Arts & Entertainment
Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra to Offer a Breath of Spring in February
Concert to perform Verdi, Brahms and Amanda Harberg, the RSO's new composer in residence
The RIDGEWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA is rehearsing for its next concert on Friday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m., at West Side Presbyterian Church. It will perform Giuseppe Verdi’s overture to “La Forza Del Destino,” Amanda Harberg’s Clarinet Concerto, and Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 2.
Here, Maestro Kyunghun Kim talks about what he hopes the audience will take away from this performance.
Q: Tell us about the program.
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A: I tried to program the RSO’s third concert series with standard repertoires such as Brahms’s 2nd Symphony and Verdi’s “La Forza Del Destino.” Along with that, we have Amanda Harberg’s Clarinet Concerto. We have a wonderful clarinet soloist, Anton Rist, joining us. He is principal clarinet at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Q: Is this your first time performing Amanda Harberg’s Clarinet Concerto? What in the music would you like to express to the audience?
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A: This is my first time performing this concerto. It is a very important piece for Amanda—she wrote it following the loss of her friend. It was first a clarinet sonata, and later it became this concerto. At first glance, the piece looks light-hearted with its agile gestures. However, within these musical gestures, there are sentiments of sorrow and some deep reflections on life. We are thrilled to have the composer present at our concert speaking to the audience about her own piece.
Q: In contrast to Amanda Harberg’s concerto, you have a very classic program of Brahms No. 2. Why did you choose this one, and what experience do you expect to bring to the audience?
A: I tried to balance the season repertoires between standards and nonstandards—something everybody knows and something new to everybody. With the Brahms symphony, I hope that each musician in the orchestra will shine as they fully express themselves through this beloved music, and that the audience will enjoy once again one of the greatest pieces of music of all time.
Q: Give us one phrase to describe this concert.
A: Spring fragrance in winter.
For information and tickets on this coming concert, please visit https://www.ridgewoodsymphony.org/
