The Concord Orchestra presents “Resolve”
The orchestra, conducted by Music Director Zeke Fetrow, performs a program of Johannes Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, Samuel Barber’s Music for a Scene from Shelley, Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. A pre-concert talk is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Admission for youth under 18 is free.
The inspiration for the title of the concert, “Resolve” is the story behind Beethoven’s optimistic Symphony No. 2 – how Beethoven resolved to persevere despite his personal struggle with hearing loss.
Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture was composed when he was granted an honorary degree from the University of Breslau in Prussia. It is a wonderfully crafted overture with an element of humor, including melodies from student drinking songs.
The mysterious and dramatic tone poem Music for a Scene from Shelley by Samuel Barber, was first performed in 1935. It was inspired by a short passage from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound.
Debussy’s Petite Suite was originally composed for piano four-hands, and arranged for orchestra by Henri Büsser. The delightful, short character pieces in the suite are entitled En Bateau (Sailing), Cortege (Procession), Menuet, and Ballet.
