March

ROMANTIC CELLO FAVORITE TO WARM THE WINTER SEASON

Many consider Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B Minor the greatest ever written for that instrument. In this jewel of the Romantic Period, the Czech composer reaches sublime levels through his handling of the orchestra, which acts as equal partner to the soloist. Music lovers are often delightedly surprised on hearing Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite for the first time. The composer who caused an uproar with The Rite of Spring and is usually thought of as difficult, here has taken some of the sweetest music of Baroque composer Giambatista Pergolesi and arranged it charmingly as an homage to that earlier period. In the spirit of the concerto grosso, the orchestra is divided into fifteen solo parts and accompanying strings. Humor abounds, particularly in a remarkable duet for trombone and string bass, and there are inimitable Stravinskian touches all through. Rossini’s incomparable overture to “La Cenerentola”, with its famous ponticello crescendo for the strings, opens the program.

The program will feature a special presentation of Woodstock Variations by the late Dr. Ambrose C. Jackson. Dr. Jackson, a composer and trumpeter who performed with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, and the Charlie Persip and Otis Redding Bands, was also a long-time member of the WCO.and a well-loved teacher in Ellenville. Last season, the orchestra premiered his Woodstock Variations, a highly appealing evocation of an African village at sunrise. Sadly, it was to be Dr. Jackson’s final work, and will be performed again in memory of a fine musician and colleague.