Northwest Symphony Orchestra presents Mothers Day concert

Northwest Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Kim Diehnelt and featuring cellist Jack Boettcher, presents a concert of "Souvenirs," featuring music that brings to mind cherished stories of other times and places.The concert will be at 3:30...

Northwest Symphony Orchestra presents Mothers Day concert

Northwest Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Kim Diehnelt and featuring cellist Jack Boettcher, presents a concert of "Souvenirs," featuring music that brings to mind cherished stories of other times and places.

The concert will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 14, in the auditorium of the Forest View Education Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights. Diehnelt's preconcert commentary begins at 2:45 p.m. The concert is being held in partnership with the District 214 Community Education Program.

"Nabucco" is the work which is said to have established Verdi's reputation. The composer later commented, "This is the opera with which my artistic career really begins. And though I had many difficulties to fight against, it is certain that 'Nabucco' was born under a lucky star."

Based on biblical stories from The Book of Jeremiah and The Book of Daniel, the story is that of the Jews who were conquered and exiled from their homeland by the Babylonian King Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar). The overture introduces the musical themes that are developed in the opera.

Also on the program is Venezuelan-born composer Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947), a contemporary of Richard Strauss who, like Strauss, composed works of exquisite melody and lyricism. A child prodigy, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and became a music critic, composer, and conductor, being appointed as director of the Paris Opera in 1945.

In 1905, Hahn composed incidental music for "Le Bal de Beatrice d'Este" -- a play about a princess of the Italian Renaissance who was known for hosting fine balls. The music, therefore, depicts the grandeur of the balls and the grace of the dancing. Woodwinds being then in vogue in Paris, the work is scored for woodwinds, trumpets, horns, and percussion.

Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme" is essentially a cello concerto that has become a cherished part of cello and orchestral literature. Mozartian in style, the work challenges the soloist by demanding much virtuoso playing in the higher registers of the instrument.

The soloist, Jack Boettcher, winner of the Paul Vermel Young Artist award, also took first place in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra's concerto competition. Boettcher, 15, is a student at Naperville North High School.

Paul Dukas's "Sorcerer's Apprentice" needs little introduction, having been immortalized as the centerpiece of Disney's classic movie "Fantasia." The story is that of an excessively confident young apprentice sorcerer who attempts to employ magic beyond his capabilities, with amusingly-disastrous results.

Dukas (1865-1835) was extremely self-critical and destroyed most of his other compositions, so we can only wonder what other treasures may have been lost to posterity.

Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors, $10 for students and free for children younger than 14 when accompanied by a paying adult.

Tickets will be available at the door and may be purchased by cash, check, or credit card. They can be ordered in advance at the orchestra's website, www.northwestsymphony.org, using Brown Paper Tickets, or by credit card by calling the Box Office at Forest View at (847) 718-7702 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

For more information, call the NSO Information line at (847) 965-7271.

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