Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Plays Schumann's Cello Concerto

First United Methodist Church (625 Hamilton Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301)

Full Price:: $53.00 - $83.00

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British violoncello soloist Steven Isserlis and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Nicholas McGegan, visit Palo Alto to perform a trio of 19th-century works by that era's leading composers, highlighted by Robert Schumann's 1850 Cello Concerto. An award-winning cellist and educator, Isserlis is a noted expert on Schumann, and recently released a full disc featuring his works. Felix Mendelssohn's evocative overture from The Fair Melusine, based on a Goethe story, opens the program, while Brahms' Serenade No. 2 provides the stirring finale. The Philharmonia is now in its 31st season of entertaining Northern California audiences, and offers a discussion with Scott Foglesong prior to each performance.

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All offers for Schumann's Cello Concerto have expired.

The last date listed for Schumann's Cello Concerto was Tuesday March 13, 2012 / 8:00pm.

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First United Methodist Church

625 Hamilton Ave

Palo Alto, CA 94301

Website

415-392-4400 City Box Office

More Information About Schumann's Cello Concerto

Website

http://www.philharmonia.org/mar2012/

Description

Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Steven Isserlis, violoncello

Mendelssohn: The Fair Melusine, Op. 32
Schumann: Concerto for Violoncello in A minor, Op. 129
Brahms: Serenade No. 2 in A major, Op. 16

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra embraces repertory well beyond the confines of the 17th and 18th centuries; in this program, three works by 19th century composers are featured. Felix Mendelssohn’s evocative concert-overture “Zum Märchen von der Schönen Melusine,” better known as The Fair Melusine, Op. 32, was written for Franz Grillparzer’s stage adaptation of Goethe’s recounting of the story of the river mermaid Melusine on the legendary island Avalon.

Mendelssohn’s friend and colleague Robert Schumann graced the cello with one of its greatest concertos, his Op. 129, written in a two-week burst of inspiration in October 1850 shortly after Schumann’s arrival in Düsseldorf as municipal music director. Schumann referred to the work as a “concert piece” rather than a concerto, reflecting its freedom from standard form (its three movements progress without pause) as well as its fantasia-like qualities. The concerto is intimate, dreamy, gentle, and colorful; even the relatively chipper finale allows time for warm poetic musings.

Johannes Brahms was the famous protégé of Schumann. His stated goal was to adapt the musical forms of counterpoint (mastered by Bach) and development (a specialty of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven) into the language of Romantic music, and his two Serenades represent an evolution of the Baroque form called “serenata.” Serenade No. 2 calls for a full orchestra that excludes violins.

There is a pre-concert talk with Scott Foglesong at 7:15pm.

About the Ticket Supplier: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has been dedicated to historically-informed performance of Baroque, Classical and early-Romantic music on original instruments since its inception in 1981.

Under the leadership of Nicholas McGegan, its Music Director since 1985, Philharmonia has become "an ensemble for early music as fine as any in the world today" (Los Angeles Times). The Orchestra performs a subscription season in four cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is regularly heard on tour in the United States and internationally. In addition to Mr. McGegan, the Orchestra has welcomed eminent guest conductors to its podium including William Christie, Andrew Parrott, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhardt, Monica Huggett and Stanley Ritchie.