In Concert: THE WIZARD OF OZ FANTASY Comes to St. John's In The Village This Month

Renowned concert pianists Donna Weng Friedman and David Oei are celebrating the 83rd anniversary of The Wizard of Oz world premiere and official release by performing a toe-tapping, hum-inducing virtuoso piano duet called The Wizard of Oz Fantasy, written by William Hirtz. The concert will take place on Sunday, August 28, 3pm at St. John's in the Village located at 218 West 11th Street. If you loved the movie (and who doesn't?) you won't want to miss this musical trip down nostalgia lane!

On August 12, 1939, The Wizard of Oz received its world premiere at the Strand Theater in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and on August 25th, 1939, the film was released in theaters throughout the U.S. Later that year, the movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, losing out to another film classic, Gone with the Wind, for best picture. However, it won two Oscars, one for "Over the Rainbow" for Best Song, and the other for Best Musical Score. With Judy Garland's extraordinary voice leading an incredible cast singing Harold Arlen's unforgettable tunes, the rest, as they say, is movie music history.

About the Wizard of Oz Fantasy for one piano, four hands, composer William Hirtz has this to say "One of the challenges of composing a piano transcription is making sure the excerpt that is chosen is pianistic. For instance, my favorite comedy song in the movie, 'If I Were King Of The Forest' just didn't work on the piano. The goofy vibrato Bert Lahr uses on the word 'Forest' was impossible, at least for me to do justice to via the keyboard."

Hirtz continues "Often, beautiful melodies comprised of long sustained notes, do not translate well either. Luckily, 'Over The Rainbow' sounds very pianistic. The two longest notes over the opening words, 'Some-where', are well within the pianos' expressive range. Then it becomes important to add counter melodies in the accompaniment while those long notes are held."

The "Oz Fantasy" has been a popular addition to the virtuoso repertoire since its commission in 2000 and has been performed on 6 continents. Apparently, it has yet to be performed in Antarctica. The reason? Hirtz quipped that it might have something to do with the unbearably freezing cold weather there :)

Friedman and Oei will be performing the Wizard of Oz Fantasy on Sunday, August 28, 3pm as part of the David Oei Classical Salon. The program will also feature music by Lili Boulanger, Francis Poulenc, Charles Ives and Richard Strauss performed by an all-star roster of classical musicians: violinist Eriko Sato, violist Kimberly Foster, cellist Daire FitzGerald , and clarinetist Amalie Wyrick-Flax.

For more information, please visit www.davidoeiclassicalsalon.com