Vista Philharmonic Orchestra

Program Notes

By Maestro Bruce Hangen

Hailstork, Adolphus (1941 – )
An American Port of Call (1985)
Commissioned by the Virginia Symphony (Norfolk, VA) in the early 1980s, Adolphus Hailstork composed this work inspired by the busy port of Norfolk, the city in which he continues to call home to this day.

A relatively short work, this concert overture musically embraces the vibrancy and activity of the international shipping port city, even taking on a somewhat jazzy, if mildly dissonant flavor honoring both the stridency and the mysteriousness of the shipping industry’s busiest and quietest moments.  Hailstork’s orchestral landscape blends an open hearted, optimistic depiction of modern life with touches of poetic reminiscence.

Saint-Saëns, Camille (1835 – 1921)
Cello Concerto No. 1 (1872)
I have always been fascinated by composer St. Saëns’ music.  Vista Philharmonic audiences will remember our recent performance of his Third Symphony featuring our mighty Hauptwerk virtual pipe organ.  Most familiar worldwide, however, is his thoroughly delightful “Carnival of the Animals”, and long-time Vista Phil subscribers might remember our performance of his Second Symphony, which time seems to have been forgotten over the years.

 As a young cello student, I even studied this concerto.  While it certainly has its technical demands, it’s immediately graspable by students and performers alike who enjoy making music rather than demonstrating virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake.  What makes this concerto unique, however, is that St.-Saëns concentrates the traditional three-movement concerto form into a single movement without break, but nevertheless employs three different sections.  This makes for an immensely compact, delightful and facile work that features and supports the solo cello marvelously.  And that’s what fascinates me about all of St. Saëns’ work––endlessly appealing, melodic, facile and “classical” in a very real, genuine sense without being presumptuous, pompous or overbearing.

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943)
Symphony No. 2 (1907)
In the standard four-movement form, and well-received ever since its first performance, this symphony ranks high in the list of works by the composer popular with audiences worldwide.  In my opinion, this is truly a Symphony with a capital “S”, with themes intricately woven and developed, stated and re-stated, giving performers and audiences alike the opportunity to sink their teeth into a very substantial main musical course.

 The first movement begins nonchalantly, even mysteriously enough, but after a few minutes, Rachmaninoff introduces the main theme in quick tempo, which in turn is developed on both a small and large scale.  The listener should be encouraged to enjoy the waves of sound and emotion rather than attempt to follow the structural form of the piece.  For the second movement, Rachmaninoff inserts a scherzo (traditionally the third movement of a symphony), which carries a much brighter, energetic sound with it until a sudden dying-away.  At this point, the composer introduces a definitely contrasting, fugal theme (his version of the traditional Trio section), that he develops in such a way as to make his counterpoint teacher very proud.  The third movement represents an incredible balance, off-setting the energy of the first two movements by introducing one of Rachmaninoff’s tear-jerker love songs for which he’s famous.  Featuring a major solo for the principal clarinetist, this piece is entirely separable from the rest of the symphony and stands well-enough alone as a concert piece.  The final movement finds us in a final flurry of flourishes constituting a fitting close to a wonderful, and wonderfully-romantic symphonic journey.

NATHANIEL TAYLOR is an African‑American/Filipino cellist whose expressive musicality and technical command have garnered acclaim across classical and crossover stages. A graduate of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee—where he earned his Bachelor of Music (2015), Graduate Performance Diploma (2017), Professional Studies Certificate (2018), and Artist Diploma (2020)—he studied with Rhonda Rider and Patrice Jackson.

He won the shared Grand Prize at the 2016 ASTA Masters Competition and first prize at the 2017 Boston Conservatory Concerto Competition, and was named an Orpheus Fellow (2018–2019) and a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow (2017–2019). Nathaniel made his solo debut in 2016 performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Jonathan McPhee and the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, and has since appeared as soloist with the Lexington Symphony, Vista Philharmonic, Atlanta Pops, and Maryland Symphony. 

An avid chamber musician, he has performed Schubert’s Cello Quintet alongside Yo‑Yo Ma and has been coached with Emmanuel Ax, Pamela Frank, and the Juilliard Quartet. From 2022–2025 he served as a Co‑Artistic Director and cellist of the Grammy-Nominated group Palaver Strings, a conductor‑less, 13 member ensemble based in Portland, Maine. Taylor’s versatility extends into crossover and pop: he performed with Lauryn Hill and the Fugees’ “The Miseducation Tour” (2023), appeared as guest cellist and backup vocalist with Sons of Serendip (2022–2024), and joined Yo‑Yo Ma for a duet of “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” on the IDAGIO network. 

In June 2025, Nathaniel was appointed Assistant Principal cello for the Venice Symphony in Florida. He also performs with the Sarasota Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota, The Florida Orchestra, and the Orlando Philharmonic. He is currently studying privately with Scott Kluksdahl, internationally renowned pedagogue Helga Winold, and Lowell Adams, long time member of The Florida Orchestra. 

Nathaniel currently plays on a Kevin Kelly cello and a gold mounted Salchow bow, generously gifted to him by the Manganaro family.