The Emperor Concerto
April 18, 2018 asibulldogblogCampus AnnouncementsNo Comments
The Fresno State Symphony Orchestra, directed by Dr. Thomas Loewenheim, will present its final concert of the season on Saturday, April 28, at 8 p.m. in the Department of Music Concert Hall.
The concert, titled The Emperor Concerto, will feature the internationally acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk, one of America's foremost pianists, who will be featured at the Philip Lorenz Keyboard Series, the night before. Winner of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, and the Avery Fisher Prize, Denk was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Denk returns frequently to Carnegie Hall and has recently performed with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, as well as on tour with Academy St. Martin in the Fields, and at the Royal Albert Hall this Summer performing Bartok 2 in his return to the BBC Proms. Mr. Denk will perform what some consider as Beethoven's greatest piano concerto, his fifth named "Emperor".
The orchestra will close the concert with Sergei Prokofiev's monumental Symphony No. 5. Almost any discussion of Sergei Prokofiev inevitably brings up the subject of war. The work was written in the summer of 1944 in the midst of World War II, and its premiere performance had to be briefly halted due to celebratory cannon fire outside the concert hall, because the Russian army had just scored a resounding victory on the River Vistula. The composer's mind was reflected in the fluency and emotional depth of his music.
Tickets are General: $15; Employees & Seniors: $10; Students: $5.