Fort Worth Symphony to perform Symphonic Dances from West Side Story at Bass Hall

by PegNews wire

Bend knees. Stick both hands out. Dance. Dance. Dance.

In its season finale, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will perform Bernstein’s lively "Symphonic Dances" from the Broadway hit West Side Story. Bernstein extracted nine sections from his original score to create the Symphonic Dances, which include two of the most popular songs from the show: “Somewhere” and “Maria” (in the Cha-Cha section). This engaging tale of young love against a backdrop of gang warfare remains one of today’s most memorable musicals on both stage and screen. For those who love West Side Story, these performances are the perfect opportunity to experience the music as never before.

The concert will also feature violin virtuoso Augustin Hadelich, who returns to perform Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6. The concerto is a dazzling display in technical prowess, and Hadelich – winner of the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis – last performed with the FWSO at Carnegie Hall to rave reviews. Turina’s lively Danzas fantásticas, Op. 22, which draws deeply from the musical traditions of Spain, provides a heart-pounding finale. On Saturday and Sunday, the concert opens with Garrido-Lecca’s Arcano. Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts.

The concerts take place May 15, 16 and 17 at Bass Performance Hall, starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Learn more about the music at Symphonic Insights, featuring host Shields-Collins “Buddy” Bray, one hour before each concert in the audience chamber. Friday performances have no intermission, slightly shorter programs (Arcano is not included Friday) and the concerts end at approximately 9 p.m. so patrons are free to enjoy the rest of the evening on the town.

Lauded as a “brilliant violinist” in the New York Times, Hadelich made his Carnegie Hall orchestral debut in January 2008, performing the Brahms Double Concerto under Harth-Bedoya with cellist Alban Gerhardt and the FWSO. He returned in March 2008 for his hugely successful recital debut in Stern Auditorium. In his third appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2008, he performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the New York String Orchestra under Jaime Laredo on Christmas Eve.

Highlights of his 2008-09 season include debuts with the Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and recitals with the La Jolla Music Society and Fortas Chamber Music Concerts series at Kennedy Center. He will also participate in an East Coast tour with artists from the Marlboro Music Festival. A captivating recitalist, Hadelich has appeared at the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Chautauqua Music Festival, Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center and the University of Texas at Austin, and in collaboration with Midori at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater. The 2007-08 season marked his professional recording debut with two CDs for Naxos: the complete violin concerti of Haydn and the complete solo violin fantasies of Telemann.

Born in Italy in 1984, the son of German parents, he holds a diploma (summa cum laude) from the Instituto Mascagni in Livorno, Italy, as well as a graduate diploma and the coveted Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Joel Smirnoff.

Source: FWSO