North Carolina Symphony Takes 'Carmen Fantasy' to New Bern and Chapel Hill, March 24-25

By: Mar. 08, 2012
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Musical influences from Spanish, French and Russian culture are the focus of North Carolina Symphony performances later this month, when Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks leads 14-year-old violin phenom Sein An and the orchestra in "Carmen Fantasy." 

These concerts begin at New Bern Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, N.C., on Saturday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. Philip Evancho of Craven Community College will present a pre-concert talk on the program on the second floor of the Convention Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

The concerts continue at Memorial Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus on Sunday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m., where Dr. Letita Glozer of UNC-Chapel Hill will present a pre-concert talk at UNC's Gerard Hall beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The program opens with Reinhold Glière's Russian Sailors' Dance, arguably the composer's best-known work and the best-known dance from the 1927 Soviet ballet, The Red Poppy.

Next come selections from Carmen, the quintessential example of musical success resulting from the mixing of European cultures. In fact, "success" is too small a term. French composer Georges Bizet's Spanish masterwork is likely the most frequently performed opera in the world, having reached 3,000 performances in Paris alone within a half-century of its premiere in 1875. 

"If you want to learn how to orchestrate," wrote composer Richard Strauss, himself a master of symphonic sonority, "study Carmen…It is sheer perfection. What wonderful economy, how every note is in its proper place."

The Symphony performs a Suite of six movements from the legendary score, including the popular Toreadors theme, one of the most universally recognized melodies in classical music. 

The concert continues with French composer Emmanuel Chabrier's colorful ode to Spanish culture, fittingly titled España. The work features an enticing and celebrated blend of two folk styles: the fierce jota and sensuous, dreamy malagueña. Composer Constant Lambert labeled this 1883 work "the most perfectly orchestrated composition of the last century," while Spanish master Manuel De Falla marveled at Chabrier's innovations within a Spanish form. 

"No Spaniard has succeeded better than Chabrier in giving us, with such authenticity and genius, the variety of jota shouted by the country folk of Aragon," he said.

Music from Piotr Tchaikovsky's lyrically romantic Swan Lake returns concertgoers to Russia for the composer's timeless portrayal of betrayal and devoted love. While not well-received at its 1877 premiere, either for its choreography or its music, the tragic story of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried has become one of the world's most popular ballets, with annual performances in virtually every corner of the globe.

A highlight of the concert program will be Pablo de Sarasate's tricky and energetic Carmen Fantasy, as played by 14-year-old violinist Sein An. 

The 2009 co-winner in the junior division of the North Carolina Symphony's Youth Concerto Competition and currently a student at Temple University Music Prep, An takes center stage in her second appearance with the North Carolina Symphony. She performs a particularly demanding violin showpiece, written by one of the all-time masters of the instrument. 

Classical Voice North Carolina labeled her "superbly talented" following her previous appearance with the North Carolina Symphony. "Listeners can deservedly expect to hear a great deal more from Sein An."

Finally, audiences will enjoy a stellar concert finale in music from Manuel De Falla's ballet The Three-Cornered Hat. His first work written for the legendary Ballet Russe, the piece completes this concert program's circle, from a French composer mastering Spanish music in Carmen to a Spanish composer finding success in the wake of Carmen's wild popularity.

Tickets to the New Bern Series performance of "Carmen Fantasy" on Saturday, March 24 range from $30 to $42, with $30 tickets for seniors.

Tickets to the Chapel Hill Series performance on Sunday, March 25 range from $33 to $48, with $30 tickets for seniors. 

Students receive $10 tickets at both venues. 

For tickets, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

New Bern Riverfront Convention Center is located at 203 S. Front St. in New Bern. Memorial Hall is located on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, at 208 E. Cameron Ave.

 

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