The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra opens their 2008-2009 season with "Roots" on Saturday, September 20th in the Michigan Theater at 8 pm. The Orchestra is celebrating its 80th Season with a series of six celebratory concerts between September and April. This is the final concert that will record the music of Paul Fetler for the A2SO's first commercial CD, on the Naxos label.
Thomas Blaske will narrate Fetler's Three Poems by Walt Whitman. Pianist Louis Nagel will perform the rich and raw Piano Concerto by Maurice Ravel. The final piece on the program will be Dvořák's Symphony No. 8, which honors his Bohemian roots. This concert is generously sponsored by Borders and Comerica Bank, with additional support from the MCACA.
Paul Fetler's Three Poems by Walt Whitman was completed in 1976, in commemoration of America's bicentennial. Set for narrator and full orchestra, the piece utilizes two poems from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and one entitled Drum Taps, which was written as a memoir of the poet's volunteer work caring for wounded Civil War soldiers. The first movement conveys a nocturnal ambience that builds to a climax and resolves quietly. The second movement virtually shouts the apocalypse of war in aggressive rhythms and sharp dynamics. The third and final movement is a gentle hymn calling for childlike innocence to return. The piece had its Michigan premiere with the Ann Arbor Symphony, in April 2006.
All ticket holders are invited to join Maestro Lipsky and composer Fetler at 7 pm for a free discussion of the evening's program.
Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major was written in 1932 as a virtuosic work for himself, however ill health prevented him from performing it. The strong classical form of the piece is shown in the sonata format of the first and third movements. However, it has a modern feel and flair with a raw intensity ordinarily found in Stravinsky, vibrant rhythmic elements and a dense sound. The final Presto movement is a tour-de-force for the pianist.
Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 in G major (op. 88) is a cheerful homage to Bohemian folk music that Dvořák loved as a child. Set in four movements, the piece features individual wind instruments like flute, clarinets and trumpets. The first movement alternates between cheery sections alternating with low minor sections. The second movement is quiet and contented, with a pastoral feel. The third movement of the symphony, set mostly as a waltz, offers the same warmth and grace of the other movements. The fourth and final movement is a turbulent set of variations that builds to the middle, modulating between minor and major keys until it ends chromatically with brass and timpani.
Louis Nagel is a graduate of The Juilliard School of Music and student of Rosina Lhevinne and Josef Raieff and has been performing before the public for over 50 years. He has played and taught at the University of Michigan since 1969 and has made appearances at Texas Tech, Bowling Green (Ohio) University and Emory and Henry (Virginia) University. Of special note is the ongoing series traversing the entire trio literature of Beethoven, in partnership with colleagues Stephen Shipps (former concertmaster of the A2SO) and Anthony Elliott (featured soloist in the A2SO's upcoming April 2009 concert). In 1995 he recorded a CD—FOUR CENTURIES OF J.S.BACH—for the Equilibrium label and in 2006 a CD of Haydn and C.P.E. Bach for the University's M Block label.
His activities at the School of Music include teaching piano performance, piano literature, chamber music and directing Outreach in the Performing Arts. Louis Nagel is winner of numerous prestigious prizes including the National Arts Club, National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Geneva International Competition. He is a Steinway Artist.
Piano teachers and students are eligible to receive a 50% discount on any $24-$47 ticket to Roots by calling the A²SO 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 Roots 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. The Symphony also offers a new college rate: college students may pay $15 a ticket and will be placed in the best available seats on the day of the performance. This means that college students may be placed in $47 seats or $10 seats based upon ticket sales to that point.
"Roots" begins at 8 pm on Saturday, September 20th at the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor. Tickets range from $10 to $47 and are available by calling 734/994-4801, visiting the A²SO office at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, M-F 8 am to 5 pm and the day of the concert from 9 am to 1 pm, 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 off for senior citizens, $8 off for children 12 and under, and $4 off for middle and high school students with ID. This season, the A2SO is introducing a new ticket price for college students: $15 buys a college student the best seat in the house on the night of a concert; the ticket holder finds out which seat they have gotten on the night of the performance. Also available in advance are $26 Dead Composers Society tickets for young professionals ages 21-39. -- www.a2so.com
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
