Description
ECO's Second "Lost Concert"
ECO’s 2021-2022 Season Finale Concert includes the exact same program the orchestra was scheduled to perform for our 2019-2020 Season Finale. The musicians of the orchestra, our Music Director William “Bill” Hill, and the entire board are thrilled to be able to finally present this unforgettable program.
We open the concert with ECO Music Director William Hill’s composition Three Tangos. Bill has orchestrated these charming Tangos, originally composed for solo piano, and then transcribed for piano and violin, for performance by a full orchestra. Bill performed two of the Tangos at our virtual Summer Soirée event – and they were a big hit! We’re certain you’ll love these pieces, with their Latin-inspired melodies and rhythms.
Next, internationally-renowned concert pianist Katie Mahan returns to perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. This incredible piece is a hallmark of the Jazz Age – combining elements of classical music with Jazz effects. The famous opening clarinet glissando is as instantly recognizable as the opening theme of Beethoven’s Fifth symphony – but did you know this was actually a joke played on Gershwin? During the rehearsals for the premiere, clarinetist Ross Gorman played the opening theme with a noticeable glissando. The joke was on Gorman, as Gershwin loved it and asked him to perform it just like that! Premiered on February 12, 1924, with Paul Whiteman conducting his Palais Royal Orchestra, the work was an instant hit with audiences – and remains one of the most popular works performed by orchestras to this day.
We close our 2021-2022 Season with a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Op. 67 in C Minor. Widely considered a cornerstone of western music, there is much to be said about this magnanimous work. Beethoven composed this symphony between 1804 and 1808, during which time he was also composing the Razumovsky String Quartets Op. 59, the Violin Concerto Op. 61, the Appassionata Piano Sonata Op. 57, the Fourth Piano Concerto Op. 58, the Fourth Symphony Op. 60, the Mass in C Op. 86, and the Sixth Symphony Op. 68.
The Fifth Symphony was premiered on December 22nd, 1808, in a nearly four-hour concert consisting entirely of Beethoven premieres. The concert was conducted by Beethoven, and unfortunately took place under adverse conditions. The orchestra had only ONE rehearsal to prepare this massive concert (two symphonies, a piano concerto, a mass, and more!) and the concert hall was very cold. Beethoven even stopped the performance of the Choral Fantasy after a performer made a mistake. Even so – after publication of the score, E.T.A. Hoffmann was gushing in his review – stating that this work was “indescribably profound and magnificent”.
This symphony was performed in the inaugural concert of the New York Philharmonic in 1842 and of the US National Symphony Orchestra in 1931. It was featured – alongside what was considered the most important collection of images, sounds, and music of Earth – on the Voyager Golden Record, which was sent out into space aboard the Voyager probes.
With all that being said – words fall short in describing the profundity and impact of this work. One must experience it, preferably in a live concert performance by an excellent orchestra, to truly understand. We hope you will join us for this!
PROGRAM:
William Hill
Three Tangos
George Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
KATIE MAHAN – PIANO
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 in C Minor
A note about COVID-19 and ECO's Live Performances
Evergreen Chamber Orchestra is committed to preserving the health and safety of our musicians, staff, and you – our audience. After evaluating our options and considering guidelines published by federal and state health authorities, we have decided to implement several policies and procedures to make sure our concerts are as safe as they possibly can be. Please take a moment to read our COVID-19 Policies for Live Events prior to purchasing a ticket.
One such policy is to limit capacity at our events to allow for sufficient physical distancing and refreshed airflow throughout the venue. While we believe this is the appropriate course of action in order to host a safer event, doing so limits our potential revenue. As an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, ticket revenue is one of our primary sources of income. We’ve always endeavored to keep ticket prices as low as possible in order to make our concerts affordable for everyone, and we will not be increasing ticket prices this year.
Our actual cost to produce this event with reduced capacity is around $50 per ticket.
All we ask is that if you are able to donate a bit in addition to the regular ticket price, please consider doing so. Even just a few dollars really does make a difference!
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