BRATTLEBORO– March 19, 2018 – The Windham Orchestra spotlights two musical geniuses in a special concert Sunday, April 8.
Two profoundly different works — Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15 by Brahms and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony — are on the program at the 3 pm concert at the Latchis Theatre, Main Street, Brattleboro.
Brahms’ work opens the concert, with Windham Orchestra Musical Director Hugh Keelan at the piano, and Jessie Pierpont as guest conductor. Keelan describes the Piano Concerto as a work conjuring up “a single man staring down the universe, a solo protagonist, incredibly sure of himself.”
It is a dramatic, powerful work, says Keelan, who points out Brahms and his contemporaries were creating music in the colossal shadow cast by Beethoven. He notes, in fact, that Brahms’ First Symphony is often referred to as “Beethoven’s 10th.”
Yet Brahms did not ignore the master’s influence, but acknowledged it (he reportedly had a marble bust of Beethoven looking down on the spot where he composed), and went on to create timeless works of his own.
The second piece performed, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 6), is as gentle as Brahms’ work is powerful, and will take the audience on what Keelan calls “an emotional journey, to a profound, pastoral calm.” He adds, “It is an absolutely extraordinary work, not like anything else Beethoven created.”
The cost of admission is a donation of any amount. For more information, visit the Brattleboro Music Center website atbmcvt.org
About the Brattleboro Music Center
Guided by our artistic advisors, the acclaimed violinist/conductor Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson, the Brattleboro Music Center is a vibrant, community-based organization, exceptional for the breadth and quality of its programs. Founded in 1952, today’s BMC consists of numerous performance and education programs led by talented artistic directors and a dedicated faculty of 40 professional musicians. Our programs include the Brattleboro Concert Choir, Windham Orchestra, Blanche Moyse Chorale, Chamber Music Series and annual Northern Roots festival. Each year, the Music Center enriches the lives of more than 5,000 residents of southeastern Vermont and nearby New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Hundreds of classes, workshops, concerts and other events bring people of all ages and abilities together to learn, listen and join together in celebration of music and community.
As the area’s oldest arts organization, the Music Center has attracted scores of professional musicians and other artists to the area over the past 65 years. The result today is a town and region nationally renowned for its rich diversity of arts and arts events.
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