Folklore and Myth

Our April Masterworks concert pair will be a treat for the ears, with classics by Chopin and Ravel, and lesser known works by Bizet and Osvaldo Golijov. Chopin's E Minor Piano Concerto will feature pianist Adam Golka, returning to Knoxville after his performance of Rachmaninov's 3rd Concerto in 2009.

Golijov is an Argentinian composer of Romanian descent who melds two seemingly disparate musical genres-- klezmer and tango-- into one unique style. His music has been championed by Yoyo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, and a chamber arrangement of this particular work can be found on the SRE's New Impossibilities CD. Two short movements from Bizet's underappreciated opera The Pearl Fishers will usher in the Golijov work in a seamless tableau.

Back in February of 2007, we performed the complete Daphnis and Chloe ballet score (from which this week's Suite is pulled) under the baton of Lucas Richman. It's a lengthy, quirky work, close to an hour long, but when we arrived at the familiar part, (where the 2nd Suite begins) there was such a chill going up my backbone-- like when you see a spectacular sight that you haven't seen since you were a child. This week, the chills will be instantaneous, as the 2nd Suite begins with Ravel's rich depiction of a sunrise over the isle of Lesbos, from where the story originates. Wind players labor for years over the gently bubbling riffs that open the Suite, and the surges of dynamic power recall Esther Williams' synchronized swimming film extravaganzas from the '40s and '50s. Stravinsky called it “one of the most beautiful products in all of French music,” and you, too will be amazed that something so vigorous could also be so beautiful.
   
Thursday & Friday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre; tickets here. Facebook event here.