HARTFORD, January 9, 2012 – To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will perform a Masterworks Series program dedicated to romance and drama on Thursday, February 9 – Sunday, February 12, 2012 at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. Led by guest conductor Alexander Mickelthwate, these concerts will feature a Beethoven masterpiece- his Fifth Symphony- as well as Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the North American premiere of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet for Viola and Orchestra featuring renowned violist Gilad Karni.
The program will open with the Prelude to Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersinger of Nuremberg), which tells the story of a song contest set in the 16th century town of Nürnberg. Wagner captures this timeless tale of chivalry and romance in his Prelude through enchanting melodies and expansive brass chorales. Next, award-winning violist Gilad Karni will join the HSO for the North American premiere of Borisovsky’s arrangement of Prokofiev’s beloved ballet, Romeo and Juliet, for solo viola and orchestra. This arrangement highlights six scenes from the ballet – Introduction, The Street Wakens, The Young Juliet, Dance of the Knights, Balcony Scene, and Mercutio – and utilizes the rich, powerful sound of the viola to express the romance and tragedy of this classic love story. The second half of the concert will feature Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Known for its famous opening gesture, this symphony captivates the listener from beginning to end as it travels from the dark, oppressive opening movement through to the uplifting, energizing finale.
Recognized as one of the most exciting young conductors of his generation, Alexander Mickelthwate is the Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his “splendid, richly idiomatic readings” (LA Weekly), “fearless” approach and “first-rate technique” (Los Angeles Times), the German-born conductor has led the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, Oregon, Toronto, San Antonio, New York, and Brooklyn among others.
Violist Gilad Karni played the world premiere of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet arranged for viola and orchestra in May 2009 with the Berlin Symphony; he played the South American premiere with the Bogota Philharmonic later that year. Karni was the First Prize winner of the 1994 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and Third Prize at the ARD Munich and has in the Kaposvar Dubrovnik Festival, Bastad and Lapland Festivals, Festival PRO Davos, and Music Festival Kuhmo, as well as the Aspen, Newport, and Bellingham Festivals.
CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO MASTERWORKS SERIES: BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH
with Alexander Mickelthwate, guest conductor; Gilad Karni, viola
Thursday February 9, 2012 │ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 10, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 11, 2012 │ 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 12, 2012 │ 3:00 p.m.
Belding Theater │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor; Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet for Viola and Orchestra; Richard Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Ticket Information: Tickets range in price from $35.50-$70.50. Student tickets are $10. On Saturday, February 11, $25 tickets are available for patrons age 40 and under. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.
These concerts are presented in part by the Alexander Campbell McNally Memorial Fund. The 2011-2012 Masterworks Series is presented by MetLife Foundation and The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, with additional concert support from Artio Global Investors and Hartford Hospital. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.