The Adelphi Orchestra to Perform Ravel in AT THE BALLET

 

On Sunday April 2nd, the Adelphi Orchestra will share the stage with the Roxey Ballet company and the Studio 691 Dance Company in "At the Ballet" an afternoon program of classical music and dance, where dancers and musicians alike pay homage to classical music's finest works created for the dance.

The concert program will feature the Adelphi Orchestra in performance of Maurice Ravel's lush and haunting orchestral masterwork "Le Tombeau de Couperin" and the excerpts from the Roxey Ballet's upcoming production of Cinderella, which will take place on May 6 and 7 at Kendall Hall in Ewing, NJ.

Originally composed in 1914 for solo piano in the manner of a Baroque suite, the music incorporates famous dance forms: the Forlane (or Forlana from Italy), Rigaudon (from Provence) and the Menuet (adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, "diminutive", referring to dances with very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular group dances called branle à mener or amener).

Ravel's 1918 orchestral version scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, harp and strings is one of classical music's most celebrated works written for oboe. One of the orchestra's favorite works "Le Tombeau de Couperin" particularly showcases the virtuosity of the Adelphi Orchestra's principal oboist, Mark Sophia.

While written in tribute to Francois Couperin, one France's foremost musicians from the Baroque era and a master harpsichordist renown for his dance compositions, Ravel's orchestral version of "Le Tombeau de Couperin" enlarged its vision, reflecting WWI's evolving impact upon both Ravel and the world. Musicologist Gerard McBurney points out, "this music is an elegy for French culture, which was being deeply threatened and might well have been destroyed by a world war which was turning the north of France into a blood bath ... [Le tombeau] doesn't talk directly about the war at all; it talks about eternal values: beauty, elegance, the things that we want to preserve."

The collaborative performance of "At the Ballet" reflects the Adelphi Orchestra's second concert collaboration with a focus on dance within the space of a week, preceded by the orchestra's March 26th concert "Mystical Songs and Dances of Scheherazade" undertaken with the New York chamber Dance Company Ballet Neo. The Adelphi Orchestra's previous concert collaboration with Ballet Neo (resulting in the presentation of newly commissioned choreography) was also centered on a work by Maurice Ravel, his famous "Mother Goose Suite." In Ravel the Adelphi Orchestra sees a composer with a talent and disposition toward dance comparable to that of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; and whose music , like Tchaikovsky's changed the direction of dance and choreography in their respective eras.

The Adelphi Orchestra is a professional, non-profit orchestra presenting classical concerts celebrating symphonic, chamber, operatic and dance composers throughout New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. For over a decade the Adelphi Orchestra has proudly sponsored an annual Young Artist Program and Young Artist Concert Series. The Adelphi Orchestra's concerts feature accomplished national and international guest soloists and distinguished conductors.

Nominated by its peers for the 2016 Jersey Arts People's Choice Award in the Favorite Orchestra/Symphony Division, the Adelphi Orchestra is a member of the League of Orchestras. It is northern New Jersey's longest continuously performing orchestra and a member of the New Jersey cultural community for 63 years. The mission of the Adelphi Orchestra is to serve the musical and educational needs of the citizens of New Jersey, with special emphasis given to families with young children, seniors and those with limited financial means. To further this end, numerous concerts are offered free of admission charges. The Adelphi Orchestra strives to advance the orchestral arts through education, commissions, community partnerships and its robust young artist programing. Within the orchestra, the company fosters a challenging and enjoyable environment where artistic excellence can flourish. Richard Owen serves as the Principal Conductor and Jason Tramm is the Artistic Advisor of the orchestra.

Funding for the Adelphi Orchestra has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, through grant funds administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs. To learn more about the orchestra and its programs visit www.adelphiorchestra.org.

IF YOU GO:

"At the Ballet"

Featuring Adelphi Orchestra, Roxey Ballet Company and Studio 691 Dance Company

Sun, Apr 2, 2017, 3:00 PM

At Wyckoff Family YMCA, 691 Wyckoff Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481

Tickets $15 Adult, $12 child

To purchase, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/at-the-ballet-tickets-32409782532.

 

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