TICKETS: 559-261-0600
FRESNO PHILHARMONIC - THEODORE KUCHAR, MUSIC DIRECTOR
TICKETS: 559-261-0600FRESNO PHILHARMONIC - THEODORE KUCHAR, MUSIC DIRECTOR
Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 8:00pm
Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 2:30pm
William Saroyan Theatre
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3
Theodore Kuchar conducts the Fresno Philharmonic and guest pianist Lukas Vondracek.
Left to Right: Theodore Kuchar, Rachmaninoff, Lukas Vondracek
Shostakovich steals the thunder at Fresno Philharmonic openerThe Fresno Philharmonic, led by Theodore Kuchar, opened its season Saturday at Saroyan Theatre with a very ambitious program that built its way up from the colorful Capriccio Espangnol, Op. 34 by Rimsky-Korsakov to the massive Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, played by 24 year old pianist Lukas Vondracek...
An interview with Theodore KucharTheodore Kuchar, Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra is currently in his ninth season in Fresno. This interview took place in Fresno on September 21, 2010...
Thoughts on the opening Philharmonic concerts?My favorite part of the Fresno Philharmonic program on Saturday was the Shostakovich Symphony No. 9. To think that the subversive composer twisted this "celebratory" symphony -- meant to laud the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II -- into an impish, sardonic exercise that really ticked off Stalin is a hoot. When the trombones took off with their ominous theme midway through the piece...
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio EspagnolRimsky-Korsakov visited Spain only once: while on a training cruise around the world as a naval cadet, he spent three days in the
Mediterranean port of Cádiz in December 1864. The sun and sweet scents of Iberia left a lasting impression on him...
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 A transcendent paean to peace; a celebration of victory; an affirmation of goodness and right — such was the role the Ninth Symphony of Shostakovich was supposed to fill. He began the piece in 1945 at the country retreat house for Soviet composers near Ivanova during the interval between the end of hostilities in Europe...
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3The worlds of technology and art sometimes brush against each other in curious ways. In 1909, it seems, Sergei Rachmaninoff wanted one of those new mechanical wonders — an automobile. And thereby hangs the tale of his first visit to America...
Guest Pianist: Lukas VondracekBorn in Opava, Czech Republic, in 1986, Lukas Vondracek's musical ability was spotted at the age of two by his parents, both professional pianists.
He gave his first concert at the age of 4 and now, at the age of 23, he has visited 25 different countries...
Resident Artist: Aileen ImperatriceBorn and raised in Fresno, California, Aileen has shown artistic interest since childhood. Throughout her life, she has experimented with many different art forms, studying formally within school walls or in independent practice and study. Please visit her art exhibit at the Rach 3 performaces.
