The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera opens the season on Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Tivoli Theatre with guest artist Ning An.
Review for the performance:
The concert opens with Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 2. Tower is a Grammy-winning contemporary composer lauded by the New Yorker as “one of the most successful woman composers of all time.” This second of five Fanfares was commissioned by Absolut Vodka and premiered at Lincoln Center in 1989. The Fanfares were written as a tribute to women who are risk-takers and adventurers.
Strauss’ Don Juan is a tone-poem based on Don Juan Tenorio, the legendary skirt-chaser that inspired Moliere, Mozart, and Da Ponte. Don Juan’s passion is evident from the first bars of Strauss’ score, which is one of the great symphonic openings of all time.
The feature of the performance is the well-known Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2. Listeners will immediately recognize its emotional melodies, particularly the 2nd movement, due to its popularity in films and modern music. The piece will be performed by Ning An, a visiting artist at Lee University and the Artistic Director for the school’s International Piano Festival held in June. An made his concerto debut at the age of 16, performing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Cleveland Orchestra and has since appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and more. He has won numerous awards for his playing.
“I’m really looking forward to opening night” said Kayoko Dan, music director for the CSO. “The musicians and I will be inspired from our work at festivals and summer performances and there is a natural excitement that comes through the audience on opening night. There will be a lot of energy in the concert hall.”
Tickets range from $21 to $83 with discounts for students and educators and can be purchased by calling the CSO Box Office at 267-8583 or online at www.chattanoogasymphony.org. Following the concert, ticket-holders are invited to Postlude – a sparkling wine reception held in the lobby with a chance to meet the musicians and guest artists.