Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
FREE Concert for College Students
Whether you are just getting into classical music, or you have listened to classical music and attended concerts for years, you don’t want to miss your first opportunity to attend a concert this year—The Philadelphia Orchestra’s FREE College Concert, on Thursday, October 6, at 8:00 PM!
The program begins with Orchestra Assistant Conductor Cristian Macelaru conducting Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, a piece based on several Spanish folk melodies. Rimsky-Korsakov is known as one of the greatest orchestrators of all time. This piece will surely show off the lush “Philadelphia Sound,” as even Tchaikovsky hailed the Capriccio as “a colossal masterpiece of instrumentation.”
The program follows with several short pieces for the violin, performed by the young violinist Leila Josefowicz. First up are two encore pieces composed by the violinist Fritz Kreisler—“Liebesleid” and “Liebesfreud”—which mean Love’s Sorrow and Love’s Joy, respectively. Following the Kreisler pieces, she will perform the Meditation from Jules Massenet’s opera Thaïs. If you are a violinist, you probably performed at least one of these pieces!
After these three pieces, Josefowicz will perform the Toccare from John Adams’s Violin Concerto. This fast-paced and energetic movement features virtuosic passages for the solo violinist throughout, apparently inspired by Adams ’s study of Indian bowed string instrumental music.
Following the Adams, the Orchestra will perform the extremely challenging tone poem Don Juan by Richard Strauss. The piece is based on Hungarian Nicolaus Lenau’s poem, whose protagonist is unlike Mozart’s rakish extrovert Don Giovanni, but rather a vain, sensual idealist. Strauss’ music captures the emotions and sensuality of Lenau’s drama through grand orchestral effects.
No, the new Lone Ranger movie is not premiering at the Kimmel Center, but the Orchestra will end its FREE Concert program with Rossini’s famous William Tell Overture—a piece you’ve heard throughout several films, TV shows, commercials, and even video games! However, the Overture has so much more than the last, fast-paced section that you’ve heard several times. Just like the Rimsky-Korsakov that will open the program, the Overture is another gem of orchestration. Be on the lookout for the passage that Berlioz, another brilliant orchestrator, loved so well—the quintet for five solo cellos in the opening of the Overture, in which the other cellos accompany the soloists with pizzicato.
Besides this fantastic program, there will be a number of festivities marking this special annual event, ranging from live band performances to meeting the Orchestra’s musicians to receiving an autograph from Leila Josefowicz herself. Best of all, you will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with other music lovers your age, studying in Philadelphia-area colleges.
So mark your calendars, reserve your ticket, and invite your friends—this is a night not to be missed!
In the meantime, which pieces are you looking forward to hearing the most? Comment, here!
—Amalya Lehmann
Welcome!
Welcome to the 2011-12 season at The Philadelphia Orchestra!
My name is Amalya Lehmann and I am the editor of the eZseatU blog. I am a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying musicology, cognitive science, and violin. You will see me attending Philadelphia Orchestra concerts almost weekly.
As Philadelphia-area students, we are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to attend concerts by one of the leading orchestras in the world, for only $25 a year. Whether you are just getting into classical music, or you have listened to classical music and attended concerts for years, there will be a concert for you!
This season, we will celebrate Maestro Charles Dutoit’s 30-year legacy and his final season as chief conductor. Throughout the season, Maestro Dutoit will share the stage with superstars Lang Lang, James Ehnes, Nikolaï Lugansky, Julian Rachlin, and Gautier Capuçon, in a wide variety of programs.
As we celebrate Maestro Dutoit, we will continue to learn about our next music director, Yannick Nézet-Séquin, when he will conduct three special programs this year. In November, he will conduct Brahms’s A German Requiem. In December, he will conduct a program celebrating the Philadelphia Legacy, featuring works that were premiered by the Orchestra—Curtis faculty member Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, which will be performed by Curtis graduate Yuja Wang. Later in January, Yannick will lead Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 from the harpsichord and will conduct Mahler’s Symphony No. 6.
Although we are celebrating Maestros Dutoit and Nézet-Séguin, you can also look forward to concerts led by such esteemed conductors as Simon Rattle, Christoph Eschenbach, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Vladimir Jurowski, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Herbert Blomstedt, Gianandrea Noseda, James Conlon, Jaap van Zweden, David Zinman, Marin Alsop, and Gilbert Varga!
In addition, conductors Robin Ticciati, Nicola Luisotti, and James Gaffigan will make their Philadelphia Orchestra debuts this season.
If you’re a pianist, or just love to hear piano music, mark your calendars for the concerts featuring Maurizio Pollini, Lang Lang, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Leif Ove Andsnes, Stewart Goodyear, and Nikolaï Lugansky.
Another highlight is that, throughout the season, the Orchestra will perform several works by Beethoven. However, January will mark the most concentrated month of Beethoven performances by the Orchestra!
Throughout the year, I will post tidbits about the concerts that I look forward to the most.
In the meantime, which concerts are you waiting for? Comment below!
—Amalya Lehmann
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