Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Kicks Off Nov 2013 Chamber, Main Stage, & Family Concerts

Join your A2SO musicians today, November 1 at 1:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor for a delightful hour-long chamber music recital featuring A2SO's Woodwind Quintet and a variety of beautiful musical selections from around the world. Single tickets are $10 and are available online at a2so.com or at the door. Arrive early to mingle with this wonderful community of likeminded friends and enjoy a complimentary dessert reception at 1:00 p.m.

Performers:

Penny Fischer, flute

Lynne Marie Mangan, oboe

Jay deVries, clarinet

Nora Schankin, bassoon

Melanie Hellick, horn

Repertoire:

Arne Running - Aria and Quodlibet

Ferenc Farkas - Old Hungarian Dances

Denis Agay - Five Easy Dances

William Grant Still - Miniatures

Adrien Barthe - Passacaille

Jacques Ibert - Trois Pieces Breves

Paquito D'Rivera - Wapango

Charles Lefebvre - Suite for Woodwind Quintet, op. 57

The A2SO Chamber Recital Series features the finest chamber recital music played by A2SO musicians and guests. These hour-long concerts are open to listeners of all ages. Wind, string and brass soloists and ensembles combine programs to include freshly minted pieces along with time-honored classics. All concerts are preceded by dessert and coffee. Hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor (2935 Birch Hollow Dr Ann Arbor, MI 48108). The A2SO thanks the CFI Group for their continued sponsorship of this series.

Join the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra as they embark on a winter journey through the music of notable composers including Tchaikovsky and his evocative, yet seldom-heard symphony, Winter Dreams, on Saturday, November 23, at 8pm at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Throughout your concert journey, the presence of icy woods and picturesque rocky coastlines will be outlined through the strength and passion of the music.

Beginning the concert, the orchestra will play Pärt's Fratres for Strings and Percussion. Composed in 1977, Fratres was originally a work written for string quintet plus wind quintet. The version played by your A2 SO dates from 1991 and is composed for string orchestra and percussion (claves plus bass drum or tom-tom). Fratres, literally meaning brothers, displays a tonal technique called "tintinnabuli," in reference to bell-like resonances. Within the piece, the "tintinnabulation" sections are sounded and the melody dances slowly in basic repetition that surrounds the home pitch.

According to composer Pärt, "Tintinnabulation is like this. Here I am alone with silence. I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements-with one voice, with two voices." Following Part is Glazunov's Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82 where A2 SO Concertmaster Aaron

Berofsky will be showcased. Made famous by Jascha Heifetz, this concerto features three movements played without a pause, making the connections seamless from one movement to the next. With the flow unimpeded, a lyrical mood displays the great Russian spirit with pronounced themes, coloring and artistry. A perfectly placed cadenza at the end of the slow movement is a brilliant transition into the outstanding finale.

Aaron Berofsky is a violinist who has toured and soloed with various orchestras throughout the United States and abroad. An alumnus of the Juilliard School of Music, Mr. Berofsky's interest in early music led him to perform with the acclaimed chamber orchestra Tafelmusik on period instruments. He has taught at the Chautauqua Institution, Oberlin, Interlochen, the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival and the Conservatorio Palma Mallorca. His recordings of the complete Beethoven and Mozart sonatas are a must-have for every music lover. Berofsky has served as the A2SO concertmaster since 2003, and has served as concertmaster for the Orkestra Sinfonica Billbao, the Julliard Orchestra and the Lansing Symphony.

After Glazunov, the orchestra concludes with the rarely heard Tchaikovsky masterpiece, Symphony No.1, "Winter Dreams." In 1874, the composer himself titled this four-movement symphony, while the rest of his symphonies were granted names by later critics. Tchaikovsky even gave titles to two of the four movements within the symphony: "Dreams of a Winter Journey" and "Desolate Land, Land of Mists," intended to give mood descriptions to the movements. Throughout the display of the piece, the listener witnesses a tour of tone, developments, and transformations. "What a great piece to start off a winter concert. Tchaikovsky's piece eloquently outlines a winter scene through the brightness of expression that pervades the symphony," says Arie Lipsky, Musical Director of A2SO.

The A2SO is proud to have the November 23 concert, Winter Dreams, sponsored by the UM Centers of Excellence: Cardiovascular, Comprehensive Cancer, Transplant, and Brehm Centers.

On Sunday, November 24 at 4:00 p.m. at the Michigan Theater the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra presents the first of its 2013-14 Family Concert Series, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, a musical play complete with actors in period costume.

Beethoven Lives Upstairs is an Emmy award winning play depicting a young boy's appreciation of music as he listens to the new, eccentric upstairs renter-Beethoven. It is a story of genius and childhood that turns the boy's life upside down. Humorous and factual stories interweave with the musicians of the orchestra and actors from Classical Kids Live to portray the human side of Beethoven. Audiences are captivated by more than twenty-five excerpts of the master's music, including the Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise, and the great Fifth and Ninth Symphonies.

Concertgoers are invited to come early for family friendly fun in the Michigan Theatre lobby from 2:30- 3:30 p.m. The performance is approximately 50 minutes in length and is recommended for audiences age six and up.

The A2SO would like to thank Toyota for sponsoring this concert. To order tickets call (734) 994-4801, email tickets@a2so.com, or purchase online at www.a2so.com. Single tickets are $8 child and $12 adult. Subscriptions are $18 child and $30 adult that include Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Sing-Along with Santa, and The Planets family concerts.

Below, check out a recent interview with Bassoonist Eric Varner!

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