Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHO: Austin Symphony Orchestra Shostakovich Centennial Celebration
WHEN: September 22 & 24, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Bass Concert Hall
TICKETS: $19-$42
CONTACT: Don Hill, Director of Public Relations - 476-6064 x 213

SYMPHONY CELEBRATES WITH EVENING OF SHOSTAKOVICH

Season Sponsor: JPMorganChase
Concert Sponsors: ConocoPhillips & Capital One
Media Sponsors: Time Warner Cable/News 8 Austin, Austin American-Statesman and KVET 98.1 FM

Austin audiences are invited to a special celebration of the works of Dmitri Shostakovich when the Austin Symphony throws a centennial birthday party for the composer on September 22 & 24 when Maestro Peter Bay and the ASO present a Shostakovich Centennial Celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dmitri Shostakovich. Pianist Melissa Marse and Russian bass Nikita Storojev join the ASO for a night featuring works by the 20th century composer. ConocoPhillips and Capital One proudly sponsor this concert.

PROGRAM
Shostakovich - Excerpts from the film score to The Gadfly
Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2 in F, Op. 102
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13, Op. 113 "Babi Yar"

Maestro Bay opens the evening with Shostakovich’s music from the film The Gadfly. Produced in 1955, The Gadfly is based on an English novel of the same title by Ethel Lilian Voynich published in 1897. The Gadfly was one of 37 films scored by the composer through the course of his life, from 1928 to 1970.

To conclude the first half of the evening, pianist Melissa Marse takes center stage for a performance of the Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto in F Major. Currently an Artist in Residence at The Kinkaid School and Piano Professor at Houston Baptist University, Ms. Marse’s solo and chamber music performances are met to critical acclaim throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.

After a brief intermission, Maestro Bay and the Austin Symphony welcome Russian bass Nikita Storojev, accompanied by the gentlemen of Chorus Austin for Shostakovich’s “Babi Yar” Symphony No. 13. A Tchaikovsky Competition winner and former principal soloist for the Bolshoi Theater and Moscow Philharmonic Society, Mr. Storojev has performed in the world’s major opera houses, concert halls and music festivals. His vast repertoire consists of over 50 operatic roles and more than 300 classical songs. Shostakovich’s “Babi Yar” Symphony began with the setting by Shostakovich of a single poem by the controversial Ukrainian poet Yevtushenko. The poem Babi Yar attacks anti-Semitism, which had recurred in a particularly open form during the last period of Stalin’s rule and which was, in any case, endemic in Russia. By implication the poem attacked the cruel treatment of all minorities or dissidents, of whom Jews might be seen as representative. The symphony was extended at the poet’s suggestion, by the addition of settings of four more poems, one of them specially written for the Symphony.

Concertgoers can enjoy "Concert Conversations" with Bob Buckalew at 7:10 pm in the hall. These free discussions provide an in-depth look at the composers and works being performed, including commentary on the social climate in which they were composed.

Performances for the ASO's Shostakovich Centennial Celebration are September 1 & 3, 8:00 p.m. at Bass Concert Hall. Tickets range from $19 to $42. Student rush tickets are also available 20 minutes prior to performance for $5 cash and current student ID. Charge tickets online at www.austinsymphony.org where you will find interactive seating maps, price options and a wealth of concert information. Tickets are also available at the Austin Symphony Box Office, 11th & Red River or call 476-6064 or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).