A look at the 2016 Colorado Music Festival Season shows that music by Johannes Brahms is featured, with a two night Brahms Symphony Marathon.
On Thursday, July 7, 7:30 pm, at Chautauqua Auditorium, Director Jean Marie Zeitouni and the CMF Orchestra perform Boulder Brahms, Part I with the grand and dignified Symphony No.1 in C minor contrasting the joyful melodies and pastoral beauty of the more relaxed Symphony No. 2 in D Major. A 6:30pm talk by Kelly Dean Hansen, author of Brahms Listening Guides, takes place on the Auditorium Terrace.
The following evening, Friday, July 8, 7:30 pm, at Chautauqua Auditorium, Brahms, Part II explores the turbulence and tranquility of the composer’s epic Symphony No. 3 in F Major. e evening concludes with a bold interpretation of Brahms’ complex, emotionally powerful final essay in symphonic form, his Symphony No. 4 in E minor. Music Director Laureate, Michael Christie, had a vision of doing symphonic cycles during his term as Music Director. Continuing this thought, current Music Director, Jean-Marie Zeitouni chose this starting point since Brahms only wrote four symphonies.
The second Festival Orchestra concert is the Brahms and Bernstein on Thursday, July 14, 7:30 pm at Chautauqua Auditorium. With the return of Music Director Laureate to the podium with guest artist, pianist Orion Weiss.
This program features Johannes Brahms’ tumultuous and quietly impassioned Piano Concerto No. 1. Christie rounds out the program by leading the CMF orchestra in Charles Ives’ “The Unanswered Question,” a spatial work comprising layers of sound; along with Leonard Bernstein’s fanfare “Shivaree” and his beautifully integrated, single movement Symphonic Suite from the 1954 movie, “On the Waterfront,” which won 8 Academy Awards and was ranked the 8th best movie of all time by the American Film Institute. Program: Bernstein Shivaree, Ives The Unanswered Question, Bernstein On the Waterfront, Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D Minor. A 6:30pm talk by Lisa Harrington takes place on the Auditorium Terrace.
When asked why Brahms is featured, Zeitouni replied, “Brahms’ music is very personal. To me, Brahms is as close as you can get to philosophy of music… His music is a reflection on music. It’s a reflection on life. It’s a reflection on the past and present, and it’s a reflection on the future… It’s pure music.”
Tickets: $12-$54, $9-$51 members, www.comusic.org or www.chautauqua.com, Chautauqua Box Office, 303-440-7666. Free Hop 2 Chautauqua shuttle is available for these concerts.
Two more concerts feature music by Brahms: 21st Century Virtuosos: Joshua Roman & Orion Weiss in Concert. Friday, July 15, 7:30pm at Chautauqua Auditorium with Brahms Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor and Olga Kern and Music for Five, Saturday, August 6, 7:30pm at Chautauqua Auditorium with Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor.