Master Pianist Brings His Talents to Foo Foo Fest
Date Posted: Oct 08, 2019
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra to Perform with Garrick Ohlsson
BRAHMS – Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 – Garrick Ohlsson, Piano
SCHUMANN – Overture, Scherzo and Finale in E Major
MENDELSSOHN – Die schöne Melusine, Op. 32
World-Class Talent
Known for his unfailing musicality and infallible technique, Garrick Ohlsson is the most historically acclaimed pianist to ever join the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra onstage. A regular guest with leading orchestras around the world like the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the London Philharmonic, Garrick Ohlsson will be joining the PSO for Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, a pillar of the Romantic repertoire. The program also includes works by two of Brahms’ contemporaries: Overture, Scherzo, and Finale by Robert Schumann and Die schöne Melusine by Mendelssohn.
Following his appearance with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra on November 2, renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson will perform a recital at the University of West Florida. In the decades since his legendary win at the International Chopin Competition, Ohlsson has established himself as a pianist of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. Ohlsson’s program highlights his well-earned reputation for bringing piano masterworks to life with virtuosic firepower and subtle interpretations.
About the Music: Love, Friends, and Mermaids
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15, is a work composed for piano and orchestra finished by Johannes Brahms in 1858. Brahms performed the work’s public debut in Hanover, the following year. It was the first performance of his orchestral work, and (in its third performance) his first orchestral work performed in front of an audience for applause. Around 40-50 minutes long, the concerto is divided into three parts: Maestoso, Adagio, and Rondo: Allegro non troppo. For Brahams, his Concerto the creation and performance of his first work were tied closely to the attempted suicide and later death of his dear friend, Robert Schumann.
Robert Schumann considered Overture, Scherzo and Finale his second symphony, written in three weeks in 1841 as part of his Opus 52. This work is also performed in three movements: a slow overture that establishes themes that will reappear throughout the piece, a ponderous scherzo that is peppered with a lyrical trio section and a fast-paced finale beginning in fugato style and closing in a coda built on the whole work’s main theme.
Mendelssohn’s Die schöne Melusine, or “The Fair Melusine,” was written in 1834 as a near telling of the legends surrounding Melusine, a water nymph married to a Count Raymund, who told her husband to never enter her room on a Saturday, the day she would be transformed into a mermaid. Although Melusine was a legend 19th century Germans were quite familiar with, Mendelssohn denied that his piece was a retelling.
Join Garrick Ohlsson and the Pensacola Symphony for these three amazing pieces at the Saenger Theater on November 2 at 7:30 pm. Classical music aficionados won’t want to miss a brilliant performance! Click here for more information.