Concert 4 – Winter Season 2016

Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/06/2016
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Location
Durban City Hall

Categories

• 2016 Winter Season World Symphony Series

CONDUCTOR:  Michael Morgan
SOLOIST:   Kristóf Baráti (violin)
Paganini:     Violin Concerto No. 1
Dvorák:     Nocturne for Strings
Mendelssohn:     Symphony No. 4

Niccolò  Paganini  is  considered  one  of  the  best violinists  of  all  time  and  was  one  of  the  first classical music superstars. His 24 Caprices for Solo Violin were some of the first truly virtuosic works from the Romantic period – a period of music that lauded the individual soloist. Within the realm of piano,  Franz  Liszt  enjoyed  the  same  popularity through his unmatched talents as a performer and composer of piano works. Paganini’s compositions
are  still  challenging  by  today’s  standards  as  they explore the extremes of the instrument while still possessing romantic lyricism.

Durban is in for a hair-raising treat as Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti tackles Paganini’s mountainous first violin concerto. In the past decade Baráti has performed with major orchestras and conductors across Europe and Asia and has appeared as a recitalist on some of the most prominent concert series in the world.

On the podium for the evening is American maestro Michael Morgan. Morgan is the current music director of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and his career includes performances with the Vienna State Opera, Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic. Following the intermission he leads the orchestra through two contrasting works – Dvorák’s sombre Nocturne for Strings and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian”.