Lovers and lovers of music will be serenaded this weekend by the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, led by director David Upham, exploring some of the greatest lovers and love stories in classical music. Following the Prelude, soprano Sharon Acton will convey the emotional turbulence of love with two German pieces “Die Nacht” (“The Night”) which expresses the fear and anxiety of lost love, and “Morgen” (“Tomorrow”) which evokes the euphoria of finding love. Both works are by composer Richard Strauss.
The focus shifts to the mythical lover Don Juan as interpreted by Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Acton returns to sing an aria, “The Marriage of Figaro” which is followed by Giuseppe Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” (“The Masked Ball”).
The romance continues after intermission, with a final aria by Hector Berlioz from “The Damnation of Faust,” “D’amour
l’ardente Flame” (Love’s Burning Flame”). Finally, Tchaikovsky’s famous 1880 Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture brings dramatic closure.
“All of the music on this concert speaks of love stories and each has characters represented by instruments or themes that can be picked out by the audience, allowing them to follow the story and the interactions and feelings of those characters,” explained Elijah Pugh who plays trumpet in the orchestra.
“This concert is a true test for a musician. How do you interpret love, how do you lead the audience to their interpretation of love, how do you portray true love to a child who may never have experienced it? This music is both amazing to perform but also challenging on many levels,” he said.
Love of music unites quintet
Pugh and four other musicians will offer a performance of works for brass at the Pavilion on Friday night.
“The performances overlap primarily as an extended celebration of live music, of which there is a breathtaking abundance on Bainbridge Island,” said French horn player Richard Davis. The quintet will play classical, old favorites and Dixieland-style music featuring two trumpets (Pugh and Terry Nickels), a French horn (Richard Davis), trombone (Drew Jackson) and tuba (Jas Linford). The free performance runs from 5:45-6:45 p.m. at the Pavilion, 403 Madison Avenue.
“This quintet actually exists because we all play with the symphony,” Pugh said.
That, and the love of music connects them.
“Playing music makes me happy,” Davis said. “I try to make a little noise everyday, on whatever I have handy – French horn, piano, mandolin, guitar or harmonica.”
“I picked up my first trumpet at the age of three and was hooked,” Pugh said. “There is something utterly compelling about the camaraderie of playing in a group of dedicated musicians. A thrill in performing live that is incomparable to anything else I have ever attempted in life.”
The camaraderie is one of the high points for Davis, too, who began on the piano at 5 years old.
“The highlights of playing music are the friends I’ve made, the opportunities to perform, the solace of solitary practice, the camaraderie of ensemble rehearsals, and the magical moments when it all comes together. There’s nothing like it.”
Drew Jackson, on trombone, has a degree in music education from Louisiana Tech University and has taught beginning band in Central Kitsap for 10 years.
Jas Linford plays tuba with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra as well as Bethany Brass and the Farragut Brass Band. He is conductor of Hometown Band, owns a brass repair shop in Poulsbo, and teaches private lessons.
Terry Nickels rounds out the quintet on trumpet.
Gotta love it
Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra performs Music Lovers at 7:30 p.m. Feb 20 and 3 p.m. Feb. 21. A pre-concert chat with director David Upham begins 45 minutes prior to each performance — 6:45 p.m. on Saturday and 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
Tickets: $18 for adults, and $15 for seniors, students, youth, military, and teachers. For more information, call 842-8569 or visit www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org.
The quintet will play from 5:45-6:45 p.m. at the Pavilion, 403 Madison Ave.
