Xian Conducts Mozart
2018–19 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
SIMONE DINNERSTEIN piano (pictured)
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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WALTON Suite No. 2 from Façade
Sassy, comedic and very British; in its debut, poet Edith Sitwell sat behind a screen and recited her poems set to music through a megaphone, scandalizing the audience.
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MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23
Warm and tender; its sublime, melancholy Adagio speaks of heartbreak and acceptance.
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MOZART Symphony No. 40
Mozart’s second-to-last symphony crackles with a powerful dramatic tension, a musical “appeal to eternity” as his life was cut short.
Scores: Contemporary Chamber Works
Curated by Juri Seo
STEVEN MACKEY conductor and host
JURI SEO guest composer and curator
NA-YOUNG BAEK cello
CHRIS KOMER horn
NJSO CHAMBER PLAYERS
- UNSUK CHIN ParaMetaString for String Quartet and Tape
- JONATHAN HARVEY Curve with Plateaux for Solo Cello
- OLIVIER MESSIAEN “Interstellar Call” from Des Canyons aux étoiles for Solo Horn
- TRISTAN MURAIL Seven Lakes Drive
- JURI SEO New Work (World Premiere, NJSO Commission)
- REYNOLD THARP San Francisco Night
Art of the Double Concerto
2018–19 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
ERIC WYRICK violin
ANNELLE GREGORY violin
STEVEN MACKEY electric guitar
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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WEBER Overture to Oberon
Exciting and suspenseful; based on a medieval story of an Elf King who must search the globe for one faithful human couple.
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STEVEN MACKEY Four Iconoclastic Episodes
“Music driven by energy, motion and joy of playing.” Mackey’s eclectic piece for violin and electric guitar includes hints of Radiohead, Chicago blues and much more.
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BACH Concerto for Two Violins
Riveting and inspiring; its achingly lovely second movement was unforgettably featured in Children of a Lesser God as actress Marlee Matlin “heard” music.
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BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3
Beethoven’s heroic and triumphant overture tells the story of his only opera, Fidelio, bringing this palindrome concert to a delightful close.
Blockbuster All-Orchestral Season Finale
2018–19 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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MENDELSSOHN Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Whimsical, sparkling, emotional—was more joyous music ever put to paper? Closes with the famous Wedding March, which in its full orchestral form is a marvel.
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RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2
The superlatives rack up when describing this glorious work: stunning, titanic, sweeping—even sweetly intimate in spots. A perfect conclusion to the season.
Scores: The Edward T. Cone Composition Institute Concert
2019–20 Season
DAVID ROBERTSON conductor
STEVEN MACKEY Institute director and host
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Opening Weekend: Holst’s The Planets in HD
2019–20 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
Women of NEWARK VOICES
Heather J. Buchanan, conductor
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ELGAR Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1
At the dawn of the 20th century, Elgar summed up the pride and power of the English with this march; its later use as a graduation theme made him a household name far beyond Britain.
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SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER Hiraeth (with film by Mark DeChiazza) (NJSO Premiere)
The New Jersey-based composer was inspired by the Welsh word for nostalgia for this innovative work, touching music commissioned alongside an equally moving film.
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HOLST The Planets—An HD Odyssey (with film)
The myths and astrological meanings of our heavenly neighbors moved Holst to create his masterpiece. The work gathers a new depth accompanied by jaw-dropping NASA visuals.
Grieg’s Piano Concerto
2019–20 Season
MARKUS STENZ conductor
JUHO POHJONEN piano
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REBEL “Chaos” from Les élémens (NJSO Premiere)
Louis XIV’s favorite composer, Rebel stunned the king in the 1730s with this depiction of creation that incorporated harmonies 200 years ahead of their time.
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GRIEG Piano Concerto
Iconic opening chords herald an eternal favorite. Grieg poured the exquisite beauty of Norwegian fjords and folksongs into his only concerto.
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BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Brahms’ symphonies are cherished for their expression of a profound depth of human feeling. His Second radiates warmth and joy, with soaring strings, singable melodies and a thrilling finale of blazing brass.
Spanish- and French-Inspired Showpieces
2019–20 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
NING FENG violin
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RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio espagnol
Inspired by Spanish dance, Russia’s Rimsky-Korsakov turns a brilliant solo spotlight on members of the orchestra.
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QIGANG CHEN La joie de la souffrance for Violin and Orchestra (US Premiere and NJSO Co-Commission)
“The Joy of Suffering” explores the composer’s view that joy and suffering are “a matter of ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’, inseparable and hence all things should contain both. Like loss and gain, they are bound to balance out.”
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SAINT-SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
A soulful start prepares the listener for a heartbreaking piece—then fireworks erupt. The soloist’s left hand blurs on the fingerboard, and the bowings require an elite athlete’s stamina and grace. Only the best violinists like Feng can make this piece sing.
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FALLA Suite No. 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat
From the ballet stage comes this lighthearted Spanish tale filled with the rhythm and seduction of the dancing it is meant to accompany.
Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto
2019–20 Season
XIAN ZHANG conductor
GEORGE LI piano
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ANNA CLYNE Within Her Arms (NJSO Premiere)
A defining work in this Brooklyn-based composer’s career. Written for strings alone, this tender piece is the song of loss and memory for her mother.
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RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3
Rachmaninoff wrote this concerto to showcase his exceptional talent and blindingly fast technique. It starts with a deceptively simple melody that every beginner can play, but it quickly becomes the Everest of all piano concertos—one that few soloists attempt to conquer.
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DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
Dvořák’s Eighth poured out of him while he was surrounded by the cherished Bohemian countryside that was his inspiration. Close your eyes and you’ll see the colors of autumn, awash in sunlight.
The Irish Tenors with the NJSO
THE IRISH TENORS
Members of the NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Get in the spirit of the season when The Irish Tenors: Christmas/Holiday Tour 2019 comes to bergenPAC with members of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra for a joyful night of traditional and secular holiday songs, including favorites like “We Three Kings,” “O! Holy Night,” “White Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” The Irish Tenors have been the acknowledged Celtic music kings since arriving on the scene with their 1998 PBS special and have performed on the biggest stages around the world.
Handel’s Messiah
2019–20 Season
RODERICK COX conductor
AMANDA WOODBURY soprano
J’NAI BRIDGES mezzo-soprano
FREDERICK BALLENTINE tenor
DOUGLAS WILLIAMS bass-baritone
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY SINGERS | Heather J. Buchanan, conductor
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HANDEL Messiah
The opening aria begins with, “Comfort ye …” In the rush of the holiday season, set aside time for glorious music that touches the soul.
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet
2020 Winter Festival: Front & Center
XIAN ZHANG conductor
INON BARNATAN piano
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SMETANA “The Moldau” from Má vlast
Sail with us down a fabled river, lined on either side by castles and forests full of myth and mystery.
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CLARA SCHUMANN Piano Concerto (NJSO Premiere)
A great pianist, Clara Schumann composed this glittering and graceful concerto in her teens—a remarkable achievement.
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PROKOFIEV Selections from Romeo and Juliet
Xian has won acclaim in opera and ballet houses around the world; you’ll hear why in Prokofiev’s riveting ballet about Shakespeare’s doomed lovers.