October 4, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … On November 5 the Oregon Symphony will launch a new concert series designed for both newcomers and aficionados alike. “Inside the Score” explores the historical and cultural perspectives of the composer’s life and times by connecting the audience to the conductor and musicians.
The new series opens with Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda conducting Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” What audience members might not know is that dozens of orchestrations exist for this piece, and Vajda will explore three of those through a combination of music and dialogue with the audience.
Mussorgsky wrote the piece as a memorial to his friend, artist Victor Hartmann. This evocative music transformed Hartmann’s work into aural images that have immortalized both Hartmann and Mussorgsky as artists of depth and invention.
“The piece is full of orchestral color,” said Artistic Administrator Charles Calmer. “It’s really like taking a musical tour around an art gallery.”
On January 14, 2007, Music Director Carlos Kalmar will explore the depths of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. Highly regarded by others at an early age, Brahms spent most of his life worrying about the reputation he had to uphold while constantly perfecting his art. The gentle warmth of the first movement transitions into an exuberant display of harmony by the conclusion.
On February 11, the audience will experience the madness of a Russian country fair through the music of Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka.” The second of three ballets, Stravinsky introduces a puppet who comes to life and fights for love. “It’s amazing how Stravinsky creates the activity of being at a fair; you can hear the chaos of it all,” said Calmer.
On April 1, the series concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, conducted by Kalmar. Written during a time when he had very little hearing, the reflective piece is indicative of the tumultuous character of nature.
“He creates the feeling you get when you’re in the forest on a sunny day—sunshine, birds chirping,” said Calmer. “But by the end the clouds roll in and a huge thunderstorm disrupts that peaceful quality.”
Subscriptions for the Inside the Score Series (four concerts) range from $50 to $160 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, located at 923 S.W. Washington. Ticket office hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscriptions may also be purchased anytime online at www.orsymphony.org or charged by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets. Subscribers receive full subscription benefits, including flexible ticket exchange. American Airlines is the exclusive airline of the Symphony’s 2006-07 Inside the Score Series. Media support is provided by the Portland Tribune.