Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to Present World Premiere of ...OF SHADOW AND LIGHT..., 10/3-4

Music Director Robert Spano will lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of ...of shadow and light... (incantations for orchestra), an ASO commission by Richard Prior, a senior lecturer and the director of orchestral studies at Emory University. The performances will take place October 3 and 4, 2013, at 8:00 p.m., and October 5, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center.

Of the new work, Mr. Prior said:

...of shadow and light... (incantations for orchestra) is a compact symphonic poem, a journey through a range of dramatic musical landscapes. Core motifs are continually transformed throughout the work in much the same way that characters evolve or are put into contrasting situations in a play or film. There is a broad range of expression in the emotional spectrum in this work: a darker brooding lyricism yields to a yearning melodic oasis; energetic, exciting - even violent - gestures lead to ecstatic affirmations and resolutions. What might be considered Neo-Romantic characteristics are infused with a personalized palette of musical elements that have resonance with my particular outlook on the world as a composer.

With regard to composing ...of shadow and light... for the ASO, Mr. Prior continued:

It adds an extraordinarily powerful dimension to the creative process when you are writing music for an orchestra that you really know; an intensity and fervor that further feeds the fires of the imagination. This extends to the imagining of the work under the musical shaping and leadership of Maestro Robert Spano.

Mr. Spano will also lead the Orchestra in the Atlanta Symphony premiere of American Symphony by Atlanta School of Composers member Adam Schoenberg. Mr. Schoenberg is the newest member of the Atlanta School of Composers - a continuing commitment by Mr. Spano and the Orchestra to nurture, commission, and record contemporary music through multi-year partnerships with a new generation of American composers. Previous Atlanta Symphony performances of Mr. Schoenberg's works include Finding Rothko (October 1-3, 2009), Up! (September 30, October 1-2, 2010), and La Luna Azul (March 1, 2, and 4, 2012).

The program will also include Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 with longtime friend of the Orchestra Garrick Ohlsson. Mr. Ohlsson is a frequent guest artist with the Atlanta Symphony and his recording of Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 with the ASO was released on the Orchestra's ASO Media label in 2011. To date, Mr. Ohlsson has appeared with the Orchestra more than 20 times.

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