Prokofiev, Beethoven, and one of Buffalo’s Own
One of the most lauded orchestral pieces of the 20th Century makes its way to Kleinhan’s Music Hall this weekend when the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performs Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No.5 in B-flat major, Op. 100. The program also includes Beethoven’s Overture: Leonore No.3, Op. 72b and the Montserrat – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by Buffalo’s own Paul Moravec.
The program starts with the Beethoven piece, a work taken from Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera. The overture, being an excerpt from a whole opera, is a shorter piece (14 minutes in length) and has all of the dramatic and powerful force that Beethoven is known for. This piece was last performed by the BPO in March of 2002.
The performance of Montserrat will be the first by the BPO, and it is a special performance, as the piece was composed by Pulitzer Prize winner, Paul Moravec, who was born right here in Buffalo. The piece is an ode to the Catalonia monastery of the same name and to Pablo Casals (who once guest-conducted the BPO in 1966), the famed cellist who spent much time at the monastery. Fans of the Romantic Period of classical music should greatly enjoy this piece. The cello solos will be performed by Roman Mekinulov, principal cellist of the BPO.
Finally, to close the show, we have Prokofiev’s famous Symphony No.5. This symphony teeters back and forth from serene to soaring and climactic over (and within) the four movements of the 46 minute performance. Prokofiev wrote the piece while residing in Soviet Russia in the summer of 1944. Of the piece, he stated that he intended for it to be an ode to freedom and happiness and to the “grandeur of the human spirit”… ideas and motifs that may never be as important to those listening than they were to those hearing the piece for the first time in January, 1945; a time when the Axis-powers in Germany were collapsing and Allied victory seemed eminent.
Prokofiev’s fifth was last performed by the BPO in October of 1997. JoAnn Falletta will be conducting.
Show times are as follows:
Friday, March 9th at 10:30AM
Saturday, March 10th at 8:00PM
Remember, tickets are only $10 with a student ID… take advantage of this fantastic deal!
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