Spokane Symphony brings excitement to winter with music of Beethoven, Mozart and Rossini

Jan 16, 2012

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 464-7071

SPOKANE— Resident Conductor Morihiko Nakahara and the Spokane Symphony have planned a concert filled with musical greatness, including Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony No. 3, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Rossini’s William Tell Overture. Two performances will be at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. Critically acclaimed pianist, Martina Filjak, will perform the Mozart concerto. A pre-concert talk about the music will be held in the hall one hour before each performance.

Filjak will be teaching a Master Class on Friday, Nov. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. High school and university students will be performing. This event is open to the public.

In addition, this concert will feature a special salute to the military. As part of that, active duty and retired military personnel may purchase $15 tickets in advance at Tickets and Travel at Fairchild Air Force Base or at the Spokane Symphony Box Office.

The concert will begin with the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini which he composed for the last of his 38 operas. The finale of the overture served as the signature theme for The Lone Ranger, one of radio’s longest running shows. DETAILS…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, written for the composer’s own use, is an exciting blend of the passionate and the serene, cheerfulness and stormy outbursts. The young Beethoven was particularly taken with this concerto, wrote two cadenzas for it, and performed it as the intermission feature at a tribute concert organized by Mozart’s widow. DETAILS…

Ludwig van Beethoven originally dedicated his Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” to Napoleon, the chief military defender of the French Revolution with its ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Upon hearing that Napoleon had crowned himself emperor, he erased the dedication so violently that he tore the paper. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Symphony is how Beethoven – who had surprising difficulty coming up with melodies – was able to make so much out of themes that are often little more than a chord. DETAILS…

Martina Filjak, piano – One of the most exciting young artists to emerge in recent years, Martina Filjak is garnering international praise for her poetic passion and technical mastery at the keyboard as well as for her charismatic personality and magnetic stage presence. Her transition from prodigy to mature artist has been all the more remarkable against the backdrop of political maelstrom that defined her native Croatia during her childhood. Martina's unwavering hunger for music, nurtured by piano teacher parents, has been her lodestar. DETAILS…

Ticket prices for either performance begin at $14 and are available in advance at the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office, located at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets may also be purchased online at http://www.spokanesymphony.org/. Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets.

This concert is sponsored by Hotel Ruby and the Sapphire Lounge. The Master Class is sponsored by AAA.