Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer, not by the son of York, but by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and its enterprising music director, Jacques Lacombe. For the second year in a row, Lacombe and the NJSO will present “Sounds of Shakespeare,” the sixth of the organization’s Winter Festivals to take place under his supervision.
Next weekend will bring a Berlioz double-bill, with the “Symphonie fantastique,” followed by its seldom-heard sequel, “Lélio.”
The program is “sort of ‘sideways inspired by Shakespeare,’” Lacombe says. “When Berlioz wrote ‘Symphonie fantastique,’ he was fascinated by a Shakespearean actress. At the end of the symphony, it’s sort of like his life is a total mess. The subtitle of ‘Lelio’ is ‘The Return to Life.’ The artist finds redemption in the creation of a fantasy on ‘The Tempest.’’”
The weekend after that, the NJSO will join with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey to present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Mendelssohn’s complete incidental music.
The performances will mark the final area appearances (in Princeton and New Brunswick) to feature Lacombe as NJSO music director. The orchestra will return under an assortment of guest conductors throughout the spring, but the remainder of Lacombe’s concerts this season will take place in the northern part of the state. He will be succeeded in the fall by Xian Zhang as the organization’s 14th music director.
Find out more, including much on Berlioz’s over-the-top romantic escapades, in my article in today’s Trenton Times.
http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2016/01/classical_music_njso_announces.html
