Utah Symphony to Perform Premiere of Nico Muhly's 'CONTROL' at 'Ode to Joy' Concert, 12/4-5

Maestro Thierry Fischer leads the Utah Symphony and the Utah Symphony Chorus during the "Ode to Joy" concert on December 4-5 at 7:30 PM at Abravanel Hall. Utah Symphony will also perform the world premiere of American composer Nico Muhly's commission, "Control (Five Landscapes for Orchestra)," and live record the performances for later commercial release in Spring 2016. Tickets, priced from $18 to $85, are available for purchase through www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 355-2787.

Nico Muhly's "Control (Five Landscapes for Orchestra)" will be performed during the first half of the concert. The orchestral work was commissioned by Utah Symphony and will be recorded live during both performances for later release with two other commissions by American composers Augusta Read Thomas and Andrew Norman. Progressive thinking and supporting the creation of new orchestral works are among Music Director Thierry Fisher's strategies to make Utah Symphony's milestone 75th Anniversary Season memorable and impactful.

Maestro Fischer said, "Our commissions and recordings symbolize forward momentum as a modern, creative organization that is focused on innovative and artistic energy. Our performance at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2016, the release of our world premiere recordings, and the fact that we attract some of today's most renowned soloists and guest conductors demonstrates the growth that we have been able to achieve artistically, and will continue to do as we move forward."

Utah's natural environment and the ways in which humans interact with it served as the inspiration for "Control." The piece is composed of five episodes, each describing a different aspect or element of Utah's outdoor wonders. Visual artist Joshua Higgason will present interactive digital media as part of the commissioned performance, adding additional layers of creativity and life to the piece. Mr. Higgason is a video, scenic, and interactive media designer, known for creating unique live experiences for concerts, opera, theater, and other events. Mr. Muhly and Mr. Higgason joined Utah Symphony's Mighty 5 Tour of southern Utah during August 2014 to gather inspiration for the commission. The five parts of "Control" consist of Landform, Mountain, Beehive, Petroglyph & Tobacco, and Red Dust. Using components of texture from strings, strategic chord progressions, a Ute song, cello solo, morse-code-like rhythms, and more, Mr. Muhly has composed a multifaceted story about Utah's identity and scenery.

"I tried to reference, however obliquely, the music of Olivier Messiaen, whose visionary 1972 work 'Des Canyons aux Étoiles' deals with Utah's landscape and the spiritual possibilities found therein," explained Mr. Muhly. "I've spent a good deal of time in the St. George area in southern Utah, and one of the most striking elements of the landscape is the outrageous red color everywhere: it's visually inescapable. More notable, though, was the way the red dust permeated my hair, my clothes, my shoes, and the carpet in my motel. I flew to London the day after a long hike, and when I took off my socks, a confetti of red dust landed on the ground: the Utah landscape had followed me halfway around the world. We can control the landscape, but it has a way of reminding us of its permanence."

The performances of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 conclude Utah Symphony's two-week, four-concert Beethoven Festival comprising the composer's first eight symphonies played during the launch of the 2015-16 season. "Choral," completed in 1824, is Beethoven's final masterpiece, celebrating humanity and brotherhood. The "Choral" Symphony is the first example of a major composer using full choral forces in a symphonic work. It was longer and more complex than any symphony to date (it is 75 minutes long), and it required a larger orchestra. His setting of Friedrich Schiller's 1785 poem "Ode to Joy" in the dramatic choral finale never fails to move audiences, making it one of the most played symphonies in the world.

Joining the Utah Symphony will be the Utah Symphony Chorus, Utah Symphony's first fully-professional ensemble of 40 elite singers under the direction of Chorus Director Dr. Barlow Bradford. In an official partnership with the University of Utah School of Music's Choral Area, 80 university singers will join the Utah Symphony Chorus on stage throughout the 2015-16 season for exciting works such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and previously Orff's "Carmina Burana" on October 23 and 24.

Four guest soloists, Celena Shafer, Sarah Coit, Eric Barry, and Michael Dean, lend their exuberant voices for the "Ode to Joy" concert. Ms. Shafer is a highly-praised Utah soprano with an extensive history with Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, being the Artist-in-Residence during the 2014-15 season. Mezzo-Soprano Ms. Coit recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a Masters in Music. Before joining Utah Opera as a Resident Artist, she was a Young Artist with the St. Petersburg Opera Company. Mr. Barry is a Spanish-American tenor with a Masters of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the School of Music at Yale University, and has performed with a variety of opera companies, including Amarillo Opera and the Florentine Opera Company. During the 2015-16 season baritone Mr. Dean will be performing in Messiah with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and has previously worked with New York City Opera.

RELATED EVENTS:

From now until December 2, 2015 the Utah Symphony in partnership with Chocolate Conspiracy is holding a "Golden Ticket" contest. Five winning tickets hidden inside random bars of Chocolate Conspiracy sold at participating retailers around Salt Lake City will unlock the ultimate VIP experiences: dinner at Squatter's and a pair of symphony tickets to "Beethoven's Ode to Joy" are among prizes. For contest details, visit www.utahsymphony.org/contest.

On Sunday, November 29 at 3 pm, NOVA Chamber Music Series will present the Utah premieres of three Nico Muhly compositions along with Mozart works featuring Utah Symphony Principal Flutist Mercedes Smith and harpist Matthew Tutsky on this "Flute, Harp and Drones" concert at the University of Utah's Libby Gardner Hall (1375 E. Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City). Ticket holders are invited to join an onstage discussion with Nico Muhly at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit www.novaslc.org/products/flute-harp-and-drones-november-29-2016.

Utah Symphony Vice President of Artistic Planning Toby Tolokan offers a preconcert lecture prior to each performance starting at 6:45 PM in the First Tier Room at Abravanel Hall. Lectures are free to all ticket holders.

PROGRAM:

The Utah Symphony presents
Beethoven's "Ode to Joy"

December 4-5, 2015 | 7:30 PM
Abravanel Hall, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Celena Shafer, Soprano
Sarah Coit, Mezzo-soprano
Eric Barry, Tenor
Michael Dean, Baritone
Joshua Higgason, Video Design
University of Utah Chamber Choir
University of Utah A Cappella Choir
Utah Symphony Chorus
Utah Symphony Orchestra

Nico Muhly Control (Five Landscapes for Orchestra) (Utah Symphony Commission / World Premiere)

INTERMISSION

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 "Choral"

Tickets, priced from $18 to $85, are available for purchase through www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 355-2787. Tickets increase $2 on the day of the performance.

Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony performs more than 175 concerts each season and offers all Utahns easy access to world class live musical performances of the world's greatest music in the state's top venues. Since being named the orchestra's seventh music director in 2009, Thierry Fischer has attracted leading musicians and top soloists, refreshed programming, drawn increased audiences, and galvanized community support. In addition to numerous regional and domestic tours, including the Mighty 5 Tour of Utah's National Parks, the Utah Symphony has embarked on seven international tours and will perform at Carnegie Hall in Spring 2016 coinciding with the orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. The Utah Symphony has released more than 100 recordings, including the new release of Mahler Symphony No. 1 in Fall 2015. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 155,000 students annually. In addition to performances in its home in Salt Lake City, Abravanel Hall, and concerts throughout the state of Utah, the Utah Symphony participates in Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and presents the six-week Deer Valley Music Festival each summer in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education, and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.