MSU Symphony Orchestra announces 2010-11 season
Contact: Kathleen Adams, (517) 353-9958, adamsk10@msu.edu
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra announces its 2010-11 season, which promises an exciting, diverse repertoire and renowned guest artists – all notable soloists who perform with major orchestras.
Maestro Leon Gregorian, music director-conductor of MSU orchestras, promises high quality performances from the 110-member ensemble made up of the top student musicians in the College of Music.
“When people come and hear this orchestra play,” Gregorian says, “if they close their eyes, they will not know that young people are playing. We don’t play miniatures. We play the same repertoire that the big orchestras in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Boston play. We may have more rehearsals, but that’s the advantage of being a first-class university ensemble. We certainly have the talent.”
The diverse repertoire includes classics by Beethoven, Debussy, Bartok, Brahms, and Saint-Saëns as well as two world premiere concertos.
MSU Symphony Orchestra lineup includes:
Concert 4: Saturday, February 5, 2011, 8 p.m., Wharton Center, Raphael Jimenez, conductor Featuring early 20th century music, this concert will show the audience where the romantic period ends and the 20th century period begins. Debussy’s Prélude à L’après – midi d’un faune, inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem, is like listening to an impressionist painting, says Greogorian. One of Debussy's most famous works, it is considered a turning point in the history of music.
Pianists Deborah Moriarty and George Vatchnadze along with percussionists Gwen Burgett Thrasher and Jon Weber will join the orchestra for Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra by Bartok. Full of folk elements, dancing rhythms, and showing Bartok’s passion for nationalism, this work was first written as a sonata in 1937 but was orchestrated in 1940 in hopes of attracting a larger audience.
The 1947 version of Petrushka by Stravinsky, the music from the famous Russian ballet, tells the story of a straw puppet that comes to life. Written for a large orchestra, Stravinsky’s music is full of emotion and a strong sense of fantasy.
Tickets for each of the previously listed concerts are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors; they can be purchased at the door 30 minutes before the event or at 102 Music Building during business hours. Admission is free for students with ID and anyone under 18 years of age.
