Music Director Thierry Fischer Leads Utah Symphony in 'Alexander Nevsky', 11/18-19

Music Director Thierry Fischer leads the Utah Symphony and Utah Symphony Chorus prepared by Dr. Barlow Bradford in Prokofiev's remarkable cantata, "Alexander Nevsky" with the help of Russian mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova and the University of Utah Choirs on November 18 and 19 at 7:30 PM at Abravanel Hall. The all-Prokofiev program will also feature the composer's Symphonic Suite from the film, "Lieutenant Kijé" - both the cantata and suite will be recorded live for later release. Also on the program, Utah Symphony Concertmaster Madeline Adkins will make her Utah Symphony concerto debut in a performance of Prokofiev's Concerto No. 2 for Violin. Tickets start at $21 and can be purchased at www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

The Utah Symphony's live recording of the all-Prokofiev album will be the fourth live album released by Maestro Fischer and Utah Symphony: Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan" was released in September 2015, and a recording of world premiere commissions by three American composers entitled "Dawn to Dust," was released in April 2016, coinciding with the Utah Symphony's first performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City in more than 40 years. Both recordings were released as part of the Orchestra's 75th anniversary celebrations. As part of the O.C Tanner Gift of Music concert series, Mahler's Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" was recorded with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Madeleine Choir School on February 19 and 20, 2016 inside the Salt Lake Tabernacle and will be released on Reference Recordings in 2017.

In the early 20th century, as an emerging young composer and music intellectual, Russian musician Sergei Prokofiev penetrated the cultural barriers of the new Soviet government in his homeland to become a cosmopolitan traveler and distinctly dynamic composer. In the forefront of modern music, he turned to great masters of Classical form, including Franz Joseph Haydn, for inspiration. From the deftly crafted, funny and melancholic emotional layers of his film score for "Lieutenant Kijé," to the stark contrast of his dramatic film score for "Alexander Nevsky," which he later arranged into the cantata, his music never ceases to surprise audiences.

Shortly after completing "Lieutenant Kijé," Prokofiev composed his Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra, which represented a much different style-more international and more starkly modern. However, the concerto is traditional in its construction and opens with an appealing melody based on Russian folk tunes. This charming theme dominates the second movement, a graceful andante. The third movement, an allegro, is evocative of Spain. The concerto won immediate acclaim at its premiere in Madrid in 1935.

Madeline Adkins performs Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in her debut solo performance as Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony under Maestro Thierry Fischer. Before joining the Utah Symphony in September of this year, she held the position of Associate Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra by Maestro Yuri Temirkanov, a position she was awarded in 2005, after joining the orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in 2000. She has also been Concertmaster of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra since 2008. Ms. Adkins received her bachelor's degree summa cum laude from the University of North Texas and her master's degree from the New England Conservatory. While a student, she served as Concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa and won first prize in a number of competitions, including the Stulberg International String Competition, and the New England Conservatory Concerto Competition. She was also a second prize winner in the Irving Klein International String Competition.

Russian mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova joins the Utah Symphony as a guest artist to capture the drama and emotion of the historical epic "Alexander Nevsky." Ms. Kolosova has appeared to great acclaim at many of the most prestigious opera houses throughout the world, including the Opéra National de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, Salzburg Festival, Wiener Staatsoper, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and has performed at concert venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and Carnegie Hall in New York.

Utah Symphony Chorus Director Dr. Barlow Bradford has distinguished himself as a conductor, composer, arranger, pianist, organist, and teacher. Dr. Bradford's focused, energetic conducting style led to his appointment as Music Director of the Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City and Associate Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Prior to that, he was Director of Orchestras at the University of Utah. His compositions and arrangements have garnered much attention for their innovation and dramatic scope, from delicate, transparent intimacy to epic grandeur. Arrangements by Bradford have been performed and recorded by the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, New York Choral Artists, Seattle Pacific University, Baylor University, Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Orchestra at Temple Square, Newfoundland Festival 500, and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, among others. He also continues as Music Director of Utah Chamber Artists.

RELATED EVENT
A pre-concert lecture, free to all ticket holders, will take place at all Masterworks Series performances in Abravanel Hall's First Tier room 45 minutes prior to the performance.

PROGRAM
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Utah Symphony Presents
The Music of Prokofiev

November 18 & 19, 2016 | 7:30 PM
Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Thierry Fischer, Conductor
Barlow Bradford, Choral Conductor
Madeline Adkins, violin
Alisa Kolosova, mezzo-soprano
Utah Symphony Chorus
University of Utah A Cappella Choir
University of Utah Chamber Choir

PROKOFIEV Suite from Lieutenant Kijé,
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
PROKOFIEV Alexander Nevsky, Cantata

SPONSORS
Conductor Sponsor: Questar

Tickets, priced from $21-$79, are available for purchase through www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

About the Utah Symphony
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 performed 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 last fall. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 residents in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving nearly 137,000 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.