Northern Neck Orchestra to Perform
Groundbreaking Symphonies
by Price and Beethoven on March 25
Grammy Award-winner Michael Repper will conduct the Northern Neck Orchestra in a performance of pioneering symphonies by Florence Price and Ludwig van Beethoven on March 25 at the Northumberland High School Theater in Heathsville.
The program includes Price’s landmark Symphony No. 1 and Beethoven’s enduring Symphony No. 5. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be preceded by a pre-concert talk by Repper at 6:45 p.m.
The two symphonies we will perform are groundbreaking in
their own ways. What we have are two absolutely critical symphonies,
each from equally critical composers. Both pieces are testaments to
the genius and innovativeness of their composers, and we
look forward to showcasing them both.
Michael Repper | Music Director
Price’s symphony was the first written by an African-American woman ever to be performed by a major symphony orchestra. It was premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933.
“Price’s contributions were unfairly neglected for decades,” said Repper. “We are delighted to continue showcasing the legacy of Florence Price at this concert.” He noted that the Northern Neck Orchestra earlier performed Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America, Sonata for Piano and Suite of Dances.
Repper won the Grammy Award in February for Best Orchestral Performance for a recording with the New York Youth Symphony that featured Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America and her Piano Concerto, featuring Michelle Cann.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, one of the most famous of all symphonies.
“From its four-note opening through its breakneck finale, this revolutionary composition grabs hold of you and never let’s go,” Repper noted. “It is as daring as a high wire act without a net.”
Writer and critic E.T.A. Hoffman, whose story inspired Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, exclaimed that Beethoven’s symphony, which premiered in 1808, “leads the listener imperiously forward into the spirit world of the infinite!”
More plaudits followed and by the middle of the 19th century the symphony’s extraordinary power and aching beauty placed it among the greatest achievements of world culture.
The concert on March 25, at the Northumberland High School in Heathsville, begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be preceded by a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. hosted by Music Director Michael Repper.
Tickets for the performance are $40.00.
Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online by clicking on the button below.
Tickets for the concert are $40 and may be purchased at the door or online.
Students are admitted free.
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