LUCO concert on Saturday, October 14th
Fall has arrived, and with it, orchestra season. This season, LUCO is going with two themes for all of our concerts:
- Piano concertos
- Shakespeare
So everything we play is going to either be a piano concerto, a piece that has something to do with one of Shakespeare's plays, or... both? (There's actually nothing on the program this season that does both, but if you know about a Shakespeare-themed piano concerto, I'd love to hear about it).
For our first concert, we have the following:
Suites from The Tempest - Sibelius - Well, when I think of Sibelius, I think of soaring, open landscapes and fjords, so I wasn't sure how this was going to relate to a play about some folks who get stuck on an island for like eleven years. This is a very character-driven suite, which is great, because The Tempest is full of excellent characters. There's Caliban, the pathetic, fearsome, and fearful monster-man. There's Miranda, a lovely, beguiling young lady who is just learning about everything outside the island she's been stuck on for her whole life (How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!). There's Ariel the crafty spirit and Prospero, the noble and wise magician. There's also the sea, which definitely qualifies as a character in this suite, in my mind. If you have pre-concieved Sibelius notions, come dash them against the rocks of this suite.
I think it's worth mentioning that there is one movement of this suite that I wish did not exist. Try and spot it.
Othello Overture - Dvorak - The best thing about this is its melodrama, which is excellent and very topical (or so I understand- Othello is one of the few Shakespeare plays I've never actually seen). It feels like a film score for an epic swashbuckling drama, and has lots of John Williams moments, as well as some of this.
For our first concert, we have the following:
Suites from The Tempest - Sibelius - Well, when I think of Sibelius, I think of soaring, open landscapes and fjords, so I wasn't sure how this was going to relate to a play about some folks who get stuck on an island for like eleven years. This is a very character-driven suite, which is great, because The Tempest is full of excellent characters. There's Caliban, the pathetic, fearsome, and fearful monster-man. There's Miranda, a lovely, beguiling young lady who is just learning about everything outside the island she's been stuck on for her whole life (How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!). There's Ariel the crafty spirit and Prospero, the noble and wise magician. There's also the sea, which definitely qualifies as a character in this suite, in my mind. If you have pre-concieved Sibelius notions, come dash them against the rocks of this suite.
I think it's worth mentioning that there is one movement of this suite that I wish did not exist. Try and spot it.
Othello Overture - Dvorak - The best thing about this is its melodrama, which is excellent and very topical (or so I understand- Othello is one of the few Shakespeare plays I've never actually seen). It feels like a film score for an epic swashbuckling drama, and has lots of John Williams moments, as well as some of this.
Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand - the more discerning among you have already realized that this one adheres to the 'piano concerto' theme, rather than 'Shakespeare'. You may also have realized that while most piano concertos are written for two hands, this one is written for half that number. This is because it was commissioned by a concert pianist (Paul Wittgenstein, the philosopher's brother) who lost an arm in World War I. Rather than give up his solo career, he commissioned several concertos that he could play with his remaining hand.
This is definitely my favorite piece on the program. It's one movement, it's virtuosic, it's jazzy, it's not performed that often, and I like Ravel a lot anyway, because he's such a masterful orchestrator.
The concert is going to be at a venue I've never played before - First Free Methodist Church, in the SPU/Fremont area. It's a little more convenient to get to for most of you!
You can get more information (and tickets!) here. And as always, thanks for reading, and thanks for listening!
You can get more information (and tickets!) here. And as always, thanks for reading, and thanks for listening!
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