Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto is famous for being one of the most fiendishly difficult pieces ever composed for the instrument. Pianist Nicolai Lugansky, one of the preeminent Rachmaninoff interpreters of our time, performs here as part of his global tour celebrating the composer’s 150th birthday. While this program celebrates the gems that Rachmaninoff composed during his time in America, his moody and staggeringly beautiful Third Symphony also hints at the exiled composer’s homesickness for his native Russia.
Program:
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
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Sergei Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 44
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Orebolo, an acoustic trio featuring Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, guitar), and Jeff Arevalo (upright bass). The band, comprised of members of the emergent Connecticut rock group Goose. The project has built a faithful following nationwide, specifically after a series of virtual festival appearances in 2020, and an acclaimed performance at Lockn’ Presents FRED The Festival in August 2021. Formed during the height of the initial COVID-19 surge, the three band members shared a home and found comfort in both learning new covers and creatively exploring Goose’s deep catalog acoustically – a feeling they hoped to translate to those listening at home.
“Our national strength matters,” said President John F. Kennedy, “but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much.” This line and others appear in the libretto of the world premiere symphony, JFK: The Last Speech. The symphony joins two earlier projects, a book and documentary of the same title, which were a project of members of the Amherst Class of 1964 who had the privilege of witnessing President Kennedy deliver his last major speech on October 26, 1963, a celebration of his friend, Robert Frost.Composer Adolphus Hailstork says of JFK: The Last Speech, “My writing will reflect the autumn season, the solemnity of the moment, and the unique oratorical gifts of Kennedy – the president – and the profound literary gifts of Frost – the poet.”
Note: Patrons who are interested in viewing the documentary film, which will be shown prior to the CMF concert in the Chautauqua Community House, may do so by purchasing tickets here.
This special evening also includes two additional world premiere performances. Be the first to experience new music by rising star Jordan Holloway and Pulitzer Prize-nominated CU Boulder Professor of Composition, Carter Pann. Flatiron Escapades is a brand new work by composer Jordan Holloway, commissioned by the Colorado Music Festival in celebration of the Colorado Chautauqua’s 125th Anniversary. The music of Hollway’s Flatiron Escapades is inspired by the composer’s frequent visits to Chautauqua Park in search of awe, calm, and artistic inspiration. Individual movements portray the initial severe and staggering look of the Flatirons against the Boulder landscape, as well as the intimate and contemplative moments experienced through Chautauqua’s astonishing vistas.
JFK: The Last Speech is a project of members of the Amherst Class of 1964 through their non-profit Reunion ’64, Inc. They had the privilege of witnessing President Kennedy deliver his last major speech, October 26, 1963. The symphony joins two earlier projects, a book and documentary of the same title.
Program: Jordan Holloway, world premiere commission
Carter Pann, Dreams I Will Never Tell You (world premiere commission)
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Adolphus Hailstork, JFK: The Last Speech (world premiere)
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JFK: The Last Speech Film Screening and Fundraiser Honoring the 125th Anniversary of the Colorado Chautauqua
Help us care for Chautauqua this milestone year.
Doors: 4:15 PM
Showtime: 4:45 PM
Auditorium concert ticket included.
ABOUT THE FILM:
In this era of political tension, when civic culture is fractured and when the value of the liberal arts is questioned, a message from 1963 has particular resonance.
Twenty-seven days before he was assassinated, President Kennedy came to Amherst College to honor the poet Robert Frost in a speech Stewart Udall called “the most majestic” of Kennedy’s career. He spoke of the relationship of poetry to power and of a view shared with Frost that power must be exercised, but wisely — tempered by a moral restraint inspired by the arts and a liberal arts education. And, he spoke of the obligation of those “given a running start in life” to serve the public interest.
JFK: The Last Speech communicates the impact of this message through the stories of Amherst alumni and students and reflections by prominent scholars and political observers. Produced by an award-winning filmmaker, this film ignites public discourse on enduring values and on our shared responsibility for the public interest. It is a call to action to rebuild our civic sphere — infused with broad sympathy, understanding, and compassion.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Enjoy cocktails and appetizers in Chautauqua’s historic Community House and meet the producers of the poignant documentary JFK: The Last Speech prior to the screening of this important film, which reveals how President Kennedy and poet Robert Frost inspired a generation to serve their country and humanity with their words at Amherst College in 1963.
The film will be followed by an orchestral tribute to two great legacies: JFK and the Colorado Chautauqua. The Colorado Musical Festival will perform two world premiere symphonies, including an interpretation of JFK: The Last Speech, anda tribute to Chautauqua – Flatiron Escapades: A Celebration of Chautauqua’s 125th Anniversary, performed in the iconic Chautauqua Auditorium
This program is supported with funding from the generous bequest of Betsy Hitchcock.
Despite the distant threat of rain – “the necessary shadow,” as the composer called it – Brahms’ Second Symphony is a sunny and idyllic work beloved for its rambunctious joy and its balance with that hint of cloud. Eun Sun Kim, a conductor of “assured technical command, subtlety and imagination” (New York Times), leads this program, which opens memorably with the “electro-acoustic soundworld” of Mason Bates’ Rhapsody of Steve Jobs. Gramophone calls Johannes Moser “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists,” and there is no finer showcase of Moser’s musical prowess than Shostakovich’s boisterous and demanding First Cello Concerto.
Program: Mason Bates, The Rhapsody of Steve Jobs (2021)
Dmitri Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 107
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Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
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