Join the brand new Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra, Lake and Geauga counties’ brand new professional orchestra for Soprano and Symphony. Acclaimed soprano Laura Pedersen joins the orchestra to perform works from the operas of Verdi and Beethoven. Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 and American composer Walter Piston’s Sinfonietta round out the program. Experience the thrill of live classical music right here in your own backyard!
Program
Piston: Sinfonietta
Verdi: Opening of Act IV of Otello
Beethoven: March from Fidelio
Beethoven: Abscheulicher from Fidelio
Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Walter Piston studied music at Harvard and then in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and Paul Dukas. He returned to the U.S. and through his friendship with Serge Koussevitsky had 11 of his works premiered with the Boston Symphony. He taught at Harvard from 1926-1960 where one of his students was none other than Leonard Bernstein. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize for music.
After his success with Aida in 1871, Verdi was reluctant to compose another opera. After 10 years of prodding by his publisher he finally agreed to take a look at Otello. Very few operatic adaptations of Shakespeare have been successful, but Verdi had success with three of them.
Even though he didn’t like Napoleon, Beethoven was sympathetic to the themes of the French Revolution. The opera Fidelio is about freedom and justice. It took Beethoven three tries over 10 years to get Fidelio right. He wrote, “it is the work that brought me the most sorrow, for that reason it is the one most dear to me.”
Franz Schubert attended the final premiere of Fidelio in 1814. He sold his schoolbooks to buy the ticket. Schubert composed 200 pieces in 1816, including the Symphony No. 5. He was enamored with the music of Mozart and the symphony shows many influences of Mozart.
Featured Artists
Greg Hillis, conductor
Laura Pedersen, soprano
Tickets
Adults $25, Seniors $20, Students $5
