SASO Presents La Mer, El Amor Brujo & Local Composer Goodall
by Hot Off The Press (Release) on Nov. 09, 2012, under Press ReleasesSOUTHERN ARIZONA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Contact: Tim Secomb at 626-4513 or secomb@u.arizona.edu
SASO CONCERTS FEATURE TURKISH GUEST CONDUCTOR ORHAN SALLIEL
TUCSON, AZ – The Nov. 17 and 18 concerts of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra feature Debussy’s La Mer, Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo, Sibelius’ The Oceanides and Tucson composer Brian Goodall’s Walk Without Fear.
The guest conductor will be Orhan Salliel, considered Turkey’s most outstanding young conductor and composer. On the podium will be Orhan Salliel, considered Turkey’s most outstanding young conductor and composer. Born in 1968 he’s studied in Istanbul, Holland and Finland and conducted in China, Mexico and throughout Europe. He’s also premiered many of his own compositions.
Goodall wrote Walk Without Fear to commemorate the shootings in Tucson on Jan. 8 2011 where six died and 13 others were injured. The work premiered the weekend of the first anniversary. Each SASO concert this season features a Tucson composer. These and other works that showcase Tucson’s talented composers will be recorded for possible inclusion in the orchestra’s first professional CD release.
The composer of the gypsy music El Amor Brujo: Ballet Suite was born Manuel Maria de los Dolores Falla y Matheu in Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain. He shortened his name to Manuel de Falla while at the Madrid Conservatory. Once the dictator Franco came to power, the composer left for Argentina and never returned to his homeland.
The soloist for El Amor Brujo is mezzo soprano Kristin Dauphinais, a member of the voice faculty at the University of Arizona since 2004. An opera and oratorio soloist, she’s performed in Italy and Australia. She also has numerous credits in musical theatre. She completed her doctor of musical arts degree at Arizona State University.
Debussy’s ocean-inspired tone poem La Mer is considered a masterpiece of suggestion and subtlety. Its rich depiction of the ocean combines unusual orchestration and impressionistic harmonies. The three movements depict morning on the sea, the dance of the waves and the dialogue of the wind and the sea.
Jean Sibelius’ rarely performed The Oceanides was inspired by Debussy’s La Mer. SASO Music Director Linus Lerner said he programed this work partly because guest conductor Salliel has studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, which is named after the great Finnish composer.
This program will be performed twice – Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the DesertView Performing Arts Center, 39900 S. Clubhouse Dr. in SaddleBrooke, and Sunday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 7575 N. Paseo del Norte. At the St. Andrews concert, tickets are complimentary for ages 17 and under.
Tickets to the SaddleBrooke concert are $21 in advance or $23 at the door. Order them online at http://tickets/saddlebrooketwo.com or call 825-2818.
Tickets to the St. Andrews concert are $20 in advance or at the door. Order online at www.sasomusic.org or call 308-6226.
Upcoming special events include SASO’s China Tour Preview Concert on Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the DesertView Performing Arts Center in SaddleBrooke, and the seventh annual StarStruck Gala on Feb. 9, the orchestra’s annual fundraiser with fine dining, music and dancing plus both live and silent auctions, also at SaddleBrooke. For more information, visit sasomusic.org or call 308-6226.
The SASO season continues with three more programs:
On Feb. 23 and 24 SASO will present one aria from the opera Rappaccini’s Daughter by composer White and librettist Terry Quinn with soprano Christi Amonson and a female quartet. Born in Brooklyn, White’s musical output spans every facet of composition. He was greatly influenced by American composer Elie Siegmeister with whom he worked for nearly a decade. The program also includes Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher with violist Hong-Mei Xiao, who is on the UA music faculty, plus Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major with Amonson as soloist.
Stoller’s Open Spaces Suite will be presented April 6 and 7. Stoller is also a pianist, flute maker and teacher. That program also features Wagner’s Tannhauser Overture and Hovhaness’ And God Created Great Whales. Brazilian flutist James Strauss is featured in Glen Roger Davis’ Tattoo Notes and Hanson’s Serenade, Opus 35. Strauss is one of the last “disciples” of renowned French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, who called Strauss “an authentic Latin representative of the French school of flute playing.” This program also will feature the winner of the SASO Youth Competition.
The SASO season concludes May 18 and 19 with the premiere of Fine’s symphonic work inspired by a 2011 trip through Rocky Mountain National Park. Also a guitarist and sitar player, he wrote Concerto for Electric Guitar which premiered in 1999. The program also features Saint-Saens’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor with Chilean soloist Francisca Mendoza and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor.
Founded in 1979, SASO is a vital community resource that unites performers and audiences through a passion for music. The orchestra presents world premieres, seldom-performed treasures and classical favorites. In 2009-2010 the orchestra toured in China, giving six performances in five cities, including Beijing. For more information, visit www.sasomusic.org or call 308-6226.
