FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2013 CONTACT: Wayne Wilkins, Director of Marketing & Communications 401.248.7024 / wwilkins@riphil.org RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC PRESENTS BEETHOVEN S FIFTH!!! SATURDAY APRIL 13 AT 8pm Amica Rush Hour concert Friday April 12 at 6:30pm: entire Fifth March 27, 2013 East Providence, RI The most famous four notes in western music will ring out on April 13, when Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra presents Beethoven s Fifth!!! At The Vets, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, the Orchestra will perform an all Beethoven concert featuring the Egmont Overture, Symphony No. 1 in C major, op.21 and the everpopular Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op.67. Resident Conductor FRANCISCO NOYA will present an informal talk about the program in the auditorium before the concert from 7:00 7:25. WPRO News Talk 630 is the media sponsor for the season. Tickets ($15-100) are available at www.riphil.org/tickets or the RIPO box office at 401.248.7000. Also: The season s final AMICA RUSH HOUR concert features Beethoven s Fifth in its entirety, and a sideby side performance with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Friday April 12 at 6:30pm. You d better get your tickets now! said Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF. On April 13 we continue our four-year tradition of an all-beethoven concert. This time we ll play his first symphony, a masterpiece already, and the only symphony written while he was in complete control of his hearing. Then we ll enjoy the most famous of all his symphonies, the fifth. This is your chance to hear Beethoven both at the inception of his genius and at the arrival of his great artistry. It s a wonderful program for all classical music lovers. Larry Rachleff, music director This is a low-resolution thumbnail! Click here to download the high-resolution version of this photo.
AT A GLANCE: APRIL 13 CONCERT CONCERT: RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC: BEETHOVEN S FIFTH!!! PLACE: The Vets, Providence CONDUCTOR: Larry Rachleff, Music Director DATE: Saturday April 13, 8:00pm BEETHOVEN Egmont: Overture BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 in C major, op.21 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op.67 AMICA RUSH HOUR CONCERT: Friday April 12, 6:30pm BIZET March of the Toreadors from Carmen (side by side with Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra) BEETHOVEN Egmont: Overture BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op.67 SEASON MEDIA SPONSOR: WPRO News Talk 630 CONCERT SPONSORS: The weekend s concerts are sponsored by Taco/The White Family Foundation; Marie Langlois and John Loerke, and Robert and Lynn Manning, are also sponsors of the Saturday Classical concert. TICKETS: $15 to $100 for Saturday concerts $15 to $48 for Amica Rush Hour concerts discounts for students and groups in selected sections Buy online: riphil.org/tickets, 24/7 Buy by phone: Philharmonic box office: 401.248.7000; Monday-Friday 9 4:30 Buy in person: Philharmonic box office, Carter Center, 667 Waterman Street, East Providence: Monday-Friday 9 4:30 OR on concert days only at The Vets box office, Avenue of the Arts, Providence: Friday 2 5:30pm; Saturday 3:30 8pm
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: stories behind the music BEETHOVEN: Symphony No.1 in C, Op.21, 1800 Beethoven s First Symphony stands with one foot in the 18th century and the other in the 19th. The instrumentation and forms seem drawn from the late models of Haydn, but we also hear the bold experimentation typical of Beethoven s later music. The finale s introduction has been called a Haydnesque joke; the violins letting out a scale as a cat from a bag. BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op.67, 1808 Thus fate knocks at the door! Beethoven reportedly declared as he pointed to the first measures. The first four notes are a rhythmic motive (... ) that generates much of the opening movement and appears during the three following. In the Scherzo, the motive returns in a blaring horn-call before the movement ends with a restless transition to the finale. Beethoven made history with that transition and its explosive chords. This was the first symphony to join two movements without a break, and those chords are the first symphonic appearance of trombones. A fitting title for the fourth movement might be Final Triumph it is a climax to the emotional power of all that has come before. An athletic Presto section is the perfect finish. What will Larry do? Speaking about his recent book The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination, Matthew Guerrieri said The two things that have been argued about more than any other technical aspect of the opening are the tempo and the fermata A fermata is an indefinite hold the conductor can hold onto a note as long as he wants." Because of the heroic nature of the Beethoven 5, Maestro Rachleff has added extra musicians to bolster the orchestra s usual forces. The wind and horn sections will be twice the usual size, and extra strings will be added to strengthen the sound. Victory: In World War II, the anti-german resistance in occupied Belgium chose a simple graffiti symbol: the letter "V" "victory" in French and "freedom" in Flemish. "The BBC wanted to start using it in their overseas broadcasts, combining it with the Morse code for 'V': three short and one long. Since that matches the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth, the music became a little tag to preface pro-allied messages from the BBC." Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man. - E. M. Forster
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School is the largest fully integrated orchestra and music school in the United States. Our mission is to enrich and transform Rhode Island and our region through great music performance and education. 2012-2013 is the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra s 68th Season, Music Director Larry Rachleff s 17th with the Orchestra. The season includes an eight-concert Classical Series with a roster of worldrenowned guest artists that includes pianists Jeffrey Kahane and Adam Golka, violinists Augustin Hadelich and Karen Gomyo, cellist Wendy Warner, soprano Ilana Davidson, mezzo sopranos Susan Lorette Dunn and Susan Platts and guest conductor Grant Llewellyn. Our Amica Rush Hour Series offers an early start time -- 6:30pm -- on four Fridays. These shorter, informal, accessible classical concerts feature repertoire from the Saturday Classical concerts. Our four Open Rehearsals offer audience members insight into the collaboration between the conductor, guest artists and orchestra musicians as they prepare for the upcoming classical concert. Special events include the perennial holiday favorite Handel s Messiah with the Providence Singers. Resident Conductor Francisco Noya conducts our Education Concerts and our Summer Pops Concerts. Now in its 25th year, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School serves approximately 1,500 children, youth and adults every week with lessons, classes, ensembles and community partnership programs, and an additional 13,000 students annually through partnerships, residencies, education concerts and in-school performances. Ensembles include five youth orchestras, two wind ensembles, eleven jazz ensembles and many chamber music ensembles and the RI Philharmonic Community Orchestra for adults. Information about classes and performances is available at www.riphil.org.
TICKETS AND DISCOUNTS TICKETS FOR ALL PHILHARMONIC CLASSICAL CONCERTS may be purchased 24/7 on the Philharmonic website: riphil.org/tickets. Tickets may also be purchased at the Philharmonic box office at 667 Waterman Avenue, East Providence, by phone (401.248.7000) or in person Monday Friday 9am 4:30pm. On Open Rehearsal and Rush Hour Fridays, ticket sales are also available at The Vets box office, from 2:00pm until showtime. On Saturday concert days, tickets are available onsite at The Vets box office in person from 3:30pm until showtime, or by calling 401.248.7000. Saturday Classical Series ticket prices range from $15 to $100 for adults with discounts in selected areas of the hall for full time students and groups of 10 or more. Tickets for Rush Hour Concerts are $15-$48, and Open Dress Rehearsals are $12. Student rush: On Saturdays at 7:30pm, if there are tickets remaining, a full time student presenting a valid student ID may buy one ticket for $12. There is free parking for all Philharmonic concerts at designated lots along Smith Street. The Philharmonic provides a free shuttle bus to and from the parking lots before and after the concerts. Due to construction at the Vets, Park Street is closed between the Providence Place Mall and Avenue of the Arts. Drop offs for patrons who need assistance can be made by pulling into Avenue of the Arts from Francis Street. UPCOMING RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC CLASSICAL CONCERT SEASON FINALE! THE RESURRECTION SYMPHONY: On Saturday May 4 at 8pm, Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF and the Orchestra conclude the Classical season with soprano ILANA DAVIDSON, mezzo soprano SUSAN PLATTS, and the PROVIDENCE SINGERS (BETSY BURLEIGH, Artistic Director) in a performance of Mahler s Symphony No. 2 in C minor (Resurrection). Also: An open rehearsal will be held Friday May 3 at 5:30pm. ###