People often ask me what excites me the most about the music programmed for our upcoming season. That is a hard question to answer, because (from my point of view) we always program diverse and engaging works. But here is a stab at listing one thing that really excites me about each concert coming up:
August 21, 2022: Dancing from Tonga to Vienna
While Beethoven Symphony No. 7 is probably my favorite Beethoven, I am really excited about the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1, for two reasons. First, Mendelssohn is one of my favorite composers, due to his mastery of melody and phrase construction. I love how his lines can seemingly sing forever. Second, featured soloist Thomas Pandolfi is a terrific and heartfelt pianist who you may be seeing more frequently in Prescott, due to his longstanding relationship with the Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet.
September 25, 2022: Sonoran Winds
The beauty of a wind quintet is that each instrument offers a very different sonority. This allows for a diverse set of colors unusual for such a small ensemble. And Scott Richardson has assembled another fabulous program. I’m really looking forward to the varied sounds within the quintet’s performance of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin – a remarkable achievement given that the original piece is considered a masterpiece for a completely different instrument – the piano.
October 21, 2022: Classic Wines in New Bottles
In our next email, I’ll continue this thread with my personal reactions to the rest of the season.
– Henry Flurry, Executive Director
Braving the Heat at Last Sunday’s Concert
While the monsoons kindly paused for last Sunday’s concert at the Highlands Center for Natural History, we were quite surprised by how warm it became. By the end of our 2 PM concert, the temperature was nearing 100 – an unusual occurrence at the Highlands Center!
Here’s what some of you wrote to us:
“I don’t know what to say about the weather. It was hot but I’m glad I went. BIG thanks for water!!!”
“This was such a fabulous concert, truly intimate. I loved hearing each instrument featured alone and in duets as well as trios. It’s always a pleasure to hear a musician’s excitement about a piece they’ve chosen to play.”
“For me, the length of the concert on Sunday and the variety in the program were good. Mary Jackson stood out as a performer and her interpretation of Miluccio’s Rhapsodie was outstanding! Hopefully Prescott audiences will be hearing more of her.”
While we’re not sure we’ll attempt another midday concert in the middle of summer, you clearly love classical music in this outdoor venue.
“Please offer more chamber music in settings such as this. Thank you.”
“More outdoor concerts. The setting is amazing. I close my eyes and hear the music, the wind in the trees, and the birds chirping all in perfect harmony!”
Thank you to everybody who braved the heat for this concert. We’ll keep doing more of these in the future!
And thank you to volunteer Don Baltzer for the beautiful photos! Don always shows up with a smile and a camera. You can check out a number of his photos here.
We are preparing for our new season and need to make up for fewer ticket sales than intended.
Would you help us, please, by donating ?
