Piano Power

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FEB

Discover more: madisonsymphony.org/bronfman

PIANO POWER

by John DeMain

Our final concert in the season, which, by the way, is usually choral, was changed this year because we had a chance to bring back the great pianist Yefim Bronfman. His awesome command of every facet of piano technique is ideally suited for the big technical demands of Brahms’s first concerto. But first, our program begins with one of the great overtures, Weber’s Euryanthe Overture, which we haven’t played in quite some time. This is another one of those situations where the opera failed due to a convoluted libretto, though possessing some fine music, and the overture remains and is a hit with the public.

This will be followed by Stravinsky’s Petrushka, an exuberant ballet that, nevertheless, has a sad ending. I am also a huge fan of Stravinsky and his music, and have been searching for the right moment to perform this work. Stravinsky composed Petrushka in between his phenomenally successful Firebird, and his epic Rite of Spring. Having a puppet as the central figure involved in a love triangle, who is slain and then returns as a ghost, is the theme of this ballet. Stravinsky later made a suite from this music, and that is what we are performing. This vibrant and brilliantly rhythmic score for a large orchestra makes considerable demands on the players, who always, at least in the MSO, love a challenge.

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Program Notes Excerpt to discover more, visit madisonsymphony.org/ bronfman Euryanthe contains some of Weber’s finest music... It has been produced and recorded a few times in the last few decades, but despite the best efforts of Weber’s later champions, the opera Euryanthe is known today primarily for its fine overture. – Michael Allsen

John DeMain, Conductor Yefim Bronfman, Piano Weber Overture from Euryanthe Stravinsky Petrushka Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor

Friday, May 1 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 3 2:30 p.m.

MAJOR FUNDING PROVIDED BY:

Irving and Dorothy Levy Family Foundation, Inc.

Kenneth A. Lattman Foundation, Inc. Louise and Ernest Borden

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY:

Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. Janet Hyde Fred Wileman