What better atmosphere for tonight's reading than the symphony? The concert I attended was entitled "An Italian Journey" and featured music from the Baroque to 20th Century eras that evoked the sights and sounds of Italy. From Monteverdi to Vivaldi, Verdi, Rossini, Mendelssohn and Nino Rota, the selections included some very well-known composers and musical compositions. Rossini's William Tell Overture has been used in cartoons and commercials and Nino Rota has written music for numerous film scores, with Romeo and Juliet being featured here.
While listening to this beautiful music, I was able to peruse the new brochure featuring next season's offerings. I was pleased to see the return of this year's highly successful Cirque de la Symphonie, a concert where circus acrobats, some from Cirque du Soleil, performed daring acts accompanied by inspiring music played by the orchestra. The Youth Orchestra played side by side with the symphony musicians at this concert and then was able to watch the rest of the show from the front row of the audience. They were enthralled. The combination of visual and aural created a breathtaking performance.
Of course, seeing my favourite violinist, James Ehnes, returning again next season, immediately caused an outburst on my part. I can't wait for September to hear him play again, this time in a gala concert featuring Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Beethoven Romance No. 1 and works by Massenet and Kreisler. There is even a dinner, live auction and dance after the concert which may be a little too expensive for me to attend. I'm more interested in hearing him play.
Of interest is a rendition of Frankenstein, narrated by Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) who presented The Composer is Dead a couple of years ago. It is now out in book form accompanied by a CD. This piece is described as "H. K. Gruber's pandemonium - a modern classic with a warped vision of childhood that is strange, hilarious and unexpectedly touching." Sounds intriguing! Daniel Handler has such a dry wit laden with sarcasm that I find him perfectly hilarious.
The Pops series features many interesting additions, including Bugs Bunny at the symphony, which is sure to draw young and old alike. Classical music is often used successfully in cartoons and this concert will feature video along with a live orchestra performance. Other notable concerts in this series include a Red Carpet Oscar Party, with music from many Academy Award Winning films as well as the 2011 winning soundtrack; Classical Comedy, narrated by conductor/comedian Rainer Hersch who conducts pieces such as William Tell Overture and Pachelbel's Canon with a special comedic twist; A Fiddler's Take on the Symphony featuring fiddle champion Frank Leahy; an evening of Frank Sinatra music; and Symphony in Space featuring the music of Star Trek, Star Wars and other sci-fi favourites. It's obvious the symphony is trying to attract a broader audience with these wonderful selections.
As Plato once said, "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." I hope more people will be attracted to the symphony with the amazing selection of music and soloists planned for the new season.
No comments:
Post a Comment