Symphony Features Beethoven in Third Classical Concert on November 13

Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra in a concert dedicated to Beethoven on Saturday, November 13 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the VBC Concert Hall. The distinguished Mexican pianist Jorge Federico Osorio will collaborate with the HSO in a performance of the “Emperor” Concerto. Concert Sponsor is the Jurenko Foundation. Guest Artist Sponsor is AmSouth Bank.

Opening the concert is “Inspiring Beethoven” by Kevin Puts, one of America’s most promising young composers. “The work is a musical tale of Ludwig van Beethoven transcending the grim realities of his life and finding the inspiration to compose the joyous first movement of his Symphony No. 7,” says the composer. The contrasting moods evoked, as well as the eventual return of optimism, are concepts central to many of Beethoven’s beloved compositions.

Robert Schumann described Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 as “a slender Greek maiden between two Norse gods.” The gods in question are the symphonies that preceded and followed in the Third, Eroica, being an exercise in heroism, and the Fifth an epic journey from trauma to triumph. By contrast, the charming Fourth Symphony exudes gentle humor, lyricism and dance-like boisterousness.

To close the concert, Mr. Osorio joins the orchestra in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, the “Emperor.” A favorite of Franz Liszt, the concerto’s bold melodies and heroic spirit quicky won for itself a firm place in the piano repertoire, and its distinctive sobriquet, probably given by a close friend and colleague of the composer. Rhapsodic, dramatic and majestic, it contains one of the most sublime slow movements ever written.

Jorge Federico Osorio has collaborated frequently with Carlos Miguel Prieto. Most recently, he gave an acclaimed performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concert with Maestro Prieto at Mexico City’s 2004 Mozart/Haydn Festival. The Los Angeles Times said, “Osorio fairly took one’s breath away.” The Washington Post said, “His technical mastery and his genuine sensitivity set him apart.” Osorio is recognized as one of the preeminent pianists of our time. He has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Concertgebouw Orchestra, and countless others.

Composer Kevin Puts is one of America’s leading young composers. After relatively few years on the music scene, his dynamic and energetic works have attracted much favorable attention, with performances by the Boston Pops, the Atlanta Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Spleto Festival USA. New York Concert Review said, “Puts possesses a superb ear, an invigorating mind, and is certainly a young composer to watch.” Of his Symphony No. 2, premiered by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Post said, “Mr. Puts scored an emotional bull’s-eye with .. . a richly colored, neo-romantic work that won a standing ovation.”

The last all-Beethoven concert in February 2004 was a complete sell-out, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 539-4818, in person at the HSO Offices and online at www.hso.org. Tickets may also be purchased the night of the concert at the Concert Hall beginning at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, and 2:15 p.m. on Sunday. Balance-of-season subscriptions for the remaining four concerts of the season are available for as little as $58. Single ticket prices range from $24 to $54, with student and group rates available, and there is a $5.00 student rush beginning at 7:20 p.m. Pre-Concert Conversations with Carlos are thirty-minute informal talks that provide insights into the program, beginning at 6:45.

“Sneak Preview,” HSO’s final rehearsal at 11:00 a.m. on concert day, is open to the public for a nominal charge of $5.00. Season passes are also available at $25.00 for a single, and $50.00 for a family of three. Children 5 and under are free. Sponsor is Publix Super Markets Charities.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Jorge Federico Osorio
Jorge Federico Osorio is recognized as one of the preeminent pianists of our time and has been internationally acclaimed for his superb musicianship and absolute command of the instrument. He has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre Nationale de France, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow State Orchestra and Warsaw Philharmonic, under the batons of such distinguished conductors as Lorin Maazel, Bernard Haitink, Klaus Tennstedt, Eduardo Mata, and others. His concert tours have taken him to Europe, Asia, North, Central and South America, and American festival appearances have included the Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia and Grant Park Festivals. Mr. Osorio recently performed with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago in Chile and played all five Beethoven Concerti with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, one of Spain’s leading orchestras. Of his 1997 Tully Hall recital at New York City’s Lincoln Center, Peter G. Davis of New York Magazine wrote, “his first concert hereabouts in some time was a richly satisfying one. I wonder how many other pianists around today can so completely immerse themselves in such different musical worlds and depict them all with comparable skill and commitment.”

Mr. Osorio has an extensive discography, having recorded a wide variety of repertoire for EMI, CBS, Artek, IMP and ASV, including an all Brahms recording that Gramophone proclaimed as “one of the most distinguished discs of Brahms’ piano music in recent years.”

Mr. Osorio is the recipient of several international prizes and awards, including the Rhode Island International Master Piano Competition and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Gina Bachauer Award. Performing chamber music is an integral part of his artistic life and, in addition to having served as artistic director of the Brahms Music Festival in Mexico, he has performed with the late Henryk Szeryng, the Moscow Quartet, Tel Aviv Quartet, violinist Mayumi Fujikawa and cellist Richard Markson. Born in Mexico, Mr. Osorio began his musical studies at the age of five. He studied at the conservatories of Mexico, Paris and Moscow, and his teachers have included his mother, Luz María Puente, Bernard Flavigny, Monique Haas, Jacob Milstein, Nadia Reisenberg and Wilhelm Kempff.

Kevin Puts
One of the most promising young composers in the U. S., Kevin Puts continues to be recognized for composing works that show a distinctive and appealing musical voice. His honors include the 2003 Benjamin H. Danks Award for Excellence in Orchestra Composition of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a 2001 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, a 2001-2003 Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, and the 1999 Barlow International Competition, which resulted in premieres by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Utah Symphony. He has received commissions from the National Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, Japan’s Ensemble Kobe, the Ying Quartet, the “Magnum Opus” project of Meet the Composer, and others. As composer-in-residence of Young Concert Artists, Mr. Puts wrote two critically-acclaimed compositions. Educated at Eastman, Yale and the Tanglewood Festival Fellowship Program, Mr. Puts currently serves as assistant professor of composition at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, North Alabama’s premiere performing arts organization, traces its beginnings back to the winter of 1954-55 and the presence of Wernher von Braun and his German rocket teams, whose arrival in Huntsville sparked an era of sensational growth. While the professional lives of these new residents were dedicated to visions of space exploration, they brought with them a lifelong passion for classical music. Many of the Germans played in the first orchestra. Their energy and influence set the tone for the vibrant cultural life enjoyed today by the residents of the Tennessee Valley. HSO provides high quality classical music performances and education to the entire region. More information is available at 539-4818 and www.hso.org.