Montgomery Symphony Orchestra explores sounds of Spain
For its third classical concert of the season, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra is exploring sounds inspired by Spain on Monday, Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m. at Troy University's Davis Theatre.
"Three out of the four pieces are basically related to Spanish culture," said Jamie Reeves, MSO's music director and conductor. "They're in some way built off of Spanish rhythms or melodies."
Performances will include:
Beethoven’s "Overture to Egmont," is based on the 1787 play by Johann Wolfgang Goethe. It tells the tragic and heroic story of a nobleman who, as a martyr, inspired a national uprising that contributed to Dutch independence.
The orchestral showpiece "Capriccio Espagnol," based on spanish folk melodies, was composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korakov in 1887. It features virtuosic displays of Spanish flare.
Composer Arturo Marquez's "Danzon No. 2" is popular Mexican orchestral contemporary classical music.
"It's a very fun and upbeat program that I think is exciting and fun to listen to," Reeves said.
A solo performance for cello fellow Jiaoyang Xu
The Feb. 12 concert will also be the first concerto performance for Jiaoyang Xu, MSO's new cello fellow, who is performing Edward Elgar's "Cello Concerto in E minor."
"We're all very excited to hear her," Reeves said.
Xu, a native of Beijing, China, said she joined MSO in September of last year. She's been playing the cello for more than 20 years.
"I started when I was about five years old," Xu said.
Instead of picking the instrument herself, it was picked for her by a music teacher in her community.
"She was saying that, 'You have great physical features for the cello. Your hands fit the cello perfectly,'" Xu recalled. The teacher introduced Xu to another music teacher at the conservatory.
"We went to the teacher, and the teacher said, 'Yes, okay, I'll take you.' And that's how it all started," Xu said.
Xu is also known by the nickname Sunny, and said it came from attending English classes in China.
"I just randomly picked this name, and I didn't even know what it meant until later on when I started to get to know more about English," Xu said. "I realized that the meaning of Sunny is actually almost the same as my Chinese name."
Xu came to the U.S. as an undergrad student in 2011.
"I have learned so much after coming to the States to study," said Xu, who lives in Boston.
She said being a cello fellow in Montgomery has helped her progress as a performer. She's also playing with several area churches.
"It's a very different experience than what I had in China," Xu said.
She said the Elgar piece is one that she's always dreamed of performing with an orchestra.
"Now it's a dream come true," said Xu.
Give your valentine the gift of music
With Valentine's Day just ahead, Reeves said this show is a warm start to the almost-spring season and would make for a great gift for someone you love.
"It's the kind of concert that I believe if you don't normally come to the symphony, you haven't been to one of our concerts before, this is a good time to come," Reeves said. "It kind of gives you everything you'd expect in an orchestra concert — serious, very emotionally heightened, expressive classical music, But at the same time, there's pieces that are lighthearted and fun, and shorter in duration. It's an easy one to listen to as well."
Tickets range from $15 to $40, and are available online at eventbrite.com/o/montgomery-symphony-orchestra-54815016853. Call the MSO office at 334-240-4004 for more information.
More ahead from Xu in April
Just ahead on April 14, Xu will perform her fellowship series concert at 2:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. General admission tickets are $17 for the public, and are free to students.
A highlight of this for Xu is the opportunity to program her own concert.
"We have the freedom to pick whatever we want to perform and then program them," Xu said of the fellowship series.
Learn more online at montgomerysymphony.org.
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery Symphony Orchestra explores sounds of Spain
