Join violinist Giora Schmidt and conductor Carlo Rizzi November 20 and 21 with the NAC Orchestra for "Barber's Violin Concerto."
The Barber Violin Concerto has been a cornerstone in my musical life. I first performed the piece for my Carnegie Hall debut and shortly after toured it with the Israel Philharmonic. I’m excited to return to this work now with a more seasoned lens and varied palette. The first movement beams with American optimism and begins with a wonderfully sweet and lyrical melody. The sombre, slow movement hints at the Great Depression, while the “perpetual motion” finale is a complete change of character. You can almost feel and hear the machine of industrial Philadelphia driving the rhythm.
It’s a sprint up and down the fingerboard of the violin, and it’s over in the blink of an eye.
-Giora Schmidt, violin
Sibelius, an enigmatic and fascinating composer, lyrical yet aggressive, immersed in the nature of his homeland and at the same time confronting himself with the middle European culture; sometimes avant-garde but refusing to embrace the more modern musical tendencies of his time. Every aspect of his multi-faceted artistic personality is in the Fifth Symphony, regarded as one of the most important compositions of the period and certainly one of my favourites to conduct and perform.
Together with the intensely beautiful violin concerto of Barber and the understated intimacy of the Siegfried Idyll, I believe that this program will touch, move and inspire the audience with whom I am greatly looking forward to sharing this experience.
-Carlo Rizzi, conductor
