York Symphony Orchestra Presents Back In The USSR

The York Symphony Orchestra will present Back in the USSR on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York. The performance features guest artist, Katherine Pracht, a talented mezzo-soprano who won the "Outstanding Mezzo Award" in the Metropolitan Opera Competition. Single tickets starting at $9 for adults and $5 for students are available online at www.YorkSymphony.org or by calling 717-846-1111.

Back in the USSR is the ninth performance of the 2017-2018 season, World Tour: A Musical Voyage Around the Globe, and the fifth in the Classical Series. The concert will feature the inventive and dramatic music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev with pieces that capture the cultural spirit of the 20th century revolution.

"The York Symphony Orchestra, York Symphony Chorus and our distinguished and incredibly-talented guest artist, Katherine Pracht, join together for an incredible performance filled with the passion and drama that is associated with this period in Russian history," said Lawrence Golan, Music Director and Conductor of the York Symphony Orchestra.

The York Symphony Orchestra will open the concert with Symphony No. 5 in D minor by Dmitri Shostakovich. Symphony No. 5 is cast in four movements beginning with an aggressive angular melody, made even more intense by dotted rhythms and imitation. The second movement is a rollicking, somewhat twisted scherzo, witty and occasionally sarcastic. The third movement is slow and expressive, almost poem-like, with long unfolding melodies, using primarily strings throughout. Finally, the fourth movement explodes out of the silence left by the third, into a frenzied march that builds, peaks, and continues forward to an intense climax. This piece can be interpreted as an expression of suffering under Stalin or as an expression of the Soviet personality and optimism for the future.

The second half of the concert features Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky. In the cantata, the first section, "Russia under the Mongol Yoke," is the underscore for the opening credits. In No. 2, "Song about Alexander Nevsky," the chorus tells the story of how Alexander previously defeated the Swedish army on the River Neva and exhorts him to take up arms again against the invaders. No. 3, "The Crusaders in Pskov," depicts the havoc brought to the city by pillaging invaders. "Arise, ye Russian People," No. 4, is a heroic hymn, a bright contrast to the dark music used to describe the Germans in the preceding movement. No. 5, "The Battle on the Ice," represents the battle between darkness and light, dark for the Teutonic invaders and light for the Russians. At the climax of the battle, the ice begins to crack under the weight of Teutonic armor on heavily-burdened horses, and horses and riders sink beneath the water. The ensuing "Field of the Dead" is a solo lament for the Russians lost in the battle. In the final selection, No. 7, "Alexander's Entry into Pskov," the chorus exults in his victory, with stern warnings to potential invaders that any with similar intentions will meet the same fate.

Special guest vocalist, mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht, joins the York Symphony Orchestra and York Symphony Chorus for Alexander Nevsky. In 2016, Pracht made her Kennedy Center debut as soloist in Philip Glass' Symphony No. 5 with the Washington Chorus. She also sang the U.S. premiere of Richard Wernick's "... and a Time for Peace" with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Pracht has also performed with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Central City Opera, the Colorado Symphony, the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, and the Black Pearl Orchestra.

The York Symphony Orchestra presents Back in the USSR on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York. Single tickets starting at $9 for adults and $5 for students are available online at www.YorkSymphony.org and by calling 717-846-1111.

Made up of talented professional musicians from the greater York area and beyond, the York Symphony Orchestra has been engaging audiences with outstanding orchestral music for more than 80 years. Performing at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts, the York Symphony Orchestra presents an eclectic mix of classical pieces combined with contemporary arrangements. The 2017-2018 season is sponsored by M&T Bank; the Classical Series is sponsored by W. Dale Brougher Foundation; and the Pops Series is sponsored by PeoplesBank. Back in the USSR is sponsored by Quality. The York Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to music education, offering programs to engage youth and adults. For more information on the York Symphony Orchestra, visit www.YorkSymphony.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YorkSymphony/.

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