WORLD PREMIERE: WILLIAM HILL’S “THE RAVEN”
FRIDAY, MARCH 27 & SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 7:30PM
David Lockington, conductor
Peter Cooper, oboe
Colorado Symphony Chorus; Duain Wolfe, director
ERIC EWAZEN Down a River of Time
STRAVINSKY Suite from The Firebird (1919)
WILLIAM HILL The Raven
The Suite from The Firebird is one of Stravinsky’s most popular works, featuring lush musical colors. You also won’t want to miss the world premiere of Colorado Symphony Principal Timpanist William Hill’s homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, featuring the Colorado Symphony Chorus. The program begins with Principal Oboist Peter Cooper performing Down a River of Time, a piece for oboe and strings by Eric Ewazen. Down a River of Time is a heartbreakingly beautiful and intensely emotional piece that sets the tone for an unforgettable evening featuring two of the Colorado Symphony’s powerhouse principal talents.
NATASHA PAREMSKI PLAYS BRAHMS
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 7:30 PM; SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 1 PM
Douglas Boyd, conductor
Natasha Paremski, piano
WEBERN Fünf Sätze (Five Movements) for Orchestra, Op. 5
SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15
An examination of the First and Second Viennese Schools of composition, this program features audience favorite Natasha Paremski performing her favorite piece for piano, Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1. The evening opens with a unique strings-only first half, featuring Schoenberg’s Verklerte Nacht, often regarded as the most beautiful work of the Abstract Expressionist movement.
SYMPHONIC FIRSTS AND YUMI HWANG-WILLIAMS
FRIDAY, APRIL 17 & SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 7:30 PM; SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 1 PM
Cristian Macelaru, conductor
Yumi Hwang-Williams, violin
HAYDN Symphony No. 1 in D major
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Cristian Macelaru, currently assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, makes his Colorado Symphony debut with this Masteworks program. Concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams performs Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, one of the most important works of the violin concerto repertoire.
ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 7:30 PM
Growing up in the Zappa family home, Dweezil Zappa marveled at his father’s virtuoso skills as a composer and guitarist. After his father’s passing he was inspired to do something to honor his father. Feeling as though there was a generational gap and a fair amount of public confusion as to what his father’s music really was, Dweezil set about creating an opportunity for music fans to make a new discovery. Not satisfied with the generic journalistic descriptions that had been applied over the years or the accidental default association of “novelty act” he earned by way of the casual radio exposure of songs like “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” and “Valley Girl,” Dweezil Zappa decided it was time for a change. He wanted to expose core fans as well as a potential new generation of fans to his father’s compositions in a way that would give them a balanced perspective of the totality of Frank Zappa’s work. If “Zappa Plays Zappa” was to become a conduit for a new generation of people discovering Frank Zappa’s music then Dweezil wanted to do his best so that very little could be lost in translation.
THE NEW SCHOOL OF COMPOSITION
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 7:30 PM
Scott O’Neil, conductor
Join us for an exploration of today’s fast-rising stars in the composition world. Come see an evening featuring Tracy Silverman performing Nico Muhly’s concerto for electric violin, Seeing is Believing, and other works by today’s most innovative composers. Discover what makes these composers unique, exciting, and unforgettable.
MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 5
THURSDAY, APRIL 30 & FRIDAY, MAY 1, 7:30 PM; SUNDAY, MAY 3, 1 PM
Andrew Litton, conductor
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 99
MAHLER Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is an intense, alluring work that is at times sublime and haunting. Music Director Andrew Litton is joined by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, often regarded as the champion of this great work. The program closes with one of Mahler’s most popular symphonies, creating an experience that is simultaneously powerful and emotional.
VICTOR WOOTEN’S CONCERTO FOR ELECTRIC BASS
SATURDAY, MAY 9, 7:30 PM; SUNDAY, MAY 10, 1 PM
Scott O’Neil, conductor
Victor Wooten, electric bass
PAT METHENY/ O’NEIL First Circle
PAT METHENY/ O’NEIL Minuano
JOSEPH SCHWANTNER New Morning for the World
CONNI ELLISOR/VICTOR WOOTEN The Bass Whisperer – Concerto for Electric Bass and Orchestra
Five-time Grammy® winner and long-time member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor Wooten joins the Colorado Symphony in a program you won’t want to miss. Wooten breaks new ground with The Bass Whisperer – Concerto for Electric Bass and Orchestra, co-written with renowned Colorado-bred composer Conni Ellisor. Co-commissioned by the Colorado Symphony, this piece will be premiered by a select group of orchestras. In his final Masterworks program as Resident Conductor, Scott O’Neil will showcase his talent for orchestration with his arrangements of two works by Pat Metheny. The Colorado Symphony is thrilled to again collaborate with the dancers of Wonderbound, who join the musicians on stage in this eclectic program.
TICKETS:
Tickets are available online at [http://www.coloradosymphony.org,]www.coloradosymphony.org, by phone on 303.623.7876, and in person at the Boettcher Concert Hall Box Office, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1000 14th Street. The Box Office is open Mon-Friday fro 10 am – 6 pm, Sat noon-6 pm, and two hours prior to each performance.
CONTACTS:
To request interviews, contact Parker Owens, Director of Marketing, powens@coloradosymphony.org, 303-308-2498.
To request review tickets, contact Susan Kelly, Director of Patron Sales, skelly@coloradosymphony.org, 303-308-2497.
For high-resolution, downloadable images, visit coloradosymphony.org/media
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ABOUT THE COLORADO SYMPHONY
One of the leading orchestras in the United States, the Colorado Symphony performs more than 150 concerts annually at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver and across Colorado. Led by internationally renowned Music Director Andrew Litton, the Colorado Symphony is home to eighty full-time musicians, representing more than a dozen nations, and regularly welcomes the most celebrated artists from the world of symphonic music and beyond. Every season, the Colorado Symphony serves more than 250,000 people from all walks of life, performing a range of musical styles, from traditional to contemporary. Recognized as an incubator of innovation, creativity, and excellence, the Colorado Symphony continually expands its reach through education, outreach, and programming. The Colorado Symphony partners with the state’s leading musical artists, cultural organizations, corporations, foundations, sports teams, and individuals to expose diverse audiences to the transformative power of music. To learn more, visit coloradosymphony.org.