"For this concert, I wanted to have the sense of coming home," music director Paul Haas says of Saturday's performance by the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. "Of going on an epic journey -- down a river, out into the vast ocean, and then coming home to the land. I picked pieces that intensely captured each part of that journey, and I think it's an arc and a story that we can all relate to.
""The final movement is one of my favorites to hear as an audience member," he adds. "At a crucial point, the sound literally envelops the listener with multiple instrumentalists playing from stations out in the hall. You won't want to miss this memorable experience!"
FAQ
SoNA:
‘Surf And Turf’
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville
COST — $28-$50
INFO — 443-5600
The Masterworks concert, titled "Surf and Turf," features three distinct works linked by pairing land and sea: Smetana's Moldau, Debussy's La mer and Respighi's Pines of Rome.
"It might come as a surprise, but a new audience member doesn't need to know a thing to enjoy the performance," Haas promises. "You could walk in cold and have an incredible time. On the other hand, it would deepen the experience to know that these are all "tone paintings," which means the composers wrote music that brings visual imagery to life for the listener. For Debussy, it was the sea in its many moods. For Smetana, it was the mighty Moldau River. And for Respighi, it was the colorful scenes of Roman past and present, inspired by majestic pine trees in various parts of that city."
Matt Herren, SoNA's executive director, always wants to make the music more accessible.
"Sometimes I'll try to explain who a composer was in context: Resphigi was a friend of Toscanini -- everyone remembers him! -- lived across the turn of the 20th century, etc. I also like to turn the focus to the music, especially if it's familiar -- maybe it was used in a film (like all the works on this week's program) or a TV commercial.
"As always, I hope listeners will let the music take them where it may," Herren adds. "The great thing about these works, even if they are programmatic, is that each listener will have his own experience, his own picture and feeling of ocean waves and pine trees and a peasant wedding. If music transports us at all, in any direction, it has done its job."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 03/06/2015