The
Classics
*German
Heritage*
Saturday, October 2nd,
2010
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8pm
Wagner — Tannhäuser Overture
Schumann — Piano Concerto in a Minor
Alon Goldstein, Soloist
Brahms — Symphony No. 1 in C Minor
Wagner’s 1845 opera Tannhäuser is a wealth of
music—and revisions. There are versions without ballet, with
a ballet, and with various sections added or deleted. The
soaring Tannhäuser Overture is often performed as a separate
concert piece, with a slightly different ending from the
version heard in opera performances. Schumann’s Piano
Concerto, also premiered in 1845, was based on an earlier
composition; his wife, Clara, suggested that he expand it
into a full three-movement work with orchestra. Brahms’
first symphony was long-anticipated by his friends and
supporters - long, in this case, from preliminary sketches
in 1854 to a first performance in 1877! It has long been
noted that Brahms felt the heavy mantle of Beethoven’s
reputation as he composed, and repeatedly revised, this
masterpiece.
*Reflections*
Saturday, November
13th,
2010
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8pm
Williams — Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
Strauss — Four Last Songs
Inna Dukach, Soprano
Mussorgsky (arr. Ravel) — Pictures at an Exhibition
The Welsh composer Grace Williams was an extremely private
person, turning down an O.B.E. recognition for her service
to music, and working in relative obscurity for much of her
career. Her works have enjoyed a revival in recent years;
we’ll be hearing one of her more popular compositions.
Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs,” a 1948 composition
written for the immortal Kirsten Flagstad, is a final nod to
his lush, late compositional style. This setting of four
poems has not been performed by the RSO since the 1990s.
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition has long been a
concert staple, as orchestrated by Maurice Ravel in 1923.
“Pictures,” as it’s simply known, is the finest
example of musical imagery of art work. The solo trumpet
will lead us all in a promenade through an art gallery.
*Brio*
Saturday, January
22nd, 2011
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8pm
Jonathan Carney — Violin Soloist and Guest Conductor
Elgar — Serenade for Strings
Mozart — Violin Concerto No. 5 in a Major “turkish”
Mendelssohn — Symphony No. 4 in a Major “Italian”
The RSO welcomes Jonathan Carney to the
stage as both soloist and guest conductor—the first such
pairing in the RSO’s ninety-eight year history! Elgar’s
Serenade for Strings, an 1892 composition, was originally
composed for a ladies’ orchestral class; since 1896, though,
it has become a staple of regular orchestral performances.
Mozart’s “Turkish” concerto,
the last of his five violin concerti, derives its name from
loud Turkish melodies in the last movement, interspersed
with quieter passages. Mendelssohn’s fourth symphony, the
“Italian,” is a boisterous work that derived from an
extensive tour of Europe. As Mendelssohn noted, “It will be
the jolliest piece I have ever done, especially the last
movement.” We believe
you’ll agree!
*A
Different View*
Saturday, March
5th, 2011
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8pm
Einojuhani Rautavaara — Suite for Strings
Rodrigo — Concerto de aranjuez
Jason Vieaux, Guitar
Haydn — Symphony No. 104 in D Major
“London”
Our concert begins with what must be an unfamiliar work to
most concert-goers Rautavaara’s Suite for Strings. Rest
assured that this student of the American masters Copland
and Persichetti will deliver a melodic, thrilling and
memorable composition. At age
82, he is still composing actively. Rodrigo’s Concerto de
Aranjuez is probably the most famous classical guitar work
of the twentieth century. Excerpts of this 1939 composition,
especially the second movement, often appear in film,
television and commercials. From the 20th century back to
the 18th—the concert concludes with Haydn’s final symphony,
the “London.” This 1795 work was the twelfth in a series of
symphonies composed for London engagements—a highly
lucrative time for the composer.
*Heroes*
Saturday, April
16th, 2011
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8pm
Mendelssohn — Overture to “a Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Miaskovsky — Cello Concerto
Amit Peled, cello
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”
Mendelssohn’s Overture to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was
originally composed as a concert overture. The rest of the
music as we know it—including the famous wedding march—was
composed much later, toward the end of his brief life.
Miaskovsky was a great friend of Prokofiev, a fellow student
in the Moscow Conservatory. Many of their works contained
similar themes; in fact, they wrote a symphony together
(which has, unfortunately, been lost). We conclude the
concert with a performance of Beethoven’s great Eroica
symphony, a work not performed by the RSO since the early
2000s. This is part of the ongoing RSO performance of the
Beethoven symphonies, begun with Maestro Constantine last
season.
*Symphonic
Dances*
Saturday, May 14th,
2011
Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8pm
Weber — Invitation to the Dance
Grieg — Symphonic Dances
Rachmaninoff — Symphonic Dances
Get ready for dance rhythms in music. The evening begins
with Carl Maria von Weber’s famed “Invitation to the Dance,”
one of the most popular concert pieces (that was
subsequently orchestrated by Hector Berlioz). In the
twentieth century, the great conductor Felix Weingartner
also orchestrated the piece; his 1920s recording of the
orchestration was a staple of record catalogs for years.
Grieg’s Symphonic Dances,
an 1896 composition, had their origins in the folk music
compiled by Ludvig Lindeman. Considering the popularity of
other important Grieg compositions, including his piano
concerto and the Peer Gynt suite, this promises to be
another favorite with Reading audiences. We conclude the
season with a work of maturity—in fact, the final major
orchestral work by the great Sergei Rachmaninoff. This 1940
work, completed three years before his death, was first
performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene
Ormandy’s direction and Rachmaninoff’s supervision.
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