Felix Mendelssohn wrote the Overture to Ruy Blas as incidental music for Victor Hugo’s drama of the same name. The commission came from the Leipzig Theatrical Pension Fund only shortly before the premiere, and Mendelssohn was not especially drawn to the play at first. He agreed to provide a choral “Romance,” but initially resisted writing an overture. According to accounts from the episode, it was a pointed remark about the impossibility of composing one on such a tight deadline that finally pushed him into action: he began that night, finished in time, and the overture was premiered with the production. Mendelssohn later acknowledged that he enjoyed writing it.

The music launches with a bold wind-and-brass gesture, quickly answered by more lyrical string writing, setting a theatrical, high-contrast atmosphere from the outset. Throughout the overture, Mendelssohn moves fluidly between bright and tense material, as if sketching scenes and characters for an imagined stage action behind the curtain.

Hugo’s plot is dark and elaborate: Don Salluste de Bazan, disgraced by Queen Maria, plots revenge by disguising his valet, Ruy Blas, as a nobleman and placing him at court. Blas unexpectedly rises in stature, pursues reforms, and wins the queen’s love. The deception is eventually exposed; Salluste humiliates Blas, who kills him and then takes his own life. In the final moments, the queen forgives him and confesses her love.

One striking feature of Mendelssohn’s overture is its confident, uplifting conclusion in C major, which can feel at odds with the tragedy of Hugo’s ending. Whether this reflects artistic independence from the drama, a preference for a concert piece that stands on its own, or simply the musical trajectory Mendelssohn chose under pressure, the result is a compact, vividly argued overture that has remained a concert favorite ever since.

Guest performer: Eduardo Zamudio, clarinet

Luigi Bassi’s Fantasia on Themes from Verdi’s Rigoletto belongs to the nineteenth-century tradition of operatic paraphrases, in which popular operatic melodies were reimagined as virtuosic concert works. Following the premiere of Rigoletto in 1851, Verdi’s music quickly captured public attention across Italy, and its themes became especially attractive material for instrumental fantasies.

Bassi, a clarinetist associated with the orchestra of La Scala, was among the composers who transformed operatic material into demanding showpieces for their instrument. His Rigoletto Fantasia draws on several recognizable melodies from the opera, reshaping them into a continuous concert work that emphasizes brilliance, agility, and expressive contrast. Rather than presenting the themes verbatim, Bassi subjects them to variation, rapid passagework, wide leaps, and extended technical figurations, showcasing both the lyrical and virtuosic possibilities of the clarinet.

The piece remains a staple of the clarinet repertoire, valued both for its theatrical character and for the high level of technical and musical control it demands from the performer.

For this performance, the work is presented in an orchestral arrangement by John Glenesk Mortimer, bringing Bassi’s operatic-inspired virtuosity into a larger symphonic sound world.

I. Andante

Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov composed his Suite for Orchestra in B minor between 1891 and 1892, making it one of his earliest mature orchestral works. The suite consists of four movements, and the opening Andante establishes a reflective, lyrical atmosphere that highlights Kalinnikov’s gift for expansive melody and rich orchestral color. His music belongs to the late-Romantic Russian tradition and reflects the influence of composers such as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, while maintaining a distinctive personal voice.

The first movement unfolds through broad, songlike themes passed between strings and winds, gradually expanding from an intimate opening toward a fuller orchestral texture. Kalinnikov’s orchestration is both warm and transparent, allowing individual instrumental colors to emerge while preserving a strong sense of continuity. Although the movement is not based on specific folk material, its expressive directness and melodic character align with the Romantic ideals that shaped Kalinnikov’s symphonic style and later defined his reputation as a gifted melodist.

Guest performer: Daniël Smith, alto saxophone

I. Andantino – Allegro spirito
II. Tranquillo e piacevole
III. Tempo di Tarantella

Concerto after Glière was conceived as both a tribute and a creative response to a historical gap in the saxophone repertoire. Although the instrument was invented in the mid-19th century, it arrived too late to inspire original concertos in the Romantic tradition. As a result, much of the saxophone’s major repertoire has been written in distinctly modern or avant-garde styles. Canfield’s concerto addresses this absence by deliberately embracing a late-Romantic idiom, drawing inspiration from the musical language of Reinhold Glière.

The concerto grew out of Canfield’s earlier orchestration of Glière’s Intermezzo and Tarantella, originally written for double bass and piano. Recognizing the expressive and virtuosic potential of the saxophone, Canfield reimagined the solo part for the instrument, substantially rewriting it to suit its agility, range, and tonal flexibility. The keys were adjusted, the technical demands expanded, and the orchestration refined to support the saxophone as a true concerto soloist.

To create a full concerto structure, Canfield expanded Glière’s Intermezzo by inserting an original contrasting middle section, transforming it into a substantial slow movement. The Tarantella serves as the energetic finale, while the opening movement is entirely Canfield’s own composition, written in a style intentionally reminiscent of Glière. This synthesis allows the work to function both as an homage and as an original concerto, with more than half of its musical material newly composed.

Since its premiere, Concerto after Glière has become one of Canfield’s most frequently performed works, celebrated for its combination of Romantic lyricism, brilliant virtuosity, and its unique place within the saxophone concerto repertoire.

Sofia Vrettou is a Greek-American cellist living in DeKalb, Illinois. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Cello Performance at Northern Illinois University and is a member of the Graduate String Quartet on a full scholarship and stipend. Active as a soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber musician, she has appeared as a soloist with the Thessaloniki City Orchestra, performing concertos by Goltermann, Boccherini, and Elgar. At NIU, she performs with the Dákiti String Quartet, coached by the Avalon String Quartet and Mathias Tacke. Sofia has won First Place at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki Competition and the “Filonas” Music Competition, and she also participates in outreach concerts, including performances in the Chicago area and at aged-care facilities.

Eduardo Zamudio is a third-year student at Northern Illinois University, where he studies clarinet and majors in Music Education. He began playing clarinet in fifth grade at age 10 and continued through his middle school and high school band programs. His musical experiences span multiple styles and ensembles, including performing on alto saxophone in his high school jazz band, participating in the ILMEA District 9 Band, and playing with the NIU Banda, NIU Philharmonic and Wind Ensemble, NIU Marching Band, the Wheaton Municipal Band, and pit orchestras for opera productions. After graduation, Eduardo plans to continue in music education and hopes to pursue further studies on the clarinet. He extends special thanks to his friends, family, and professors who have supported him throughout his journey.

Daniël Smith, originally from South Africa, is a saxophonist based in the Chicagoland area. He is one of the featured concerto competition soloists performing with the NIU Philharmonic Orchestra. A winner of the 2023 Northern Illinois University Concerto Competition, Daniël appeared as a featured soloist with the NIU Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024, performing music by Takashi Yoshimatsu. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Performance magna cum laude at Northern Illinois University, where he studied with Dr. Thomas Snydacker and received the Northern Illinois University Undergraduate Music Waiver Scholarship and the Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Performance with a tuition waiver and stipend and serves as a woodwind teaching assistant, focusing on developing strong fundamental technique and listening skills in his students. Daniël’s work emphasizes musicality, sound, and expression, and he is drawn to repertoire that rewards careful listening and attention to detail.