This Saturday March 31st is the Downey Symphony concert, “To Russia and Back.” 8PM at the Downey Civic Theatre.
Here is an expert from a Press Telegram article previewing the show:
“This concert program began because I have long wanted to work with Kevin Fitz-Gerald,” [conductor] Sharon Lavery said in a post-rehearsal phone conversation earlier this week. (Fitz-Gerald is, like Lavery, a faculty member at USC.)
“We had talked about working together for years and decided that this was the season we were going to make it happen. Kevin wanted to do the Liszt and I was thrilled,” she said. “I had to design the program around that work, which is about 20 minutes long. There aren’t too many pieces that can follow Liszt’s First Piano Concerto, but the `Capriccio Italien’ of Tchaikovsky is definitely one of them. It showcases the orchestra beautifully, and the fact that it is 18 minutes long makes it a perfect pairing to complete the second half. Then I decided to bookend the program with another Russian composer. Being a clarinet player I have always loved the Shostakovich Ninth and decided that this would be a great fit for the first half of the concert. The `Galop’ is a perfect opener to the program – it’s bombastic and fun.”
Click here to read the article.
Tickets are available at the Downey Civic Theatre website.
