A fast-rising star, the 35-year-old conductor Karina Canellakis was thewinner of the 2016 Sir George Solti Conducting Award and is making her mark inappearances with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. The Los Angeles Times has praised her as “Astonishing … the model of a modern musician” andThe Cincinnati Enquirer writes, “It’s not every day that one is to witness such a rare and special talent.”
North Carolina Symphony audiences have the opportunity to experience Cannelakis’ artistry on the podium in a program featuring Mozart, Beethoven, and Sibelius, on March 3 and 4 at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, and March 6 at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall. (On March 1, Cannelakis leads the Symphony in another program, featuring pianist Lang Lang.)
Two NCS musicians, violinist and Concertmaster Brian Reagin and Principal Viola Samuel Gold will be the soloists in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, which is similar to a double concerto. Mozart’s pours out a seemingly inexhaustible stream of melodies in this work, and the solo violin and viola parts weave in and out of each other in delightful ways. The interplay between the soloists is especially prevalent in the second movement, when the two voices explore a single theme in depth, seemingly arguing two opposing sides and occasionally coming to an agreement.
For violist Samuel Gold, his favorite moment of the work is the cadenza, or extended solo, at the end of the second moment. “The cadenza takes an already amazing melody on all these twists and turns, and builds to one of the most dramatic moments of the piece,” he explains. The mood turns lighthearted and cheerful for the third and final movement.
The trumpet section will be spotlighted in Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, particularly in thefinale. A specific experience inspired the pensive theme that the trumpets play: Sibelius witnessed and heard 16 swans in flight over his house. He was awestruck by the beauty and knew immediately that he wanted trumpets to evoke the swan calls in the final movement. In fact, the entire symphony was influenced by the sounds of the forests and lakes surrounding Sibelius’ home, north of Helsinki.
Beethoven’s Egmont Overture will open the program. The work was composed to accompany Goethe’s historically based tragedy about Count Egmont, a martyr for freedom of thought. Beethoven effectively captured the essence of the drama and all of its tension; as Goethe remarked, “Beethoven has followed my intentions with admirable genius.”
A free pre-concert talk will take place at 7PM before the Raleigh performances and at 6:30 PM before the Chapel Hill performance.
The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges our March 4 concert sponsor, Duke Health.
North Carolina Symphony
Classical Series
Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante
Friday & Saturday, March 3 & 4, 2017 at 8PM
Meymandi Concert Hall
Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts
Monday, March 6, 2017 at 7:30PM
Memorial Hall
UNC-Chapel Hill
PERFORMERSNorth Carolina Symphony
Karina Canellakis, conductor
Brian Reagin, violin
Samuel Gold, viola
PROGRAM
Beethoven:EgmontOverture
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Tickets start at $18
Online: ncsymphony.org (TicketMaster fees apply)
By phone: 919.733.2750 ($8 processing fee applies)
In-person:
NCS State Headquarters Offices, 3700 Glenwood Ave., Suite 130, Raleigh (No processing fee)
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony (NCS) is a vital and honored component of North Carolina's cultural life. Its 175 concerts and events annually are greeted with enthusiasm by adults and schoolchildren in more than 90 North Carolina counties—in communities large and small, and in concert halls, auditoriums, gymnasiums, restaurants, clubs, and outdoor settings. The Symphony’s 66 full-time professional musicians perform under the artistic leadership of Music Director Grant Llewellyn.
NCS’s state headquarters venue is the spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. The Symphony’s service across the state includes series in Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines, and Wilmington, as well as Summerfest concerts at the outdoor Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Collaborating with performers that range from classical artists, to banjo players, to jazz bands, NCS brings some of the world’s greatest talents to North Carolina.Committed to engaging students of all ages across North Carolina, NCS leads the most extensive education program of any U.S. orchestra. In alignment with the curriculum set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Symphony provides training and resources for teachers, sends small ensembles into classrooms, and presents full-orchestra Education Concerts experienced by more than 52,000 4th and 5th graders each year. Music Discovery for preschoolers combines music with storytelling, and at the middle and high school levels, students have opportunities to work directly with NCS artists and perform for NCS audiences.
NCS is dedicated to giving voice to new art, and has given 47 U.S. or world premieres in its history. In March 2017, NCS will appear at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as one of four orchestras chosen for the inaugural year ofSHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras—an honor that recognizes the Symphony’s innovative community partnerships and creative programming that inspires increased interest in new music. The Symphony will present works by composers with ties to North Carolina, including Sarah Kirkland Snider, Caroline Shaw, Mason Bates, andRobert Ward.
The first state-supported symphony in the country, NCS performs under the auspices ofthe North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
