Georgia Philharmonic

Mozart, MacDowell, Tchaikovsky, d'Indy
Clipper Erickson, Piano
October 11, 2008
Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Dvořák, Piazzolla, Gounod, Ibert
Ashu, saxophone
January 31, 2009
Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Kabalevsky, Strauss, Creston, Lalo
Cicely Parnas, cello
March 14, 2009
Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Beethoven, Vaughan-Williams, Goldmark
Jun Iwasaki, violin
April 25, 2009
Oglethorpe University

2008-2009 Season
Join us next season for an incredible line up of music. The music just gets better each year.

Clipper Erickson, Piano
October 11, 2008, 8 p.m.
Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Clipper Erickson has delighted our audiences for years with his piano technique. Back by popular demand, this year he takes on Symphony on a French Mountain Air by Vincent d’Indy. Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2, Opus 17, nicknamed the “Little Russian” by Tchaikovsky's friend and music critic Kashkin, has always been a crowd pleaser because of its upbeat and joyous sound. Edward MacDowell wrote three symphonic poems. MacDowell's Hamlet from “Hamlet and Ophelia” will be on the program. Opening the night is Mozart’s Overture from “The Abduction from the Seraglio.”

Dvořák Symphony No. 6
January 31, 2009, 8 p.m.
Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Following Antonin Dvořák’s death in 1904, few people played his symphonies, aside from the New World Symphony. However, in the last 40 years many orchestras have rediscovered these amazing works, especially Symphony No. 6, a lively and thick piece with wonderful nationalistic qualities. It is said that soloists are as much fun to watch as to listen to, and saxophonist Ashu is certainly one of those. Playing Jacques Ibert’s Concertino Da Camera, he shows that the saxophone belongs with the orchestra. Composer Ástor Piazzolla’s name is practically synonymous with the tango. The Corona Trio played his work “Oblivion” as an encore with the Georgia Philharmonic last season. This year, we take on the lush full orchestra version. Ballet Music from “Faust” by Charles Gounod rounds out the program.

Lalo Cello Concerto
March 14, 2009, 8 p.m.
Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Last year, seventeen-year-old Madalyn Parnas played the Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto, No. 3 with the Georgia Philharmonic. She was so well received that we asked her co-touring fifteen-year-old sister, Cicely Parnas, to perform the Édouard Lalo Concerto for Cello in D-minor. Also on the program, Dmitri Kabalevsky's Comedians Suite, which has always been a favorite of ballet companies for its joyous, bright dance-like qualities. Keeping with the dance theme, the Strauss Serenade for Winds will keep you dancing in the aisles. Paul Creston, an Italian American 20th century composer, was very popular in the 1940s. His Symphony No. 1, Opus 20 is rarely recorded, so you'll get a rare glimpse into his music.

Jun Iwasaki, Violin
April 25, 2009, 8 p.m.
Conant Performing Arts Center
Oglethorpe University

At age 25, Jun Iwasaki became one of the youngest professional concertmasters in the country when he took the helm at the Oregon Symphony last year. But don't let his age fool you. He is an incredibly seasoned performer who is full of charm. This night, he’ll perform the demanding Karl Goldmark Violin Concerto, Op. 28. Why is Vaughan-Williams’ Symphony No. 2, the other "London" symphony, one of his most-recorded pieces? Perhaps it’s because the composer had to reconstruct the symphony from parts after the score was misplaced years after its release. More likely, it’s because he paints beautiful musical pictures in every movement. The program starts with Beethoven’s Overture from “Prometheus.”