The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra (GNSO) returns with fanfare to perform a concert focused on “Transfiguration” on Saturday, September 11 at 7:30 pm at Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh.
Russell Ger, Music Director of the GNSO, said “the concept of transfiguration has a certain magic about it. It is not just the transformation of one thing into something else; there is a kind of otherworldly element involved. Each piece of the program explores it in some way, beginning with Missy Mazzoli’s “River Rouge Transfiguration,” which depicts giant Detroit smokestacks turning into an enormous church organ, creating an almost tabernacular grace.” Ms. Mazzoli is a young American composer who has been compared to Mozart.
“This program is a fitting tribute to memorialize 9/11,” Ger noted. “Richard Strauss’ ‘Death and Transfiguration’ starts with a sick man fighting impending death, but concludes with his glorious ascent into heaven. Richard Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin Preludes Act I and III’ could not be more different. The former represents a host of angels descending with the Holy Grail. The Prelude to Act III, by contrast, is a boisterous announcement of a forthcoming wedding. It leads directly into Wagner’s most famous passage, the bridal march known as ‘Here Comes the Bride.’ Finally, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet music in the famous fairy tale of “Sleeping Beauty” is as beguiling and melodious as anything he ever composed.”
Beginning his fifth season of GNSO leadership, Ger has led the orchestra to new attendance records and artistic heights. This is the first subscription concert scheduled for the season.
Arrive at 6:30 for the concert preview by Gordon Shacklett. Tickets – Balcony $50, Reserved $40, Open $35, Senior Citizen $25 – can be purchased online or at the door. Call 845/913-7157 or visit www.newburghsymphony.org. Students are admitted free to Open Seating.
Those who have tickets for the March 16, 2020 concert that was canceled at the outbreak of the pandemic, may redeem them for tickets to the September 11 concert. This will be the only opportunity to redeem those tickets.
The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1995 by Dr. Woomyung Choe and its first president, the late George Handler, who was followed as president after 10 years by the late Fred McCurdy. In addition to its regular concerts, the Orchestra performs special engagements, such as the Moxart and Boscobel engagements. The orchestra performed a July 4 concert at Boscobel, its first since the start of the pandemic.