MOSC celebrates superstar Bob Dylan

1. MOSC
2. Bob Dylan

Known for his music and celebrated for his poetic lyrics – Bob Dylan is one of the most well-known American singer-songwriters.

He’s been an influential figure in pop music and culture for more than half a century with his celebrated works of the 1960s. Those early songs made him the “voice of a generation” with songs like “”Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a Changin.’”

His poetic take on the world will be celebrated April 7 when the Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale features “Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan.”

Performing the final Masterworks concert of the season, the MOSC presents “Mr. Tambourine Man” at 7:30 p.m. April 7 at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Gary Lewis, the Symphony Orchestra is joined by renowned soprano, Amy Burton.

Highlighting the evening is the work of John Corigliano, one of the few composers to have won a Grammy, an Oscar and Pulitzer Prize in Music. The American composer continues to add to one of the richest, most unusual and most widely celebrated bodies of work any composer has created during the last 10 years.

Corigliano’s numerous scores—including three symphonies and eight concerti among over one hundred chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral works—have been performed and recorded by many of the most prominent orchestras, soloists and chamber musicians in the world.

Renowned soprano Amy Burton will perform in “Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan.” Corigliano wrote the major song cycle in 2000, which was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for soprano Sylvia McNair. The commission specified an American text so Corigliano decided on the idea of using the poetry of Bob Dylan.

“I was so engaged in developing my orchestral technique during the years when Dylan was heard by the rest of the world that I had never heard his songs. So I bought a collection of his texts, and found many of them to be every bit as beautiful and as immediate as I had heard — and surprisingly well-suited to my own musical language. I then contacted Jeff Rosen, his manager, who approached Bob Dylan with the idea of re-setting his poetry to my music. I do not know of an instance in which this has been done before,” Corigliano stated in a news release.

Concert attendees will also hear Corigliano’s “Voyage” as well as the popular “La Mer” by Claude Debussy.

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 to this tasty event, patrons will enjoy dining with friends as Maestro Gary Lewis and featured soprano Amy Burton provide an insider’s view of the evening’s program. Seating is limited and based on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Patrons who have already purchased a concert ticket 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 April 2.

“Mr. Tambourine Man” is sponsored by Martha and Paul Crump. Amy Burton’s performance is sponsored by Permian Basin Opera. For more information on MOSC events, please visit mosc.org