Tag Archives: Philip Mann

This evening at the Capital Hotel, musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in a free concert

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ASO at CHMusicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be performing this evening in the lobby of the historic Capital Hotel. The music will start at 5:00 pm.

In 2011, the ASO started these free concerts in the lobby of the Capital Hotel.  The marble and tile of this historic lobby provide a wonderful acoustic backdrop for the musicians.

The concert will feature the Rockefeller String Quartet performing Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, “Dissonance” and Theofanidis’  Visions and Miracles.

Unlike concerts in music halls, guests here are encouraged to bring drinks to their seats or to stand and move around while the musicians are playing.  It is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where the audience and musicians alike are able to interact with each other.

This concert is part of the ASO’s ongoing efforts to play throughout the community under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann and Executive Director Christina Littlejohn.  In addition to the Capital Hotel concerts, they offer occasional free concerts at UAMS and have recently started the INC (Intimate Neighborhood Concerts) subscription series.

World Premiere and Mahler at ASO This Weekend

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ASO_revThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the sixth and final concert in its 2013-2014 Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series: Mahler’s Fifth Symphony on April 12th at 8 p.m. and April 13th at 3 p.m. in the Robinson Center Music Hall. The Masterworks Series is sponsored by the Stella Boyle Smith Foundation.

Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 is joined on the program by a world premiere commissioned by the musicians of the ASO and written by ASO Composer of the Year, Christopher Theofanidis.

This will be the final ASO Masterworks concert in Robinson Center Music Hall before the renovations.  It is fitting that the concert features a work commissioned by the ASO musicians. It is a testament to the musicians and their supporters for the 40 years that the ASO has called Robinson home.

Adult tickets are $53, $47, $30, and $14; student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at http://www.ArkansasSymphony.org or by phone at (501) 666-1761. All children are free on Sunday with the Entergy Kids Ticket, downloadable at http://www.ArkansasSymphony.org/freekids

ARTISTS
Christopher Theofanidis, composer

PROGRAM
THEOFANIDIS The Wind and Petit Jean
WORLD PREMIERE

INTERMISSION

MAHLER Symphony No. 5 in C# minor
PART I
1. Trauermarsch
2. Stürmisch bewegt
PART II
3. Scherzo: Kräftig, nicht zu schnell
PART III
4. Adagietto
5. Rondo-Finale

Gustav Mahler Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony could be his most famous work, and was often performed alone before his symphonies saw widespread performance as whole works. Adagietto was written as a love song for his beloved Alma. As with many of Mahler’s symphonies, the orchestra is greatly expanded for No. 5: in addition to a full complement of strings, the work calls for 4 trumpets, 6 horns, four flutes (which at one point all double on piccolo together), along with large double-reed, clarinet, and percussion contingents.

The ASO has a great collaborative relationship between the musicians, music director, Board of Directors, and administrative staff, which is illustrated by the very existence of The Wind and Petit Jean. When the Board of Directors made a personal gift (above and beyond their requirements as Board members) to the musicians of the ASO in recognition of their sacrifice during hard financial times, the musicians elected to use the money to commission a new piece of music and dedicate it to the ASO Board of Directors. Christopher Theofanidis was chosen by the musicians to compose the commission, and he worked with the orchestra on his Rainbow Body in October of 2013 during his residency as 2013-2014 ASO Composer of the Year.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 48th season in 2013-2014 under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than thirty concerts each year for more than 42,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series and Parker Lexus River Rhapsodies Chamber Series, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 24,000 school children and over 200 schools.

Broadway, Movie and Holiday Music all part of Ark Symphony 2014-15 Acxiom Pops Live lineup

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ASO_2-colorMusic of the Silver Screen, Great White Way and boughs of green highlight the 2014-2015 Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Acxiom Pops Live! Series.

Next year is the first of their two-year hiatus from Robinson Center Music Hall (as it gets transformed into a true music hall instead of a civic gathering room).  To entice audience members to go along for the journey of the new, temporary location, ASO Music Director Philip Mann has created a lineup of spectacular music performed by powerhouse talent as well as the phenomenal musicians of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

The Acxiom Pops Live! Series will be performed at the Pulaski Academy Connor Performing Arts Center.  (Think: Maumelle=Masterworks, PA=Pops)  The series will kick off on October 4 & 5 with Bill Conti’s Academy Awards.  Oscar and Emmy winner Bill Conti (who also is conductor of the Academy Awards orchestra) will lead the ASO in a celebration of songs from the movies. As a composer, Conti has won an Oscar for his score to The Right Stuff and was nominated for Rocky and For Your Eyes Only. Other movies and TV include Private Benjamin, “Dynasty,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “Falcon Crest,” The Karate Kid, “North & South,” and Broadcast News.

The ASO Holiday Extravaganza is an Arkansas tradition in December.  In 2014 it will take place on December 19, 20 & 21.  It will feature Christmas carols, sing-alongs, and some of Arkansas’ outstanding musicians and singers. There are always traditional favorites and new surprises thrown in.  This will help audiences relax after completing their shopping – or take a break from the last minute shopping frenzy. (Tickets also make a great early-Christmas present, and it falls in the middle of Hanukkah and makes a wonderful present for that too.)

Another ASO tradition is the Broadway Valentine’s concert. It will take place on February 14 and 15.  The music of Broadway and Hollywood will be the framework for an evening of song and dance by Broadway vets Joan Hess and Kirby Ward. Their singing and dancing will remind audiences (or introduce younger audiences to the mastery) of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly and Eleanor Powell.

The classic songs of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin have stood the test of time and are definitely timeless. The great vocalist Sylvia McNair will offer her take on these standards while accompanied by Jeffrey Biegel on piano.  This concert promises to be a feast for the eyes as well as the ears because it will also feature rare video clips, family photos and state-of-the art visuals to help share the story of the Gershwins and their music.

The Pops Live! Series for 2014-2015 will conclude with Ashley Brown’s Broadway.  Miss Brown was the original Mary Poppins when the eponymously entitled musical opened on Broadway.  For her work in the production, she received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League nominations. She made her Broadway debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.  Backed by the ASO, she will sing Broadway favorites such as “Nothing Like a Dame,” “People,” and “Tonight” as well as Disney classics such as “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

All Acxiom Pops Live! concerts will be performed at 7:30pm on Saturday evenings and 3pm on Sunday evenings.

Rescheduled River Rhapsodies tonight – Sonatas for Two

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ASO_revDue to inclement weather earlier this year, the Sonatas for Two Parker Lexus River Rhapsodies Chamber Concert of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra was postponed.  It is fitting that on the last night of winter, the ASO musicians offer a musical adieu to bleakness with a warm offering of three Sonatas.  The concert takes place tonight at 7pm at the Clinton Presidential Center.

The program is an intimate showcase of the ASO’s musicians.

General Admission tickets for River Rhapsodies concerts are $23, and Student tickets are available for $10. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org, over the phone at (501) 666-1761 or at the door.

The program will include:

BEETHOVEN: Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Major, “Spring”
Meredith Maddox Hicks, violin and Tatiana Roitman, piano

FAURE: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13
Geoffrey Robson, violin and Neil Rutman, piano
BEACH: Sonata for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 34
Andrew Irvin, violin and Julie Cheek, piano
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 48th season in 2013-2014.  Under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann, the ASO performs more than thirty concerts each year for more than 42,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series and River Rhapsodies Chamber Series, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 24,000 school children and over 200 schools.

ASO Masterworks for 2014-2015 announced

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ASO_revThough there are several concerts remaining in each of their series, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra has announced three of their 2014-2015 series.

Next year is the first of their two-year hiatus from Robinson Center Music Hall (as it gets transformed into a true music hall instead of a civic gathering room).

The Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series will be performed at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center. To entice audiences who have been used to attending Robinson for ASO concerts for 40 years, Music Director Philip Mann has programmed a line up with many familiar composers. In addition, an Oscar winning musical genius will be presented.

The series will kick off on September 27 & 28 with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring Andrew Staupe on piano.  Also on the program will be John Corigliano’s Promenade Overture and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major.  Corigliano is the Oscar winner, having won for composing the score of The Red Violin.

On October 18 & 19, the ASO will heat things up with Blazing Brass featuring trumpeter Richard Jorgensen.  The program will consist of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E Major.

The now annual Beethoven and Blue Jeans concert will be November 8 & 9. Sharon Isbin’s guitar work will be featured as the ASO plays Corigliano’s Three Hallucinations from Altered States as well as his Troubadours-Variations for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra.  The Beethoven portion of the evening will be his Symphony No. 5 in C minor.

The Masterworks series will ring in 2015 on January 31 & February 1 with a Tchaikovsky & Mozart Festival.  Vladimir Verbitsky will be guest conductor. The evening will feature violin soloist Randall Goosby.  The program consists of Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Mozart’s Concerto for Violin No. 5 in A Major, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor.

On February 28 and March 1, the ASO will present Schubert’s “Unfinished.”  In addition to that masterpiece, the musicians will play Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger and Brahms’ Concerto for Violin in D. Major.

The Masterworks Series for 2014-2015 will conclude with an evening of Mozart, Prokofiev & Strauss.  Pianist Yeol Eum Son will be the featured guest artist.  The program will consist of Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C Major – Jupiter, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 Suite.

All Masterworks concerts will be performed at 7:30pm on Saturday evenings and 3pm on Sunday evenings.

The other ASO series will be previewed by the Culture Vulture in the coming days.

Intimate Neighborhood Concerts continue tonight

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ASO INCAs the seasons change, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra notes that with a program of music celebrating different seasons.

The Intimate Neighborhood Concerts Series, now in its second season, presents chamber orchestra repertoire in gorgeous, acoustically unique spaces around Little Rock. In addition to hearing the beautiful works in the settings intended by the composers, you are invited to mingle with the musicians after the concerts.

The concert starts at 7pm at Second Presbyterian Church on Thursday, March 13.  Tickets are $35 general admission at $10 for students and active military.  They may be purchased at the ASO website.

The Intimate Neighborhood Concerts Series presents chamber orchestra repertoire in gorgeous, acoustically unique spaces around Little Rock. In addition to hearing the beautiful works in the settings intended by the composers, you are invited to mingle with the musicians after the concerts.

CONCERT PROGRAM
SELECTIONS FROM:

VIVALDI: Le Quattro Staggioni (The Four Seasons)
PIAZZOLLA: Cuatro Estraciones Portenas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)

Each movement features one of the ASO’s own violinists.

Katherine Williamson
Meredith Maddox Hicks
Algimantas Staskevicius
Andrew Irvin
Trisha McGovern
Kiril Laskarov
Leanne Day-Simpson

Verdi’s REQUIEM presented by Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

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ASO_revThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the fifth installment in its 2013-2014 Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series: Verdi’s Requiem on March 1st at 8 p.m. and March 2nd at 3 p.m at the Robinson Center Music Hall. The concert is sponsored by Aristotle.

The performance features four vocal soloists, a full complement of brass and percussion, and a massed double chorus made up of eight Arkansas college and professional choirs

Tickets are $14, $30, $47, and $53; active duty military and student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Robinson Center Music Hall box office beginning 90 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761.  All Arkansas students grades K-12 are admitted to Sunday’s matinee free of charge with purchase of an adult ticket using the Entergy Kids’ ticket, downloadable at the ASO website.

Soloists

Elisabeth Rosenberg, soprano (bio)

Christin-Marie Hill, alto (bio)

Kevin Ray, tenor (bio)

Adam Cioffarri, bass (bio)

PROGRAM

GIUSEPPE VERDI             Missa di Requiem

The Requiem (in part) began life as a part of a collaborative work in Gioachino Rossini’s honor when he died in 1868. Though the work faltered just prior to its premiere, Giuseppe Verdi continued to work on his section of the piece, Libera Me. Upon hearing of the death his hero, Italian writer Alesssandro Manzoni, Verdi was moved to complete a Requiem, which included a version of the Libera Me originally composed for Rossini. The work was premiered in Milan in May of 1874 under the baton of the composer.

The Requiem is noted for its operatic techniques, allowing Verdi to express the powerful emotions of the text. The Tuba mirum,  featuring brass with quadruple-fortissimo markings, the memorable tenor solo of the Ingemisco, and double chorus combine for a work of extreme contrasts in emotion, imagery, and volume.

American Airlines Concert Conversations

All concert ticket holders are invited to a pre-concert lecture an hour before each Masterworks concert in Room 102 and 103 of the Robinson Center Music Hall.  These talks feature insights from the Maestro, ASO guest artists and musical examples to enrich the concert experience.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 48th season in 2013-2014 under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than thirty concerts each year for more than 42,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series and Parker Lexus River Rhapsodies Chamber Series, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 24,000 school children and over 200 schools.