Spokane Symphony plays musical brilliance for Valentine’s

SPOKANE— Music Director Eckart Preu and the Spokane Symphony will celebrate Valentine’s weekend with a concert sparkling with musical brilliance and virtuosity, featuring Bloch’s Three Jewish Poems, Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s magical Petrushka, Suite from the Ballet. Two performances will be at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. Spokane Symphony Concertmaster Mateusz Wolski will once again delight Spokane audiences as soloist for the Korngold concerto. A pre-concert talk about the music will be held in the hall one hour before each performance. 

In addition, ticket buyers may add a special Valentine Package to their purchase for only $10. The package, which features a rose and a small box of chocolates from Bloem’s, is the perfect gift for your sweetheart. It must be purchased in advance and may be picked up before the concert at the marketing table in the lobby of the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Go to the Spokane Symphony Box Office to purchase, or call 624-1200.

The concert will begin with Ernest Bloch’s Three Jewish Poems, composed in memory of his father. The piece evokes Judaism of ancient times, when the Jews were surrounded by and enthralled by their pagan neighbors.  DETAILS…

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a Romantic composer in a time when “serious” composers were incorporating modern idioms into their work. In his youth, he was known for his operas. Then he came to Hollywood and had phenomenal success as a composer of film scores, winning a couple of Oscars in the process. Korngold’s Violin Concerto incorporates several of his movie themes, transforming them to create brilliant melodies, glorious harmonies, and a violin solo that demands virtuosity.  DETAILS…

Igor Stravinsky wrote Petrushka first as a concert piece, then as a ballet and then as a series of orchestral versions, culminating with the Suite from the Ballet, which debuted in 1947 almost 40 years later. The Suite makes liberal use of Russian folk melodies, “diabolical cascades of arpeggios”, and charming musical portraits of the sights a country fair.  DETAILS…

Mateusz Wolski, violin – Spokane Symphony Concertmaster Mateusz Wolski was born in Warsaw, Poland where he began his musical training at the age of seven. He studied at the Szymanowski Musical High School and the Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw before traveling to the U.S. to attend Manhattan School of Music. It was there, with full scholarship, that he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees under the tutelage of New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow. 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 www.spokanesymphony.org. Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets. 

This concert is sponsored by Harriet & William Fix and the Johnston Fix Foundation.