Summer Concert: Brahms - Sibelius - Janáček

Symphony Parnassus’s Summer concert presents three works:

Brahms: Tragic Overture

Brahms wrote his Tragic Overture in 1880 as a counterbalance to the light-hearted Academic Festival Overture, his musical thank you card to the University of Breslau for awarding him an honorary doctorate. This overture does not preface an opera, or even tell a story, but it masterfully conveys moods and emotions worthy of Shakespearian tragedy.

Sibelius: Violin Concerto, with Alina Ming Kobialka

Sibelius’s Violin Concerto - his only concerto - was premiered in 1904. But it was a disaster: the virtuoso to whom it was dedicated was unavailable, so it was entrusted to a lesser performer who had not enough time to prepare it. Recovering from this, Sibelius revised the piece extensively ino the version we know today, with a slightly less demanding solo part, and it was premiered successfully in 1905 in Berlin with Richard Strauss conducting. Our performance features the 16-year-old violin prodigy Alina Ming Kobialka, returning to solo with Symphony Parnassus after her debut with us three years ago, when she played Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto.

Leoš Janáček: Sinfonietta

Leoš Janáček wrote his Sinfonietta in 1926 to celebrate his new country, Czechoslovakia, which had gained its independence at the end of World War II from centuries of Hapsburg and Austro-Hungarian rule. Janáček developed the work out of music he wrote for a national gymnastics festival in Prague. Set in five movements, the Sinfonietta’s opening and closing sections are a huge fanfare featuring a 25-member brass section.

We look forward to seeing you at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music June 9th!

Stephen Paulson, Music Director