Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHO: Marc-André Hamelin with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: October 21 & 23, 2005 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE:Bass Concert Hall
TICKETS: $19-$42
CONTACT: Don Hill, Director of Public Relations - 476-6064 x 213

PIANO PHENOMENON, AUSTIN PREMIERE HIGHLIGHT OCTOBER AUSTIN SYMPHONY CONCERT

Season Sponsor: JPMorganChase
Concert Sponsor: Freescale Semiconductor
Media Sponsors: Time Warner Cable/News 8 Austin, Austin American-Statesman and KVET 98.1 FM

Austin audiences are invited to "Experience the Excellence" of the Austin Symphony's 2005-06 season as the ASO continues its 95th concert season on October 21 & 23. Maestro Peter Bay joins the ASO in welcoming pianist Marc-André Hamelin to Bass Concert Hall for the second concert of the new season. Freescale Semiconductor proudly sponsors this concert.

PROGRAM
Puts - Symphony No. 2 "Island of Innocence"
Mozart - Piano Concereto No. 23 in A, K. 488
Dvorák - Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88

After presenting a sparkling open to its 95th season in September, the Austin Symphony raises the curtain on an exciting October concert that will feature piano phenomenon Marc-André Hamelin and the local premiere of a work by UT composer Kevin Puts.

Maestro Bay opens the evening with the Austin premiere of Kevin Puts' Symphony No. 2, "Island of Innocence." Assistant Professor of Composition at The University of Texas, Kevin Puts has been hailed by the press as "one of the best American composers of his generation." Known for his distinctive and richly colored musical voice, Mr. Puts has received many of today's most prestigious honors and awards. His "Island of Innocence" Symphony, Puts says, "while by no means a memorial [to the events of September 11, 2001], makes reference to this sudden paradigm shift. Its construction describes the pre-9/11 unsuspecting climate, the turmoil of the attacks and the days following and leads to a reflective epilogue in which a clock-like pulse creates a mood of expectancy and uncertainty, interlaced with the hope we now experience. Commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music, the work was premiered in April 2002 by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with Paavo Järvi conducting. After the Puts symphony, Maestro Bay then welcomes Mr. Hamelin to center stage for a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488.

For the second half of the concert, Maestro Bay conducts Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia" Symphony No. 1. Composed in 1899 and revised in 1900, "Finlandia" catapulted Sibelius into an international career almost immediately, generating a straightforward patriotic style.

The New Yorker states that Marc-André Hamelin's hands "are among the wonders of the musical world, there is no one like him." Mr. Hamelin's startingly original blend of musicianship and virtuosity has earned him legendary status as a true avatar of the piano. Hamelin will lend his mastery of style to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488. Mozart interrupted composition of his opera The Marriage of Figaro to compose a handful of works, including this concerto. As if basking in the glow of the opera, this work, at least until the final movement, is gentle and lyrical, perhaps reflecting the garden scene from Figaro. Mr. Hamelin's performance will certainly be one not to be missed.

The second half of the concert will feature the Eighth Symphony of Antonín Dvorák. Legendary conductor Hans von Bülow penned that Dvorák was "next to Brahms, the most God-gifted composer in the present day." Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 in G Major imparts a delightful pastoral feel, is relaxed and confident, and brings this concert to rumbustious, jolly end.

Concert goers can enjoy "Concert Conversations" with Bob Buckalew at 7:10 pm in the hall. These discussions provide an in-depth look at the composers and works being performed, including commentary on the social climate in which they were composed. The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Austin Youth Orchestras will also perform Music on the Mezzanine prior to the evening's concert.

Performances for Marc-André Hamelin with the Austin Symphony are October 21 & 23, 8:00 p.m. at Bass Concert Hall. Tickets range from $19 to $42. Student rush tickets are also available 20 minutes prior to performance for $5 cash and current student ID. Charge tickets online at www.austinsymphony.org where you will find interactive seating maps, price options and a wealth of concert information. Tickets are also available at the Austin Symphony Box Office, 11th & Red River or call 476-6064 or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).