A life-time opportunity to listen to Dr. Naji Hakim performing four world premiere creations among other recent works, with the distinguished Lebanese Philharmonic Quintet. An exclusively Naji Hakim program that starts with solo woodwind works and develops further in the form of a quintet, then a sextet.
NAJI HAKIM | Piano
AMR SELIM| French Horn
ADRIAN LUNCANU | Oboe
IONUT EMIL MARDARE | Bassoon
ANA SUHAILA ABOUD | Flute
OCTAVIAN GHEORGHIU | Clarinet
Baabdath | Maronite Parish Hall
8:00 pm | Free Entrance
PROGRAM
N. HAKIM (b. 1955)
Four preludes for flute and piano
World Premiere
Chatou, 2017 SCHOTT
These Four Preludes for flute (recorder or txistu) and piano, were born from the constraint of the Basque txistu’s ambitus. The initial prelude, Allegro, is marked by its joyous character, its aksak rhythm (3 + 3 + 2), its generous modulations and its uninterrupted flow in the spirit of the Humoresque (second movement of the Diptyque for txistu and piano by Naji Hakim). The second prelude, Moderato, is distinguished by a softer expression, a principle of ornamental variation, combined with a search for tonal diversity. The third prelude, also Moderato, is in ternary rhythm with long expressive melodic lines accompanied by chords in amphibraque rhythm. The conclusive Presto is a saltarello developed in a game of tight modulations.
Cantilena for oboe and piano
World Premiere
Chatou, 2017 SCHOTT
This Cantilena is based on a a stage music by Francisco A. Barbieri (1823-1894), from “Don Quijote de la Mancha”, Drama in three acts by Ventura de la Vega (1807-1865), inspired by the work of Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).
Our Lady’s Minstrel
Prelude and Dance for clarinet and piano
Chatou, 2016 SCHOTT
Our Lady’s Minstrel is an ensemble of two works : Prelude and Dance for clarinet and piano, and Three Poems for soprano and piano, inspired by a tale of mediaeval France, Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame (Our Lady’s Tumbler), after an idea of my daughter, Katia-Sofía Hakim. The works could be played either separately or in a same program in the following order : Prelude – Three Poems – Dance.
The Prelude paraphrases the Gregorian Salve Regina simplex in a slow expressive waltz style. The Dance is a gipsy-like plurithematic sonata form with a serene waltz in the middle-section recalling the Prelude.
Romance for horn and piano
World Premiere
Chatou. 2019 SCHOTT
This Romance exposes an expressive melodic line that it develops in an ABA form. Its initial theme evokes the Sinfonia No. 9 in F minor BWV 795 by Johann Sebastian Bach. The middle section contrasts by its thematic, tempo and key. The piece concludes with a harmonic pedal.
Gavotte for bassoon and piano
World Premiere
Chatou. 2019 SCHOTT
The rondo form, the characteristic rhythm, the incipit of the melodic contour and the graceful mood of this gavotte are inspired by the 3rd Partita for solo violin in E major, BWV 1006 by Johann-Sebastian Bach. The harmonic tonal style is expanded by chords with added notes and modulations to distant keys.
French Suite for woodwind quintet
Composed for the Beirut Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet.
Chatou. 2017 SCHOTT
In this suite, which includes twelve short movements, the composer pays tribute to France, the country he enjoyed since his childhood for its music and its culture, a country dear to his heart where he founded his family. The general organization and the titles of each movement refer to the music of the French Grand Siècle which inspired the composer various forms. The dance is emblematic of French culture in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and synergistically promotes the development of instrumental music. The Baroque suite stylizes the court ballet and binds in a sequence of contrasting tempos, rhythms and characters. Naji Hakim uses different sources and choses his thematic material from the repertoire of dances from the Renaissance and early Baroque.
1 : Branle coupé « Cassandre » (after Thoinot Arbeau)
2 : Branle de Village (after Praetorius)
3 : Branle d’Ecosse (after Thoinot Arbeau)
4 : Branle “Dot le bourguignon” (Anonyme)
6 : Branle des Chevaux (after Thoinot Arbeau)
7 : Branle de Poitou (Gervaise)
8 : Branle de Champaigne (Gervaise)
10 : Branle des sabots (after Thoinot Arbeau)
11 : Les Bouffons (after Phalèse) – the Gregorian chant
12 : Mon amy s’en est allé (after Jacques Mangeant)
Gregorian chant:
5: Fas sit, Christe – Prose of the Sacred Heart, Parisian rite
9: Cor, arca legem continens – lauds hymn of the Sacred Heart – 18th century.
The popular song:
13: Bon voyage Monsieur Mollet’s Marc-Antoine-Madeleine Desaugiers, also used by Tchaikovsky in Nutcracker (Act I, Sc 1, No. 3).
Carnaval for wind quintet
Bayonne. 2016 SCHOTT
The piece is based on the “Carnaval de Lanz”, a dance from Navarra, popular in all the Basque Country. A slow introduction in ternary meter precedes a lively allegro in binary meter articulated in a sequence form (AABBCCDD) before being developed in a series of five variations.
Rondo for wind quintet and piano
Bayonne. 2016. UMP
This rondo meets the spirit full of life and joy of the song and dance of the Basque Country. Two episodes are inspired by the melodies of Haurrak ikasazue and Chakur eta gathia. The brief conclusion betrays the source of the work: Salut Bayoune!
Naji Subhy Paul Irénée HAKIM was born in Beirut , 31 October, 1955. He studied with Jean Langlais (organ), Evelyne Aïello (conducting), and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris – classes of Roger Boutry (harmony), Jean-Claude Henry (counterpoint), Marcel Bitsch (fugue), Rolande Falcinelli (organ), Jacques Castérède (analysis) and Serge Nigg (orchestration), where he was awarded seven first prizes. He is a licentiate teacher in organ from Trinity College of Music in London and won ten first prizes at international organ and composition competitions. In 1991 he was awarded the Prix André Caplet from the Académie des Beaux-Arts and in 2009 the Premier Prix du Concours de Musique Sacrée de la Cathédrale de Monaco. At first organist of the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, Paris from 1985 until 1993, he then became organist of l’église de la Trinité, in succession to Olivier Messiaen, from 1993 until 2008. He is professor of musical analysis at the Conservatoire National de Région de Boulogne-Billancourt, and visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He is a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications in Paris, member of the Consociatio Internationalis Musicae Sacrae in Rome and Doctor honoris causa of the Pontifical University Saint-Esprit of Kaslik, Lebanon . In 2007, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI awarded Naji Hakim The Augustae crucis insigne pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, for his excellent commitment and work for the benefit of the Church and the Holy Father. His works include instrumental music (organ, flute, bassoon, horn, trumpet, harp, guitar, violin, piano), symphonic music (Les Noces de l’Agneau, Hymne de l’Univers, Ouverture Libanaise, Påskeblomst, Augsburger Symphonie, five organ concertos, a violin concerto, a piano concerto), and vocal music (oratorio Saul de Tarse, cantata Phèdre, Magnificat and four masses).
Naji Hakim is married to Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet, organist, composer and musicologist. They have two children: Katia-Sofía, poet, pianist and musicologist, and Jean-Paul, lawyer, pianist and composer.
The Beirut Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet was founded in 2017 and its members are part of Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra. The members are Ana Suhaila Aboud solo flute in LPO, Adrian Luncanu solo oboe player in LPO, Octavian Gheorghiu solo clarinet in LPO , Ionut Emil Mardare solo bassoon in LPO and Dr Amr Selim Assistant Professor of Music in LAU.
The members of the Beirut Philharmonic Woodind Quintet are each highly regarded performers, associated with other prominent performing ensembles, venues, and musical institutions, who have united out of a mutual passionate commitment to the advocacy and performance of the wind chamber music repertoire.
Beirut Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet goal is to bring chamber music of the highest quality to the Lebanese audience.
Dr. Amr Selim is an Egyptian musician, educator and entrepreneur.
He started playing the French horn at the age of 10 and won his first full-time job with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra at the age of 16. His horn has taken him all over the US, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East and South Korea; where he performed as an orchestra musician, soloist, chamber musician and performed various teaching activities.
His research focuses on the Music of the Arab Region and Music in Islam; and he has presented lectures and workshops on these topics at NYU, MSM, Queens College, Santa Clara University, Mission College and Stony Brook University where he earned his Doctorate in Music.
Dr. Selim is a professor of Music at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon where he has started the Imagine Initiative with his wife, pianist Dr. Seba Ali. Imagine includes a residency program, the very first summer arts camp in the region, a children’s film festival and soon a podcast.
As a performer, Amr has collaborated with many renowned artists and groups such as Yo-Yo Ma, the Silkroad Ensemble, members of the Emerson Quartet, Apple Hill Quartet, San Francisco Symphony and the Metropolitan Opera, among others. Such collaborations ranged in repertoire from classical traditional to folk music and world premieres based on non-western music.
He is the co-founder of Gadayel Duo which has premiered over a dozen works written for horn and piano, Eldad Tarmu Wind Sextet with their recent CD “Stained Glass Stories” and Common Sounds, a collective of world musicians based in San Jose, California.
Adrian Luncanu began studying the oboe at the “Octav Băncilă” Art College in Iaşi, Romania, which he graduated from in 2001.
During these years he won numerous first prizes at all the Olympic National Music competitions held throughout the country but also International Music Competitions.
In 1997 he won the grand prix and trophy at the “Lira de aur” National Music Competition in Suceava.
He then continued his studies at the National University of Music in Bucharest, which he graduated from in 2006. In this period of time he collaborated with various symphonic orchestras such as the “George Enescu” Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest, but also philharmonic orchestras in Iaşi, Craiova, Giurgiu, Valcea.
He has been a member of the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra since 2006 where he currently holds the solo oboe position.
Adrian Luncanu has participated during these years in many festivals and concerts with international renowned soloists such as Lang Lang, Ray Chen, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and may others.
Ionut Emil Mardare has graduated the Bucharest Univesity of Music in 2006, he has won several Competitions during his studies wich include: Olympic National Music Competion, Bassoon National Competition in Bucharest, International Music Competition Constanta and Tulcea.
Work activity:
2002 – Giurgiu Philharmonic, Principal Bassoon
2003 – Bucharet National Opera, Principal Bassoon
2007 – Pitesti Philharmonic, Principal Bassoon
2012 – Romanian National Youth Orchestra, Principal Bassoon
2012 – Romanian Broadcast Orchestra, Associate principal Bassoon
With the Romanian National Youth Orchestra he had the chance to perform in the greatest Music Halls such us Berliner Philharmonie, Viener Konzerthaus, Konzerthaus Berlin, Santa Cecilia in Roma, he had tours in South America, China, Japan and all across Europe/
Ionut Emil Mardare has worked so far among others with the conducters: Cristian Badea, Cristian Macelaru, Lawrence Foster, Kristjan Jarvi, Cristian Mandeal, etc.
Ionut Mardare has performed as a soloist with various Orchestras in Eurupe the Bassoon Concerts of Mozart, Weber, Jolivet, Hummel.
Ana Suhaila Aboud serves as Principal Flute with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra and previously held the same position with the Filarmonica 5 de Mayo in Puebla, Mexico.
She also was a member of the CCM Philharmonia and Concert Orchestra, the Queen City Orchestra in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has performed with ensembles across the United States, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East including the Beirut Chants Festival Orchestra, Queen City Orchestra, Carlos Chavez Orchestra, ONIX Contemporary Ensemble, and the Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes.
She was awarded the FONCA Performers Scholarship in 2003. In 2005 she was selected by competition for the “Festival Internationel de Musique” in France, to perform 3 concerts as a soloist in the same country. In 2009 she was a semifinalist in the “1st Mediterranean Flute Competition”, in Larissa, Greece; and finalist at the “New Talent Competition” in Bratislava, Slovakia. In June 2012 was awarded the 2nd prize the “Malibu Flute Symposium” contest in Malibu, California.
In April of 2019, she was Finalist of the International Flute Competition Anton Rubinstein in Berlin, Germany.
In addition to performing, Ana currently is a flute teacher at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, The Lebanese Band Association for the Promotion of Music (LeBam), and at the HFL and COL organizations teaching music to Syrian and Iraqi refugees across the Lebanese region.
She has also taught at the “System of Youth Orchestras and Choirs of Mexico”, “Esperanza Azteca Puebla”, and of the “Preparatory Department” of the College-Conservatory of Music. As well as festivals around the world including serving as a guest artist at the Festival Internacional de Flauta Perla del Pacifico in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Casa de la Musica in Quito, Ecuador, and the School of the Arts in Tijuana, Mexico.
Ana is also a wind coach for the “YES Academy! American Voices” summer program in Lebanon. She has worked under the baton of: Faycal Karoui, Placido Domingo, Gustavo Dudamel, Fernando Lozano, Eugene Kohn, Guillermo Scarabino, David Molard, Alondra de la Parra, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Gianna Fratta, Jordi Mora, Wojcieh Czepiel, Jan Milosz Zarzycki, among others.
The Ecuadorian-Lebanese flutist, originally from Anaheim, California, holds a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Music Education. Her teachers include Bradley Garner, Randy Bowman, Judith Johansson, Ruben Islas, and Rafael Urrusti.
OCTAVIAN GHEORGHIU was born in 25.10.1977 in Bucharest and started the music training at age of 6.
In 1996 graduated the “ Dinu Lipatti “ Music High School from Bucharest.
In 2002 graduated the Bucharest National Music University at Prof. Ion Nedelciu Class. Also he studied with Emil Visenescu
In 1995 graduated the Master Class at “ Transilvania “ University of Brasov (Romania) with Clarinet Maestro Aurelian Octav Popa
In 1998 graduated the Master Class at “ Scuola Superiore di Musica “ from Aosta/Italy, Class of Maestro Romeo Tudorache
Soloist activity with following orchestras :
- “ Paul Constantinescu “ Philharmonic in Ploiesti/Romania (1997);
- “Main Kinzig” Orchestra/Germany (2001);
- “Concerto” Chamber Orchestra from Bucharest National Music University/Romania (2002);
- Lebanese National Oriental Orchestra/Beirut (2007;2008)
- Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
Music activity:
- Member of the “ ORFEU “ Symphony Orchestra 1998-2000;
- Member/fellowship of Bucharest Radio Chamber Orchestra 2000-2004.
- Member of Romanian National Radio woodwind quintet “Concordia”
- Since 2005 Solo clarinet at Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra and clarinet teacher at Lebanese National higher conservatory of music
International Contests Awards:
- In 1998 won the Special Prize at “ Jeunesse Musicales “ International clarinet Contest in Bucharest
- In 2000 won a Grant from Celibidache Foundation;
- In 1999 and 2001 won a Grant at IMK (Internationale MeisterKurse Koblenz, Germany);
- In 2000 won the “Mihail Jora” prize with Cantabile Trio at “APERTO” International Chamber Music Contest in Bucharest
- In 2001 won a Grant for Master Class with Prof.Johannes Peitz at International Course Weikersheim, Germany “Jeunesse Musicales Germany”.