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LJS&C Press Releases
Two Symphonies from Prague and from Alaska, Dark Waves
La Jolla, Calif. (April 10, 2008) — The La Jolla Symphony & Chorus's (LJS&C) presents its fifth concert on the 53rd season in May. Music Director Steven Schick leads the orchestra with two symphonies from Prague: Mozart's Symphony No. 38 written as a salute to the city that had welcomed him so warmly, and from the same city a century later, Dvořák's dark and dramatic Seventh Symphony. The program also features John Luther Adams' Dark Waves, the second Adams' piece performed by the LJS&C this season. Adams will be in attendance at the concert and pre-concert lecture.
"I've themed this concert 'Where I'm calling from,' taken from a Raymond Carver story about a group of people whose sole thread of contact with what was once home and family becomes a telephone call," says Schick. "The phrase draws me in because, wherever they are calling from, it isn't home. It is this poignant question of what home means (and to musicians, what home sounds like) that lies at the root of this concert."
The program opens with Mozart's "Prague" symphony, an outcrop of the composer's special relationship with the city of Prague and its people. Noted Mozart biographer Maynard Solomon wrote, "there was an enthusiasm for Mozart that has passed into legend, with Prague seen as the good city that supported and understood him at a time when he had allegedly been neglected, even scorned, by Vienna." The Symphony No. 38 in D Major was first performed in Prague in 1787 and is known for a slightly atypical form and contrasting moods of darkness and exuberance.
Dark Waves was inspired by the stark beauty of Alaska, Adams' adopted home. Written for orchestra and electronic sound, the piece was commissioned by the Anchorage Symphony and premiered in 2007. The composer says of this work, "As I composed Dark Waves, I pondered the ominous events of our times: war and terrorism, intensifying storms and wildfires, the melting of the polar ice, and the rising of the seas. Yet even in the presence of our deepening fears, we find ourselves immersed in the mysterious beauty of this world. Amid the turbulent waves we may still find the light, the wisdom, and the courage we need to pass through this darkness of our own making."
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D minor (1885) shows emotional torment that may reflect personal troubles he was experiencing at the time of composition--his operas were not being accepted in Vienna, and he was feeling pressure to write operas in German, in argument with his publisher. His sketches show that the Seventh cost him much hard work and soul searching. The resulting symphony premiered to great acclaim in London, and is one of his most romantic, ambitious in structure, and international in message.
The performances take place May 3-4, 2008 in Mandeville Auditorium on the UCSD campus. Concert times are 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Individual tickets are $15-$26. Parking is free. A pre-concert lecture is offered one hour prior to concert times with Eric Bromberger, joined for this concert by visiting composer John Luther Adams. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the LJS&C office at (858) 534-4637 or visit www.lajollasymphony.com.
Rooted in San Diego for over 50 years, the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus enriches our lives through affordable concerts of groundbreaking, traditional and contemporary classical music. Maestro Steven Schick shares the podium with Chorus Director David Chase during this 53rd season.
