For immediate release:
Vermont Symphony Orchestra Masterworks Series debuts at Bellows Falls Opera House
By Dorothy Read
BELLOWS FALLS – The Vermont Symphony Orchestra will present this year’s Masterworks
Series at the Bellows Falls Opera House Friday, March 9, presented jointly by
Vermont Festivals LLC, the VSO, and the town of Rockingham.
Conducted by Jaime Laredo, the performance will feature Prokofiev’s beloved
Classical Symphony, and spotlight a Staruss piece by soloist Jennifer Montone on
the French horn.
“We are delighted to see the return of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra to the Opera
House,” Ray Massucco, producer, said. “This year's debut of the fourth program
in the symphony’s Masterworks Series will have something to offer to all
classical music lovers.”
Prokofiev is widely considered to be one of the greatest composers of the 20th
century, living a life that could rival a dramatic leading character in a
Russian novel, and mastering a wide range of musical genres, symphonies,
concerti, film scores, operas, ballets, and program pieces.
In
addition to The Classical Symphony, he was a gifted conductor and pianist. His
best-known works include “Peter and the Wolf,” the ballet “Romeo and Juliet,”
“Love for Three Oranges,” and “Lieutenant Kijé,” to name only a few in the
remarkable volume of his life’s work.
“The Classical Symphony” is considered by many to be the first neoclassical
composition, and was considered quite modern and innovative at the time, but
still echoed the style of Joseph Haydn and other classical composers.
Second on the program is Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 1, featuring a solo by
Montone, principal horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Strauss loved the
French horn, and this piece harks to the style of Schumann and Mendelssohn. This
mature piece was written before the composer was 19 years old.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Third Symphony “Eroica” (Heroic). This
piece includes the famous funeral march. Beethoven planned to dedicate this
composition to Napoleon Bonaparte. However, when Beethoven learned that Napoleon
had declared himself emperor, he is said to have become furious and removed his
name from the score.
The VSO performance has received great support from the newly invigorated
Friends of the Opera House, Massucco said.
A limited number of patron tickets are available. These seats include
preferred seating, a private reception at intermission, and a meet and greet
with the artists after the performance. Additionally, patrons are recognized in
the program.
“It’s a great way to support bringing the VSO to Bellows Falls,” Massucco said.
“So plan to make a night of it and ward off the mid-winter doldrums with a
memorable evening of Vermont's own state symphony orchestra, and the good
company of your neighbors. It will be a night to remember.”
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are
available at
www.brattleborotix.com, Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls, and by phone at Vermont
Festivals, 463-9595. Patron tickets are available through the VSO, Vermont
Festivals, or the Southeastern Vermont Friends of the VSO.
For more information, go to
http://vermontfestivalsllc.com/ or please
call 463-9595.
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