Gift of Music Holiday Concert
Saturday, December 13, 2025
7:30 – 9:30 PM
Boulder Adventist Church
Sunday, December 14, 2025
4:00 – 5:30 PM
Mapleton Arts Center
The Boulder Chamber Orchestra
Bahman Saless
conductor
Adam Żukiewicz
piano
Program
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764)
La Poule [The Hen] (c. 1728)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052 (c. 1734)
with Adam Żukiewicz - Piano
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880)
Plus holiday favorites!
ABOUT THE ARTIST
A conductor for the 21st century, Bahman Saless has been described as “entrepreneurial, creative, and plugged in,” and “an innately talented musician and conductor, without frills or ego.” His passion is palpable, his enthusiasm contagious, and the results he draws from musicians are, as one colleague put it, “extraordinary.” Saless’s musical path is anything but conventional. After studying violin in England as a teenager and composing music from a young age, he pursued violin studies with Lyman Bodman at Michigan State University while simultaneously earning a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. He later founded the […]
Bahman Saless
Music Director
Adam Żukiewicz
Piano
Adam Piotr Żukiewicz is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed concert pianist. He concertized across Europe, United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Hong Kong, and Macau, and his performances were broadcast in the USA, Canada, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, and Poland. Mr. Żukiewicz consistently receives critical acclaim, while his innovative programming - focused on exploring connections between the popular and the lesser known gems of the traditional and contemporary repertoire - continues to engage and inspire audiences around the world. […]
PROGRAM NOTES
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764)
La Poule [The Hen] (c. 1728)
Jean-Philippe Rameau stands as one of the most innovative voices of the French Baroque, both in his operas and in his keyboard music. La Poule comes from his final collection of harpsichord works, a set in which he elevated the French “character piece” to new artistic heights. What had long been a charming, descriptive genre in the clavecin school becomes, in Rameau’s hands, a sophisticated blend of musical humor, virtuosity, and expressive nuance.
The short, repeated motif evocative of a hen’s clucking becomes the foundation for inventive variations and bold harmonic departures. While the piece retains its playful charm, it also reveals Rameau’s modern harmonic imagination and his ability to transform everyday inspiration into music of striking originality and depth. Far from being merely whimsical, La Poule demonstrates how a seemingly light subject can become the catalyst for brilliant and highly refined musical art.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052 (c. 1734)
Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D Minor is one of his most dramatic and enduring works. Composed around 1734 and likely based on an earlier lost violin concerto, the piece was reimagined for harpsichord—a novel concept at the time, making this one of the earliest true keyboard concertos. The first movement opens with bold, stormy gestures that showcase the soloist’s dexterity. In contrast, the middle Adagio offers a lyrical, almost meditative melody suspended over soft, pulsating harmonies. The finale returns with exuberant energy and intricate counterpoint. The concerto’s compelling blend of power and pathos has ensured its popularity with audiences and performers for centuries.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880)
Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings embodies the warmth, lyricism, and emotional sincerity that define his most beloved music. Composed in 1880, the work pays homage to Mozart’s elegance and grace while remaining unmistakably Russian in spirit and expression. Tchaikovsky himself valued the piece deeply, confiding in a letter that he wrote it “from the heart,” and audiences have felt that sincerity ever since.
Cast in four movements, the Serenade opens with a noble, sweeping chorale that sets a tone of grandeur and affection. The graceful second movement Waltz has become a favorite on concert stages and in ballet studios alike, balancing lightness and nostalgia. The heartfelt Élégie offers moments of introspection and poignancy, before the exuberant finale brings the work to a joyful conclusion, weaving folk-like melodies with radiant energy.
Though not explicitly a holiday work, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings has long been associated with winter-season concerts. Its warmth, elegance, and emotional generosity make it an ideal centerpiece for a program that celebrates beauty, community, and the shared uplift of music during the festive season.
Program Notes by Reginald Winters