February 4, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music inspired by literature from children’s stories to Shakespeare is the focus for the 2005-2006 Front Row Center Series, the Oregon Symphony’s “closer look at classical music.” Music Director Carlos Kalmar will conduct the first concert, which presents fairy tales set to music by Ravel and Stravinsky. Michael Stern, founding director of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, will lead the Symphony in “Women of Substance,” a survey of memorable female characters from literature. Kalmar will also conduct the final concert of the 2005-2006 season, which will present several musical portrayals of Romeo and Juliet, the world’s most famous lovers. American Airlines is the airline sponsor for the Symphony’s Front Row Center Series. Media support is provided by Willamette Week.
Kalmar will lead the first program of the 2005-2006 season on Nov. 18, 2005, which explores the classic fairy tales that inspired two great 20 th century composers. Ravel tells the timeless story of Sleeping Beauty and portrays a host of other familiar fairy tale characters in his “Mother Goose Ballet,” a favorite of children and adults alike. Stravinsky turned to the magical fairy tales of his native Russia for inspiration for “The Firebird,” his groundbreaking first ballet composed for Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes.
On Jan. 20, 2006, guest conductor Michael Stern will lead the Symphony in an evening of music inspired by immortal women from literature. From Carmen to Delilah to Scheherazade, these strong and intelligent female characters have left an indelible mark on the literary canon. Musical excerpts include Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” Saint-Saëns’ opera “Samson and Delilah” and both Ravel’s and Rimsky-Korsakov’s versions of “Scheherazade,” the clever storyteller.
Kalmar concludes the series on March 31, 2006 with musical portrayals of the world’s most star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. The poignant tale of these two teenagers has inspired many composers from different countries, cultures and time periods and continues to stir the imagination of new generations. Kalmar and the Symphony will perform excerpts from versions of “Romeo and Juliet” by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Berlioz, as well as Bernstein’s 1957 adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy in “West Side Story.”
The Front Row Center series debuted as the Nerve Endings series in 1996 as a Knight Foundation “Magic of Music” initiative, designed to redefine and revitalize the symphonic concert hall experience for audiences and musicians. The series incorporates other performing arts such as dance and theatre as well as visual media to enhance the overall musical experience. Front Row Center concerts are presented on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Subscriptions for Front Row Center range in price from $42-$159 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office in downtown Portland at 923 S.W. Washington, or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343, weekdays (and Saturdays, Sept. through May) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or (503) 416-6383 after 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org beginning Monday, Feb. 7, 2005. Front Row Center subscribers receive full subscription benefits, including flexible ticket exchange and advance purchase for Special Event concerts. Single tickets for Front Row Center and other Symphony concerts will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 22, 2005.
