Dayton Philharmonic: Star Power: Misha Plays Liszt
Liszt was the rock star of his era, and we have a rock star of our own for this work.. Join your Dayton Philharmonic at the Schuster Center October 12/13.
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Dayton Philharmonic: Star Power: Misha Plays Liszt
With the approach of winter, the air outside starts to take on a chill. But inside the Mead Theatre, the climate will fairly burst with warmth and joy. This October we welcome music from three of the most creative musical minds of all time.
Maestro Gittleman opens the program by taking us to the streets of an idealized New York City in wartime 1944. The musical On The Town has its roots in the ballet Fancy Free, choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Leonard Bernstein's score. Then Lenny, America's newly minted heartthrob composer/conductor, chanced upon his Broadway friends Betty Comden and Adolphe Greene in Hollywood. Why not expand the music from Fancy Free into a big musical and take Broadway by storm? They did, and 462 performances later it sparked a legacy of great singable, danceable tunes, not to mention a hit film. The dance music (extracted from the original musical) performed on this program captures the spirit, romance and joy of "New York, New York, what a wonderful town..."
Then we move to a work of pianistic lightning, performed by a seasoned master of his craft.
The out-and-out flamboyance of Franz Liszt's first Piano Concerto can obscure its innovative structure. When portrayed well, it seems as though the whole piece is improvised on the spot. Such is not the case. It is carefully calculated to be a dazzling exhibition of concerto dialogue as the piano confronts, battles, capitulates, and exhorts, all the while confronting the orchestra that, nonetheless, stands up to the onslaught as a willing partner. This is no delicate, polite parlor conversation; it truly emanates from the Romantic world.
Liszt was the rock star of his era, and we have a rock star of our own for this work. Misha Dichter's family fled Europe during World War II and arrived in California when he was two. Just three years later, he started piano study. Over time, Misha has virtually defined the role of piano virtuoso, playing works of wide scope from almost all the major composers and with almost every major orchestra. He has recorded with principal labels such as RCA and Philips. His recordings of the complete Franz Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies and the Liszt Piano Concertos helped set the standard for other performers worldwide.
After finally completing his first symphony, with performances that generated enthusiastic critical acclaim, Johannes Brahms quickly followed suit with his second work in the genre. Written over the course of one summer in 1877 (his first took 14 years), his Symphony No. 2 is another one that marches down the halls of time as one of the greats. It is full and rich, lyrical and sunny, and features a profusion of memorable melodies. Before the debut performance, the subversive Brahms taunted his friends, saying that the orchestra should play it with black crepe on their sleeves and the score should be printed with a black border. Hardly!
Its obvious exuberance is a fitting climax for a program that expresses the joy of place and time, the joy of expression and the joy of just being alive.
Dayton Philharmonic Masterworks Series
The Masterworks Season brings a calendar full of dynamic soloists and major classical compositions to the fore. Sensational works for piano, violin, flute, and bassoon are performed by artists both long established and on the ascent. Works by classical icons such as Brahms, Mozart, Mahler, Prokofiev, Bartók and Bernstein take center stage as guest artists, including Chad Hoopes, Yevgeny Kutik, Misha Dichter, Andrea Griminelli, and DPO’s own Rachael Young, grace the stage with a mastery of their instruments and their impeccable musicianship.
See more DPO concerts: Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
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The Schuster Center
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
