This preview has been provided by the North Carolina Symphony.

Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts the North Carolina Symphony in a 2012-2013 classical season orchestra highlight of Brahms’ Second Symphony.  The performances take place on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Lee Auditorium in Southern Pines and on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19-20 in downtown Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. All three concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.

Johannes Brahms composed his Second Symphony, a cheery and pastoral work in the summer of 1877 during a trip to the Austrian Alps.  The premiere was given on December 30, 1877 with the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Hans Richter.

Carlos Miguel Prieto is considered one of the most dynamic young conductors in recent years.  Prieto says, “Brahms’ Second Symphony is a cathedral, a milestone and a piece of profound beauty.  It has been an audience favorite ever since it was first performed.  It is such a joy to perform.”

The program also includes Barber’s Symphony No. 1, Op. 9 and Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 48.  Prieto says, “Barber’s Symphony No. 1 is a little known masterpiece, an incredibly powerful, concise, meaningful work by a true American master composer.  Orchestras love playing it and audiences are really blown away by its power and beauty.  Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major is a piece full of sarcasm, wit and energy.  I feel so blessed to be able to play such great music with such a fine orchestra.”

North Carolina Symphony Concertmaster Brian Reagin will be the featured artist during the Kabalevsky Violin Concerto.  Chicago native, Reagin is in his twenty-fourth season as concertmaster.

In addition to a stellar performance, North Carolina Symphony concertgoers can enjoy pre-concert talks and “Meet the Artists,” which features interactive conversations with guest artists and select orchestra members, before many Symphony events. For Brahms’ Second Symphony, Timothy Haley will host the pre-concert talk in the Pinecrest High School band room in Southern Pines, Thursday, Oct. 18, beginning at 7:00 p.m. WRAL & FOX50’s Kelcey Carlson will host “Meet the Artists” in Meymandi Concert Hall’s Swalin Lobby in Raleigh, Friday, Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m. NCSU professor Randolph Foy will present a pre-concert talk in the Swalin Lobby, on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 p.m.

Regular tickets to the Raleigh Classical Series performance of Brahms’ Second Symphony Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19-20, range from $18 to $70, with $40 tickets for seniors. Regular tickets to the Southern Pines Series performance on Thursday, Oct. 18 range from $18 to $60. Students can receive $10 tickets in both venues.

To purchase tickets, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call the Symphony Box Office at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh. Lee Auditorium is located at Pinecrest High School, 100 Pinecrest School Road, in Southern Pines.

Partners for the 2012/13 Raleigh Classical Series include Clancy & Theys Construction, Duke Medicine, Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan, LLP and The Freelon Group. The series supporter is Piedmont Investment Advisors, LLC.

Partners for the 2012/13 Southern Pines Series include Quail Haven Retirement and Pinehurst Auto Mall while statewide partnership and support is provided by Progress Energy. Concert supporters include Gill and Tobias, LLP and Van Camp, Meacham and Newman, PLLC.

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932 and subsequently made an entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the North Carolina Symphony employs 67 professional musicians under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn and Resident Conductor William Henry Curry. Every year, this orchestra performs over 175 concerts in more than 50 North Carolina counties, with some 60 of those concerts offered in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area.

The Symphony boasts two spectacular home venues: Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh and Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C. The Symphony also travels 12,000 miles each year to present concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington; individual concerts in communities across the state; and one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra.

Program Listing:

North Carolina Symphony
Brahms Second Symphony
Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor
October 18-20, 2012

Symphony No. 1, Op. 9
Samuel Barber (1910-1081)

Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 48
Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
   I. Allego molto e con brio
   II. Andantino cantabile
   III. Vivace giocoso
      Brian Reagin, violin

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
   I. Allegro non troppo
   II. Adagio non troppo
   III. Allegretto grazioso
    (Quasi andantino)
   IV. Allegro con spirito