2008-09 Season
Masterworks Series
THE NEXT FRONTIER
The whole community watched in anticipation as we sought an artistic leader capable of helming the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. Now, we're proud to reveal Maestro Mark Russell Smith's premiere season.
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Masterworks I
Mark Russell Smith, Conductor
Jon Hurty, Director
Handel Oratorio Society
Quad City Choral Arts
AARON COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man
SAMUEL BARBER Adagio for Strings
RANDALL THOMPSON Alleluia
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9
Mark Russell Smith makes his debut as Music Director of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and he does it with one of the greatest symphonic pieces of all time: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. There is no better way to kick off a new season, and a new tenure as Music Director, than with this most beloved of orchestral pieces. This famous symphony, together with Copland￢ﾀﾙs illustrious Fanfare for the Common Man, Barber's elegant Adagio for Strings, and Randall Thompson's elegiac Alleluia, comprise an auspicious beginning to Maestro Smith￢ﾀﾙs charge of the QCSO.
Masterworks II
Mark Russell Smith, Conductor
PETER TCHAIKOVSKY Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
IGOR STRAVINSKY Divertimento from Fairy￢ﾀﾙs Kiss
PETER TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
The second Masterworks concert is a Tchaikovsky lover's dream. Even the Stravinsky piece, the Divertimento pulled from Fairy's Kiss, is inspired by Tchaikovsky's piano themes. The concert's opening Polonaise is drawn from the sobering third act of Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky's opera based on Pushkin's novel. On the second half of this concert is Tchaikovsky's ever-popular meditation of predestination and fate: Symphony No. 5.
Masterworks III
David Loebel, Guest Conductor
Philippe Quint, Violin
VIRGIL THOMSON Symphony on a Hymn Tune
LEONARD BERNSTEIN Serenade
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5 (Reformation)
From the moment he takes the stage, Grammy Awardnominee violinist Philippe Quint captivates his audiences with his charismatic presence. Beyond his recognized star power, Mr. Quint is often lauded for a "searingly poetic lyricism" (Daily Telegraph, UK), which for Masterworks III he will put to bear on Leonard Bernstein's Serenade. For this concert, the QCSO will be led by guest conductor David Loebel, nine-year Music Director of the Memphis Symphony and guest conductor with such orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, the Tokyo Philharmonic, and the Sydney Symphony.
Masterworks IV
Mark Russell Smith, Conductor
Louis Schwizgebel-Wang, Piano
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 4
Masterworks IV brings 19-year-old Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel-Wang in to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Mr. Schwizgebel-Wang began his piano studies at the age of six with Franz Josefovski. Three years later he entered the Lausanne Conservatory, as a student of Brigitte Meyer, and earned a "Soloist's Diploma" at the age of 15, the same year he won First Prize Steinway Festival in Hamburg. The New York Times described this star of the next generation as "passionate...with an expressive elasticity" and the Washington Post hailed his "perky touch" and "expressive phrasing."
Masterworks V
Mark Russell Smith, Conductor
Joshua Roman, Cello
STEVE HEITZIG Wounded Fields
ERNEST BLOCH Schelomo: Hebraic Rhapsody
PETER TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme
ROBERT SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2
For Masterworks V, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra will be joined by cellist Joshua Roman as he performs Bloch￢ﾀﾙs Schelomo and Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme. Since his first solo recital at the age of ten, Roman has performed a vast number of concerts and solo recitals, receiving acclaim for his strong command and wildly varied repertoire. As a concert soloist, he has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and the Wyoming Symphony. Dubbed a "classical rock star" by the press, Joshua regularly performs in clubs around the Seattle region, where the repertoire is as likely to include Radio Head as it is J.S. Bach.
Masterworks VI
Mark Russell Smith, Conductor
Leon Bates, Piano
HECTOR BERLIOZ Roman Carnival
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Concerto in G Major
DUKE ELLINGTON New World a-Comin
OTTORINO RESPIGHI Pines of Rome
The season culminates with a return engagement from pianist Leon Bates to perform Ravel￢ﾀﾙs Piano Concerto in G and an arrangement of Duke Ellington￢ﾀﾙs music titled New World a-Comin. Since winning the Philadelphia Orchestra Senior Auditions as a student over 20 years ago, Leon Bates has emerged as one of America's leading pianists. He has warranted critical and audience accolades in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kennedy Center, Philadelphia's Academy of Music, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Masonic Hall in San Francisco. He appeared in Naples, Italy, in two recitals and took part in the filming of the "Music in the 20th Century" telecast on PBS. His sheer mastery of his instrument has led to many invitations to perform with major symphonies in the U.S. and abroad.