Happy 20th NANiversary!
Danielle Belen, violin
Wael Binali, composer
Celebrating Music Director and Conductor Nan Washburn’s 20th season with the Michigan Phil sampling some of her favorites; from Berlioz to Barber – from Binali to Hindemith. This concert was a musical triumph with the stunning performance by Violin soloist Danielle Belen. Qartari composer, Wail Binali’s Earth, Plunder, Renewal and Hope was a moving tribute to the beauty of our earth and our need to protect it and Hinedemith’s symphonyic metamorphosis packs a punch with lots of percussion and brass.
Solving the Mysteries of the Harp: An interview and mini recital featuring Harpist Maurice Draughn!
Michigan Phil’s extraordinary harpist Maurice Draughn joins Music Director Nan Washburn in a lively discussion about his musical background and just exactly how this beautiful and complex instrument works. Maurice will perform solo works by Salzedo, Hindemith, and Britten, in addition to us excerpting some favorite orchestral harp solos by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky- Korsakov and Debussy taken from video of past Michigan Philharmonic concerts.
NAN Talks
“The Silent Art of the Conductor”
Have you ever wondered just what the conductor of an orchestra really does? Michigan Philharmonic’s Music Director and Conductor, Nan Washburn, will demystify this illusive and intriguing musical craft, with the “silent art” of the conductor. From podiums and batons to scores and tailcoats, find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about conducting an orchestra. Program includes musical clips and video from the Conductor side of the podium.
Springtime Swan Song
Saturday, April 11, 2015, 7:30 pm
Drama and dance intertwine with the dazzling, sumptuous, passionate music featuring cellist Norman Fischer and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Epic drama and music in motion are the two powerful ingredients of this program. Cellist, Norman Fischer, Professor at Rice University, returns to his hometown of Plymouth to dazzle with his extraordinary performance of Bloch’s Schelomo, a musical portrayal of King Solomon. This sumptuous, richly orchestrated work is both broodingly meditative and vividly passionate. The theatrical intensity continues on the concert’s second half with Tchaikovsky’s Suite from Swan Lake, taken from what is considered by many to be the composer’s finest ballet score, certainly containing some of his most elegant and memorable music. In contrast, guest composer Carter Pann’s opening piece, Slalom gives us an exhilarating orchestral romp with the complete sensation of downhill “skiing, full throttle.”
LET IT BE – BEATLES!
The Beatles, yes, all music from the Beatles! Travel back in time as you enjoy the band’s most significant hits. Because, All You Need is Love!
Join in the fun as the orchestra takes you on a magical mystery tour of the Fab Four’s greatest hits through the 60’s and 70’s, with such memorable tunes as Got to Get you Into My Life, Hey Jude, Something, Let It Be and so much more! Featuring the fun vocals of Geff Phillips.
The French Connection
Extraordinary young pianist Anastasia Rizikov, returned to headline a special French-themed program, performing the lush and jazzy Piano Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel. The concerto from 1931, while distinctly French in color and texture, also draws its flavor from the harmonies and idioms of American jazz, and was immensely popular throughout Europe at the time. Symphony No. 3 by Louise Farrenc, written in 1849, is a decidedly different piece in style. A great admirer of the music of Beethoven, Farrenc clearly pays homage to the master while still retaining her unique voice in this nearly forgotten musical gem. Special guest composer, Mark Petering tips his musical hat to Ravel with his Fanfare and Reflection after Ravel (2003) and in a nod to Peterings piece, the concert concludes with a slightly shorter, smaller, but no less magnificent version of Ravel’s most famous work, Boléro!
