March 30, 2022
From a foreign national anthem, to a groundbreaking world premiere that was immediately heralded by critics as “a masterpiece,” and unusual intermission on Sunday afternoon, this weekend’s concerts were almost as drama-filled as the Oscars. #WeStandWithUkraine Both concerts this weekend opened with a rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem, in solidarity with the people of…
March 21, 2022
Everyone loves a good fairy tale, featuring dashing heroes and heroines, evil villains, and imperiled protagonists, navigating their way towards a hoped-for happy ending. Shared from one generation to the next, these cautionary tales occupy a special place in popular culture and they have inspired some of the most appealing and memorable music ever written. …
February 15, 2022
Thomas Adès (b. 1971) Three Studies from Couperin (2006) Thomas Adès loathed ‘sports days’—i.e., gym class—in school. (It’s a rare musician who can’t relate to that.) “I’d invent phantom tummy aches and stay at home and listen to records,” he recalls. Those records, collected by his poet/translator father, ranged from folk music to Stravinsky, and…
January 1, 2019
PROGRAM: A TANGO WITH MOZART Saturday, January 19 at 8PM and Sunday, January 20 at 4PM, at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek Le Tombeau de Couperin (1917) (orch. Ravel, 1919)–by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (arr. Leonid Desyatnikov)–by Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543 (1788)–by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart…
December 29, 2018
The California Symphony presents A TANGO WITH MOZART at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 8pm and Sunday, Jan. 20 at 4pm, featuring: Ravel – Le Tombeau de Couperin Piazzolla – Four Seasons of Buenos Aires Mozart – Symphony No. 39 Mozart Symphony No. 39 The…
November 11, 2018
Music Director Donato Cabrera writes from Linz, Austria, on a day commemorating the end of World War One. The announcing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, was the occasion for large celebrations in the allied nations. Today is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day — Veterans Day in the U.S.— commemorating the end of WWI, which ended on…
