Eugene Symphony to perform Pulitzer Prize-winning concerto

by Andrew Creasey on February 16, 2010

The Eugene Symphony will perform Pulitzer prize-winning Steven Stucky’s acclaimed Second Concerto for Orchestra at the Hult Center Thursday at 8 PM as the culmination of a week of events and masters classes that are part of the annual American Encounters program.

The Symphony will also accompany celebrated pianist Angela Hewitt in performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4.

The Eugene Symphony, entering its 44th season, will perform Stucky’s Concerto under the direction of Music Director Danail Rachev. “It is always rewarding for me to hear another conductors take on my work,” says Stucky. “I always feel that they learn more from them than they do from me.”

The week of events and music will kick off with a free screening of the award-winning Classical Kids series film, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, showing in The Studio at the Hult Center on Tuesday at 7 PM.

A free pre-concert lecture held in The Studio on Wednesday at noon will provide the public with a glimpse into the musical minds of Stucky, Hewitt and Rachev.

Also on Wednesday, at 4:00 PM in The Studio, Stucky will host a free composition master class where he will observe and critique the compositions of four University of Oregon students.

For Stucky, this is a particularly rewarding aspect of the American Encounter’s experience. “It’s a privilege to have a hand in shaping the future of this art we love so much. I’m looking forward to sharing with them some of my own interests and passions and techniques, but even more to hearing what’s on their minds and in their ears these days.”

The program founder, Eugene Symphony Board member Laura Avery, always enjoys the master class. “It’s fun to see the change in the student’s performance as a result of the artist’s critique. It’s an invigorating experience for both students and audience.”

Finally, there will be a free pre-concert performance on Thursday at 6:45 PM at the Soreng Theater in the Hult Center that will feature performances by the Eugene Youth Symphony, a mixture of local musical standouts from middle and high school, and University of Oregon Wind Ensemble. As an added bonus, a Q and A with Stucky and the University of Oregon music director of bands, Bob Ponto, will provide insight into the creativity, influences and methods of one of America’s most distinguished composers. No tickets are required.

Steven Stucky, who was recently appointed Chairman of the Board of the American Music Center, received the commission for his Second Concerto for Orchestra from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The New York Times called the piece “fresh and exciting. It alludes to works by other composers without losing its focus, … stands apart from academic disputes about style and language, and strives for direct communication.”

Angela Hewitt, who will perform in Eugene for the second time, has toured the world playing piano. Hewitt is most known for her 11 year project committing all the works of Bach to record, certainly one of the most ambitious endeavors by a classical musician in the modern era. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “the world has a fair share of gifted pianists who make spectacles of themselves … and others who care about nothing but the music. Angela Hewitt is an artist who draws attention only to the ideas at her fingertips.”