Missoula Symphony Orchestra conductor Darko Butorac says that he always begins with a simple principle in mind whenever he sits down to program a concert for the orchestra: diversity.
“I really like contrasts,” says Butorac. “I don’t ever like to serve the same type of food for my guests at dinner.”
But, in the case of this weekend’s season-ending pair of concerts, Butorac says that the “music-geek” in him couldn’t help but be attracted to subtle parallels between the two main courses on the menu, Richard Strauss’ “Rosenkavalier Suite” and Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.” [Read More...]
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The history of opera is, in a sense, a history of the western world. It’s all there, from the epic tragedies of kings and pharaohs, to the everyday trials of lovelorn peasants and stricken beauties.
The history of opera is also, in large part, a history of the golden years of Italy, home to a disproportionate number of the world’s great composers of stage-music. The Italian-opera trinity of Rossini, Verdi, and Puccini alone wrote six of the 10 operas performed most often in America between 1981-2001, according to research from Opera America.
So, in the same week that Italy celebrates the 150th anniversary of national unification, the Missoula Symphony and Chorale will take a musical trip back in time and across an ocean to explore the history of the world as a whole through a concert of great Italian operatic choruses. [Read More...]
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For many classical music initiates, the music of the Romantic era is synonymous with the music of Russia. Grab any “Classical Greatest Hits” album, and music written by Pyotr Tchaikowsky is bound to be listed on the back cover. No “Piano Spectacular” album was ever made that didn’t include at least a snippet of music by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Together with other countrymen of the late 19th and early 20th century – notably Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, and Stravinsky – these composers set the worldwide standard in an era known for fiery, heart-on-the-sleeve music.
This weekend, local audiences will be treated to two of the cornerstone works of the Russian Romantic repertoire, when the Missoula Symphony Orchestra performs Tchaikowsky’s Sixth Symphony and Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto. [Read More...]
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One paints a battle of men that dragged on for thirty years; another depicts a battle within the body of a man. One reflects the troubled times in a country caught between Axis and Allies; another paints a nocturnal portrait of a military watch retiring from duty.
And all are a battle to bow for the String Orchestra of the Rockies, which presents a diverse and difficult program of battle-themed music at a concert this Sunday, Feb. 13. [Read More...]
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