A Message from Scott DEAR FRIENDS, At the West Michigan Symphony, we owe a large measure of our success to a strong, healthy creative vision. Creativity, the creative process, and the act of re-creation inform everything that we do organization-wide. This season we celebrate the process of creating music, painting, sculpture, literature and ballet—the Creative Force itself. Many of this season’s highlights explore the relationship between creative artists and their art. Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is a monumental attempt to turn paintings into music; the Benvenuto Cellini overture of Hector Berlioz introduces us to the works of a legendary sculptor. Antonín Dvořák’s Bohemian-inspired Eighth Symphony and the glorious Third Symphony of Johannes Brahms are the ravishing products of creativity within a structural framework. The searingly powerful Fifth Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich, a perfect example of symphonic form, also makes a compelling statement about the purpose of art itself. And we present the Michigan premiere of Kenji Bunch’s ambitious Symphony no. 1, setting Roy Liechtenstein’s pop-art worldview to music. The soloists bring their own brand of creativity to our stage. Fresh from his star turn in the film Black Swan, violin superstar Timothy Fain traverses the stunning violin concerto of Philip Glass. The phenomenal Russian cellist Alexander Buzlov, recently a winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, plays Elgar’s elegiac and nostalgic cello concerto. Virtuoso pianists Per Tengstrand and Shan-shan Sun perform the sparkling and witty Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. And the consummate artists of Cirque de la Symphonie combine their exquisite acrobatics with the thrill of live music.
Masterworks.3
Carnival of the Animals Scott Speck, conductor with special guests Per Tengstrand and Shan-shan Sun, pianists
7:30 pm February 3, 2012 2 pm February 4, 2012
Frauenthal Theater •• Downtown Muskegon Tickets starting at $15 Student tickets $5 (not available online) westmichigansymphony.org •• 231.726.3231 x23
performances.
Of course, joining us for every concert, all season long, are the incomparable musicians of the West Michigan Symphony—your own marvelous cultural jewel—bringing their own creativity, love of music and passion for performing to everything they do. And what matters most is that you, our audience, allow the music to unlock your own creative spirit and participate in this journey of creation together with us. It’s this communal discovery that makes our performances worthwhile—we would be nothing without you. Thanks for joining us tonight!
Scott Speck Music Director
Volume 1//September 2011 – June 2012 :: 3
GRAND VALLEY CELEBRATES THE IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY, AND BEAUTY OF THE FINE ARTS. We appreciate the performances that inspire and enlighten us. And, we applaud the artists who share our passion for excellence and our commitment to personal achievement. gvsu.edu | (616) 331-2025