Musical Antipasti

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008 at 8:00 PM
(Performance Prelude at 7:15 p.m.)

RICHARD GIANGIULIO, conductor
MARIA SCHLEUNING, violin

Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Bruch: Concerto No. 1 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 26
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major, Opus 90 (“Italian”)

A great deal of classical repertoire has been written by Italians, for Italians, in Italy or about Italy. The first concert of the season will highlight two works written about and inspired by the romance and intrigue that is Italy and one work that recognizes Italians' rich familial culture. Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien was inspired by the street tunes the composer heard while in 1880 Rome. It is one of his most invigorating and popular orchestral works of all time. While this concert's concerto is not written about Italy, its performance is perfect for this night because it will be performed by husband and wife duo Richard Giangiulio, conductor and Maria Schleuning, violin, accompanied by the musicians of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Celebrating the Italians' love of family, the audience will see and hear a familial collaboration of the highest order. The program will conclude with Mendelssohn's passionate Italian Symphony. Begun while Mendelssohn was visiting Italy, finished in Berlin and published posthumously, the composer noted the symphony conveyed his personal impressions of the art, nature, and people of Italy. The opening theme is one of the most famous in all of classical music.

Additional concert information

The Main Course - A Dallas Symphony Pops Showcase

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM
(Performance Prelude at 7:15 p.m.)

RICHARD KAUFMAN, conductor
DEBORAH BARON, piccolo
GREGORY RADEN, clarinet
GARY LEVINSON, violin
CHRISTOPHER ADKINS, cello

Enjoy the very best the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Greenville has to offer as favorite Richard Kaufman conducts this lively night showcasing DSO musicians. The program has an Italian flair, beginning with Rossini's much loved Overture to Guillaume Tell, better known on this side of the Atlantic as the William Tell Overture, or better yet, the theme to the The Lone Ranger. Other Italian flourishes will be heard in Italian-American composer Henry Mancini's Sons of Italy. The program will also pay tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the birth of composer Leroy Anderson with the piece Clarinet Candy and give a nod to the Dallas Museum of Art's King Tut exhibition in Tiomkin's stirring Land of the Pharohs. The program will also include audience pleasers such as Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol. Many other surprises are in store on this Dallas Symphony star-studded night of musical adventure.

Classical Tiramisu

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009 at 8:00 PM
(Performance Prelude at 7:15 p.m.)

RICHARD GIANGIULIO, conductor
RYAN ANTHONY, trumpet

Rossini: Overture to Semiramide
Respighi: Antiche danze ed arie (Ancient Airs and Dances): Suite 1
Bellstedt: Canzone Napolitana Con Variazioni (Napoli for trumpet and orchestra)
Ponchielli: "Danza Della Ore" (Dance of the Hours) from La Gioconda
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Morricone: First Youth from Cinema Paradiso
Puccini: Intermezzo from Act III of Manon Lescaut
Rota: Suite from The Godfather
Verdi: Triumphal March and Ballet from Act II of Aïda

Join us one last time for a special night of music that is sure to transport everyone in attendance to their favorite Italian town. Every work has been chosen to place the listener in Italy, sitting on an expansive veranda with a cool breeze at their back, enjoying a little "classical tiramisu", and listening to the musical heritage of this great country. The program will open with the unsettled rushing motif of Rossini's Semiramide Overture, and move on to evoke an earlier time and place in Italian history with Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances. A once in a lifetime performance will follow, as Principal Trumpet Ryan Anthony performs Herman Bellstedt's Napoli, under the direction of conductor Richard Giangiulio, a former principal trumpet with the DSO. The night will feature three other operatic moments from arguably Italy's greatest opera composers, Ponchielli, Puccini and Verdi. Two memorable works written for the big screen, selections from the soundtrack of Cinema Paradiso and The Godfather, will round out the evening.

Educational Youth Concerts: Clowning Around with the Symphony

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009 at 12:15 & 1:45 PM

JIM FRANK, conductor

A clown escapes from the circus and wants to join the symphony! As he is introduced to all the most important terms in a musician’s vocabulary, he successfully applies them to things he knows from the circus. Words such as allegro, crescendo, forte and accelerando all vividly come to life in this entertaining and educational program.

Before the Concert

Come early and join in the fun! Performance Preludes, informal talks about the music to be performed, will begin at 7:15 pm on the lower level of the Greenville Municipal Auditorium prior to all evening programs. This year’s speaker is KEVIN SALFEN.

A native Texan, he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of North Texas, completing his Ph.D. in Musicology in 2005. His dissertation was about the early collaborations of Benjamin Britten and the writer William Plomer and focuses especially on Gloriana, the opera written for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gala. One of Kevin's other chief research interests is Japanese Noh Theater, which he studied with a Noh actor of the Kanze School during his two years in Japan. Kevin's first two degrees were in composition- his Master's thesis was an opera (to his own libretto) about fast food culture-and he continues to be a very active composer. His Three Preludes and Fugues for Piano was premiered in New York in February 2007, and he recently completed a commission for three Psalm settings premiered recently in England. In May 2007, Kevin was appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor of Musicology at Southern Methodist University.

All performances are held at Greenville Municipal Auditorium. Programs, dates and artists subject to change.