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Three's The Charm!
Anticipation is running high as the Bartlesville
Symphony Orchestra prepares for its concert with the world renowned Eroica
Trio on Saturday evening, November 22, at 8 in the Bartlesville Community
Center. Lauren Green, music director-conductor, stated "Lots of
things go into making a symphony concert, but among the most important
are great, timeless music, an enthusiastic and talented orchestra, and
a receptive and supportive audience. When these three are present,
as they will be on Saturday, a memorable evening is sure to be in store." Green will host Upbeat! with Lauren, a pre-concert lecture, free to ticket
holders at 7 PM in the concert hall.
A truly classical concert is relished by audience
and musicians alike, and Saturday's program fits the bill. The three
B's--Bach, Beethoven and Brahms--will be featured composers.
Johann Sebastian Bach belonged to one of the
most talented families in the history of music, tracing back 200 years
from the beginning of the Thirty Years' War to the middle of the nineteenth
century. Out of 60 Bachs known by name, 53 were professional musicians.
Bach remains the master of masters in his Passions, choral cantatas, organ
music, chorale preludes, choral motets and in the 48 preludes and fugues
which make up "The Well-Tempered Clavier." Saturday's concert will
begin with two transcriptions--Chorale Prelude "Sheep May Safely Graze"
and We All Believe in One God ("Giant Fugue").
Next on the program, the Eroica Trio will join
the orchestra to perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Piano, Violin,
Violoncello and Orchestra in C major, Op. 56 "Triple Concerto." The Trio
has performed this concerto more times than any other trio in the world.
More has been written about Beethoven and his
music than any composer in history. When greatness in music is thought
of, it is Beethoven whose name is mentioned first. He wrote 9 symphonies,
one opera "Fidelio", several overtures, dances, concertos for piano and
violin, the Triple Concerto, much chamber music, piano sonatas, choral
music and songs.
The program will continue after intermission
with a reading of Johannes Brahms Symphony #1 in C minor, Op. 68.
The other great "B" of this trio of composers finished his first symphony
at age 43. His body of work also included 3 more symphonies, overtures,
concertos, chamber music, piano and vocal works and a gorgeous requiem.
Concertmaster David Kazmierzak remarked, "There is a great responsibility
in dealing with three masters and a great joy that every note is somewhat valuable! To be able to relate on a personal level
to the Eroica Trio, since I am a trio member myself (Trio Brioso), is
a testimony to the fact that collaboration is interesting. The best
in classical music and the heart of the repertoire which we are performing
should mean larger audiences and more supporters."
Rhonda Carr, symphony violinist and orchestra
teacher for the schools, became acquainted with the Eroica Trio after
watching them on a TV program in 2001. She was so impressed that
she got on the internet and has been e-mailing Erika Nickrenz, the pianist,
ever since. They have become friends and Rhonda has become a fan
and advocate for securing a performance with this
Trio here in Bartlesville. Now she'll be playing in the orchestra
as her friends take the stage!
Cellist Spencer Prentiss, who was an original
founder of the orchestra, and who is approaching his 98th birthday in
December, noted the Brahms Symphony was extremely difficult with key changes
back and forth sometimes twice on a single line. "Requiring more
individual practice, this concert takes a toll on the players. Some
of the music really needs to be played by memory. The program as a whole
is especially interesting to people who enjoy the classics." And
his stand partner, cellist Mary Snider, chimed in "The Beethoven is very
challenging; you do not hear it very often. The ambitious
Brahms Symphony is a big step for the orchestra. We enjoy playing
the good old standard 3 B's." She went on to say that string and
piano students were being encouraged to come to this concert and they
had posters of these good-looking girls in Eroica Trio to enjoy.
"It takes lots of ability to play these pieces and it is demanding, but
the reward is in what you have created."
The Los Angeles Times, in reviewing a concert
by Eroica Trio said "It was not the plunge down to here or the slit up
to there that held the greatest attraction. It was the sizzle of
the musical ensemble that seduced listeners at the Orange County Performing
Arts Center." The Boston Globe commented "They are, thankfully,
exactly what a chamber music ensemble should be--thoughtful, intelligent,
rigorously trained musicians in love with the art of music and the artfulness
of performance....At its best, the trio performs spectacularly."
The San Francisco Chronicle said"...what proved most striking about the
evening was how seamlessly the three performers--violinist Adela Pena,
cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio and pianist Erika Nickrenz--merged their distinct
contributions into a single ensemble voice."
As reported in the New York Times, the girls
found themselves "making music in the same room while students at the
Juilliard School. They remember the collaboration as spontaneous
combustion." Since they have known each other for years through
studying together and various summer festival experiences, they have had
the background for success. The trio's cellist, Sara Sant'Ambrogio,
says "We try to make it (the concert) an event. We know that when
we play, it had better be better than sitting at home and listening to
a CD. Because if it isn't, why spend the money to get dressed and
sit there?" Erika Nickrenz, quoted in The Wall Street Journal, recalled
a performance in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, during rodeo week.
"We put up posters with our picture in markets and bars... and all these
cowboy types showed up. Most of the audience hadn't been to a concert
before. They came up afterward and told us they love it."
With concerts all over the world and just completing a tour with the Prague
Chamber Orchestra, this glamorous, trend-setting, blockbuster trio will
capture the hearts of our audience. GORGEOUS is an appropriate adjective
when applied to the costumes they design and wear and the magical music
they make. They look in concert as if they were dressed to attend
the Oscar ceremony and they enjoy the response.
Tickets are available at the Community Center
box office, Adams and Cherokee, or by calling 918-336-2787 or 800-618-2787.
Adults are $20; students, $7.50. Discounted season subscriptions
for the 4 remaining concerts are $75 adults and $25 students. The
Eroica Trio concert is sponsored by Home National Bank. Grant assistance
has been given by the State Arts Council of Oklahoma, National Endowment
for the Arts, Conoco Phillips, Ernst and Young LLP, Symphony Society,
and many other corporate and private donations.
