LUCO Continuo
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volume three | issue 1 - October 2022
Message from the Maestro
LUCO's first concert of the season is coming up this Saturday, October 29 at First Free Methodist Church. I hope you're as excited as I am! American Beauty features works by some of our country's most important composers of symphonic music.
Leonard Bernstein's gift for rhythm and for setting the English language to music is on full display in his overture to his operetta, Candide. Since its premiere, the overture has become one of the most frequently performed orchestral compositions by a 20th century American composer; in 1987, it was the most often performed piece of concert music by Bernstein.
Known for his operas and vocal works, Samuel Barber applied his gift for lyricism to the violin. Many of the compositional techniques introduced by earlier composers (Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn) are taken to a deeper level in his Violin Concerto. Our guest violinist Brendan Shea (and pianist Yerin Kim) released an album The Sound and the Fury, featuring the works of Janacek, Dvorak, and Greig.
As a film composer, Aaron Copland attempted to capture the Americana spirit in his score for Our Town, the 1940 film adaptation of a play by the same name. Copland explained, "I tried for clean and clear sounds and in general used straight-forward harmonies and rhythms that would project the serenity and sense of security of the story."
Finally, we finish with Bernstein's orchestral suite to the 1954 film On the Waterfront. His moody, foreboding opening melody is itself a character in the film. Bernstein noted, "the main materials of the suite undergo numerous metamorphoses, following as much as possible the chronological flow of the film itself."
Interested in learning more? Join me at 6:30 for a pre-concert gathering. I'll share more insights that will help you make the most out of the concert experience.
We hope you'll join us for American Beauty!
Leonard Bernstein's gift for rhythm and for setting the English language to music is on full display in his overture to his operetta, Candide. Since its premiere, the overture has become one of the most frequently performed orchestral compositions by a 20th century American composer; in 1987, it was the most often performed piece of concert music by Bernstein.
Known for his operas and vocal works, Samuel Barber applied his gift for lyricism to the violin. Many of the compositional techniques introduced by earlier composers (Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn) are taken to a deeper level in his Violin Concerto. Our guest violinist Brendan Shea (and pianist Yerin Kim) released an album The Sound and the Fury, featuring the works of Janacek, Dvorak, and Greig.
As a film composer, Aaron Copland attempted to capture the Americana spirit in his score for Our Town, the 1940 film adaptation of a play by the same name. Copland explained, "I tried for clean and clear sounds and in general used straight-forward harmonies and rhythms that would project the serenity and sense of security of the story."
Finally, we finish with Bernstein's orchestral suite to the 1954 film On the Waterfront. His moody, foreboding opening melody is itself a character in the film. Bernstein noted, "the main materials of the suite undergo numerous metamorphoses, following as much as possible the chronological flow of the film itself."
Interested in learning more? Join me at 6:30 for a pre-concert gathering. I'll share more insights that will help you make the most out of the concert experience.
We hope you'll join us for American Beauty!
Nikolas Caoile, Music Director