MCOSJ presents "Inspirations from Nature and Travel", Saturday evening, February 25th, at San Jose's Hammer Theatre Center. You'll thrill to some of the best known romantic melodies in all of classical music, and enjoy sounds inspired by the people and natural landscapes of America.
Dvorak was already the foremost composer in his country (Bohemia, now the Czech Republic) and his fame had spread throughout Europe and even across the Atlantic when he was invited to become director of a new conservatory of music in New York. Accepting the invitation, Dvorak spent 1892-1895 in New York and Iowa. His 9th Symphony was composed during his first year in America, and he gave it the subtitle "From the New World". Audiences and critics have always heard the music of America in the work – African American spirituals and the rhythms of Native American tribal music. Dvorak himself was always at pains to point out that he did not use direct quotations, but that the symphony reflected "Impressions and Greetings from the New World". The conductor Marin Alsop, speaking on NPR, has said that the symphony reflects Dvorak's journey and also his deep nostalgia for home, with rhythms that suggest Czech folk songs as much as Native American music. Dvorak was certainly inspired by the spirituals he heard during his time in the US, and the gorgeous melody first played on the English Horn in the symphony's second movement was later published by one of his students as the song "Goin' Home".
Rachmaninoff was a composer who well understood nostalgia for a distant home. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, he left Russia and never returned, although he always described himself as a "Russian composer" and was active in charity to help the Russian people throughout his life. In exile he enjoyed great success as a virtuoso pianist, but composed only three completely new works. One of these is on the evening's program, his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The celebrated theme of Paganini's 24th Caprice is explored in 24 variations that flow seamlessly together, exploring a wide range of moods and emotions, ranging from sinister and mischievous to one of the composer's most famous romantic melodies. We're delighted to welcome pianist Sandra Wright Shen as soloist – described as a "pianist of the first order", she is a Steinway artist and one of the Bay Area's most distinguished musicians, who has performed worldwide and has won several first prizes in major international competitions.
You'll also enjoy musical depictions of different western landscapes by two contemporary American composers. Joseph Curiale's Wind River (I Am) reflects the grand terrain of Wyoming, and Adrienne Albert's lyrical Sunrise paints the quiet start of a day in the American West.
Don't miss out on this thrilling concert - ticket prices are at pre-pandemic levels, and there's a new "pay what you can afford" option.