Shostakovich Chamber Symphony
Thursday, February 4 @ 7:30 pm
Shostakovich (arr. Barshai) – Chamber Symphony in C minor
Goddard – Trumpet Concerto
Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor
Ryan Cole, trumpet
*This program will be available until March 5, 2021
An orchestral arrangement of Shostakovich’s eighth string quartet, the Chamber Symphony in C minor, is regarded as one of the most powerful works written in the 20th century. Confessional and elegiac, the five movements of this work communicate an enigmatic and tragic mood that stand in stark contrast to Marcus Goddard’s celebratory and virtuosic Trumpet Concerto written for VS principal trumpet Ryan Cole.
Beethoven’s Triple Concerto
Thursday, February 18 @ 7:30 pm
Beethoven – Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C major
Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor
Terence Tam, violin
Brian Yoon, cello
Lorraine Min, piano
*This program will be available until March 19, 2021
Composed around the same time as his Eroica Symphony, Beethoven’s rarely heard Triple Concerto is often overshadowed by the composer’s more serious work. Scored uniquely for an orchestra and a trio of soloists (violin, cello, and piano), the three movements of this concerto are delightful proof that he was as adept at being charming as he was at being dramatic.
French Winds
Thursday, March 4 @ 7:30 pm
Dukas – Fanfare from La Péri
Gounod – Petite Symphonie
Poulenc – Suite Française
*This program will be available until April 2, 2021
This program of charming French music for winds begins with Dukas’ Fanfare from his ballet La Péri followed by Gounod’s sparkling and vibrant Petite Symphonie, and ending with Poulenc’s neoclassical Suite Française written as incidental music for Edouard Bourdet’s play La Reine Margot.
Min Plays Mozart
Thursday, March 18 @ 7:30 pm
Tchaikovsky (arr. Tobani) – Andante cantabile
Mozart (arr. Lachner) – Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
Bartók (arr.Willner) – Romanian Folk Dances
Terence Tam, leader
Lorraine Min, piano
*This program will be available until April 18, 2021
Lorraine Min has been praised by the New York Times for her “impeccable phrase-shaping” and “crystalline sound,” For this program, this local musical treasure is reunited with the orchestra for what is arguably Mozart’s most famous work for keyboard, his Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major. Also included on the program are Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile and Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances.
Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges with Jeanne Lamon
Thursday, April 1 @ 7:30 pm
Saint-George – Symphony in D major, Overture to “L’Amant Anonyme”
Mozart – Overture to Idomeneo
Saint-George – Symphony in G major
Haydn – Allegro con spirit from Symphony No. 86, Paris in D
Jeanne Lamon, leader
*This program will be available until April 30, 2021
Joseph Boulogne, also known as “Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges” was a remarkable violinist, composer and athlete. Defying all odds, he had a fairly successful career despite being a black man in 18th century Paris. Often compared to Mozart (“Le Mozart Noir”), he had the honour of leading the first performance of Haydn’s Paris symphonies. Music by Saint-George, Mozart and Haydn.
Mozart Horn Concertos
Thursday, April 15 @ 7:30 pm
Mozart – Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major
R. Strauss (arr. Benedict) – Sextet from Capriccio
Mozart – Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major
Alana Despins, horn
Michael Oswald, horn
*This program will be available until May 14, 2021
Mozart’s Horn Concertos are joyful demonstrations of the instrument’s expressive capacity as well as of the remarkable skills of Mozart’s lifelong friend and horn virtuoso Joseph Leutgeb for whom they were composed. Our two resident virtuosos, Alana Despins and Michael Oswald, perform concertos No. 3 and 2 respectively. Completing the program: the opening String Sextet from Richard Strauss’ opera Capriccio. Strauss himself wrote two horn concertos inspired both by his great idol, Mozart, and by his father who was a professional horn player.
Poulenc Organ Concerto
Thursday, April 29 @ 7:30 pm
Adès – Three Studies from Couperin
Poulenc – Concerto for organ, strings and timpani
Donald Hunt, organ
*This program will be available until May 28, 2021
This concert introduces Christ Church Cathedral’s Director of Music, Donald Hunt, in his Symphony debut performing Poulenc’s Concerto for organ, strings and timpani on the majestic instrument built in 2005 by the late Helmuth Wolff for this extraordinary space. Also included in the program is Adés’ Three Studies from Couperin, an offbeat and unexpected tribute to the French Baroque master.
Yoon Plays C.P.E Bach
Thursday, May 13 @ 7:30 pm
Telemann – Orchestral Suite La Bizarre in G major
C.P.E. Bach – Cello Concerto in A minor
Brian Yoon, cello
*This program will be available until June 11, 2021
A transitional figure between the Baroque and Classical periods, C.P.E Bach was J.S. Bach’s most celebrated son. His writing is wildly expressive and his Cello Concerto in A minor as played by VS principal cello Brian Yoon demonstrates why he had such a profound effect on the composers who followed him. Completing this program is Telemann’s Orchestral Suite: La Bizarre in G major.
Victoria Goes Broadway
Thursday, May 27 @ 7:30 pm
Classic Broadway
Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein (Excerpts) Hal Leonard published
Sound of Music – The Hills Are Alive (F major) original show version
Carousel – If I Loved You
Man of Ma Mancha – Medley
Modern Broadway
West Side Story – Overture (arr. Peress)
Les Misérables – Bring Him Home (Hal Leonard published version)
Sunday in the Park with George – Move On
Wicked – For Good
Phantom of the Opera – All I Ask Of You
Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor
Lara Ciekiewicz, soprano
David Curry, tenor
*This program will be available until June 25, 2021
Soak in the bright lights and sounds of Broadway as the Victoria Symphony takes you on a trip to the Great White Way. Audience favorites Lara Ciekiewicz and David Curry join forces with MC Sean O’Loughlin and conductor Giuseppe Pietraroia for a magical evening of Broadway’s greatest hits. Music from The Sound of Music, Les Misérables (Les Miz), Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera and more will surely delight your eyes and ears.
Tam Plays Mendelssohn
Thursday, June 24 @ 7:30 pm
Farrenc – Overture No. 2 in E-flat major
Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor
Terence Tam, violin
*This program will be available until July 23, 2021
The last concert in the Victoria Symphony’s 2020-21 Virtual Season closes as it opened with a programme featuring Concertmaster Terence Tam. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is an undisputed romantic masterpiece that is paired here with a work by Louise Farrenc, a French composer of the same period as Mendelssohn who rejected Parisian tastes and pursued instead the ideals of German absolute music. Her Overture No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 24 is clearly influenced by Beethoven and evidence of why her music was performed widely in Europe during her lifetime.
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