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 Center. In addition to the usual selection of wines, beers, soft beverages and snacks, for this concert, margaritas plus chips and dips will be available for purchase in the lobby. And there’s no need to rush your drink since you can take it into the auditorium to sip and savor it along with the music. Salud!
4. The Symphony of a Lifetime
Music Director Donato Cabrera has waited a lifetime to conduct Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 which is ironic because it took Bruckner a lifetime to write it. (Bruckner only started composing music at age 37 and he was 59 when his seventh symphony was performed for the first time.)
3. Speaking of Premieres…
Artifacts, a brand new violin concerto written by California Symphony Composer-in-Residence Katherine Balch (2017-2020) receives its World Premiere on May 5. Balch wrote it for her New England Conservatory of Music friend, soloist Robyn Bollinger. Balch and Bollinger join Music Director Donato Cabrera for the free pre-concert talk, 3:00 – 3:30PM, before the performance.
I really enjoyed [Balch’s] first work with the Symphony last season, and naturally, as a violinist myself, I’m also excited to hear new works for my beloved instrument. I am thrilled to be amongst the first to ever perform this work, and how equally thrilling I’m sure it will be to be among the first to hear the work out in the hall.”—Sergi Goldman-Hull, violin
2. A Quartet of Wagner Tubas
A choir of these rare instruments, on loan from the San Francisco Symphony, augments the brass section with their unique, rich sound.
1. One Epic Cymbal Crash
It’s the cymbal crash of all cymbal crashes. You might think that the playing a single note in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 is the easiest paycheck that a musician could pick up, but according to California Symphony percussionist Victor Avdienko, it’s not quite as simple as that.
The California Symphony presents EPIC BRUCKNER at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on Sunday, May 5 at 4pm. Music Director Donato Cabrera leads a free, 30-minute pre-concert talk for ticket holders, starting an hour before the show. Main floor tickets start at $42 and $20 for students 25 and under with valid Student ID.
