This preview provided by Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle.
The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle opens its 34th season on October 9th with a concert aptly titled “The Dawn of German Romanticism”, at The Carolina Theatre of Durham’s splendid Fletcher Hall. Once again all six concerts in the season will be performed in this acoustical gem of the Triangle. The orchestra (performing with 39-55 professional musicians depending on repertoire) is led by the internationally renowned Maestro Lorenzo Muti of Spoleto, Italy and Charleston, SC. Muti is entering his 28th season as conductor of an orchestra consistently praised for “…precise entrances, superbly shaped phrasing, and ideally balanced voicing and ensemble” (music critic Ken Hoover, CVNC, March 15, 2015 review).
The concert begins with the rousing and beloved “Overture to Der Freischutz” by Carl Maria von Weber, completed in 1820 as the first major work for his tenure as director of the Dresden Opera (a position of great prestige). The opera was a huge hit and this rambunctious overture displays the major themes performed by a large orchestra filled with brass and tympani augmenting full strings and winds–an exciting start to an exciting concert.
Approaching Germanic romanticism in a powerful and distinct manner is Robert Schumann’s “Genoveva” of 1847, first performed under Schumann’s baton in 1850. Opening in a somber, dissonant and plaintive mood, the music moves restlessly into passionate violin themes, a delightful hunting passage in the French horns and after a dazzling fantasia the overture concludes with trombones leading the orchestra to a triumphant close. While the opera failed, this overture has had a lasting place in the concert halls of the world for over 150 years. The COT interpretation will convince the audience of why this has been true.
The highlight of the concert will be a full performance of the gorgeous and complete “Incidental Music to Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus” by the incomparable late classicist and early romanticist Franz Schubert, which premiered in 1823. The large orchestra will be joined by the rapturous voice of the widely heralded young soprano, Susannah Rhodes Stewart (a native of Chapel Hill) and the superb Concert Singers of Cary for several of the 10 parts of the Incidental Music. In fact, it was not until 1891 that the complete music was brought to the world, thanks to work by George Grove and Sir Arthur Sullivan who had discovered all of the Rosamunde manuscripts in a two foot stack in a corner of a wardrobe while researching the life and work of this great composer who died tragically young in 1828. While many excerpts from “Rosamunde” are a constant favorite on the concert stage, only once in the last 12 years has a documented major, full performance taken place (it was in Europe). This performance is not a surprise to those who know the astute programming planned each year by Artistic Director and Conductor Lorenzo Muti. His career in the opera houses of Europe and on world concert stages has been consistently acclaimed for an adventurous aesthetic that has enabled him to build a unique rapport with his musicians and audiences both here and abroad.
The Concert Singers of Cary
Soloist: Susannah Rhodes Stewart, Soprano
The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle
Artistic Director: Lorenzo Muti
Sunday, October 9, 2016, 3pm
Fletcher Hall
Carolina Theatre of Durham
309 W. Morgan St.
Durham, NC 27701
Box Office: (919) 560-3030
Tickets available in advance or at the door
$30.00/adult – inclusive of taxes and fees
FREE to students of every age
About the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle:
Since 1982, The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle has been received with genuine respect and enthusiasm by music critics and the community. Today, it is considered one of the finest professional ensembles in North Carolina and the Southeast. With its elite corps of musicians, the orchestra continues to present a well-chosen and unusual repertoire that delights audiences and evokes high praise from critics. That standard of excellence has become the hallmark of the orchestra and has distinguished each succeeding season. The 2016-2017 series marks its 34th concert season. For more information, visit www.thecot.org or call 919.360.3382
COT 2016-2017 SEASON DATES
October 9, 2016
November 20, 2016
January 15, 2017
February 19, 2017
March 26, 2017
May 7, 2017
We are so confident in this orchestra, we provide any new-comer a complementary ticket because we know they will return as happily paying patrons. In the past ten years our audiences have grown from an average of 100 to an average of 600, an extraordinary statement about the quality of music created by this outstanding ensemble guided by the effervescent Lorenzo Muti. To emphasize its commitment to engaging young people with great classical music, the orchestra provides free seating at every concert to students of all ages.
