The Gateway Orchestra; Ida Angland, conductor; Xiao Wang, violin.
Program
Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Symphony No. 8 (1812)
Sibelius (1865 - 1957) Violin Concerto (1904)
About the Performers
The Gateway Orchestra is a professional orchestra of 80 plus musicians, including the former members of the New York Philharmonic. The orchestra is a member of the League of American Orchestras.
Conductor Ms. Angland has been described in reviews as "thrilling," "compelling" (Greenwich Time), "a revelation," "unforgettable," and "amazing" (The Italian Voice). Prior her involvement with the Gateway Orchestra, Ms. Angland assistant conducted with the New York Grand Opera for seven years for numerous operas and concerts in Central Park and Carnegie Hall.
Violinist Xiao Wang has performed with orchestras like the National Orchestra of Belgium, Kodaly Philharmonic Orchestra in Hungary, Gewandhaus Academisches Orchester in Leipzig, Germany, the Texas Music Festival Orchestra and others. He was quoted by the New York Times as “… wonderfully clean in Sibelius, and he made the most of its expressive opportunities.” He was the first prize winner of the Szigeti International Violin Competition and laureate of the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Competition.
About the Program
Beethoven’s 8th Symphony provides a welcomed antithesis to the raw emotion of the concerto as it depicts joy at its most fervent. The composer fondly referred to it as "my little Symphony in F," distinguishing it from his Sixth Symphony, a longer work also in F.
Sibelius' Violin Concerto was written in 1904 and revised in 1905. It was premiered with Richard Strauss conducting the Berlin Court Orchestra and "wunderkind" Ferenc von Vecsey as soloist who was only 13 at a time, although he could not adequately cope with the extraordinary technical demands of the work.
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