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St.Clair leads Classical Connections, “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Revealed, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, at 3 p.m.
It’s a night of sweeping emotion as triumph reigns over tragedy, when Pacific Symphony dives into the power and melodic mastery of “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth” for the first Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series concert of the New Year. Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, the Symphony unveils the rigorous emotional journey that Tchaikovsky imparted in his Fifth Symphony, overcoming his inner struggles through the music. Although the strained relationship with his music critics caused Tchaikovsky to proclaim the work a failure, it is now one of the most beloved symphonies in the repertoire. Also on the program, Croatian pianist Dejan Lazić returns (after performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in May 2010) to play Chopin’s instantly recognizable and achingly beautiful Piano Concerto No. 2. Chopin, who wrote the piece when he was just 19, delicately interweaves melodies with poetic detail to express the thrill of being in love.
The concert opens with a new work by Osvaldo Golijov, inspired by a tide-changing book by Galileo and commissioned by a consortium of 36 orchestras to honor the retirement of Henry Fogel, past president of the League of American Orchestras. The concert takes place Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 12-14, 2012, at 8 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall; a preview talk with Alan Chapman begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25-$110; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org. (See below for details on Classical Connections.)
“The first time I heard Tchaikovksy’s Fifth Symphony, it was being conducted by my future mentor Leonard Bernstein,” says Maestro St.Clair. “I was watching it on a 1948 black Westinghouse television set that my dad bought when he got back from World War II, and even on this small black and white TV, the symphony made quite an impression on me. I now consider Tchaikovksy a great teacher, and when I conduct this piece, I hope to rediscover the depth of interpretation that I felt that evening.”
Shining with Romantic ardor, Chopin first played his Piano Concerto No. 2 at its premiere in Poland in 1830, where he was proclaimed a national hero. The piece is an ideal showpiece for virtuoso Lazic, who has gained a reputation for fresh interpretations of the piano repertoire and established himself as one of the most sought-after and unusual soloists of his generation.
“I first met Dejan Lazić in Weimar, Germany, where he played one of the Bach concertos with me and my orchestra,” says St.Clair. “Right after the first rehearsal I had with him, I immediately contacted Pacific Symphony, and I said as soon as we can, this guy is coming to Southern California. This is one of the most fantastically imaginative, creative, technically flawless pianists I’ve ever worked with, and I have such a musical connection with him.”
Lazić has appeared with such orchestras as the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, and Bamberger Symphoniker, working with such conductors as Iván Fischer, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Giovanni Antonini, Kirill Petrenko, Robert Spano and John Storgårds. Born into a musical family in Zagreb, Croatia, Lazić grew up in Salzburg, Austria, where he studied at the Mozarteum. He now lives in Amsterdam.
“Also on the program is the piece ‘Sidereus,’ written by Osvaldo Golijov, in
honor of another great mentor for me, Henry Fogel,” continues St.Clair. “Henry is somebody who has believed in me ever since I was a student at Tanglewood, and I sought counsel and confidence with him year after year… I am really happy that at the beginning and ending the concert I can, in my own private way, pay homage to two very important mentors in my life: one a musical teacher, Tchaikovsky, and the other, a person in our field that has meant so much to me.”
Golijov is one of the most highly regarded composers today, having received a MacArthur Fellowship, the Vilcek Prize, two Grammy awards and multiple nominations. This evening’s opening piece, “Sidereus,” is a reflection on “Sidereus Nuncius,” a book written by Galileo after observing the moon for the first time through a telescope. A review of the premiere with the Memphis Symphony described the piece as “fascinating, starting ominously with low strings and brass and then other sections layering in with new textures, lightening the mood. The violins shimmer. The piece ends beautifully with a quiet passage, somber and thoughtful” (GoMemphis.com).
For Classical Connections, St.Clair leads the orchestra in an afternoon performance and conversation of “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Revealed” on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, at 3 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. For this concert, St.Clair and the orchestra explore the sumptuous tone and melodic mastery of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony with its triumphant final movement. After the concert, St.Clair welcomes patrons to join him and Symphony musicians for “Coffee Connections,” a post-concert coffee-house reception in the Box Circle lobby provided by a generous grant from the James Irvine Foundation.
Pacific Symphony’s Classical series performances are made possible by the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation, with additional support from American Airlines, The Westin South Coast Plaza, KUSC, KPCC and PBS SoCal.
