s 1889 Petite Suite (Small Suite) was originally composed for piano duet and later orchestrated by his colleague Henri Büsser. The four movements of this whimsical tone poem paint musical pictures of 18th-century aristocrats on country outings, a romantic boat ride at dusk on a dark lake, a playful menuetto, and a sparkling ballet. Mahler’s fourth symphony is a contrapuntal, folk-tune inspired musical journey from experience to innocence, from complexity to simplicity, and from earthly life to heaven, complete with tender string passages, brass chorales, and lilting soprano lines. Klaus Simon’s 2007 chamber arrangement retains Mahler’s unmistakable orchestral sound in a way that enables chamber orchestras to perform this intimate and tender symphony. HSO audiences first met Chicago-based soprano Michelle Areyzaga at the 2022 holiday concert. Back by popular demand, Michelle Areyzaga makes her second appearance with HSO. “Soprano Michelle Areyzaga sang with a round, clear tone throughout her register. Areyzaga’s luminous soprano plumbed the depths of the text, alternating between plaintive folkishness … to soaring, operatic grandeur.” – Chicago Classical Review