 | | | Trio Foss Photos provided | | | | | | Pacific Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Conductor Lawrence Kohl, performs Beethoven's Eroica Symphony No. 3, Coriolanus Overture and the "Triple" Concerto with Trio Foss as soloists May 18-19.
"The pathways Beethoven creates from the third Symphony onward allow us to re-experience our own Hero's journey," Kohl says. "As a humanist, he believed the Hero redeems humanity through the arts, including music. Although deaf by 1820, he fervently composed on climaxing with his towering Ninth Symphony, surely a Hero's journey. With Eroica, Beethoven both upset and energized the musical world by the range of emotion this symphony expresses. His special genius unites a wide range of emotions with perfectly constructed music. Inspired by the Roman General Coriolanus, Beethoven created a musical canvas baring the emotions of the Hero's Journey in his Coriolan Overture."
Beethoven's "Triple" Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano features Trio Foss - a fusion of virtuosity, personalities, backgrounds, and nationalities, drawing the audiences into deeply personal interpretations to the gems of the literature for violin, cello and piano and new works of our time. SF Classical Voice describes the trio as"[a]n extraordinary musical combo, and it's difficult to imagine hearing a better live performance."
The members are: Nina Flyer, Pacific Chamber Orchestra's principal cellist, who has toured, recorded and taught throughout Europe, Scandinavia and America. She records frequently for the TV and Motion Picture Industry. She is a Grammy nominee, a worldwide proponent of contemporary music and was cello and chamber music professor at the University of the Pacific, Conservatory of Music, for 20 years, assistant concertmaster of the Pacific Chamber Orchestra; Icelandic violinist Hrabba Atladottir performed regularly with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Deutsche Oper and did a world tour with the Icelandic pop artist Bjîrk. In New York she performed with the Metropolitan Opera and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. She is also a lecturer in Violin at UC Berkeley; and Pianist Joseph Irrera, who has concertized across the globe with appearances at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. Internationally he has performed throughout Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, France, and Costa Rica. The acclaimed Irrera Brothers Piano & Violin Duo has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, and Central America. They have two critically acclaimed recordings and their third album is currently in production.
The members of the Pacific Chamber Orchestra also appear in such prestigious groups as the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestras, touring Broadway shows, and feature films recorded at Skywalker Ranch. They are touring soloists and chamber musicians. Performances for "Beethoven - The Heroic" are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church 24 Knox, Lafayette and at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at Bankhead Theatre, 2400 First Street in Livermore.
Info: Tickets may be purchased online at www.pacificchamberorchestra.org and additionally for the Livermore performance by calling or visiting the Bankhead box office (925) 373-6800 located at 2400 First Street, Livermore or www.bankheadtheater.org. For information and videos about PCO, go to www.PacificChamberOrchestra.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA