Nutcracker and Brahms

   The next Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra concert takes place on Saturday, December 3 at 8:00 PM at Ridgefield High School. The program includes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, and Brahms Symphony No. 2.  Thus Maestro Steichen will have performed all four Brahms symphonies in four consecutive seasons.

   The opener consists of eight variations on a simple theme, which may not have been written by Haydn!  They are ingeniously orchestrated to create different moods and colors; there is then a majestic, flashy finale.

   The famous and familiar Suite is a collection of some of the best selections from the ballet.  Year after year American ballet companies perform the Nutcracker more than any other ballet.  The Suite is known and loved by listeners of all ages and includes favorites such as Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, and the Russian Dance (Trepak).

   The Symphony’s first movement is perhaps Brahms’ most passionate; the second movement is pastoral; the third movement has a catchy folk song style; and the finale is heroic.  At its premiere the public cheered at the end of each movement and demanded that the third movement be repeated.  Overall the work is a thrilling combination of lyricism and climactic orchestral writing.

   The concert is an opportunity for the flute and piccolo players—Kerry Walker, Leslie Waddell, and Melina Arcano—to shine.  There are several important flute passages in most of the Variations sections, including the Finale.  The flute and piccolo are prominent in the Suite’s Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance, and Dance of the Mirlitons, with solo countermelodies in Waltz of the Flowers.  The Symphony has significant flute passages in the second movement.

   The concert is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and PaydenFunds.  Tickets can be obtained via http://www.ridgefieldsymphony.org (preferred) or at the Orchestra office, (203)438-3889.