Corvallis-OSU Symphony livestream set for Nov. 22

November 09, 2020 in Orchestra

For Immediate Release: November 9, 2020

Corvallis-OSU Symphony livestream set for Nov. 22

By Zachary C. Person

Source: Marlan Carlson

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Corvallis-OSU Symphony string ensemble under the direction of Maestro Marlan Carlson performs a concert livestreamed from The LaSells Stewart Center at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 22.

The performance is free and open to the public and can be viewed online at: mu.oregonstate.edu/live.

Selected movements from Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 open the program. Written in 1875 in only two weeks-time, the five-movement string serenade was composed on a smaller scale than Dvořák’s weightier and well known symphonies and remains one of his most popular works.

The program continues with excerpts from Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg Suite, Op, 40,” a work originally written for piano in 1884 and later adapted by the composer for string orchestra. The five movement work, written in the style of a Baroque-era dance suite, was composed on the occasion of the 200th birthday of the distinguished Norwegian writer Ludvig Holberg. Grieg originally penned the work for solo piano, adapting it a year later into the string orchestra version that the Corvallis-OSU Symphony string ensemble performs.

W.A. Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in c minor, KV. 546 and the opening movement of the Serenade for Strings Op. 13, KV. 525 “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” close the program. Long one of Mozart’s popular compositions, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” is a lighthearted little “bon-bon” of a work, charming audiences and performers alike since its premiere in 1787.

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About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts includes the fine and performing arts, humanities and social sciences, making it one of the largest and most diverse colleges at OSU. The college’s research and instructional faculty members contribute to the education of all university students and provide national and international leadership, creativity and scholarship in their academic disciplines.

Corvallis-OSU Symphony performs all-Rachmaninoff program Feb. 25

February 03, 2020 in Orchestra

For Immediate Release

Corvallis-OSU Symphony performs all-Rachmaninoff program Feb. 25

By Zachary C. Person
Source: Marlan Carlson

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Corvallis-OSU Symphony under the direction of Maestro Marlan Carlson performs an all-Rachmaninoff program at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis.

The concert features two works by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff: “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” Op. 43 for piano and orchestra featuring student soloist Christopher Yoon, and the Symphony No. 1 in D-minor, Op. 13.

The “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” Op. 43, composed in the summer of 1934, is one of only six works Rachmaninoff composed after fleeing Russia in 1917 as a result of the revolution in February of that year. At the time of its composition, Rachmaninoff had largely abandoned writing music in order to pursue his career as a virtuoso piano soloist in order to provide support and stability to his family after losing nearly everything as a result of their self-imposed exile from Russia.

His Op. 43 derives its main theme from the 24th and final caprice for solo violin by Niccolo Paganini. Over a span of 24 minutes, Rachmaninoff spins Paganini’s famous theme through 24 increasingly virtuosic variations in a variety of keys and tempi.

Rachmaninoff wrote his first symphony in 1895 at the youthful age of 22, a few short years after graduating from the Moscow Conservatory of Music. Despite his youth, Rachmaninoff was already one of the most respected musicians in Russia; his first piano concerto had already received its premiere while he was still a student, and Rachmaninoff had received a prestigious gold medal in composition upon graduation from the conservatory. The premiere of the symphony in 1897 was an unmitigated disaster; when Rachmaninoff later fled to the west, he left the score for his first symphony behind, and only acknowledge its existence by naming his next symphony as his second. Op. 43 remained unperformed and almost entirely unknown for decades, though following its American premiere in 1948 by the Philadelphia Orchestra it has since established itself as a work of importance worthy of inclusion in the standard symphonic repertory.

Tickets are $22 to $32 in advance or $25 to $35 at the door. Tickets are available online at www.cosusymphony.org. Up to three K-8 students accompanied by a ticketed adult, and all high school and college students with ID, may be given free general admission tickets at the door starting one hour prior to the concert, subject to availability.

Corvallis Arts for All discounts apply with a valid SNAP card and are available one hour prior to performance. For accommodations relating to a disability please call 541-286-5580, preferably one week in advance.

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On-campus TV and radio studios: Oregon State University is equipped with on-campus television and radio studios that can be used by journalists. Live or live-to-tape broadcast television studio interviews can be conducted using Vyvx. Oregon State staff can also gather b-roll and coordinate live-to-tape interviews on locations throughout campus. For radio, Oregon State’s ISDN phone line provides a broadcast-quality audio feed.

Corvallis-OSU Symphony Society hosts Portland Youth Philharmonic Oct. 27

October 01, 2019 in Orchestra

Corvallis-OSU Symphony Society hosts Portland Youth Philharmonic Oct. 27

Story by: Zachary Person
Source: Josh Espinoza

CORVALIS, Ore. – The Portland Youth Philharmonic hosted by the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Society performs at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, October 27 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street.

Portland Youth Philharmonic music director David Hattner leads the orchestra in three works: George Gershwin’s jazz-inspired Piano Concerto in F (1925) featuring 14-year-old Joshua Ji, winter of the 2019 Portland Piano International / SOLO Piano Competition; Amy Beach’s “Gaelic Symphony” (1894); and “Batuque” (1941) by Brazilian composer Oscar Lorenzo Fernández.

Following the immense success of his “Rhapsody in Blue” in 1924, George Gershwin (1898-1937) received a commission from Walter Damrosch and the New York Symphony that resulted in his popular three movement piano concerto. Unlike any composer before or since, Gershwin transcended the boundaries between jazz and classical music with his catalog of jazzy, blues-inflected works.

The “Gaelic Symphony” by Amy Beach (1867-1944) was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. Despite her lack of European musical training, Beach was a highly regarded composer during the late-19thand early-20th centuries. In addition to her well-known compositions, Beach was an acclaimed piano soloist (frequently performing her own music) and also served as president of the board at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music.

Brazilian composer Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897-1948) was primarily known for his three-act opera “Malazarte.” “Batuque,” the third movement from a popular suite for orchestra extracted from the opera, is based on an Afro-Brazilian folk dance brilliantly adapted for symphony orchestra.

Tickets $5, all seating general admission. Advance tickets available at cosusymphony.org or at the box office beginning one hour prior to the performance. Accommodations relating to a disability may be made by calling 541-286-5580, preferably at least one week in advance.

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About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts includes fine and performing arts, humanities and social sciences, making it one of the largest and most diverse colleges at OSU. The college’s research and instructional faculty members contribute to the education of all university students and provide national and international leadership, creativity and scholarship in their academic disciplines.

Corvallis-OSU Symphony opens season with Mozart, Bruckner October 6

September 19, 2019 in Orchestra

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2019

Corvallis-OSU Symphony opens season with Mozart, Bruckner October 6

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Marlan Carlson opens the 2019-2020 season at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 6 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.

The program include three works from the classical and romantic eras: W.A. Mozart’s Overture to “Don Giovanni” K.527 and Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds K.297b, and Anton Bruckner’s “Te Deum” for orchestra, choir and vocal soloists.

Mozart’s popular Overture to “Don Giovanni” K.527 opens the program. “The ominous chords at the very beginning,” says Maestro Carlson “show that though this dramma giocoso may include many humorous moments, it is not going to end well for Signor Giovanni. The Overture to Mozart’s masterpiece captures the essence of the opera from the very first note.”

The Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds K.297b by Mozart follows. The 28-minute work in three movements features OSU music faculty members Carol Robe (clarinet), Ann Kosanovic-Brown (bassoon), Lawrence Johnson (horn), and retired faculty member Fred Korman (oboe) as soloists.

Anton Bruckner’s “Te Deum” in C Major, WAB 45, conducted by OSU director of choral studies Dr. Steven Zielke, comprises the second half of the concert. The performance features guest choirs from Corvallis High School, Crescent Valley High School, South Albany High School and West Albany High School. Current OSU music students Grace Dawald, Naomi Bennett, Jacob Hungerford and Tyson Zagelow perform as soloists.

The five-movement, 25-minute work was one of Bruckner’s few successes during his lifetime. Originally sketched in 1881, “Te Deum” is one of only two mature sacred works by the deeply religious composer. Unlike his symphonies, this work was an immediate success and received tens of performances during the final decade of his life. Curiously to the modern audience to whom Bruckner’s music has become a staple of the repertoire, the 50 gulden that Bruckner earned from the publication of “Te Deum” was the only money he earned as a composer.

The Corvallis-OSU Symphony season continues on Sunday, November 24 with works by Shostakovich and Kodály.

Tickets $22-32 advance, $25-35 door. Advance tickets available online at www.cosusymphony.org. Up to three K-8 students accompanied by a ticketed adult, and all high school and college students with ID, may be given free general admission tickets at the door starting one hour prior to the concert, subject to availability. CAFA discounts apply with valid SNAP card, available one hour prior to performance at the LaSells Stewart Center. For accommodations relating to a disability please call 541-286-5580, preferably one week in advance.

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Corvallis-OSU Symphony, violin soloist Jessica Lambert celebrate Bernstein Centenary Nov. 18

November 02, 2018 in Orchestra

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2 November 2018

Corvallis-OSU Symphony, violin soloist Jessica Lambert celebrate Bernstein Centenary Nov. 18

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Marlan Carlson presents its season opening concert “Bernstein 100” at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, November 18.

The concert will be held in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.

Arthur Honegger’s programmatic “Pacific 231” (1923) opens the program. The widely performed work vividly evokes a steam locomotive gathering terrifying speed and wildly racing down the tracks before the relentless machine finally grinds to a noisy, exhausted halt.

Violinist Jessica Lambert, concertmaster of orchestra since 2007, joins as soloist for Leonard Bernstein’s infrequently performed “Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium).” While not strictly programmatic, the 1954 composition is based on Bernstein’s interpretation of Plato’s famed dialogue “The Symposium.” Bernstein explained that “the music, like the dialogue, is a series of related statements in praise of love, and generally follows the Platonic form through the succession of speakers at the banquet.” Each of the five movements draws its focus from characters in the dialogue: I. Phaedrus; Pausanias; II. Aristophanes; III. Eryximachus; IV. Agathon; V. Socrates.

Lambert is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Zvi Zeitlin and members of the Cleveland String Quartet. She is artistic director of the Oregon State University Chamber Music Workshop and maintains a large private studio in Corvallis. Previous professional engagements include the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, the El Paso Symphony and the El Paso Pro Musica.

Carl Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony, Op. 50 (1922) comprises the entire second half of the program. Unusually, the symphony eschews the traditional symphonic form and is written in only two lengthy and highly contrasting movements. The inclusion of Nielsen’s work celebrates Leonard Bernstein’s conducting legacy and influence on modern concert programming. Bernstein was long a champion of works by Carl Nielsen, Jean Sibelius and other (at the time) ‘neglected’ composers including Gustav Mahler, and his profound impact as an interpreter and conductor of works by lesser-known composers forms one of the most important and lasting parts of his tremendous legacy.

The Corvallis-OSU Symphony will continue its exploration of Leonard Bernstein’s legacy throughout the remainder of the 2018-2019 season. On November 30, the orchestra will be joined by the OSU Chamber Choir for a performance of Bernstein’s charming “Chichester Psalms.” In February, Maestro Carlson will lead the ensemble in a performance of Igor Stravinsky’s savage “Rite of Spring” and in May, the orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler’s heart wrenching ninth and final symphony. The Stravinsky and Mahler works were at the core of Bernstein’s conducting repertoire and his interpretation and approach of both masterpieces have long stood the test of time.

Reserved seating $22, $27, $32. Advance tickets available online at www.cosusymphony.org. Up to three K-8 students accompanied by a ticketed adult, and all high school and college students with ID, may be given free general admission tickets at the door starting one hour prior to the concert, subject to availability. CAFA discounts apply with valid SNAP card, available one hour prior to performance at the LaSells Stewart Center. For accommodations relating to a disability please call 541-286-5580, preferably one week in advance.

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