RPO in November: From Phantom to Nutcracker
For Immediate Release: October 22, 2013
Media Contacts: Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, sally@sallycohenpr.com
RPO Info: rpo.org, facebook.com/RochesterPhilharmonic, twitter.com/RochesterPhil, rochesterphilharmonic.blogspot.com
RPO IN NOVEMBER: FROM PHANTOM TO NUTCRACKER
ALSO Video Games LiveTM, Beyond the Score®: Scheherazade,
& Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko
Rochester, NY – The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) opens November with the final night of a special Halloween Pops on Saturday, November 1 at 8 p.m.: Phantom of the Opera Silent Film. Audiences will experience the legendary 1925 Lon Chaney movie on the big screen in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre while the RPO provides live accompaniment. Guest conductor Donald Hunsberger, conductor emeritus of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, is nationally known for creating and conducting orchestral accompaniments for silent films.
Continuing the movie theme, the RPO presents Portraits of Film Music on Sunday, November 2 at 2 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein. Principal Conductor for Education and Community Engagement Michael Butterman (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) and guest conductor Donald Hunsberger lead a program that examines the relationship between music and film with some of the most famous examples in history, including John Williams’ score to E.T. and Korngold’s music for The Adventures of Robin Hood. Plus, scenes from the 1927 sci-fi classic Metropolis, recent documentaries and more will be projected on the big screen. Tickets are $25.
On Thursday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 8 at 8 p.m., world-renowned guest conductor Christoph König makes his RPO debut in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre with Brahms & Rachmaninoff. Featuring Brahms’ soulful Third Symphony that showcases the composer’s signature gift for melody, the program continues with Rachmaninoff’s ravishing Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by Eastman School of Music professor Douglas Humpherys. Composed when Rachmaninoff was just 18, this first of his four piano concertos is brimming with youthful exuberance and stunning technical fireworks. Kodály’s Dances of Galánta rounds out these exciting concerts.
Fresh off the gold-medal win at the 2013 Van Cliburn Competition that had the crowd “cheering him like a rock star,” (Cincinnati Enquirer), Vadym Kholodenko’s mind-blowing talents will be on full display in Prokofiev’s scintillating Piano Concerto No. 2 during Van Cliburn Gold & Mozart’s “Jupiter” on Thursday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 15 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Internationally-acclaimed, Spanish guest conductor Jose Luis Gomez makes his RPO debut with a program that also features Mozart’s 41st and final symphony, “Jupiter,” as well as Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration.
The Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (RPYO), under the direction of guest conductor Paul Shewan, presents Musical Storytelling on Sunday, November 16 at 2 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein. The evocative program includes Berlioz’ “Hungarian March” from The Damnation of Faust, Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture, excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty Suite, Khachaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus, and Kodály’s Háry János Suite. Tickets are just $10/$5 for seniors and students.
Two very special events fill the following weekend—the first of five concerts that repurpose 2014/15 subscription weekends:
On Friday, November 21 at 8 p.m., the award-winning Video Games LiveTM will take over Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. This immersive concert event features music from the most popular video games of all times, including Final Fantasy, Zelda, Pong, Halo, Mario, Warcraft and more, performed with exclusive video footage and musical arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments. With guest conductor Emmanuel Fratianni, Video Games Live creates an entertainment experience that exposes new generations of music lovers and fans to the symphonic orchestral experience while also providing a completely new and unique experience for families and/or non-gamers. This concert is presented in partnership with The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, which is organizing a free, post-concert panel discussion. Additional support is provided by RIT’s Center for Media Arts Games Interaction Creativity (MAGIC). Tickets start at $25.
The following evening, Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 8 p.m., the RPO presents Beyond the Score®: Scheherazade in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre with guest conductor Alexander Mickelthwate. Part of the Chicago Symphony’s acclaimed Beyond the Score® series, which weaves together theater, music and design to draw audiences into the concert hall and into the spirit of a work, it will explore Rimsky-Korsakov’s exotic masterpiece in a fascinating multimedia concert that includes video, excerpts and narration. The first half of the program is a stunning visual presentation that puts the composition into an important contextual perspective. Then, with new-found background, the complete performance of the work in the second half brings listeners into the music as they have never experienced it before. Rochester narrators are Paul Burgett and Marcy Savastano. Tickets start at $19.
Finally, the holiday season officially begins on Friday, November 28 at 2 p.m. with six performances (including Friday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 & 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 30 at 2 & 7 p.m.) of The Nutcracker, featuring the Rochester City Ballet (Jamey Leverett, artistic director) and the Bach Children’s Chorus (Karla Krogstad, director). RPO Principal Conductor for Education and Community Engagement Michael Butterman (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) conducts Rochester’s only full-length, live-music performance of this magical holiday favorite in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, with sponsorship by Caldwell. Tickets start at $19/children’s at $12.
Except where noted, tickets for all of the above concerts start at $23, and may be purchased in person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street) and at all Wegmans That’s T.H.E. Ticket! locations, by phone at (585) 454-2100, or online at rpo.org. The 2014/15 season is presented by Dawn & Jacques Lipson; the Pops series is presented by Canada National Bank & Trust and Fibertech Networks.
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its founding in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, serving up to 200,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Recently appointed 12th Music Director Ward Stare joins the ranks of former notable RPO music directors, including Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 20-year tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as Principal Conductor for Education and Community Engagement (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) – the first position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches more than 13,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.
Media please note: High-resolution images for Phils concerts are available at: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8FkJzlaIpThcVY4TS1ScWhlcDQ&usp=sharing; Pops at: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8FkJzlaIpThNUxERDVDUkdmM0k&usp=sharing. Interviews and photo and footage opportunities can also be arranged.
###
