The Albany Symphony Orchestra’s 2008-2009 season will be one of exploration in part to celebrate the Hudson River Quadricentennial.
“Inspired by the grandeur of the Hudson River Valley, our season will take you on a series of unforgettable, thrilling musical adventures,” said music director David Alan Miller in announcing the lineup. “We’ll feature some of music history’s most daring explorers [and] our soloists will include a brilliant group of musical adventurers.”
The season will open Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs with Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture”; Mendelssohn’s Overture of “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage”; international piano soloist Peter Serkin in Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1; and the world premiere of “Voyages” by Portugal’s leading composer Luis Tinoco.
Single tickets for ASO season concerts at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the Palace Theatre and EMPAC are $49 to $25. Single tickets for other venues are $29. Subscriptions are available. Call 465-4755.
The concert will be repeated on Friday, Sept. 26, at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Colonial Theatre at 111 South St. in Pittsfield, Mass.
Annual gala
The annual gala will celebrate Giacomo Puccini’s 150th birthday on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Palace Theatre in selections from the operas of Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti and Rossini. Soprano Emily Pulley and baritone Stephen Kechulius will sing. A tenor, the gala’s location and tickets will be announced later.
The Friday, Nov. 14, concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall will feature local cellist Ken Olsen of Loudonville, who is currently the assistant principal cellist of the Chicago Symphony, in the world premiere of David Mallamud’s “Nijinsky’s Last Dance.” Also on the program are Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka”; Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun”; and Ravel’s “La Valse.”
The season will also include two new venues, one in Great Barrington, Mass., and the other on the campus at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After performing at the Canfield Casino on Thursday, Dec. 11, and on Friday at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the string orchestra will perform at Great Barrington’s intimate Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center at 14 Castle St. on Saturday, Dec. 13. Besides performing Corigliano’s “Voyage” and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, violinist Jaime Laredo will play Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3. Laredo and concertmistress Jill Levy will also play Bach’s Double Concerto for Two Violins.
The orchestra will be back at the Palace on Saturday, Jan. 17, for the debut of 15-year-old pianist Sijing Ye in Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Tap dance prodigy Ryan VanDenBoom will dance in Gould’s “Tap Dance Concerto” and 15-year-old violinist William Hagen will debut in Bruch’s Violin Concerto. Takuma Itoh’s Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra will also be performed with the Chimeng Quartet of Bard College and the orchestra will play Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture.”
Guitar premiere
Guitarist Eliot Fisk will star in the world premiere of Robert Beaser’s Guitar Concerto on Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Canfield Casino. Also scheduled are Rossini’s “La Gazza Ladra” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Repeat performances are planned on Friday, Feb. 27, at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Colonial Theatre.
The other new location, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center on the RPI campus, will open the Key’s American Music Festival on Friday, March 20. Dorothy Chang’s “Erie Canal” will feature the Poestenkill Elementary School Chorus, and popular pianist Kevin Cole will perform Gershwin’s Concerto in F and several songs. Kevin Beavers’ “Hudson Valley Melodrams” will get a world premiere and Bernard Herrmann’s “Melodrama” will be performed.
Flutist Alexa Still will debut in Corigliano’s “Pied Piper Fantasy” on Saturday, April 18, at the Palace Theatre. Also scheduled are Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” and Walton’s Symphony No. 1.
The final concert of the season will be Saturday, May 9, at the Palace Theatre with the world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Choral Symphony “River Music.” Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 will also be performed.
The orchestra will give its annual holiday concerts at 3 p.m. at the Palace Theatre on Dec. 6 and 7 and also 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6. Tickets are $25; $12 for 14 and under. Sunday Symphonies for Families at the Palace Theatre are at 3 p.m. on Dec. 7, Jan. 25 and March 8. Tickets are $18; $9 for 14 and under.
The experimental Dogs of Desire will perform at 8 p.m. March 28. Location and tickets will be announced later.
2008-09 season
Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. Canfield Casino — Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Tinoco, Brahms
Sept. 26, 8 p.m. Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, repeat
Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. Colonial Theatre, repeat
Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. Palace Theatre — Arias from Italian operas
Nov. 14, 8 p.m. Troy Savings Bank Music Hall — Stravinsky, Debussy,Mallamud, Ravel
Dec. 6, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre — Holiday show
Dec. 7, 3 p.m. Palace Theatre, repeat
Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. Canfield Casino — Bach, Mozart, Corigliano, Mozart
Dec. 12, 8 p.m. Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, repeat
Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, repeat
Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre — Rachmaninoff, Gould, Bruch, Itoh, Brahms
Jan. 25, 3 p.m. Palace Theatre — “Raiders of the Lost Symphony” for families
Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. Canfield Casino — Rossini, Beaser, Beethoven
Feb. 27, 8 p.m. Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, repeat
Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m. Colonial Theatre, repeat
March 8, 3 p.m. Palace Theatre — “Gotta Dance” for families
March 20, 8 p.m. EMPAC — Chang, Herrmann, Beavers, Gershwin
March 28, 8 p.m. Location TBA — Dogs of Desire
April 18, 7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre — Britten, Corigliano, Walton
May 9, 7:30 p.m. Palace Theatre — Hagen, Mahler
Categories: Life and Arts
