Romantic Masterpieces
Guest Artist: Livia Sohn, Violin
For the first orchestral spectacular of The Golden Season, Maestro Schram has chosen a program of European and American MasterWorks which invoke in every way the exceptional artistry of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. The performance includes the string imagery of Wager's Overture to Die Meistersinger...Mozart's ebullient Symphony No. 29... the exciting, familiar pulse of Bernstein's brilliant Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story"... and the virtuosic dynamism of Peck's The Glory and the Grandeur. The dramatic interpretation of this gifted American composer by the LSO percussion section can only be described as one for the memory books!
Audiences will be thrilled by the LSO's intensely beautiful orchestral interpretation of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony, and by the sheer romance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor as performed by violin sensation, Vivia Sohn. Only 18 now, Ms. Sohn first performed this work at 12, the age at which she won the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. She has appeared with the Boston Pops at Chicago's Ravinia Festival, and with symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. Internationally she has performed in Europe, Korea, and the Middle East. Ms. Sohn currently studies in New York, where she also coaches chamber music at The Juilliard School.
At the heart of this compelling program -- between Liszt's famous Second Rhapsody and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, -- is Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Be there when Colombian native and guitar virtuoso Ricardo Cobo joins Maestro Schram and the LSO in a brilliant interpretation of this unique concerto for guitar. Mr. Cobo is the first Latin American to win the annual International Competition of the Guitar Foundation of America. He has toured extensively in the U.S. and makes annual return tours of South America, appearing with all the major orchestras. Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra is one of the great 20th Century masterpieces. It will explode with the forceful artistry of our own LSO musicians.
You will delight in Schumann's gifts for melody and drama captured in his Fourth Symphony...and adore the colorful rendering of Tchaikovsky's Italian Caprice by the LSO and the Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra! You will also find Khachaturian's exuberance in his torrid Piano Concerto matched note for note by Lubbock's own great pianist William Westney. Mr. Westney, a New Yorker holds his Masters and Ph.D. from Yale. He was also a Fulbright scholar, and has performed in solo recitals throughout the U.S., in Europe and in Asia. He is now a Professor and Browning Artist-in Residence at Texas Tech.
March 29 & 30, 1996
Guest Artists: Edith Davis, Wendy Hillhouse, Stuart Skelton, William Rhodes, and First United Methodist Church Chancel Choir -- Gordon McMillan, Director
Verdi's magnificent Requiem Mass is one of the greatest choral/orchestral compositions ever created. Joining the LSO in a stirring performance of this opus will be four world-class vocalists -- Edit Davis, Wendy Hillhouse, Stuart Skelton and William Rhodes -- and the imposing Chancel Choir from the First United Methodist Church. In addition to the marvelous choral ensemble, another memorable highlight will be the "Day of Judgment" -- to be announced from the balcony by a brass choir. The coalescence of so many talented sources will make this a powerful MasterWorks concert.
May 10 & 11, 1996 Guest Artist: Andre Watts, Piano
The fun of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro Overture, the "miracle" of Haydn's 96th Symphony and the rakishness of Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel meet the LSO at center stage for the rousing finale of The Golden Season. Joining the orchestra will be the legendary Andre Watts, performing Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto! Since his debut at 16 with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, this superstar now performs each year with great orchestras and conductors all over the world. TV appearances, recordings and concerts have endeared him to millions. The keyboard magic he demonstrates shows you why.
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