sa国际传媒官网网页入口

The 15th season of the New Mexico Philharmonic begins with three concerts featuring world-renowned musicians, award-winning young soloists and marauding prehistoric creatures.

鈥楯urassic Park in Concert鈥�

Guest conductor Jason Altieri will kick things off on Saturday, Sept. 27, with a live performance of John Williams鈥� score for 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� while the film is projected behind the orchestra.

鈥淥rchestras playing movie scores in front of the movie as it鈥檚 running has been all the rage lately,鈥� Altieri said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been happening all over the place. And it really is, in my opinion, the best way to see a movie, especially a classic, like 鈥楯urassic Park.鈥欌��

NMPhil did a similar performance of 鈥淭he Princess Bride鈥� last year, with Altieri conducting.

Altieri called the 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� score 鈥渆pic,鈥� noting that he has loved Williams鈥� film scores since childhood.

鈥淚 was born in 鈥�71, and I saw 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� in the theater as a little guy. Hearing that music just blew me away from the get-go,鈥� Altieri said.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 a conductor, I鈥檝e done my fair share of John Williams concerts, and from all sorts of different scores, from 鈥楬ome Alone鈥� to 鈥楥atch Me if You Can鈥� to 鈥楯urassic Park,鈥� and, of course, 鈥楽tar Wars,鈥欌�� Altieri said. 鈥淭hat guy really knows how to write for orchestra.鈥�

The 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� score, in particular, features big, swelling passages for the brass section.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of what he鈥檚 known for, this really wonderful brass writing,鈥� Altieri said. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 a challenge for the brass section, but it鈥檚 a lot of fun for them, as well.鈥�

Altieri said hearing Williams鈥� film music as a child is partly what inspired him to later become a conductor.

鈥淚t probably helps that my parents were musicians, as well, so I grew up with symphonic music,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut to hear music on that scope and scale, it affected me in a physical way. I think that鈥檚 one of the reasons why I decided to become a conductor.鈥�

Hearing a film score performed live along with the film but without the actors鈥� dialog, according to Altieri, helps audiences pick up on aspects of the music they might otherwise overlook.

鈥淥ftentimes, people take the film score for granted, because you see the story rolling along,鈥� Altieri said. 鈥淏ut really getting into the score itself, you hear all the tiny little details that help to bring out and reinforce the emotions of the actors on the screen.鈥�

The 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� score includes some unusual percussion, including the vibraslap 鈥� an instrument mostly used in cartoons 鈥� and a jaw bone.

鈥淭he jaw bone is used for the raptors when they鈥檙e hunting,鈥� Altieri said. 鈥淣ow and then, you have to strike a jaw bone, which I think is to signify the fighting of the dinosaurs.鈥�

Altieri said he loves working with NMPhil.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a wonderful group of musicians, and every time they invite me back, it feels like coming home,鈥� he said.

鈥楽肠丑耻产别谤迟鈥檚 Tragic Symphony鈥�

The first of NMPhil鈥檚 Afternoon Classics series this season will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5, with Fran莽ois L贸pez-Ferrer conducting Franz Schubert鈥檚 Symphony No. 4 in C minor, also known as the composer鈥檚 鈥淭ragic鈥� symphony.

L贸pez-Ferrer, a renowned Spanish American conductor, is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

The afternoon concert will also feature selections from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart鈥檚 Violin Concerto No. 4, performed by the 11-year-old violinist Ella Tasker, and Ludwig van Beethoven鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 4, performed by 16-year-old pianist Sean Choi.

Tasker and Choi were the first-place winners of this year鈥檚 Jackie McGehee Young Artists鈥� Competition, sponsored by the Music Guild of New Mexico.

Teresa Martinez, the Music Guild鈥檚 co-vice president of membership, said the annual competition was named for one of the Guild鈥檚 charter members, Jackie McGehee, and it is open to all young New Mexican musicians between the ages of 10 and 21.

鈥淚t鈥檚 turned into a premier competition, where they bring in professionals from across the country to be jurors,鈥� Martinez said.

Martinez saw both Tasker and Choi perform in this year鈥檚 competition and was 鈥渧ery impressed鈥� with their talent.

鈥淓lla was one of the younger competitors,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淗er mother is the first chair of the New Mexico Philharmonic, so she comes from a musical family.鈥�

What impressed Martinez most about Tasker was her ability to connect emotionally with the music.

鈥淪he is so expressive when she鈥檚 playing,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淪he is quite an artist at the tender age of 11. She鈥檚 very captivating.鈥�

Martinez found Choi equally memorable.

鈥淚 remember his enthusiasm,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 very, very talented.鈥�

鈥淓veryone was very impressed with the level of competition,鈥� Martinez added.

In addition to sponsoring the Young Artists鈥� Competition, the Music Guild promotes music education and provides grants to music nonprofits.

鈥淲e鈥檙e here for the love of music,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淪o, we want to support and promote and encourage all the nonprofit musical organizations that educate and enrich the quality of music across the state, especially for our youth.鈥�

鈥楳ahler鈥檚 Fourth鈥�

NMPhil鈥檚 music director, Roberto Minczuk, will conduct his first concert of the season on Saturday, Oct. 11, with three poignant works: Krysztof Penderecki鈥檚 鈥淭o the Victims of Hiroshima,鈥� Richard Strauss鈥� 鈥淔our Last Songs鈥� and Gustav Mahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 4.

鈥淚t鈥檚 quite a special program,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淚t starts with a piece by the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who is one of the most important composers of the second part of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century.鈥�

Minczuk wanted to perform Penderecki鈥檚 鈥淭o the Victims of Hiroshima鈥� on the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.

鈥淚t was never performed in New Mexico,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淪o, in this year that we remember 80 years since the bombing, I thought it was very appropriate to have this performed in New Mexico where it all started, so to speak, with Los Alamos and the importance of New Mexico in this development that changed the world.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 very important for us to reflect on the subject through music,鈥� Minczuk added. 鈥淭his is what music does. Coming to a live concert provides a space for reflection, a space to connect with that which is very human 鈥� the emotions and the history.鈥�

The second piece in the program, Richard Strauss鈥� 鈥淔our Last Songs,鈥� reflects on war and destruction, as well.

鈥淭hese are Strauss鈥� last works, which he wrote just a year before he died in 1949,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 German, and he died in Germany, having seen the complete destruction of his country. So, he was reflecting upon his whole life. And these 鈥楩our Last Songs鈥� are considered his most beautiful work.鈥�

In this work, Strauss revisits the musical theme from 鈥淒eath and Transfiguration,鈥� a tone poem he had written 60 years earlier.

鈥淗e quotes the theme from 鈥楧eath and Transfiguration,鈥� because he was feeling death knocking at his door,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a sublime work for soprano and orchestra.鈥�

The soprano, Meghan Kasanders, will be making her New Mexico debut. Opera News called her 鈥渁 wonderfully promising, rich dramatic soprano.鈥�

鈥淢eghan Kasanders is one of the up and coming stars of her generation,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 singing with major opera houses and major orchestras around the world, and we鈥檙e happy to have her come to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for this magnificent performance.鈥�

To cap off the evening, NMPhil will perform Mahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 4.

鈥淲e just closed our last season with Mahler鈥檚 Third Symphony in April, so now we鈥檙e continuing the cycle,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淭his is really a phenomenal opportunity for our audience to experience his symphonies played chronologically.鈥�

But Minczuk said Mahler鈥檚 Fourth is 鈥渧ery different鈥� from the others.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a more delicate symphony. The orchestration is not as large,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 as if you鈥檙e dealing with very fragile elements, and very beautiful ones, like walking in a crystal shop.鈥�

The symphony ends with a solo by Kasanders.

鈥淚t ends very softly,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淢ahler uses a text for the last movement, which talks about the hope of the afterlife, when life鈥檚 troubles have ended.鈥�

Reflecting on the concert program, Minczuk said he hopes it will help audiences 鈥渃ope with 鈥� our anxiety about our time and what lies ahead of us.鈥�

Penderecki and Strauss were both writing music in the aftermath of World War II, while Mahler was looking for hope even in the face of death.

鈥淣ow that we see conflicts around the world that could trigger another world war, it makes us think how history could repeat itself,鈥� Minczuk said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, Mahler鈥檚 symphony ends on that note of hope.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 powerful and beautiful music that will inspire, and also bring us some consolation,鈥� Minczuk said.

NMPhil launches new season with dinosaurs, young musicians and Mahler