The work of noted composer William Kraft will take the stage during the MOSC’s third Masterworks concert of the season in February.
The Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale presents “Fanfare” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Gary Lewis, the Symphony Orchestra is joined by featured Timpanist Michael Tetreault.
The featured timpani performance will be the first of its kind for MOSC.
William Kraft’s Timpani Concerto No. 1 is revered in the percussion repertoire as it has influenced and inspired modern composers to explore the great possibilities for percussion instruments, information provided by the MOSC stated.
The Concerto features several unusual techniques. In the first movement, the soloist plays with hands gloved in various materials (felt, leather, then bare) before picking up mallets. The second movement features changing pitch of the drums. The final movement breaks the soundscape established in the second, and fiercely features the four-note motive established in the opening movement.
Concert goers will also hear the Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman by Joan Kraft. With a career spanning more than 40 years, she is considered one of the most important living American composers.
The evening will finish with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique,” op. 74. Tchaikovsky’s final symphony, it premiered only nine days before his death. The subtitle, Pathétique, should be understood with its Russian origin in mind as the meaning is more akin to “emotional” or “passionate”. The emotion of this symphony is so intense that it has become amongst the most popular symphonies in the orchestral repertoire, the MOSC detailed.
MOSC patrons are also invited to experience Symphony SoundBites, a pre-concert supper held before the performance in the Rea-Greathouse Recital Hall at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
By purchasing a ticket, patrons will dine Lewis and Tetreault provide an insider’s view of the evening’s program. On the menu: Grilled Lemon-Oregano Chicken, Salmon Cakes with Cucumber Sauce, Tabbouleh, Greek Salad and Lemon Bars.
Seating is limited and based on a first-come-first-serve basis. Patrons who have already purchased a ticket for “Fanfare” can purchase Symphony SoundBites tickets for $26 each by calling the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center at 432-552-4437. Deadline to purchase SoundBites tickets is Jan. 29.
For more information on MOSC events, visit MOSC.ORG.
- What: MOSC Masterworks “Fanfare.”
- When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3.
- Where: Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
- Tickets: wagnernoel.com
Kraft has received numerous awards and commissions, including two Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards (first prize in 1990 for Veils and Variations for Horn and Orchestra, and second prize in 1984 for Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra); two Guggenheim Fellowships; two Ford Foundation commissions; fellowships from the Huntington Hartford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts; the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Music Award; the Norlin/MacDowell Fellowship; the Club 100 Distinguished Artist of Los Angeles Award; the ASCAP Award, the NACUSA Award; the Eva Judd O’Meara Award; first place in the Contemporary Record Society Competition; commissions from the Library of Congress, U.S. Air Force Band, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Voices of Change, the Schoenberg Institute, consortium of Speculum Musicae/San Francisco Contemporary Music Players/Contemporary Music Forum, The Boston Pops Orchestra, consortium of Pacific Symphony/Spokane Symphony/Tucson Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, among others.
