The 'Organ' Symphony
April 8 @ 8pm
Bach/Elgar Fantasia and Fugue
Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem
Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3, 'Organ'
Daniel Meyer conductor
Filippa Duke organ
Erie Philharmonic Chorus
Dr. Gabrielle Dietrich director
Slippery Rock University Combined Choir
Dr. Stephen Barr director
Our 16-17 season ends in April with sonic splendor. We begin with a transcription of Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in c minor as only the brilliant English composer Edward Elgar could re-create. The original Fantasia was written for the organ; Elgar’s orchestration gives this brilliant work new life, in full symphonic depth and color. We then perform Vaughan Williams’ searing Dona Nobis Pacem, featuring the voices of the Erie Philharmonic Chorus, the Slippery Rock University Combined Choirs and two soloists from the Pittsburgh Opera. With its inventive pairing of liturgical Latin texts with World War I poetry by Walt Whitman, this passionate music reveals the drama, sorrow, and emotional scars that war can leave on our psyches. To complete the concert and our symphonic season, we perform Saint-Saëns’ brilliant Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ.’ In this symphony, Saint-Saëns discreetly weaves the color of the organ into the fabric of the work and then ‘pulls out all the stops’ in a finale that will simply leave the Warner Theatre shaking. It is a sonic display that you simply have to experience live, and we are bringing it to you in our season of captivating music with the Erie Philharmonic.
JOIN US IN THE FIRST NIAGARA COMMUNITY ROOM FOR CLASSICS IN THE EVENING, A PRE-CONCERT TALK HOSTED BY BRIAN HANNAH BEFORE EVERY SYMPHONIC CONCERT STARTING AT 7:15PM.
