Utah Symphony Launches MASTERWORKS MAGNIFIED Concert Series
Kicking off the very first Masterworks Magnified performance is Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 held on October 20 and 21.
By: Blair Ingenthron Oct. 14, 2023
In the heart of Salt Lake City, the Utah Symphony has embarked on an exciting journey to transform the way audiences experience classical music. A brand-new concert offering, Masterworks Magnified, is a revitalized and reimagined version of the previous Unwound concerts, which were popular—especially with younger symphony attendees—before being put on hold during the pandemic.
Masterworks Magnified promises to offer audience members an unparalleled symphonic experience, blending classical music with innovative elements like video projections, special lighting, entertaining and informative guidance to the music shared from the stage, interactive conversations with performers, and themed lobby activities. As concertgoers gather at Abravanel Hall, they are in for an experience that transcends the traditional boundaries of a symphony performance.
Kicking off the very first Masterworks Magnified performance is Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 held on October 20 and 21—and its spooky theme is just in time for the Halloween season! Each piece in this performance incorporates the ”dies irae”—or, “Day of Wrath”—theme, which has been cueing listeners to peril and tragedy for almost 800 years. The four notes have been the musical signifier of impending doom since the Gregorian chant of the 13th century, which called departed souls to eternal judgment in the Mass of the Dead. The theme is used prominently in Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, Liszt's Totentanz, and Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre, tying together a hauntingly good program. Plus, dramatic lighting in the concert hall—choreographed to the music by professional lighting designer Stacey Boggs—will amplify the eerie elements of the performance.
Playing off the Halloween theme, the lobby will be transformed to a realm of eerie mystery, complete with a graveyard scene photo opportunity and a window display of Holbein's Dance of Death woodcuts. As audience members make their way through the lobby before the concert, they'll also find the Utah Symphony's world-class musicians bringing the chilling sounds of a graveyard to life by demonstrating the bone-rattling effects that can be created on various instruments. Tarot card readings and special spooky-season mocktails and concessions make the evening like a theme party at the symphony—and a post-concert Q&A with guest pianist Joyce Yang will be the nightcap on the first Masterworks Magnified experience.
The second Masterworks Magnified performance will be Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 on February 2 and 3, featuring Concertmaster Madeline Adkins as violin soloist. Pivoting themes, this charming performance showcases the rich inspiration of literature and its effect on composers throughout the ages. The evening's repertoire—paired with projections of literary quotes and images above the stage—will take audiences on a journey through the drama of Macbeth, across a stunning Bohemian countryside, and along for the misadventures of the original prankster from German tales, Till Eulenspiegel. In fact, this charming trickster will be in attendance and might play a few pranks of his own in the lobby before the performance—and quick audience members will have the chance to catch him for a photo op before he disappears for more hilarious hijinks. Also carrying the literature theme into the lobby will be a special display crafted by a local bookseller, highlighting literary titles and the musical compositions they have inspired.
The final of the 2023-24 season's innovative Masterworks Magnified programs is Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, on April 26 and 27. Exploring physicality and emotional resonance, this concert epitomizes the fusion of music and movement. With the help of the IMAG video-enhanced performance, audiences will be able to see the physical demands of Ravel's Piano Concerto through up-close views of piano soloist Ingrid Fliter and orchestra musicians, projected on a giant screen. In addition, a post-concert Q&A session with composer Polina Nazaykinskaya—whose work Winter Bells represents the arduous journey of a traveler fighting his way through a deadly blizzard—promises an enlightening conclusion to this extraordinary evening.
As the symphony season unfolds, audiences can look forward to forging a new and profound connection with symphonic music through Masterworks Magnified concerts. Symphony newcomers and longtime fans alike will see the orchestra through a new lens and be transported into a world where music transcends boundaries for a total, immersive experience.
Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2
Friday, October 20, 2023 / 7:30 p.m. / Abravanel Hall
Saturday, October 21, 2023 / 5:30 p.m. / Abravanel Hall
(123 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah)
PERFORMERS:
Rune Bergmann, conductor
Joyce Yang, piano
Utah Symphony
PROGRAM:
SAINT-SAËNS: Danse macabre
LISZT: Totentanz
RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 2
TICKETS start at $21
50% STUDENT & UNDER-30 DISCOUNT
Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1
Friday, February 2, 2024 / 7:30 p.m. / Abravanel Hall
Saturday, February 3, 2024 / 5:30 p.m. / Abravanel Hall
(123 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah)
PERFORMERS:
Jun Märkl, conductor
Madeline Adkins, violin
Utah Symphony
PROGRAM:
R. STRAUSS: Macbeth
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1
DVOŘÁK: In Nature's Realm
R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks
TICKETS start at $21
50% STUDENT & UNDER-30 DISCOUNT
Ravel's Piano Concerto In G
Friday, April 26, 2024 / 7:30 p.m. / Abravanel Hall
Saturday, April 27, 2024 / 7:30 p.m. / Abravanel Hall
(123 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah)
PERFORMERS:
Aziz Shokhakimov, conductor
Ingrid Fliter, piano
Utah Symphony
PROGRAM:
P. NAZAYKINSKAYA: Winter Bells
RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G
PROKOFIEV: Selections from Romeo and Juliet
TICKETS start at $21
50% STUDENT & UNDER-30 DISCOUNT
PURCHASE NOW:
- Online at the link below
- USUO mobile app
- By Phone: USUO Patron Services, (801) 533-NOTE (6683)
- In person: 123 W South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah
- ArtTix outlets
About Utah Symphony | Utah Opera
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera connects Utah communities through great live music and is the flagship arts organization of the Intermountain West. USUO's 87 full-time symphony musicians and five opera Resident Artists perform for more than 450,000 citizens in Utah and the Intermountain region each year, presenting more than 175 symphonic and chamber music performances; week-long runs of four full operas; and music education programs for students and adult learners. The organization's statewide service includes tours featuring outdoor performances against the backdrop of Utah's natural beauty as well as education offerings—most recently, the six-stop Music Elevated Tour in August 2023.
Founded in 1940 and one of just 16 year-round orchestras in the U.S., the Utah Symphony performs at downtown Salt Lake City's Maurice Abravanel Hall, at its Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City, in Utah Opera productions, and at venues throughout the state of Utah. The symphony has embarked on seven international tours and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2016 in honor of its 75th anniversary season. The orchestra's celebrated recording legacy includes more than 100 recordings; in April 2023, its latest album featuring Messiaen's Des canyons aux étoiles—a work inspired by three scenic Utah locations—was released to great critical acclaim. Thierry Fischer, who led the Utah Symphony as Music Director from 2014 to 2023, was named Music Director Emeritus beginning in the 2023-24 season.
Since 1978, Utah Opera has provided citizens with distinguished and entertaining productions at Salt Lake City's historic Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre—showcasing emerging and established artists, celebrating traditional works, and championing new works and the American operatic tradition. Utah Opera is one of just six opera companies in the U.S. with full production capabilities, including in-house costume design and set-building; the company currently has costumes for 50 productions and 19 full sets in its inventory. Utah Opera's Resident Artist program is nationally recognized for providing invaluable career-training opportunities for professional singers and pianists.
USUO leads in music education, with interactive and immersive education programs that engage and inspire tomorrow's musicians and music-lovers. In the community and in classrooms, these programs serve more than 91,000 students annually and reach every school district in Utah on a three-year rotation.
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