Opening Night Gala
September 17, 2011 I 6:00 PM I Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Auditorium, Melbourne
September 18, 2011 I 7:00 PM I Trinity Episcopal Church
Michael Wiseman, cello
Hector Berlioz I Le Corsaire Overture
Dmitri Shostakovich I Cello Concerto No. 1
César Franck I Symphony in D minor
Maestro Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra begin their third season in a flurry of motion with the opening measures of Berlioz's exuberant Le Corsaire Overture. As befits a composition about the escapades of a pirate, the music is bold, dashing, and bracing, along with some contrasting lyrical passages, to make one of the great curtain raisers for a concert. Cellist Michael Wiseman is featured in another work which was written for Rostropovich, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, a searing statement of hope against all odds. The concert closes with Cesar Franck’s richly romantic and heroic Symphony in D minor, one of the most beautiful symphonies in the repertoire.
Concert Information & Program Notes
A London Symphony
October 22, 2011 I 7:00 PM I Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Auditorium, Melbourne
October 23, 2011 I 3:00 PM I Trinity Episcopal Church
Carey Moorman, viola
Ralph Vaughan Williams I 'Wasps' Overture
Cecil Forsyth I Viola Concerto in G minor
Ralph Vaughan Williams I Symphony No. 2 'London'
Join Maestro Aaron Collins and the Space Coast Symphony for a trip over the pond. The concert opens up with Wasps Overture by Vaughan Williams, a work scored for a Cambridge Greek play production of Aristophanes, 'The Wasps'. This spectacular overture is always sure to cause a buzz! The Space Coast Symphony’s principal second violinist, Carey Moorman, will give the Southeastern Premiere of Cecil Forsyth’s Viola Concerto in G minor. This is a work of extraordinary lyricism, powerful melodies, and tireless good humor. The Orchestra closes the concert with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s intoxicating A London Symphony, an affectionate musical portrait of London, its inhabitants and its irrepressible vitality. The second of Vaughan Williams’s six symphonies, the “London” was identified by the composer as “indeed… my favorite of my family of six.”
Concert Information & Program Notes
Pines of Rome
January 28, 2012 I 6:00 PM I Merritt Island High School Auditorium, Merritt Island
February 5, 2012 I 3:00 PM I Trinity Episcopal Church
Suliman Tekalli, violin
Sergei Prokofiev I Suite from 'The Love of Three Oranges'
Sergei Prokofiev I Violin Concerto No. 1
Ottorino Respighi I Fountains of Rome
Ottorino Respighi I Pines of Rome
Join the Space Coast Symphony in this epic program featuring works by Prokofiev and Respighi. The concert opens with Prokofiev’s witty and endearing music from his opera, The Love of Three Oranges. Violinist Suliman Tekalli, who has entertained audiences throughout the United States and South America, will mesmerize audiences with his technical mastery and soaring lyricism in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1. In a rare treat, Central Florida audiences will hear two sonic masterpieces back to back, Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome. Respighi wanted to create a soundtrack to life in Rome that would encapsulate everything from the sounds of nature to the boisterous sounds of the festivals. Featuring an enlarged orchestra, these two larger-than-life works are rarely performed during the same concert.
Concert Information & Program Notes
American Icons
February 24, 2012 I 7:00 PM I Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Auditorium, Melbourne
February 25, 2012 I 7:00 PM I Trinity Episcopal Church
Jeffrey Biegel, piano
Kenneth Fuchs, composer
Hal Gibson, guest conductor
Kenneth Fuchs | Discover the Wild
George Gershwin | Rhapsody in Blue
Aaron Copland | Selections from 'Rodeo' and 'Billy the Kid'
Neil Sedaka | Manhattan Intermezzo (Florida Premiere)
John Williams | Summon the Heroes
Opening this all-American program is Kenneth Fuchs’ Discover the Wild, a brilliant romp for orchestra. Fuchs, a favorite of conductor Aaron Collins, is one of the world’s leading composers and has been hailed as an “exemplar of the recovery of American music.” The Space Coast Symphony will perform one of Aaron Copland’s most important works, Rodeo. Copland’s exciting ballet is full of thrilling rhythms and memorable themes. This American classic won hearts from the moment it was premiered. Celebrated pianist, Jeffrey Biegel returns to Florida to dazzle audiences with a performance of George Gershwin’s unforgettable Rhapsody in Blue, brimming with youthful energy, beautiful graceful melodies, captivating rhythms, originality, and a sense of musical exploration. Biegel will introduce Florida residents to pop legend, Neil Sedaka's Manhattan Intermezzo, a love note to New York City. Manhattan Intermezzo is a journey through the musical diversity of Manhattan, exploring its melting pot of nationalities and incorporating the sounds of city, including Latin, Asian, Russian, Broadway, and the New York of today and yesterday.
Concert Information & Program Notes
Verdi's Requiem
March 23, 2012 | 7:00 PM | Trinity Episcopal Church, Vero Beach
March 24, 2012 | 7:00 PM | Holy Trinity Episcopal Auditorium, Melbourne
Richard Wagner | Overture to Tannhäuser
Giuseppe Verdi | Requiem
Kimberly Saunders Randall, soprano
Regina Torres, mezzo soprano
Tesfa Yohannes Wondemagegnehu, tenor
Kyle Knappenberger, bass
Space Coast Symphony Chorus
The Space Coast Symphony closes its Masterwork Series with one of Central Florida’s largest productions to date. The concert opens with Richard Wagner’s powerful Overture to Tannhäuser. The opera itself, first presented in 1845, quickly became popular, but the overture almost immediately took on a life of its own as a concert piece played widely throughout concert halls. The concert closes with Verdi’s grand Requiem Mass—an epic work that everyone should hear live at least once in their lifetime. Drums thunder, trumpets blast, and a mighty chorus screams out in terror: Verdi’s Requiem isn’t exactly what you expect from religious music. But it’s exactly what you’d expect from the grand master of Italian opera. This masterpiece is full-blooded, scarily passionate, and achingly beautiful. Prepare to be astonished as the SCSO and Space Coast Chorus turn the volume up to "deafening" and closes the Masterworks Series in a blaze of passion.
