Peter Oundjian looks to top his first season as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor when he takes the podium for the DSO's opening concerts of the 2007-08 season.
A festive party atmosphere will make the Max M. Fisher Music Center the place to be for the performances, sponsored by Somerset Collection. Oundjian (UND-jin) and eminent pianist Emanuel Ax join the DSO for a weekend celebration featuring the red carpet treatment for guests and champagne receptions. Oundjian will lead the Orchestra in Tcahaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 as Ax tackles Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor." The program also includes Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 4. The concerts take place on Thursday, September 13 at 8 p.m.; Friday, September 14 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, September 15 at 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, September 16 at 3 p.m. in Orchestra Hall at The Max.
For the opening of the new season, the DSO pulls out all stops during a special weekend designed to thank the public for their patronage. Each of the four concert audiences will be welcomed back in style with doormen in top hats, spotlights, champagne toasts and complimentary light refreshments. Models from Somerset Collection will be strolling throughout The Max during the weekend, showcasing jewelry and holding musical instruments. Music from the DSO's Civic Youth Ensembles will serenade the crowd before each concert.
This is the first DSO season created in consultation with Peter Oundjian. He will lead a total of four weeks of concerts in Orchestra Hall, while continuing to make regular visits to Detroit to help direct the Orchestra on artistic issues. He is also Artistic Director of the DSO's acclaimed 8 Days in June; a unique new festival launched this past summer that challenges traditional ideas about classical music and the role of symphony orchestras today. Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since the 2004-05 season, Oundjian is a major presence in the orchestral world. His probing musicality, collaborative spirit and engaging personality have earned him accolades and continuing relationships with many international ensembles including the Tonhalle in Zurich, Radio Philharmonique in Paris and the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, St. Louis and Houston Symphonies. He is also Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York. For three years, through 2005-06, he served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Colorado Symphony. His collaborative nature and vision for the orchestra of the 21st century make him a perfect addition to the DSO leadership team.
The son of two concentration camp survivors, pianist Emanuel Ax first made a name for himself when, at age 25, he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel. His career has thrived since that time. He has won multiple Grammy Awards for his recordings of the Haydn Piano Sonatas. His recent performances included separate recital tours with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Yefim Bronfman. As a duo, Ax and Ma have won several Grammy Awards for Beethoven and Brahms sonatas on cello and piano. In 2006-07, Ax contributed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to a series of chamber and orchestral programs centered around Mozart and Strauss works.
Composer Joan Tower wrote Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 4 as a response to Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man. This is the fourth of five fanfares by Tower offering tributes to women who are adventurers and risk-takers. Each was dedicated to an inspiring individual - No. 4 to conductor Joann Valletta. Tower uses complex rhythmic motives with colorful outbursts, which are in contrast to Copland's strident and majestic piece. Acclaimed as "one of the most successful woman composers of all time" in The New Yorker magazine, Joan Tower was the first woman ever to receive the Grawemeyer Award in Composition in 1990.
Dedicated to the Archduke Rudolf Habsburg of Austria, Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor," was the last of Beethoven's piano concerti, written 18 years before the composer's death. The nickname was not original to the work as Beethoven had little regard for emperors. It was likely added by Johann Baptist Cramer, pianist and longtime friend of Beethoven. Written in the key of E-flat major, the 'Emperor" Concerto has an air of heroism that can be heard throughout the piece. This heroic nature is perhaps best exemplified in the 20-minute Allegro, where it seems the piano and the orchestra are going to war - with the piano emerging victorious.
"I adore terribly this child of mine; it is only a few works with which I have not experienced disappointment … this is my best symphonic work," said Tchaikovsky of his Symphony No. 4, which was written during his brief marriage to conservatory student Antonina Milyukova. Despite unfavorable reviews after its debut, Symphony No. 4 is one of the most popular pieces from the late 19th century. Dedicated to the composer's patroness and friend Madame Nadezhda von Meck, the work hinges on the "fate" motive, recalling the opening theme from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. It is an emotional rollercoaster, ranging from happiness to haplessness. The piece has been sampled several times in popular music, including a snippet on Pink Floyd's classic 1975 album, Wish You Were Here. -- www.detroitsymphony.com
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