Photo Flash: The Princeton Symphony Orchestra Presents 'Scenic Rhythms' Featuring Robert Belinic, 1/18

On Sunday, January 18, at 4 pm at Richardson Auditorium, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents Scenic Rhythms, a concert featuring guitar soloist Robert Belini? performing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Daniel Boico will guest conduct the program which also includes Ottorino Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano and Ludwig van Beethoven'sSymphony No. 7 in A Major.

With engagements conducting orchestras around the world, guest conductor Daniel Boico has been praised by critics for his "magnetic charisma" and "skilled technique" He was assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic from 2009 to 2011 when he led all of the Philharmonic's popular Young People's Concerts and also conducted subscription concerts. Early in his career, he assisted conductors Pierre Boulez and Zubin Mehta as well as Music Director Daniel Barenboim at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Guitarist Robert Belini? previously performed Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez in 2008 at Lincoln Center with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and at a solo recital at the Morgan Library and Museum. He plays "with the most intense passion, energy, and charisma of any guitarist I have heard" (New York Concert Review). He began his study of classical guitar at 11 years of age in Croatia, and was a prize winner of the 2006 Parkening International Guitar Competition in California. He also won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York in 2002, the only guitarist ever chosen for the YCA roster. He performs world-wide as both a soloist and collaborator.

Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is the quintessential concerto for the Spanish instrument of the guitar. The music is characterized by Spanish dance rhythms, and the scoring balances the subtle dynamic range of the acoustic guitar with the rich sound of a full orchestra. The piece suggests Rodrigo's mental image of the gardens of the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, a destination near Madrid he and his wife visited for both romance and consolation.

Ottorino Respighi's homage to three iconic paintings by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, Trittico Botticelliano captures Romantic fascination with national art and folk music, which carried into the early 20th century. Fast, lilting rhythms call to mind Irish folk music in Beethoven's Seventh, which Richard Wagner called the "apotheosis of the dance." Every movement of the symphony is in some way connected to dance rhythms, leaving the listener with an impression of joyful exuberance.

At 3 pm, Mr. Boico and Mr. Belini? will discuss the program at the PSO's Pre-Concert Talk. Free for concert attendees at Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University.

Tickets for Scenic Rhythms are on sale at the following price levels: $75, $60, $48, and $30. Available via the PSO website www.princetonsymphony.org or by phone: (609) 497-0020.

To post a comment, you must register and login.