August 22, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director Carlos Kalmar leads the Oregon Symphony and the women of Portland Symphonic Choir on a heavenly musical journey featuring Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony and Holst’s “The Planets” on Sept. 20, 21 and 22 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, with an additional concert on Sept. 23 at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium in Salem. Media support is provided by The Oregonian.
Kalmar, in his inaugural season as the Symphony’s Music Director, has made music of the Classical era, and Mozart’s music in particular, one of his specialties. He plans to emphasize Classical repertoire throughout the 2003-04 season. “For musicians, it’s like going back to the basics, to work on fundamental issues,” he explains. “Classical music is very delicate, and the challenge it represents is more for the musicians and conductor than the audience. For the audience, hearing this music is like welcoming a good old friend who is wearing new clothes. We, the musicians on stage, are the tailors.”
As part of a commitment to connecting personally with as many Symphony audience members as possible, Kalmar will present the pre-concert talks for all of his Classical concerts and will visit the lobby after each performance to meet people and sign programs.
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and to welcome Kalmar to Oregon, the Symphony has commissioned a work by Northwest composer Robert Kyr to open this concert. “Fanfare for a New Dawn: A Musical Sunrise” begins by suggesting the mysterious darkness before dawn, said Kyr, then gradually unfolds in ever-brightening textures and sound colors to create a musical sunrise that is heralded by a consort of three trumpets. The work also celebrates the beauty and majesty of Mount Hood during the summer months as viewed at dawn from the Council Crest and Washington Park areas of Portland. Kyr’s fanfare is followed by Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C major, “Jupiter.” The last of Mozart’s symphonies, “Jupiter” has been characterized by a contemporary of Mozart’s as “the highest triumph of Instrumental Composition.”
Kalmar and the Symphony will devote the second half of the concert to Holst’s beloved orchestral suite, “The Planets,” which catapulted the previously little-known composer into the limelight. Holst conceived the work with the idea of musically capturing the planets according to their astrological properties, with the exception of Pluto which was not yet discovered at the time. While working on “The Planets,” Holst consulted a book titled “What is a Horoscope?” which inspired his imagination. The women of Portland Symphonic Choir will join the orchestra for the performance.
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
Pre-concert Talks: Music Director Carlos Kalmar and Symphony President Tony Woodcock will lead a discussion one hour before the concert of the works to be performed. Media support for “Pre-Concert Talks” is provided by Classical Millennium.
Saturday: Music Director Carlos Kalmar will speak briefly from the podium in “Saturday Interactive.” Media support for “Saturday Interactive” is provided by KINKfm102.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, with an additional performance on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium in Salem. Tickets range in price from $17 to $76 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday (starting Sept. 6), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
