December 4, 2022
Mozart’s true life story needs no Hollywood-style embellishments, says Music Director Donato Cabrera. Tom Hulce as Wolgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1984 hit movie “Amadeus”. By California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera. A murderously jealous rival. A mysterious commission from a “gray messenger.” Rumors of poisoning… If the circumstances of Mozart’s death at 35 read like…
April 23, 2019
The fifth and final concert set of the 2018/19 season takes place on 5/5, Cinco de Mayo. Here’s our countdown of the top five things that make season finale concert EPIC BRUCKNER an epically wonderful way to celebrate the day. 5. Finale Fiesta For Cinco de Mayo, we’re bringing some Latin flavor to the Lesher…
April 23, 2019
California Symphony Composer-in-Residence Katherine Balch composed Artifacts for New England Conservatory friend and colleague Robyn Bollinger, based on four pieces that are core to solo violin repertoire. Each movement in Artifacts takes its inspiration from diverse works composed between the early 1800s and 1976. By Donato Cabrera, California Symphony Music Director “Robyn and I have…
April 14, 2019
California Symphony percussionist Victor Avdienko has one thing to do in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and that is to play a lone, epic cymbal crash. For him though, it’s much more than just a single note. By Victor Avdienko, California Symphony percussionist. I played this piece before with Herbert Blomstedt [San Francisco Symphony Music Director…
April 14, 2019
Q: What instrument is named after a tuba, looks like a French horn, and sounds like a trombone? No, that’s not the beginning of a super nerdy orchestra joke but it’s a pretty good description of the hybrid horn that is the Wagner tuba. A quartet of the rare instruments features in Bruckner’s Symphony No….
April 13, 2019
Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 is an impressive, expansive, melodic work that requires a supersized orchestra, and for many members of the orchestra it’s a real work out. If you’re a percussionist however, your entire part for this epic masterwork fits neatly onto a single page of music. The percussionists’ sheet music (pictured) indicates that…
April 3, 2019
Katherine Balch – Artifacts, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (world premiere) One particularly pleasant corner of the repertory is occupied by works that composers have written for good friends, often with that friend’s input and contributions. The Brahms Violin Concerto comes first to mind: Brahms wrote it for Joseph Joachim, one of Brahms’s earliest boosters…
April 3, 2019
The California Symphony presents EPIC BRUCKNER at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on Sunday, May 5 at 4pm, featuring: Balch – Artifacts Bruckner – Symphony No. 7 BALCH – ARTIFACTS We’ll have to wait until May 5 to hear the world premiere of Composer-in-Residence Katherine Balch’s violin concerto, Artifacts, but in…
April 2, 2019
Music Director Donato Cabrera conducts Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 at the California Symphony’s season finale—a piece he feels he’s been “waiting more than one lifetime” to conduct. We talked with Maestro about Bruckner, what he finds so appealing about the Seventh Symphony, and how his perspective has been shaped by playing the French horn. 1. Your first instrument…
February 27, 2019
Harry Potter? Han Solo? Elliot from E.T? Or even E.T. himself..? With music from beloved movies like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Superman and E.T. on the program, the costume possibilities are endless for those who really want to get into the spirit of things at the upcoming ALL JOHN WILLIAMS concerts—Mar. 16 & 17 at…
