Symphonic Selfies

Passage (’pas-ij) n.

The act of passing from one place to the next or the act of changing smoothly from one situation to another.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 7:30 PM

Bronspiegel Auditorium, New Bedford High School

Yaniv Dinur, conductor

Sydney Lee, cello

James Lee III: Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 7

Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto

American composer James Lee III’s opening piece invokes the Hebrew holiday of Sukkot and draws inspiration from passages in the Book of Job and Revelations, creating a world both old and new. Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 is in one movement and is only 20 minutes long, but in that compact space, he defies the inherited world of the symphonic tradition to create his own personal vision of the possibilities of orchestral music. The evolution of his melodies throughout the piece and the harmonic soundscape he conjures is like nothing before or after him. It is one of the most beautiful and moving works ever written for symphony orchestra. Elgar’s Cello Concerto lives (and flourishes) firmly within the Romantic world. Elgar harnesses all that that musical world has to offer in a masterpiece for cello and orchestra, which will be performed by acclaimed cellist Sydney Lee.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 7:30 PM

Bronspiegel Auditorium, New Bedford High School

Yaniv Dinur, conductor

Janice Weber, piano

Clarice Assad: Nhanderú

Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 6

Brazilian composer Clarice Assad draws on the rain-making rituals of the Tupi and Gurana tribes of the Amazon basin to create a piece of music that is both prayerful and delightful, including that beautiful moment when you feel light raindrops falling on your uplifted face. Composer Dimitri Shostakovich might not typically be associated with the idea of pure beauty, but the second movement of his Piano Concerto No. 2 is truly mesmerizing in its gentle beauty, and the rest of the piece is infused with a celebratory joy, which is fitting since Shostakovich wrote it as a gift to his piano-playing son on his 19th birthday. Another reason to celebrate this piece is that it will be performed by our very own South Coast Chamber Music Series artistic director, the inestimable Janice Weber. The program concludes with Dvořák’s sixth symphony, which is filled with an embarrassment of beautiful melodic riches, as only he can do. We’ll take every one of them without being embarrassed at all!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 3:30

& 7 PM

Bronspiegel Auditorium, New Bedford High School

Yaniv Dinur, conductor and emcee

Appearances by the Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestra and the Showstoppers

Our perennially sold-out Holiday Pops concerts are something you and your family won’t want to miss! The spirit of the season is alive and well with Yaniv, our musicians, and special guests, including The Showstoppers and the Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestra. The festively-decorated concert hall and family-friendly atmosphere are just what everybody needs at this time of year. The matinee performance is perfect for children and the young at heart, while the evening performance features a bit more music but is still a treat for all ages. Both performances are about one hour long, with no intermission.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 7:30 PM

Bronspiegel Auditorium, New Bedford High School

Yaniv Dinur, conductor and emcee

What do Yaniv, our musicians, Tom and Jerry, Homer Simpson, and the Pink Panther all have in common? They want to get animated! And so will you at this concert of wonderful music from animated films like Toy Story 2, Hercules, Coco, How to Train Your Dragon, Mulan, and more. Get your tickets early because our Movie Pops concerts always sell out. You don’t want to miss this fun night of great music or any of our comedian-conductor Yaniv’s jokes and skits.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 7:30 PM

Bronspiegel Auditorium, New Bedford High School

Yaniv Dinur, conductor

Jesse Holstein, violin

Anna Griffis, viola

Andreia Pinto Correia: Acanto

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”

Portuguese composer Andreia Pinto Correia was inspired to write Acanto by the growth patterns of a plant that is native to the Mediterranean region, acanthus mollis. We experience a different type of growth in Mozart’s beloved Sinfonia Concertante, a work in which Mozart greatly expanded his conception of how soloists and orchestra can interweave their playing together. The close connection between soloists and orchestra that Mozart wanted is just what our soloists, NBSO concertmaster Jesse Holstein and principal violist Anna Griffis, who know our orchestra from the inside out, will provide. Beethoven’s third symphony represents his own growth from the influence and musical debt he owed Mozart. This is the symphony where Beethoven declared his own, unique genius, which has shaped what we expect an orchestra to sound like to this very day.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 7:30 PM

Bronspiegel Auditorium, New Bedford High School

Yaniv Dinur, conductor

Katherine Chi, piano

Sergei Prokofiev: Suite from The Love for Three Oranges

Brian Raphael Nabors: Pulse for Orchestra

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2

It should not come as a surprise by now that Yaniv likes to provide our audiences with memorable listening experiences. In this concert, he offers us many contrasts – in other words, three pieces of music that couldn’t be more different from one another! We begin with an upbeat rhythmic jaunt in Pulse for Orchestra by American composer Brian Raphael Nabors. Then we switch to the witty and even prickly music of Prokofiev’s delicious The Love for Three Oranges. Finally, we have one more switch, to the massive, overpowering sound of Brahms, whose second piano concerto is often called a “symphony with piano.” Pianist Katherine Chi, whom critics describe as “compelling, cogent, sensational,” returns for her second engagement with the NBSO.