Although people have been decrying and moaning about the death of classical music for years, new performing arts organization continue to proliferate.
One of Fairfield County's newest orchestras is the American Chamber Orchestra. This three year old group, which performs the major repertory works, strives to recognize new rising talent and to premiere new musical compositions.
On Saturday, February 3, 2007, conductor Christopher James Hisey will lead the orchestra in Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite #1, Elgar's Cello Concerto with soloist Kangho Lee, and Beethoven's Symphony #6 at 8 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church in Fairfield.
To acquaint yourself with this timely music, feel free to check the Westport Public Library's holdings.
Comments (2)
Please forgive my oversight in not crediting the Associate Conductor position.
Good luck with the concert!
Posted by Margie F. | February 2, 2007 8:35 PM
Posted on February 2, 2007 20:35
Thanks for the Grace Notes about our concert, Margie! Chris Hisey and I will be presenting a pre-concert talk at 7 PM on concert evening, and we'll be focusing on the 'program' in the Peer Gynt Suite and in Beethoven's 6th - which I remember from my music appreciation class in high school, has always been pointed out as the ultimate in program music.
The Peer Gynt Suite opens with the "sunrise" movement, which is famous from Warner Bros cartoons, plus In the Hall of the Mountain King, of which Grieg is quoted as saying (in a light-hearted mood) "this is music I can hardly bear to listen too - full of cowpies, Norwegian ultra-provincialism, and trollish self-sufficiency." We will point out how all these are musically represented!
And course Beethoven's 6th pictures a day in the country complete with traveling music, a brook, a gathering of peasants with a town band, a sudden thunderstorm, and the peaceful aftermath with a shepherd's pipe and hunting horn calls. What a gas!
For two free tickets to the concert, can anyone name the bird (or birds) whose call is imitated in the 2nd movment of the 6th symphony? Please post your answer prior to 4 PM Feb 3, and if you're right, I'll put two tickets in your name at the ticket table.
The First Presbyterian Church is 1/2 mile south of Exit 46 on the Merritt Parkway - 2475 Easton Turnpike, aka Route 59.
P.S. Maestro Hisey will conduct the concerto and the symphony, but yours truly will conduct Peer Gynt!
Posted by Carl Serbell | February 2, 2007 3:11 PM
Posted on February 2, 2007 15:11