(1875-Present)
December 4, 2015 | 8 PM
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music Mary Flagler Cary Hall 450 W. 37th St., Between 9th and 10th Ave. PROGRAMMaciej Bałenkowski: Sinfonietta ("Time is Ticking") (2015) +
Julia Seeholzer: Yours (2011) * George Walker: Antifonys (1968) George Walker: Lyric for Strings (1946) Antonín Dvořák: Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (1875) + American Premiere * East Coast Premiere | Tickets | |
From Prague to Poland, with a jaunt in America in between, this program traces 140 years of writing for strings.
At the heart of this program are compositions by 20-somethings. You'll hear the pangs of love, gnashing of teeth, and sighs of regret.
George T. Walker (b. 1922) was the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music (Lilacs, 1996). Urban Playground will present his lush and moving Lyric for Strings (1946), paired with his kaleidoscopic and pulsating Antifonys (1968). Walker was a student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia when Lyric was premiered by their student orchestra and broadcast on the radio. It carries the dedication "To my grandmother," and remains one of his most popular works to this day. Antifonys illustrates Walker's later style. Sentimentality is replaced by a new dramatic voice, oscillating tension and release.
20-year-old Maciej Bałenkowski's Sinfonietta was winner of the 2015 National Composition Contest in Kraków, Poland. It emanates a respect for tradition (echoes of Rite of Spring), while creating a unique sound world.
By today's terminology, a then 34-year-old Dvořák was still an "emerging" composer. He had not yet achieved the international notoriety his symphonies 7, 8 and 9 would bring. Today the Serenade for Strings is one of Dvořák's most admired and frequently performed works.
Julia Seeholzer's Yours is a touching reflection on missed connections in the 21st century, featuring solos from the principal violinist, violist and cellist. Julia wrote Yours "after [reconnecting] with an old friend for the first time in 3-4 years. We're rarely in the same geographic location, so seeing him was bittersweet, especially after having some great talks and exchanging music with one another. Yours came out of my longing for some more face-to-face time with him, and also acted as an expression of pining after the "what-ifs" that come with relationships that never quite sync up, for whatever reason.
| Tickets |
George T. Walker (b. 1922) was the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music (Lilacs, 1996). Urban Playground will present his lush and moving Lyric for Strings (1946), paired with his kaleidoscopic and pulsating Antifonys (1968). Walker was a student at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia when Lyric was premiered by their student orchestra and broadcast on the radio. It carries the dedication "To my grandmother," and remains one of his most popular works to this day. Antifonys illustrates Walker's later style. Sentimentality is replaced by a new dramatic voice, oscillating tension and release.
20-year-old Maciej Bałenkowski's Sinfonietta was winner of the 2015 National Composition Contest in Kraków, Poland. It emanates a respect for tradition (echoes of Rite of Spring), while creating a unique sound world.
By today's terminology, a then 34-year-old Dvořák was still an "emerging" composer. He had not yet achieved the international notoriety his symphonies 7, 8 and 9 would bring. Today the Serenade for Strings is one of Dvořák's most admired and frequently performed works.
Julia Seeholzer's Yours is a touching reflection on missed connections in the 21st century, featuring solos from the principal violinist, violist and cellist. Julia wrote Yours "after [reconnecting] with an old friend for the first time in 3-4 years. We're rarely in the same geographic location, so seeing him was bittersweet, especially after having some great talks and exchanging music with one another. Yours came out of my longing for some more face-to-face time with him, and also acted as an expression of pining after the "what-ifs" that come with relationships that never quite sync up, for whatever reason.
| Tickets |