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Tag: Princeton Symphony Orchestra

Princeton Symphony Conjures Mazzoli’s Magic

Play Missy for me.

According to composer Missy Mazzoli, her Violin Concerto (Procession) “casts the soloist as a soothsayer, sorcerer, healer and pied piper-type character, leading the orchestra through five interconnected healing spells.”

Jennifer Koh, the violinist for whom the work was written, will weave her magic with the @[100043116381457:2048:Princeton Symphony Orchestra] this weekend.

Also on the program will be Felix Mendelssohn’s beguiling “Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave),” inspired by a trip to Scotland, and Jean Sibelius’ alchemical Symphony No. 2, embraced at its premiere as a symbol of Finnish nationalism, but described by its composer as “a confession of the soul.“

Kenneth Bean will conduct at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton University’s Alexander Hall, this Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. For more information, visit princetonsymphony.org.

October 11, 2023
Princeton Symphony Celebrates Dawson Symphony

Well, Labor Day is behind us now, so I shouldn’t be surprised that the 2023-24 concert season is practically underway. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is all set to go with its first pair of concerts, this weekend. And judging from the program, it’s going to be a good one.

In the wake of George Floyd, a lot of pieces by composers of color have been introduced or revived in our concert halls. William Levi Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony” is one of the best of these. I’ve played it on the radio many times – I own three recordings of it so far (Neeme Järvi’s being my preference) – but if you had asked me as recently as four years ago, I would have thought I would never have the opportunity to hear it live. Now, with the upcoming Princeton concerts, it will have been three times!

You won’t hear any complaints from me. Dawson’s symphony is the real deal.

The work was given its premiere by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1934. Dawson revised it after a visit to West Africa in 1952. It is in this form that Stokowski recorded it.

However, likely due to lack of demand for his orchestral music, Dawson carved out a career largely as a choral music composer. In particular, he became a prominent arranger of spirituals.

A shame that he didn’t meet with more success in the concert hall. The symphony was well-received, but then nobody picked it up. With a little encouragement, perhaps there would have been a Symphony No. 2.

Also on the Princeton program will be the Saxophone Concerto of 1949 by French composer Henri Tomasi, with soloist Steven Banks, and “Forward into Light” of 2020 by Princeton composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. Snider’s piece, inspired by the American women’s suffrage movement, incorporates a quotation from “March of the Women,” written in 1910, by English composer and agitator Dame Ethel Smyth.

The concert will be presented twice at Richard Auditorium in Alexander Hall on the campus of Princeton University, this Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. The PSO’s music director, Rossen Milanov, will conduct. For tickets and more information about the impending season, visit princetonsymphony.org.

September 5, 2023
Princeton Festival Live Music Guide

Who has a thirst for live music?

Up next on The Princeton Festival, enjoy a tall drink of water (or wine or beer) with The Claremont Trio. Tonight’s program will include works by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Canadian composer Kati Agócs, and Antonin Dvořák. The concert will take place at 7:00 in the performance pavilion at Morven Museum & Garden.

Tomorrow, hilarity and improvisation characterize “Broadway’s Next Hit Musical.” Start thinking of your creative song title now! If selected, it could form the basis for a raucous evening’s entertainment.

On Thursday, Boyd Meets Girl, the husband-and-wife duo for cello and classical guitar, will offer perhaps quieter rewards with its recital across the street at Trinity Church Princeton. Repertoire will range from Bach to Messiaen to Lennon & McCartney.

Back in the performance pavilion, Friday will bring the first of three performances of Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” in a production employing Cubist set designs. Rossen Milanov will conduct the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

On Saturday, dancers from American Repertory Ballet will join the Attacca Quartet for expressive interpretations of works by John Adams and Caroline Shaw and some arrangements of Scandinavian folk tunes.

The Princeton Festival will run through June 25, largely on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden at 55 Stockton Street (Route 206).

Boyd Meet Girl and a Baroque concert featuring The Sebastians will be offered across the way at Trinity Church Princeton, at 33 Mercer Street.

The festival’s “big top,” an 11,000 square-foot, clear-span (no poles or obstructed views), open-sided performance pavilion, allows for easy access to refreshments, ample picnicking opportunities, a garden stroll, or the simple enjoyment of a late-spring/early-summer evening.

The Princeton Festival is the premier summer arts program of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. For complete listings and ticket information, visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.

And if you haven’t had a chance to take a look at it yet, here’s my preview in the Princeton weekly U.S. 1 Newspaper – PrincetonInfo.

https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/eeditions/page-page-12/page_58fa5c3c-6e2a-5848-acb1-58218381fe73.html?fbclid=IwAR1_i3FDAShBuHa48ugoiDnMGJisZCzNIRFnghKMXWFeDm7Hg9IRrVVjzXM

June 13, 2023
Time for Three Shines at Princeton Festival

At last night’s opening concert of The Princeton Festival, Time for Three affirmed its strong musical bond. The musicians have been playing together since their student days at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 2023, they became Grammy Award winners.

Left to their own devices, the trio presents an eclectic and electric blend of classical, Americana, and modern pop. This was their second appearance at the Princeton Festival, and the crowd was clearly energized.

In March, the group will return to perform with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, as soloists at Richardson Auditorium in Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Puts’ triple concerto, “Contact.” Time for Three was recently honored with a Grammy for the Deutsche Grammophon release, “Letters for the Future,” which includes a recording of the work and that of another concerto by Philadelphia composer (and Pulitzer winner) Jennifer Higdon.

The Princeton Festival, which runs through June 25, will continue tonight at 7:00 with Drama Desk Award nominee Capathia Jenkins and a tribute to the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. The concert will feature three-time Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Shaw, with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra led by its former assistant conductor, John Devlin (now music director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra of Wheeling, WV). The program will include such Franklin favorites as “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” and “Chain of Fools.”

Then tomorrow afternoon, something completely different, as internationally-acclaimed pianist Christopher Taylor will perform a recital of contrasting works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Kapustin, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Sergei Prokofiev. That concert will take place at 4:00.

Further festival events will encompass opera (Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”), chamber music, musical theater, contemporary dance, a klezmer “good vibes explosion,” and a special family concert, all presented on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden at 55 Stockton Street (Route 206).

Vibrant Baroque music and an intimate program for guitar and cello will be offered across the way at Trinity Church Princeton, at 33 Mercer Street.

The festival’s “big top,” an 11,000 square-foot, clear-span (no poles or obstructed views), open-sided performance pavilion, allows for easy access to refreshments, ample picnicking opportunities, a garden stroll, or the simple enjoyment of a late-spring/early-summer evening.

The Princeton Festival is the premier summer arts program of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. For complete listings and ticket information, visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.

And if you haven’t had a chance to take a look at it yet, here’s my preview in the Princeton weekly U.S. 1 Newspaper – PrincetonInfo.

https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/eeditions/page-page-12/page_58fa5c3c-6e2a-5848-acb1-58218381fe73.html?fbclid=IwAR3N-XKweZ6w7xlx3pqJAR3i-S4269PQM87QmlCXtVhfK8WPdmHc00FJNYo

Photo by Carolo Pascale

June 10, 2023
Time for Three Kicks Off Princeton Festival

Tomorrow night, make time for Time for Three.

The charismatic, genre-hopping, Grammy Award-winning trio will open The Princeton Festival, blurring the boundaries between classical, Americana, and modern pop.

This year’s festival, which will run June 9-25, will also encompass opera (Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”), chamber and instrumental music, musical theater, contemporary dance, R&B and soul, a klezmer “good vibes explosion,” and a special family concert, all presented on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden at 55 Stockton Street (Route 206).

Vibrant Baroque music and an intimate program for guitar and cello will be offered across the way at Trinity Church Princeton, at 33 Mercer Street.

The festival’s “big top” will be an 11,000 square-foot, clear-span (no poles or obstructed views), open-sided performance pavilion, allowing for easy access to refreshments, ample picnicking opportunities, a garden stroll, or the simple enjoyment of a late-spring/early-summer evening.

The Princeton Festival is the premier summer arts program of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. For complete listings and ticket information, visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.

Then check out my preview in the Princeton weekly U.S. 1 Newspaper – PrincetonInfo.

https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/eeditions/page-page-12/page_58fa5c3c-6e2a-5848-acb1-58218381fe73.html

June 8, 2023

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