Mobile Symphony features flutist Anthony Trionfo for Beethoven & Blue Jeans, Nov. 18 & 19
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra (MSO) invites concertgoers to dress down, relax and enjoy classical music at Beethoven & Blue Jeans, Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2:30 p.m., at Mobile’s historic Saenger Theatre.
The annual casual concert is always an audience favorite, and this year’s performance features Beethoven’s beloved Pastoral Symphony and flute sensation Anthony Trionfo in a showstopping concerto by Lowell Liebermann.
Trionfo exploded onto the classical music scene as the first-prize winner of the 2016 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and has since been building one of today’s most exciting musical careers. Described by the New York Times as a “breezily virtuosic” musician, he has performed with orchestras throughout the U.S. Music Director Scott Speck says the performance matches a truly gifted young artist with a concerto designed to dazzle and delight the audience.
“Lowell Liebermann, a very much living composer, defies the stereotype of the ‘modern’ composer by creating works that are very melodic – even retro,” he says. “The piece manages to be whimsical, dramatic, moving, and – at the end – thrilling.”
Trionfo founded a nonprofit dedicated to helping flutists of African descent succeed at all levels of music making, and education outreach is part of all his orchestra visits. He will present a flute masterclass for high school and college students while in Mobile. Speck frequently describes Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony as the original country music.
“Among all of Beethoven's symphonies, the Pastorale stands out. It’s by far Beethoven’s most serene, for he was never as content as when he could escape the stresses of the city for the lovely countryside,” he explains. “It’s his only symphony that tells a story, with delightful country scenes, including actual birdcalls.”
The concert opens with another Beethoven favorite, the overture to Creatures of Prometheus.
Tickets are $20-$96 and can be purchased online at mobilesymphony.org, by phone at 251-432-2010 or at the symphony box office, 257 Dauphin Street.
Five-concert season memberships are $360-$88. Student tickets are $10. Through the MSO Big Red Ticket program sponsored by the Alabama Power Foundation and the Figures Foundation, students in grades K-12 can attend any of the season’s six classical Sunday performances free when accompanied by a paying adult (excludes the holiday concert).
More details can be found online at www.mobilesymphony.org. MSO offers an informative pre-concert talk to enhance the enjoyment of classical concerts. Take Note begins at 6:30 p.m. before Saturday performances and 1:30 p.m. before Sunday performances in Room 1927 adjacent to the Saenger entrance on Joachim Street. Sponsors are Volkert, the Mary Josephine Larkins Foundation, Andra Bohnet and Friends of the Mobile Symphony.
All concerts have been made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Mobile Symphony has been a regional orchestra for the central Gulf Coast since 1997. Scott Speck serves as music director. In addition to offering a full season of classical and pops concerts, the orchestra serves the area with a wide range of educational and outreach programs including student performances, string academies and a youth orchestra. http://www.mobilesymphony.org
