| | Published September 11th, 2024
| Lafayette's Pacific Chamber Orchestra welcomes world-class pianist
| | | By Emma Wong |  | | The Pacific Chamber Orchestra, with Music Director Maestro Lawrence Kohl at center. Photo courtesy Lawrence Kohl |
On Saturday, Sept. 14, in the gorgeous Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, will be the musical collaboration of a lifetime: world-renowned French pianist Denis Pascal and the Pacific Chamber Orchestra (PCO).
This organization is led by founder and Music Director Maestro Lawrence Kohl, who previously served as President of the Lamorinda Arts Council (LAC). Sue Farmer, current president of the LAC, is also a PCO board member.
"My friends and I started PCO back in 1989 in San Leandro. We are dedicated to sustaining classical music's rich heritage and bringing the community together," Kohl said.
In addition to performing, the PCO also brings its "Discover Music" program to elementary schools, introducing classical music to the next generation. For middle and high-school orchestras and bands, the PCO frequently provides instructional clinics.
Defined as "one of the finest French artists of his generation," piano virtuoso Denis Pascal has performed everywhere from his native Parisian venues to international festivals.
Educated at the prestigious Paris Conservatory, Pascal traveled overseas after his college experience to study at Indiana University in Bloomington. He has since toured the world and formed a musical group, the Trio Pascal, with his two sons. His repertoire runs the gamut of musical periods and composers, from Romantic-era icons like Franz Liszt to Impressionist figures including Erik Satie.
Now, Pascal will be traveling to Lafayette - for the second time. 12 years ago, Pascal and the PCO held a prior performance. "I met Denis through his wife Marie-Paule Milone, who is an incredible singer and cellist," Kohl said. "The entire family are all superstar musicians."
Pascal will perform Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, a near-20 minute Impressionist score composed in 1931. The piece kicks off with an unusual instrument, the whip - its crack begins a quick allegramente movement. The concerto features numerous instruments, from oboe to piccolo to percussion. Composed as Ravel's final "farewell" score, the piece is a flowing three-piece movement and is influenced by jazz. Ravel was inspired by American music after spending a summer in the U.S. in 1928.
Directly following Pascal's performance will be the PCO's rendition of Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in F Major. Brahms, a German composer, published Symphony No. 3 in 1883, a half-century earlier than Ravel's Concerto. The composition involves a full range of instruments, including strings, winds, brass, and timpani for a sum of 43 musicians. A secret message hides in the first three notes of the piece - F-A-F - which many say translates to Brahms' personal saying, frei aber froh, which is German for "free but happy."
Kohl anticipates a powerful, genre-blending performance. "What is most exciting to me is to pair these magical works together," Kohl said. "It will be eye-opening to explore the dazzling colors of the Ravel with Denis and unearth the internal emotive, motivic, and rhythmic glue that unifies the breathtaking Brahms' Third Symphony."
The performance is being supported by the Lafayette Community Foundation and individual donors. Next on the PCO's calendar will be the "Dream American" concert in Livermore on Oct. 27 and a performance of Handel's Messiah in Lafayette on Nov. 31.
Kohl hopes for the performance to uplift the human spirit. "There is nothing like the binding communal experience of an orchestra concert," Kohl said. "The experience in the concert hall is a sacred testament to the best of what it is to be human."
The LAC's president and PCO board member, Sue Farmer, encourages young musicians to attend. "The arts are such an important part of our culture, but they need our support," Farmer said. "Producing a live concert with a full orchestra is expensive, but it is a thrilling experience for the audience. More people should be able to enjoy live concerts, especially the youth."
"When one supports the musical arts, they give not only to the organization but to everyone whose lives are touched by those who attend the concert," Kohl said. "The world is made a bit better with each live performance."
Doors open at 7 p.m, with the two-hour concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $55-75. Student tickets are only $25. For tickets and information, visit www.pacificchamberorchestra.org/tickets/. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA