JSO Subscription Concert #1, October 4, 2008, 8:00pm - "Sum of the Parts"

Potter Center Music Hall at Jackson Community College, Jackson, Michigan.

For information call 517-782-3221, Sponsored by Citizen's Bank

“Sum of the Parts” concert focuses on orchestra’s breadth of sounds

The Jackson Symphony Orchestra will open its 2008-2009 season with an inspired program that spotlights different sections of the orchestra and the musicians in each group.

The concert, titled “Sum of the Parts,” will begin at 8 p.m. October 4, 2008, at the Potter Center Music Hall at Jackson Community College.

In the first four selections of the program, the orchestra will be “pulled apart” to perform music written for brass, woodwinds, percussion and then strings. The second half of the program will feature Antonín Leopold Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, a full orchestral piece that demonstrates the role of all the instruments and all the musicians.

Additional pieces in the program are:

“Harlem,” from British composer Jim Parker’s 2004 suite titled “A Londoner in New York.” As the title suggests, the music for brass ensemble reflects the sounds and atmosphere of New York’s Harlem district. Assistant JSO Conductor Nathaniel Parker will conduct.

“Petite Symphony,” written in 1885 by the distinguished French composer Charles Gounod. “This is a luminous work that pays homage to the French wind tradition,” said Richard Sherman, who will conduct. “It was composed for the great flutist Paul Taffanel and the ensemble La Trompette. It is a charming work with strokes of harmonic innovation,” said Sherman, who is principal flute for the JSO and Professor of Flute at Michigan State University.

“Ogoun Badagris,” composed by Christopher Rouse in 1976. When he introduced the piece, Rouse wrote that the music could be considered a “dance of appeasement” to the violent Voodoo diety, Ogoun Badagris. “This piece derives its inspiration from Haitian drumming patterns, particularly those of the Juba Dance. Rouse is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former member of the JSO. Our audience is used to hearing the orchestra in its total, colorful self,” said Maestro Stephen Osmond. “To become more intimate with the players, I thought it would be a good opportunity to feature each section separately and then combine for Dvořák’s incredibly powerful and diverse Symphony No. 8.”

The first movement of “Serenade for Strings,” which composer Peter Tchaikovsky wrote in 1880 as a tribute to Mozart. Tchaikovsky is said to have written to his patroness: “This is a piece from the heart ... I am violently in love with this work and can’t wait for it to be played.” It premiered in 1881 and was an instant success. Concertmaster Xie Min will lead the romantic serenade.

• Subscription series sponsor: Citizens Bank
• Location: Potter Center, Jackson Community College, 2111 Emmons Rd., Jackson, MI
• Tickets for the performance: Tickets are $18, $27 and $32.
• For more information, please call the JSO office at 517-782-3221.