New Jersey Symphony to Perform Prokofiev and Strauss Classics in April 2026
Anton Webern's Im Sommerwind opens the program, inspired by the poem of the same name.
Music Director Xian Zhang, now in her 10th season with New Jersey Symphony, will take the podium for concerts that include Richard Strauss' epic tone poem, Ein Heldenleben, and the debut of young Italian American violinist Francesca Dego performing Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2.
Anton Webern's Im Sommerwind opens the program, inspired by the poem of the same name. It is a perfect musical depiction of summer day in bucolic surroundings, written in the late romantic style just before the composer changed course to less traditional forms.
Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 is known for its melodic opening movement that leads to an exuberant finale, complete with castanets, triangle, and snare drum. Violinist Francesca Dego makes her New Jersey Symphony debut in these concerts and brings “playing that combines tonal purity, verve, and an evident delight in the unexpected” (Gramophone).
Concluding these concerts is Strauss' ambitious Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), an autobiographical journey highlighting the composer's personal struggles and successes. A monumental work performed in one movement, Ein Heldenleben provides multiple solo cadenzas for the concertmaster and concludes in a grand cathartic coda.
Performances take place on Friday, April 10, at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 12, at 2 pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark; and Saturday, April 11, at 7:30 pm at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank.
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Jessica Vosk Mayo Performing Arts Center (9/18-9/18) |
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What the Constitution Means to Me Pioneer Productions Company/Morris Museum (9/19-9/20) |
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The Lost Virginity Tour Barn Theatre (9/18-10/04) |
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Mozart-Mania! - Bay Atlantic Symphony Stockton University Performing Arts Center (11/01-11/01) |
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Mahler's Fifth Symphony New Jersey Performing Arts Center (3/19-3/19) |
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Handel's Messiah Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart (12/20-12/20) |
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Mean Girls, The Musical The Actors Studio of New Jersey (9/11-9/20) |
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Season Finale: Ravel's Boléro with Xian Zhang New Jersey Performing Arts Center (6/13-6/13) |
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An Evening with HUG (Devendra Banhart, Gyan Riley, and Noah Georgeson) ArtYard (10/10-10/10) |
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in Concert State Theatre New Jersey (2/28-2/28) |