Utah Symphony music director Thierry Fischer believes that concert programming should be about the present and the future as well as the past. That’s why he is reintroducing the orchestra’s tradition of commissioning new works from contemporary composers.
"You cannot limit yourself to books written centuries ago," Fischer said. "You need — and want — to read books written today. It is the same with every art form. You can’t study art from the past, or cook only with recipes from your grandmother. We need to try new things."
—
‘Emergences’: A new cello concerto
The Utah Symphony performs music of Faure and Beethoven under the baton of music director Thierry Fischer. French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras will give the world premiere of a cello concerto by Swiss composer Michael Jarrell.
When » Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3 and 4, 8 p.m.
Where » Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City.
Tickets » $25 and up ($5 more on performance day); 801-355-ARTS or www.usuo.org (student discounts available); season ticket holders and those seeking group discounts should call 801-533-NOTE.
Also » Friday’s 10 a.m. dress rehearsal is open to the public as part of the Finishing Touches series; tickets are $15.
 |
Join the Discussion |
 |
Post a Comment |
To launch the initiative, Fischer commissioned a work from a composer whose work he knows well: his Swiss countryman Michael Jarrell, winner of many important awards for his genre-spanning works.
The new piece is a cello concerto, "Emergences," to be performed for the first time by French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and the Utah Symphony under Fischer’s baton at Abravanel Hall. Queyras has presented world premieres of new works by other current composers with orchestras in Europe and Japan, and is a member of the Arcanto Quartet.
Fischer said he is inspired by the lightness and transparency of Jarrell’s compositions and the mysterious orchestral sound the composer attains. The composer will be present as Fischer and the Utah Symphony prepare for the premiere. Listeners should find the fast and difficult solo part to be especially memorable, Fischer said.
"It is quite significant to have a living composer spending the week with the orchestra," he said. "It will bring a different approach, having him here for all rehearsal — an open door."
Concertgoers will get a double dose of Queyras, as the cellist also will solo in Gabriel Faure’s "Elegie." Fischer is flanking Jarrell’s new concerto with works that are familiar and beloved: Faure’s "Cantique de Jean Racine" and "Pavane," both featuring the Utah Symphony Chorus, and Beethoven’s mighty Symphony No. 5.
features@sltrib.com; facebook.com/nowsaltlake
Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
