New Bedford Symphony Orchestra

The NBSO Season

Classical I “The Magic of Mozart”

Saturday, September 22, 2012 8:00pm

Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA

Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527

Mozart described his opera Don Giovanni as "dramma giocoso," literally a "merry drama," and the overture demonstrates how drama and comedy can coexist as moods shift as quickly and as unpredictably as only the mind of a Mozart could imagine.

The opening tragic chords of the very beginning (the Commendatore's theme) give us a sense of the fateful action to follow, yet the Allegro sparkles with pure Mozartean humor, charm and energy.

Amazingly completed in only one day—the day before the opera premiered!—this six-minute masterpiece captures all the grandeur and excitement of the three-hour opera that followed.

Piano Concerto No. 24 in C K. 491

“Katherine Chi, a most elegant player...Chi’s performance was delightful polished technique, satisfying phrasing, a lovely knack for making each and every note sing out.”

~mlive.com

Mozart's piano concertos have been compared to great, sublime poetry, and his C Minor Concerto from 1786 is certainly his greatest. Beethoven expressed his profound admiration for this work and used it as a model. Mozart scholar Alfred Einstein called it "an explosion of the dark, tragic, passionate emotions."

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Classical II "A Concert of Concertos”

Saturday, October 27, 2012 5:00pm

Wickenden Chapel, Tabor Academy

BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D, BWV 1050

The set of six concertos now called The Brandenburg Concertos were most likely six earlier works that Bach tidied up and sent as a job application of sorts to the Margrave of Brandenburg. Unfortunately, like many an application, it appears that the good Margrave completely ignored these masterpieces. The set probably were never played and sat collecting dust in the Margrave’s library until his death in 1734. They were subsequently sold for a few cents each and not rediscovered until the 19th Century.

The fifth of the set, most likely that last composed, features a couple of important “firsts”—the first time Bach used the transverse (modern) flute, and it is the first concerto in the history of music to focus on the harpsichord as a solo instrument, which makes it the ancestor of the modern keyboard concerto. The first movement features a “take-over” of sorts. In it, the keyboard instrument breaks out of its normal accompanying role with an assertive display of virtuosity. It literally steals the show not only from its fellow soloists, but the orchestra as well, launching into a stunning solo cadenza that builds a cascading series of motives into mountain peaks of sound. Bach not only invented the modern keyboard concerto, in his first effort he created one of its greatest masterpieces.

Bach modeled the Brandenburg Concertos after the Italian concerto grosso, a form that had been perfected by his contemporary Antonio Vivaldi (who in turn had based his style on the earlier works of fellow Italian Arcangelo Corelli, such as the one we will hear later.)

BOCCHERINI: Cello Concerto No. 9 in B-flat

“Any praise of Jonah’s technical abilities is likely to be an understatement. He is completely assured and intensely musical.”

~Boston Musical Intelligencer

A contemporary of Haydn, Luigi Boccherini was an enormously talented and prolific composer of more than 550 compositions, who was also one of the finest cellists of his time. (He had the habit of acting as a “substitute” violinist, playing violin parts at their written pitch—an indication of his comfort in the high register and evidence of his virtuosity.) Although he has many orchestral works to his credit, he is best known for more than two hundred string quartets and quintets he composed, and for his cello concertos and sonatas. He bridged the transition from the late Baroque into the Classical period with music of exceptional charm, elegance, and expressive richness.

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Classical III “Handel's Messiah”

Sunday, November 25, 2012 3:00pm

St. Anthony’s Church, New Bedford, MA

SCHUBERT: Magnificat in C

One of the greatest tragedies of musical history is that Franz Schubert lived only 31 years. Although we can only speculate what a genius such as Mozart (who live to only 35 years of age) would have produced, it is certain that, had young Franz Schubert lived longer, the history of classical would have been changed forever. One of the earliest flowerings of the nascent Romantic Movement in Germany, Schubert’s influence was profound.

A native of Vienna, Franz Schubert began composing at age seven or eight, creating songs, string quartets, and piano works. At age seven, he auditioned for Antonio Salieri, the music director of the imperial court chapel. Salieri was impressed with the young boy’s talents and recommended him as a singer when a position opened.

The year 1815 became one of Schubert’s most productive. At the tender age of 18, his catalogue from this year is incredible and includes the Symphonies in B flat and D, five operas, a Stabat Mater, two masses, a string quartet, nearly one hundred and fifty songs (in one instance eight in one day!) including Erlkönig (The Elf-King) and a host of lesser works.

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Family Holiday Pops “Hear The Cheer”

Saturday, December 22, 2012 3:30pm | 7:00pm

Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA

A beautifully decorated stage, Santa in the lobby greeting children of all ages, and friends and family enjoying the music and the spirit of the holiday season together— that is what has made the NBSO’s Hear The Cheer! Family Holiday Pops Concerts a one-of-a-kind Holiday Season tradition on the South Coast. The concert has a family-friendly atmosphere, matinee and early evening performances to choose from, and a one hour program (with no intermission) that is perfect for the kids. It will make the Holiday season sparkle with warm memories and favorite holiday songs. The concert will also feature an appearance by the New Bedford Symphony Youth Orchestra, playing side-by-side with members of the NBSO, and the SouthCoast Children’s Chorus, whose mission is to provide a joyful, educational choral experience for young singers in grades 3–8 from communities along the South Coast, helping them to develop confidence, responsibility, musicianship, and a passion for excellence in all they do.

This year we are very excited to welcome as our special guest, Steve March-Torme. The son of legendary singer Mel Torme, Steve has carried on the family tradition with a musical career that has brought him from jazz clubs to concert halls throughout the United States and in Australia, England, Japan, and Canada.

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Classical IV “Haydn's The Creation”

Saturday, February 9, 2013 8:00pm

Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA

Experience Haydn at his freest, his most joyous, and his most mature.

“The many musicians involved (in the Providence Singers) deserve to be lauded ... for the vigor and effectiveness of their performance.”

~The Boston Music Intelligencer

From the first kindling of Light arising from Chaos (a startling burst of C major sunshine that was literally a show-stopper at its premiere in 1798), to the vivid portrayal of nature's birds and beasts, to divine bliss at the conclusion, Haydn's landmark oratorio The Creation is one of history’s great masterworks. It created such a stir at its premiere that all performances were sold out and the Vienna police were hired for crowd control.

The audience had never experienced anything like it. Nor will you…

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Classical V “The Red Violin”

Sunday, April 13, 2014 8:00pm

Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA

A Special Celebration: The NBSO and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth are recognizing the lifetime achievements of Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award winning American composer John Corigliano in this, his 75th year. Mr. Corigliano will receive an honorary degree at the concert and spend several days in the New Bedford community with UMD students, NBSO musicians, and the public.

BRAHMS: Academic Festival Overture

Written in 1880 as a “thank you” gift to the University of Breslau for awarding him an honorary doctorate, Academic Festival Overture is one of Brahms’ most often played works, and sparkles with some of the finest virtues of Brahms's orchestral technique - inventive treatment of melodies, sophisticated mastery of counterpoint and texture, and stirring emotional climaxes. It also exhibits elements of Brahms’ wittier side, as well.

It seems Brahms had hoped to acknowledge the honor of the award with note of thanks sent to the University faculty. But no, the good academics desired something a bit more substantial. After all, the Latin citation that came with the degree the University awarded Brahms described him as a “present leader among German composers of the more serious sort.”

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Classical VI “All Beethoven”

Saturday, May 11, 2013 8:00pm

Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA

Egmont Overture

Individual freedom was a fascinating concept for Beethoven. Throughout his life he struggled to compose as his muse demanded, regardless of the desires of his patrons or audience.

When he received a commission to provide incidental music for Goethe’s drama Egmont, Beethoven enthusiastic accepted the task. He had long admired Goethe and was drawn to the theme of Egmont—the struggle for freedom. The play depicts the struggle for freedom of the people of the Netherlands against Spanish oppression. Beethoven also treated the theme of political oppression overthrown in the name of freedom in his opera Fidelio, and the musical process employed there also served well for Egmont.

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