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CONCERT PROGRAM

September 28-30, 2012


David Robertson, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano

SMITH/ The Star-Spangled Banner arr. Sousa/Damrosch LUTOSAWSKI Concerto for Orchestra (1950-54)
(1913-1994) Intrada Capriccio notturno e arioso Passacaglia, toccata e corale

I NT ER M I SS I O N

(1810-1849)

CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, op. 21 (1829)


Maestoso Larghetto Allegro vivace Emanuel Ax, piano

RESPIGHI Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome) (1923-24)


(1879-1936) I pini di Villa Borghese (The Pines of Villa Borghese) Pini presso una catacomba (Pines Near a Catacomb) I pini del Gianicolo (The Pines of the Janiculum) I pini della Via Appia (The Pines of the Appian Way)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
David Robertson is the Beofor Music Director and Conductor. Emanuel Ax is the Essman Family Foundation Guest Artist. The concert of Friday, September 28, is underwritten in part by a generous gift from Marjorie M. Ivey. The concert of Saturday, September 29, is dedicated to the memory of Oliver M. Langenberg. The concert of Saturday, September 29, is the Joanne and Joel Iskiwitch Concert. The concert of Saturday, September 29, is underwritten in part by a generous gift from Dr. Virginia V. Weldon. The concert of Sunday, September 30, is underwritten in part by a generous gift from Mrs. Oliver M. Langenberg. These concerts are presented by The Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation. Pre-Concert Conversations are presented by Washington University Physicians. These concerts are part of the Wells Fargo Advisors Series. Large print program notes are available through the generosity of Mosby Building Arts and are located at the Customer Service table in the foyer.

FROM THE STAGE


David Robertson spoke in his Powell Hall office just days before leaving for the Symphonys European Tour on his reasons for choosing Lutosawkis Concerto for Orchestra with which to launch the St. Louis Symphonys 2012-13 season: I love introducing audiences to things they may not be familiar with. Lutosawskis Concerto for Orchestra is a really great work that is viscerally exciting, and also shows his ability to express a wide range of emotions in an eloquent fashion. In the background we may hear the folk-influenced music of Bartk and Kodly. Lutosawski showcases the orchestra in a remarkable way. In Lutosawksi there is a lightness of orchestration, which takes a real virtuosic orchestra to perform. For me, starting with this music is a way of showing the public afresh just how multifaceted the world-class orchestra that lives in St. Louis is.
DILIP VISHWANAT

THE VIRTUOSO ORCHESTRA


BY PA U L SC H I AVO

TIMELINKS
1829 CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, op. 21 Chopin begins composing 27 Etudes, inspired by Italian violinist Niccol Paganini 1923-24 RESPIGHI Pines of Rome Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini rules Italy 1950-54 LUTOSAWSKI Concerto for Orchestra Julius and Ethel Rosenberg convicted of selling secrets of atomic bomb to the Soviet Union

Virtuosity, Websters tells us, is great technical skill in some fine art, especially the performance of music. With orchestral playing, great technical skill is required for the satisfying performance of any composition. Steadiness of tone, exactness of pitch, precision in rhythm, the ability to blend and play in unison with dozens of colleaguesthese are no small achievements for any instrumentalist, yet they are called for by even those pieces that seem relatively modest in their demands. Then there are works whose technical challenges are more evident, works that make instrumental virtuosity a conspicuous part of their character. The most obvious class of such compositions is the concerto, in which brilliant musicianship by a featured performer is the centerpiece. Our concert includes a splendid example in Chopins F-minor Piano Concerto. Finally, there are works in which virtuosity is demanded of, and displayed by, not an individual soloist but by the entire orchestra. Certain compositions of this kind deliberately transfer the concerto principle of brilliant, soloistic performance to the various sections and instruments that comprise the modern symphonic ensemble. The most famous of these pieces is Bla Bartks Concerto for Orchestra, written in 1943. That work inspired many others using the same idea. Among the most notable is the Concerto for Orchestra by Witold Lutosawski, which opens our program. Of course, dazzling orchestral display is not confined to ensemble concertos. Many ballet scores, tone poems, and other types of compositions exploit, for their own purposes, the virtuosity of modern orchestral players. Ottorino Respighis Pines of Rome does just this by evoking scenes of his adopted city. This work entails a number of passages featuring soloists from within the orchestra, including an unusual visitor in its third movement. But its concerted passages also call for a good deal of instrumental athleticism. The colorful sonorities that result have made this one of the most popular orchestral pieces of the last century.

WITOLD LUTOSAWSKI

Concerto for Orchestra


A MODERN MASTER The nearly two decades since the passing of Witold Lutosawski have seen growing appreciation of this Polish composer as one of the most skilled and conscientious musical creators of the late 20th century. Imaginative, poetic, and meticulously crafted, Lutosawskis compositions reflect their authors questing musical intellect and artistic integrity, and a number of them are winning places in the standard repertory. Lutosawskis compositional style and concerns evolved over the course of his career to embrace a number of developments that characterize 20th-century music. His early works, written immediately before and after World War II, drew on Polish folk music, which the composer assimilated into an energetic modern idiom, much as Bla Bartk did with Hungarian and Balkan folk tunes. After the mid-1950s, Lutosawskis outlook became increasingly cosmopolitan and daring. But though he investigated a number of cuttingedge compositional procedures, Lutosawski was never the follower of any particular school or doctrine. Nor did he experiment with novelty simply for its own sake. Instead, Lutosawski used various innovations in an imaginative and individual manner, always with a keen instinct for their artistic possibilities. Moreover, Lutosawski never sought the limelight of celebrity, and his works never give the impression of being selfconsciously avant-garde or gimmicky in any way. On the contrary, each seems an authentic statement by a dignified, reticent, and deeply committed artist. CONTROLLED ENERGY AND ORCHESTRAL VIRTUOSITY Concerto for Orchestra, completed in 1954, is a pivotal work, revealing both an inventive extension of Lutosawskis folk-music idiom and some of the unusual harmonies, colors, and textures that mark his later music. It is a large piece in three movements. The first opens with a theme that emerges tentatively from fragmented motifs given out by the cellos and violas over the

Born Warsaw, January 13, 1913 Died Warsaw, February 7, 1994 First Performance Warsaw, November 26, 1954; Witold Rowicki conducted Polands National Philharmonic Orchestra STL Symphony Premiere October 10, 1974, Leonard Slatkin conducting Most Recent STL Symphony Performance April 4, 1977, Witold Lutosawksi conducting Scoring 3 flutes 2 piccolos 3 oboes English horn 3 clarinets bass clarinet 3 bassoons contrabassoon 4 horns 4 trumpets 4 trombones tuba timpani percussion 2 harps piano celesta strings Performance Time approximately 29 minutes

steady tread of timpani and harp. Other ideas are introduced and explored in a succession of contrasting episodes, but the initial subject returns in the form of a series of woodwind and violin solos to close this initial portion of the work. The second movement begins and concludes as a seemingly nocturnal scherzo. A more weighty central section gives the movement contrast and balance. The finale is in two parts.It opens as a passacaglia, music that unfolds over a recurring theme, here plucked out by the low strings in the opening measures. With each repetition of this theme, Lutosawski adds successive threads to a contrapuntal fabric that grows increasingly intricate and energetic. Later, the composer treats the passacaglia theme freely in an animated section that he describes as a toccata, a term indicating just this kind of highly rhythmic music. Soon, however, a new element appears: a chorale-like melody, first announced by the oboes. The orchestra then returns to the toccata, building to a climax crowned by a majestic restatement of the chorale. The music is marked throughout by a fierce but masterfully controlled energy, and by a virtuoso treatment of the orchestra that justifies the works title.

FREDERIC CHOPIN

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, op. 21


THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN In 1829 Frederic Chopin was a young graduate of the Warsaw Conservatory seeking to establish himself in the musical world. He was talented, ambitious, and in love. All three of these qualities found reflection in his Piano Concerto in F minor, op. 21. Chopin wrote this composition in the autumn and winter of 1829, and he performed it in Warsaw in the spring of the following year. Although known as his Second Piano Concerto, this work pre-dates by about half a year Chopins Concerto in E minor, op. 11, which now bears the designation Piano Concerto No. 1. The two concertos were published in reverse order of their composition, resulting in a misleading impression of their chronology. Though it is a youthful work, the F-minor Concerto reveals a skilled composer who has already found a distinctive musical voice. Hearing this piece, we can admire the 19-year-olds sure grasp of the concerto form. More impressive, we also detect at this early juncture in his career all the original elements of Chopins style: the themes that are by turns dreamy and passionate, the yearning melancholy of his harmonies, and the brilliant flashes of pianistic ornamentation. CLASSICAL FORM, ROMANTIC CONTENT Following the procedure found in the keyboard concertos of Mozart and other Classical-period composers, Chopin begins his work with an orchestral exposition. The first theme conveys that restless agitation so prized by the 19th-century Romantics. A second subject, introduced by the woodwinds, provides lyrical contrast. With the entrance of the piano, the orchestra retreats to a supporting role while the solo instrument explores these thematic ideas. Chopin was criticized during the 19th century for

his slender orchestration, and several composers actually re-scored this concerto to bring it more in line with the fashions of their day. But many contemporary accounts of Chopins piano playing mention the delicacy of his touch. In view of this, it seems probable that he calculated perfectly the level of accompaniment he would require, and there is a special beauty in the transparency of his scoring. The composer once hinted in a letter that the Larghetto second movement was inspired by his love for Constantia Gladkowska, a young singer he had met at the Warsaw Conservatory. This slender admission has naturally delighted sentimentally inclined listeners, though no real relationship ever developed between Chopin and Gladkowska. Beginning with a long and tender theme that appears after a brief orchestral introduction, this portion of the work builds to a passionate recitative for the soloist over dramatic tremolo figures in the strings. HAPPY ECHO OF OUR NATIVE HARMONY The third movement juxtaposes a bittersweet melody, punctuated by vigorous orchestral comments, with a contrasting episode featuring the triplet rhythms of Polands national dance, the mazurka. The distinctly Polish flavor of this section caused Warsaw audiences to hail the concerto as an expression of their nationalist hopes. One review of the works premiere ventured: More than once these tones seem to be the happy echo of our native harmony. Chopin knows what sounds are heard in our fields and woods, he has listened to the songs of the Polish villager, he has made it his own and has united the tunes of his native land in skillful composition and elegant execution. A sudden turn to the bright key of F major and a conspicuous signal in the horn then launch the brief coda passage that closes the concerto.

Born Zelazowa Wola, Poland, March 1, 1810 Died Paris, October 17, 1849 First Performance Warsaw, March 17, 1830, Chopin played the solo part and conducted from the keyboard STL Symphony Premiere January 19, 1912, Helena Lewyn was soloist, with Max Zach conducting Most Recent STL Symphony Performance March 2, 2008, Ingrid Fliter was soloist, with Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducting Scoring solo piano 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons 2 horns 2 trumpets bass trombone timpani strings Performance Time approximately 32 minutes

OTTORINO RESPIGHI

Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome)


AN ITALIAN COMPOSERS WIDE OUTLOOK Until recently, opera so completely dominated the musical life of Italy that only one Italian composer during the past two centuries achieved prominence through his orchestral music. This was Ottorino Respighi, whose fame rests chiefly on a series of tone poems depicting scenes in his native country. Pines of Rome, composed in 1924, has long been the most popular of these works. Respighis music reflects a peculiar variety of influences. Like many composers who came of age around the turn of the century, he assimilated the harmonic language of both Wagner and Debussy, as well as some of the formers dramatic flair. From Rimsky-Korsakov, with whom he studied in St. Petersburg, he learned a bold and colorful use of the orchestra. The most unusual aspect of Respighis compositional outlook, however, was his interest in pre-Classical music. In such works as his Ancient Airs and Dances and the Concerto Gregoriano for violin and orchestra, the composer showed a surprising readiness to incorporate church modes, plainchant, simple contrapuntal textures and other archaic devices into his own music. Pines of Rome reveals all these elements of Respighis style. PICTURES OF ROME This tone poem presents four tableaux, which the composer depicts through suggestive melodies, rhythms, and textures. Respighi described the scenarios of the four movements as follows: I.Pines of the Villa Borghese. Children are at play in the pine grove of the Villa Borghese, dancing the Italian equivalent of Ring-Around-the-Rosy, mimicking marching soldiers and battles, twittering and shrieking like swallows at evening, then disappearing. Suddenly the scene changes to II. Pines Near a Catacomb. We see the shadows of the pines overhanging a catacomb. From the depths rises a

Born Bologna, July 9, 1879 Died Rome, April 18, 1936 First Performance Rome, December 14, 1924, conducted by Bernardino Molinari STL Symphony Premiere January 7, 1927, Rudolf Ganz conducting Most Recent STL Symphony Performance January 24, 2010, Stphane Denve conducting Scoring 3 flutes piccolo 2 oboes English horn 2 clarinets bass clarinet 2 bassoons contrabassoon 4 horns 3 trumpets 3 trombones tuba offstage brass timpani percussion harp a recorded nightingale piano celesta organ strings Performance Time approximately 23 minutes

chant that re-echoes solemnly, sonorously like a hymn, and then is mysteriously silenced. III. Pines of the Janiculum. There is a thrill in the air. The full moon reveals the profile of Gianicolos Hill. A nightingale sings (represented by a recording of a nightingales song, heard from the orchestra). IV. Pines of the Appian Way. Misty Dawn on the Appian Way. The tragic country is guarded by solitary pines. Indistinctly, incessantly, the rhythm of innumerable steps. To the poets fantasy appears a vision of past glories; trumpets blare and the army of the Consul advances brilliantly in the grandeur of the newly risen sun toward the sacred way, mounting in triumph the Capitoline Hill. In the first movement, Respighi depicts the raucous play of the children through brief melodic figures blared forth by the woodwinds and brass. The scene by a catacomb features a melody in the style of ancient Gregorian chant, which swells and then subsides through a series of repetitions. In the third movement, Respighi evokes the nocturnal serenity of the Janiculum, Romes beautiful hilltop park, in a haunting clarinet solo. The birdsong heard during this portion of the work is probably the first use of recorded sounds in an orchestral composition. Finally Respighi employs his favorite format for closing movements, beginning quietly with a modest theme and slowly growing it in an imposing crescendo. As the music unfolds, the composer adds more and more layers to the aural texture, achieving at last a thunderous conclusion.

DAVID ROBERTSON

BEOFOR MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR

Robertson begins his eighth season as Music Director of the 133-year-old St. Louis Symphony.

A consummate musician, masterful programmer and dynamic presence, David Robertson has established himself as one of todays most soughtafter American conductors. A passionate and compelling communicator with an extensive orchestral and operatic repertoire, he has forged close relationships with major orchestras around the world through his exhilarating music-making and stimulating ideas. In fall 2012, Robertson launches his eighth season as Music Director of the 133-year-old St. Louis Symphony. In January 2014, Robertson will assume the post of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony in Australia. In September 2012, the St. Louis Symphony and Robertson embarked on a European tour, which included appearances at Londons BBC Proms, at the Berlin and Lucerne festivals, and culminated at Pariss Salle Pleyel. In March 2013 Robertson and his orchestra return to California for their second tour of the season, which includes an intensive three-day residency at the University of California-Davis and performance at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, with violinist James Ehnes as soloist. The orchestra will also perform at venues in Costa Mesa, Palm Desert, and Santa Barbara, with St. Louis Symphony Principal Flute, Mark Sparks, as soloist. In addition to his current position with the St. Louis Symphony, Robertson is a frequent guest conductor with major orchestras and opera houses around the world. During the 2012-13 season he appears with prestigious U.S. orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony, as well as internationally with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, and Ensemble Intercontemporain. Born in Santa Monica, California, David Robertson was educated at Londons Royal Academy of Music, where he studied horn and composition before turning to orchestral conducting.

MICHAEL TAMMARO

EMANUEL AX

ESSMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION GUEST ARTIST

Born in Lvov, Poland, Emanuel Ax moved to Canada with his family when he was a young boy. He studied at The Juilliard School and Columbia University, capturing public attention in 1974 when he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. As curator and participant with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a two-week spring residency, Keys to the City, he performed multiple roles as leader and collaborator in a festival celebrating the many varied facets of the piano and its repertoire. As Artist in Residence with the New York Philharmonic for the 201213 season, he will appear in multiple weeks at Lincoln Center with repertoire ranging from Bach to Christopher Rouse in addition to a spring tour with the orchestra to Europe. He will return to the orchestras in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington, and Pittsburgh, where he is a beloved regular. Ax has been an exclusive Sony Classical recording artist since 1987. Due for release later this year is a new recital disc of works from Haydn to Schumann to Copland reflecting their different uses of the variation concept. He has received Grammy Awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydns piano sonatas and has also made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with Yo-Yo Ma of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano. Ax resides in New York City with his wife, pianist Yoko Nozaki. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and holds honorary doctorates of music from Yale and Columbia Universities. For more information, visit EmanuelAx.com. Emanuel Ax most recently performed with the St. Louis Symphony in November 2010.

Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

JERRY BEZNOS

A BRIEF EXPLANATION
You dont need to know what andante means or what a glockenspiel is to enjoy a St. Louis Symphony concert, but its always fun to know stuff. With this being the opening concert of the season, lets start with the how it begins: Lutosawksis Concerto for Orchestra. Intrada: a Polish composer uses a Spanish word with which to describe the opening movement; this speaks to the international language of music, and signifies a sense of drama to the worktraditionally an intrada accompanies an entrance onto the stage by a prominent character, or to mark a significant moment Capriccio notturno e arioso: capriccio is an Italian word akin to whim or caprice, so you know this movement will be fanciful, humorous, even bizarre; notturno relates to nocturne, or nocturnal, night music, essentially; arioso relates to the lyric manner of the movement, like an aria, which also speaks to Lutosawski writing for the virtuosic abilities of individual instruments in the orchestraa movement of fanciful evening song

MY INSTRUMENT:

GERARD PAGANO ON THE BASS TROMBONE


Most bones players start on a regular trombone, straight with no valves at allthats the instrument you hear in jazz. With the addition of valves to the trombone, a distinctive range of instruments developed: tenor, bass, alto. The bass is really geared to play low, near the tubas range. Its neat to be on the bottom of the chord and to be at the bottom of the section. Its a dark, heavy sound. When I first heard bass trombones, I liked that low register. The first time I tried the instrument--I was at a music campit felt massive, bigger bell, bigger mouthpiece. Theres a great bass trombone part in Pines of Rome. When you get to the end of the Bass Trombone Appian Way movement, the Roman legions are approaching. The bass trombone and tuba start on a low D flat. That note is like a fastball in the middle of the plate and you get to smack it! Richard Strauss wrote great parts for the bass trombone: Ein Heldenleben, Till Eulenspiegel, Zarathustra, Der Rosenkavelier. There are not a lot of solo parts for bass trombone, but there are a couple of bars in Mahler 7it sounds just like the theme to the original Star Trek. Im sure the TV composers borrowed directly from Mahler.

YOU TAKE IT FROM HERE


If these concerts have inspired you to learn more, here is suggested source material with which to continue your explorations. Steven Stucky, Lutosawksi in Retrospect stevenstucky.com/Lutoslawski.shtml An American composers heartfelt tribute James Huneker, Chopin: The Man and His Music Dover Publications First published in 1900 and still a cogent account of the composers life Adam Zamoyski, Chopin, Prince of the Romantics HarperCollins Thoroughly researched and rewarding Ottorino Respighi Society: musicweb-international.com/Respighi Read the program notes online at stlsymphony.org/planyourvisit/programnotes Keep up with the backstage life of the St. Louis Symphony, as chronicled by Symphony staffer Eddie Silva, via stlsymphony.org/blog The St. Louis Symphony is on

AUDIENCE INFORMATION
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Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm; Weekday and Saturday concert evenings through intermission; Sunday concert days 12:30pm through intermission.

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You may store your personal belongings in lockers located on the Orchestra and Grand Tier Levels at a cost of 25 cents. Infrared listening headsets are available at Customer Service. Cameras and recording devices are distracting for the performers and audience members. Audio and video recording and photography are strictly prohibited during the concert. Patrons are welcome to take photos before the concert, during intermission, and after the concert. Please turn off all watch alarms, cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices before the start of the concert. All those arriving after the start of the concert will be seated at the discretion of the House Manager. Age for admission to STL Symphony and Live at Powell Hall concerts vary, however, for most events the recommended age is five or older. All patrons, regardless of age, must have their own tickets and be seated for all concerts. All children must be seated with an adult. Admission to concerts is at the discretion of the House Manager. Outside food and drink are not permitted in Powell Hall. No food or drink is allowed inside the auditorium, except for select concerts.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Box Office: 314-534-1700 Toll Free: 1-800-232-1880 Online: stlsymphony.org Fax: 314-286-4111 A service charge is added to all telephone and online orders.

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If you cant use your season tickets, simply exchange them for another Wells Fargo Advisors subscription concert up to one hour prior to your concert date. To exchange your tickets, please call the Box Office at 314-5341700 and be sure to have your tickets with you when calling.

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314-286-4155 or 1-800-232-1880 Any group of 20 is eligible for a discount on tickets for select Orchestral, Holiday, or Live at Powell Hall concerts. Call for pricing. Special discount ticket programs are available for students, seniors, and police and public-safety employees. Visit stlsymphony.org for more information.

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WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY, INC. (WWT)
A message from Thelma and David L. Steward, WWT Chairman of the Board WWT provides revolutionary Information Technology (IT) products, services, and supply chain solutions to customers around the globe. Headquartered in St. Louis, WWT employs more than 1,800 professionals and is the largest AfricanAmerican owned firm in the nation. The St. Louis Business Journal has consistently named WWT one of St. Louiss Best Places to Work and WWT ranked No. 50 in Fortune magazines 2012 100 Best Companies to Work For list. My wife Thelma and I are proud to chair the STL Symphony 2012 Gala on Thelma and David L. Steward October 20, a once-in-a-lifetime musical evening featuring legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis! Thelma and I have been married for more than 30 years and we have lifelong ties to St. Louis. We strongly believe that a critical component of the strength of a community is the commitment that its resident businesses and citizens show toward that community. This belief is the foundation of our personal and professional involvement in a wide array of both national and St. Louis-based philanthropic entities, including our support of the St. Louis Symphony. Giving our time and financial support to the community is a part of life that Thelma and I cherish. WWT also strives to be a good corporate citizen. We exist to serve our employees, customers, vendors, partners, and the community. We believe that supporting the arts is essential. And that is why we are chairing this years Red Velvet Ball. Events like these as well as the St. Louis Symphonys long history and reputation for musical excellence not only strengthen St. Louis as a cultural center, but also help solidify the bonds of our community. What better way to bring together people from diverse backgrounds than through music? Music inspires us. Connects us. Transcends us. We are thrilled to be part of the October 20 premiere of Swing Symphony and hope that it inspires others to support this great organization. For more information about World Wide Technology, please visit wwt.com.

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