The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, led by legendary Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky, will perform the third concert of its "Great 9's" series, Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9, the last weekend in February. Also known as "The Great," Schubert's final composition was one of length and majesty written in a burst of creative activity just prior to his death at age 31, and it is widely considered the height of his orchestral accomplishments.
These concerts will also include Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1 as well as Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring pianist Viktoria Postnikova and the DSO's own Principal Trumpet Ramon Parcells. The performances take place in Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Friday, February 29 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 1 at 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m.
The superstitions surrounding a composer's ninth symphony began with the biggest of them all: Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. The sublime quality of this eternal masterpiece has as its subtext the tragic irony of the composer's total deafness when he created this last, triumphant work. Following in his footsteps would be composers fearing both comparison to Beethoven's artistic pinnacle and the looming "curse of the ninth." The series of six "Great 9's" represent each composer's swan song symphony, and they have all remained timeless standouts in the world's repertoire. Already performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra this season were the "Ninth" symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Antonin Dvoak. Upcoming "Ninth" concerts include Schubert, Anton Bruckner (April 17-19) and Gustav Mahler (May 16-18) culminating in the grand season finale of Beethoven's "Ninth" (May 29-June 1) led by DSO Principal Guest Conductor Peter Oundjian.
Symphony No. 9, composed in the last months of Schubert's life, was first reviewed by the Vienna Philharmonic Society, which decided the work was too long and difficult for a public performance. Because Schubert was unable to provide funds for the performance of his most magnificent composition, he was never able to hear the piece performed. In 1839, 10 years after his death, "The Great" 9th Symphony finally received the recognition it deserved and was premiered by Felix Mendelssohn in Leipzig, Germany. Innovative in development, Schubert veers from the traditional Beethoven symphony and puts additional emphasis on the melodic lines in his work. Schubert also liberates the trombone orchestration from its usual scarce roles by writing more substantial and significant parts for the section.
Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky made his debut at age 20 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow conducting Tchaikovsky's famous ballet, The Sleeping Beauty. This performance began his long-term association with that theatre. As Principal Conductor and later General Music Director, Rozhdestvensky conducted more than 30 operas and ballets at the Bolshoi. He premiered the works of many Soviet composers as well as the Russian debut of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Rozhdestvensky has also conducted many of the world's greatest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his conducting work, Rozhdestvensky took on an editing project for the second volume of the collected works of Shostakovich and published it in 1984.
Highlighted in Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto is Russian pianist and wife of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Viktoria Postnikova. She is known for her wide range of repertoire, including many international works. Postnikova began studying music at age 6 at the Moscow Central Music School and made her public debut at the age of 7 performing a Mozart concerto. She has performed with international orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the London orchestras and has made appearances in the United States with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony and Chicago Symphony. Postnikova has won several piano competitions including the International Chopin Competition, the Leeds International Piano Competition and the Fourth Tchaikovsky Competition. In 2004 she was awarded the Russian "Peoples Artist Award." One of Postnikova's greatest accomplishments thus far is her recording of Tchaikovsky's complete piano works.
Joining Viktoria Postnikova in the concerto is Detroit Symphony Orchestra member Ramon Parcells. He joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1982 as principal trumpet and after holding the same position with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for 12 years. In addition to solo appearances at the DSO, Parcells has performed with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Santa Fe Opera. He has also served on the faculties of the University of Manitoba, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the University of Michigan. -- www.detroitsymphony.com
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