The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra continues their 2007-2008 season with Heroes on Saturday, December 8 in the Michigan Theater at 8 pm. The concert is cosponsored by Campbell Industries and Pfizer.
The concert continues a season full of local connections and collaborations— Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Sarah Cleveland and Yizhak Schotten portray Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Strauss’ Don Quixote. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra continues its performances of the complete Beethoven cycle with the famous “Eroica,” the Symphony No. 3. Napoleon Bonaparte’s shadow looms large in this glorious and vigorous symphony.
Strauss’s Tone Poem Don Quixote is a set of variations on a group of several melodies. We meet Don Quixote in the opening measures played by the cello. Sancho Panza is portrayed by the viola. Even Dulcinea has a part in this musical story, this time sung by the oboe. All based on Miguel de Cervante’s tale, this Strauss piece distills the epic to ten of Quixote’s exploits. This performance will feature surtitles, which will guide the listener through the events of the tone poem.
Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony was new for its time: It was bold, fiery, and shouted to the world that a piece of symphonic music could convey beliefs and ideas. The Eroica is one of the most analyzed pieces of music in the orchestral repertoire. Stories abound of the utter disappointment Beethoven had in his former hero, Napoleon, scratching his name so hard from the manuscript that a hole was created, and ridges and bumps went through several pages.
All ticket holders are invited to join Maestro Lipsky at 7 pm for a discussion of the evening’s program.
Sarah Cleveland has been principal cellist of the Ann Arbor Symphony since 1996, and sits in the Sundelson Endowed Principal Cello Chair. She has served as principal of the Flint and Toledo Symphonies and the Toledo Opera Orchestra, and appears regularly with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings. Ms. Cleveland is the founder and artistic director of SCStrings, an ensemble of string players that performs for concerts and events.
Yizhak Schotten has been called "one of America's finest viola players...a leading light of the U.S. viola establishment" by STRAD Magazine. He has soloed extensively with orchestras around the world and has had numerous broadcasts on National Public Radio. A former member of the Boston, Cincinnati and Houston Symphony Orchestras and an exchange artist with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, he has been on the University of Michigan School of Music faculty since 1985. He has recorded for Crystal Records. Schotten will be signing his CDs in the lobby after the concert.
Cello and viola teachers and students are eligible to receive a 50% discount on any $24-$45 ticket to Heroes by calling the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra office, 734/994-4801. Additional tickets for friends and family are available at regular prices. Students from Pioneer and Huron High Schools are invited to attend Heroes at no cost. Call 734/994-4801 to reserve tickets or show school ID at the door the day of the concert starting at 6 pm.
Heroes begins at 8 pm on Saturday, December 8 in the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor. Tickets range from $10 to $45 and are available by calling 734/994-4801, visiting the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra office at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, M-F 9 am to 5 pm, and the day of the concert from 9 am to 1 pm. Tickets are also available online at www.a2so.com or at the Michigan Theater box office starting at 6 pm the day of the concert. Discounts on tickets include $2 for senior citizens, $8 for children 12 and under and $4 for students with an ID. Also available in advance are $26 Dead Composers Society tickets for young professionals ages 21-39. Half-price rush tickets are available to students with an ID at the door the day of the concert starting at 6 pm. -- www.a2so.com
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