The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra (FSO) opens its 66th season with the music of Beethoven and Brahms and guest artist Rachel Barton Pine. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 25, at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium on the Northern Arizona University campus.
The Orchestra will feature acclaimed violin virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine in a performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto. Barton Pine plays this monumental work on the instrument personally selected by Brahms for violinist Marie Soldat in 1897, the “ex-Soldat” made in 1742 by Joseph Guarneri “del Gesu.” “I love the fact that Brahms heard “my” violin in the hands of his protégée, Marie Soldat” says Barton Pine. “It’s amazing to know something of an instrument’s history and realize that you’re the next chapter in its life.
Barton Pine’s performance with the Flagstaff Symphony marks her return to northern Arizona in 2015. In February she performed a solo recital at Ashurst Hall on the Horizons Concert Series. “Rachel wowed the audience at her sold-out recital earlier this year” said Christopher Barton, FSO Executive Director. “It’s very exciting for us to be able to invite her back to Flagstaff to open our concert season.”
The September 25th concert also features Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, a work that has been met with widespread critical acclaim for more than 200 years and that the composer himself considered one of his best. It was premiered in 1813 at a charity concert for Austro-Bavarian soldiers wounded in battle with Napoleon’s army. The familiar 2nd movement has been used in numerous films, including The King’s Speech (2010) and Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995).
For tickets, go to flagstaffsymphony.org , or call 928.523.5661. Single tickets start at $20 and discounts are available for children, students, seniors, educators, and military servicemembers.
Season subscriptions are still available for concert packages in the 2015-2016 season and offer savings of up to 20% off of single ticket prices. Subscriptions are available through the NAU Central Ticket Office at 928.523.5661.
About FSO
Now in its 66th season, the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra is the largest and most active nonprofit performing arts organization in northern Arizona. What began in 1950 as a small community ensemble has developed into a regional orchestra of 65 musicians that reaches an audience of more than 14,000 each year.Artistic Director and Conductor Elizabeth Schulze, now in her eighth season, leads performances with superb musical sense and attention to excellence. The FSO mission is to enrich, engage, and inspire our community through the performance of orchestral music.
RACHEL BARTON PINE PLAYS BRAHMS