The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Presents: A Hero's Life

    KALAMAZOO, MI, October 18, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For the third concert of the 2014-2015 Symphonic Series, The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents A Hero's Life. Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 is paired with Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) in a program tied to the love interests of their respective composers. The summer of 1812 marked the famous (and un-sent) letters to Beethoven's "immortal beloved." In Strauss's semi-autobiographical work, a solo violin portrays the composer's complex and quixotic wife.

Completed in 1812, Beethoven's Eighth Symphony was composed during what should have been a tremendously unproductive period of his life. The 41-year-old Beethoven was nearly deaf and suffering an ailing love life at the time. An un-sent letter to his "Immortal Beloved," written during this same period, reveals Beethoven's his termination of a relationship with a love interest, whom historians suspect to be the wife of a close friend. And yet, despite uncertain love and health, Symphony No. 8 is in direct contrast to his life's events. A relatively short work (compared to the composer's other symphonies), Beethoven managed to create a cheerful, lighthearted work, even complete with musical "jokes" throughout.

The second and final work of the program is Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life). The composition is a tone poem - a large orchestral work depicting a scene, story or character in musical terms - and served as an almost direct response to the critics' negative comments and perceptions of Strauss at the time. The composer would never openly declare himself as being The Hero (represented by bold horns), nor his critics as being The Hero's Adversaries (portrayed by the "shrill and biting" woodwinds and tuba). However, Strauss was perfectly clear about the identity of The Hero's Companion - his wife, Pauline de Anha. She is represented in the third movement of Ein Heldenleben by a long, lyrical solo violin passage (to be performed by the KSO's Concertmaster Susie Park) that embodies a passion and romance that makes quite evident Strauss' love for his wife. Pauline's role is further solidified in the finale, with solo horn and violin bringing the piece to a close.

"Richard Strauss wrote "A Hero's Life" when he was just 34. It takes 95 KSO musicians to describe this life in sound - from the swaggering hero to the battle with his critics. Throw in a temperamental wife, and you've got quite the domestic drama. When we're done, you'll be both elated and exhausted. So will we" jokes Music Director Raymond Harvey of Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Raymond Harvey
With an immediately noticeable style that has been described as "elegant, but suffused with energy," Raymond Harvey (conductor) has garnered critical acclaim on symphonic podiums throughout the United States. Maestro Raymond Harvey has served as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and recently renewed his commitment to the KSO for an additional four years. Mr. Harvey was previously Music Director of the Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts and the Fresno Philharmonic in California.

Equally at home in the world of opera, Mr. Harvey served as Artistic Director of the El Paso Opera in Texas. Among the many productions he has conducted are Carmen, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme, Turandot, Aida, La Traviata, The Tales of Hoffman, The Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi Fan Tutte.

Recognized as an outstanding pianist, choral conductor and teacher, Raymond Harvey holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music. He has been a frequent guest teacher for the Conductors Institute at Bard College, and for the American Symphony Orchestra League's Conducting Workshops. He also serves as adjunct faculty conductor with the University of Houston's opera department.

Susie Park, violin
Hailed as "prodigiously talented" (Washington Post) and praised for her "freedom, mastery and fantasy" (La Libre, Belgium), Australian Susie Park has gained worldwide recognition for her searing emotive range and dynamic stage presence. Concertizing around the world, she has appeared as soloist with the Vienna Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke's, major Australian orchestras including those of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania, West Australia and Canberra, Korea's KBS orchestra, the Lille National Orchestra under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin in France and the Wellington Sinfonia, New Zealand.

Among her numerous awards and honors, Miss Park won top prizes at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the Wieniawski Competition (Poland), and was winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition (France), resulting in performances and re-engagements throughout the US and Europe. She won the Richard Goldner Concerto Competition and the Ernest Llewellyn String Award, took top prize in the National String Division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Young Performer's Award and her performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was televised nationally, earning her the Victorian Premier's Award.

A passionate chamber musician, Miss Park was the violinist of the Eroica Trio from 2006 to 2012. Highlights include releasing the Trio's Grammy -nominated eighth CD for EMI featuring all-American music, "An American Journey", and embarking on international tours in countries including New Zealand, Brazil and Denmark, Germany with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the US with Vienna Symphony Orchestra in venues including New York's Avery Fisher Hall and Chicago's Millennium Park. Miss Park's interest in music of all genres has led to collaborations with various artists including jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, with whom she performed forty-one consecutive shows at the Blue Note Jazz club in New York.

Miss Park earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and an Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory. Miss Park served as Concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony and the New York String Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.

CALENDAR LISTING

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents

Symphonic Series

A Hero's Life

Raymond Harvey, conductor
Susie Park, violin

Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 is paired with Strauss's tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) in a program tied to the love interests of their respective composers. The summer of 1812 marked the famous (and un-sent) letters to Beethoven's "immortal beloved." In Strauss's semi-autobiographical work, a solo violin portrays the composer's complex and quixotic wife.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Miller Auditorium

Tickets: $60 - $24

For tickets, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com or call the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300.

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra also receives generous support from other local, state and national foundations, as well as private and corporate support. For more information, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com.

About the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1921, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is Southwest Michigan's premier musical organization, providing musical enrichment to over 80,000 adults and youth per year. The third-largest professional orchestra in the state, the KSO has won numerous awards and grants, including the Met Life Award for Arts Access in Underserved Communities, the National Endowment for the Arts for its extensive education programs, and a major Ford Foundation grant to found its innovative Artist-in-Residence program.

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