Spokane Symphony celebrates Love and Valentines

Feb 5, 2008

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 326-3136

The Spokane Symphony will bring the perfect Valentine's Celebration of Love on Friday, Feb. 15 at 8:00 at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, with Associate Conductor Morihiko Nakahara and featuring Concertmaster Mateusz Wolski on violin.

To help concertgoers toast their true-love, we will be offering a special Valentine's Day package, which will feature two glasses of wine served in Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox commemorative glasses (yours to keep), and a single, long-stemmed red rose, all for only $15. This fabulous package must be ordered in advance at the Symphony Box office.

Love is in the air with Richard Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, one of the few pieces Wagner wrote that was not intended for opera. This tone poem was originally written as a gift for Wagner's wife and was first performed as lovely wakeup call on the morning of her birthday. The Siegfried of the title refers to the couple's new born son. Since its publication several years later as payment for debt the piece is frequently performed by orchestras today. The melody was later incorporated into Wagner's opera Siegfried.

Polish virtuoso violinist, Henryk Wieniawski, wrote some of the most important works in the violin repertoire, including the immensely difficult Concerto for Violin, Number 2 in D minor. This great Romantic concerto is filled with lush and moving melodies and harmonies, all of which are subject to dazzling embellishments by the soloist. Wieniawski was considered a genius of the violin, master of amazing techniques such as left-hand pizzicato, harmonics, large leaps, and many double stops. In addition, he developed what has come to be known as the Russian bow grip, allowing him to play the Devil's staccato with ease.

Spokane Symphony Concertmaster, Mateusz Wolski, will give the solo performance Wieniawski Concerto. Before coming to the Spokane Symphony, Wolski served as concertmaster of the Annapolis Symphony, and has enjoyed a distinguished career in the United States and abroad. He came to the U.S. to attend Manhattan School of Music in 1996. It was there, with full scholarship, that he completed his bachelors and masters degrees under the tutelage of Glenn Dicterow, concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic. He won the concerto competitions in every available category at Manhattan School of Music, awarding him performances of Waxman's Carmen Fantazy and Mozart's Simphonia Concertante. In 2003, he also performed the Brahms Double Concerto with the Juneau Symphony. He has performed in numerous engagements throughout Poland, Italy, England and Germany.

Franz Josef Haydn's Symphony No. 82, also known as The Bear, is inventive, elegant and humorous. Written as one of a series of concerts commissioned by a Parisian organization, it demonstrates the creative freedom enjoyed under his patron, Prince Esterhazy. The symphony's nick-name did not originate with Haydn, but derived from the composer's recurring imitation of a bagpipe in the final movement. The low sustained drone accentuated by a grace-note on the downbeat reminded early listeners of the music often used to accompany dancing bears, a popular form of street entertainment of the day.

Tickets are $19, $21, $26, and $30. Tickets are available in advance at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox Box Office, 1001 W. Sprague, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT, or on line at www.spokanesymphony.org.

This concert is made possible by the generosity of Phyllis Kelsch.

CALENDAR LISTING:
Celebration of Love; Morihiko Nakahara conducts the Spokane Symphony; Mateusz Wolski, violin; Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Tickets are $19 to $30; Call the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office at (509) 624-1200; tickets are also available through all TicketsWest outlets or by calling 325-SEAT or 1-800-325-SEAT.