José Luis Gomez to Conduct Haydn Work with Violin, Cello, Oboe & Bassoon plus Schumann’s Symphony No. 4
(Tucson, AZ)─ Tucson Symphony Orchestra Music Director José Luis Gomez will conduct Lauren Roth, violin, Anne Gratz, cello, David Barford, oboe and Letitia Bryant, bassoon in Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante on a program that also features Schumann Symphony No. 4. Performances are Saturday, February 2 at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Catalina Foothills High School, 4300 E. Sunrise Dr. in Tucson. Concert Comments are one hour prior to performances and are complimentary with tickets. There is plenty of free parking at the venue.
A sinfonia concertante is a concerto with more than one soloist. The finest examples, like this one by Haydn, as well as those by Mozart, are really, as the name implies, symphonies that act like concertos—a hybrid that enjoys the best qualities of each form. Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and Brahms’ Double Concerto are later examples. Asked to compose one in the popular style of his student, Ignaz Pleyel, portrayed in the press as his rival, Haydn quipped, “a bloody harmonious war will commence between master and pupil” when he finished his Sinfonia Concertante.
The soloists are:
- Lauren Roth, Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Arizona.
- Anne Gratz, principal cellist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and a member of the TSO String Quartet
- David Barford, principal oboe, now in his fifth season performing with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra
- Letitia Bryant, principal bassoon of the TSO since 1980 and has been a member of the TSO Wind Quintet
Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 fits well with Haydn’s Concertante. The symphony is notable for its inner movements which feature cello and violin solos, a rather uncommon feature for symphonies of the time. In the second movement, solo cello and oboe present the opening theme. The solo violin follows, spooling out a triplet theme atop the orchestra’s smooth accompaniment.
Opening the program is the TSO commission, Amá, by S. Maggie Polk Olivo. Olivo was one of the first students in the TSO’s Young Composers Project. She now teaches music in Indiana. Olivo describes Amá as a synthesis of two concepts: motherhood and folk songs.
“Commissioning works by former Young Composers Project students is one thing we want to do with this amazing program,” says Maestro Gomez. “We want to give it visibility with works that are relevant to the Tucson community.”
The Masterworks Series is sponsored by Splendido and receives generous support from Drs. John P. and Helen S. Schaefer. Concert Comments is sponsored by Fishkind, Bakewell, Maltzman, Hunter and Associates Eye Care and Surgery Center.
Tickets are $45 to $55. They are available online at www.tucsonsymphony.org, at the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Box Office, 2175 N. Sixth Avenue or by phone at 520.882.8585. TSO Box Office hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.
Programming, artists and prices are subject to change.
Contact: Terry Marshall, Public Relations Manager, 520.620.9158
