Thursday, April 7, 2021 at 7:30 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax
Presented by Nice Moves, Jules Chamberlain – Red Door Realty
Featuring Holly Mathieson, conductor and host
Blake Pouliot, violin
Symphony Nova Scotia
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Symphony No. 31 in D Major, "Paris" I. Allegro assai II. Andantino III. Allegro |
17' |
| Traditional, arr. Rebecca Pellett Ko'jua Dance Medley |
5' |
| Dinuk Wijeratne (b. 1978) A letter from the After-life from Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems I. Allegro II. Allegro |
6' |
| Intermission | |
| Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Violin Concerto in D Major I. Allegro moderato II. Canzonetta: Andante III. Finale: Allegro vivacissimo Blake Pouliot, violin |
33' |
Additional players: Anna Genest, Alsu Kamalieva, and Lauren Klein, violin; Carrie VanSlyke and Alexandra Bates, viola; Catherine Little, cello; Lena Turofsky, bass; Jack Chen, flute; David Boutin-Bourque, clarinet; Mitchell Clarke, bassoon; Julie Cuming and Randal Ulmer, horn; Tom Roach, percussion.
As musicians, Russian culture and history is close to our hearts, and forms a deeply loved part of our repertoire. While we stand unambiguously with Ukraine in this conflict, as with all countries struggling under oppression or occupation, after much thought, we have agreed to proceed with our Tchaikovsky programme as planned. All signs indicate this is Putin’s war, not Russia’s. We respect the Russian citizens, foreign artists, and politicians speaking out bravely and passionately in opposition.
Tchaikovsky himself suffered hugely, as a gay man in a conservative milieu. He died long before Russia formed the Soviet Union, let alone before the Soviet Union collapsed – the alleged precursor to this current war. His music serves to remind us of the beauty and depth of centuries of Russian culture, that has been hijacked and violated by successive regimes in the 20th and, now, 21st centuries. We think that’s the most interesting and poignant story we can present to our audience in the shadow of war.
Learn some fun and interesting facts about the composers featured in this concert, as well as the music that will be on the program.