FVSO presents favorites by Wagner, Beethoven

WEST HARTFORD — The Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra continues its 38th season, “Celebrating Orchestral Favorites,” March 9, 7:30 p.m. at the University of St. Joseph’s Hoffman Auditorium, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford. The program will feature familiar works by Wagner and Beethoven.

Music director Jonathan Brennand has chosen “Overture to Tannhauser” to represent the music of Germany’s prolific 19th century opera composer, Richard Wagner. The sonorous themes from “Tannhauser” will highlight the FVSO brass and wind sections.

After the opera was premiered in Dresden in 1845, Wagner rewrote the prelude for a new production in Paris in 1861, extending it into a full concert overture encompassing all the drama, excitement and theatrics of the stage work. The FVSO will perform the Paris edition.

Of the nine symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, the Symphony No. 6 is distinctive in that it is the only one in which the composer sought to paint a musical portrait of visible scenes. It is known as Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony,” because of its musical description of life in the country.

To the work’s various movements, Beethoven gave such descriptions as “Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Country,” “Scene by the Book,” “Merry Gathering of the Country Folk,” “Thunderstorm” and “Shepherd’s Song After the Storm.”

Tickets at $18 for adults, can be purchased in advance by visiting the web site: www.fvso.org. Children and young people age 17 and younger are free. All tickets at the door are $20. Further information is available on the web site or by calling 800-975-FVSO.