Pianist Chu-Fang Huang is back! Having taken our breath away a few seasons ago, she has returned to deliver Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto, beloved for its hallmark Romantic tunes and dazzling virtuosity. Just a few weeks ago, Chu-Fang was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. This is an amazing honor. One can't even apply for one of these grants—the Avery Fisher talent scouts, after an extensive process, simply select an artist for the award. Chu-Fang now joins the company of other distinguished awardees, including Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, and Christopher O'Riley. We're all looking forward to Chu-Fang's stunning performances with the Stockton Symphony, infused by her vivacious personality and consummate musicianship.
Bookending "Rach 2" are two favorites from the Russian symphonic repertoire—Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite—hence we've entitled our season finale "From Russia with Love." The great Russian composers had a way of creating themes that instantly appeal to us with a folklike character: sometimes these melodies are actually based on folk songs, but more often the composers create a bit of genius by crafting a tune that simply sounds folklike. This is certainly true in Glinka's overture. Once we get past the pyrotechnics of the opening (listen to our orchestra fly!), we hear the lyrical second theme that sounds instantly familiar—even if we've never heard it before. Stravinsky had this same genius in spades. His Firebird suite became so popular during his lifetime that he conducted it almost 1,000 times, and now the music has permeated our global culture so thoroughly that we even hear the music featured in the skating routines of the Winter Olympics.
Our season finale provides a real tour de force for both our guest artist and our symphony—we look forward to seeing you there!
