The South Florida Symphony Orchestra presents “A Summons to Life,” the Symphony’s last Masterwork Concert of the season, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, March 30th, at 7:30 p.m. and at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts on Monday, March 31st, at 7:30 p.m.
After an exciting and successful season, the Symphony is closing its Masterworks Concert Series with a celebration of life with Mozart, Zwilich, and Schumann. Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso opens the program with Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D major “Haffner”. Written in only two weeks, it commemorates Sigmund Haffner’s elevation to nobility. This Classical work is followed by a more modern piece composed by Ellen Zwilich, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music. “Shadows for Piano and Orchestra” was co-commissioned by the South Florida Symphony and was premiered by our featured pianist, Jeffrey Biegel, in 2011. Zwilich explores the cultural, religious, and ancestral roots of the American immigrant experience, creating an original and rhythmically exciting work. The evening closes with Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 “Spring,” inspired by a couplet by Adolph Botteg, “Oh, follow, follow on the run, for the valley blooms with the spring.”
This exciting program was envisioned by Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso. Of her last Masterwork Concert, a reviewer from KONK Life wrote, “The bar has now been set very high. The challenge will be for Maestra Alfonso and the South Florida Symphony to maintain and exceed that standard. Bravo, all!” Of “Shadows for Piano and Orchestra,” Mr. Biegel states, “Jazz and blues has crept into her work more and more in the years since she won the Pulitzer,” he said. “Ellen doesn’t worry what the gang in academia will think about her music. She is out to connect with audiences on an emotional level, and what comes out are blue notes, jazz harmonies and melodic lines that you can hum. My piano part sometimes feels like a written-out improvisation full of jazz licks.”
At the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Ian Fraser will engage us in a pre-concert chat at 6:45 p.m. Tickets range from $35-$75. For tickets and information, visit southfloridasymphony.org or call (954) 522-8445.
