Violinist Stefan Jackiw
If you have time before your late night Halloween activities on Saturday night, you really owe it to yourself to head down to the Oregon Symphony’s Classical series concert on Saturday night (repeating Sunday afternoon only). Why? Well, I’ll tell you why.
First of all, you’ll get to hear our phenomenal woodwind section (and awesome principal trumpeter) in Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin. I love this piece to death (appropriate for Halloween and the piece’s subject matter, but pardon the pun) and it is worth the price of admission to hear our principal oboist Martin Hebert play the devilishly difficult opening oboe solo with such refinement and grace (and no rushing!!). It’s been a long time since we’ve performed this piece on a Classical series concert, so chances are you haven’t heard it for some time – so come on down!
Next, the young violinist Stefan Jackiw is playing the D major Mozart Violin Concerto. This guy is something else – he’s got a beautiful, transparent sound and just the right sensibility for playing Mozart – and he collaborates like a chamber musician. You will not have heard a Mozart violin concerto performed like this with the Oregon Symphony, well, EVER!
Finally, there is Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Yes, I know – there are some who will say WARHORSE! Well, why don’t they say that when the opera trots out Tosca or Madama Butterfly for the sixth consecutive season? Truth is, once you get past the opening bars, this still is an incredible symphonic statement, with some of the tightest logical construction to be found in any composition anywhere. Plus, we have maestro Claus Peter Flor leading a very individual and remarkable interpretation that will surprise you in many pleasant ways.
Interested? Hope to see you there this weekend…