PYGMALION - Sinfonia da Camera: Rhapsody in Blue at 100
Bedřich Smetana, Bartered Bride Overture
Bohuslav Martinů, Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola & Orchestra (Csaba Erdélyi, viola)
George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue (Ian Hobson, piano and conductor)
Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World"
Join Sinfonia da Camera for an incredible season opener celebrating the centennial anniversary of George Gershwin’s beloved Rhapsody in Blue! Featuring Maestro Ian Hobson as soloist and conductor, pianistic virtuosity takes center stage in this bluesy and brazen work for solo piano and orchestra. Gershwin "dresses up" jazz for the concert hall, providing a raucous celebration of both classical and jazz American musical idioms. Also featuring Czech masterworks, the program begins with the invigorating and folkish Overture to "The Bartered Bride" by Bedřich Smetana. Next, Sinfonia principal violist Csaba Erdélyi is featured as soloist in the richly imaginative Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Bohuslav Martinů. After intermission, the evening concludes with Antonín Dvořák’s most famous work, Symphony No. 9 "From the New World." This melodic and dramatic symphony is a tribute to the United States after the composer visited the country.