Seascapes / Britt Orchestra / Benedetto Lupo

Saturday, August 8, 2009 • 8 p.m.

A vacation by the sea without the expense of travel! This evening’s program includes some beautiful music to bring the sounds of the ocean to life in the orchestra. The third of this summer’s maritime-themed Mendelssohn overtures, Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage was inspired by a pair of poems by Goethe. A calm sea was a disaster for a merchant in the days of sailing ships, but here the composer takes the slow pace of the opening music and moves toward a faster, more optimistic tone as the ship sights land at last.
 
Benedetto Lupo has gained worldwide recognition as an extraordinary pianist. After winning the bronze medal in the 1989 Van Cliburn International Competition, he made acclaimed debuts with several major American orchestras, as well as chamber appearances with the Tokyo Quartet. The 2008-09 season brings more milestones to his career: his New York orchestral debut and a subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony. Lupo lives in Milan, Italy where he teaches at the Nino Rota Conservatory. At Britt, Lupo will perform the lush, romantic Fourth Concerto of Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The second half of tonight’s concert features two Impressionist works depicting the sea. Oceanides (French water nymphs) are brought to life by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and then Claude Debussy paints a musical picture of La Mer (The Sea) as masterfully as Claude Monet painted on canvas. The glimmering sounds of this Impressionist tone world is sure to delight on a summer’s evening at Britt. 

Pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. by Don Matthews, Classical Music Director at Jefferson Public Radio.

LISTEN AND WATCH SAMPLES:

Piano Concerto No. 4 (audio)
La Mer (audio)