TULSA, OK – Gustav Mahler said “A symphony must be like the world.  It must contain everything.”   With this in mind, Tulsa Symphony presents The Universe in 90 Minutes on Saturday, March 24, at 7:30 pm in Chapman Music Hall at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center featuring the composer’s Symphony No. 3 with special guests Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, Tulsa Youth Opera and Tulsa Children’s Chorus along with featured soloist, Lisa van der Ploeg.

Under the direction of guest conductor, Daniel Hege, this Tulsa premiere transports listeners into the composer’s world of imagination through sound.  Performed less frequently than other Mahler symphonies, No. 3 requires huge forces.  Despite this, it is a popular work and has been recorded by most major orchestras and conductors.

“The most important things to know about Mahler are the emotional richness and power that his music expresses, that there is incredible variety and vividness of orchestral color and nuance from over the top bombast, to subtle, singing lines,” said Hege.  “Mahler had a pre-occupation with expressing the meaning of life and his music reaches to profound depths in this sense, but his music also speaks to the carefree, the pure unadulterated joy in our lives, as well.  His Third Symphony is a triumph, and takes us on a life’s journey – in a span of about 90 minutes.”

Tickets to the one-night-only performance are available at myticketoffice.com, by phone at 918-596-7111, or at the PAC box office.  Groups of 15 or more qualify for volume discounts and should call 918-584-3645 for reservations or more information.

TULSA, OK – Choreographed and performed live to the music of Aaron Copland’s Suite from Billy the Kid, audiences will experience the breath-taking, innovative art form of Westwater Symphonic Photo-choreography on the big screen when Tulsa Symphony presents The American West on Saturday, February 4, at 7:30 pm in Chapman Music Hall at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

Under the direction of guest conductor, Timothy Muffitt, this musical and visual masterpiece is part of an evening with a classical American feel that opens with Oklahoma composer Roy Harris’ Symphony No. 3.  The concert concludes with Ferde Grofe’s colorful tone painting, Grand Canyon Suite.

“These American classics each evokes elements of the American spirit, history and natural beauty.  Harris’ bold and dramatic musical language is powerful, compelling and uniquely American, capturing the energy and vitality of 20th-Century America,” said Muffitt.  “Among Copland’s most popular works are his ballets on American themes and Billy the Kid is at the core of that repertoire telling a classic American tale in Copland’s trademark American style.  Ferde Grofe, a figure central to American popular and classical music, created a masterpiece of color, imagery and grandeur appropriate to its subject matter in his Grand Canyon Suite.”

Tickets to the one-night-only performance are available at myticketoffice.com, by phone at 918-596-7111, or at the PAC box office.  Groups of 15 or more qualify for volume discounts and should call 918-584-3645 for reservations or more information.

TULSA, OK – Tulsa Symphony opens its Season of Adventure with Fate and Folklore on Saturday, September 10, in Chapman Music Hall at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Under the direction of guest conductor, Jose-Luis Novo, the performance opens with the broad majestic themes from the prelude to Wagner's comedic opera, Die Meistersinger. “Die Meistersinger has been called the most enchanting of all the fairy-tale operas.  Wagner uses his rich imagination, culminating with all three principal themes being heard simultaneously, crafting one of the most glorious orchestral sounds,” said Novo. Stravinsky's mystifying Divertimento then follows from the ballet, The Fairy's Kiss.  Stravinsky's piece has been recognized as an homage to the passionate Russian composer, Tchaikovsky.  Evidently, in his youth, Stravinsky was so impressed by Tchaikovsky that he specifically incorporated several melodies and harmonic progressions from Tchaikovsky's early work into Divertimento.  “Stravinsky based his ballet on a tale by the beloved Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.  For the music, he chose themes from little known pieces by Tchaikovsky, re-interpreting them in his own unique musical language,” noted Nuvo. The evening’s performance closes with Tchaikovsky's gripping Symphony #4.  It opens ominously with a "Fate" motif reminiscent of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and in Tchaikovsky's own words, "This is fate...an invincible force that can never be overcome - merely endured, miserably." The guest conductor echoed the composer’s sentiments saying, “Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 is an exploration of extreme emotions that takes an optimistic turn and ends with one of the most exhilarating finales ever written, making it an audience and performers’ favorite.” Tickets to the one-night-only performance are available at myticketoffice.com, by phone at 918-596-7111, or at the PAC box office.

 

TULSA, OK – Tulsa Symphony’s second concert of the season features award-winning music and musicians with the performance of Larger Than Life on Saturday, October 22, in Chapman Music Hall at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Under the direction of guest conductor, Gerhardt Zimmermann, the performance opens with Rainbow Body by Christopher Theofanidis.Determined by popular vote and expert panel, the 2003 London Masterprize winner Rainbow Body is a Tulsa premiere.  This vibrant, existential piece with more than 80 performances in its first two years has earned Theofanidis, its American composer, international fame.  “From the Tibetan Buddhist idea of Rainbow Body (what happens when one dies physically) to the enigmatic “world Riddle,” the Tulsa Symphony takes you on a spiritual ride not to be missed,” said Zimmermann. “Chris Theofanidis’ Rainbow Body is a powerful opener that quotes two medieval chants of Hildegard von Bingen.” Equally brilliant young violin virtuoso and Crescendo Award winner Siwoo Kim follows with one of the greatest romantic concertos in the violin repertoire by Sibelius. “Did I mention that the Sibelius is my favorite violin concerto? Now you know, “ laughed Zimmermann. The well-known Sprach Zarathustra concludes as the finale and although entitled "Sunrise" for the film score, Sprach Zarathustra is a well-recognized piece to fans of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. “Richard Strauss takes the idea of Friedrich Nietzsche’s ‘world riddle’ and turns it into a musical force that has become one of the most often performed tone poems of this German opera master.  Did Nietzsche solve the riddle?  Did Strauss believe he did?  You will need to hear your Tulsa Symphony to find out the answer,” said Zimmermann.
Tickets to the one-night-only performance are available at myticketoffice.com, by phone at 918-596-7111, or at the PAC box office.
This concert is made possible by the continued support of E. Ann Graves and with the assistance of the Oklahoma Arts Council.