Everyone knows what Carnival is, even if they’ve never experienced it directly. It’s been featured in movies (“Casanova,” anyone?), operas and of course, the symphony. Likewise, everyone has heard Stravinsky’s music, by the simple expedient of watching Saturday morning cartoons. Mozart is a given. Ninety percent of all classical music played on the radio today is Mozart, so the chances of anyone having not heard a piece by the man are extremely slim.
The same cannot be said for the music of Carl Nielsen, but we all have to start somewhere.
To make things slightly easier, the Utah Symphony is double-billing works by Berlioz, Stravinsky, Mozart and Nielsen with two guest performers. Hugh Wolff will guest conduct the symphony, and guest pianist Peter Serkin will perform Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments and Mozart’s Concert-rondo for Piano in D Major. The evening’s program also includes Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and Nielsen’s “4th Symphony”.
Hugh Wolff is one of the world’s most prominent conductors. He graduated from Harvard and went on to study conducting and composition with Charles Bruck and Olivier Messiaen in Paris. His professional conducting career officially began with the position of associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington in 1979, continued with Wolff being appointed principal
conductor and music director at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and eventually led him to the position of principal conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1997, a position he held until 2006.
Wolff has appeared with all of the major American symphonies, as well as conducted ensembles in Canada, Australia, Japan and Europe. And if you think conducting an orchestra means standing around waving a stick, think again. Any student at the School of Music will tell you that it’s one of the hardest musical jobs out there (you try keeping a 100-odd instrument ensemble together and see how easy that is).
Peter Serkin, likewise, is perceived to be an artist of genuine passion and integrity8212;music is in his blood. His grandfather was a composer and violinist and his father is the pianist Rudolf Serkin. Serkin entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1958, at the age of 11 and debuted in New York the next year. He has since performed all over America, including at Carnegie Hall, and with eminent orchestras all across Europe. He’s definitely a good one.
The performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Abravenal Hall. Tickets range from $16-$51, but student and group discounts are available. Call 801-533-NOTE, or visit www.utahsymphonyopera.org. Go forth and have fun! It’s going to be great.
