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Contact:
Public Relations Director
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Phone: 407/896-6700 x 223
Fax: 407/896-5512
gmiller@orlandophil.org
www.orlandophil.org |
Orlando, FL – January 27,
2005– The Orlando Philharmonic presents
a musical salute to America with the seventh program
in the orchestra’s Phil at Carr Series, Portrait
of a New World. The concert is held on Saturday,
February 19, 8:00 PM at the Bob Carr Performing Arts
Centre, 401 W. Livingston Street, Orlando. The concert
is sponsored by the University of Central Florida.
This program features works inspired by the American
experience. Included on the program are Douglas Moore’s
Warm as the Autumn Light from Baby Doe
and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor (From
the New World). Completed in 1893 during Dvorak’s
summer holiday in Spillville, Iowa, the symphony’s
theme is of “impressions and greetings from the
New World.” These impressions included American
folk music, gospel and Indian dances. This symphony
has since become one of the most beloved of all of Dvorak’s
works. If you’d like to read more about Dvorak
and this work, log onto www.MeetTheMusic.org.
Also on the program are works of Aaron Copland. Baritone
Timothy Noble returns to the Bob Carr stage to perform
the composer’s Old American Songs. Other Copland
works are Saturday Night Waltz and Hoedown,
both from Rodeo.
Highlighting the program is a performance of Copland’s
poignant Lincoln Portrait. Dave Glerum, Music
Director of WMFE 90.7 FM writes of Copland’s description
of the conception of the work, "It was January
1942 that Andre Kostelanetz suggested the idea of my
writing a musical portrait of a great American. My first
thought was to do a portrait of Walt Whitman, the patron
poet of all American composers. But when Mr. Kostelanetz
explained that the series of portraits already included
a literary figure, I was persuaded to change to a statesman.
From that moment on the choice of Lincoln as my subject
seemed inevitable.
"On discussing my choice with Virgil Thomson,
he amiably pointed out that no composer could possibly
hope to match in musical terms the stature of so eminent
a figure as that of Lincoln. Of course, he was quite
right. But the sitter himself might speak. With the
voice of Lincoln to help me, I was ready to risk the
impossible.”
Using texts of Lincoln’s speeches and writings,
Copland succeeded at his task, as this piece has since
become part of American lore - often as much a tradition
as fireworks on the fourth of July.
Narrating this extraordinary piece is Harriet Elam-Thomas,
former Ambassador to Senegal, now Diplomat in residence
at UCF. Ambassador Elam-Thomas is the recipient of the
U.S. Government's Superior Honor Award for improving
U.S.-Greek cultural relations and also the recipient
of a similar award from the Piraeus Cultural Association
in Greece.
Join the Orlando Philharmonic for Portrait
of a New World, and be inspired by the American
spirit.
Tickets are presently on sale for $12, $25, $35, $45
and $55. (Students with valid ID receive half price
tickets in select areas.) Tickets can be purchased by
phoning the Orlando Philharmonic at 407/896-6700,
on our website at www.orlandophil.org,
or through Ticketmaster at 407/839-3900.
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