A little Beethoven, some big Brahms and a call for support
Solano Symphony's "World's Greatest Classics" program begins at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre
It is one of the most anticipated annual Solano Symphony concerts, when conductor Semyon Lohss and the orchestra show off their musical chops to a high degree by mining the depths of the standard repertoire.
The “World’s Greatest Classics,” the fourth program of the symphony’s 36th season, ushers in spring with works three composers who are considered household names: Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert.
Led by longtime conductor Semyon Lohss, music begins at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Drive.
The program includes Beethoven’s Overture to “Fidelio,” Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.
Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” his only opera, was the result of several efforts. Its early versions were called “Leonore.” Considered a masterpiece, the story of a political prisoner named Florestan and his wife, Leonore, who disguises herself as the youth Fidelio in order to rescue him, the final version was performed in 1814.
It is a widely regarded ode to love and freedom, with struggle and triumph forged into the score, a remarkable achievement because
Beethoven was never truly comfortable with vocal music.
The overture, about seven minutes long, is often performed as a standalone piece by orchestras, as it will be on Sunday. Something of a summation of the entire opera, as many overtures are, the opening passage showcases the full orchestra, followed by a noble theme in the horns, then two main melodies, a fast section and a dramatic climax that is recognizably allBeethoven.
Schubert, a contemporary of Beethoven’s, wrote hundreds of songs, started 13 symphonies but only completed seven. And yet his eighth symphony, the “Unfinished,” remains one of his most popular orchestral works. Started in 1822 when he was 25, he intentionally left it incomplete, leaving behind only two, instead of the traditional four, movements, with a total running time of about 27 minutes.
The first movement is denoted by both melancholy and agitated sounds, the second, in high contrast, by a delicate beauty and, toward its end, a pastoral beauty.
Big and bold, clocking in at about 50 minutes, the Brahms — which premiered in 1876 and took him years to complete, and is sometimes called “Beethoven’s 10th” because the big theme in the finale, rushing to a dramatic ending — strikingly resembles the
main subject of Beethoven’s Ninth.
“I shall never write a symphony,” Brahms, in awe of his spiritual godfather, once told a friend. “You have no idea how the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him behind us.”
But Sunday’s concert is not just about the music, notes Melinda Ellis, the symphony’s board president.
“The event will also present a unique opportunity for attendees to support
the symphony, a longtime staple of the Solano County arts and culture scene,” with a silent auction and raffled during a pre-concert reception, she wrote in a press statement. Doors will open at 2 p.m. so concertgoers can get a look at the auction items and buy raffle tickets.
“All the raffle prizes and silent auction items are from local businesses as well, so this afternoon is about celebrating all Solano County has to offer,” Ellis added.